(3rd Person P.O.V.)
It was 5 when the alarms went off, and Minji stumbled awake, muttering about hating Fridays. She raised her body up, stretching her long arms and taking a giant yawn before looking around. Her hair was all over the place, showing just how well she slept. Her hair had transformed into a mane, and she was looking around like a hungry lion. The moment her eyes met Jennie's, she jumped, clutching her heart.
"Ahh, you scared me." She half whispered. She was looking at Jennie, whose eyes hung low with dark circles underneath and red streaks covering most of her eyes. "Did you not sleep at all?" She looked with concern, and Jennie just shook her head.
"I tried, but it was hard." She yawned and stood up. She held out her hands for balance, trying not to let Minji see just how exhausted she was. It was already too late.
"Why don't you go lay in my bed?" She motioned, getting up and going towards Jennie.
"No, I'll be fine. I've done this before." She smiled, moving around Minji to start picking up the blankets. She began folding them, trying to take her mind off the much-needed sleep that she would rather be having right now.
"Wait, but didn't you say you had work?" Minji looked concerned, watching Jennie drag herself around like a corpse with limited energy. Her arms worked, flexing at every fold of the blankets, but she made sure to smile at Minji. This tricky smile she had played many times before, she was putting it back to the test. Minji had fallen for it, giving a small smile back before reaching out to begin helping.
"What classes do you have today?" Jennie asked, completely disregarding Minji's question so that she did not have to answer. She didn't really work a job, and she just enjoyed getting the extra spending money. She was just helping Tae and his mom, and it wasn't like it was the first time she had done this.
"Just two, Anatomy and Anthropology." She dragged out the sound, turning it into a grown before tumbling on top of the couch. "Why is responsibility so hard?" She asked, still staring down into the abysmal darkness that was in front of her.
Behind her stood Jennie, stone cold and waiting for Minji to get up. She was tired, obviously, pushing her hair back and looking to be as normal as she could. She watched Minji come up with a sigh and announce her departure to the bathroom. Jennie heard the door close before collapsing on the couch herself, pulling her arms around her upper body. She took a couple of deep breaths, pushing her hair from the side of her face.
"You can do this." She muttered to herself the mantra that she would tell herself every day. She took a final breath and stood up straight. Like on cue, Minji walked out of the bathroom humming cheerfully and turned to see Jennie, who was now standing with the heaviness of her body tilting her forward slightly.
"I don't know if I have breakfast, but we can go somewhere. My treat." She had turned around, facing the kitchen, before walking in. "I actually just eat breakfast at campus, so I don't have any here." She apologized as she poured herself a glass of water.
"Don't worry, we can go to my house." Jennie moved towards her bag, starting to pack everything away. Minji watched for a bit. Jennie's movements were slow, and she shook her head at the thought of her restless body exerting the remainder of its energy. She wanted to walk towards her, but there was something that held her back.
"Your house? You sure?" Her voice called from the kitchen, but Jennie didn't answer. She continued to pack her bag almost as if she had not heard Minji. With nothing else to do, Minji walked to her room to grab her own bag before returning to fill it. She saw the pile that Jennie had made for her, placing them all so neatly in her bag before she stood up. Jennie hadn't yet finished hers, still placing pens inside of it before looking up.
"You ready?" Her voice sounded drained, and although she hoped that Minji would ignore or not pay attention, Minji had heard it. With her final bit of strength, Jennie stood up and looked at the clothes she was wearing. She had almost forgotten that she had changed, but she didn't want to waste any strength on changing back. Minji was still in sweats and seemed the most comfortable she had ever been, but she held up a finger.
"Hold on," she took off to the bedroom, running back to the room. Jennie stood there, waiting, hearing shuffling and things being moved about. Before long, she saw Minji running back with a smile, still in sweats but now holding on to a packet of ginseng. Minji held it out to Jennie with the sweetest smile before she took it from her hand and began to open it. With the last little bit of strength remaining, she tore open the packet and began sucking on the red ginseng. Jennie finished it before pulling her red lips into a smile and grabbing hold of Minji's arm.
"Ready?" She asked, looking at her. Minji nodded, bending down to grab her book bag and placing it over her shoulder. Jennie picked up her bag next and slung it over her shoulder, slightly tightening her grip on Minji, who was almost fully supporting her body.
They walked out of the house, walking very closely with one another as they made their way through the gate. The way to Jennie's house wasn't that far, but it was not going to be by any means a short walk. Minji filled the silence by talking to Jennie about music, movies, shows, and, probably the best part, food. The girls were the most talkative when it came to food, both of their mouths practically salivating everywhere from the conversation. As they approached Jennie's house, she took out her key from her bag to unlock the door. The door flung open, a man standing there looking at her.
"Where have you been?" His voice was serious, but Jennie pushed him aside and pulled Minji in alongside her.
"I was at a friend's house. Leave." Jennie was not in the mood to play around, and they both were starving. Jennie put her bag on the floor, taking Minji's and placing it next to hers.
"I was looking for you." Jennie rolled her eyes and motioned for Minji to follow her further into the house, entering the kitchen.
"Who is that?" Minji whispered, looking at the guy strangely and then back at Jennie. She took a big breath, trying to focus on making rice.
"That's Tae. Ignore him, and he will go away." She whispered loudly enough for him to hear, continuing to prepare the rice. "Why don't you grab the dishes out of the fridge?" She asked Minji, and she moved to the sound, opening the fridge to help.
"Wait," Tae walked over and pulled Jennie's arm, trying to pull her to the living room before she snatched her arm away.
"Tae, please leave." She spoke; her voice was weak, but her eyes told him that she was serious.
"Talk to me first," He said, looking at her with a soft face before she turned to Minji.
"I'll be back." She walked towards her bedroom, and Tae followed suit. When in the room, Tae closed the door and moved close to Jennie before she took a step back. He sighed, looking at her with sunken eyes that were red.
"Are you okay?" She shook her head, looking so annoyed.
"Okay. I'm not doing this; you wanted to talk, talk." Jennie crossed her arms and stood waiting.
"I'm sorry." He stood there a moment, breathing, before speaking once again. "I was looking for you last night." He stared at her, and she was still looking at him with crossed arms.
"Why?" Tae looked at the floor, thinking intensely about something that the vein in his forehead was slightly twitching.
"I-I wanted to see," he paused, looking around to collect himself and think about the words he was trying to find. "I- uh wanted to see you." He took a step forward before altogether moving in and hugging Jennie. She let him hold on, thinking about the warmth and comforting feeling that it almost made her fall asleep. Her body jolted, awakening itself and backing immediately away from him.
"I stayed the night to study. We came back to eat. She has class soon." She kept her words, yawning after each sentence she spoke. He nodded, looking at her and studying her movements.
"Are you still coming to the shop later?" He asked, taking a step closer, and Jennie took that one step back.
"Yes. Now leave, please?" She asked nicely now, thinking that he was not going to leave until she at least tried to convince him.
"Fine." He sighed the words through his teeth and began to back up. "The moment you don't text me later, I'm coming back." He huffed.
"Okay." Jennie's voice turned soft. She had given up and was ready to finish the conversation.
Tae watched Jennie a little more before deciding to open the door. He walked out of the room, heading straight to the door to leave. Jennie walked out of the room the moment the door had closed, moving to the kitchen to check on the rice. Minji sat at the table she prepared while Jennie moved towards the chair and sat down.
"Is that your brother?" Minji spoke, breaking the awkwardness in the air.
"Oh no," Jennie shook her head. "He's like a younger brother, but he was my neighborhood friend." She leaned forward on her arms to rest her head, which was getting heavier.
"Oh, so he is, like, single?" She said with hopeful eyes, and Jennie looked at her with complete worry in her eyes.
"No, no, no," she shook her head. "Really? He can be so annoying."
Minji smiled, thinking about the moment she walked through the door and saw him standing there. The moment when she brushed against him as Jennie pulled her, she blushed. Jennie watched, not sure what to do herself. She stood up, not even being noticed by Minji, who was in a dream-like state. Jennie walked over to the rice cooker, noticing it had one minute remaining. While she got the bowls, Minji was making herself smile and giggle at the thought of Tae. Jennie tried to ignore the thought of it, and there wasn't enough energy in her body to care even if she wanted to.
"Hey, just be careful with your thoughts." She said, moving around the kitchen to the rice cooker that just beeped.
"Is there something wrong with him?" She asked, looking concerned. Jennie shook her head and placed a full bowl of rice in front of Minji.
"Just eat," Jennie spoke softly and sat down with her bowl of rice.
The girls began eating, Minji complementing the food and stuffing her mouth until it was more than full. Jennie stared, wondering if she was even chewing all the way.
"There's more. Don't rush." Minji blushed at the thought of what she possibly looked like and nodded before taking a swallow of water to wash down the food.
The girls spent only part of their morning eating, and even though Jennie had little to no sleep, she was thankful Minji loved to talk. Minji enjoyed talking, especially since it had been some time since she had last had someone to talk with. Jennie occasionally gave a reassuring smile that she was still listening and encouraged her to continue. When breakfast was finished, Minji jumped at the opportunity to help her, moving her arms to collect each dish.
The girls cleared the table, taking the dishes to the sink to be cleaned. Jennie took the dishes, washing them while Minji cleaned the table. As the dishes were cleaned, food packed and placed away, both girls walked to the bean bag after cleaning. Jennie crashed completely, her head falling back against the back of the bean bag, Minji watching her with a concerned look.
"Did you not sleep well?" Her voice carried, and Jennie smiled before raising her head and nodding.
"Don't worry, I stayed up studying," Jennie spoke softly. "I just wanted to get some assignments done." Her lies were good, and she waited to see if Minji would listen.
"Okay," Minji sat up a little, looking at her phone to check the time, and Jennie looked to do the same.
"Hey, why don't you change?" Jennie stood up, grabbed her hand, and pulled her to the bedroom. She walked into her closet, Minji following behind her as Jennie browsed and tried to find clothes for herself. "Here, pick something to change into."
"Really?" Jennie nodded, taking out a green shirt and blue jean shorts. She left Minji to look in the closet, moving to the back of the room to change. Minji browsed before grabbing a pink shirt and a pair of baggy jeans. She decided to get dressed in the closet, both girls finishing at the same time and meeting at the door to the bedroom.
"You look really cute!" Jennie's voice peaked, showing her admiration for Minji, who smiled and glowed as she held on to Jennie's arm.
"Thank you, Unni. I'll get them back to you." She made her laugh, using aegyo, which was way too cute for Jennie at the moment.
"Don't worry, that's what you do for a chingu!" Jennie gave a side hug before lifting up. "Now, go to class and do well! That's how you can give back." Minji smiled and gave a reassuring nod before going to grab her backpack.
"Are you leaving yet?" She looked back at Jennie, who looked around, thinking about how she didn't need to leave for another hour and a half, but decided to go ahead and leave.
"Yeah, I'll walk with you for a bit." The girls folded their arms together before walking out of the house. As the girls set off on their path, it wouldn't be long before they were joined by a familiar face. The guy walking in front of them looked very familiar, but while Jennie ignored him, Minji was not going to.
"Isn't that the guy from the classroom?" She nudged Jennie, who rolled her eyes.
"How can you even tell?" She tried to change the subject and think about something else. "Do you want to hang out later?"
"Uh, yeah." She said, then she put on a sneaky smile. "Unni, what time do you leave work? Can you pick me up?" Her voice had completely changed, being cute and loud. Jennie knew what she was doing and put her hand on Minji, motioning for her to lower her voice. It would not work out well. The guy turned around and saw them both before turning back around.
"Stop," Jennie whispered, making a face and looking back up at him.
"He's cute! Don't you like him?" Minji whispered, looking back at him and nudging her.
"No," Jennie whispered, but Minji knew from the way her eyes landed on him that she felt differently.
"Hey!" She shouted towards the guy, and he turned around to look at them. Jennie stopped in her tracks the moment Minji let go of her arm. "Aren't you the guy who grabbed my unni?" Her hands went on her hips as she approached him.
"Yeah." His eyes looked up at Jennie, and the moment they locked eyes, she could feel her breath stop. Jennie watched the two seem to whisper, and he kept looking at her. Minji, standing on her tiptoes to reach his ear. He watched Jennie stand uncomfortably, starting to smile. It was not long until Minji smiled and backed away from him. Minji walked back to Jennie, him following behind her. Jennie stood nervously, looking at the ground and rubbing her arm as the two approached.
"Unni, thank you for walking me to school! See you later!" She cheered, fixing her bag on her shoulder. She smiled and waved before leaving. Jennie took a step towards her, but realizing what was happening, she was stuck. To her left, he was standing there, waiting for her, his hands in his pocket.
"Are you headed to campus?" He asked, pointing in the direction Minji was headed as she skipped out of sight.
"Uh, no. I don't have class today. I was just walking Minji." She looked down, and he laughed.
"So, you two are friends?" He asked, moving so that his body faced her.
"Uh, yeah." Jennie was trying not to act bashful, but what was she supposed she do? This was the first time that someone approached her and was very open about his feelings. It was like he had no shame and was prepared to continue showing her how he felt.
"So, where are you headed?" He breathed in, looking around before his eyes landed back on her. Jennie looked up, and the moment her eyes locked with him, it was like she was stuck again.
"I, uh, was helping my aunt at her shop." He nodded, looking around.
"Okay, let's go." He started walking forward, looking back toward Jennie, who was completely stunned.
"Don't you have class?" Jennie asked, looking confused.
"Nah, I just go early to study." He looked around once more, almost like he was trying to scout out the restaurant. "Where is the restaurant?" He asked, and Jennie found herself straightening up.
"No, I can go." She tried to convince him, backing away, but he just followed her as she walked.
"Fine, you can go. I'm on my way to get breakfast." He smiled cunningly, walking after her, and she felt nervous. There was no way she was going to stop him, and he was going early, so there was not any chance of him leaving.
"Fine." She exhaled deeply, turning in the direction of the restaurant before walking. He fell into step beside her, watching her be nervous. His head moved slightly up toward the sky, and he smiled, biting his lip.
"So, you work often?" His hands were still in his pocket, and he was trying to walk close to her.
"No, I'm just helping my aunt." Jennie looked at her feet, her eyes moving toward his feet. Her shy behavior made him smile more. The thought of her not looking at him was amusing. His tongue ran across the side of his mouth, thinking about her.
"Does your family own many restaurants?" Jennie shook her head and took a deep breath.
"No, just her." Her words were short, and he nodded.
"Is there anything about me that you want?" He asked. He moved in front of Jennie, stopping completely so that she almost ran into him. He leaned down, trying to be at eye level with her. "I'm a very interesting person, you know." He smiled, watching her expression.
Jennie tried to shy away from his gaze, but he was not going to let that happen. He continued to try to keep their gazes locked, looking into her eyes. The silence between the two was deafening as he smiled at her, his bottom lip curling into his mouth. The time felt like forever as he searched through her eyes and then exhaled deeply.
"Are you some sort of witch?" He looked at her, standing up straight and continuing to walk in the direction they were headed in. Jennie took a deep breath, placing her hand on her chest slightly before looking up at him. He was walking, not even looking back at her. She tried to compose herself, swallowing hard before walking close behind him. His steps slowed down so they could follow each other. Jennie worked on her hands, holding them and trying to figure out what she wanted to say, although it seemed like the words wouldn't come out. She took a final breath and breathed.
"What do you mean?" She held her hands close together, thinking about what she would hear or what he might do.
"What do I mean?" He asked, looking straight ahead, and he felt her eyes turn to him.
"Yeah. You said before, 'Why are you doing this to me?' Now you're asking if I'm a witch?" He smiled, looking at her and stopping.
"Yeah." He shrugged his backpack on his shoulders, hands still in his pocket.
"Well, what do you mean?" He stopped, and she continued walking before looking and noticing he wasn't walking with her anymore.
"Answer this first. What is the name of the restaurant?" He asked, and he looked at Jennie's confused face.
"Uh, Sweet Pots. It's like a hotpot place." He nodded in understanding, sharply turning around to leave. Jennie's mouth fell open; he was just leaving. "Hey!" She stomped on the ground, watching him walk off.
"Text me back." He called out to her, continuing back in the direction of the university. She watched as he continued walking, starting to become deep in thought. She stared at his figure, slowly descending down the road, before her phone rang.
'Turn around.' Jennie looked around, seeing that she was actually in front of the restaurant. She looked back down at her phone, noticing that the number was the same one that texted her previously. She looked back over at the restaurant and saw Tae standing next to his mom at the counter. Jennie sighed, looking back to see he was already gone. He always seemed to disappear. She looked at her phone, opening the message once again.
'What did you mean?' She sent the text, waiting for a minute before walking into the restaurant. She trudged through the door, smelling the food, and her stomach slowly growled. She was already hungry again. It was the wonderful smell of the food. She swallowed hard, looking at the kitchen in the back.
"I already have a plate ready for you." Tae brought it over, his mom laughing.
"He said you would be here early." She continued to laugh while Tae brought the plate over to the table. He pulled Jennie to the table, motioning for her to sit and begin eating. Her plate was hot with rice, soup, and beef on the side. It was cooked to perfection, the first bite making her close her eyes in pure enjoyment.
"This is so good!" She chewed loudly, starting to stuff her face. "Auntie, you always make the best food!" Jennie cheered, taking another spoonful.
"Actually, Tae made it." She smiled and looked at him. Jennie swallowed what was in her mouth before looking back at Tae.
"Well, it's still mom's recipe." He shrugged, sitting down next to Jennie.
"Thanks." She didn't sound too happy, but she smiled softly before looking back up at his mom. Jennie continued eating, taking another bite while Tae stared lovingly at her. His mom smiled, backing away a bit.
"The group should be here around lunchtime. I can take care of everything if you want to rest." Tae smiled at her, watching her eat.
"No, I can help. Auntie, can I get paid for your delicious food?" Jennie chewed as she stared at Tae's mom, who nodded.
"Of course, I actually have a cook scheduled to give you your paycheck at 9 before we close." Her hand landed on top of Jennie's shoulder as she continued to eat. "Have you been well? It's been a while since you last visited me." Her smile showed concern, and Jennie knew this.
"I know. I've been studying too hard." Her voice was soft.
"Well, you can always come by for food. You've always been sweet enough to help, and I owe you so much more food." She kissed the top of Jennie's head. "I'm going to go check on the chefs." She began her walk to the kitchen, leaving Tae and Jennie at the table.
"How is school?" Tae was not much of a studious kid. He always knew that he wanted to take the shop from his mom, so he never tried studying hard. He preferred to study Jennie, always following behind her when they were at school. They always lived in the same neighborhood, went to the same school, and she even tutored him through high school. He always enjoyed being around her, even though she always felt annoyed,
"It's fun! Graduation after this year." She took another bite. "Have you still not thought about going to school?" Jennie constantly tried to influence him to go to culinary school before taking over the family business. Tae just was not one of those people. He always performed at a subpar level, enough to make his mom happy, and Jennie thought that the tutoring was paying off. He was not into applying himself consistently, and unless it would bring Jennie to his side, he was not willing to go.
"Nah, I'm going to take over this place. No need." He brushed it off with a smile, picking up an extra chopstick and putting more beef on Jennie's spoon. "Eat more." She didn't know how to feel, pulling the spoon to her mouth.
It wasn't that Jennie didn't know Tae liked her. She was aware. It was just hard for her to see their friendship develop into anything more. She never had a sibling, so he would always fill the role of an annoying younger brother who just wanted to spend time with her. She knew how he felt, but she never felt that way. But no matter how much she would ignore or turn down his confessions, he would constantly try to make their relationship develop into something more. Jennie finished eating, clearing her plate with her spoon before standing up to head to the kitchen. Tae jumped up, taking the plate from her hand and heading to the kitchen himself, with her following close behind.
"Mom said that she didn't really need help during the morning rush, but she wanted to talk to you." He spoke, walking through the kitchen opening. The chef was inside talking to his mom when the two walked in, making his mom smile, and the chef nudged her.
"Are you guys ready to work?" She asked as Tae put the plate in the sink and moved over to his mom.
"I got things for a while. You ladies take a break." He kissed the top of his mom's forehead, walking to the door where his hand lightly touched Jennie's shoulder. He went to open the shop, turning on the signs and standing at the counter as he waited for customers to come in. His mom opened her arms for Jennie, walking over and getting pulled in for a deep hug.
"You know, I have always been proud to have you as a daughter." She kissed her head and held her tight. Jennie breathed in the hug, her body pressing closer, and she hoped no one would notice the tear that soon fell from her eye. "You know, the more I look at you, you remind me of your mother. She was my best friend." Jennie sniffled a little.
"Really?" She tried to hide the sadness in her voice, but there was no use. His mom pulled her away from her chest, chuckling at the tears that she began to wipe away.
"Yes, really." She kissed Jennie's forehead and hugged her once again. "Have you really been doing well? I've been worried about you living on your own."
"Yes, it's hard. But I know they'd want me to try." Her voice broke at every word, and this made a stray tear fall from Auntie's face.
"Well, I hope I haven't had Tae bothering you too much. I know he is always concerned for you, too, so I send him with the food." She rubbed Jennie's back and then pulled away. "I hate you living there on your own, so it gives me peace of mind when he checks on you." Jennie wiped her face and smiled.
"It's fine. I enjoy the company." She lied but realized how concerned they were for her. She took a breath, looking at Tae, who was helping a customer on the phone. She hadn't realized how much trouble it had caused them. They were so worried.
"Well, good, he is always trying to check up on you." She smiled, then rubbed Jennie's shoulder. "This has always been the hardest day of the year for me, but when I see you, it makes it better." Jennie felt her heart swell, and again, she was on the brink of tears and hoped no one would see.
"Me too." Was all Jennie could say, thinking about everything. Jennie stared at Tae's mom as she patted her head.
"They'd be very happy." She started stroking Jennie's hair and then looked towards Tae, who walked back in.
"Don't make her cry, Mom!" He walked over, pulling both of us in his arms. "My girls can't be sad around me." He held them tight, his heart secretly hearing as he watched the woman he loved cry. He took a deep sigh, embracing them both before letting go.
"We're okay, Tae," Jennie answered, taking a step back. "We just had a moment." She smiled at his mom and then looked to see customers coming in. "Here, I'll go wait at this table." She walked away, and Tae looked at his mother.
"You think she's doing okay?" His mom looked completely concerned, watching Jennie force a smile after seeing that she was just tearing up. She walked closer to the door of the kitchen, her eyes studying her behavior.
"I think she's strong." He was watching her with an admiring look, leaning against the doorway next to his mother. "She has always been strong. That's what I've always loved about her." He spoke those words so dearly, making his mother's head turn towards him. She noticed his longing looks and sighed.
"She gets it from her mother and father." She hit him on the arm. "If only you could read people like your mother or father. Now get back to work." She smiled jokingly, having him kiss her quickly on the forehead before disappearing into the dining room.
Jennie worked hard through the day, trying to make sure she kept up. Obviously, it had been a while since she last worked, but Tae made sure to give her the closer tables. He had made sure that she was never running around but was where she needed to be while he did more of the work. His mother could not help but notice his consistent looks at Jennie. The workday had picked up oddly enough, and the kids were able to keep up. She stood at the cash register and answered the calls as the kids took the groups entering.
After a while, it was time to close the shop as they transitioned from breakfast/lunch to the dinner menu. This gave everyone an hour for their break, both kids retreating to the break room and crashing on the couch.
"I'll go get our food. Mom said she wanted us to rest a bit." He got up and picked up a spare blanket from the corner. "Here, lay down." He instructed Jennie, who listened as Tae put the blanket over her.
"I'm not going to sleep, though." She needed to let him know, at least, but she knew there was no reasoning with him.
"That's fine. I saw you were getting slower." He picked her foot up, pulling her shoes from her feet and covering them up. "I'll go check on the food."He walked softly to the door, turning the lights off before walking out and closing the door behind him. She pulled her phone from her back pocket, opened it, and looked at her messages. She noticed there was one reply, clicking the number, and found herself smiling.
'Why don't I tell you over dinner?' She reread the message, and there was no holding back her smile.
'You don't know me though.' She responded, holding her phone as she tapped her fingers against the screen. She heard a ding, looking at it.
'I know you're Jennie, and I'd like to get to know you. Do you not want to know me?' Her thumbs tapped, thinking about what she should say to that.
'What day?' She found herself sitting up, keeping her legs under the blanket.
'Tomorrow?' She thought about it. She had never let herself do something like this, but something in her wanted to give it a try.
'How about lunch?' She sent the message, placing her phone on the small table in front of the couch.
'Lunch? If I can call it a date, then deal.' She read the message, smiling slightly. This was something that was new, and she listened to her brain. She didn't respond, the door opening before she could think about what she wanted to say. Tae walked into the room, her phone locking as he came in with two plates of food.
"Are you hungry?" He let the door close, turning on the light for them. He placed their food on the table in front of the couch. She raised herself up, placing her legs in front of him and giving him room to sit.
"Starving." She commented, smelling the food in front of her.
She grabbed the utensils, starting to dig in while he smiled. He went to the fridge, getting them sodas before settling down next to her. He watched for a bit as she ate before beginning to eat himself. The room was quiet, allowing them to enjoy their food and Tae to enjoy his time with Jennie. He gave some of his food to her, encouraging her to eat more while he chewed a little longer on his food. She finished her tray of food, sitting back on the couch and holding her stomach.
"I love your mom's cooking." She exclaimed, leaning her head back to rest more.
"I know, you always say that." He laughed, hitting her leg with his own. "Just wait until I get my chef promotion next month."
"Promotion?" Her head raised up, looking at him. He smiled bashfully and nodded.
"I have to learn each operation of the restaurant and kitchen is next. Afterward is manager, but it might be a while." He smiled, putting his spoon of soup in his mouth. "Chef taught me already, but mom doesn't know." He nudged with his elbow. She took her hand and scrambled his hair quickly.
"Look at you growing up!" She laid back, watching him scoff and fix his messed-up hair.
"Yeah, well, I've been grown up for a few years now." He looked at her crossly, and she rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, I guess so." She exhaled, the food making her belly stretch a bit. She moved forward to grab the soda, opening hers and Tae's. "Are you excited to take over the restaurant?" She asked, and he nodded.
"I've been waiting forever." He picked at his remaining food before putting his utensils down. "I think what I will miss most is leaving and bringing you food or helping my mom." His face sunk in itself, and he continued to pick at the food.
"Don't worry, I'll come by." Jennie rubbed his shoulder, and he looked at her with surprised eyes, trying to see if she meant it.
"Really?" He was hopeful, taking a deep breath as she smiled at him. Time paused as his heart blew up like a balloon, filled with the picture in front of him.
"Yes. As long as I get a discount." She rubbed his shoulder once more before standing up. "I'm going to go check on Auntie." She stood up, grabbing her tray and soda as she walked towards the door. She turned around once more, looking at him, and their eyes met. "Don't forget to eat your vegetables!" She saw his lips grow into a smile and opened the door to leave. The moment her back was to him, the smile she had seen fell. He sat there, staring at his plate before letting his head fall in defeat. The door closing felt like a shot to the heart, and he sighed deeply as his hands ran through his hair.
Jennie went back out to the dining area, seeing that there were only a few more minutes before the restaurant opened back up. She saw the chef and auntie in the back of the kitchen working on specials while she looked into the empty dining areas. She didn't know much about the group that was supposed to go in, but she trusted Auntie to let her know what she needed to do. She walked to the counter to lay down her tray before moving to the front desk. She stood at the register and waited silently. Jennie had tried keeping a brave face, using every drop of strength she had remaining not to crumble. She reached for her phone, noticing that she had left it in the break room with Tae, thinking about whether to go back. Jennie jumped at the hand, landing on her shoulder, only to turn around and see Auntie.
"Ah, Auntie. Sorry." She tried to hide her fright with a smile, making Auntie laugh.
"I'm sorry. I was just coming to tell you that the group was canceled, so if you want to help out until 5, I would appreciate it." Jennie looked at the clock, just 2 hours, she could handle that. She turned to Auntie and nodded.
"Of course, I love helping you. Would you like me to do anything before we open?" She asked nicely. Auntie shook her head, looking around.
"Not unless you know where Tae went." She continued looking around.
"Oh, he is in the break room. I can go get him." Jennie volunteered and got a thankful smile as she walked around the counter.
Jennie began approaching the break room before she was met by Tae. He held an empty tray and Jennie's phone. She had not looked at the emotions that fell on his face, being surprised that he was bringing her phone.
"Hey, thanks. Your mom was looking for you. Did you enjoy your food?" She took the phone and tray from his hand, and he nodded, walking away from her to retreat to the dish cart. He began using the water from the bin to clean the tables, his gaze never looking up. She sighed, taking the tray to stack on top of hers before going back to the counter. She looked at her phone, seeing she now had two messages. One from Minji, the other from him. She decided to read Minji's first, opening it.
'Hey, I was going to go by my house and then see you.'
'I'll text you when I am free.' That was the only response she could think of, not really wanting company after this. She was already tired. She looked at the next message. Her breathing slowed as she read the words.
'I'm on my way to you.' Jennie looked around, trying to make sure she read the message right. This was a joke, right? She went to the door, looking out. As she stared out the door, Tae stared at her, watching her nervous and almost eager movements. His head turned to see his mom. His mom was locking eyes with him before he looked down at the table. It was time to open the doors once again. Jennie unlocked the door and turned the sign to open. She walked back to the counter, checking the message before completely locking it as customers began coming through the door.
It had picked up quickly for their dinner call, and it served as a great distraction for Jennie. She was able to put on her fake smile and trudged through her exhaustion as person after person entered. As she finished helping bust another table, she would hear the bell of the door ring before she turned to check. There he stood, smiling at her and Minji next to his side.
"Unni!" She cheered, running up to the sweaty and exhausted Jennie as she hugged her. "I missed having you at school so much!" She let go of her body but pulled Jennie so that her ear was within reach. "He said he knew where you worked." She smiled cheekily, pulling away and pushing Jennie closer to him.
"How's work?" His voice was soft and soothing, like a hug. She blushed, pushing some hair back and shrugging.
"Are these your friends?" A voice approached from behind, and it was Auntie's.
"Oh, uh yeah." She stuck her hand out to shake each of their hands. "This is Minji, and uh," She turned towards him, who looked at her weirdly. He stuck out his hand after Auntie shook Minji's hand.
"I'm Kai." He said, looking at Jennie.
"Well, I have never met any of Jennie's friends." She smiled and turned to Jennie.
"Is this your mom?" Minji asked, looking at Auntie. "You both look alike." She smiled and kissed Jennie's head.
"No, I'm a friend of her mom's. She might as well be my daughter, though." She turned towards Tae, motioning for him to come closer. He walked over, standing next to his mom. "This is my son Tae." Minji laughed.
"I remember you from this morning." Minji tried to hold back more of her laughter.
"This morning? What happened?" Auntie looked at him and then at Jennie.
"Nothing, Mom." He disregarded the comment, walking away.
"How about we get them a table, Tae?" She yelled towards him, and Minji followed excitedly.
"Wanna get off early?" Auntie pressed her shoulder teasingly against Jennie, and she shrugged, still standing next to Kai, who was standing at the door. "Take off, and tell Tae to take a break." She left her side, going to the kitchen.
"You didn't know my name?" His voice sent shivers down her body as she turned to him, as he knelt down to her height.
"I-I knew." Her voice was slow, making him chuckle. He let his arm brush against her as he went to the table Minji was sitting at with Tae. She followed him, walking to the table and sitting next to Minji with Kai on the opposite side. "Auntie said you can take a break if you want to hang out with us," Jennie spoke as Tae turned to walk away.
"Yes. stay!" Minji cheered, causing Tae to turn around.
"I'm training, I should keep working." He said, turning back around. Minji elbowed Jennie, making a face at her.
"Tae," Jennie called to him, and she stood up to grab his arm. "Here, sit." She held his hand, placing him in the seat next to Minji. This left the only other seat near Kaid. Minji turned to Tae, holding on to his arm as she did the first time she met Jennie.
"It's so cool your mom owns this restaurant." She tried to make a small conversation, but Tae was not in the mood. Jennie looked down from the two, the seat next to Kai being patted. She sat, her eyes looking at the two across the table. Minji was trying to keep Tae preoccupied while Kai tried getting Jennie's attention.
"How was work?" He bumped her playfully, and she shied away.
"Fine. How was class?" Kai gasped a little, moving to her ear.
"Sounds like you're interested in me." He whispered, backing away and chuckling. "Just labs being labs."
The two conversations continued with Minji breaking down Tae, who tried not to show he was more interested in what was being talked about between Jennie and Kai. Minji continued pulling his arm, wanting to talk more, but it was not keeping his attention. Jennie and Kai kept their conversation low, mostly Jennie speaking briefly. Auntie soon brought out a hotpot, leaving the ingredients around the kids as she disappeared to the front counter. Things had become slow, allowing Jennie to feel a little more comfortable about not helping.
"You never texted me back," Kai said, putting some food on a plate for Jennie.
"I was busy." He nodded and smiled. He put the plate in front of her, making his own.
It would have taken a moment for her to look up, but she would have needed to be quick to see what would happen. Minji stopped holding on to Tae, getting the plate fixed to place in front of him. With no eyes on him, he watched as Kai placed the plate in front of Jennie, and a smile spread across her face. His eyes told it all, standing up and excusing himself from the table to the back kitchen.
"Is he okay?" Minji asked, watching him leave.
"Yeah. Auntie probably needs help." She looked back towards him, his silhouette disappearing behind the wall.
The three ate for themselves. Not many conversations going on at this point. It seemed to pick up a bit, and Jennie stood, feeling guilty that she was the only one not working.
"Uh, I'm going to see if they need help." She smiled, dismissing herself while the others stayed back to eat. She walked towards the front counter just as the door chimed open. Her breath was soon knocked out of her the moment she saw the family enter the door. A family of 4 walked in, the mother holding a baby boy, the father standing strongly behind her, and a teenage daughter in her school uniform in front of them. She felt her breath escape her body. She was frozen in place, Auntie turning to see that she was not speaking. The couple and their teenager smiled, facing a stunned Jennie who stood emotionless.
"A table for 4, please." The father spoke, but Jennie was not moving.
"Yes, right this way." Auntie came from behind the counter, pointing the family in the direction of Tae and turning to Jennie. The family walked away, but Jennie couldn't move from that spot. Her eyes glazed over, and the moment Auntie's hand touched her shoulder, she sprinted from the restaurant.
"Jennie!" She called out the door, prompting Kai, Minji, and Tae to face towards the door.
Minji and Kai moved from the table, but Minji sprinted off first, running out the door after her. She was too late. She looked to see that Jennie had already disappeared into the darkening night. She walked back into the restaurant, confused.
"Why did she leave?" She looked at the Auntie, who began tearing up and went to the break room.
"Her family was like that one." A voice called from behind. Minji turned to see Tae. Kai approached, listening to him explain. "10 years ago, she lost her family just like that one." He pointed to a picture behind the counter before going into the kitchen. Minji and Kai walked to the counter, taking a look at the picture of the Auntie and 2 children, a boy and a girl who looked like they were almost the same age. Behind the little girl stood a man and a woman holding a baby. It was a news article that read:
"GRAND OPENING OF SWEET POTS"
-
Jennie had made her way home, sniffling and wiping her face as she walked to her room. Her phone that was in her pocket rang. She pulled it out, letting it fall on the floor while she landed on the bed. She lay there, tears falling consistently, making it hard to breathe through each painful shriek. She had kept everything together. Why did it have to fall apart right then? She had lost track of the time, her pillow being soaked with tears the more she tried to gather her strength. She held it inside for so long that it was harder to control now that the emotions were out.
She continued to bawl herself into her pillow, feeling a hand run across her back. That only made her pour her heart out more, emptying her tears into the pillow. It would not be long before she completely tired herself out, falling asleep with tears on her face and pillow. The helpful hand pulled the blankets over her, switching the lights and allowing her to rest. The door closed softly, waking her up as she sniffled and whimpered herself to sleep for the next few minutes. The living room was filled with concern, while in the other room, her whimpers were heard.
The whimpers that always broke hearts were now breaking even more.