Disclaimer: Whoever owns Playful Kiss must be a pretty happy person, what with owning Seung Jo and all, but as you probably know, that person is not me.
A/N: Happy Thanksgiving, my lovely readers! Those that are still with me anyway. It seems like a lot of my normal readers didn't review my last chapter. I hope you guys aren't dead or something! That would make me sad. :(
I decided to wait until I started my Thanksgiving break before starting another chapter just because I had tests to study for. You know teachers. They want to give tests right before break so we don't have homework, which I'm glad for. :) But on top of that, I kinda maybe sorta got a little (totally) absorbed in watching InuYasha on Netflix . . . So yeah. And I started crocheting a scarf and I knitted my friend a hat for her birthday. Wow. Now that I think about it, I've been busy. Anyway, I won't keep you waiting any longer!
Episode 3: Only One Glass
"Baek Seung Jo! We're going to dinner now. Come downstairs!" Mother's voice carries up from the living room into the common area upstairs. We're supposed to be going to Oh Ki Dong's restaurant to celebrate Ha Ni's good grades. Mother told me that we would be eating a late dinner after the restaurant closed, so I had a snack earlier in the afternoon.
I slowly make my way downstairs after grabbing my iPod from my room. I don't know if I can handle the whole family without it. Wait. I mean my family and Oh Ha Ni's. Why did I only say one? I shake my head as I walk down the stairs. Mother, father, and Eun Jo are waiting for me. Mother has a big smile on her face. I think she might be more proud of Oh Ha Ni than Oh Ha Ni is of herself.
Sitting at the table after dinner with my earbuds in, I smile to myself. I have to admit. Ha Ni's father makes really good food. I have a feeling everyone else thought so too. The adults are having a lively conversation and from their expressions, they seem to be enjoying themselves. I don't bother taking out my earbuds to hear what they're talking about, but I look at Oh Ha Ni. She seems to be having a good time too. She almost looks like a child at a holiday party. Her hairstyle doesn't help. It's all gathered up on the side of her head like a four year old did it. Eun Jo looks like he wants to be anywhere but here. I know the feeling.
I scroll through a playlist I made a few days ago. Why are there never any good songs that I feel like listening to? I decide to shut the music off and play a game. Right then I hear, "And thank you so much, Seung Jo." I turn and look up. Oh Ki Dong is looking at me with a gratful smile. "You really are impressive," he says with a thumbs up.
"No," I tell him, being modest. I can feel a nervous smile on my face. I don't know exactly what he's talking about since I wasn't listening to the conversation, but I can imagine that he's probably talking about my role in helping Ha Ni boost her grades. I was the one who helped her get the grade, but she's the one who really tried and went for it.
Before I can tell him that, though, mother decides to butt in. "Oh not at all!" she says. I glance over at her and can feel my smile drop from my face. "Getting someone like Seung Jo to tutor her is even more impressive." She sets down her chopsticks and stands up. "I'm so thankful!" She bows to Oh Ki Gong with what looks like the deepest gratitude.
I can't believe her. She acts like I'm some hermit who doesn't like anyone and has no friends. Just because I'm not inviting people over all the time or staying out until late with the idiots that roam around town doesn't means I'm difficult to get along with. I just prefer to be around people that aren't stupid. Unfortunately, those people are few and far between.
Oh Ki Gong pushes out his chair and stands up along with my mother. "What are you doing?" he asks her. "I'm supposed to be saying thank you!" He bows low as he says, "Thank you!"
"Oh, not at all! I'm more thankful!" mother says as she bows back. I swear if they try and thank each other one more time, I think I might just get up and walk out.
Eun Jo seems to have the same thoughts as me because he says to mother, "Stop. Your hair is going to fall into the food." Everyone laughs as mother smiles and sits down. Nice one, kid. But you do know that her hair is up, right? Ha Ni reaches over and strokes his hair softly before he bats her hand away. I decide to go back to my game.
"Look here," father says. "Can't go about a night like this without a drink, right?" I can tell where this is going, and it doesn't look good. "How about it?" he asks. "Does our main star want to have a drink?" He holds out the pitcher to Ha Ni. I have to admit, whether she takes the drink or not, the expression on her face is absolutely priceless.
"Me too?" she asks incredulously. She looks so excited that someone thinks she's old enough. Her father seems surprised and can only stare at her and mumble for a moment when she looks to him for permission.
He regains his composure after a short time and says hesitantly, "Sure, since an adult is giving it to you, just have one drink." They laugh as Ha Ni holds out her cup to my father.
"Here," he says as he pours her a drink. I have a feeling giving her alchohol is a bad idea, but I keep my thoughts to myself. My father seems to mumble something and mother laughs. After he's done with her glass, he comes toward me with the pitcher. "Seung Jo too," he says. I hold my cup steady as he pours me some too. I've had it before, but only once when father took me to dinner without mother or Eun Jo. He told me then that it was a father's duty to help his son become a man. I'm sure mother knew nothing about it and never will.
"Then lift your glasses," says Oh Ki Dong. We raise our glasses as he makes a toast. "A toast to our wonderful children!"
"Cheers!" everyone but me shouts. We all clink our glasses together, even Eun Jo, who is drinking soda. I don't think father thinks it's time for him to "be a man" yet. I take a sip of mine and set it back on the table. I'm not into drinking much.
I can tell it's definitely Ha Ni's first time drinking. She takes a sip and gives her cup the weirdest look. I have a feeling she wasn't expecting what she tasted. Mother looks at her and says to her, "But, Ha Ni, you really worked hard. I was so surprised!" Ha Ni smiles and perks up at that. I'm not sure why. Mother basically just said she didn't have faith that Ha Ni could do it.
Her father joins in the conversation. "You know, Ha Ni's nickname is 'Noah's snail'."
"'Noah's snail'?" mother asks Ha Ni.
"Yes," Ha Ni says. "My grandmother used to call me that."
"The Noah of Noah's Ark?" my fathere asks.
Oh Ki Dong seems excited that he knows of it. "Exactly! All kinds of animals got onto that Ark, right?" It sounds as if he's not sure himself. "But this snail, no one took care of it. So all night long, the snail inched tirelessly." He starts making a crawling motion with the strangest look on his face. "And at last," he says, "inch by inch, that snail finally got on the Ark."
Oh Ha Ni claps her hands together and smiles. "I'm good at anything where I have to do it for a long period of time," she giggles. That must mean she's an expert on liking me. I don't know how she carried a torch for me for four years. She brings her cup up to her lips for another drink. I have a feeling by the end of the night, she won't be able to walk. Hopefully, though, we'll be home by the time that happens. She takes a drink, puckers her lips, and sighs like it's sweet relief. I doubt it, though. It's probably just a lot for her to handle.
Her father leans over and motions to her cup. "This is Pohang liquor from my hometown, but there isn't an ounce of wather in it." Ha Ni takes another drink as he continues. "It seems alright when drinking it, but it'll hit you hard all at once."
"Oh really?" father asks. He looks at the cup like it's liquid gold as he takes another sip. Ha Ni also brings the cup to her lips again.
Oh Ki Dong turns to address my father. "My friend, you like crabs." He takes a ladle full of crabs and puts them on his plate.
Father smiles as he looks up at his friend. "Man, even when we were young you were always looking out for me. Still taking care of me like this?" They laugh like the best friends they are.
"I heard," says mother, "when my husband was younger, you always packed a lunch for him." Oh Ki Dong seems embarrassed, but laughs along with everyone.
"Well, we lived it up a bit," he says modestly.
"We really stuck together, eh?" says father. "We even had a band together." Oh no. For the second time tonight, I know where this is going, and it doesn't look good.
"Oh?" says mother. "I've never heard that before."
Ha Ni's father tries to intervene. "Ah, we never had a band. We just said that we should start one."
Ha Ni seems to perk up. "Should I go get the guitar?" she asks excitedly. Before I know it, she's running upstairs while my father and hers are standing up and moving tables and chairs around to set up a stage. Within seconds, she's back with two guitars in her hands and everyone is moving to get a good view of what is sure to be a show.
I stay where I am and don't get up and join mother, Eun Jo, and Ha Ni as they gather around a small table. I'm still playing games on my iPod, but I leave the music off. I knew father had a band, but I've never really heard him sing seriously before. This will be interesting. The two men sit down to get ready. They start whistling and playing the guitars as they look at each other. It seems as if they're having a pretty easy time getting back into the swing of it.
Every day with you
Taking in the morning sun,
Every day with you
I want to open my eyes.
Father starts to sing. It's a love song with an easy rhythm, and the girls are swaying back and forth like hopeless romantics. I watch Oh Ha Ni for a moment and can detect the slightest wobble at the end of each sway as she starts to go the other way. The Pohang is definitely taking effect. I look back down at my iPod and close the game right as she glances over her shoulder at me. She can't tell I can see her. I pretend to be riveted to my iPod, when in reality, it's just on the home screen. I don't know what she's thinking about, but she seems to be enjoying the music.
Every day with you (Every day with you)
Just the two of us,
Every day with you (Every day with you)
I want to talk with you.
The streets filled with the morning rains,
The flaming sun setting in the evening,
Everything around us,
I want to share it with you.
Every day with you
In the arms of night
Every day with you (Every day with you)
I want to fall asleep.
The streets filled with the morning rains,
The flaming sun setting in the evening,
Everything around us,
I want to share it with you.
Every day with you (Every day with you)
I want to fall asleep.
Every day with you (Ah really)
Every day with you (Ah really)
Every day with you
They're actually pretty good. They harmonies sound nice and they can really play. Even if it's not my style all the time, it sounds nice right now. I watch as Ha Ni takes another drink of the Pohang liquor. Her and mother both are giggling like children as mother blows a kiss to father. He looks straight at her as he sings, "Every day with you." That reminds me of someone else I know.
I seem to spend every day with Oh Ha Ni. I guess, in a way, this song could pertain to us. But that's about the only part. I don't think I want to open my eyes and see her every morning, just the two of us. All of a sudden, there's this little voice in the back of my mind that pipes up just loud enough to hear over the music. "Really?" it asks in a taunting voice. I shake my head to try to get rid of it.
As the song ends, my thoughts are interrupted by both girls screaming and clapping their hands. Eun Jo covers his ears with his hands. "You're all so loud," he complains. I've got to agree with him there.
Ha Ni seems to be the louder of the two, though, as she shouts, "Oppa! Oppa! Oppa!" The fathers take their bows as they finish. Oh Ha Ni gets up and grabs her father's guitar and sets it down.
"This is so much fun," says my mother. She turns to me. "Hey, Seung Jo. Why don't you play a song too?"
I look up. "Are you drunk?" I ask her. I haven't played in years.
"Oh my," she says dejectedly. "Don't be like that and just play a song." The look on her face and the tone of her voice tell me the answer to my question. She's wasted.
"Let him be," pipes Ha Ni. I'm surprised. I would have thought she would want to hear me play. She laughs, but then her face becomes serious. She pins me with a glare full of judgment as she continues. "Would the great Baek Seung Jo sing in a shabby place like this?" Wait. Where did that come from?
Her father turns to her and laughs. "Are you drunk?" he asks her.
"Drunk?" she asks incredulously. "I didn't even finish one glass." She doesn't think she's drunk, but her body is betraying her. She's swaying back and forth on her stool even as she's talking and laughing. She gets serious again, though, as she seems to be thinking out loud.
"A pain," she says softly. She brings her arm up to rest on her father's shoulder. "Dad," she mutters.
"Yes?" her father asks with a laugh.
She's still talking to him, but she's looking straight at me. "He said I was a total pain." That gets my attention. I knew getting her drunk was a bad idea. "That means we're living off of them," she continues.
Mother turns to me and fixes me with a strong look of disapproval. "Really?" she asks me.
Ha Ni's father laughs nervously and asks me, "Is that right?"
What do I say? I mean, I said that, but I didn't mean it. I mean, I kind of did. But not in the way that they think. I mean, I know there's only one way to take that, but I didn't mean it as seriously as they're taking it. I was just teasing her. Like I always do. I'm caught up on my words even as I say, "No, it's not like that."
"He's said something right." I look over and Eun Jo has decided to add his two cents. Kid, you are really not helping.
"Baek Eun Jo!" my father reprimands.
Oh Ha Ni speaks again. "Baek Seung Jo, are you that great? Even if you are great, is it okay to ignore people? You told me not to say anything about living together. Then how do I explain? Did you really have to say such things in front of all those people?" I know without her saying it that she's talking about when she first talked to me. When I rejected her. "You're constantly a jerk!" She yells the last part and nearly falls off her chair. Her father has to steady her so she stays upright.
I can't deal with this right now. "Let's go," I say suddenly.
Her father agrees. "Oh, okay." He tries to get up until Oh Ha Ni pulls him back to his seat.
"Look at that, look at that," she says, pointing her finger at me. "Completely ignoring what people say. Always cynical, laughing at others, choosing the exact words to make people feel bad!" She sighs. "I really, completely don't like him."
Her father turns and asks her, "Are you drunk again?" What does he mean "again?" It's her first drink. I think he's had enough himself. He tries to steady her, though, when she starts to fall off her stool again.
"Ha Ni, you dislike Seung Jo that much?" my mother asks. "I thought you two looked really good together at the sports festival." The tone in her voice tells me that this really disappoints her. "I didn't know you disliked him that much."
Ha Ni slaps her legs for emphasis as she says, "Yes, I don't like him. Mother, Father, and Eun Jo, I like all of you." She points that accusing finger at me again. "But I don't like Baek Seung Jo!" I know she's drunk, and I shouldn't care, but for some reason, my heart skips a beat. It feels like someone just took something small and sharp and poked me right in the center of my chest.
She's slurring her speech and she's about to fall off her chair. The sight is really pretty funny. "Really?" I ask.
"Yeah!" She looks at me like I'm stupid for even asking such a thing.
I cock my head to the side. "You're saying different things," I tell her. I wonder if she'll get it before I say it.
"What?" Apparently not.
I'm about to be a jerk again. "'Actually, I don't call you Seung Jo.'" She shakes her head in confusion. I can feel the smirk on my face as I recall the words in her letter. I continue. "'I call you the "Spirit of the Forest." After that day, I was hurt for several days. I had a rough time-'"
"HEY!" she yells at me and stands up from her chair.
I can feel a small smile on my face now as I stare at the ground. "'At least once, I pass by you in school. But,'" I pause and look straight at her. '"I still miss you every day. In my dreams, you are so sweet.'"
"HEY!" she yells again. She grabs a pancake from the table and hurls it at me. She has surprisingly good aim for being drunk. I can tell she's just fuming. It's rather humorous actually. "Stupid jerk," she says angrily.
Eun Jo pipes up. "What is that? Spirit of the Forest?"
I can tell mother is starting to understand. "Ha Ni," she says. "Did you write a letter to Seung Jo?"
"Wait," her father says. "That guy . . ." he looks from Ha Ni to me and back. "It was Seung Jo?" I'm guessing that means she talked to him about it.
I grab a napkin and start wiping off my shoulder where the pancake hit me. It didn't really leave anything, but I'm making a show about it. "Did you have to go this far?" she asks me. "Did you memorize it to make fun of me?"
"What am I supposed to do when I can memorize it after one look?" I ask her.
She nods. "Fine," she says softly as she rests her hand on the table next to her. "You're weak if you like someone." She's putting an awful lot of her weight on that hand. "But," she continues, "now that's over. It's completely over. The last remaining feelings I had, well, they're all completely gone."
That makes me laugh. Does she really think I'll believe that? She's living in the same house as the guy she likes. The same guy she's liked for four years without having any indication that he has the slightest interest in her. "Really?" I ask her for the second time tonight.
The glare on her face never wavers, though her words slur together and her eyes are more than half closed a lot of the time. "Yes," she says defiantly. "You're so low. Since you're so dirty and low, I can't do it anymore. Baek Seung Jo, you! I really hate you!" She tries readjusting her hand on the table, but misses and crumples to the floor.
"Ha Ni!" my mother cries.
"Hey hey hey," my father says.
They all rush around her to help pick her up. As they get her back in a standing position, she asks, "What is this? Stupid jerk!" Her head lolls down to her chest where it stays. She's out.
"She's stupid to the bone," comments Eun Jo. Mother runs over and smothers his face with her hand. She looks at me urgently.
"Seung Jo," she says. "Hurry and piggyback her."
"Me?" I ask.
"Then shall I?" she asks me.
"It's fine, I can do it," her father says. "Here, get on Dad's back. Alright, alright. Get on." He tries to maneuver her onto his back, but ends up falling over himself in his drunken state.
"Oh my, oh my," my mother cries.
Father helps Oh Ki Dong up. "Are you drunk too? It really does hit you quick, doesn't it?"
"See?" my mother says. "Hurry!"
I sigh. "So annoying," I complain as I stand up and make my way over to her. I grab both her arms and drape them over my shoulders as I get in front of her. When they seem like they'll stay for the moment, I bend down and grab the backs of her thighs. Her jumper is short, so it doesn't cover her legs. I brace myself and lift her up onto my back. She's surprisingly light.
"Thank you," mother says to me as she walks to the door and holds it open for me. "Walk on ahead. Eun Jo and I will get the men to come along." I head out the door and onto the street.
Walking with Ha Ni on my back isn't easy if only because she's too drunk to hang on. Her arms keep slipping and I keep having to hoist her back up higher on my back. As I get to the corner, I hear the men stumbling out of the restaurant and the shuffling of feet. I don't look back, though, as I feel Ha Ni starting to stir. Her arm that was hanging off comes up and hugs my shoulder. "Stupid jerk," she mumbles against my shoulder. I stop and look back at her. Her cheek is pressed against me with her head facing away from me.
I look away again as I say quietly, "Oh Ha Ni, you're amazing. You eventually get your piggyback ride."
"Huh?" she mutters. "What?" She's forming words now. I think she's slightly more awake.
"I said OH Ha Ni is great." Her fingers seem to caress my shoulder for just a moment right before a shiver goes through me. That's weird. It's not that cold out. She makes a slight noise as I hoist her higher on my back. I look back at her to make sure she's okay. I feel her head rise from my shoulder as she wakes up a little more.
"Hey," she says suddenly. "Let me down. Why am I on your back?"
I don't think I'm going to answer her at all when I notice something. "You said you got over me." I tell her.
"Huh? Yeah, I did. Why?"
"If so, why is it beating so hard?" I ask her.
"What?" she asks.
"Are you okay?" She doesn't answer me. "Heart. Your heart." Her eyes go wide and she brings a hand to her chest. It's an interesting feeling, having her pressed against me. It's not a feeling I entirely dislike, I admit to myself. "But," I say as her hand slides back onto my shoulder. "It's more serious than I thought, Oh Ha Ni."
"What?" she asks skeptically. This will really get her going. I'm interested to see what she'll do being on my back.
"Do you think you'll be able to have a baby and raise it being the way you are?" She's silent for a moment as she starts to understand what I'm saying. She looks down at her chest then back up at me.
"HEY!" she screams as she pushes me. Hard. She leans back and starts to flail as she feels me waver. Idiot. Pushing the person carrying you is going to make you fall. I can hear the screams of her and the rest of the family behind us.
Before I know it, Oh Ha Ni is on the ground rubbing her butt. The rest of the family has caught up to us and they're frantically flocking around her. I just stand back away from everything and smile. Oh Ha Ni, you've got them wrapped around your finger, don't you. Even Eun Jo is watching with a concerned look on his face, though I know he would deny it if I ever mentioned it.
Later in bed, I stare at the ceiling. Eun Jo is snoring in his bed and the wind is whistling at the window. What was I thinking earlier? I didn't mind the fact that Ha Ni was all pressed up against me? I grab my pillow and put it over my face. What is wrong with me? Maybe it was the little bit of Pohang that I had. Yeah, that's it. It was the Pohang.
Eun Jo rolls over in his sleep and murmurs something. He's had a habit of doing that lately. Maybe something is troubling him. He shifts again and I can hear what he says this time. "He won't admit it."
What? Did he just say what I think he said? What could that possibly mean and who is he talking about? Not me, surely. There couldn't be anything for me to admit. Could there? Only then do I realize that when Oh Ha Ni was falling from my back, I refered to all of us, for the second time that night, as one family.
A/N: Hello everyone! Wow, that was really long. That was definitely my longest one yet. I hope you liked it! Let me know what you think by leaving a review. If it was horrible or if you loved it, let me know, please!
-TheMidwestJess