"Grandma, why are you in this empty—"
Grandma's grandchild flapped the door open to reveal a young man in his spring outfit—beige trench coat, button-up, black slacks, and in his white socks. "—room?" He was shocked to see a young lady in their house.
"Oh, this is Elizabeth Han. She's as young as you are." Grandma excitedly introduced Elizabeth to her grandchild. Grandma and Elizabeth stood up beside each other in front of the former's grandchild.
"Hello, I am Elizabeth. I am 9 hours old—" Grandma covered Elizabeth's mouth as swiftly as she could whilst trying to fake a giggle. Elizabeth, on the other hand, was surprised. "She meant 19 years old." Grandma takes her hand off Elizabeth's mouth.
"Now, Elizabeth, this is Chanyeol, my grandson." Elizabeth formally thrusted her right hand out, ready for a shake. "Nice to meet you, Chanyeol." The 6-foot tall young man only looked down on Elizabeth's right hand. "Why are you here?"
"Park Chanyeol! Why are you so rude to your new housemate?" Grandma exclaimed.
"Hold on! Grandma! New housemate? You mean she's staying here with us?" Chanyeol quite bellowed, questioning his grandmother's sudden announcement.
"Of course."
"What? No! I don't want any other female housemate besides you, Grandma." Chanyeol furrowed his eyebrows whilst Grandma went closer to him and pinched his right ear. "Oh! Come here, you punk! I've always taught you about manners, boy!"
Chanyeol only winced in pain while being dragged out of the room by his ear.
Elizabeth was confused as to what was happening. She decided to close the door and lay back on the bed with her eyes closed.
"Mother, Father..."
"I understand that you are always beside me, guiding me."
"Mother, I hope it made you happy that I am an adult. I did what I have understood from what you established on me."
"Father, I am aware of who you are. I will always pray to you, wherever you may be."
"Elizabeth?" Three knocks on the door got her back in reality. Elizabeth sat back up while Grandma opened the entrance to the room. The young girl showed an inquisitive expression. "Dinner will be ready soon. You should wash up, then change to more comfortable clothes." Grandma slightly demonstrated how to wash by rubbing her arms with her hands.
Elizabeth only nodded to show affirmation. The door closed once again, and she stood up and looked around her room—trying to figure out where exactly can she wash up. She didn't seem to know where the place is so she walked out of her room.
"Grandma... where can I wash?" Grandma smiled and led her to the bathroom.
"Can't she read? There's a big sign on the door that says 'bathroom'." Grandma glared at Chanyeol who gave a side comment while cutting the vegetables.
Elizabeth stopped on her steps to the bathroom, turned around—pouting, and said very apologetically, "I apologize for being like this. I have not done this before." Both Chanyeol and Grandma were surprised at how sensitive she became all of a sudden and how crazy that last sentence was. 'Never done taking a bath before?' Elizabeth then entered the bathroom and closed the door.
Grandma spoke to Elizabeth through the thin bathroom door. "Elizabeth dear. Do you have a towel with you?"
"Yes, Grandma."
"Is it big enough to wrap around your body?" Grandma asked again.
"Yes, Grandma."
"Okay. Make sure to dry yourself with it and cover your body with it, okay?"
"Yes, Grandma. Thank you."
Grandma leaned back from the bathroom door and walked towards Chanyeol in the kitchen area. "Here, you little boy." She pinched his right ear again and he scowled as he puts down the knife on the table. "A—ah—aw! Grandma."
Grandma pulled her hand off from his grandson's ear. "I made you into a gentleman who respects women equally. I cannot believe you are like this, especially not to a new girl."
"But grandma, I just didn't imagine that I'd be going home to a female dormitory from now on." Chanyeol protested. His grandmother sighed with a smile as she reached out to her 6-foot tall grandson's shoulder. "Dear boy, 'till when will you be like this?" She showed a teasing smile.
"L-Like what?" Chanyeol sheepishly replied as he leans back to the counter. Grandma continued to tease him. "Like being shy around girls your age." The young man's face flushed. Grandma tapped on his shoulder while walking to the dining area.
"You know, boy, you need to know how to talk to girls. You're already 19? Going on 20 next month. You can't be like this forever." His grandmother laughed while setting up the table.
Chanyeol's face has become redder than beet. He turned back to his chopping with the vegetables. "I-I-It's not like that, Grandma. I-I-I know how to talk to girls. I-I j-just don't tell you."
His grandmother caressed his back. It made Chanyeol turn his head to his grandmother. "Kidding aside... Boy, I'm not forcing you to talk to any women because I know what happened to you when you were younger. I continue to pray that you'll get there someday." Grandma's tone turned more serious.
Chanyeol looked at his grandmother and showed a small smile. "Thank you for always understanding, Grandma."
Grandma displayed a comforting smile. "Of course, boy."
Suddenly, a door creaked open and revealed a wet young girl covered in a small white towel—quite small that it almost (barely) covered her thighs.
Chanyeol aimed his focus from the vegetables to Elizabeth who just got out of the bathroom. The young girl, on the other hand, only flaunted an irked expression. Grandma noticed how Elizabeth just stood on her place while exchanging puzzled looks with Chanyeol. "Boy!"
The young man was shaken back to his chopping. Chanyeol's cheeks flared red at the embarrassment of getting caught staring at a young woman. Grandma immediately assisted the clueless Elizabeth into her room.
Once she closed the door to Elizabeth's room, Grandma began searching through Elizabeth's closet. "Now, I think I'm beginning to believe what you said about your confusing birth." Grandma turned to Elizabeth who still looked confused. "You are too naïve. Too inexperienced." She held the young girl in her arms.
"You need to learn, my dear. Okay, let's start with... picking out your clothes." Elizabeth nodded.
"These are for when you are going to bed, then these are for when you are just staying at home, and the rest of these are for when you go out."
The young Elizabeth began to understand few things about 'life'.
Later that evening, the three of them were going to have dinner. They said grace together and began eating. Chanyeol started picking up his chopsticks and all the side dishes into his bowl, in contrast to the non-moving Elizabeth just looking at the food on the table.
Grandma noticed how she only sat still while observing. "Dear, don't just feast your eyes. Eat." Grandma picked up Elizabeth's chopsticks and positioned it in her hand. "Here. You use this."
While chewing on his food, Chanyeol murmured. "Really? She doesn't know how to eat? Did she just get out from her mother's womb this morning?"
"Yes, I have." Elizabeth answered in the most serious tone while partly glaring at Chanyeol whose mind was in disarray. Grandma began to fluster.
"W-What? What are you talking about, dear?" Grandma faked a laugh. "J-Just eat. Here. You can use the spoon too if don't know how to use the chopsticks." She handed the spoon to Elizabeth.
"I don't eat." Elizabeth got up from her seat and went straight to her room.
"Look at what you did, boy." Chanyeol looked at Grandma unapologetically. "I didn't do anything."
Meanwhile, in her room, Elizabeth laid flat on her bed while staring blankly on the ceiling. Suddenly, she heard a faint whisper that made her slightly jump off her bed. "Elizabeth..."
"Father? Mother?"
"Elizabeth..." The deep voice with an unknown source continued to echo around the room. "Father! Mother!" She yelled while seemingly trying to find where the voice is coming from.
And an immediate flap of the door happened with Grandma and Chanyeol behind her. "Dear, dear. Are you okay?" Grandma was worried sick. She gingerly cupped Elizabeth's face who appeared to be troubled. "I-I've heard my Mother and Father! I've heard them..." She brought Elizabeth into her arms while she caresses the young girl's back. "Y-You must've heard wrong, dear."
"N-No! I've heard it perfectly! I've heard their voices!" Elizabeth shouted. Chanyeol noticed how it appeared disrespectful for him to see the 'new girl' bellowing at his grandmother. "Hey!" He points his index finger at her. "You don't shout at her!"
Grandma pulled Chanyeol's arm. "Boy, it's okay." The young man's forehead creased. "What's okay about that Grandma?! She shouted at you!"
"Like what you're doing right now?" Grandma folded her arms as she wrinkled her eyebrows at him. Chanyeol's face relaxed upon realization. He gulped and lowered his eyes before leaving the room trying to hold his explosion.
Elizabeth only lowered her head in frustration whilst sitting on her white bed. Grandma sat next to her to give the young girl a hug. "I'm so sorry this horrible thing happened to you." Elizabeth leaned her head on Grandma's shoulder.
In the room across hers, Chanyeol got irritated how he acted like a hypocrite to his own words. He just wanted to reprimand the new girl, and didn't realize immediately how he seemed to have gone over the top.
The next morning at 6AM, the people in the house woke up to the smell of burnt toast and sound of the clanging cooking appliances. Grandma groaned at the sudden change of her posture as she quickly flopped up from her lying position. Of course, it gave her an abrupt headache. On the other hand, Chanyeol from the other room walked up to the door and pulled it open. His silky yet messy black hair was still in place as he continues to rub his puffy eyes from his sleep.
"What's happening? What's with all this smoke?" He coughed as he continuously waved his hand in the air to move the smoke away from his face. Chanyeol walked to the kitchen to see Elizabeth in white duster stained with black ash.
Chanyeol's eyes rounded that he immediately turned everything (necessarily) off, took the small saucepan from Elizabeth's grasp and threw it to the sink. "What are you doing?!"
Teary-eyed, Elizabeth trembled in fear of getting yelled at again. "I—"
"What?" Chanyeol's brows furrowed at her, waiting for an answer.
"I just wanted to make breakfast for you and grandma because I..." Elizabeth lowered her head as she played with her fingers.
"You felt bad for what happened yesterday, huh? Well, I have a news for you. 'New Girl' made nothing to make anyone feel good." Chanyeol went back to his room to take his towel and start his daily routine before going to his university.
Grandma coughed at the smoke while walking to the kitchen. "Darling, what happened here?" She asked in the most tender and calming tone as she approached Elizabeth who felt worse than before.
"I was going to cook breakfast for you and Chanyeol but it seems he found the idea ridiculous, so he got mad at me... again."
Elizabeth frowned. Grandma smiled at her then caressed Elizabeth's right arm. "It's okay, dear. I'll teach you next time. Is that all right with you?" Grandma beamed with an encouraging smile. Elizabeth bobbed her head in agreement.
"Now, move along. I'll take care of the breakfast while you take a bath and wear something nice. We have to go somewhere." Elizabeth looked concerned.
"Is something the matter, dear?" Grandma realized the bathroom is occupied by Chanyeol. She giggled. "I see. After he's done, you can have your shower. For now, you can just choose a nice dress to wear, okay?" Elizabeth nodded and went straight to her room.
She began to look through her just-enough wardrobe.
After finishing the first half of the usual morning routine: taking a shower and prepping, Grandma had finished her cooking, laid food and utensils for three on the rectangular dining table. One after another, Chanyeol exited his room in his usual spring outfit, but this time chose black trench coat. "Oh, I thought it was that 'New Girl' who prepared breakfast." He sat on one of the chairs and was ready to dig in when Grandma slapped on his right hand that had already picked up on the chopsticks. "Grandma~" His brows furrowed.
"Please be dear and stop calling her 'New Girl'. Also, you know well that we eat together in this household." Grandma sat gingerly on her seat right across her grandson. Chanyeol sulked on his chair while waiting for Elizabeth to come out of her room. "Ugh! When is that girl gonna come—"
At that moment, Elizabeth came out of the room very cautiously in her well-prepped outfit. A fairly girly white dress—white, her favorite color. Looking extremely timid, she made small steps as soon as she closed her room's door. Chanyeol was equally surprised as Grandma who looked very delighted.
"Oh my goodness! For a naïve young woman like you, I must say, you know how to dress very well." Grandma stood up and went to fix Elizabeth's naturally black straight locks on her chest. "Have a seat, dear, and we'll take our breakfast."
Elizabeth gently sat beside Grandma. "Now, let's ea— Boy, are you okay?" Grandma apparently caught Chanyeol still 'staring' at Elizabeth. She then looked back at him who immediately shook his head along with his thoughts and picked up his chopsticks. "I-I'm all right. Let's just eat."
They gratefully ate their breakfast together, finishing it off clean. Chanyeol stood up first and went into his room to grab his deep blue backpack and things for school. Elizabeth and Grandma simultaneously stood from their seats. "Grandma?"
"Yes, dear?" Grandma was gingerly fixing the utensils.
"I recollected being told by you that we have elsewhere to go for today?" Elizabeth queried.
Chanyeol walked out of his room with all his things for his class today. "Grandma, I'll be off."
"Boy, wait a moment." Chanyeol instantly stopped on his steps and turned his head around. "What is it, Grandma?"
Grandma tapped on Elizabeth's shoulder. "Elizabeth sweetie, go with Chanyeol."
"What?!"