stardust | park seonghwa - Chapter 11: Chapter 11

WHEN I see Yeosang curled up on my couch that morning, a wave of sadness hit me. He is clutching his arms tight and as he sleeps, I could see the creases of discomfort on his forehead. His brother must be home and had a fight with his parents again, I can feel the swirl of emotions he is feeling in the atmosphere of the room but all I can do now is sigh. My feet take me to the kitchen and I make the both if us a cup of warm drink to start the day - tea for him, an espresso for myself. Once I've made sure his wasn't too hot, I bring his cup with me and I crouch next to him on the couch before tapping his shoulder lightly.
"Sang?" I whisper, smiling a little when he stirs and mumbles a few words of nonsense. "Sangie, I made tea for you. It's still warm."
My best friend burrows his face deeper into the couch, saying that he wants to sleep and never wake up. His sentence makes me chuckle and I run my hand through his hair. Gosh, he really feels like my own child sometimes.
"Come on, Sang, if you need to sleep you can sleep on my bed," I tell him, helping him sit up then hand him the cup of tea.
Yeosang's eyes are still swollen, hinting red with tiredness. They're half closed as he blows on the warm drink, both his hands wrapped around the small cup before taking a sip. I smooth down his messy hair and rub his ears, he looks like he could really use more sleep.
"You can't sleep here, you'll hurt your back," I tell him once he tries to lay down on the couch once more. "Let's go to my room, hmm? You can sleep there, okay?"
Yeosang nods sleepily, I can sense his relief when I don't question why he was here so early in the morning and let him waddle to my room. Once he's settled underneath my covers, I turn the electric blanket back on a medium heat for him and place his tea cup on my bedside table. I hear him sigh as he snuggles into my pillows and his hand reaches to touch the left side of his upper back.
"Is there anything wrong?" I ask him worriedly. He shakes his head, "they know what I'm feeling, that's all."
Smiling softly, I turn off my lights and set the nightlight into a dim brightness. "I'll be heading out soon, maybe in an hour. You can use the shower, eat, watch the tv, whatever. I'll try to cook us something later on so make yourself comfortable, okay?"
Once he nods his head, I return to the kitchen and sit on a stool as I sip my morning coffee, looking through the kitchen window to see the morning that had greeted the world outside. I'm glad that Yeosang could come here whenever he feels uneasy and although I know he won't talk about it straightaway, at least he finds some comfort where I am.
Today I was supposed to buy some supplies for another project due in a month but it seems like Yeosang needs me more than I need that project so maybe, I'll head to the market instead and cook something for the both of us to eat since it's also been a while since I, myself, had home cooked food. Let's hope I won't burn the kitchen this time.
seonghwa
good morning!!!
u said ull be going out to buy
some supplies right?
My cheeks become warm on this cold morning when I read the message sent from him. Seonghwa and I have been talking for a few weeks now and we had been at Hongjoong's KFC place numerous of times to the point where the boy memorised our orders already. A fluttering feeling blooms in my chest as I reach for my phone, trying to contain my small smile as I tell him that there'd been a slight change of plans.
seonghwa
oh?
where u off to?
That's how I find myself pushing a shopping trolley inside of the supermarket alongside Seonghwa. The man next to me pauses at the vegetables section, before proceeding to motion for me to follow him. He gets to the potatoes stand and begins to pick out the ones he liked while I watch him quietly from the side. He places each potato in a plastic bag carefully before turning around to face me with a questioning look. "Will this be enough?" he lifts the bag for me to see.
"Sure," I shrug, helping him place the bag into the trolley and he moves on to the carrots, doing the same.
"I'm going to teach you how to make this amazing chicken soup my grandma taught me a couple of years back," he states, "I swear, it's the best thing ever!"
Chuckling to myself, I help him pick out a carrot that I think looks fresh. "Are you indirectly praising yourself?" I tease him, poking the side of his ribs, making him squirm and laugh.
"So do you want me to teach you or not?" he asks, "cause honestly I don't mind. Just know that I'll be the one laughing on the sidelines when you somehow manage to burn soup."
"Hey, don't judge my cooking skills."
Seonghwa's face turns blank. "You were the one who almost burnt the kitchen that one time you cooked ramen," he reminds me seriously, "that says a lot."
"Ouch, my feelings are hurt," I place my hand over my heart in mock offence, resulting in the blonde in front of me to click his tongue.
"Whatever," he rolls his eyes before taking the trolley away from me and begins to push it around the vegetable stands. "Where do we weigh all these?" he asks whilst picking up one bunch of spring onions and a mesh bag of red onions.
"Where are the chicken?"
"No, we can't have one cut into eight, we need chicken breast specifically," gasp, "do you like chicken feet?"
"Do you have chicken stock? And candlenut?"
"Do we need corn? Should we add corn?"
"If we have corn then we should try add cream - I don't guarantee it will work but..."
To be honest, it feels like I'm accompanying my mother on her weekly shopping trip instead of me shopping for myself with Seonghwa being my company. However it seems like he knows what he's doing and it seems like he's willing to pull out a few groceries for my supply at home, so who am I to complain?
During this time, Seonghwa spends most of his time asking the staff where everything was placed and I took this time to admire him a little so I can't help but think about how his soulmate must be so lucky to have him by his side in the future - when he finds them because I know for sure that he hasn't mentioned anyone.
The man sports a tan coloured coat today as the weather was definitely getting chillier as Christmas was only two weeks away. It looks as if he hadn't been bothered to style his hair like usually does every other day, instead letting it fall to his eyes, having him to rake it up every now and then. He wears a white knitted shirt underneath, tucked into his black jeans, and if he hadn't looked like someone who had just gotten off a runway, then, he does now.
A warm feeling blossoms inside of me, watching him fill his arms with groceries and dumping them all into my trolley before flashing me his signature grin (which I sometimes can't differentiate between him trying to contain his laughter so he wouldn't cry or that he's just suffering). There's just this something that makes myself feel tingly as he does something as simple as getting a juice bottle off the rack or as he attempts to irritate me by stopping suddenly in front of my trolley and almost making me dive face first into all of my shopping. It's different, but it's a nice different - thrilling almost.
When we get back to my apartment is when I get a little nervous. This will be the only ever time I bring a boy home, except for Yeosang, of course. But it's different, okay? I don't know how to explain it. Seonghwa tells me to relax when he senses my hesitance and that he'll only show me how to cook the soup and how afterwards he'd be out the door in no time.
To tell you the truth, I don't know whether to be happy or disappointed with that.
I suppose Yeosang was already awake by the time I open the door judging by abandoned bowl of cereal on the coffee table and I could hear the faint sounds of the shower running in the bathroom.
"Yeosang?" I call after placing the shopping down on the kitchen table.
"Hmm?"
"Do you want something to eat?"
"Hmm!"
Laughing, I return back to the kitchen. "Okay!"
Seonghwa was already gathering ingredients from the bags to use in the soup. Chicken, potatoes, carrots, spring onions, celery, corn and white tofu. I watch as he starts by boiling the chicken breast with amazement at how he feels comfortable and familiar with the kitchen. He swiftly dices the potatoes, tells me to soak them in water before cutting the carrots and celery and spring onions. He mashes garlic on the cutting board and mixing it with shallots and pepper as well as salt and many other kitchen spices I don't know and understand.
"You smell that, Hyeshin?" he asks me, fanning the steam from the boiling pot so he could take a whiff of the amazing scent after mixing in the seasoning he's created. "That is the smell of victory."
In no time, a bowl of steaming hot chicken soup was sitting on the kitchen table and Seonghwa nods in satisfaction at the dish he created. Yeosang had come in several times, whining how it smelled so good from the other side of the apartment but Seonghwa had always shooed him away, telling him to be patient and that he should sleep instead, for some reason knowing that my best friend was not in his best mood.
As he gets ready to leave some time later, whilst putting his shoes on, he looks up at me who was leaning on the doorway. "So, did you pay attention?" he asks, cocking his eyebrow.
"Yeah, don't worry."
"Great!" Seonghwa chirps before standing up straight, dusting off dirt form the back of his thighs. "I gotta go now, my dad wants me to help taking a look at his car. See you!"
With one last wave, Seonghwa jogs to the stairs and hops down step by step. A grin unknowingly spread on my face when I close the door, letting myself lean against the wood as I sigh.
I was lying. I didn't pay attention at all. I mean, how could I when I was too busy admiring him?
A snap of fingers break me from my silent daydream, bringing me back into reality. Yeosang stands in front of me, pointing to the bowl of soup on the table. "Can I eat it?" he asks in a small voice.
"Of course, Sangie, it's all yours!"