(Did you know: I got this idea because I also received a Jumin Han body pillow for my birthday?)
When Eunji arrived at the front steps of the familiar wooden and stone structure of her childhood, she saw that Jaehee was already waiting for them on the first two steps of the wrap around porch. She still was not wearing her glasses, and it seemed as though she was attempting to let her flowing brown hair grow out. There was a silver barrette clipped to the left side of her head, which made her look pretty cute, just like Yoosung. Although, Eunji wouldn't say the sentiment out loud. She had a feeling Jaehee would knock her over the head with a file folder of documents, and finish her off with a body toss. Jumin and Elizabeth the 3rd were at Jaehee's side in a blink. Jaehee warily eyed the feline and the patch of fur radiating from the animal' body, and then nodded at her boss.
"I was able to come here earlier than I thought," Jaehee explained. She held up her briefcase as if offering proof. "I've finished with the paperwork you assigned, and scheduled the dinner at Tokyo for the business convention. All should be ready for the next couple of months."
"I see, Assistant Kang. Promptness is always an excellent trait."
"As you keep telling me…" The Assistant sighed, more than a little green around the gills. Eunji knew that a bit of her mother's cooking would cheer Jaehee right up, clearing that green right off. True, this hotel was a paradox of joy and pain, but that didn't mean that her mother's food couldn't do its job of welcoming a guest. Now, would that food settle her nerves? She glanced at Jumin, catching him staring at her. His eyes widened as he palmed the pants pocket with his phone. As if an idea popped into his head, he spoke.
"Eunji, did you see that Yoosung posted a picture of the cat he is working with on the messenger?" Jumin fully turned, nearly punching her in the gut with his innocent we-sure-didn't-have-a-moment-and-everything-is-now-normal expression. He was looking at her like that first day they collided. Like she was a trivial bore to eventually get rid of. What had she don wrong? If she were an anime character, she would have turned into one of those white blobs prostrate on the floor with a spotlight searing on top of her head.
"N-no, I didn't see that picture."
"The cat was a wonderful specimen. I believe the breed is a traditional Siamese. He had eyes almost as blue as my Elizabeth the 3rd. Not as vivid, but I commend him for his effort."
"Poor Zen. He said that the picture put him into a sneezing fit," Jaehee bemoaned. She dabbed at some fake tears with a handkerchief.
"If he doesn't like the picture, then he shouldn't look at it. For example, I do not like seeing Zen's vulgar, half-naked posters, and yet I am still subject to the inhumanity brought down upon my sight. In the given circumstance, I do not ogle at the photograph as Zen is apparently prone to do. I simply scroll away from the picture and expunge the image from my head. Easily fixed and less hassle, I say."
While Jumin and Jaehee debated on the finer details of what to share and what not to share not only on the messenger, but on the internet, Eunji snuck around the pair to ring on the hotel's doorbell for the need to at least do something other than think circles around what had happened in the limo to produce such unsavory results. It felt odd to be at her mother's hotel as a guest from C&R rather than a daughter visiting her mother. It had been a year since she came over.
Everything was blessedly the same as she remembered. The hotel was painted a light tan to contrast the dark, slanted shingles of its triangular roof. There was hand crafted, intricate wood carvings along the wood paneling underneath the roof of tigers, dragons, and Japanese legends all done by her grandfather and father. Framed lanterns hung low on either side of the sliding doors, emitting a soft, welcoming glow. Her grandfather had planted purple wisteria trees along the perimeter of the hotel instead of the traditional cherry bloom sakuras, making the surrounding area shine lavender. Her favorite color. The atmosphere was grand, almost brim to bursting with magic. The constricting hand gripping her throat somewhat eased from the hotel's familiarity.
Eunji was bombarded with an array of conflicting emotions when her mother opened the wooden entrance door to answer the bell. Her mom was as splendid as ever. She always embraced her role as the hotel's caretaker to the fullest. She was taller than Eunji by a few centimeters, watched the world from green eyes as clear as gemstones, possessed the perfect pair of rosebud lips, and pulled her hip length curly copper hair up into a traditional bun. Cheryl wore an elegant light green kimono embroidered with delicate cherry blossom petals, contrasting with her light skin. Although her face was slightly lined with age, Cheryl was gorgeous. And she stuck out like a sore thumb! Her father had suited the ryokan look much better than her mother, that was for sure.
"Hi Mom," Eunji smiled.
"Oh goodness, please do come in!" Her mother indicated with both hands for the trio to come inside with an eagerness that Eunji hadn't seen in her mother for a while. Cheryl's voice was warm and sumptuous like amber syrup. "I am so happy to welcome you and your bosses, honey." Cheryl placed a comforting hand on her daughter's shoulder, sending the familiar warmth she recalled from childhood through the layers of her clothes and into her skin. Jaehee and Jumin took the opportunity to say their thanks and file into the interior of the ryokan with Cheryl and Eunji following on their heels. Cheryl shut the wooden doors and spun on her heel to appraise her only daughter.
"Eunji, let me get a look at you!" She passed a delicate hand over her daughter's wavy hair and touched the tip of her chin with a finger. Beaming with maternal pride, she saw the black cat at the end of Eunji's leash. The older woman gushed. "Masako, prim as ever, aren't you?" The woman picked up the cat and spun the feline around. Masako resigned herself to her doomed fate of over enthused love from Eunji's mother.
Eunji saw Jumin cautiously peer behind at Cheryl's display, and could feel the very blood in her veins turn to sharp shards of ice. He and Jaehee were still talking about the ethics of internet confidentiality, but the conversation was drawing to a close.
"Mom, not in front of…" Eunji bumped her mother's shoulder with her own and inclined her head towards Jumin and Jaehee. A silent plea to save the get-together cuddles for later that night. Cheryl set down Masako, who in turn dashed behind Eunji's legs. The older woman looked from Eunji to Jumin to Eunji once more and grinned a devious smirk.
"Ooh, I see. You fancy Mr. Jumin Han, don't you?"
"Eek, Mom! Keep your voice down!" Eunji whisper-shouted. Her mom's voice wasn't that loud to begin with, but she couldn't be sure whether anyone else heard that or not. Anyway, how in the world did her mom figure out she like-liked Jumin just like that? Was it some sort of Mom sense? Either way, the sweat was coming in by the pint.
"I have fulfilled my motherly duty of embarrassing my daughter. I feel like my life is complete." Cheryl did a little bow, her still bright copper hair shinning from the overhead lanterns.
"Complete your life further inside the hotel, okay? Maybe properly greet the guests?"
"You know you missed me, sweetie pie." Cheryl tugged on her daughter's ear.
"Mooom."
Cheryl chuckled, and then turned. From the very second she removed her sight from her daughter, everything about her demeanor morphed from doting mother, to a strong and competent hotel manager. Her back straight, posture poised, and eyes downcast, she had completely slipped back into her designated role. Taking careful, even steps, she crossed over to the first step of the foundation. Jaehee and Jumin had already removed their shoes and wore their house slippers. Eunji hurriedly tugged off her own shoes as she watched her mother's masterpiece performance.
"Ahem, well then. Mr. Jumin, Miss Jaehee, and Miss Eunji, I am proud to welcome you as your hostess tonight." She bowed, and her three guests respectfully bowed back. Eunji had finally trotted up to the group, saddling up next to Jaehee. Masako tried her best to cuddle next to Jumin' leg. "Seeing as the negotiations are tomorrow, here at Akatsuki Ryokan, we would like to present to you the best hotel experience. We will provide a decadent dinner, followed by a tour of our ryokan and the manmade hot spring baths in the back. You'll be assigned lavish rooms and provided with the best after dinner treats." As if on cue, an assistant came out from the kitchen hallway to be an escort for the guests. She wasn't someone Eunji knew from before. Yellow kimono, yellow hair, and green eyes. She was a vision. The woman must be a new hire. "Seahee here will take you to your rooms. Eunji, you'll be in your former dwellings."
"Thank you for your hospitality, Miss Cheryl," Jumin inclined his head at the hostess. Eunji's mom actually blushed from the attention.
"Oooh, you flatter me young man." Cheryl covered her mouth, swiping at the air with playfulness. She leaned over to her daughter and pretend whispered aloud, "I see why you like him, hun."
"Mom!" Eunji pretend whispered back from the corner of her mouth."
"Follow me Sir. Miss." Seahee demurely padded over to make sure that the guests assigned to her located their rooms without difficulty. Jaehee and Jumin followed on the girl's heels. Eunji was far too busy scolding her mother to see Jumin's gaze appraising Eunji's every movement, the curve of her mouth, the stature she held when compared to speaking to her mother rather to himself. She had ignited something he was unable to dissect, and so he was unable to properly analyze the feeling with the time given to him. Had she truly meant what she said back in the limo? That she would stay by him, through thick and thin? Was he merely hallucinating? There was that 0.000001 percent possibility of hallucination. In either case, he was truly grateful to be left alone in a room with Elizabeth the 3rd to reflect on that peculiar tingling bubbling in the pit of his stomach.
"Right, honey, your little friend Youngmi sent something through the express mail. The dear even called me to make sure that I received the packages." Cheryl hooked her arm around her daughter's, guiding the young woman and Masako on her harness over to the bustling kitchens by using the wrap around porch's pathway. Eunji breathed in the earthy scent of steamy water, soil, and flowery vegetation of the outside. From her talks with Saeran on the messenger, she guessed that he would love it here. Maybe she could send a few pictures to him. She did just that, snapping a few pictures of the fluffy blue hydrangeas, and quickly submitting the content onto the messenger. When the women turned into the kitchen, Eunji finally let her mother's words permeate her thoughts.
"Packages through the express? What in the world is she thinking spending all that cash when she could have come over to my apartment?" Eunji thought back to the list of items she needed for this weekend's stay. She already had her demo cat pillows and C&R merchandise, putting most of her staying over gear in the back of Driver Kim's limo. So what in the world could be so urgent that her friend would pay the equivalent of $100 US dollars just so Eunji could receive a package?
"She's your friend, sweetie pie. I don't pretend to understand her intentions," Cheryl sighed. Her mother padded over to a pantry that doubled as storage and a mailroom for patrons. As the older woman passed by a cook so into his work his eyes were practically burning white, she patted the cook's shoulder in an attempt to tell him to keep up the good work. The cook barely said a thank you, muttering something about needing to make Mr. Han's dinner a masterpiece. Cheryl huffed and returned to the pantry, where she pulled out a long, wide tube about four feet in length.
"Here we are, honey. I have to get our meal ready, so I should see you in time for dinner." She handed the slightly heavy tube over to Eunji. "Your old hakama is here for you to get changed into straight away. We saved it right in the kitchen to remember you by."
"Mom, I'm not dead," Eunji sighed. She grabbed the item of clothing that really was hung up in the pantry like some sort of shrine to Eunji. The hakama was a beige that complimented her light skin and dark red hair. Cheryl left the kitchen with a purring Masako, and Eunji decided to skip going to her old bedroom to slip the hakama on at the nearest bathroom. Like always, Eunji marveled at the interior of the hotel. When she was little, she would make up stories about the intricate wooden carvings and hand painted portraits. She'd be a princess who wielded the mightiest of swords and magic, defeating evil demons and saving young lords in the process. Eunji propped up the mail tube next to the bathroom's door when she arrived, feeling the pang of nostalgia like it was a short sword driven into her rib cage. If it wasn't enough to try and deal with the feelings this hotel stabbed into her, she also had to sort out how deeply her affections for Jumin Han ran. She felt as though she were balancing on a road's curb, only if she fell, she'd plummet into a bottomless hole instead of pavement. Eunji was on the verge of something. She knew she loved Jumin Han, but now she understood that she was afraid of telling him. She was scared that he'd shut that precious line of communication she'd grown so fond of. Their talks about cats and politics and their families—she'd miss everything. If he left her now…
Eunji exited the bathroom once she replaced her business suit with her hakama, letting her long hair fall over her right shoulder. She'd take her clothes to her bedroom soon enough. First, she had to find out what was so urgent about this express mail Youngmi sent. Carefully bending over to reclaim the tube, she tore off the tape sealing the top. There was a tiny note on top that read have fun. Inside was something large, soft and fluffy. Did Youngmi really send a dog? No, it couldn't be. Eunji pulled at the item, no, items inside. Two four feet long body pillows. A familiar, nauseous feeling clawed at her insides. Please, no. Please, please, please.
Youngmi!
That woman actually did it. Dear lord, what had Eunji done wrong to encourage the wrath of Youngmi? Better yet, what had she done right? Printed upon the body pillows were two hand drawn, perfectly crafted images. One of Jumin Han holding a little stuffed plushie of Eunji. The other was of Eunji holding a stuffed plushie of Jumin. They were both scantily dressed in their undergarments captured with bedroom eyes, biting their lips as they looked at the stuffed versions of themselves in their arms. The entire scene was achingly erotic despite being prints on a pillow. Eunji would have been impressed by the hefty detail put into such pieces if it weren't for the fact that there was no way she could get to her room in the back of the hotel and get past everyone undetected. Eunji was going to find who Youngmi commissioned for the work and, and, well. Congratulate them for their fantastic artwork. Then she was going to get Youngmi back for this. ALL of this. Eunji wiped away a droplet of sweat cutting down her forehead. Now wasn't the time to panic. She had to remain composed!
"Crap. Shoot. Shoot, crap!" Eunji mumbled. Yes, she was calm and collected alright. Light footsteps drifted across the wooden floor, only giving Eunji a second to react. In her haste for escape, the pillows flung from her sweaty hands. They flew gracefully in the air, twirling around one another, Jumin and then Eunji and then Jumin, until they landed together in front of the emerging guest with a soft plop.
"What's the matter, Eunji? We are waiting for you at the dinner table." Jaehee stood a yard away from the utterly embarrassed Eunji. She was dressed in a hakama of light orange, more goldenrod than anything, and had lightly brushed some dark brown makeup on. The assistant was very comfortable in the new clothing provided for her, and in the chaos of Eunji's mind, she remembered that Jaehee did Judo. Then, everything about the current situation came careening back into her skull, leaving a buzzing noise echoing behind her ears. Maybe, just maybe Jaehee wouldn't look down. Everything could be avoided if Jaehee just did not look down. Ah, there we go. There was no way Jaehee could look down from that angle. Jaehee looked down. Jaehee saw everything. "Oh. I see. I'll leave you to it, then." The woman turned on her heel, ready to leave.
"Wait, Jaehee, come back! Pleeaase!" Eunji nearly jumped onto the assistant, almost knocking the poor woman over. Luckily, Jaehee's stance was rock solid, and she took the extra weight with ease.
"Alright. I'm willing to, err, listen." Jaehee went to adjust her glasses, only to realize that they were no longer on the bridge of her nose. It would seem that old habits died hard. Eunji picked up the pillows and told her how she came to be in possession of the ridiculous merchandise. "And that's what happened. It's all Youngmi's fault! I need to get this to my room without Jumin seeing them or else...GAH! I don't know what he'd think at this point. Please help me, Jaehee!"
"I'll help." Jaehee tapped her chin, lapsing into her classic expression of being in deep thought. She sniffed the air. "First we must eat dinner. We can't get to your room without being noticed at the dinner table. From what I saw of the hotel plans, the wrap around porch reaches only halfway around the building's perimeter, and meet with the built in hot springs. It would also be poor form to skip the meal altogether to ninja your pillows to safety. Personally, I would be highly agitated if I could not at least have a proper dinner today." Eunji emphatically nodded, clutching the pillows close to her chest. Jaehee sighed, and then smiled mischievously. "Then, I shall provide a distraction after dinner. As such, you may sneak around said distracted Mr. Han."
"You're my savior, Jaehee!" Eunji was so grateful that she nearly burst into tears.
"Say that when we've successfully moved those pillows."
(Author's Note: Thanks to all of the readers so far! For a while, I didn't know where the plot was going and let the characters have fun! Now they have a solid route. I appreciate all of your help in getting them closer to their happy ending! Remember, eat three healthy meals a day, and keep a good sleep schedule. )