Chapter 15

"Mommy, Min Ji & Namjoon"

With her bag against the wall, Na Ri watched the caravan of people who was walking through the hallway, trying to reach their designated classroom before the bell rang. Na Ri too was getting worried that she might not reach the auditorium in time, but she couldn't leave yet, not before she found her.

Before she knew it, her eyes were tearing up and she realized she hadn't been blinking for a long time, being too occupied by searching through the caravan of students. And just then, after blinking away her tears, Na Ri spotted her target. It didn't take her more than a flash of a light to get her feet moving and run towards her.

"Good... Good morning," Na Ri stuttered and Min Ji almost jumped half a meter up in the air from the surprise.

"Good morning..." Min Ji replied with a bright but confused smile, "well this is a surprise. You never approach me first."

"I just..." Na Ri tried getting the words past her lips, but she was trembling and her throat felt dry. Min Ji was just about to ask Na Ri if she was okay, but was stopped when they heard the bell ring.

"Don't worry about explaining," Min Ji then said and interlocked her arm with Na Ri's, "let's get to class and we can talk at lunch."

***

It nearly gave Na Ri a heart attack when the class was over and everyone started packing up their things, she still had her book turned to the first page of the chapter for today and her mind was way up in the clouds. She couldn't even remember what class was next or if she had any homework assigned for that class.

"Na Ri-ya," Min Ji said and Na Ri looked up and saw Min Ji hovering over her, "aren't you coming? Jungkook- and Taehyung-a are probably waiting for us in the Cafeteria."

"Is it lunch break already?" Na Ri asked with big wide puppy eyes.

"Yes it is, what is it with you today? You're acting all strange."

"Actually... I... I have something I want to ask you," Na Ri finally worked herself through the sentence by avoiding all sort of eye contact with Min Ji. The atmosphere turned serious and intense as none of them spoke for a while until Min Ji couldn't bear it any longer.

"Well, what is it? You're making me all nervous," Min Ji said and laughed nervously. Na Ri didn't say anything, it seemed like she was thinking of a way to explain everything, but after a while she just let out a sigh and instead reached into her bag.

"Look," Na Ri said.

"Wha-" Min Ji didn't get to finish her sentence before Na Ri had shoved the phone in her face.

Min Ji kept staring at the phone, trying to make sense of the message and why Na Ri was making such a fuss about it.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I understand," Min Ji then said and Na Ri looked at her in distress, "I mean, I don't know who this 'friend' is-"

"ARE YOU FREE TONIGHT?" Na Ri didn't just surprise Min Ji by her sudden raise of voice, she nearly scared herself to death as well.

"Y...yes I am," Min Ji said with widened eyes, "but I still don't understand, what about this friend your mom wants you to bring to dinner?"

"It's you..." Na Ri said and started wrapping a strain of hair around her finger while diverting her eyes from Min Ji.

"Me?" Min Ji said, "I didn't know we were at the place in our friendship to meet each others parents." Na Ri just glared at Min Ji who had a complacent smile on her face.

"W...Whatever!" Na Ri then said and snatched away her phone, "we should go eat lunch..."

"Wait!" Min Ji said and stopped Na Ri just before she walked away, "I would love to eat dinner with you and your mom tonight."

"Really?"

"Yes really. Just tell me the time and place and I'll be there." Na Ri looked at Min Ji and a small but entirely visible smile appeared on her face as she said:

"Thank you."

***

With the cold autumn wind roaming around the streets of Seoul, Na Ri tried to cover her neck with the collar of her coat. This time of year was the only time she would regret having short hair, but on the other side, she enjoyed it all the time during summer when the sun was heating up the earth.

Most trees had dropped their leaves and it unfolded on the ground as a big multicolored canvas, making for a beautiful path to follow. But no matter how beautiful autumn was, it was still chilly and Na Ri wasn't suited for being out in this kind of weather. As she walked she dreamed herself away to the warm library where she usually cleaned this time a day, but she had to cancel her shift because of her dinner plans. She let out another sigh just as she reached her destination, only to realize she was the first one there. She wasn't surprised about her mom, Hye Jin was always late, but she really didn't think Min Ji would show up late as well. Na Ri wondered if she had taken a bus or a train to get here and maybe got stuck in traffic. But when she finally took notice of Min Ji's silhouette in the distance, Na Ri got a hunch to why she was running late.

"I'm so sorry I'm late," Min Ji said and looked apologetic, "is your mom here yet?"

"Not yet," Na Ri said and looked Min Ji up and down, "what... are you wearing?" Min Ji went silent and started fidgeting with her hands.

"I don't know what happened, I know I made fun of it before but I've never actually met someone's parents before so I didn't know what to wear," Min Ji said, "I wanted to make a good impression."

"You make it sound like we're going out," Na Ri said, "did the dress really have to be pink?"

"What? Pink is my favorite color," Min Ji said and suddenly felt embarrassed, "besides, I already put on pink nail polish so it had to match."

"Black matches everything."

"But black is so boring." Na Ri looked down herself, down on her loose black pants and her grey hoodie covered by her half open black coat. Min Ji gulped as she suddenly realized what she had said.

"I mean... it's not like I don't like black... black is a very elegant color... I... there's no way to save it, is there?" Na Ri shook her head and Min Ji looked distressed and helpless which for some reason brought out a quiet chuckle from Na Ri. Min Ji looked at Na Ri and was suddenly able to see the funny about the whole situation which made her start laughing too.

"Oh, I see you're already here?" The girls' laughter was interrupted by the voice of a female. The woman was wearing a navy blue coat over what looked like a black pantsuit and black varnished shoes shining so brightly no one would believe they had just been through the harsh autumn weather.

Her hair was dark brown and shoulder length, brushed slightly behind her ears, making a pair of shining earrings visible and moving the focus to her pretty face.

"Hello, you must be Lee Min Ji-ssi," the woman said and reached out to Min Ji, "my name is Lee Hye Jin, I'm Na Ri's mom."

"It's nice to meet you Lee Hye Jin-ssi, I didn't know Na Ri-ya had such a beautiful mother."

"Oh, I see you're a sweetheart just as my daughter told me." Min Ji turned her face to look at Na Ri who just diverted her eyes.

"Are we just going to stand out here until we freeze to death?" Na Ri then said and was about to go in.

"Wait," Hye Jin said, "aren't you going to greet your mother?" Na Ri turned her face once again and locked eyes with Hye Jin.

"It's good to see you again, mom."

As soon as the door opened, they were greeted by a tall waiter who kindly guided them to an empty table in the back of the restaurant. It was a cozy place with dimmed lighting and calm music playing in the background.

"This is a nice place," Hye Jin said after sitting down, "do you come here often, Na Ri?"

"I've never been here before," Na Ri said coldly, "I just googled 'good places to eat with your family' and this place was the top one."

"Oh, is that so?" Hye Jin said and neither her or Min Ji knew how to make conversation after that. It seemed that everyone just turned their focus to the menu and the awkward atmosphere didn't seem to want to go away anytime soon. Not much conversation was made during the wait and once the food arrived, the only sound audible was from people eating.

"So, Min Ji-ssi," Hye Jin started, figuring it would be easier to make conversation through Min Ji, than her daughter, "when did you and Na Ri become friends?"

"Well, we've been in the same department for the last two years, but it wasn't until this semester we became close," Min Ji replied and looked at Na Ri who just tried to avoid eye contact.

"Na Ri can be kind of hard to approach," Hye Jin said and Na Ri looked up in disbelief of what she just heard her mom say.

"I don't see that as a bad thing," Min Ji then said, earning a surprised look from Hye Jin, "that way she will know the people around her really care, because they actually made an effort to get to know her."

"Those are wise words my dear," Hye Jin said and smiled calmly, "you found yourself a good friend, Na Ri." Na Ri didn't say anything in return but simply smiled awkwardly.

"Do your parents live close by?" Hye Jin asked, starting to feel more curious about Min Ji.

"No, they live in Busan where I grew up," Min Ji replied.

"Then you are far away from home. What about siblings? Or are you an only child?" Min Ji suddenly turned completely pale and Na Ri looked at her in concern, wondering if she was feeling unwell.

"Well..." Min Ji then said in a low voice, "I had a twin brother... but he died when we were 14."

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry for asking."

"No it's okay!" Min Ji said while Hye Jin and Na Ri both had their eyes glued on her, "How were you supposed to know?"

"I'm still sorry for bringing up such a sad memory," Hye Jin said with sadness in her voice, "you're a strong girl, going to Korea University here in Seoul all by yourself."

"I don't feel alone. I have a childhood friend who is like a brother to me. He actually goes with me to my brother's grave every single year so I never have to go alone." Min Ji looked a little sad, but she still had a smile on her face. 

"And besides, I have Na Ri-ya as well." Na Ri turned her face towards Min Ji and immediately locked eyes with her. They looked at each other with no words spoken until Na Ri turned her face and her mom started talking to Min Ji again. 

Her heart was hurting, it felt heavy in her chest, making the rest of her body feel heavy as well. She kept blinking away the tears she didn't know where came from and all sounds were a blur to her. All she knew was, it only got worse when she looked at Min Ji, looked at her friend who was sitting across from her, telling those stories she had never heard before. But then again, she had never asked her about it.

"Thank you so much for dinner," Min Ji said and put down her glass.

"Thank you for joining us," Hye Jin said with in a kind voice, "don't you want dessert before we leave?"

"No you really don't have to go out of your way-"

"I insist!" Min Ji looked at Hye Jin who had a determined look on her face.

"Well alright then," Min Ji said and turned her face towards Na Ri, "what do you want for dessert?" Na Ri was startled by the sudden question. She had tried to stay in the background ever since the story about Min Ji's brother.

"I... Maybe the chocolate cake?" Na Ri said.

"I am not surprised," Min Ji said and then turned her face back to Hye Jin, "your daughter really loves sweets."

"Yes I know, she always did. It's a miracle she doesn't weight a hundred kilo by now" Hye Jin said and made Na Ri's cheek light up in a fainted pink color.

"But I don't think I can eat a cake all by myself, Na Ri-ya, would you mind sharing a cake with me?" Min Ji looked at Na Ri with her cute puppy eyes and all Na Ri could bring herself to do was give her a nod. 

She could've easily eaten an entire cake by herself, as we all know, dessert doesn't go to the stomach, it goes to the heart, but something about sharing the cake with Min Ji seemed so appealing to her that she couldn't bring herself to refuse.

After eating dessert and getting ready to leave, Na Ri had to admit to herself it was a good idea to share the cake with Min Ji because when she got up, she felt like she had gotten 10 kg heavier.

"I hope you had a good evening and the food was to your satisfactory," a tall handsome man said when they stood at the counter where Hye Jin paid for dinner.

"Yes everything was wonderful," Hye Jin said, "please give our compliments to the chef."

"You already did, Ma'am," the man said and flashed a gorgeous smile, one powerful enough to light up a whole room.

"Oh my, I didn't expect the chef to be the one taking our payment," Hye Jin said in a surprised voice.

"Well we are a little understaffed tonight. The waiter who stood here before had been working for many hours without a break," the man started explaining, "and besides, I'm waiting for a friend who promised to stop by, so I have a better view from out here." The man smiled but then opened his mouth in slight surprise and said:

"Oh there he is!"

Instinctively, Na Ri turned around, and in the same second, was met by a set of eyes that looked just as baffled as her own.

"Professor Kim," Min Ji said and brought Na Ri out her daze, "what a funny coincidence to meet you here."

"Well yes it is, Lee Min Ji-ssi," Namjoon said, still looking a little baffled, "I was just here to meet my friend, Kim Seokjin, whom I believe you've just met." Everyone turned their eyes back towards the man and saw a bright smile.

"I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met before," Namjoon then said as he got eye contact with Hye Jin, "my name is Kim Namjoon, I'm a Professor at Korea University. Lee Min Ji- and Song Na Ri-ssi are students in my Shakespeare class."

"It's nice to meet you Professor Kim," Hye Jin said in a kind voice, "My name is Lee Hye Jin, I'm Na Ri's mother."

"Is that so? I did think she resembled you," Namjoon said and Hye Jin seemed to smile even brighter while Na Ri's eyes only became more and more sunken.

"I hope my daughter is being a good student and behaving well in school." Na Ri's heart was already starting to beat faster and she prayed to God that Namjoon would just skip over her mother's question lightly.

"Yes of course she is, she's one of the best students in my class."

"Professor Kim, you don't have to hold back because of me," Min Ji then said and gained everyone's attention, "you and I both know Na Ri-ya isn't just 'one' of the best students in your class." Na Ri felt her heart beat even faster but when she gently tried to nudge Min Ji in the side, she just got a big smile in return.

"I'm afraid Lee Min Ji-ssi is right," Namjoon confessed, "Song Na Ri-ssi is by far the best student in my class. And she's such a hard worker, even though she's struggling, she does so well on every assignment."

The air around them suddenly turned gloomy and everyone became dead silent. Hye Jin stared at Namjoon in confusion, Na Ri stared at him in fear, Min Ji stared at him in concern and lastly, Seokjin just observed the situation while nervously biting his nails.

"Struggling?" Hye Jin then said and broke the silence, "what do you mean? Is she struggling with the material?"

"No of course not," Namjoon said and realized he had said too much already, "I didn't mean anything special when I said it. I just know the young people today are under a lot of pressure and can get stressed. So I just wanted to say that you don't have to worry about your daughter."

The atmosphere still wasn't very pleasant and Hye Jin looked at Namjoon with eyes full of suspicion. 

"Well Namjoon," Seokjin then said and interrupted, "let's leave these woman alone so they can enjoy the rest of their evening."

"You're right, I've taken up too much of your time," Namjoon said and internally thanked Seokjin for saving him, "have a good evening, ladies."

After leaving the restaurant and bringing the gloomy and uncomfortable atmosphere with them, Min Ji tried to lighten up the mood with a big bright smile.

"Again thank you for tonight, I had a lovely time. And I'll see you tomorrow, Na Ri-ya."

"Yes," Na Ri replied, feeling at a loss for words.

"Get home safe," Hye Jin said, "thank you for taking care of my daughter."

"I'm not taking care of her," Min Ji then said right before leaving, "we're friends and friends take care of each other."

Hye Jin and Na Ri stood with a distance to each other as they watched Min Ji disappear in the dark night.

"Goodbye," Na Ri said the second she felt enough time had passed and she quickly spun around on her heel, about to walk away.

"Wait, let me walk you home."

"There's no need."

"But you're afraid of the dark."

"I walk home in the dark almost everyday."

"Yes and you call me up almost everyday." Na Ri looked at her mom and then let out a sigh of defeat.

The closer they got to the apartment building, the fewer people were on the streets and the more quiet it felt to walk next to each other in silence. It was bugging them, both of them, but for different reasons. Hye Jin because she wanted Na Ri to be the one to start up the conversation for once in her life, and Na Ri because she knew her mom would throw a fit if she didn't find something to talk about anytime soon.

"Did you like Min Ji-ssi?" Na Ri asked, hoping her question would help calm down Hye Jin's impatience.

"Yes very much. It was a lovely evening," Hye Jin said and Na Ri felt like she could breathe freely again until Hye Jin continued, "and what a funny coincidence to meet your professor."

"Y...yes it was," Na Ri said, already fearing where this conversation would lead to.

"I just keep wondering," Hye Jin said, "why would he say such a thing? That you're struggling? Tell me Song Na Ri, have you been having any episodes again?"

"No." Na Ri was clear in her answer and she didn't hesitate for even a second.

"Are you having trouble sleeping?"

"No."

"Are you feeling stressed out?"

"No."

"Song Na Ri, you are lying to me right now."

"No, I am not!"

"Yes you are! A University student who isn't stressed and sleeps well all night, such a person doesn't exist!"

"Well, if I told you I haven't been sleeping well, you would get freaked out about that too."

"I really can't believe you're like this, I thought you would've grown up by now!" Hye Jin said loudly, "you're too emotional, you always have been and it's a weakness!"

"At least I don't have a heart made of stone!" Na Ri yelled, "maybe that's the real reason why dad moved to America!"

Hye Jin suddenly became quiet and looked down at the ground with a sad face. Na Ri looked at her mom and then lowered her face as well, feeling a sudden pain in her heart. When Na Ri looked up again, her mom was looking at her with a smile that looked more sad than happy.

"I'm sorry," Hye Jin said and took a step closer to Na Ri, but she just took a step back, "I'm sorry for not keeping our family together at all costs." Na Ri looked at her mom and then took a deep breath.

"No I'm sorry for being so harsh," Na Ri said and couldn't help but divert her eyes in shame as she continued, "I know that isn't why dad left us. He got a good job offer and we didn't have a lot of money. How was he supposed to decline such an offer?"

Both remained silent on the rest of the walk and when they reached the building, Na Ri turned around to say goodbye to her mom, but when she looked at her, Hye Jin extended both her arms and looked at Na Ri with a loving gaze.

"It's been a long time since you gave me a hug," Hye Jin said and Na Ri stayed in her spot, looking at her mom who was waiting ever so patiently. And then, giving in to the heat of the moment, Na Ri embraced her mother and let her mother embrace her. It felt weird, but at the same time, it also felt kind of nice.

Hello everyone!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Remember to stay warm and eat healthy and take care of yourself. Stay safe.

Also, don't forget to leave a comment down below.

Love, Annalise~