Third person's POV.
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Uncle Jeon's present to Lisa is a set of Hello Kitty mp3, ear piece and thumbdrive. He has also left a present for Jungkook before he left his apartment an unlike her kawaii gift, Jungkook’s present is a takoyaki maker. Such is an example of great fatherly-love to bring a cooking pan all the way from Japan to South Korea…..
Jungkook tested the machine that night made 6 octopus takoballs which Lisa ate 5. Her verdict at his first takoyaki attempt: “Delicious! I have to admit, you really are a genius.”
This is a fact, not praise, but Jungkook takes her words in stride. Lisa sees that he has not separated his food from hers like he used to and points to the plates on the table. “Why have you not separated the dishes? Have you gotten over your saliva aversion?”
Jungkook looks away uncomfortably. “There is no point now that I have already eaten your saliva.” Thinking of the way he sometimes kisses her – as if he is going to swallow her in one piece – it becomes Lisa’s turn to be embarrassed and she starts to eat in earnest.
When she is getting ready to leave, Jungkook walks over to kiss her goodnight. After several days of practice, his kissing tactic has improved by leaps and bounds and instead of a simple peck on the cheek or an urgent meshing of lips, he can now lap and suckle on her tongue. Like a demon of the night, he seems to be able to drain away her resistance when he does that, leaving her too weak to stand on her own steam at times. As a 20+ year-old virgin, Jungkook is acutely affected by the new sensations he has never experience before and pretty soon, Lisa feels a hard bulge rubbing against her abdomen and pushes him away.
Jungkook immediately tries to pull her back as he breathes her name hotly to her ears. To prevent things from getting out of hand, she pushes him away and beat a hasty retreat to her own apartment.
Over the next few days, Lisa leads a very mundane existence. The only difference between her and a pig is probably that she will spend time thinking about her goals besides eating and sleeping. Since young, she has not been an ambitious child and whatever her friends learn, she follows. Whatever her peers play, she also plays. Because her family is not rich nor is she especially intelligent, she has always been an average Jane who has gone along with the flow without mulling too much about dreams, ambitions or what she has hoped to achieve in life.
The lowest point in her life is probably the period following her graduation. Because she likes the city with its buzz and sparkle, she has chosen to stay on in a foreign Country and has tried to carve out a niche for herself in a place where she is a nobody. After the initial hardships, she has found her footing and has slowly built a life for herself. If she has to compare, she likes to think that while there are many who are faring better than her, there are also many who are worse off than her. Many of her ex-classmates who have scored better than her in school probably earn less than her so in that aspect, she is actually pretty satisfied with her life so far.
But all that changed when Jungkook asked her about her goal in life. Bewildered, she struggles to find her answer and thus is not actively looking for a job. When she reflects on this sometimes, she would frown at her parasitic existence. However, there is also another voice sometimes that tells her that it is only right for her boyfriend to provide for her. Unlike her, Jungkook has no such dilemma and is very pleased with their current lifestyle. Looking after his girlfriend well-being has risen up the ranks to become his top priority, even more than his quest to understand the universe.
A phone call from 2,000km away interrupted their idle. Mama Kim is on the other side of the line and she is very excited. “Jungkook, I will be back in Busan this weekend. Can you come pick me up from the airport?”
“Sure. Shall I bring Lisa along?”
“Yes. Please. Of course!” Mama Kim is over the moon to finally hear his words. “Son, you are really my precious little cotton-padded jacket.”
Jungkook is not amused. “That meteor is used to describe girls.”
“Fine, fine. I will stop using that description in future.”
“You have said that many times.”
“Believe me that this will be the last time. After all, my son is all grown now and even has a girlfriend!”
When he mentions his mom to Lisa, she is quick to agree to pick up his mother together. Having met his father, she thinks that Jungkook’s family are nice people and sees no reason to avoid meeting his mother. Still, another phone call changes their plans, this time from Lisa’s father. “Lisa, your mother will be going for an operation the day after tomorrow. Can you take 2 days leave from work and come back to keep her company?”
The news struck Lisa like a bolt of lightning. She has not told her parents about her resignation for fear that they will worry and has pretended that all is normal when she spoke to her dad just days ago. Taking a deep breath, she asks slowly. “What operation are you talking about? What happened to Mom?”
“There is a tumor in her ovary but the doctors have said that it is benign so do not be too worried.”
A tumor and she is not to worry?! “How is she feeling now? When did you know about this? How could you have kept it from me?”
“Don’t worry, the tumor is small, benign, and the doctors have already scheduled an operation to remove the tumor. Your mom is worried that this will disrupt your work and does not allow me to tell you. However, I can tell that she misses you which I why I am calling you privately, if it does not disrupt your work – “
“Not the least! I have just quit and am now jobless! I have kept this from you for fear that you will worry.” Lisa swallows her sob. “Dad, I will be flying back tomorrow. Wait, no. I will be flying home immediately. I will go book the tickets now.”
“Why have you quit? Do you have enough spending money?”
“The job is not good so I quit. I have enough money so don’t worry. Don’t you know by now that your daughter is very good at earning money?”
Lisa's Dad smiles across the line. “I know. You are so like me in this sense.”
They talked about Lisa's Mom condition and it took Lisa a while to understand that her mother’s condition is not critical and finally reduces her anxiety somewhat. When she hangs up, she finds Jungkook looking at her with a worried look on his face.
She explains her situation to him and turns down his offer to accompany her back to her hometown. Besides, his mother is coming home soon and she feels bad enough that she is not around to welcome her, much less take her son away.
Jungkook : “If you feel that way, fine. How about you fly home first and I visit you… and your mom in a few days?”
“Sigh. Let’s talk about this later.”
The light in his eyes dim at her unwillingness to discuss but in consideration that she is probably frantic with worry right now, he did not push and offers to book the plane tickets for her while she packs her luggage.
That night, they had dinner at the airport. Their pace is hurried, their dinner is hurried, as if they are soldiers marching into an unknown battle. Jungkook is not prepared for the unexpected separation and hugs her tightly before she checks in. Patting his back, Lisa tries to console him. “It is ok. It is not as if we are never going to see each other again so stop acting like a maiden.”
Jungkook asks suddenly. “Have you not told your parents about us?”
“Hmm, can we talk about this later?” She disengages herself from him and after a distracted wave of farewell, she disappears into customs with her luggage in tow.
Jungkook is unwilling to let her out of his sight and follows her retreating back with his eyes until she disappears from view. Even then, he is reluctant to leave and only left the airport after her plane has taken off.
His girlfriend is gone. She has returned home in a cloud of anxiety, her pace hasty. He misses her and at the same time, worries for her mother. And in a small but important part of his heart, a small tendril of unease starts to unfold.
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The Rice Pot Next Door | LISKOOK
Humor[Sneak Peak] "Yo, Rice Pot next door. You ate so much of my rice, how are you going to repay me?" "Money? I do not want money. I want you." 饭桶[Rice Pot/Container/Bucket]: - literally means a person who eat a lot of rice. The term usually has a nega...
