"Are you serious?" I heard April shout at me from the sitting room.
"This is so late, Maria, " she started, launching into her usual speech about how unsafe it was - especially since we were working in a foreign country. I knew she was right. I could pretend it was just my kindness, but the truth? That was a whole different story - one I wasn't willing to share. It wasn't because of work; I had stopped to talk with a stranger. That would lead to another one of her monster speeches: "Didn't your parents teach you not to talk to strangers?" I sighed as I listened to the rest of her speech. " I hear you," I said. "Okay, I won't do it again. "
I sort of meant it, but today was unplanned, and I understood where April was coming from. We were working in a foreign country, and it wasn't safe. I had been lucky this time, but that wouldn't always be the case. I watched her sulk on the couch. I walked to the couch. I sat down next to her and wrapped my right hand around her. She tried to shrug me off, but I didn't let her.
"You are right. " I told her, trying to comfort her, but she was still upset with me. "I won't do this again. "
She sighed, then turned to me and shouted, "I just don't understand! Why do they make you work overtime all the time? It's like they don't care about you at all!" She then turned away again. She folded her arms and laid further on the couch.
"They have fun at Karaoke without you." She said, making me laugh. "Seriously, I hate Karaoke. " I reminded her.
"Yeah, but they should still include you. " she persisted. "Wait!" I shrieked, narrowing my eyes at her.
"How did you know it was karaoke night?" I asked, lifting my eyebrows. She scooted towards the edge of the couch, her fingers twisting in her lap.
"This isn't about..." she stammered, trying to cover up her shyness. "Me." She buried her face in her hair.
"It's about you being late. " she pointed out. It was her basic move, trying to focus on me so that I wouldn't ask about her.
"I thought it was about me not being included for karaoke. " I replied.
"You hate Karaoke. " she reminded me. She fell for the trap.
"Yeah, I didn't want to go," I replied. "But you," I pursed my lips, pointing at her as she stared around the sitting room, avoiding my gaze. "How did you know about it?" I questioned. I moved closer to her. I held her shoulders. I knew she wasn't going to answer me. I knew what was going on between her and one of my coworkers, Han Jisoo, but I wasn't about to embarrass her further.
"Just be careful. " I advised. "All guys are the same all over the world. " she nodded, giving me the cue to leave.
"Wait!" she shouted after me. "I'm not dating him." she tried to explain, but it was pointless. We both knew the truth. I knew her more than she knew herself, and sadly, she knew me just as well.
"Ugh!" she gasped and hit the floor hard, hurting herself. She growled in pain. I laughed at her as I ambled to my room. I placed my bag behind the door before washing up. Then, I sat at my desk. My thoughts drifted to the stranger I talked to as I oiled my hands. It suddenly hit me, his reaction when I mentioned Lee Taewon. Could it really have been him? My heart pounded in my chest as I turned to the picture of Lee Taewon above my bedpost. No. The chances were slim. Their figures didn't match. It was impossible... wasn't it? There was no way that was Lee Taewon. I sighed as I opened my instagram account. Lee Taewon had posted a picture. He stood in front of a mirror and was wearing a white vest and showed us his toned arms. I almost screamed but I couldn't. I didn't want a noise complaint. I was still looking at my screen when April burst into my room,nearly making me drop my phone. "Lee Taewon just posted. " she said as she walked and sat on my bed.
"I saw, " I replied. April flopped onto the bed with a sigh. " I wish Kim Taeyong could post a gym picture." The stranger had thought I was a Kim Taeyoung stan but maybe my best friend's energy had rubbed off on me, misguiding him to think that my bias was Taeyoung. April loved Kim Taeyoung, and I, on the other hand, was Lee Taewon biased. Before, we would get on heated arguments over who is better, and none of us would relent. Now, we avoided the topic altogether. But her bias had posted so many shirtless pics while at the gym, and she still wanted more. That's why they said, "Taeyoung stans are very scary." Lee Taewon had never posted even one shirtless picture. I joined her on the bed and lay on the right side.
"Are you planning to sleep here tonight?" I asked her.
"Maybe. " she replied. That was a yes on her part. April Summers was like this. Yes, her last name was literally Summers, and her first name was April. Her family had an obsession with seasons and months. Her younger sister's name was May Summers. That was worse. If her parents had other kids, I'm sure one of them would be June or Winter Summers. Thank God, they stopped with May. I would've pitied Winter Summers. That's the worst name anyone could have. But April was always like that - Clingy to a fault. Han Jisoo would have a hard time getting used to it. I hoped he would protect her, be there for her no matter what, and be patient with her. Her last breakup didn't end well. So I hoped this time, she wasn't dating a jerk. Han Jisoo seemed like a good guy to me. I gazed over at April, and she was already a sleep. I sighed. I walked over to my wardrobe and pulled out another blanket covering her with it. I shrunk on the bed and followed suit.
I woke up the next day and focused on my laundry. April was still asleep, and I was a morning person because of work, so laundry was the next best thing. I also tidied up my room, picked up the books I had thrown around, and then sat down on the couch to watch the next episode of a Chinese drama called Filter. I had just gotten to the good part. The alpaca scene. April came out from my room, half asleep moments later. "What are we doing tonight? " she asked with her lazy morning voice. I paused the tv to answer her, but before I did, she had disappeared into her room.
I went into the kitchen and made us some scrambled eggs. She walked out of her room, in a short black skirt and a white I love NY T-shirt. "I have decided. " she said as she came to the kitchen counter and picked a slice of bread. She cut a small piece and placed it in her mouth.
"We should go out. " she suggested.
"Shouldn't you let your boyfriend take you out?" I asked as I reached for the jam on the shelf.
"I really don't want to third wheel. " I sighed as I applied some strawberry jam on a slice of bread. I then served us some of the scrambled eggs I had just made.
"I told you, he isn't my boyfriend. " she said almost convincingly, and I gave her a side eye.
"He hasn't asked me out yet." she admitted, shrugging it off.
"Oh. But you like him?" I asked her.
"No. Who would like Han Jisoo?" she replied with a question. She placed the slice she was holding on top of a black saucer and avoided my gaze, drumming her hands on the countertop.
"You, apparently. " I said under my breath faintly. She rolled her eyes while she went and sat on the couch. I started taking my breakfast.
"Where do you want to go? " I asked her.
"If I said Karaoke, would you hate me?" she questioned innocently.
"Yes. " I curtly replied.
"Then I was kidding. " she said, laughing nervously.
"Let's go to that new club that opened up. "she suggested.
"I'm not sure about this. " I told her openly.
"I know you hate crowds. So if it's a new club, no one would have interest. " she convincingly said, and it worked.
"If there are a lot of people," I threatened, pointing my fork at her.
"We'll leave." she said, holding her hands high up.
"Can I invite Han Jisoo? " She asked. I rolled my eyes, knowing I just fell for her trick.
"Are you really going to sit there and tell me you hadn't really made plans with him before me? " When I said this, she walked over to me.
"It's good to have a guy friend around us." she said, holding her hands over my shoulder, almost hugging me from behind.
"And this guy had to be Han Jisoo?" I asked her.
"At least your best friend," she paused, "is taking charge of her relationship status." she finished.
"How's that? " I asked her.
"I'm going after someone I like." she announced.
"And you haven't liked anyone in a while, Maria. " she scolded.
"Yeah. " I said. "Maybe I'm a misandrist. " I started, "or the guys I find myself involved with are either pretty dumb, can't match my energy, and lastly, toxic. " I further defined it to her.
"What about the guy you talked to last night?" She asked. I was shaken. How did she know?
"I know. " As if reading my mind, she said as she took an old magazine from the table pretending to read or just looking at pictures.
"I'm not dumb, Maria. "
"Plus, Han jisoo manages the cctvs in your company. " She added.
"So he told you about it?" I asked her.
" I was worried about you. So I asked him to check on you. " she replied. A wave of embarrassment rushed over me, my face heating up under her knowing gaze.
"I hate Han Jisoo now." I said as I walked over to my room. I prepared myself. I took faded blue jeans with pockets on the sides. I paired it with a white t-shirt drawn Mickey Mouse and friends. I wore a black short jeans jacket on top and placed my phone inside as I walked out. I let my curled hair flow down my back. I preferred natural hair hairstyles. I wore a silver necklace paired with the silver bracelet my dad had bought me, with a pair of silver heart-shaped earrings. I walked out and looked at April. "Not bad. " She said. "But we are going to a pub. " April started with her notions. I rolled my eyes. What was wrong with wanting to be comfortable? We stayed in the house for a while, before she went and changed her clothes to a red shirt dress, with a pair of black high heels. She had even gone as far as to do her makeup. She was really dressing up for Han Jisoo. She stared at me. "Why haven't you changed?" she shrieked.
"Do I have to? "I asked her.
"Yes. You look like you are going to a mall. " She said angrily.
"I really have nothing to wear then. " I told her. She dragged me to her room before giving me a black side cut out tight dress and telling me to go change. I couldn't argue with her, and honestly, I didn't want to. I changed into the dress. I admit, it looked pub worthy. But I felt uncomfortable, as it barely reached my knees. I added my denim jacket on top to make me feel better. I really didn't like feeling uncomfortable. I tugged at the hem of the dress, but it wasn't working. I took a pair of black tights and wore them.
"Maria, We should get -" she stopped mid sentence. "Loose the tights!" she shouted while lying on the door frame, folding her arms.
"I at least wore the dress. " I told her. She sized me up and down.
"Nop. Loose it. " she insisted. I shrugged it off.
"We are going to be late. " I told her as I pointed at the clock distracting her. She gazed at me, then the clock, and decided not to pick up an argument with me. I wore a pair of black strapped wedges. We walked out as I took my keys and placed them in my jeans jacket. I didn't want to carry my bag. We walked out calling a cab and arrived at the Alchemist pub. The location wasn't that far from our place.
We rushed in and went upstairs and found Han Jisoo already seated and with a male friend. I turned back. I hoped April didn't. I stopped her in her tracks.
"I wanted to introduce you to a guy. " I rolled my eyes. She did. The pub's brick walls were lined with framed vinyl records, each one a trubute to legendary rock bands - the beetles, the rolling stones, AC/DC, Oasis and more. The dim lighting cast warm shadows across the room as an NCT Dream, which I recognised as like we just met, played softly in the background. It was strange, but it made sense. There weren't a lot of people in the pub. It was most likely from someone's personal playlist. There was a bar section that faced glass windows. There were spiralled stairs that led to two different parts, one that led to a rooftop, which I guessed was the place most people would have gone to. The other led to the top, where I could see multiple private rooms and some more seating areas.
"What do you mean? " I asked her angrily. Before she could explain, I heard Han Jisoo call out to April. She turned and went over to him. I followed behind her after a long while. She was going to pay for this. She hugged Jisoo. I stood there awkwardly, as the man next to jisoo outstretched his hand towards me.
"Hi." he said. I nodded before shaking his hand.
"Hi." I courtesly replied. April sat down next to Jisoo, and I sat on the opposite side. I just wanted the whole ground to swallow me.
"Sorry, let me go freshen up. " I apologised before leaving for the bathroom. I had no idea where it was, but it was better than staying at that table.
"She's just shy. " I heard April say as damage control. I told her that I never liked it when she played matchmaker for me. But she never listened. I went to the bar and asked for the washroom. He directed me to go to the left and added that if I needed a breather, there was a doorway that led outside to the back. Great, even the bartender had noticed how uncomfortable I was. I nodded before heading to the washroom.
I stared down at myself in the mirror. I then washed my hands in distress. I finally walked out, but instead of going straight to my table, I turned right and went outside. The chilled air caressed my neck, giving me a fresh breath of air. I calmed myself down, hoping I wouldn't murder my best friend at home. It was just a date, and I could handle it. It didn't mean I had to get into a relationship with him. I convinced myself and went back. As soon as I opened the door, I bumped into someone, but I couldn't see him. My thoughts were all over the place. I walked over to the table.
"Sorry about that. " I said first. "I'm Maria. " I started. "But my friends call me Mari. " I added, looking at the man sitting across from me.
"I'm sorry. " The man started. "I only date white girls. " he said as he looked at me then to Jisoo.
"That's your preference. " I told him as I chose to be a bigger person. " I respect that. " I added. He stared at me weirdly as if he expected a different reaction from me.
"I didn't expect such a reaction." he said, making me laugh.
"What did you expect?" I asked rather curiously, folding my arms.
"For you to be upset. " he said. I chuckled as I leaned back into my chair.
"Upset over what?" I asked. "I can't change your preference." I stated comfortably, shrugging my shoulders.
"But it would be a privilege for you to date me." he said, and I couldn't believe it. Talk about disrespect. He should have left it at his preference and left. This was one of the reasons I never dated in Korea. It wasn't surprising that he said these things. I had long accepted that dating in Korea was a different game. Either way, the men fetishized me or treated me like an experiment. No thanks. I was just surprised that he would say it out loud.
"That only works for people with no values, morals, standards, lack of self-love, and in require need for constant validation from a man." I challenged. He stood up, wanting to walk out. The fact that he thought this of me was crazy but there are ignorant people like this in the world.
"And by the way, It would be your privilege to date me cause I'm amazing. " I stressed. He sighed, walking away while looking down.
"Wow." Han jisoo said in disbelief on what had just happened. April narrowed her eyes at Han Jisoo and crossed her arms tightly.
"I swear I didn't know he felt that way. "he defended. But when you think about it, how was he supposed to know?
"It's okay. " I smiled before getting up.
"I should have checked him out." April said as she held my hands. I pulled my hands out.
"I told you not to matchmake for me. " I quarrelled her.
"I know, but you deserve to be with someone who is amazing as you. " she comforted me. But my choice had to matter. I knew she did what she thought was for my own good. She still had to respect my choice.
"I know. But I really don't want to date anyone right now. " I insisted.
"Please don't do this again." I begged, and it wasn't up for discussion. April sighed but nodded eventually. " It's okay. " I said as I patted her head.
"Let me go home and keep up with the next episodes of Filter. " I said excitedly.
" I could come with. " April was trying to be supportive, but I couldn't let her.
"No." I replied. " You two should have fun." I said as I pointed at them.
" But..." she started, but I interrupted her, " I'll be more mad at you if you come with me. " April's shoulders slumped. She bit her lip while trying to avoid my gaze. She nodded. I made my way to the exit and found the man from earlier on the ground with his hands on his feet. I didn't even want to know. Considering how rude he was, he must have been rude to someone else. I was sort of glad that someone had taught him a lesson. All I knew was that karma was on my side, and it had worked faster than expected. I jumped over him.
"Seriously!" he shouted after me. But I didn't budge. He deserved it.