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This house was a bit too spacious for her likings, but it was expected from the Kims; they were strict about how they appeared to the world.
As she waited for the two eggs to fry in the pan in front of her, she looked around the unfamiliar place. It was big, but it was lonely. The cold color of grey, silver, and white evoked a feeling of melancholy and loneliness in her eyes. The man didn't even bother decorating his home space. He did seem house-proud on the first glance, but being clean didn't justify the lack of artistic taste. It looked robotic and chilling.
But it made sense.
He was alone in this house, and he was never really home anyway. He was always busy with his work, she thought.
Jayoung let her imagination run wild, looking at the tired old man who had just returned home from work walking towards the big comfy couch with no stamina left. He would leave his sweat-stained suit and tie on, accidentally falling asleep. He would forget that he had a much more spacious bedroom with a better duvet. The vegetables and fruits were never touched. At the end of the month, he would throw away the expired and spoilt food in the fridge. All of this meaningless acts and he would this over and over and over again.
The smell of cooked eggs filled her nose, prompting her to put out the plates. While she was preparing the tables, she heard a door creaking and footsteps approaching.
"Oh, you're awake? I thought you'd oversleep." He was wearing his tie over his blue dress shirt. Probably a meeting? Right after the wedding?
"Don't take this the wrong way, but I couldn't sleep in a place I'm not familiar with."
"You were awake the whole night?" The fact that his eyes were bulging out was funny to her.
"No, I did sleep for a few hours."
It was 8 o'clock in the morning. She had spent her unrestful hours cleaning up and exploring the whole house. There were movements in the corner of her eyes, and she noticed the older man being very restrained while he was dressing up. She imagined a time when she wasn't here and he was doing whatever he wanted without eyes staring at him.
"Oppa, have something before you go." She let out a deep sigh and smiled at him.
He looked amused and shocked.
"Is that coffee?" The man slowly approached the kitchen table.
"Yes, but I haven't put in any sugar." She had been drinking from the coffee machine as she walked around the house and she did care to leave some for the older.
"Um, then 2 sugars, please?" He dragged the chair quite reluctantly and sat down cautiously.
She gave him a small nod and reached for the sugar, mixing the beverage for him. "Bibimbap, fried eggs, and rice. I wanted to make something different, but there weren't many choices in the fridge."
"Thank you for the food. I'll eat well." His voice was very quiet. His eyes were warm as he gazed at the food in front of him.
Again, the man never failed to surprise her with his childlike manners. Eating timidly and quietly. The man was unsure if he should make eye contact. There was hesitation in his every move.
Once in a while, he would turn away after taking a bite or sip from the food and drink.
Jayoung didn't question any of the actions. She just hoped that he didn't recoil from the cooking she had done for him. The girl rarely cooked for anyone since nobody in her family cared to eat her food.
"It's okay to leave if you have to." He seemed too shy and afraid to say no to her face, so she made the choice for him early.
"No, no. I- It's not the company. I have to meet up with your parents. Alone." His voice went a little dry at the last words there. "They needed a word with me."
"I have a party today." She just dropped the bomb like that in his face right after his reply.
"Are there any booze?" Was he immediate response.
"No, oppa. We're all minors. It's just a group celebration of a success of a project we had." She could hear him scolding himself for not thinking ahead. Sitting there watching the man eat, she rested her head on the palm of her hand. "I'll be back before 5 o'clock this evening. Just thought you should know."
It was a habit in her family to report your whereabouts to everyone even though they clearly didn't care that much about her. She learned to be very informative.
Unbeknownst to her, the older seemed lost in her answers when he hit the fork on his plate, creating a loud clank in the process. That made her shook her head out of surprise and made him embarrassed once again.
Something interesting happened when she looked down.
Everything was swept clean from the plate, but the coffee. He ate everything, but he kept digging in without knowing it.
"I'm sorry. That was rude." He quickly bowed to the wide-eyed girl. "Thank you for the food."
When the man disappeared into his room, she looked back at the empty plates in front of her.
"I'll probably be later than you so... Um." Suited up and ready, he held onto his briefcase tightly.
"You should drink some water." She rushed to fill a glass of water for him. How could she miss something as simple as that?
It looked like he was about to protest, but she beat him to it. The glass was in front of his face, and it was rude to not except the glass offered in for you.
"Thank you. Uh, bye."
"Bye. Safe drive."
Jayoung watched him bumped into the wall, fumbled with the doorknob, struggled to get it open, and left.
