#stuff for kimbap and other Korean food

[transfemgeorgecostanza]

The biggest workout you can do is going to a bookstore, grocery shopping, and into a popular cafe on a rainy Saturday afternoon. No day at the gym, no Marathon could possibly make you feel more exhausted than that

[mavrintarou]

[3:19 PM] - Suna Rintarou

Gotta head out - be back later to edit... or not. Enjoy!

Warning: smut . Aside from volleyball, Rintarou was naturally gifted with the camera.

He had captured some of the most exquisite and breathtaking photographs of Y/n, making it look like they were professional shots.

He also possessed a collection of the most embarrassing shots, which he kept strictly to himself. There were also a few special ones that were meant for his eyes only, capturing intimate moments between them.

He was a very active Instagramer – posting quite frequently for his million followers, but he kept his relationship out of public eyes.

When Rintarou created a TikTok account, his followers grew by the day.

He would capture a wide range of videos, from documenting his volleyball training sessions and games to showcasing the delicious lunches Y/n packed for him. He even recorded moments of making his coffee, creating a collection of glimpses into his daily life.

Each time he makes a video, Y/n gets a notification, and she entertains herself with them.

“My baby made me some Korean food today,” he sniffs his bento, groaning. “I told her I’ve been craving some Korean food, and… she loves me so much.” He stuffs his mouth with a Kimbap. “You guys ask if she makes me lunch every day – yes. Does she not work or… is she a stay-at-home partner?” He shoves another Kimbap into his mouth. “She’s definitely an independent woman who earns her own money and won’t allow me to support her like the best boyfriend I am…” he narrows his eyes directly at the camera, “she always watches my videos, so – please tell her that it she needs to let me treat her like a queen.”

Y/n burst out laughing and clicked on the comments.

Suna’s girlfriend, please allow Rintarou to treat you like a queen!

Can we get a glimpse of her?

She is so lucky!

You’re so lucky; your food looks so good!

Y/n narrows her eyes at the first comment.

You’re so hot, Rin; please fuck me!

Y/n clicked on the person’s profile of a young woman.

Curiosity got Y/n going through Rin’s other videos to view the comments. She saw the same account commenting on every one of Rin’s videos, saying something inappropriate.

.

Rin checked his phone as he slipped his shirt on.

He was still waiting for a message from Y/n.

Though it wasn’t unusual, it felt odd that she didn’t text or react to his video.

She always commented or reacted to his video.

Did she not see it?

But it clearly said Read 2:35 PM underneath the message.

Without wasting another moment, he made his way toward their apartment, a sense of urgency guiding his steps. Sitting behind the wheel, waiting at a red light, he drummed his fingers anxiously on the steering wheel. The unsettling feeling gnawed at him, the sense that something was amiss between them weighing heavily on his mind.

While they didn’t frequently engage in conflicts, he made a conscious effort to minimize arguments, fully aware that disagreements are a natural part of any relationship. Over the course of their four-year journey together, they encountered only a few instances where tension escalated. However, despite needing some time to cool off, they always found a way to come together and discuss their concerns. They were committed to understanding each other’s perspective and exploring ways to grow and improve for the sake of their relationship.

And have hot makeup sex.

Rintarou jams the button to his floor in the elevator impatiently. Of all days, it seemed like the elevator door was being an asshole and taking its merry time to get him up to his floor.

“Y/n!” He shouts once he enters his apartment.

“Yes?” her sweet voice calls from the kitchen.

She doesn’t sound upset or mad, he thought. He quickly toes off his shoes and drops his gym bag in the living room to head to the kitchen. His heart relaxes a bit, finding her in the kitchen preparing dinner.

But he was still a little nervous and wasn’t entirely convinced she wasn’t upset.

He goes to wrap his arms around her waist, kissing her cheek and resting his chin on her shoulder. “How was your day?”

“Good,” she answered, “you?”

“Tired,” he answered as usual, “but a little… nervous.”

She finished whatever she was doing before washing her hands, the both of them doing a funny dance towards the sink because once Rin clings on to Y/n, it is no use trying to get him off.

“Go wash your hands and sit down; let’s eat.” She hears his sigh before he lets her go, and she watches over her shoulder as he pouts towards the sink to wash his hands and takes a seat in his usual spot.

Y/n leans against the counter, watching him zone out sitting there. Rintarou may be hard to read on the court, but Y/n could read him anytime.

Something weighed heavily on him, and his emotions spilled out much like a toddler’s when they couldn’t express their feelings.

He doesn’t realize Y/n has yet to set the table, “why are you nervous?”

He gazed up at her with a lost expression, his voice barely above a whisper. “You didn’t react to my video,” he murmured, seeking an answer with a hint of disappointment in his tone.

Y/n arched an eyebrow at him, suppressing a chuckle. “What?”

“You didn’t react to my video today… did you not watch it?” he inquired with a  tinge of concern. “Did I say too much in the video about you?” The renowned and notorious Middle Blocker for EJP Raijin resembled an anxious child, desperately seeking reassurance if he had done the right thing.

Y/n furrowed her brows, a realization dawning upon her as she acknowledged her lack of response to his video. “Oh, Rin,” she chuckled softly, moving closer and straddling his lap. Tenderly cupping his face, she pressed her lips against his pout, kissing it away. “I did watch it, but I must have gotten carried away reading the comments,” she explained, her tone apologetic. Her eyes narrowed as she mentioned one particular fan. “There was this one fan who was quite vulgar towards you,” she continued, her voice hinting disapproval. “I didn’t like it one bit.”

Something flickered in his eyes, and Y/n couldn’t help but roll her eyes, anticipating his reaction. “Are you… jealous?” he asked a hint of amusement in his voice.

There it is.

“No, I’m not. I don’t need to be jealous when I already have you.”

Rin kisses her throat and nips the skin there. “You’re right; I’m yours, all yours, just as you’re mine, right?”

“Hmm,” Y/n runs her fingers through his hair before gripping a fist full and tilting his head back. “All mine.”

His eyes widen for a split second before they squeeze shut when Y/n trails her tongue along his jaw and down his neck. She was not one to mark him in prominent areas, but tonight, she showed no mercy to his neck.

“Y/n…” Rin groans ten minutes later. His hands grip her hips, desperately guiding her to rock herself over his lap. “’nough…”

She pulls back and admires her work; now she knows how Rin feels. She leans to peck his lips and lifts herself, “all right, let’s eat!”

“What!” His grip on her hips tightens, “no way, you can’t leave me like that.” He looks down at his crotch; the outlining of his thick cock is visible against his joggers.

“But… our food will get cold?”

Rintarou chuckles, “no way, baby, food can wait… not me.”

Y/n squeal when he pushes her onto the table, grabs the end of her yoga pants, and tugs them off in one go. He pulls her panties aside and pulls cock out enough to slowly thrust into her pussy.

“Ah… Rin,” she moans, gripping the edge of the table. “Fuck… yes…”

His thrusts are slow and deep. “You had me worrying for no reason…” he leans over and grips her jaw to kiss her deeply, “I’ll show them – “ he speeds up his thrusts, “I’ll show them I’m yours… only yours….”

All the rubbing and rocking over him stimulated her, and Y/n was close until Rin pulled out of her. “Rin?”

He maneuvers her onto her front side and smacks her ass before getting down on one knee. He pulls her panties off and smothers his face into her core, slurping, sucking, and biting.

“Rin!”

He squeezes her cheeks hard, taking a bite on each side before standing back up, “need to mark you as mine too…” he guides his cock back home and thrusts fast and hard.

Their kitchen echoes with skin slapping skin and the kitchen table squeaking.

“I’m so… I’m so close baby…” Rin groans, and seconds later, hips jerking and cock spasming as he cums inside.

Rin withdraws; his eyes are fixated and anticipating as his cum drips out.

A minute later, after catching each other’s breath, Rin whispered, “baby?”

Y/n turns to look over her shoulders, clearly in bliss. “Yes?”

“Bed?”

“Yes, please…”

.

“Today, my baby packed me my favorite… jelly fruit sticks!”

Y/n sipped her morning coffee and tapped the heart on the video before clicking on the comment button.

Those are my favorites too!

You’re like an excited schoolboy about their lunches!

Is no one going to talk about it?...

Suna-san… what are those marks on your neck?

Are those… hickies?

Those are definitely hickies… wow… his girlfriend is kinky…

. . .

@hellatrashdontask @queenelleee @wrongimagine @eadyladlegard @mfreedomstuff @erintaro @callmeraider @chaotic-fangirl-blog @wolffmaiden @satoritendoucultsacrifice @yourgonvermnethooker @littlemochi @cloud-lyy @pana-dolle @basmamme @haitanifxn @itsroseally @warrior-of-justice @jmnfilter @captainchrisstan @omissanitizerlol

[lil-shiro]

hi beloved ⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖ what are your favorite things to cook for yourself and what are your favorite things to cook for others

this is a loaded question bc i could talk about food for a long time 🥹

In true chaotic fashion I find that I make simple stuff for myself and experiment with new things when cooking for others LOL

For myself: - my go to lazy meal is kimbap + miso soup, i always have seaweed, pickled radish, and korean tuna stocked up (ever since i had korean canned tuna normal 99 cent tuna just doesn't hit) - stir fry shrimp udon with veggies - air fryer miso glazed salmon or chinese steamed fish with ginger/green onion <- literally one of my favourite ways to eat fish - mapo tofu - any type of leafy asian veggie soup

For others: - big pot of japanese curry - pho (although i don't make it as good as my mom) - sushi bake; anything fun and dippy really - summer rolls - i usually bring savoury food to functions but sometimes i make mochi from scratch

Things I wanna get better at/learn how to make: - I'm really slacking on making my fave viet foods only because my family makes them for me - How to cook a perfect medium rare steak because i don't like ordering it at restaurants - Learn better dumpling folding technique im really bad it lol - omg and eggs benedict if someone made me eggs benny i would kiss them on the mouth

That's all I can think of luv u sarah <3

[aikoiya]

I'm actually somewhat disappointed that Dave the Diver doesn't have a bunch of different kinds of sushi.

A lot of it is just called "sushi." Though, it generally looks specifically like Nigiri.

Which, don't get me wrong. I love Nigiri, but it'd be nice to see Sashimi, Maki, Uramaki, Temaki, Chirashi, Usuzukuri, Gunkan, Futomaki, Tataki, Hako, Fuku-Kimo, Kan Jang Geh Jang (Raw Crab Marinated in Soy Sauce) too. Possibly others too, but I'm just not well-versed in sushi knowledge.

Unagizushi, Fukahire Sūpu (Shark Fin Soup), Fukahone Shuon Sūpu, Sae Woo Tui Kim (Korean Fried Shrimp), Oh Jing Oe Tui Kim (Korean Fried Squid), Jo Gae Gook (Korean Clam Soup), Mae Un Tang (Spicy Fish Stew), Hong Hap Tang (Mussel Soup), Book Eo Gook (Dried Pollack Soup), Kimbap, & even Hawaiian Hiu Punia & Musubi would've also been cool. I mean, it's also possible that they were in the game, they just weren't named like that, but still.

Also, Gumbo, Jambalaya, & Bouillabaisse!

I also noticed that there weren't any Dolphinfish or Blackthroated Perch or Flying Fish or Opah or Surmai, which is a bit disappointing, but whatever ya know. Like, we get to take a picture of a pair of Opah in the game, but it would've been cool to catch some too.

I mean, I hear that Dolphinfish isn't really the best sushi ingredient & that it's best fried, but it isn't like Bancho's got tunnel vision about it or anything, right?

He cooks other stuff.

Ooo... Imagine a crab boil... Or tempura... Mmm...

Like all different kinds of tempura. Ending with a full crustacean tempura feast.

Maybe seafood ramen & saimin?

At the same time, I hear that Blackthroated Perch, Flying Fish, Opah, & Surmai are actually very delicious as sushi. Opah specifically having 7 different textures of meat depending on the area of its body, which could be used to make a whole sushi set.

Though, I'm still trying to figure out why there are no Swordfish in the game...

And the fact that you can collect all these Clam Shells, but no clams is strange.

Ah, dude! Lancetfish or Oarfish paella & nikogori! But make it clear that you're not supposed to use the actual meat because the texture's no good. Too gelatinous.

You gotta heat the fish up so that the fats render & use that to flavor your food.

Maybe bagels & lox too. Fudge, I love bagels & lox.

I also wish that the sushi bar served sake & umeshu & shochu & stuff like that. Or! It'd be amazing if you could use Buckbeans to make your own ale! Which you can do irl. Apparently, it takes fewer Buckbeans to do so than you would using hops! Which, cool!

Also, you can make a type of wine outta Seagrapes.

Also, more recipes that use seagrapes! And maybe add sea asparagus?

Either way, if there's ever a DLC or a sequel, I hope this sort of stuff gets added.

Random Stuff Masterlist

[callmewhenyougetthis-a]

Zeke was pleased to see that Julia had seemed to appreciate his daughter's usage of their native language. Growing up, despite having lots of siblings close in age to him, Zeke found it difficult to relate to other children. There was always something about him that made him feel different from others, and from an early age he knew that it was because of his identity as a little Korean boy, an immigrant. As the years went by, he learned to embrace that part of himself, and raised Yumi in the hopes that she wouldn't ever feel the way he did when he was younger—lesser because of his differences.

So it made him happy to see that Acelin and Julia celebrated their "Korean"ness. It told Zeke that he was in good company.

"Yumi, those were some very nice things Julia just said about you," he noted. "Maybe later, you can teach Julia some easy Korean words."

His little daughter sang happily at that idea and continued eating.

Turning his attention back to Acelin, Zeke listened intently, realizing he didn't have much knowledge of French food and culture. It was certainly fascinating to him, however. "Well, everything's delicious," he said, giving the other a nod. It was quite obvious Acelin had been cooking ever since he was little; the food was simple, but made with such mastery that could only come from a lifetime of knowledge and practice. "And dessert's my favorite. I can't wait to dig in."

As far as the food that Zeke brought, his story of it was a lot less impressive and interesting. "Honestly, kimbap and tteokbokki are relatively common foods. Kinda like street food, even, or stuff you can easily find at a convenience store," he said. "But it's the sort of thing that families eat once or twice a week. It's kind of the equivalent to American pizza or pasta nights. I'm just glad that I didn't somehow burn anything or mess anything up and that it's all," he chuckled, "you know, edible."

Acelin and Julia were quiet as they watched their new friends go through their gratitude ritual. Acelin loved how Zeke was letting Yumi take the initiative, and Julia loved the new words. They sounded like music to her.

"Thank you for sharing this with us, Yumi. Julia, how did listening to Yumi make you feel?" Acelin asked his daughter He took the time to add some of the food Zeke had brought to his and Julia's plates, knowing that if he wanted Jules to try it, he would have to first. He examined the kimbap, then ate it as he would a piece of sushi. There was a smile on his face as he chewed. He really appreciated Zeke choosing this as a dish to serve for tonight's dinner.

"Like music! Yumi talks like music, and I like this one, Papa. It's burny but it feels good in my mouth so I like it." Julia told her father, referring to the tteokbokki. For his part, Acelin was just pleased to see her eating something new without getting upset or refusing to try it. New experiences came hard for her at times, and he did what he could to give her enough routine to have the confidence to try the new things.

Taking a sip of his wine, Acelin hummed as he answered Zeke. " I grew up with my stepmother and her mother, who I knew as my grandmother Between the two of them, I learned how to cook and all the things that go with it. The entire meal are from recipes I learned as a kid in southern France. The dessert is the first thing I ever learned how to make. Grand'Mere Jeanne - my stepmother's mother - showed me how, and for tonight, I taught the same exact recipe to Julia."

He took a bite of the tteokbokki, and Julia was right - there was a heat he was unfamiliar with. It was still very tasty and enjoyable. For a few moments, there was a contented quiet as everyone ate. Acelin took the time to say a quiet prayer of gratitude for this: for finding friends and sharing food.

"The dishes you brought - are they ones from your childhood as well? I would love to know the history behind them." he asked Zeke as he slid another slice of kimbap onto his plate, then decided to put one on Julia's as well.

[sashi-ya]

{+18} – Cherry Blossom & Tangerines – Trafalgar Law x Y/n – Part 2

Modern AU. Living in Seoul, Sk. Trip to Jeju Do (Island). Everybody is alive. No spoilers. Female reader. No physical descriptions. Everybody is +18, canon ages. Chopper is human.

Tw: anxiety, fear of flying. No further tw warnings. Mostly SFW. Nami x Vivi & and some ZoSan.

A/N: The AU is inspired on Jeju Island, SK. I've made some research on cute places from there, such as touristic attractions and coffee shops. Even though, it may not be 100% accurate, so keep in mind is mostly inspired♥

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/31059467

Word Count: 4K

» List of parts: {P1} {P2} {P3} {P4} {P5} {P6}«

Chapter 2. “Law?!...” I said surprised. “Y/n-ya?...” he asked, also surprised, but before I could say anything else, Luffy came running through the aisle and hugged Law, and I came to the conclusion that he was, indeed, Zoro and Luffy’s friend.

I moved my stuff out of the way, and after he got rid of Luffy, Law helped me to put my backpack on the overhead locker and then sat next to me.

I remained silent for a little bit, waiting perhaps for him to talk, but he didn’t. The flight attendant announced the takeoff was about to happen, so we fasten our seatbelts as the plane started moving. I looked at him out of the corner of my eye, and I could see how he seemed a little bit nervous. I thought it was my imagination, but when the plane gathered a little more speed through the runway, he began to breathe faster.

I couldn’t keep my mouth shut and I had to ask, “Law, are you ok? Are you feeling bad?”. He directed his gaze at me with blushing cheeks, and after a few seconds, he said “Y-Yes. I just tend to get a little nervous during the take off, but I’m… ok”. Poor thing, he was trying to cover his heavy breathing… “Don’t worry, it's completely normal, would you like me to hold your hand? You can squeeze it as much as you can”, I said kindly, keeping my cool just for him to see how it wasn’t a big deal, and nothing to get embarrassed of. I placed my hand, palm up, over the armrest that separated our seats and waited for him to hold it. He doubted a little bit, but he finally did it, first softly, still ashamed, but then firmly. “Don’t worry, it’ll be over soon, try to focus on your breathing”, I guided him, with a calm speech, and looking directly into his deep grey eyes, smiling kindly. He slowly calmed his respiratory frequency, and a few minutes after the plane was already flying at cruise level, he sweetly let go of my hand. Our palms were a little sweaty, but I couldn’t care less.

“T-Th- Thanks…” He said, looking at the floor. “Don’t worry, you saved me three times the other day, now I owe you only two” I said, winking an eye at him. Law smiled a little, but kept looking at the floor. I was about to point out the fact that he was Zoro’s friend when Nami peaked through our seat backs saying “Oi Torao, you finally decided to come with us!! You normally don’t go anywhere, I’m glad you separated from your books for good!... Oh, and you two must know each other, right Y/n?” she said pointing at us, “Both of you study at the same U and are becoming doctors soon”. Vivi who was next to Nami began to giggle covering his mouth. Suddenly I realized that both of my friends already knew who Law was, and began to suspect that for some reason they wanted to perhaps pair us up.

“I know him from other circumstances”, I said smirking at them, but with an underhand expression of “I’m gonna kill both of you for not telling me”. Law smiled at them, but didn’t say much, and the girls returned to their seats.

“So, your surname must be Trafalgar, right? I thought you were a Donquixote…”, I asked him. “Yeah, is a long story…”, he said with no emotion at all, and I realized it wasn’t a good topic, so I changed the curse of the conversation. “Oh, you were the one who was complemented by Dr. Marco? You are amazing, doc!”.

“Uhum, but I’m not that good. Dr. Phoenix is just an amazing teacher”, he replied. “Indeed, he is”, I said. The small talk came to an end when the flight attendant offered us something to drink. I opted for a glass of plain water, and so did Law. He then grabbed a manga from his little bag, and began to read. “Maybe he doesn’t wanna talk to me…” I thought, put my air pods on and turned on the music. Some minutes after I regretted not having any sleep last night, as my eyes were trying to close...

The voice of the captain announced over the speakers that we will be arriving on Jeju Island in a few minutes. I was being lazy to open my eyes, as I felt extremely comfy sleeping in that position… until I realized I had my head - and almost the right side of my body - over Law’s shoulder. “Oh my… I’m sorry!” I said gaining composure and sitting properly on my spot. Law gave me a smile with kind eyes, and said “Don’t worry, I was asleep too, I used your head as a pillow, I didn’t want to wake you up, though”. Behind us a few laughs from the girls were heard, and I asked, confused, “You… what?. But the landing was already happening and the cabin crew asked us to prepare, so I decided to shut my mouth. I gazed at Law to see if he needed any help with the landing, but he didn’t seem as scared as he was with the taking off.

We all descended the plane, waited for our luggage and headed to the car rental picking point. I’ve booked three cars, so we distributed perfectly on each one. Franky picked the blue Hyundai Venue. Usopp, Chopper and Brook went with him. Law chose a yellow Hyundai Sonata, of course he would, he looks so cool… Zoro, Sanji, and of course Luffy followed him. I chose the white Tucson, for me and the girls.

We left the airport and drove through the streets of Jeju, admiring the beauty of the cherry blossom trees and the yellow flowers on the side of the road. Law’s car was behind us, and sometimes I spied through the rear mirror, just to see his face fully concentrated on the road.

I asked Nami to put the GPS for me, because our Airbnb was a little bit remote from the center and I was afraid of getting lost. The girls and I sang the whole drive to the songs the radio was playing.

We finally reached the house. It was just as the photos, a white two-story house, big enough for all of us. The beach was next to our patio, the typical style of grey rocks of Jeju Do garnished the entrance and the sound of the waves crashing on the shore with a few seagulls squawking made the whole atmosphere unique.

I gave the entrance code to Robin and she opened the door. Luffy entered first running excited and went directly to the garden to see the beach. We followed him, pretty excited too. Inside, the house had a minimalistic style, everything was white and the floor and furniture was made of light wood.

There were four rooms, so the guys distributed in two of them, Robin and I went to another and we let Nami and Vivi have a room for them. We took turns to use the shower and got ready to explore the island right away.

Sanji suggested that we should go first to Dongmun traditional market to buy fresh ingredients for him to cook for us. He became a professional chef a few years ago and works with his father Zeff, on his well-known restaurant, “The Baratie”. His cooking skills are heavenly, and he loves to cook for us, so we agreed immediately.

We arrived after a 10 minute drive, the market was extremely busy, the food stalls offered a variety of typical korean dishes, kimbap, tteokbokki, tteokgalbi and fresh and canned ingredients, such as typical fishes from the island and the famous kimchi.

Luffy, as always, drove by the smell of the delicious food, ran desperately inside and tasted every single sample the sellers offered to him. Nami, Vivi and I, decided to try the famed tangerines of the island. Nami, who is an expert on tangerines, would give us the final verdict on if they are good as people say. The juicy mandarin slices we tried were exquisite, the sweetness mixed with a little bit of tartness made us want to buy bags of them.

I saw Law approaching us, he had separated from Zoro’s group who were trying the variety of Sojus. I called him with a big smile and some tangerine slices on my hands, “Law!! Come here, you should try this!”. He came closer also with a little grin. I stood on tiptoes and said, “Open your mouth!” and without any shame I offered him a big juicy slice of mandarin. He opened his mouth surprised, but accepted the fruit and while taking it, his lips softly touched the point of my fingers. It felt almost as if he was kissing them, or for a moment I wished it was the case… A little drop of juice ran from his mouth through the commissure of his lips, so I immediately rubbed my thumb over it to clean it. He fixed his eyes on mine, and for a few seconds it seemed as if the rest of the world stopped existing around us. He swallowed up the fruit and thanked me still without taking his gaze off me. The moment broke when the old lady at the tangerine selling stall asked us if we wanted a box or a bag for the fruits. I turned to her, and saw Nami and Vivi looking at the lady wanting her to shut her mouth. My cheeks thanked the interruption, though, because they couldn’t get any more flushed.

“A box would be great, thanks!” I told the seller. Law carried the box himself, and we reunited with the rest of the group.

Sanji had already gathered everything he needed, Zoro had bought his alcohol provision for the next few days, Luffy had his face completely stuffed with some meat, Franky had a cola on his hands, Brook a milkshake, Robin a bag of tangerine tea, Chopper of course some candy cotton on both of his hands and Usopp was eating some type of ramyon. We left the market and headed to our temporary house to leave the provisions and decide the plans for the afternoon and night.

“I want to go to Bomnal Cafe, I heard they serve delicious pastries! Can we go there?” suggested Chopper. “We can go there for the afternoon, and then have a picnic with a bonfire at the beach for the night. What do you think, guys?”, I proposed. “BONFIRE! BONFIRE! Sanji, you could also make some barbecue!!” screamed Luffy, excited, and everyone agreed that it would be a great idea.

Some of us headed to the coffee shop, while Sanji, Zoro, Law, Usopp and Franky stayed at home to prepare everything for the night.

The little coffee shop had a minimalistic, all white and grey, and maybe a little vintage atmosphere. We ordered a few pastries, puddings and lattes that tasted exquisite. We sat by a big window that let us admire the beauty of a little garden with cherry trees and a little pond with some fishies swimming peacefully. We were making stories for Instagram, taking photos, having fun. “Oi, Y/n, pose for me!” said Nami and took a photo of me with her iPhone. I didn’t have time to pose properly, so it was a pretty casual photo of me drinking a matcha latte. Brook insisted on me posting it, because he said it was cute. Chopper and the girls agreed with him, so I uploaded it to my Instagram.

Suddenly, a new notification popped up on my screen, “@DrHeartSteeler liked and commented on your photo”. “Hey guys, do you know who is @DrHeart…” I was asking them while opening the notification and realized it was no other than Law. “@DrHeartSteeler > Beautiful… place. Can you bring me one of those when you come back home?”. I hadn’t had the chance to say anything else when my friends began to make a fuss about the comment. “WHEN YOU COME BACK HOME?, Torao what the fuck?” said Nami laughing out loud. Chopper who was a little innocent, started asking why everyone was laughing, and it only fanned up the flames that were blushing my cheeks. “Yohoho… I guess you have to bring him “home” a matcha latte, Y/n, he probably misses you already…” mocked me Brook. Robin, who is the most mature of all of us, simply laughed and looked at me with kind eyes.

“Stop it guys, he is just asking for a latte…” I said, fanning my face with my hand. “Oh, yes, of course. He wasn’t even following your account. Before we left home, he asked Vivi for your user, right babe?…” said Nami and Vivi nodded with her mouth full of chocolate cake. I didn’t want to show the excitement I was feeling on my insides, so I simply replied that he probably wanted to follow me because he was already following everybody in the group. We decided to come back before the sun set, so we could see it on the beach and after buying Law his tea, and some pastries for the guys we left the pretty tea room and drove home.

“Guys, we are home! we brought you some pastries!!” I said, while carrying the papers bags, and Law’s latte on the other hand. Everyone came running to me and grabbed the bags, while Law, who was sitting on the couch reading, looked at me above his manga, as if he was waiting for me to say something. I tried to act cool, so I said “And oh, uhm, Law your matcha Latte. I hope it’s the right size for you”. He smiled at me, left the book on the armchair and stood up. He walked towards me slowly, I didn’t know if he was trying to be sexy or it was just how he was… Because he certainly was, only using black with yellow spots, swim shorts and a yellow open shirt, that let me admire his tattooed chest and abs.

“Thanks, Y/n-ya. When I saw your picture, I craved for…” he made a little pause, and continued while grabbing the plastic cup, “some matcha latte”. Well, now I crave... you… I thought. I gave him a look from head to toe, and said smirking “It’s nothing, now I only owe you only one favor, so, you tell me if you need something more”. “Mh... I’ll keep it in mind”, he said with his low sexy voice and a little side smirk. I smiled at him and went upstairs.

I threw myself on the bed and sighed loudly. My heart was racing, my lower parts were feeling funny and the sexual tension I’ve just experienced was too much to handle for me. “How hot he is, damn it”, I expressed out loud covering my eyes. “Who is hot, Y/n?” asked Zoro, who apparently was entering my bedroom to ask me something. I almost had a heart attack, but calmed myself down and asked him what he needed. He told me that we were getting ready to go to the beach to prepare the picnic and watch the sunset and if I could bring some blankets. I told him ok and he left my room laughing.

“I came here to rest, and I’m getting more stressed than during finals”, I thought, annoyed, while gathering for a few blankets and pillows to bring to the beach. I headed downstairs. Everybody has already left the house and I could see them walking towards the beach from our patio. I was about to leave and closed the door trying not to throw the blankets I had in my hand, when someone scared the hell out of me. “Oi, you almost let me locked in..., let me help you with that”, said Law who was still inside. “God… Law, you scared me… what are you doing? I thought I was alone…”. “Sanji forgot the salt shaker, I returned to bring it to him”, he calmly answered. “Oh, I see… Well let’s go” I said, still breathing fast from getting scared, and handed him a few blankets to help me carry them.

The chilly sea breeze kissed our cheeks, and the sound of the beach began to fill my ears. I was wearing a long silky dress that danced with the wind, as well as my hair. The sun was going down, everything was golden. Oranges, violets, reds, were the colours that tinted the clouds above the sea. Law was walking right by my side, and both were admiring the beauty of the evening lights that bathed the cliffs. I decided to stop, and take a picture with my analog camera, and as I did, Law kept walking a few steps more until he realized I had stopped. He turned around and looked at me, just when I pressed the shutter. “I’m sorry, I… didn’t know…” Law excused himself for appearing in the photo, but I wasn’t mad at all. I gave him a smile and told him, “It’s ok, you are part of the trip, I’ll give you a copy when I develop the film if you want”. “Thanks…”, he said, and we kept on walking admiring the beauty of the sun setting.

We finally arrived at where everybody else was. Law gave the salt to Sanji and helped him with the barbecue. I started to set up the blankets with the girls and told Brook to play some music with his guitar. The boys had already put up the bonfire and some torchlights that lit up our night.

The night was lovely, it was a little cold, but a few beers after I was dancing with the girls barefoot on the sand to “A lovely night” from the movie Lalaland. Suddenly, Robin said to me “Hey, Y/n… it seems that Torao-kun can’t take his eyes off from you tonight”. “Huh?” I told Robin, confused. She pointed to where the boys were cooking and I turned my face to them. Law was indeed looking at me, with a beer in his hand. I smiled gazing at him over my shoulder, and he did too. I turned back at the girls and kept on dancing covering my mouth, giggling a little. Vivi, Nami and Robin also giggled and gave me a complicit smile.

“Dinner is ready, everybody! “announced Sanji and we gathered all around the grill to receive the plates that surprisingly Zoro helped Sanji to serve. I guess alcohol and food made them somehow get along, at least for a few hours. I wonder when they are going to stop the fighting and begin the kissing… fufufu…

The brochettes were heavenly, we ate them sitting around the bonfire while singing “Binks no Sake”, one of Brooks classics. He is the musician of the group, and even started his professional career a few years ago as “Soul King”. He is such a talented guy.

As the night passed Law and I sometimes interlocked eyes, or exchanged little smiles. I took some more photos during the picnic and we kept on dancing until 3 am, when we decided to raise camps and head to our beds.

I was exhausted, yet, the idea of stalking Law on Instagram was on my head and didn’t let me sleep. I covered myself completely with the sheets and searched for his user on my phone. He has no more than 5 photos posted. One of them was with Luffy and Zoro, after training, another one of him and Rosinante -he called him “Cora-san” on the image caption, how cute - when he was a little boy. The rest of the photos were with some friends dressed up as pirates for Halloween and in the comment section they called themselves the “Heart pirates”, ha-ha funny.

I suspired whenever I zoomed the photos over his eyes. I was starting to like this man, way too much... I tossed and turned in bed trying to fall asleep, but I simply couldn’t, so I thought drinking some tea would help me. I went downstairs, trying not to wake anybody up and got to the kitchen. From the big glass door that looked at the beach I saw how the moonlight lit up the waves crashing on the cliffs and the whole kitchen. The scenery and the chamomile tea were slowly fading away the image of Law’s eyes, until I felt someone placing a hand over my shoulder. I slightly gazed at it, and it only took me a few seconds to know it was the tattooed hand of the guy who was keeping me awake. He was wearing black shorts, and a loose white shirt. His hair was more disheveled than ever. What is it with this guy that looks so good no matter what he looks?...

“I see I’m not the only one who can’t sleep”, Law whispered. “Yeah, I’m exhausted but somehow I can’t fall asleep… I guess it must be the bed, I don’t know. Do you want some tea?”, I offered him. “Yes, that would be great”, he accepted.

I was turning on the electric kettle when we heard some noises coming from the living room. I looked at Law and both of us peaked through the kitchen entrance to see what was going on…

“Shitty cook… we shouldn’t….”, “What? are you afraid, idiot Marimo?”. Sanji and Zoro seemed a little drunk and were somehow hugging and walking at the same time. At first I thought they were trying to help each other to go upstairs, so I started walking towards them to help. I couldn’t walk any further because immediately Law grabbed me by my waist, and pulled me back into the kitchen covering my mouth. “Shh… just wait”, he whispered into my ear and let go of me. What I saw next was something we’ve all been waiting for. Finally, Zoro and Sanji accepted how much they loved each other, and went upstairs kissing as two teenagers in love.

I opened my mouth and looked at Law with a surprised expression, that soon turned into a happy face. I started making little jumps in my place. “I knew it!!” I said and Law giggled almost without making any sound. With the excitement I didn’t notice how near we were from each other, until Law softly caressed my face with one of his soft hands. He, of course had the hands of a surgeon, long fingers, soft skin, perfectly cut nails. “Why don’t we do the same as them?” he asked me, and I gasped and stood still in front of him. He slowly approached his face to mine until the point of our noses were almost touching. I got lost into his grey eyes, my mouth was ready to receive his lips. The sweet torture of the moments before a first kiss, I wished I could make it last as much as I could, but at the same time, I wanted him to kiss me, passionately, now, right now.

My eyes probably showed how desperately I was for him to kiss me, that he smirked and finally planted his luscious lips against mine. He explored my mouth with his tongue, with no modesty at all, and as we were passionately kissing he lifted me up and sited me over the kitchen counter.

Without stopping the kissing, I open my legs to allow him to come further and as he did, he slid a hand to my sex…

Part 3

PT1

[yutahoes]

Otou-Chan

Yuta Nakamoto x Reader (Y/N) Smut

(Chapter Thirteen)

Summary: 𝐁𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐡𝐰𝐚 𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝.𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐘𝐮𝐭𝐚’𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬.

Warning: Fluff(?), Mentions of Sex

Word Count: 1.9k

Masterlist

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ ❤️❤️

13. Stubborn 

But Y/N didn’t call that night or that morning. Does she even know his number? But Jaehyun said that she didn’t have a phone, right? How can she even call him? Should he drop by her office? Pretend that he’s meeting someone nearby? Or he can just visit Jaehyun. 

Taeyong was just chuckling when he invited him to have lunch and visit Jaehyun. He’s too obvious for his own good. “For a CEO of your company, you have plenty of time in your hands.” He teased that made Doyoung laugh. “He says it’s a withdrawal syndrome.” The younger one explained which made Taeyong laugh. Yuta was annoyed, why are they ganging up on him? 

He was more annoyed when Jaehyun showed up at the nearby restaurant. “Why are you so obsessed with her? Is it because she’s giving you the best head?” Yuta glared at his friends who were just laughing. These blabber mouths. “She called earlier, she’s working from home.” 

“Called?” Yuta repeated. He said she doesn’t have a phone so how can she call the office? And if she can call, why is she not calling him? “Did she say why?” But Jaehyun shrugged. 

Taeyong gave a heavy sigh. “Why are you so worried, Yuta? Did something happen?” If there is one person from his friends who really knew him, that would be Taeyong. Or maybe it’s just too obvious that he’s worried about her. Well, who wouldn’t? He saw how scared she was that day at the police station. He knew that she wanted to run away from her dad and although he didn’t ask much, he knew she was being abused. Why isn’t she speaking up? Why is no one worried about her? Where is her mom? Any relatives? 

Maybe she really is indeed a damsel in distress and he wanted to save her so badly. Wanted to take care of her. To call her his and give her everything she deserved. But how can he do that when she obviously doesn’t want him in his life? This is causing him real distress. Why is she hung up on her when she’s not even crazy for him? Heck, a lot of girls would go to war for him. But why is his mind always drifting to her? 

--

He found himself in the restaurant near her home, that small shop that sells amazing hangover soup. He’s not drunk but this is the only way that he can find something about her. “Aren’t you the guy with (Y/N) last time?” the old woman asked and Yuta nodded, focusing on her rather than the soup she served. “One of her boys?” Her boys? “Well she did bring a lot of guys here.” She shared. “Didn’t you hear that she moved out?” That spiked his attention. Moved out? “I guess she’s living with some of the guys she’s with. That girl will just break your heart.” Funny, he thought, she had done that a couple of times already. But where could she be now? 

Their house is quiet but her father went outside the tiny home, staggering as if escaping something. He really did go out of jail. But if the woman in the restaurant is saying the truth, does this mean that (Y/N) left their home alone? Where could she be staying now? 

It was six pm when Jungwoo went out of the publishing house, surprised to see a guy standing by a shiny, black car. He had seen him only in pictures before and honestly, he’s surprised that (Y/N) drew him well. “Hi. I’m Yuta Nakamoto.” He introduced himself and he chuckled, continuing that he knew him since he’s (Y/N)’s friend. Friend? From one of her boys to one of her friends? “Do you have any idea where she is?” 

The guy handed his phone at the other. “She called using this number. Maybe you can find out where she is.” He said and Yuta quickly copied the number from Jungwoo’s phone. “Can you please take care of her? I’m sick of her not taking care of herself and just letting anyone boss her around.” Yuta nodded. That was what he intended to do anyways. To take care of her. 

--

Yuta found himself in a sauna house because of the address that the cell phone owner gave him. Is she here? Well, if she really did run away from home it is possible that she’s staying here. Since this is his first time here, the older man from the counter was more than willing to help him especially when he said that he’s actually from Japan. Being a foreigner really is a great help during this time. 

He showed him that orange shirt and shorts to use, even handing him the towel he can use for the sauna. But what annoyed him is the fact that the man brought him to the men’s area. How can he find her here? And why are they all naked? Does this mean she’s also naked at one part of this sauna house? Can he really see her here? 

Yuta was getting snacks at the second floor of the sauna house when he saw drawings from a piece of paper, pinned by the counter. “Excuse me.” He said quietly that made the young girl eye him widely, gasping. “Who drew this?” he asked in Korean. 

The girl was just staring at him when another girl went beside him. “Another sikhye.” She said that made Yuta turn to the owner of the voice, (Y/N). “Yuta?” she called, looking surprised that he’s here. “What are you doing here?” 

“Unnie, you know him?” the young girl asked and she nodded as she took the sikhye. (Y/N) ordered the younger girl to give Yuta anything he wants and that she’s going back after delivering the orders. “Oppa, are you unnie’s boyfriend?” Boyfriend? That has some nice ring to it but he’s not. Sadly. 

When (Y/N) returned to the counter with the payment for the sikhye, Yuta was just eyeing her and she just smiled at him. The girl ordered eggs and sikhye for her and him, gesturing to the vacant table nearby. The younger girl helped out in delivering triangle kimbaps to the two of them and the older laughed at how obvious she is. “Oppa, if you’re not unnie’s boyfriend, can you be mine instead?” 

“Yah! Do you want me to tell your mom?” (Y/N) scolded. “Don’t you have cram school to attend to?” The girl pouted making the older girl smile then stared at Yuta. The younger bid farewell and Yuta smiled at her, waving back. “Yah! Are you into younger girls?”

The guy smirked. “I don’t like girls who call me oppa, I want girls who call me otou-chan.” he claimed while leaning closer to her, winking. 

She blushed at that, coughing lightly. Isn’t Yuta so cute? “Is this your first time here?” she asked and he nodded. (Y/N) only giggled as she fixed the towel on his head, “Did you come here alone?” 

Yuta nodded. He wanted to take care of her but why is it the other way around? “I’m worried about you so I asked Jungwoo.” She only bit her lip in answer. “Is it true that you ran away from home?” She nodded then faced the table, away from his inquisitive gaze. “Did your father hurt you again?” Instead of answering, she broke the egg on his head that made him sigh. “Are you alright?” 

She nodded at that, handing him the peeled egg then the sikhye. “You should try this if it’s your first time here.” The girl opened the kimbap and ate some before sipping on her own sikhye. The guy reached out for the other triangle kimbap, staring at it. (Y/N) giggled when she realized that this might be the first time that he encountered such food. “Rich kid.” She teased while shaking her head, taking the kimbap from him and opening it with ease. “Why are you here, Yuta?” 

“To see you. Do you have to ask that?” he asked then ate his own kimbap, humming in delight. “You promised to call me. Do you really like to keep me hanging, (Y/N)?” she revolted that it isn’t the case and he confirmed the fact that she doesn’t really have a phone. Yuta laughed at that, “Excuses. Do you really hate me that much?” 

The girl shook her head which made him relieved. “I did want to buy a phone but I wanted to save up for a tablet to use for work first.” She said then ate the peeled egg. “I shouldn’t have gone to Paris.” She sighed. But that was how they met each other. Is she regretting that now? “Aren’t you busy with your job?” 

Yuta laughed. Well, he left everything in Doyoung’s hand today just to hunt this girl down. To see her and make sure that she’s safe. Luckily, she is. “Come with me.” Yuta claimed, reaching out a hand to her then stood up. The girl had a confused look on her face but took Yuta’s hand either way. 

--

She was forced to change to normal clothes since they’re going somewhere that surprised her. She didn’t even realize that it’s almost nighttime. Where are they heading to? 

The car stopped in front of a large warehouse that made her wonder. What the hell are they doing here? But Yuta kept holding her hand as he talked to the security guards who greeted him. “Don’t be burdened but I want you to choose whatever you want, understand?” it only made her curious. Choose what?

But everything became clear to her when they went inside a room full of electronic gadgets. Yuta brought her to a warehouse to choose a phone? “What the hell?” she blurted out loud and he just laughed, asking the worker the latest designs of mobile phones. “Yuta…”

”Just choose. Our company manufactures these gadgets, we have plenty of these.” He claimed then disappeared somewhere while talking to the worker. So this is their family business? Why is she so surprised? She should have listened to Jungwoo when he said things about Yuta. Now, she seemed too pathetic for him. He owns this much and she can’t even pay for one of the mobile phones displayed. Her eyes stayed at one tablet design. Isn’t this the tablet Ten is using? That’s a last year edition? It would be really nice to have something like this. “Have you chosen?” 

The girl shook her head, pouting at him. “Don’t you have cheaper phones?” But he smiled at her. “I mean I don’t really like calling and stuff, I don’t need a phone.” 

“Okay. I won’t force you to get a new phone if you really don’t want to.” She grinned at that. “But stay with me tonight, until you find a place to stay.” She rolled her eyes at that and he clenched his jaw at that action. Why is her stubbornness turning him on? “I wouldn’t let you stay in that sauna house alone. Have you seen those naked guys?” 

(Y/N) laughed at that. He’s actually worried about that? “Then let me stay in your place tonight.” She claimed that actually surprised him. She actually said yes? “I’d rather see you naked than those guys anyways.” She noted that made him laugh. 

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ ❤️❤️

Chapter 12 / Chapter 14

[davidhatter]

If A Sorcerer Falls In a Forest || Hatfish

baenxietydad​:

`

Marlin felt strangely shy and embarrassed to answer because they were all words Mr. Hatter probably wouldn’t know so he’d have to explain most of them. He answered though, he’d asked after all.

“Oh, you know. Just. Korean stuff. Kimchi, kimbap, mussammari — uh, veggies wrapped in pickled radish paper tied shut with strings of chives —, fried zucchini, spicy pickled onions, seaweed salad, soy-braised potatoes, doraji muchim and gosari namul when I can find what I need for it, those are the more traditional ones that you rarely will find at a Korean restaurant. There’s kkakdugi, gim gyeranmari; sorry, I don’t know why I’m using Korean words as if they mean anything to you. But yeah. I keep him stocked.”

It was true, Hatter didn’t understand some of the words Mr. Bae was using but that was fine. Some of them sounded vaguely familiar, like he had heard of them but couldn’t remember wear. If they were the words used for those foods then why not use them? He wasn’t a proper chef, trained in a school or by anyone other than trial, error, and the community around him, so he didn’t know a lot of stuff.

But he liked to learn, even at his age.

“It’s not your fault I’m unworldly,” he replied with a shrug and a smile. Hatter continued to search around, noting the reagents around them and trying to remember what he had come here for. “That’s nice though. I’m sure he appreciates that compared to whatever they’re serving in the food halls.”

[noona-clock]

Keep the Change

Genre: AU/Fluff

Pairing: Jae x You (Female Reader)

Warnings: None

Words: 2,851

Author’s Note: This is based in @cramelot‘s Delivery! world.

“What do you want for dinner? I’m starving,” you greeted your roommate, Emily, as soon as you picked up her phone call.

It was Friday, early evening, and you had just arrived home from work. You also knew she was about to leave work for the day, so food was at the forefront of your mind right now.

“I actually heard some co-workers talking about this Korean restaurant,” she answered, piquing your interest. She hadn’t bothered with the typical niceties, either, so it was obvious the two of you were on the same wavelength. “I looked it up, and it’s pretty close to our house. If you want, I can call and get something delivered?”

Your stomach rumbled before you could even open your mouth to answer.

“I don’t know if you heard that,” you replied. “But my stomach said ‘yes, please do.’”

“Okay,” Emily chuckled, and you could just picture her rolling her eyes and shaking her head. But in a loving, affectionate way, of course.

“If they have tteokbokki, then get some of that. And some bulgogi bibimbap, please? Or whatever they have that you know I would like,” you requested before plopping onto the couch and grabbing your favorite fluffy blanket.

“Aye aye,” your roommate/best friend confirmed. “I’ll shoot you a message when I’ve ordered it with a delivery ETA. I should be home by then, but just in case I get stuck here.”

“Thanks, friend,” you beamed as you settled against the couch cushions. “See you soon.”

After you heard the soft click of Emily’s hang-up, you gently threw your phone down to the other end of the couch and picked up the television remote. It had been a bit of a long, stressful week at work, so it was time for an episode of your favorite fluffy, romantic series. And with some delicious Korean food coming in the near future?

What a Friday night it would be!

Only about ten minutes into your show, you received a message from Emily.

Food is coming in twenty minutes! I won’t be home for another thirty so I’ll pay you back.

You quickly sent a thumbs-up emoji back, letting her know you read her text without having to take too much attention away from your show. It was already a particularly good episode; one of your favorite on-again-off-again couples was going to be on-again by the end of it, and you didn’t want to miss one single moment!

...But the next thing you knew, the doorbell rang.

You jumped a little, clutching your blanket as your heart jumped in your chest.

Had it already been twenty minutes?!

You quickly picked up your phone, seeing it had, indeed, already been twenty minutes.

But the two characters hadn’t kissed yet! They were currently walking outside -- in the snow -- a kiss was most certainly on the horizon!

With a groan, you grabbed the remote and paused the show.

“This food had better be good,” you grumbled to yourself as you hopped off the couch and shuffled to the front door.

You knew it would be, you were just a teensy bit annoyed you had to stop your show right before the best part.

And you were probably more than a little hangry at this point.

Once you reached the door, you stuck your hand out and seized the doorknob, turning it to swing the door open.

And you almost froze right there, on the spot.

All of your irritation had just melted away at the sight of a really, really, really, really cute guy wearing a gray hoodie and holding a bag of food.

Your eyes traveled up his tall, lanky frame, your heart pausing for a beat when your gaze landed on his face. His bright, dazzling, somewhat cocky smile.

“Hey,” he greeted with a single nod of his head. “Delivery for...”

He dug into his pocket for a slip of paper and read from it.

“Emily?”

“Uh...” You blinked a couple of times before realizing he was waiting for you to answer him. “Yes. I mean, that’s not me, it’s my roommate. But, yes. Emily. That’s my food. Our food.”

The guy kind of narrowed his eyes at you in confusion, but then he simply chuckled and handed the food to you.

“It’s, uh, $24.16,” he told you.

“Right,” you nodded. “Hold on just a second.”

You set the bag down on the small side table in the entryway and dashed over to where you’d set your purse down, sliding a bit in your socks on the hardwood floor.

“Here, sorry,” you said breathlessly when you returned with a twenty and ten-dollar bill. “I’m in the middle of a show, I totally lost track of time, so I didn’t have it ready.”

“No big,” the guy replied. He reached into his pocket, presumably to give you change, but you waved a hand in front of him.

“Keep the change,” you said.

His eyes widened slightly, and he kept the money held out in his hand when he asked, “Are you sure?”

“Yeah,” you shrugged. It was barely a six-dollar tip, what was the big deal?

He then closed the money in his fist, stuffing it into the pocket of his hoodie as his smile brightened. “Thanks.”

“Thanks for the food,” you replied with a soft, semi-awkward chuckle.

“So, your roommate is Emily,” he noted. “...Who are you?”

“Oh, I -- I’m Y/N,” you answered.

“Y/N,” he repeated. And then he stuck his hand out toward you, offering a handshake. “I’m Jae.”

“Jae, nice to meet you,” you grinned as you slid your hand into his and shook it.

“You guys are first-timers, right?”

You nodded, humming positively in response to his question.

“Well... I hope you’re not one-timers,” Jae said with a lopsided grin.

Your heart suddenly jumped up into your throat, and you were only able to manage a stammered “Me too” before Jae turned and headed down the walkway.

You slowly closed the door behind him, turning around and leaning your back against it.

...Wow.

What... had just happened?

Had you been so absorbed in your romance television show that you had just imagined answering the door only to see a really tall, really cute delivery boy who grinned like the most attractive Cheshire Cat ever?

Or... had that all been real?

When Emily arrived home about ten minutes later, you were still kind of reeling.

And you were also halfway through the tteokbokki already.

“Ooh, how is it?!” Emily gasped when she saw you stuffing your face with the spicy rice cakes. She hung her bag up in the hall closet and kicked her shoes off, padding over to the couch to join you.

“The delivery guy was really cute,” you answered with a very furrowed brow.

As your roommate plopped down next to you, leaning over to grab the other pair of chopsticks, you could see the smirk on her lips out of the corner of her eye.

“Okay, nice to know,” she replied before picking up a rice cake and popping it into her mouth.

“And he said he hoped we wouldn’t be one-timers.”

“Wait, so you’re telling me that he was cute and flirty?”

“I don’t know!” you groaned. “I mean, yes, he was definitely cute. But the flirty part? You know how hopeless I am when it comes to that kind of stuff.”

“Indeed, I do,” Emily chuckled. “Before I ask for any more details, let me get my food. I can’t properly assess the situation on an empty stomach.”

You continued to mindlessly eat the tteokbokki, slurping up the spicy sauce and chewing the rice cakes with a sigh every once in a while. When Emily re-joined you with her plate of kimbap and bowl of kimchi stew, you couldn’t stop yourself.

“He was really tall and really blonde and had these cute glasses and he was wearing a gray hoodie and his smile. It was so gorgeous, and he acted like I gave him this crazy amazing tip, but it was only six dollars!”

Emily already had a mouth full of kimbap, so you kept going.

“I don’t know, there was just something about him,” you said with a sigh. “His name is Jae, by the way.”

“Jae the Delivery Guy,” Emily said with a waggle of her eyebrows. “I’m sorry I missed it.”

“Can we order from there again next Friday?” you asked hopefully, though you weren’t sure why you even asked. Emily was probably already --

“Don’t worry, I’ve already mentally penciled it in,” she answered, not to your surprise but definitely to your delight.

“Are you sure about this?” you asked quietly as Emily headed to the door.

“Yes, I’m sure! Just stand behind the door and don’t make a sound,” she reminded you, pushing you gently to the side so you could do just that. “Remember, if he asks about you, that’s a very good sign.”

You simply nodded as the two of you reached the door, and you pressed yourself against the wall as Emily opened it to greet your guest.

“Hey,” she said with a smile.

“Hey -- Oh, hey,” Jae replied. “Hey, Em--Emily.”

“That’s my name, don’t wear it out,” she chuckled. “How much was it again?”

“Oh, um... $26.32,” Jae told her. And as Emily rummaged in her wallet for the money, you heard him ask, “So, uh, wh--where’s Y/N?”

Your heart flipped about ten times.

For the past few weeks, you’d been answering the door and accepting the delivery. You’d been smiling and flirting -- or, at least, trying to flirt -- with Jae. And, this week, Emily had come up with a plan to see if your feelings for him might be... mutual.

So far, so good.

“Oh, she’s just in the other room,” Emily told him, gesturing in your general direction. “...Why?”

“No -- no reason!” Jae replied with an awkward laugh. “Just --”

“Do you want me to get her?” And before Jae could even answer, she stepped back and called out your name. You made eye contact, and she held back a very satisfied smirk.

You took a deep breath, waiting just a few moments before stepping out from behind the door.

“Hey, what’s up?” you asked, hoping you sounded casual and not like you’d just heard everything he’d said.

“Oh -- Y/N, uh -- Hi,” Jae stammered. “Hey, I, uh -- sorry, I --”

“I’m gonna set everything up,” Emily interrupted before practically sprinting down the hall to leave you and Jae alone.

You widened your eyes innocently as you held onto the front door, trying to ignore your pounding heart. “What’s up?”

“Nothing, I just -- I was just wondering -- you usually answer the door, so I guess I was just --”

“Emily was actually home early enough, so...” you answered with a shrug.

Jae pressed his lips together and nodded. “Yeah, got it -- totally -- totally cool. I... I’m glad I got to see you, though.”

Your heart flipped yet again.

“Yeah?” you asked bashfully, biting your lower lip to stop yourself from smiling like a complete idiot. “I’m glad I got to see you, too.”

Jae’s lips pulled into a smile of his own, and he lifted one hand up to scratch the back of his neck.

“So... next week?”

“I’m pretty sure I’m addicted to the tteokbokki from your place, so yes. Next week,” you answered with a soft laugh.

Little did you know, Emily was already devising a plan for next week...

“Don’t worry,” Emily reassured you in hushed tones as she pushed you toward the front door. “Wonpil promised me we’re his last delivery tonight.”

“But Wonpil isn’t the boss over there,” you pointed out.

“Wonpil has been taking our order for a month now, and it hasn’t been wrong even once. I trust the guy. Plus, he told me that Jae is his best friend, and Jae talks about you -- a lot. He wants you guys to get together just as much as I do!” Emily whispered as the two of you approached the end of the hallway. “Now, go get ‘im.”

She gave you that final nudge, and you knew if you waited any longer to answer the door, Jae would think you were just being rude.

Without giving yourself a chance to second guess it, you turned the doorknob and swung the door open, forcing a smile onto your lips.

“Hey,” you greeted Jae breathlessly. “Hi. Happy Friday.”

“Happy Friday, indeed,” Jae replied, rocking back and forth on his heels slightly. “You guys having a party or something?”

You glanced over your shoulder, your brow furrowing slightly because it was quite obvious the house was quiet.

“No... why do you ask?”

“Oh, just, uh -- you ordered more food than usual.”

Okay, so he had noticed that. That was a good sign.

“Just hungry, I guess,” you chuckled breathlessly. And then you handed him two twenty-dollar bills before Jae transferred the bags of food to you.

“Keep the change,” you murmured, as you always did.

“Preesh,” Jae replied, as he always did. He had only asked if you were sure that first time, and he now accepted your generous tips with that lopsided grin of his.

And, as he always did, he took a step back, preparing to leave.

But this time, you stopped him.

“Hey, are -- are you hungry?” you asked, eyebrows raised expectantly.

“I’m always hungry,” Jae chuckled.

“So... would you... maybe... want to come in and help us eat all this food?”

Jae froze, his grin falling and his eyes practically piercing a hole in you.

“Come -- really?” he asked after a few awkwardly silent moments.

“If you want to,” you shrugged. “If you can.”

“Well, I mean -- this was my last delivery...”

Even though you already knew it was his last delivery, a genuine smile still appeared on your lips, and you stepped aside to give him room to come in.

“Please, be my guest,” you invited as you opened the door wider.

Jae took a breath before stepping inside, and you bit your lip before calling out to your roommate.

“Hey, Em, we’ve got some company tonight. Is that all right?”

Emily appeared at the end of the hallway, her jacket and bag slung over her arm.

“Oh, perfect,” she smiled. “I was just about to head back to the office for some overtime, but now I don’t have to worry about you being lonely.”

...Okay, she hadn’t told you about that part of the plan.

But... you didn’t hate it.

Not one bit.

“Have fun, you two!” she said as she sped past you and went out through the door. She even managed to send you a sneaky wink before closing the door behind her.

“So... just you and me, then?” Jae asked, scratching the back of his neck in that adorably hot way of his.

“Yeah...” you replied with a nervous chuckle. “How... do you feel about romantic TV shows?”

Jae’s face suddenly lit up, and he let his hand fall from his neck so he could take the food from you.

“I love them,” he answered. “Lead the way.”

You nodded once before turning and heading down the hallway toward the living room.

With Jae following close behind.

Jae.

The cute, tall, blonde, bespectacled delivery boy who liked romantic TV shows.

Or... maybe he just liked you.

[missguomeiyun]

danmuji + tuna kimbap

This stuff is so good!!!!

I mean.. . when I get served this as a banchan at a Korean restaurant, I always get so happy haha personally, I prefer this “yellow” pickled radish more than the white one. This one is sweeter, & although both are refreshing, I just think this one has a zesty note to it. 

Someone asked me 1. if the yellow colour is from food colouring & 2. since I like this one more, how come I never tried making this at home? Excellent questions~

1. Upon research, the yellow colour is actually not artificial colouring - at least not traditionally. Mass production/factory manufacturing. .. hard to say *shrugs*. However, traditional homemade ones. .. the yellow colour comes from natural sources. Some use turmeric powder; a small amount is enough to dye the radish apparently. Historically, a flower “chija” is used. The buds, when placed in water, turn the water yellow. Nowadays, dried chija buds are sold in supermarkets & ppl put a few buds in hot water to make tea. The tea is an orange-heavy colour, while if you soak buds in cold water/lukewarm water overtime, it yields a yellow tone. As such, some ppl use the “soaking water” when making the radish; others throw in some buds into the jar while it’s pickling. Super neat!

2. Why I haven’t made it .. . well, tbh, I never looked into it bcos I thought the yellow was an artificial food colouring thing, so I was like. .. I’m not gonna buy yellow food colouring to make this... But now that I know, I might give it a try! I don’t know what chija tastes like so I can use the buds for tea. Problem is. .. does Edmonton have chiji buds for sale?

Made a super simple kimbap consisting of tuna & danmuji~ The crunch was so GOOD!!!

As you can see, played around with the sizing a little bit. I also had really large ones that aren’t shown in photo bcos I couldn’t fit them on the same plate :P sorry!

[samisweetbean]

SEOUL FOOD #1 - My Top 10 Must-Try Korean Foods

#1 - Korean Fried Chicken 한국 치킨

(AKA the only good KFC)

You may be thinking, what’s so special about fried chicken? WELL. You’ve never had Korean fried chicken. Imagine the crunchiest, tenderest, most flavorful fried chicken you’ve ever had-- then times it by 100. That is what Korean fried chicken is like. Soft, juicy, tender on the inside. Crunchy, flavorful, and not overly greasy on the outside. 

In addition, there are so many delicious flavors to try! Honey, garlic, soy sauce, spicy, yangnyeom, and more. All of them wonderful and paired perfectly with some mekju 맥주 (chimek 치맥) or, for non beer drinkers like me, some cola (chicole 치콜). 

It’s the perfect food whether you’re having a late night out with some friends, going for a picnic, or ordering takeout to your room at 2am (Hey, we’ve all been there). 

#2 - Korean BBQ 

Okay, so I love Korean BBQ. The above photo was taken on my birthday at a very popular Korean BBQ place in Chicago’s Chinatown. It wasn’t the best I’d ever had, but it was still great. That’s one thing I really love about Korean BBQ: I’ve never been disappointed by it. It’s always good. 

It’s a really fun dinner to get with a large group of friends or for a celebration. There’s something so special about making delicious food and sharing it with friends. Korean BBQ is a great example of the communal nature that a lot of Korean food has. Eating is something that’s meant to be done together. I love that cultural aspect of getting Korean BBQ.

That, and the food itself is so. freaking. good. Samgyeopsal 삼겹살 , bulgogi 불고기 , marinated or no-- it’s all delicious. Plus you get pretty much unlimited banchan 반찬 (side dishes). You can also order soups, pajeon, dumplings, etc and stuff your face as much as your heart desires (and budget allows, it can unfortunately get pretty pricey).  Oh, and don’t forget the soju! 건배! 🥂

#3 - Budaejiggae (Army Stew) 부대찌개

Buddaejjiggae is a spicy, hot-pot style soup made with ingredients like hot dogs, spam, sausages, and sliced cheese brought over by American soldiers during the Korean war, combined with Korean ingredients like kimchi, spicy peppers, ramyeon, tteok, and more. Originally it was a cheap food, made with surplus foods found on American army bases in Korea. Now, however, it is a delicious dish that can be found in restaurants all over Korea. 

What I love about this dish is how comforting it is. It’s the perfect food for a rainy day. I can just picture it: sitting around a table with some friends, talking, laughing. Through the steamed up restaurant windows we can see the rain outside, dripping umbrellas rest in a stand by the door. The hot, spicy soup warms us up from the inside out. 

Ah, I miss Korea.

#4 - Soon Too Boo Jiggae 순두부찌개  

Another soup perfect for a rainy day. Soft Tofu Soup. Spicy, salty, and so filling. This is my personal favorite Korean food; no matter how many times I eat it I never get tired of it. 

It’s also pretty easy to find at Korean restaurants here in the States. If I’m ever craving Korean food, this is usually my go-to. 

#5 - Naengmyeon 냉면

Cold noodles. Wait, what? I know, it probably sounds weird, but this is a food I quickly fell in love with in Korea. Buckwheat noodles served in an icy beef broth, topped with cucumber and other chopped veggies. My favorite kind also comes with a spicy sauce. Spicy, cold noodles. Weird, but amazing. 

It’s the perfect food for a hot day. Now that it’s summer (and constantly hot) here in Chicago, I’ve found myself craving these noodles a lot. They’re just so unbelievably refreshing. 

#6 - Tteokkbokki 떡볶이

Spicy Rice Cakes. For lovers of street food and spicy food, this is one you can’t miss. The texture may be a little off-putting if you’re not used to it; it’s a similar gummy texture to mochi. 

You can often find this in street stalls or kimbap shops (the kind that sells everything). If you go to a restaurant that only sells tteokkbokki, they usually have non-spicy options. I once ate one that had a tomato based sauce and mozzarella cheese-- almost like pasta.  

#7 - Pajeon 파전  

Okay, I’m going to lump two things into this category, despite them being pretty different. Pajeon is a savory pancake, and the two most common ones are kimchi and haemul (seafood). Both are delicious-- a little greasy but very flavorful.

Kimchi pajeon 김치파전 and haemul pajeon 해물파전 are often served with makgeolli 막걸리, a Korean rice wine served in bowls. I’ll be honest, I’m not the biggest makgeolli fan; it makes me bloated and the taste isn’t my favorite. However, I love pajeon enough that I would go to a makgeolli place just for that. That is how good pajeon is. 

(Also, even though it’s not my favorite, makgeolli is a must-try drink in Korea.)

#8 - Jjin Mandu 찐만두 

Steamed dumplings. I have a special place in my heart for dumplings, of all kinds. Korean steamed dumplings in particular are one of my all time favorites. 

While I was in Korea-- and low on cash-- I would often get 5 steamed dumplings for dinner for around $5 USD. They were giant and came with free rice, kimchi, pickled radish, and some other banchan. A perfect cheap meal: delicious, comforting, and not that unhealthy. 

#9 - Dak-galbi 닭갈비

Spicy stir fried chicken. This is another one of my favorite cook-in-front-of-you, meant-to-be-shared Korean dishes. Marinated diced chicken served in a spicy, gochujang-based sauce with other ingredients such as tteok, cabbage, scallions, ramyeon, and sometimes topped with melted cheese. 

You can usually get it in varying levels of spicy. If you choose to go the extra-spicy route, beware. You’ll need the cheese. 

#10 - Samgyetang 삼계탕

This is one of the most unique foods I had in Korea, because it has a whole chicken in it. Yes, you read that right. A whole chicken. 

Samgyetang is a chicken and ginseng soup. It’s traditionally eaten in summer and supposed to be really healthy and good for your body. I’ve only eaten it once; I ordered a half size and it was still so filling I could barely finish it. 

Compared with other Korean foods, the flavor of this soup is very mild. It isn’t spicy, or salty, or sweet. You get to really taste the chicken, ginseng, and other ingredients like garlic and jujube. 

It’s a very unique Korean food, so I had to put it on this list. 

That’s it-- my top 10 Korean foods I think everyone needs to try! Of course, there are many other Korean foods that I love. This was really fun to make, I hope to make some more posts like this in the future. In the meantime, I think I need to make a trip to my local Korean grocery store for some kimbap haha

Thanks for reading! :)

[satenlee]

i'm literally so sad with everything that has been happening :(( as a korean american i've been educating myself more on desi culture and other south asian cultures these days, but koreans saying mean things to indians because of what happened and vice versa is so disappointing and sad.. people should educate themselves. also i love both chapagetti and curry too, indian food is delicious

Hello 💕

Big biiig love to you for wanting to educate yourself on desi culture!! Im always here if you wanna talk more about it ☺️

It’s unfortunate when people stoop down down to just baseless fighting and mud slinging because it leads to nothing at all :/ it just causes more misunderstanding! I wish they were more logical in their approach to delicate subjects like this. People should educate themselves it’s literally one google search away!

I love korean food too!! I miss it! Cant wait for this pandemic to chill out so i can stuff my face with kimbap 🥺😭

[quirksandoddities]

A New Decade

From a scale of 1-10, how cliche is it that I’ve decided to be more active in this blog to start off my decade? I’d give it an 11. Lol. But, here I am typing away anyway. :D 

So the idea is that I write at least 2 full entries per month, (i.e. with text and photos that I actually exerted effort on and not just the usual song lyrics that I often put here just to keep this page alive). Thing is, I know I don’t have enough followers here for this to even matter - it’s not like anyone is on the lookout for my new blog or whatever it is that is happening in my life. Haha. 

But, it’s also some thing that I want to start this year: to write more. For as long as I can remember it has always been therapeutic for me. Writing, that is. I’ve kept a diary since 2nd grade and reading my old journals made me realize that maybe I’ve stayed relatively sane this long because I’ve always managed to have an outlet for my happy thoughts, my crushes, my sadness, my anxiety, my disappointment, etc. via writing. All these can be found on my journals and maybe it won’t hurt to try and do it online too. 

So this will be Blog #1 for 2020 and for January. And of course what else would be best to talk about other than the year that was? 

Me in the Harry Potter Cafe in Hongdae, Seoul, October 2019

The Kakao Friends Store in Gangnam (a 10 minute walk from my hostel! Haha)

It was so nice to be back in Seoul and to see my friends, eat good Korean food, and be able to walk in the streets without sweating profusely. (This is a legit struggle in PH so it’s always one of the things I look forward to when I visit a country during Fall/Spring/Winter.) I spent a lot of time meeting people for coffee and dinner and catching up on life and knowing how much my friends and I have grown, from the graduate students we once were in GIP, to the adults we are now, makes me grateful that we’ve managed to keep in touch with each other still. 

I also managed to do some official stuff like getting my transcripts and diploma from KHU as well as getting them apostilled at the MOFA in Yangjae. I know it’s been 4 years since and it’s long overdue but I figured, I’m here anyway so might as well get that stuff done. It was more expensive than I expected (about $50 for 2 pages), but it was something I needed so I just closed my eyes and paid the lawyer for the notarization fee. Lol.

And of course, I stuffed myself with Korean food - both the nice kind and the hole-in-the-wall Mandu / Kimbap places I usually ate in when I lived here. I still think that me half-learning Hangeul was one of the best decisions I made when I moved because I can effectively order food on my own even if the menu doesn’t have an English translation. Small victories, I say! :P

I am sincerely grateful that I got to go back and experience Seoul again, and this time not as a struggling student. Haha. And like I always say, South Korea will always have a special place in my heart. <3

[traveling-couch-potato]

Korea Day 4

I had the morning to myself today so I decided to grab some breakfast at the corner Ministop. Unfortunately the ready to go takeout food in Korea hasn’t been great but it got the job done.

I will always call these rice balls onigiri but in Korea they’re known as Samgak Kimbap. This one was filled with a Cho-Gochujang (vinegar-gochujang) sauce, the type you would put on a bibimbap. The other items were from my friend but gotta keep track of all these snacks somehow.

Since this was my last day in the area, I had to try the shop I’ve been eyeing for days, Bukchon Suje Mojji, a handmade mochi shop. Korean mochi is known as chapssaltteok, it has a slightly salty taste and bouncier texture compared to Japanese mochi.

The inside is filled w/ a slightly salted red bean paste and a chunk of kiwi.

I didn’t have too solid of a plan today but everything worked out great since I got to catch the changing of the guard at Deoksugung Palace.

The act is a reenactment of the traditional ceremony complete with traditional costumes, instruments, and weapons.

The inside of the palace is interesting compared to the others in the area mainly because you have several more traditional buildings contrasted against a Western style garden and buildings.

Junghwajeon (main throne hall of Deoksu Palace)

The Seokjojeon Area consists of neoclassical style buildings designed by JR Harding)

The rear garden of the palace.

I found this to be one of the more interesting palaces to explore but I had to leave the area to meet my friend so I had to go bus-hunting. I took some wrong turns but saw endless rallies and protests against the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye. I didn’t quite know what was going on but I got the overview from my friend later. Of course with all the protests there was also a large share of street vendors taking advantage of the crowds so I had to pick up more street food.

Bungeoppang & Gyerranpang from one of the street stands.

I took the city hall bus up toward the Gupabal station where my friend met up with me to take me to her aunt’s place for a nice homemade meal.

She just made what they had in the fridge and it was still quite delicious. She used to make me Korean food in college and I missed her cooking so much!

Once we finished lunch we headed out to our next major destination, my friend’s hometown of Icheon. As we left we caught a view of Bukhansan, a mountain/national park that’s very popular amongst hikers.

Bukhansan in the distance. Glad there’s not too much air pollution today.

Did nothing today but eat so I might as well continue that journey in the car with some Japanese snacks.

An hour and a half later we arrived at my friend’s place out in Incheon. This place is so much quieter. Somewhere between the countryside and a small city. We then dropped by the Lotte Outlets where my friend’s family owns a popular 7-11 stop.

My friend’s apartment complex is quite modern compared to the surrounding area.

We picked up my friend’s students/friends before heading to the Duhejin Showroom and Cafe. This is a showcase area for various sculptures, pots, and more. There’s also a gorgeous cafe inside with some really delicious bread options and even a small garden to walk through.

Absolutely stunning cafe in the most random spot.

Carbs, carbs, and more carbs. I just can’t help myself. The pollock bread was absolutely the best one though! The garlic bread was good too but the sugar glaze around it was too much for me.

We spent some time in the cafe so I could help my friend’s student practice conversational English. It started getting a bit chilly though so we decided to head to dinner at local restaurant called Jangsoon Wha cause I was dying to try cheongguk-jang, a heavily fermented soybean stew. 

This is basically all you can eat cause they’ll refill all the dish components.

You make a bibimbap-style bowl and spoon the smelly bean stew on top and mix it all. It’s so so delicious.

To finish the meal there’s a set of Jocheong by the door where you can self serve yourself the various syrups that you can eat with a small spoon or dissolve with some hot water.

We dropped off my stuff at my hotel at Hotel Yam, a new hotel in the area with cheap rates and great amenities, before heading out to the park Sulbong Park which is just a short walk around. There’s a large lake in the center, tons of twinkling lights, and even 2 mini libraries for people to share books.

Cute and fairly cheap room in a very newly renovated hotel. Small area but free drinks, snacks, parking, and other amenities.

The lake at Sulbong Park is gorgeous even at night and the staircase leading to the level below looks practically magical.

Felt like a fairy walking amongst these lights. There’s still some kids running around but that just adds to the atmosphere which is otherwise very peaceful.

I got to meet my friend’s pastor and her family before we dropped everyone off and turned in for the night. Unfortunately the night ended with my friend not being able to sleep due to a severe stomach ache and us ending up in the ER until 5am. No photos of that whole experience but it was quite a memorable way to end the night.

[dnkaus]

Fateful Visions | Ch. 6 Hidden Jealousy

Namjoon x Reader (OC)

Summary: Idol Namjoon meets a grad student, Maya, but he experiences strange visions each time their eyes meet and they touch one another. Fate plays a magnetic role, & keeps bringing them together. Are these visions a sign that they should stay away or stay together?

Genre: Angst, Fluff (eventually)

Previous Part: Chapter Five Next Part: Chapter Seven

 End of 2017

It was near the end of the year, over a month after AMAs incident when Maya found out that her grant that she had applied for was approved. This was the same grant that she had told BTS about back when she went to meet them at their Wings concert. The grant would now fund her to go to Korea and study Korean fiction and cultural history for an entire year, just like she wanted. They would pay for her housing and school, as well as her living expenses. This was truly a dream come true.

Maya left for Korea immediately after her winter semester ended in Arkansas, because Korean colleges started much sooner than American colleges. This meant she needed to be in Korea at the beginning on January. To Maya, this was going to be a whole new adventure as she didn’t really know anyone in Korea, unless you count the ever-famous BTS. However, after the AMAs incident and Namjoon’s apology, the group had barely shown their faces in public and even Taehyung stopped contacting Maya. It was sad for Maya to see how much the incident had affected them, but she assumed this was just how celebrity life worked.

Maya landed in Seoul 2 days before New Years Eve’ and settled into her new apartment. She had found this apartment on Google, and had mainly focused on how close it was to her new college. She wanted a place that was close enough to the college so that she could just walk there. The new apartment, in her opinion, was perfect because it was not only located close to her college, it was also located near lots of convenience stores, which made it perfect since her cooking skills were subpar at best. She knew she would be living off of ramen and kimbap everyday.

The next 2 days were spent setting up the place. She had to figure out the transportation system so she could go shopping. She had to set up her internet and electricity. She had to make sure she was properly enrolled in all her new classes and was ready to start the new semester. She had to do all that before New Years’ eve  as she knew everything would be closed on New Years.

By the time, New Years eve arrived she was mostly settled. She had a new bed and a couch and some basic appliances. Just the bare essentials that would allow her to survive. Except in all of the chaos, she never went grocery shopping, which meant she would starve for the night unless one of the convenience stores near her were open, since most places would be closed.

Maya’s apartment was on the second floor of the building, so she came downstairs and started walking towards the convenience store where she had eaten lunch the day before. She liked that convenience store because the cashier was a really sweet old lady, who was the first person that didn’t judge her based on her skin color.

It was true. Ever since she stepped in Korea, every where she went, people gave her weird looks, as if they had never seen a dark skinned person. Maya had expected that this would happen, but it was astonishing how often it would happen to her. Maya had experienced similar things in America, as she was a minority, but she didn’t give much attention to it. She never thought of herself as any different from everyone else. She was just Maya. However, being  in Korea reminded her more of her dark skin color than ever before. In Korea, she was not just Maya. She was Maya, the darker skinned foreigner. To find that sweet lady at the convenience store was no less than a blessing for Maya.

Maya walked hastily towards the convenience store to see if the lights of the stores were on. When she got there she let out a sigh of relief, when she saw the lights were indeed on. She quickly walked inside and bowed at the sweet lady.

“Hi, ma’am!” She said while bowing.

“Oh, you are here again? What are you doing here on New Year's Eve?” the sweet lady said.

“I just landed in Korea a few days ago, so I don’t really have many friends here yet, so I decided to have a date with ramen instead” Maya laughed as she grabbed ramen and started putting it in the microwave that was available at the store.

“Well, you are not the only one….seems like all the young people have forgotten what the word fun means anymore. ” the lady replied.

A man that was sitting with his food near the windows of the store suddenly began speaking “Ms. Kang, I told you, it’s not that I don’t have friends, but actually I just wanted some time to myself since  I am always working.”

“You and your celebrity friends always intrigue me. You could be eating at any expensive place in Seoul and here you are with your cup of ramen.” Ms. Kang responded.

“Ms. Kang, everything is closed tonight, so you are literally my last hope.” he responded.

By this time Maya was finished warming up her ramen and so she came to sit down at the tables where the other man was sitting. He turned towards her as she put down her cup.

Maya was shocked as she saw his face. She had never in a million years thought she would just casually run into this man at a convenience store, and yet here she was sitting only 2 chairs away from him. The man was none other than EXO’s leader, Kim Junmyeon, A.K.A Suho. Maya immediately got off her seat as she made eye contact with him. She wasn’t sure whether she should even sit there or not. This could not be happening. This must be a dream. It couldn’t be him. It was probably someone that looked like him. Maya knew of EXO even before she knew of BTS. She wasn’t a huge EXO-L, but ever since getting into BTS, she also listened to a lot of EXO songs. But seeing the leader of EXO at the convenience store was far from what she would ever imagine.  She kept staring at him like she had seen a ghost, that was until Ms. Kang interrupted her thought by coming up to her and putting a jar of kimchi next to her cup of ramen.

“Here, try this. I made this at home so it’s probably better than the stuff you kids eat at the store,” Ms. Kang said as she put the jar on the table. Maya wanted to say thank you but she was still too much in shock about who was sitting only a few feet away from her. Was this a dream? If so, this was the strangest one she had had until now. That definitely can’t be Junmyeon, right?

“Oh, and don’t forget to give some to Junmyeon, otherwise he might start a riot.” Ms. Kang continued and began laughing. Junmyeon. This was Junmyeon. This was EXO’s leader, Junmyeon. Maya’s brain began to spin.

“Is everything okay?” Junmyeon asked. Maya hadn’t realized she was staring at him the entire time and she was now just awkwardly standing there with her ramen and the jar of kimchi.

Maya didn’t initially respond, until she realized he was asking her a question. “uh...yeah...I am...I am okay. I am great. Thank you” Maya shyly replied and hesitantly sitting back down in her seat. She sat there wondering whether she should stay there or not.

Maya slowly picked up her chopsticks tried to open her packaging around them so that she could start eating, but her hands were shaking so much that she dropped them. Of course, as all great stories go, the chopsticks just happened to land near Junmyeon’s feet. How convenient.

Before Maya could get off her chair and grab another pair, Junmyeon bent down and picked up the chopsticks and  handed her the ones she dropped.

“Here you go. They are still unopened, so you can still use them,” he said politely and gave her a smile.

Maya gulped. She couldn’t think straight at all at this point. “Uh...thanks,” she muttered before going back to her seat, again.

“So, are you gonna use the kimchi, because I would like the jar, if you don’t want any…” Junmyeon asked after a few minutes of silence. At this point Maya was just eating and was in her own thoughts.

“Huh?” Maya said as she hadn’t really heard what Junmyeon said.

“Oh...the kimchi...can you pass me the jar?” Junmyeon asked again.

Maya became frazzled. “Oh...oh my gosh...I am so sorry! Yes! Of course…” Maya said frantically passing him the jar.

Junmyeon laughed. “You know who I am, don’t you?” he suddenly asked while he put some kimchi in his ramen.

Maya’s heart began beating faster as she heard his words. “Well, yes...uh...you are Junmyeon....leader of EXO. I am sorry, I just didn’t know I would be running into you here tonight.” Maya responded.

“It’s okay. Relax. Most of us idols don’t bite,” Junmyeon casually responded. Maya couldn’t help but laugh, at her own luck.

“I know…” she said smiling, thinking back to BTS and the entire lake house trip. The time spent there had left her with some really fond memories. She wished she could go back to those moments, even though for BTS, those moments were probably their lowest point.

Junmyeon thought it was a weird response, but he assumed the woman in front of him had probably met other idols before, considering the location of the convenience store. Yes, as fate would have it, Maya had picked an apartment in the same area where many of the idols had their dorms and unlike common beliefs, idols ate a lot at  convenience stores and other common places. They just made sure to go at night, when there would be less people. For Junmyeon, New Years’ Eve was his day of freedom. He could freely walk around in this part of Seoul, because everyone would be out partying.

Seeing Junmyeon’s friendly nature, Maya began to feel less intimidated. Junmyeon also carried that authoritative tone to their voices, when they spoke.  What was with her and these boy group leaders? She thought.

Maya continued to eat and surprisingly her and Junmyeon had a really nice conversation over their dinner. Maya told him about how she just moved to Seoul and how she is studying Korean culture and Korean fiction. She also told him about how she is originally from L.A. and moved to Arkansas for graduate school. Junmyeon was a great listener and so he listened to all of the information Maya told him. In return, he also told her about EXO, and how they are currently on break for the holidays and how his members are all out partying, but he decided to stay home. He also told her about how he comes here often because this is the only convenience store in the area, where he doesn’t really need to hide himself since he doesn’t run into a lot of fans. In fact, along with Junmyeon there were many other idols that would come in here for a quick dinner or lunch. It was their sanctuary away from the glamourous world.

As they completed their meals and paid for their food, it was time to bid their goodbyes. “It was nice meeting you, Maya-shi” Junmyeon said slightly bowing.

“Oh, it's really nice to meet you too, Junmyeon-shi. I feel like I must have saved a few countries  in my past life to get the opportunity to run into you like this.” Maya laughed.

“Ah, this is only your 3rd day in Korea. I am sure we’ll meet again. I come here at least once a week,” Junmyeon replied.

“Oh really? Well, I guess I will see you again then.” Maya responded back.

“Sounds good.”

Junmyeon was right. Maya did end up running into Junmyeon again at the same store. In fact, she ran into him much more often than she had thought. Those coincidences turned into routine, where Maya and Junmyeon would essentially meet for dinner almost twice or three times a week, if Junmyeon didn’t have any schedules. They initially would sit at least 2 chairs apart at the table in the store, but then it became 1 chair apart, and eventually they begin sitting next to each other.

Their friendship blossomed as the new year began and Maya began her new journey at her new college. She would complain to Junmyeon about her day and in return he would tell her about the new show he was working on. Maya also made another new friend at the convenience store through Junmyeon, a female medical student named Han Bi. The duo turned turned into a trio as Han Bi, Maya and Junmyeon would now all meet up to eat dinner together. However, since Han Bi was a med student, she often spent her nights at the library studying so sometimes it would just be Junmyeon and Maya.

Meanwhile, BTS was busy trying to recover from the incident and had began focusing all of their energy into their new music and their collaborations that were on-going with American and Korean artists. By the end of December, it seemed that the public had moved on from the news, at least for now. However, BTS remained quiet for a few more weeks just in case. In the middle of January, BTS resurfaced again for the Seoul Music Awards. They gave another amazing performance and even ended up winning another daesang.

Maya had watched the award show, and was intrigued that not only had she met BTS, she had now also met Junmyeon. Seeing BTS against EXO for the award categories felt weird. A feeling she had not felt before when BTS had won other awards. She knew she would hear from Junmyeon about the loss the next time they had dinner together, and she already began to wonder what she would say to make him feel better.

On the other hand, ever since the incident, Namjoon had began working even harder in producing songs so that he wouldn’t think about other things. He worked so much, that at times the members even worried about his health. He would trap himself in his studio and would skip meals. Once he almost fainted during the practice and had to be taken to the doctor’s.

The night after Seoul Music awards, Namjoon had decided to go get something to eat after a long day at his studio. He was tired and didn’t really feel like eating anything at the dorms. Recently BTS had moved into new dorms, which were located right around where other idols lived. He would often go out to the restaurants nearby when he didn’t want to be at the dorms. That night, he was just craving kimbap, so he decided to go to the convenience store that was located right down the block from the dorms. He was walking right towards the store when he saw a familiar figure sitting by the store window. He paused before crossing the street, as he began to realize who it was. Maya. Maya was sitting in the convenience store that he was planning to go to.

Namjoon stood there for a while, just observing. He couldn’t believe his eyes. Was Maya really in Korea? How come no one told him? In December,  Maya actually had told Taehyung she was coming to Seoul for a year, and he had texted her back at the beginning of January saying that they should meet up.  However, Taehyung became busy with their schedules, so he never informed the other members that Maya was in the same city as them.

Now, Namjoon was directly looking at the woman he had only seen in America sitting and eating ramen at a convenience store only a block from where he lived. Was she stalking him? Namjoon’s eyes shifted to the person sitting next to her, and that person surprised him even more. She was eating dinner with Junmyeon. Was he seeing things correctly? Was Maya really eating with Junmyeon from EXO? What in the freaking world was going on? How many idols did this random girl know? Namjoon decided he would go eat somewhere else, as he wasn’t sure he wanted to face her yet.

As he walked away from the convenience store, various thoughts took over him. He figured if Maya was indeed in Seoul, it was none of his business. It’s not like she was really his friend, right? She just helped them a few times, but that didn’t mean he should expect her to notify him that she was in the city. Was he angry? No, he had no right to be angry. He didn’t know why, he just felt strange around Maya. To Namjoon, Maya was an enigma.

Namjoon ended up eating at another convenience store that night and pretended he hadn’t seen Maya with Junmyeon. He had forgotten about the incident and managed to avoid them until 3 weeks later, when he decided to go to the same convenience store again, and saw both Maya and Junmyeon again at the place. Again, they were eating together and were enjoying a soju too. Maya seemed happy. Junmyeon also had a smile on his face. Namjoon saw Maya casually hit Junmyeon’s shoulder, and was laughing hysterically. He must have said something funny. Namjoon tried to remember when was the last time he had seen  Maya laugh like that? Ah, it was the night of the campfire at the lake house. Namjoon again stood there across the street observing them. Who was the real stalker? Maya or him? Namjoon thought to himself. He didn’t know why he was standing there, he just did. Then he  suddenly had a weird thought: Wait, were these two dating? Nah, that’s absurd. But then again, why else were they meeting so often? Namjoon was confused by Junmyeon and Maya’s relationship. Yet, he wasn’t sure why it mattered to him anyways.

Namjoon debated whether he should go in or whether he should just walk away. He then began walking towards it, except he noticed that Maya and Junmyeon were both coming outside. Namjoon stopped in his tracks as they came outside and began waving goodbye to each other. Namjoon quickly put on his face mask and his hood so he wouldn’t be recognized. However, Maya and Junmyeon were in their own little world as they started heading their own ways after saying goodbye. Namjoon stood there a bit longer, watching as Maya began walking in the opposite direction than Junmyeon. She pulled out her headphones from her bag and started connecting them to her phone. Namjoon also started walking away from the convenience store and away from the direction that Maya was heading.

Another man came out of a dark alley that Maya passed on her way home. Maya was untangling her headphone cords and didn’t notice as the man was behind her. However, after a few feet she did notice the footsteps behind her so she decided to look. The man gave her a scary glare which made Maya walk faster. Her heart was beating fast. She then suddenly remembered that she had felt this way before. She remembered her heart feeling like this and the fear that she was feeling in that moment. She started walking faster, almost running. The man continued following, and Maya began to run. He was running after her. She was running faster. She was running as fast as she could, she felt like she was going to explode. She suddenly remembered the scene, she knew that there would eventually be someone who would grab her from one of the  other alleys. She panicked was that person the same man that was following her? Is this how she dies?  She was sprinting at this point, tears spilling from her eyes. She was trying to press 119 on her phone, but her fingers were trembling. She knew someone would eventually grab her hand, but she didn’t know which alley, so she had no choice but to keep running. Maya’s intuition was right. Someone did reach out and grab her hand and pull her into a narrow alley between 2 buildings. But, who was it?

[cherrycxsmos]

Singularity

I wake up to the sound of my alarm blaring at 6:29 in the morning. Letting out an exhausted yawn I force myself out of bed. A shiver runs through my body as my feet touch the cold marble floor. I trudge over to the bathroom, hitting my pinky toe on my desk chair in the process. A small hiss left my lips and I limp to the bathroom, turning on the light. The brightness of the light has me temporarily shielding my eyes as my pupils get used to the change. I glance up at the mirror and I catch sight of my tired, worn out, and annoyed appearance since I was robbed of my 1 minute of sleep. Baggy eyes, disheveled afro, dried up drool at each corner of my mouth. I let out a quiet chuckle and turned on the water faucet so I could wash my face and brush my teeth.

 It’s too quiet. 

“Alexa, play my k-pop music box playlist, volume to 3”, I said loud enough for the speaker to hear but quiet enough that it wouldn’t disturb the rooms that surrounded mine. The soft music played through my room as I finished getting ready for the day. 

By 9 am I was ready for my first class of the day, but I would rather stay in bed. I sigh and begin to walk out the door when I receive an email from my professor. “Class has been cancelled. Please work on the assignment that is written on the syllabus and prepare it for the next class.” Overcome with immense joy, I step back inside of my apartment and return to my room. I throw my bag onto my chair and climb on to my bed. I grab my koala stuffed animal and cling on to it as an actual koala would cling and the warmth of my blanket makes it easy for me to fall into a euphoric state of sleep.

  Wake up…

Wake up…

Wake up…

“Lorelei wake up...” I awake to the feeling of someone shaking me. I stretch and yawn, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes and see that it’s my best friend and roommate, Hani. 

“Eonni... You’re gonna be late to your Korean class. Get up.” Hani says with an annoyed tone and her arms crossed. I check the time and oh my goodness it’s almost noon. I shoot up from my bed and grab my bag from my bean bag chair.

 “Do you think I will have enough time to get food?” I ask, “Class doesn’t start for another 45 minutes.” She shrugs and sits down at her desk.

 “If you hurry up and get there in the next…” She pauses to look at her watch and continues, 

“15 minutes, you should be fine.” I shoot her a thumbs up before putting on my pink fluffy slides and rushing out of the dorm. 

As soon as I step outside, the warm summer air greets me. It’s not terribly hot outside like it has been for the past few days. Should I get a snack or an actual meal? I look at the time seeing that I only have about 20 minutes before my next class starts. It looks like I’ll only have time for a snack. I walk briskly to the nearest corner market. Walking into the store, the smell of fresh bread fills the air and I see that a line of about 5-6 has formed in front of the cashier. I make a beeline straight to where the kimbap and the egg sandwiches are and I take one of each. By the time I get to the line, it has gone down to 3 people. I stand in line for 5 minutes before I’m next and I quickly pay for my food and hurry back to campus. 

As I walk into the building, a group of students that are in my class are standing outside of the classroom waiting for the door to be unlocked. There are some students talking about a party happening this weekend and their plans after this class, while others are stressing over a grade they got on their test in their last class. I lean my body against the wall and close my eyes, still tired from my nap, when I feel someone tap my shoulder. I open my eyes partly and turn my head to see my classmate that I am pretty good friends with, Eden.

 “Are you feeling alright?” Eden questions with concern etched over her face.

 I nod and stand up straight. “I’m just drained.. if I could drop out, I would but my parents would kill me. And I’d honestly give anything not to be in this class right now.” I reply with a chuckle. Eden nods and looks around my shoulder, pointing at the students that are filing inside of the classroom. 

“Lets go, the door is unlocked.” She moves towards the classroom. Following her into the room, I see a few new students and the most alluring guy catches my eye. I find myself staring and we make eye contact for half of a second before I look away. I quickly walk to my seat next to Eden and set my food down on the desk.

 “Hey… Eden… Did you happen to see the new guy?” I ask her in a voice loud enough for only her to hear. She scans the room with a confused look on her face. 

“Which one?” She asks. Before I can utter another word she notices. “Ohhhhh him?” She says loud enough for the whole class to hear. My eyes widen in sheer panic. I take a quick glance around the room to see if anyone heard her and I made eye contact with the new boy again. 

My face begins to heat up and I turn away from him utterly mortified. “Pipe down!” I exclaim as I cover my face with my hands in embarrassment and Eden suppresses a laugh.  I fan my face to ease the heat from the embarrassment I have been subjected to. As soon as I calm down, I put my kimbap in my bag and unwrap my sandwich, taking a bite out of it. 

 The surrounding chatter from the other students starts to die down as soon as our professor walks in. I internally groan. This man is the definition of boring. He sets his stuff down on the podium and starts his lecture. 

 “Good afternoon class. Today you will be starting on a presentation, and it has to be on something that we haven't learned about already in this class. Since this is beginner Korean, I’m not going to have you do it all in Korean. You guys can do it over the history of Korea itself, or pick an era during the Korean Kingdoms. I am going to pair you guys up. This project is due by the end of the semester so work diligently on it.” He then clears his throat to begin to call out our names and assign pairs.

 “I hope he partners us up together.” Eden whispers to me. I shrug knowing better than that. “I highly doubt it,” I respond between bites. ‘“Eden Yaloussi and Rylee Lambert…. Lorelai Beaulieu and Leo Castillo…” He starts to list monotonously. Leo Castillo? Who is that?

 “... Winnie Lau and Helena Brown… I think that's everyone. Please go ahead and break out into your pairs.” He sits his paper down and saunters up to the board to write our due date. I looked over to Eden, who is already packing up her stuff to move.

 “Do you know who Leo Castillo is?” I ask her as I take the last bite of my sandwich. She shakes her head. 

“That would be me.” Someone voices.

I shift my gaze to the boy that just walked up and is now standing beside Eden.  It's the new guy. Now that he is up close, he’s taller than I had originally thought. Eden quickly shuffles away and I stand up to greet him. 

“Hi, I’m Lorelai.”

“I’m Leo.” He responds back with a smile. I sit back down in my seat and gesture to the seat next me beckoning him to sit down. He moves to sit down next to me and the warm smell of his cologne wafts to my nose and intoxicates me. 

“So… I think we should do our project on the Goryeo Dynasty. There’s a lot of information on that time and we can even focus on one of the many popular kings.” I suggest and he just nods along. I glance at him and take note of tanned skin and scattered freckles along his cheeks. 

“I’m free after this class if you want to get started on it. We can meet in the library. ” He says and I nod in agreement. I write down our topic, as well as the due date that our professor had written up on the board. 

I start packing my stuff and peek up at Leo and see that he has focused his gaze elsewhere.  “Do you want to walk together to the library?” 

He shifts his gaze back to me and awkwardly laughs. “I thought that’s what we were going to do anyways.”

“Well I didn’t want to assume.” I laughed.

Soon after, the professor ends class and students begin filing out of the classroom. I pick up my book bag and turn to Leo who was packing his things.

“Ready?” I ask him

“Yeah, let’s go.”

With that, we walk out of the room and out of the building towards the library.

As we walk, the sound of other students' conversations fills the air and the sensible smell of magnolias and freshly mowed grass surrounds us. 

“So.. since we are partners, I guess it’s only customary that I get to know you a bit better.” I recommend, peeking up at him. 

He lets out a chuckle and nods. “Okay. What do you wanna know?”

“Anything.. Like where are you from? What’s your major?”
“Hollister, California and I used to major in Computer Science but I changed my major to International Affairs. What about you?” He asks.

“Me? Well.. I’m from Vancouver, Washington and I major in Business. And I guess that explains why you’re in Beginners Korean” I respond back to him.

He nods his head and hums quietly. The rest of the walk to the library is silent between us, only the sound of the birds chirping and cars passing by in the distance could be heard. Five minutes later, we reach the library and Leo holds the door open, allowing me to walk in first.

As I walk in, the familiar woody smell of the building as well as the scent of old books fill my nose. I lead Leo to an emptier area of the library and find a table big enough for us to spread our belongings out on. I set my book bag down on top of the table and take out my kimbap. 

“Would you like some?” I ask Leo, knowing it would be rude for me to eat in front of him without offering. 

He shakes his head. “No thank you. I ate before class.”

I shrug and sit down, pulling out my notebook and a pencil. “Okay.. So I know the basics of that era. It was founded by Wang Geon, who would be the first ruler of the dynasty, he unified the majority of the other kingdoms under Goryeo, and he had a lot of political reforms. That’s about it.” I twiddle my pencil in between my fingers and sigh. Leo takes a seat across from me and takes out his laptop. “Well that’s somewhat of a start. The only ruler I really only know about is Wang So… Well Gwangjong because of that one Korean drama. Scarlet Heart I think it’s called” He chuckles. I look at Leo in utter amazement. He looks back at me with a clueless look on his face. “I know that drama too.” I tell him in an excited whisper. He grins and we begin to talk about how one character was done wrong, completely forgetting about the reason we came to the library in the first place. I find myself staring at him as he spoke, taking into account the tiny details that I missed when I first came in contact with him. The raspiness of his voice, his emerald green eyes, and his honey coloured hair.  

Lorelai..

“Lorelai.. Earth to Lorelai…” Leo waves his hand and front of my face and I jolt up. 

“I am so sorry. I zoned out for a second. It happens a lot… too much if you ask me..” The feeling of embarrassment washing over my body. “Let’s… Get back to work.”

We worked this way everyday until it was our time to present. During this time, we got to know more about each other. We even spent time together outside of working on the project. I started to notice the little quirks that he had and he probably didn’t notice that he had them. Like the way he would tilt his head whenever someone confused him. He told me that  isn’t the type to get angry and he is rather patient. We learned about each other's likes and dislikes during the month we worked together and it made us closer than we thought. I 

--

Finally, it was the day of our presentation. 

At 6:30 am, I wake up to the sound of my alarm blaring.  I force myself out of bed and hobble over to the bathroom, being careful not to hurt myself like I usually do every morning. I do my usual morning routine of brushing my teeth and skincare. My professor for my 8 am class cancelled again so this gives me more time to do my hair and makeup. I also make sure to eat breakfast so I am not rushing to get food before class.

A few hours later, I was ready for class. As I am leaving the room, Hani walks in with a look of glee on her face.

“Well well well.. I don’t think I have ever seen you this happy.” I backtrack and see how happy she really looks .

“I just got an A on my project for European history and an A on my statistics and marketing exam!” She exclaims as she plops down on her bed.

“Congratulations! I know you needed those two As in order for you to pass the class right?”

She nods and sighs out in sheer joy. “Now my parents won’t be on my tail about failing.”

“That’s true.. Well I have to get going now, I’m going to be late.” I say to her and before I can leave, she stops me.

“Eonni… You haven’t told him yet have you?” She questions.

I let out an embarrassed giggle. “No.. but I will today.. after class..” I respond back and scurry out of the room before she can say anything else. Walking out of the dorm, the smell of burnt charcoal from a barbeque fills my nose and the warm summer air touches my skin. Thankfully I picked out the right clothes for the weather. I travel to the building where my class is in and see that people have already gone inside. I stroll inside of the classroom and see that Eden and Leo were already seated. I wave at Leo and move to go sit in my seat beside Eden.

“So… have you told him yet?” Eden asks before I can get comfortable.

I sighed. “I’m going to tell him after class.”

She looked at me with a determined demeanor. “You better. You have to say something before it’s too late.” 

She’s right… 

Moments later, the professor walks in and sets his stuff down on the podium, starting his lecture.

“Today you guys will be presenting. We will have two pairs go today and 2 pairs go next class.” He pauses briefly, looking at his list. “First up is Lorelai and Leo. Their presentation is on the Goryeo Dynasty.” 

Leo and I move from our seats and up to the front of the class. Leo goes to the computer to pull up the powerpoint presentation. 

Leo moves to stand next to me once the powerpoint is pulled up.

“Hello my name is Lorelai.”

“And my name is Leo. Our project is on the Goryeo Dynasty.”

We spend ten minutes presenting, talking about the major accomplishments of the Goryeo Dynasty as well as some key figures. We finish with a bow and walk back to our seats. “Leo.. I need to talk to you after class. It’s important.” 

Glancing over at him, I watch him look down at his phone and his expression changes from a neutral expression to one of seriousness. He looks over at me and I quickly look away.

Fifteen minutes go by and the pair is done presenting, they go back to their seats and the professor comes back up to the podium. “Thank you to the two pairs that presented. That was very informational. Alright guys.” The professor says with a yawn. “I’ll see you guys next class. Be safe.” 

The students begin to file out of the class and I see Leo follow everyone out of class. I get up from my seat and say my goodbyes to Eden and a few of my other classmates before walking out of the classroom. 

“Lorelai!” I hear a familiar voice call out. 

I turn to see that it’s Leo and a wave of anxiety floods over me.

 How am I going to tell this guy that I like him? 

“You said that you had something important to tell me?”

“Yeah.” I take a deep breath and exhale. 

Now is the time to tell him… I can’t wait any longer.

“Leo… The time that I spent with you has made me the happiest person and I just wanted to tell you that I like you..” I blurt out.

He’s silent and another wave of anxiety washes over me. 

“Say something… Anything..” I say and I begin to lose the bit of confidence I had left. 

A/N: Should I continue?