THE TRANSFER STUDENT

Struggles, Pt. 1

Yoojung had no idea how she was literally in Seoul just 6 hours ago, on the train 5 hours ago, met Jimin's mom 3 hours ago, almost got into an argument with Jimin's grandma the moment she met her for the very first time 2 hours ago and now, she was sitting in the middle of the kitchen of the house she'd been to for the first time, picking the "black thingies" off a whole giant basket of beansprouts.

Yes, beansprouts.

"Yoojung? How you doing over there with the beansprouts? You can do a good job, can you?"

Yoojung put on the biggest smile she could manage before turning around to smile at Jimin's grandma. "I'm doing great Grandma, do you have anything more you need me to do?"

"No, not really," Grandma said, and Yoojung heaved a sigh of relief. "But maybe after this you could-"

Ah, there she goes again. Yoojung bit her lower lip, trying not to let her frustration show. In the past 1 hour, Yoojung had been sitting on the kitchen floor, doing all sorts of food prep from cracking open watermelons, scooping fermented soybean paste out of massive jugs, chopping chilli peppers, catching chickens in the backyard and now plucking soybeans.

She was a guest here at Jimin's house, she really didn't understand why she had to help. It's not that she didn't want to lift a single finger at all to help, but the fact was, all of Jimin's relatives were sitting out there watching TV, playing games, having fun and meanwhile, she was doing what Grandma told her to do while Grandma sat at the table chopping one single spring onion for the past hour.

And when Jimin came into the kitchen earlier while searching for her, she'd chased him out as well. Jimin looked absolutely horrified to see Yoojung with her hair in a disheveled bun and sweat dripping down the sides of her face as she chopped those freaking hot chilli peppers that made her eyes water.

Yoojung couldn't understand.

"Maybe after this you could go the garden and fetch some perilla leaves? Oh, on the way back, please drop by and grab some lettuce leaves too. Oh, and please get two more chickens. Those three you caught earlier were rather small, I don't think it can feed everyone."

Yoojung clenched her teeth hard, closing her eyes and trying to stay calm. Choi Yoojung, she's just trying to get on your nerves because you got on hers earlier. Stay calm, stay calm. You're not gonna get angry and lose out to an old lady, Choi Yoojung. You're a Choi, you're representing the Choi clan in the Park territory today. Stay calm, Yoojung, you can do this.

Grandma smiled sweetly. "Is that too much for you, Yoojung dear?"

Yoojung snapped back to reality, forcing a smile as she opened her eyes. "Sorry?"

"No, you just looked like you were gonna faint for a second there," Grandma laughed. "You weren't gonna faint were you?"

"No, I-"

"I knew you weren't!" Grandma laughed. "You can't be weaker than an 65-year-old woman, could you! I do all of what you just did and more single-handedly everyday!"

Sure, you do, you old h-

"Of course not!" Yoojung let out a chuckle so fake it frightened herself. "How can I possibly be weaker than you, Grandma? But for you to do all this yourself at your age, I must say that's pretty amazing!"

"I was raised up that way by my parents from young, since we lived in the village, so I thought I wanted you to learn a bit while you're here. Girls are meant to do know how to cook aren't we? Yoojung-ah, you don't despise me, do you?"

"What? No!" Yoojung laughed. "How can I possibly? You're my boy- my best friend's beloved grandma, how could I possibly hate you? I should be thanking you, for giving me a chance to experience life here."