Chapter 11: Chaeyoung

The sea let the storm hover above it, with the wind helping the waves rise higher—just so the two could meet.

***

Sunlight prompts me awake. But, instead of opening my eyes, I squint further—feeling my head throb in the process. Like a sloth, I pace myself turning on the bed. Why do the sheets feel smoother? Did umma change it yesterday when I was gone? Not to mention, it smells like lavender right now.

Opening my eyes is painful, like I was kept in a basement with no windows for God knows how long. From the blurry images that are slowly aligning, I could immediately tell that I'm not in my own room. I'm not in my own room.

The realization jolts me from the comfy mattress, almost falling flat on my ass. There are toys and video games everywhere you look—placed (thankfully) in an orderly fashion. As I stand up, my reflection shows me...in a significantly oversized football jersey.

Football. Toys. Video games. Am I in a guy's room?! Better yet, did I end up sleeping with a guy last night?!

I run my hand through my hair repeatedly at the thought of me having sex with a stranger, let alone a man. It's impossible; I then press my hand against my navel and my vagina to look for indicators of soreness. The absence alleviates the panic in my chest, if only a little.

Despite the comfort brought about by the loose jersey, I frantically search for my clothes—and fail. Don't tell me I left it outside the room!

The pounding reverberates between my head and my chest, like a cartoon elevator going up and down repeatedly, as I slowly turn the doorknob. Just whose place am I at right now?

What greets me is a short hall, leading into a very bare living room...with Mina putting my folded clothes from last night on the sofa.

Before I could say anything, she catches me with her gaze. "Oh, good. You're finally awake. Good morning," she says in a hushed tone, as if we're hiding from someone. "I hope you don't mind me washing your clothes."

"Thanks, unnie. I mean, Mina-ssi. Wait...I didn't puke last night, right?"

She doesn't say anything as she stretches her lower back. Instead, Mina sneers and heads over to the kitchen area as the microwave beeps.

Since Mina is being cryptic about it, I try swallowing a few times and rolling my tongue around my mouth—just to see if there's any taste of vomit. Oh good, just a parched throat with remnants of alcohol.

"Come on, let's have breakfast," Mina says, setting two plates aside from the one with a huge serving of omu-rice. "Sorry, I don't usually have people over. But given the size of this one, I think we can share."

"I must go—I've already troubled you so much."

"Chaeyoung-ssi...like I said, don't be rude," she insists in a lower tone. Damn, she really transforms from timid to a tsundere like a light switch being flipped. Oddly, it's a little hot?

Similar to how people showcase the dish on YouTube, I part the omelette in the middle—expecting the sauce and rice to ooze out. Sadly, it doesn't happen.

"How are you feeling right now?"

To be honest? My head feels like a groan tube—tilt it over to one side, and a weird sound moves gradually to the opposite. I don't know, that's how I feel right now: off-balanced. "I'm okay. I'll live," I answer with a wince.

The scent of the ginger tea that Mina pours into my mug soon overpowers the room. Suddenly, it smells like a drugstore in Chinatown.

"Here, this'll help for the hangover. If it doesn't let up, you can nap again before going home." Wow, Mina really has this maternal instinct about her, huh?

The first gulp of the concoction sets my senses up to speed, as if it was an actual cure. "You seem to know a lot about nursing hangovers," I comment after breathing a sigh of relief. Maybe she used to be a drunkard of sorts.

"Yeah. Having an alcoholic for an ex has its benefits apparently," Mina says, before sipping tea as well.

"Sorry, it must've been a nightmare."

She chuckles while nodding. "Nah, Jeongyeon's not that much of an alcoholic—but she really had the nastiest of hangovers."

"Jeongyeon...you mean, Jeongyeon-unnie?!"

Mina raises an eyebrow at my shock. "Wow...you really must have been wasted last night to not remember that."

I try to scramble my brain for lost memories of last night, but it's all foggy after the second glass. It seems Jeongyeon and I really have a lot of catching up to do. "Mina-ssi, I didn't do anything embarrassing last night...right?"

She hums for quite a while, staring into space. I probably did, didn't I? Anxious, I stare into her bare face which, astoundingly, isn't far from how it's enhanced with makeup. Like, damn, to have a face like hers is crazy, ethereal even.

"You just kept crying about...Somi?"

Oh God. Please kill me now. I let out a nervous chuckle, unsure of what to say. "Sorry about that."

Mina goes back to her meal, slathering the omelette with an obnoxious amount of ketchup. After taking a bite of her tomato-laden creation, she says: "If you don't mind me asking, what happened?"

I suck in my teeth. Should I really unload my baggage to Mina? Would she judge me for being so petty, like a clingy lover? Despite her cold demeanor, the way her eyes glisten tells me that she's really interested to find out. As if entranced, the words roll out of my tongue all of a sudden.

"Somi and I have been together for the last two years before I went back here; she was a year lower than me in art school. We became close because we're always the last ones to leave the org room.

Initially, we didn't really talk at all—she was very much a quiet individual. Then, one day, I heard the music spilling from her earphones; it was Lily Allen's 'Littlest Things'—a song I also love. That started our interaction. Turns out that we enjoy a lot of the same songs. From there, we took turns sharing our playlists when it was only the two of us in the room.

Our bonding extended beyond the four walls of that org room—meals, movies, the works. One thing led to another, and voila—she became my girlfriend."

Mina narrows her eyes at me, nodding. "Cute. But what I meant was what happened that led to you being like that last night," she says in a monotone voice.

"Ah. Sorry. Anyway, during her last year, Somi started part-time work as a researcher. We promised to make it work despite me starting to look for a job as well—that we would still make time for each other. So we did. But it all changed when my mom was offered by her old company a way better paying job than the one she had in Toronto.

I thought Somi, of all people, would understand. After all, we promised to..." I could feel my throat tensing up and my voice cracking. "...make it work despite the odds," I add after recomposing myself. "But, clearly, that wasn't the case—since I got back, we've hardly talked. She would always tell me that she's busy because she was now a full-time employee who took night classes to catch up on her academics. So...that's it."

"Ah. I see," Mina murmurs.

Wow, I just shared a very sensitive topic about my life and that's all she says?! I know I'm not supposed to, but this robot has just offended me! No wonder our offi—

"Why not break it off with her?" Mina asks, after gulping half a glass of water.

Did she just tell me to break up with Somi? "What? No! Why would I do that?"

She huffs with a smirk. "Chaeyoung-ssi, if I may, but why would you want to feel like shit everyday for a person who's clearly selfish?"

No, my Somi isn't like that. What would this android know about relationships? No wonder Jeongyeon broke up with her. "Sorry, but I think it's my own problem to take care of."

Mina shrugs. "Right. If you say so. Please forgive my intrusion."

Wow, what a half-assed apology. Alright, two can play at that game. "Mina-ssi, if it's alright to ask, what happened between you and Jeongyeon-unnie? Why did you guys break up?"

She stops breaking the egg into littler pieces and stares at her plate. As soon as she blinks, her glare shifts toward me. Uh-oh. Is this the part where she stabs me?

Fearing for my own life, I carefully slide my chair back. "Sorry. I-I don't know what came over me."

"It's okay. I guess Jeongyeon and I just wanted different things out of our relationship," she shares, still in that deadpan delivery.

I don't know what to follow up with. Nice job, Chaeyoung—she's still technically your sunbae! As the awkwardness looms over the dining table, I stand up and bow. "I'm sorry. I should get going. Please, just let me change into my clothes."

It's only until I whip out my phone and look for ride-sharing app that I notice my shirt is on backwards, but fuck it: I need to get out of here. "Sorry, but what's the address?"

With her ever-so-soft voice, she shoots back: "You don't need to get a ride."

"I've already troubled you enough, sunbaenim." It's okay, I'll find my way out of here instead.

Once I swing the door open, the view's immediately (and eerily) familiar—the almost torn billboards, the two adjacent glass buildings on the right, the quirky Japanese stall below a love hotel. Wait...

Mina scoffs from behind. "Like I said—no need for a ride."