Chapter 5: The One With Jun-Seo's Mother
Lee Sung-Hoon
Lee-Sung Hoon looked at his watch. It was a little past seven, and there was no sign of the woman. He watched as people, mostly couples, walked into the restaurant. The delicious aroma of tteokbokki and other dishes filled his nostrils. He wanted to go ahead and order for himself and gulp down the food as soon as it arrived. However, the woman offered to buy him dinner. So, he couldn't do much but wait.
The clocked ticked. With each passing second, Sung-Hoon was growing impatient. His stomach had begun growling, and he could do nothing to stop it. Glasses of water and lime juice only seemed to have increased hunger pangs.
"I should've stayed home," sighed Sung-Hoon.
"Too bad I already ordered for the two of us."
Sung-Hoon looked up to see Blue, who had a bright smile on her face. Blue wore a soft blue knee-length dress and black heels. Her shoulder-length hair was neatly tied with a cute blue headband. Blue took her seat and placed her purse on her lap. Their table was at a secluded spot near the window so they could enjoy their meal while looking at the moonlight. It was Blue's idea, and she insisted Sung-Hoon reserve the table beside the window. It gave them a sense of privacy and quietness, which Sung-Hoon appreciated.
"You are fifteen minutes late." Sung-Hoon clicked his watch. "I am not a fan of tardiness, ma'am."
Blue chuckled. "Well, I apologize, sir. How do you propose I make it up?"
She took a seat across from Sung-Hoon.
"Hmm, let's see." Sung-Hoon rubbed his chin with his index and thumb. He stared at the ground for a few minutes before finally looking up.
"How about you owe me a favor? If there shall come any day I need your help, you should agree to it," suggested Sung-Hoon.
"What are the parameters of this help? Hypothetically, if you were to ask my help to hide a body, I would refuse."
Sung-Hoon laughed out loud. This was the first time Blue saw his laughter. For a second, she was mesmerized by the sound of his laughter. It was so genuine and contagious. Anyone could fall in love with his infectious laugh. Blue watched him intently until Sung-Hoon noticed her and quickly retorted to his aloof self.
He cleared his throat. "My apologies. I got a little carried away. We could draw the line at anything grim. For instance, anything that could potentially put you in jail is a no-go."
The ends of Blue's lips curled upwards. "Alright."
Just after the word came out of her mouth, a waiter walked in with their ordered dish. Sung-Hoon smelled the food and let out an audible sigh. The delicious food presented in front of them was a sight for sore eyes. He took the end of the tablecloth and placed it neatly on his lap before digging in.
Sung-Hoon's entire focus was on his plate. Blue, on the other hand, mostly watched him while taking a bite now and then. Appetite left her body, and food was the last thing on her mind. Conscious of the staring, Sung-Hoon looked up from his plate. He glanced at her plate and then looked at her.
"You're not eating," said Sung-Hoon. "Aren't we here to eat?"
"Oh, yes." smiled Blue, taking a spoonful of tteokbokki. "I believe I don't have much of an appetite today."
"Huh," Sung-Hoon quietly said as he leaned back. "I'm done as well. Do you have room for dessert?"
"Sure," said she. "What are you thinking of ordering?"
"How does ice cream sound?"
~
The duo walked the empty streets of Seoul. Despite it being the capital, it sure quieted down at zero o'clock. In contrast to the restaurant, a comfortable silence enveloped them. Blue enjoyed her ice cream, and she walked with a spring on her feet. Sung-Hoon followed her closely as he licked off his chocolate ice cream. A smile crept on Sung-Hoon's lips.
"Did you know," Sung-Hoon started, which made Blue turn to face him with curiosity. "-it takes about fifty licks to finish one scoop of ice cream?"
Blue chuckled. "Did you know 19th-century chefs made ice cream from all flavors - even asparagus!"
"Did you know scientists in 1940 thought that ice cream caused polio because polio cases were the highest during summer?"
As if on reflex, Blue's hand covered her mouth. Her eyes widened, and she let out an audible gasp. "NO! Is that true?"
"Luckily, no evidence was found," smiled Sung-Hoon, which caused Blue to relax.
Blue shook her head with a chuckle. "So, you're fond of trivia, huh?"
"I suppose so," answered Sung-Hoon. "I've always had a curious mind."
"Interesting," said Blue. "You know, I've always been fond of trivia too. I would drop in random facts about things. People thought I was weird."
Sung-Hoon laughed heartily. "Woman, then I'd be the King of Weird."
They both shared a good laugh. For the rest of the walk, they shared weird "did you know" facts they learned growing up. Even if Sung-Hoon wouldn't admit it just yet, he did enjoy spending time with Blue. He was a little reserved at first because this was the same woman who had bugged him for weeks and was an extreme pain in the ass. Before long, they were standing in front of Blue's house.
"Well, this is me." smiled Blue.
Sung-Hoon smiled back. "Okay."
Blue raised an eyebrow. "You wouldn't even say, 'see you later' or 'sleep well'?"
"Are we seeing each other again?" Sung-Hoon asked with a blank face. Sometimes, Blue couldn't help but wonder how he was so straightforward. Then she remembered Lee Sung-Hoon preferred to use his brain more than his heart.
"Do you want to?" asked Blue. A part of her wanted him to say yes. She enjoyed their evening!
"I'll have to see." Blue's heart fell just a little once the words were out in the air. However, she managed to cover up her disappointment with a smile. The man gave her a curt nod and walked away.
"You're one of a kind, mister."
~
"I'll have to see. I'LL HAVE TO SEE?!"
"This is worse than saying no."
"Are you seriously taking notes, Jun-Seo?"
"Duh," Jun-Seo casually replied. "I have to know what not to do when I get into a relationship."
Sung-Hoon sighed. After Sung-Hoon dropped Blue off, he got an urgent phone call telling him to race down to the City Hospital. Jun-Seo's mother (aka Sung-Hoon's maternal aunt) had an accident and was rushed to the hospital. Jun-Seo left everything and came down to the hospital. He called his friends on the way. Ha-Jun and Sung-Hoon practically dashed as soon as they heard. Hwan-Woo was on his way.
At the moment, Jun-Seo's mother was in the OT, so the trio was spending time in the waiting area. This was when Sung-Hoon chose to talk about his "not-date" The hopeless romantic Ha-Jun slapped his arm multiple times when he mentioned how they left things.
"How could you, Sung-Hoon-ah?"
"How could I? What do you mean, how could I?"
"Aish," Ha-Jun held the bridge of his nose in despair. The lack of people smartness in his best friend depressed him. He loved his best friend to death. But sometimes, Sung-Hoon's behavior made him wanna get hit by a truck.
"She was clearly hoping you'd say yes."
"Why didn't she say so?"
"Because," Ha-Jun slapped Sung-Hoon. "She didn't know if you wanted to!"
"Never repeat Hyung's mistake.." mumbled Jun-Seo as he scribbled something on his notepad. Sung-Hoon gave him a death glare.
"Ya!" Ha-Jun slapped his left cheek to force Sung-Hoon to look at him. "Don't look at him, and don't dare to say anything to him. He's doing the right thing."
"You do you, Jun-Seo," smiled Ha-Jun. "At least one man from your family shouldn't turn out like Sung-Hoon."
Offended, Sung-Hoon yelled. "Ya! What do you mean by that?"
Ha-Jun flicked his temple. "For someone who's a science prodigy, you're an idiot."
"I'm going to get myself coffee. Anyone needs anything?" Ha-Jun stood up from his seat and glanced between Sung-Hoon and Jun-Seo.
"A new brain for Hyung and a decaf for me, please."
Jun-Seo and Ha-Jun both giggled while Sung-Hoon rolled his eyes at them. He wished to shut them up with something sassy, but his brain was too tired. Staying up all night was never his forte, especially after a heavy dinner.
With Ha-Jun gone, silence fell over the men. The red light was still on and they had no clue how long the operation was going to be for. Sung-Hoon looked at Jun-Seo who was still scribbling on his notepad. The glee on his face was replaced with a somber look. The 27-year-old wanted to make conversation but had no clue how to begin.
"Did you know-"
"Hyung, not today, please," mumbled Jun-Seo without looking up from his notepad. A tear rolled and dropped on the notepad. Jun-Seo's mother was in the operating theatre; no one knew if she was going to make it. It was tough to understand what Jun-Seo was feeling at the moment.
"Can you answer a question for me then?"
Jun-Seo took a deep breath and wiped off his tears. "S-Sure."
"How do you understand when someone wants something if they don't tell you directly?"
"You read the clues they leave," answered Jun-Seo with a mildly shaky voice. "They might not tell you directly but will definitely drop some hints. You need to be observant enough to pick on that."
"Do you think," Sung-Hoon paused. "Blue was leaving hints?"
Jun-Seo shrugged. "I believe so. She must've been disappointed that you didn't wanna see her again."
Before Jun-Seo could further explain, the door to the operating theatre opened.
"Is Song Jun-Seo here?"
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