GOURMET

七

IF YOU WOULD HAVE TOLD Kang Yongnam of half a year ago, that in six months, he would be standing in the kitchen (of a newly opened—and highly successful—restaurant that he owned) trying to keep calm over the fact that his (somewhat—maybe not he hasn't exactly asked her yet) girlfriend (?) who'd he'd met over the phone but not yet in person, was a member of an incredibly popular idol group, he would just blink.

Then contrary to belief he probably would've just nodded because things happen, and you can't control anything really.

Of course he'd refer you to case a, being his sister and his brother-in-law who met in less-than-normal circumstances, one of whom, is and was a famous artist as well.

But he'll be honest and say he didn't know if he'd be able to handle it.

You see, to Yongnam, change is definitely not something very welcomed.

Let me explain.

When Yongnam was six his mother decided to change up how she did things at home. By doing this, everything changed. His mom went to work, his dad went to work and they were left with whomever it was that could take them.

Yongnam became proficient in learning how to cook simple things like kimbap and ramen and stuff that his five year old sister could eat.

However, Yongnam remembers that when this happened, the yelling began.

Of course every family yells, every couple fights.

But the fighting started and the screaming and the sobbing and the breaking (of objects i can promise you) kept coming.

That went on for years.

And then things changed again.

He was eleven and his mother collapsed. She was already a tiny little thing, but she overworked herself. Down to the bone, his grandmother said to his aunt. More than she should've had to. That had been followed by a pointed glare to his father.

(in a way they should be thankful—she collapsed and went to the hospital—where they found a tumor in her brain—one they were able to catch)

And then, by the time he was twelve, and his aunt, his father's new co-worker at his new job, was coming into their lives a little more everyday, his mother wasn't getting well, at least enough to leave the hospital any time soon.

(it was interesting that he didn't notice anything going on between them—his aunt and his father—but now he recognizes the signs—the touches, and the looks and the words and the movement—it doesn't make it okay, everything his father did was not and will not ever be okay—but yongnam knows what to look for now)

And then he'd seen them, his father with his clothes shucked off and his aunt with hers following. It was a change he didn't see coming, one that threw him for a loop. But he was twelve and he knew somewhat about things that some people said and did and he'd asked an older friend of his about it.

He told Ahyoung he found a divorce letter later when she'd ask, and he stuck to that story because his sister didn't need to know what a shit person their father was, at least she didn't back then.

(but that all changed too)

Two months later his mother came home, miraculously recovered. A week later his father gave his mother actual divorce papers, and left with his aunt, his hand in hers. Two weeks later Yongnam woke up to a birthday with a note that began, "Yongnam-ah, happy birthday and I'm sorry." And that was the last real big change he had in his life.

His mother left sometime during the night and Yongnam didn't know what to do because he was fucking twelve—scratch that, he'd just turned thirteen. It was his thirteenth birthday and his father was marrying his aunt, and his mother packed her things and left them, her children, her thirteen year old son and her eleven year old daughter.