Some Kind of Wonderful (Heungsoon Edition)

Chapter 10

Lee Ji Hoon was feeling pretty pleased with himself. He received a small bonus from his boss for a job well done. He wanted to celebrate and treat his friends out for lunch (with money obtained from honest means). So he called Yi Kyung and Jung Ho. He rarely saw his friends nowadays as all of them were busy with work. But in a way, Ji Hoon was happy about it. He had felt guilty when he pulled away from their group to focus more on his part-time work and think more seriously about his future. He liked to think that he was able to influence his friends to walking on a better path (although he knew that most of the credit would go to Teacher Jung and Teacher Kang for caring enough about them).

Ji Hoon steered Yi Kyung and Jung Ho to that Korean-Chinese restaurant below their favorite arcade when they were in middle school. The top sellers were jjajangmyeon and jjamppong. Hey, he's still on a budget. Besides, the noodle dishes were not only filling but also very delicious. The halmeoni that owns the restaurant had always liked Ji Hoon, said he reminded her of her grandson. Ji Hoon was not above taking advantage of it by smiling often and getting more side dishes from her.

But when they stepped inside the restaurant, they immediately saw Namsoon, Heungsoo, Ha Kyung and Kang Joo just getting seated. Startled by those familiar faces, Ji Hoon broke into a smile.

"Hey, guys! What a surprise meeting you here!"

"Hey!" Kang Joo answered cheerfully.

"Join us," Ha Kyung invited and Ji Hoon wasted no time looking for additional chairs and a table. He doesn't usually fall easily for a pretty face but Ha Kyung was really attractive and was smiling at him. It was refreshing because Ha Kyung's smiles in school had always been directed at Kang Joo. This Ha Kyung looked less... stuck-up and her face looked more expressive.

But when Ji Hoon finally secured a chair in the busy eating establishment, Jung Ho was already seated beside Ha Kyung while Yi Kyung was seated beside Kang Joo. Oh well, there are more fishes in the sea, Ji Hoon consoled himself as he sat beside Jung Ho.

"Have you guys ordered?" Ji Hoon asked.

"No, we just got here," Kang Joo said.

"Are you guys on a double date?" Yi Kyung suddenly turned to Kang Joo, as if the realization just dawned on him.

"Oh, shit! Did we crash it? Sorry," Ji Hoon apologized at the same time four people, in various tones of voice, said, "NO!!!"

"It's okay if you are, we won't tell," Yi Kyung assured them.

"We're not on a double date," Heungsoo said emphatically.

"If you say so," Yi Kyung said disbelievingly, unperturbed by Heungsoo's glare. Aish, sometimes Yi Kyung is so dense he gets tactless.

"We met here by coincidence as well," Ha Kyung explained.

"I'm starving!" Ji Hoon laughed in an attempt to steer the conversation to a safer topic.

Except for Jung Ho and Ji Hoon who ordered jjajangmyeon, everyone else had jjamppong. Yi Kyung laughingly shared that for all their toughness Jung Ho and Ji Hoon couldn't handle the much too spicy seafood soup, which earned him glares from his two friends.

"Yah! Just because we have sensitive palates doesn't mean we're not tough," Ji Hoon insisted, defending himself and Jung Ho from Yi Kyung's teasing.

Actually, Ji Hoon doesn't have any problems with spicy foods but ever since he learned that Jung Ho couldn't handle the very spicy stuff he felt compelled to align himself with him. It never sat well with him when Jung Ho gets singled out because he had seen how it affected Jung Ho. It shouldn't be mistaken for pity though. He's been friends with Jung Ho since they were very young and he was actually one month older than Jung Ho so maybe that's why he felt protective of him.