To Kiss An Idol

70 The Meeting with the San Family

Ring! Ring! Nivritti could faintly hear a ring somewhere. She moved her hands around on her bed to feel for her phone but could not find it. Groaning she opened her eyes and still squinting looked for her phone. It was on the nightstand.

She stretched her hand and reached for her phone. She picked up the phone. With her eyes closed and not even trying to find who was calling her, she placed the phone near her ear.

“Yes!” she asked in a sleepy tone.

“What? You are still sleeping,” screamed Jae-Hwa from the other end of the phone. Her scream jolted Nivritti out of her bed. She sat up on her bed with a jerk and looked at the clock, it was one in the afternoon. She slept the whole day.

“Sorry! Slept late. I will get ready in a minute and meet you soon. Just tell me where I should come?” Nivritti kept taming her hair that kept falling on her face.

“Don’t bother. Text me your address,” she ordered.

“You want to come to my house?” asked Nivritti, shocked.

“What? I can’t come to your house?” scolded Jae-Hwa.

“I didn’t mean that. Of course, you can come. Just give me five minutes,” pleaded Nivritti.

.....

“Why? Your house is dirty?” teased Jae-Hwa.

“What? No, I just work up. I need to freshen up, idiot!” scolded Nivritti. “I always keep my house clean,” she sulked.

“Good, because my parents are with me,” blurted out Jae-Hwa.

“What, now?” asked Nivritti stoically when in reality, her sleep completely vanished away after hearing that Jae-Hwa’s parents were with her and were on the way to her home.

“And my oppa too,” informed Jae-Hwa.

“Anyone else?” taunted Nivritti.

“You are teasing, you are teasing, right? So, you don’t want me to bring them?” whispered Jae-Hwa.

“Shut up! What are you talking about? Of course, you can bring your family. I will text you the address,” facepalmed Nivritti. The call disconnected. She opened the messaging app and sent her address to Jae-Hwa.

She immediately jumped from her bed and ran to the bathroom. Quickly she was done with toilet and a shower. All she had to do was dry her hair, but she had no time for that, so she let her hair sit in her towel. Her eyes were still swollen so she ran to the fridge and applied ice on it to soothe the swelling a bit.

She also had to think about what she was going to feed them. She had no Korean snacks with her. If she ordered it online maybe they could deliver it. Then there was the issue of what snacks they liked. She kept thinking about what she should do. Should she ask Jae-Hwa? Should she message her?

She went grocery shopping just yesterday, so she had a few packets of biscuits and chips that she liked. Maybe she could offer them that and she had tea and cold drinks, that could work too. She immediately went to the balcony and removed the towel from her head. Now her hair was damp and manageable, but she still could not tie them. She would have to let them be free.

She kept listening through her door for them to arrive, but no one came. She kept pacing up and down her living room. She had no idea why she was anxious. After a very long time, someone was visiting her house if she didn’t count Kyung-Soo. He was the only one who barged into her house twice. Otherwise, she never had a house guest even in India. She stopped inviting people to her house. Because the last time when she invited someone, she ended up getting hurt.

She was standing near her door, biting her nails when her doorbell rang. A yelp escaped her mouth. She placed her hand over her heart and inhaled deeply. Without looking through her peephole, she opened her door.

“Ann...” she opened her mouth to greet Jae-Hwa’s family but instantly shut her mouth when she saw a stranger standing at her door. “Um... ah... uh...” she had no idea what to say. She kept opening her mouth and then closing it instantly.

An angel with black, slicked-back hair was standing before her. The tall man was casually dressed in an oversized, comfortable, butter-yellow shirt and brown trousers. The square-shaped spectacles were enhancing his small brown eyes. His jawline was so sharp that one look and he could easily destroy hearts. Even though he was a stranger, she felt that she knew him somehow. If only he had red hair, she would have recognised him instantly.

She looked at his hands which were full of jute bags. She thought he was some salesman.

“Yes,” finally Nivritti spoke. But the man was too stunned to speak. He was staring at Nivritti’s cute face and damp, tangled long hair. He could see her swollen eyes and instantly felt bad for her. Was it an allergy? Or was she crying?

“Oppa!” screamed Jae-Hwa, trying to push an elderly man on the stairs and with another hand carrying another jute bag.

“Oppa?” asked Nivritti.

Jae-Hwa climbed the stairs hyperventilating, hugged Nivritti for a second and walked into her apartment leaving everyone at the door. “Yes, he is my Oppa, she is my mother, he is my father. Now I want water.” She ran to the kitchen.

Nivritti stood for a second listening to what she said and then instantly bowed down to her parents and greeted them, “annyeonghaseyo!”

“She is the girl you were talking about? You didn’t tell me she was beautiful?” complained Jae-Hwa’s mother to her husband in Korean. Nivritti had no idea how to react. She understood every word coming out of the woman’s mouth.

“Annyeonghaseyo! Sorry to come here. We just thank you,” Jae-Hwa’s mother said in slightly broken English.

“We are sorry to barge in. We just wanted to properly thank you,” said Jae-Hwa’s father.

“Mr San. You didn’t have to thank me again. You already thanked me. In fact, you didn’t have to thank me at all,” protested Nivritti.

“Call them Ajumma and Ajhussi,” Jae-Hwa who was done with drinking water, suddenly appeared in the living room and spoke. Now her hand was empty. Nivritti saw the jute bag lying on her kitchen slab.

“Huh!” Nivritti was perplexed.

“You saved our daughter not only from those men but also from becoming the butt of all gossip in our office. You are now family. So, call us uncle and aunt,” explained Mr San.

“I didn’t do anything. Mr Hu sent a firm message to everyone,” replied Nivritti politely.

“Why are your eyes swollen? Were you crying?” abruptly Jae-Hwa asked her. Nivritti was shocked to her core. She had no answer to her question.

“Jae-Hwa!” suddenly the young man spoke. Nivritti looked at him with gratitude and then immediately lowered her eyes.

“What, I was just asking. Are you okay?” asked Jae-Hwa.

“I am fine. You know, yesterday’s drama. I ended up crying while talking to my family,” lied Nivritti.

Right away, Mrs San pulled Nivritti into her arms and gave her a tight hug. Nivritti froze. She didn’t move an inch. A stranger was hugging her, and she had no idea how to react.

“You good girl. No cry, I am here,” said Mrs San.

“Uhmma! Let her go,” said Jae-Hwa and pulled her mother away. “Sorry about my family,” she apologised.

“No worries. Everything is okay. Everything is fine. Please be seated, all of you. I will get something for you. Jae-Hwa, follow me,” said Nivritti and started pulling Jae-Hwa to the kitchen,

But Jae-Hwa stooped her and said, “no need. They are leaving. They just wanted to thank you and Uhmma cooked all this food for us both.” She pointed at the bags that were still in her brother’s hands.

“She... she did what?” shouted Nivritti, shocked.

“Oh, stop being so dramatic, it’s just food. Oppa! Are you going to just stand there or are you going to give her the bags?” scolded Jae-Hwa.

“Right, sorry. Thank you for saving her,” Jae-Hwa’s brother bowed down to Nivritti and offered her the bags. Nivritti politely took the bags from him. She didn’t realise how heavy the bags were. The moment he let go of the bag, Nivritti’s hands immediately lowered with the weight. Without giving it a thought, he instantly grabbed her wrists and supported her arms.

An electric current ran through his body. His brain was telling him to jerk his hand away, but his heart was screaming never to let her go.

“Thank you,” Nivritti expressed her gratitude.

“Ritti, meet my brother, San Jae-Geun. Oppa, she is Nivritti. Don’t call her Ritti. Only her friends can call her that, understood?” introduced Jae-Hwa.

Her introduction brought Jae-Geun from his dreamland.

“Hello!” he said.

“Hi!” answered Nivritti.

“Oppa! The bags are heavy, help her,” shouted Jae-Hwa.

“Oh, please follow me,” said Nivritti. She handed him the bags back and took him to the kitchen. He walked behind her admiring her long, black hair and placed the bags on her slab. Seeing all the bags in her kitchen, Nivirtti’s eyes widened with shock.

“All this is food?” she asked.

“Yes, sorry. My mother went overboard,” he apologised with a sweet smile.

“No, no, please don’t apologise. All mothers are the same, caring and sweet,” smiled Nivritti.

Jae-Geun felt as if he was struck by lightning. His sister always kept talking about the new girl that came to K&Q but never said that she was so beautiful and that her smile was so pretty. He felt as if his heart was ready to jump out of his chest.