Su Ki stood outside Bora's house, the Hyun Manor, a large expanse of space, a true wealthy architectural illumination and creation, a real definition of luxury. His eyes fixed on the elegant structure. He took a deep breath, feeling a mix of emotions: nervousness, anticipation, and a hint of determination. He had accepted Lee Ahn's dinner invitation, knowing it would bring him face-to-face with Bora.
As he entered the house, the aroma of delicious food wafted through the air, making his stomach growl with hunger. Lee Ahn greeted him warmly, leading him to the dining table.
"It's been long since I came here, if I was the one who drove myself, I'd probably have gotten lost," Su Ki said with a warm smile on his face.
"Exactly, you and Bora have been too busy to see each other often," said his mom who was already in Hyun Manor.
Bora heard his voice from the staircase, "Ugh," she sighed heavily, her eyes fixed on him with a hint of annoyance, "what is his deal?"
"Oh, Bora, come down quickly. Su Ki is waiting," Lee Ahn urged, signaling her daughter to come down the steps.
In-Ah and Su Ki looked back and saw Bora standing on the staircase helplessly annoyed with Su Ki. Su Ki, who was dressed up in a brown leather jacket and straight black pants and, Loafers, was shocked to see that Bora didn't dress up at all - she was in silk, silver pajamas.
As they sat down to eat, the conversation was stilted, with Su Ki attempting to break the ice. But Bora remained distant, her responses curt. The tension between them was palpable, and Lee Ahn's efforts to mediate only seemed to make things worse.
As they sat facing each other, the air was electric with unresolved tension. Bora's eyes flashed with anger, while Su Ki's gaze was steady, his jaw clenched. The mothers attempts at matchmaking hung in the air like a challenge.
"You're doing this again, eoma (Mom)," Bora said, her voice low and even, her head buried in her food. "Trying to control my life, dictate who I should be with."
Her mother let out a weird cringing smile showing all of her sparkling white teeth, "what are you doing ? We have guests," she replied with her teeth clenched.
"Ummm.. Bora I don't think mother ever did that," Su Ki said.
Bora lifted her head to look Su Ki in the eyes, "who told him he had the right to talk?" Bora thought to herself. "Dakcheo (shut up), I wasn't talking to you," Bora replied to Su Ki and buried her head back into her plate to continue eating.
Su Ki took a step forward and held Bora's hands from across the table, his eyes burning with intensity. "I'm trying to protect you, Bora. From yourself, from your own recklessness."
Bora's laughter was sharp, mocking. "Protect me? Do you mean like you did in high school? When you humiliated me in front of everyone?"
The room fell silent, the only sound - the heavy breathing of the two. Their mothers smiles falter, their eyes darting nervously between their children.
Su Ki's face darkens, his voice dropping to a growl. "That was a mistake, Bora. One I've regretted every day since. But I won't let you push me away again. I won't let you destroy yourself."
Bora's eyes blazed with defiance. "I don't need your protection, Su Ki. I don't need you."
The tension between them was palpable, a live wire ready to spark. The mothers attempts at reconciliation seemed futile, as the two freshmen stood poised on the brink of a fiery confrontation.
The air was thick with tension as Su Ki and Bora stood facing each other, their words hanging in the air and dropping like an expensive chandelier. Their mothers eyes darted between them, Lee Ahn's expression, a mix of concern and helplessness, and In-Ah a mix of concern and confusion.
"Bora, Su Ki, please—" Lee Ahn started, but they interrupted her, their voices rising in unison.
"No, Mother!" Bora's voice was sharp, her eyes flashing with anger. "I don't need him trying to control my life again!"
"I'm not trying to control you, Bora!" Su Ki's voice was still light, trying to sound convincing, his eyes burning with intensity. "I'm trying to protect you from yourself!"
The argument escalated, their words becoming more heated and personal. The mother's attempts to intervene are met with resistance, as if both their children were too far gone to listen to reason.
As the confrontation reaches a boiling point, the doorbell rings, shattering the tension. Lee Ahn hesitates, then excuses herself to answer the door, "nugu (who could that be)? I wasn't expecting anyone," she muttered to herself.
The interruption provided a brief respite, but the tension between Su Ki and Bora remained palpable. The question on their mothers mind is: will they resolve their differences, or will this confrontation tear them apart forever?
Lee Ahn opened the door only to see Kenji (also a person who liked Bora back in high school). Lee Ahn had forgotten that she had also invited Kenji for dinner since he longed to see Bora, and she also hadn't seen him since his mother - Yori Kim's demise.
Lee Ahn walked back with a surprised expression mixed with shame on her face. She knew Kenji liked Bora back in the day, but he was also a rival of Su Ki. Lee Ahn took her time to look at the expression of everyone when they all saw Kenji, she read Bora's countenance and pressed on, "Everyone, this is Kenji, Bora's friend from school," she announced, her eyes sparkling with a hint of mischief.
Bora's eyes widen in shock, her face flushing with embarrassment. "Mother, what are you doing?" she whispers, her eyes darting to Su Ki, who looks equally surprised.
Kenji's eyes scanned the room, taking in the tense atmosphere. "Hey, Bora, I hope I'm not interrupting anything important," he said, his smile charming.
"This is just great!" Bora muttered to herself.
Su Ki's eyes narrowed, and his jaw clenched. "No, you're not interrupting anything," he said, his voice cold. "We were just having a discussion."
Bora's eyes flashed with anger, her voice low. "Su Ki, stop it. This has nothing to do with you."
The tension in the room is palpable, the air thick with unresolved emotions. Kenji's arrival has added a new layer of complexity to the situation, and it's clear that the confrontation was far from over.
"Annoyeong (how are you doing) Bora," Kenji said with a soft smile on his face. Kenji, who was now a model, went to another university after telling his father that he couldn't go to the same school with Bora again because he wanted to forget what she looked like, so his affections could fade slowly.
"I just came back, and I was around the neighborhood, so I decided to drop by, but it seems like I stepped into something and I seem to have made it worse. I'll leave right away," Kenji concluded, still wearing a smile on his face.
Bora took a good look at Kenji, he had changed from the immature momma's boy she knew, he was more articulate, even in his speech. She knew he wasn't around the neighborhood, and that it was her mom who called him over; seeing how he tried to cover up the part of her mom's involvement meant he had grown a lot in the past few years.
"Annoyeong (hello) Kenji, it's been a long time," Bora replied to him, her voice curt, "don't be a stranger, you can stay," Bora turned her eyes to Su Ki, each corner of her face showing her displeasure that he was there, "plus there are some people who want to make my night a mess."
Kenji put on a wider smile and sat down beside Bora, knowingly intimidating Su Ki. The five of them ate in silence until Kenji decided to spark up another argument subtly, "Su Ki, wassup how's Ri Ta?"
Su Ki knew what he was trying to do, he was trying to get Bora annoyed, to rile her up again to anger. "Why would you ask me about Ri Ta? You know the way to her house, don't you? Why don't you go be AROUND HER NEIGHBORHOOD, huh?"
Bora, who was slowly eating, started to get annoyed again. Slowly, she was losing appetite till she finally lost her appetite. "Thank you eoma (Mom)," she said, and cleaned her mouth with a serviette.
She was about to go when Kenji held her by her wrist, "are you feeling good?" Bora looked at him with disdain and frustration, "When did you start to care if I was feeling good?"
"I always did, but you never gave me the chance to show you." Kenji complained.
Su Ki was taken aback, fully surprised, just thinking to himself, "Kenji? He couldn't even look me in the eyes before, now he has the guts to go for Bora while I was seated? What does he think he's doing - because he models?" Finally, Su Ki spoke up, "Leave her alone Kenji," his voice laced with anger and hatred. He strode forward and unlocked Kenji's hand from Bora's wrist. Kenji stood up in offense and held Su Ki by his shirt collar, "Gone are those days Su Ki, you can't ride and push me around no more." Su Ki's eyes locked on Kenji's face as he looked at him in awe.
Bora was perplexed but sure that if she didn't intervene the two boys would blow off and get physical with one another, "You guys please just stop!" Bora looked at both of them, there was a visible warmth in her eyes, she was always on edge from her perfectionist mother, she had to be perfect at everything, "What exactly did I do to deserve this?" She lamented and broke out in tears.
Su Ki, touched by her words, quickly stretched his hands out and pulled her in for a hug. He had expected a repulsion but instead, she held onto him tightly and sobbed tirelessly. Kenji looked at Su Ki and Bora for a while and left.
The mothers, on the other hand, smiled from ear to ear, thinking they'd accomplished what they had planned though it started rough.
"They look perfect," Su Ki's mother, In-Ah, said.