PROMPTS

Stranger in my Bed - 7

Unsurprisingly, Jin Ah woke up with a headache.

Surprisingly, she was in her bed, in her apartment... alone.

She wondered where her tenant was for a quick second before addressing her throbbing headache. Because the sun was shining brightly into her flat, she walked out in her pyjamas and added a pair of sunglasses to her look.

While she waited for the coffee to brew, she slumped on the kitchen counter with her head laying on a roll of kitchen tissues.

That was how Jin-woo found her. "Oh, you're awake. Is this the new fashion trend in Seoul?" He asked about her dark glasses while inside the house.

"Shhhhhhh!" She reprimanded, massaging her temples. "Too early for snark."

Jin-woo's lips turned up. Wordlessly, she poured her a cup of the coffee she made and then handed her a plate of the pastries he bought from a bakery close by. "Good morning. Thanks for letting me stay over."

"No thank yous required," Jin Ah said. "You're paying me."

He chuckled. "Still, thanks. I'll be leaving today. So, see you around?"

That made Jin Ah sit up straight. "Today? Already?"

"Yes. I needed just a few days anyway. My apartment should be livable by now," he informed her.

"Maybe you should check first to be sure?" Jin Ah recommended.

"Are you going to miss me?" Jin-woo teased.

"No," she answered a little too quickly. "I just want a quiet conscience and need to make sure you won't be sleeping in the streets if your place is not yet done."

He smiled, grateful for her concern. "I'll be okay. The holidays are over so I'm sure I can book a hotel if needed."

"Oh, well. Alright then," Jin Ah bid, taking a sip of her coffee. Jin-woo stared at her but since he couldn't read her behind her dark glasses, he shrugged and started packing.

Luckily, Jin-woo didn't take most his stuff out of his luggages so he only needed to put back a few pieces. He made one last scan of the room to make sure he didn't leave anything. Once assured that he had everything, he zipped his bag but was interrupted when he heard  a clanging outside followed by a loud, "OUCH! OUCH! OUCH!"

Running out, he found Jin Ah on the floor leaning back in the area below her kitchen sink. "What happened?" He knelt beside her and found a lump starting to form on her forehead. 

"The drain was clogged and I was trying to fix it. I could get the pipes loose from here so I tried to crawl under and hit my head," she said, pouting up at him. "Ouch... am I bleeding?"

"No," he said. Studying her forehead, Jin-woo continued, "I think that needs to be checked, though. The lump looks nasty. Are you dizzy?"

"No," she replied.

"Am I handsome or not?" he asked, seriously.

Jin Ah stared at him. "You are the ugliest person I have ever seen."

Crossing his arms, Jin-woo kept his voice even as he said, "This is bad. Definitely needs to be rushed to the emergency room."

Jin Ah couldn't help but laugh but that made her head throb again. "Ouch."

Geesh, stop being so cute, Jin-woo thought. "Come on. I'll take you to the hospital. Do you want to change first or should we just go in your sleepwear?"

"Can I at least shower?" she pleaded.

"No. I can't risk something happening to you there. Just change and then let's go."

Jin-woo kept talking to her while she got dressed, which luckily didn't take her too long. "You're so noisy," Jin Ah complained, when she was still in her room.

"I need to make sure you're awake in case you have a concussion, right?" he said.

"Oh. Well, I don't know," she replied. 

She continued muttering and answering as he asked random questions like, "What's your favorite color?"

"I hate colors!" she answered back. 

"What's your lucky number?"

"0.00031."

Jin-woo chuckled at least she's still aware enough to purposely be difficult. When he turned to make sure he had his car keys, his eyes landed on the prop pirate sword Jin Ah had been playing with the other day. 

I was hired as an extra in a movie about pirates, Jin-woo recalled that she said.

I wish she gives you a chance, came another recent memory from the night before.

"Hey, Jin-woo. Can we go now? My head really hurts," Jin Ah complained.

Focusing at the task at hand, Jin-woo escorted her to the car and drove as fast as the speed limit would allow. But, with her hair up and her eyes giving him a death stare, Jin-woo had flashbacks to that night some years ago.

Could he have found the one person that saved his soul?

*

Fortunately, the doctor cleared Jin Ah and soon they were headed back home. "Thank you. I'm sorry I messed up your plans for the day," she apologised.

"Don't be. I'm glad it happened while I was still there and we were able to get you checked," Jin-woo said. "So, let me get this straight, you know how to fix a sink?"

"Yes," Jin Ah said. "I'm pretty handy. My Abeoji taught me a lot of things. I can unclog a drain, some minor electrical work... and I can actually fix a car if needed."

Jin-woo gazed at her and thought back to the woman under his hood in the pouring rain. "Have you ever worked on a car battery?"

"Of course! I help out my friends all the time," she proudly stated.

At the apartment, Jin Ah extended a hand, "Thanks for helping me out. Take care on your way home."

Jin-woo frowned. "Maybe I should stay. Just until we clear the number hours the doctor suggested for monitoring you."

"I'll be fine," Jin Ah insisted.

"A few more days," Jin-woo said. "Now, I'll head out to buy groceries. You rest up. You want to watch a movie tonight?"

"Sure! Do you have something in mind?"

Jin-woo nodded. "Yes. I was curious about the pirates movie you told me you were hired in. You think we could find that anywhere online?"

Jin Ah beamed up at him. "Pssssht. Online?! I have DVD copies! I can even give you an autographed one."

"Signed by the lead actor, wow. Sure," Jin-woo said.

"Nope! More importantly, signed by ME!" she laughed. "I'll set up. Go buy food. Can you get some popcorn, too? See you in a bit."