Chapter 17: Chaeyoung

The dark abyss beneath the sea showed itself once more. Not wanting to be bothered, the storm hurled a decisive strike of lightning at it.

***

In honor of seeing her surrogate daughter, Umma has invited Jeongyeon over to our apartment for dinner.

"Imo, you have no idea how much I missed your chapchae," Jeongyeon exclaims after slurping.

"It's nothing compared to your father's, though," Umma admits.

It's true—Jeongyeon's father is now one of the most decorated chefs in the country. But, before he rose to fame, he would always bring us his dishes for feedback on the menu of his very first restaurant.

"I'll let you in on a secret," my unnie whispers. "Yours is better."

Umma laughs boisterously as she hits Jeongyeon's forearm. Her ego must be swelling now.

I glance at Mina, who's quietly eating beside me, the polar opposite of Jeongyeon howling with her mouth wide open.

"How is it?" I whisper over to our silent guest.

She doesn't say anything, just a curt smile and a thumbs up. Come to think of it, Mina has been quieter than usual since this afternoon.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm just...a bit tired, that's all," Mina mutters.

Maybe she's just being polite. I've seen her eyes quickly glancing at Jeongyeon for at least five times already since we sat in the same table. Wait...is it the presence of her ex that's bothering her?

A few more minutes pass with mostly Jeongyeon and Umma swaying the conversation. I must admit that this is probably the loudest our apartment has been since we got back. I'd understand if a naturally quiet person like Mina would be drained.

True enough, Mina stands up and bows. "Imo-nim, thanks for the meal. I should get going," she says in her classic soft manner.

"Stay," Jeongyeon rebuts. "I'll just drive you home later."

"Drive her? She just lives above our unit," Umma shares, her voice a little louder from the wine.

"Oh, interesting," Jeongyeon notes, nodding at Mina, who has her back slightly hunched as if she's waiting to be released from bowing.

"You didn't know?" I'm actually surprised at this development. I know they're exes, but they seemed like close friends when we drank together. Well, sort of.

"Nope. Mina never shared where she lives," Jeongyeon answers, her stare still on the woman beside me.

Mina's face, I'm not sure if Umma or Jeongyeon notices this, has reverted to the robotic disposition I was initially exposed to. But, this time, it looks like there's annoyance in the mix.

"I'll show her out," I offer, quickly ushering Mina to our door.

"I guess I'll just see you tomorrow. Good night, Chaeyoung-ah," Mina mumbled.

"I, uh, thanks for coming with me today."

She throws a subtle smile, staring into space, before heading over to the staircase.

"Chaeyoung-ah! Come on, we still have a bottle to finish," Jeongyeon shouts from the dining table.

***

"You should've let unnie stay here," I say, putting the last plate on the rack.

Umma shrugs as she keeps browsing channels. "She's far from drunk—she'll get home without a scratch."

I groan at her attempt to be the "cool mom." Would she still be cool about it if I was the one driving under the influence? "Fine, I'll call unnie later to make sure she's home safely."

"Was Minari okay, by the way? She seemed uncomfortable during dinner," Umma asks, her gaze still on the television.

For some reason, I forego telling her that she's Jeongyeon's ex and that it was most likely the reason she was uneasy during dinner. "She's just...naturally shy around new people."

"You guys seem really close," Umma comments, staring intently at me. "Does Somi know about this?"

Funny. Work and spending time with Mina has helped me forget about Somi and her "enthusiastic" effort to make it work.

"She would—if she actually made time to talk to me," I retort.

Instead of saying anything else, Umma shrugs and rolls her eyes.

Oh, right! I did promise Mina I'd help her pick her outfit for the wedding. Maybe that'll at least put her in a good mood.

***

I had no idea that I already possessed these much of accessories, that some of my bangles and earrings roll down the steps. Memo to self: buy a bigger container.

Mina has always dressed for function's sake, over form, so the thought of dressing her up excites me.

As I was about to press the buzzer, I hear two muffled voices inside.

"Why...do you have someone else now?" It kinda sounds like Jeongyeon.

"It's none of your business at this point," the softer voice (most likely Mina) shoots back.

I press my ear against the door, hoping to hear them better.

"You have a girlfriend now, is that it? See? You must like her so much that you can't even get wet for me," the deeper voice mocks. God, what a bitch.

"Just go, Jeongyeon-ah. Please. I have work tomorrow." So it is her.

Jeongyeon clicks her tongue so loud that I hear it behind the door. "Whatever. Fuck this. Good luck to you and whoever she is."

The door knob turns and I hastily attempt to make it look like I was just approaching the unit.

"Oh, Chaeyoung-ah. What're you doing here?" Jeongyeon asks after swinging the door open.

The words do not escape my lips as I note her flushed cheeks, smudged lipstick, and a faint scent of wine and Mina's fabric conditioner on her.

"I, uh, I'm supposed to help Minari with something."

She nods with a somewhat serious expression on her face. "Cool. I'll be heading home now. See you around."

As I look inside the apartment, I see Mina—adjusting the strap of her tanktop with slightly disheveled hair and welling eyes.

***

Jihyo steps inside our area with her eyes transfixed on her tablet. "Okay, MiChaeng, I need a—" she pauses, noticing that Mina isn't present. She turns to me and asks, "And where is Her Eminence?"

"I think she's still sick. I mean, that's what she told me." My response isn't a lie, though...I think. Ever since that episode with Jeongyeon, Mina hasn't reported to work and made up excuses to not step out of her apartment.

Jihyo whines. "Looks like I'll have to be the writer again."

Despite the workday running by smoothly and a few fun anecdotes from the rest of the team, my mind wanders off to Mina. What did Jeongyeon do to shake her up like that? Is she ashamed that I have an inkling of what happened?

Before heading home, since Umma said she'll be having a meeting late at night, I decide to treat myself to some fried chicken and beer.

Minutes into me savoring my chicken, the door chimes by the entrance ring. It's Jeongyeon, holding hands with a fair-skinned woman with wavy shoulder-length hair and a thin nose. Jeongyeon sees me and eagerly rushes over, practically dragging her companion.

"You again," Jeongyeon exclaims with laughter.

"You again, unnie."

Jeongyeon adjusts her position, as if to showcase the other woman. "Where are my manners? Son Chaeyoung, Im Nayeon. Im Nayeon, Son Chaeyoung."

Nayeon reaches out for a handshake, baring her big two front teeth. Appreshensively, I reciprocate as her long fingers encroach my whole hand. "I've heard so much about you," she beams.

"Yeobo, what'll you have?" Jeongyeon asks Nayeon.

"Whatever you're getting, as long as it's spicy," Nayeon replies, taking a seat in front of me.

"You're Jeongyeon-unnie's..."

"...Girlfriend. That's right," Nayeon shares with a pleasant smile. "And you're her childhood friend, right?"

I want to say "I'm not so sure anymore," but I simply nod. Turns out there's more to Jeongyeon than meets the eye. And from the looks of it, this girl doesn't know anything either.

Finishing my dinner proves to be difficult as the two "lovebirds"act sweet in front of me—Jeongyeon kissing and whispering God knows what, and Nayeon caressing unnie's cheeks with her gargantuan hands. I try to clear my throat to elicit my discomfort, but to no avail. Seeing Jeongyeon like this and remembering how she left Mina the other night makes my blood boil.

"Sorry, I have to go home," I say.

"We can just drop you off later. Ain't that right, bunny?"

Nayeon hums her agreement into Jeongyeon's baseball jacket.

"No thanks." Without waiting for their confirmation, I storm out of the establishment.

A few meters away from the restaurant, I could hear Jeongyeon shouting my name, getting louder by the second, but I don't turn around.

Suddenly, Jeongyeon pulls me by the wrist, causing me to face her.

"Hey," she huffs from chasing me. "What the hell?! Are you okay?"

I stare up at her with gritted teeth. "Unnie..." I could already feel my throat tense up, not being used to conflict. "We're friends, right? And friends don't hurt each other, right?"

Jeongyeon narrows her eyebrows as she slowly nods.

"Then," I swallow. "If you still want to be my friend...don't bother Minari again. If you do, I won't forgive you."