STARLIGHT

8. Dinner

"Rice cakes? Who brought these?" Keya's Mom asked.

"The new neighbours next door," Keya blankly said.

"New neighbours?" Keya's Dad asked pulling the curtain to take a look at their house.

"Hmm...." uttered her Mom, "Did you thank them?"

"Yeah, yeah," she replied, "whatever," and went to her room.

"This daughter of yours is getting more stubborn day by day," her Mom said to her Dad.

"Oh! 'my' daughter? She's got 'your' temper!" her Dad replied.

"MY......okay, we shouldn't make a bad impression on our neighbours. They can hear all this."

"Hmmm....we need to make them think highly of us," her Dad replied.

"What about calling them over for dinner?"

"Yeah, good idea. Let's call them over today. I'll go invite them. Get things ready."

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"Seoul, huh?"Keya's Dad asked his guest sitting opposite him at the dining table.

"Yes, Seoul. Well, it was great to be posted back home for 5 years but then.......now, I'm posted here again," the neighbour, Mr. Kim, said with a sigh.

"You don't like it here? I thought you'd spent........how many years before your Seoul posting?"

"I do, I do. 10 years it was, here at Tokyo. This place was like home back then. It hasn't changed much, though there are a few unfamiliar places. I remember our former house owners vaguely too. They were good people."

"Uhhh........BORING!!!!" Keya thought, sitting at a corner of the table, looking at her rice with disgust and listening to the uninteresting conversation of the two Dads.

Yep, a Japanese she was, but loved another cuisine: - Korean! Not that the cuisines had much difference but Korean cuisine, of course, was more spicy!

She looked to her side, where her elder sister, Kara, was seated, joining in the conversation of the two adults.

Like always, it was Kara who was included, not her.

Her Mom was in the kitchen along with Sam Hyuk's Mom, preparing dessert.

Where was Sam Hyuk, you ask? Well, he was at the table too, as uninterested as Keya, looking as though he would doze off soon....like....very soon!

Finally, dessert was served. It was just 8 in the evening and the two families were getting along quite well....the older members were, to be precise.

"Keya dear, why don't you take Sam Hyuk along with you to the backyard? Show him around. Go ahead," Keya's Dad told her, of course, 'lovingly', to show the new neighbours.

"Uh....huh...." Keya let out, half-hesitantly.

Walking up to Sam Hyuk and NOT looking at him, she plainly said, "Let's go."

Both walked up and sat on the bench in their backyard. The night was pleasant, the breeze was cool, the sky was clear and the stars were twinkling. Perfect night!

"So, how's Korea?" Keya asked to strike up a conversation.

"Well, Korea's great but....I feel this place is better. Tokyo is special to me," Sam Hyuk said, looking up at the stars, reminiscent, "Hey, um....Keya, right?"

"Yeah."

"I'm really sorry about, you know."

"Forget about that. It was mostly my fault. Should've checked the door."

"So, what school do you go to?" Sam Hyuk asked, trying to change the subject.

"Ohayo Girls......um, I mean, just Ohayo now."

"Ohayo? The one changing to co-ed, you mean?"

"Yeah......how do you know?"

"Ha..." he let out a slight laugh, "I'll be joining you in two weeks."

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Photo credits to the owner.

Love always,

Staira