15. Kissing Cousins
It's been a few weeks since the ski trip happened for Seollal. The only change is that Yuri and Juliana are icing Kitty. Of course Praveena had been avoiding her as well. This morning I was making coffee when I was disturbed by Yeojin. "Guess what!" She shouted and I split some of my almond milk. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." She said to me and I looked at her.
"It's okay, it's fine." I said to her and I started cleaning it up before continuing on with the coffee. "So, what's this new exciting news about?" I asked her and she looked at me like she was going to burst with excitement. That's when the door opened to the other room and Cassie came out.
"Me and Cassie's classes have been combined. So we'll be working together for the competition." She said and that's when Cassie started walking over to us.
"This is going to be so much fun with us finally being able to talk about everything." She said to her and that's when Farrah came out.
"I smell coffee." She said to me and she came over to us.
"I'll make you a cup." I said to Farrah and she got her portable coffee mug out.
"Thank you, it's needed." She said to me and I knew that. I still don't understand how I coped on that ski trip without the coffee. Once I'd finished making both coffees all I had to do now was wait for Minho. I saw Cassie head towards the door.
"Y/n, Minho's out here." She said and I started walking to the door. He must've only have just arrived. When I saw him, I noticed something.
"Is that what I think it is?" I asked him, his clear skin was starting to have a mini war.
"Don't look at it. It's got a patch on hopefully it'll go soon." He said to me and the two of us started walking to class.
"Even if it doesn't, it'll be fine." I said to him and he took my hand and gave me a look. I looked back him.
"Oh, really?" He asked me and I looked at him.
"Yes, it's not the end of the world that you have a pimple." I said to him and the two of us kept walking. He took me all the way to the door of my class.
"I'll see you after class." He said to me and that's when I looked behind him.
"Wait, there's Yeojin and Jun." I said to him and I pulled him so we could watch from around the corner.
"What are they doing?" Minho asked me and we saw her talking to him. I couldn't tell if she was angry or not.
"I don't know. I can't tell if she looks angry or if she's happy." I said to him and we kept watching it all unfold. That's when she hit him.
"Definitely angry. What could he do to make her hit him?" Minho asked me and I was trying to think back to our conversation last night.
"She did tell me that she thinks he's flirting with this other girl. Then last night she disappeared and came back a couple minutes before curfew." I said to him and he looked at me. This was almost like the time we caught Florian out last semester.
"Did she mention anything about last night?" He asked me and I shook my head.
"Nothing at all. She was smiling so I thought that they went on a date. I was clearly wrong." I said to him and he looked at me. Even more confused.
"Remind me to never mess with Yeojin." He said to me and that's was something I didn't even want to experience.
"Do the same for me." I said to him and that's when Yeojin walked away from Jun.
"Yeojin! Yeojin!" Jun shouted and she didn't even turn around once. The two of them had become a thing after the ski trip. Clearly it didn't work out.
"That I wasn't expecting to see this morning." I said to Minho and he looked at me and shook his head.
"I didn't either. Now you need to get to class before your late. I'll see you at lunch." He said to me and I kissed him.
"I'll see you there." I said to him and the two of us started walking in different directions for class. I didn't know how all this was going to play out for Yeojin and Jun. Especially since they'd be working together for the contest. This was going to be her hell. Once the school day ended I was back in my dorm when the door opened.
"Y/n, I need your help tomorrow." She said to me and I looked at her.
"With what?" I asked her with a smile. She looked at me with a smile.
"I need you to come with me and Minho tomorrow to meet my long lost relatives." She said to me and I looked at her with a smile.
"I can do that. It'll be fun." She said to me and that's when we watched Yeojin. She left with a smile on her face. "Where is she going?" She asked me and I looked at her.
"I have no idea. Me and Minho watched her slap Jun this morning before walking away." I said to her and I was intrigued to know where she was going.
"I thought her and Jun were getting along." She said to me and that's when I stood up.
"So did I. Do you think I should follow her? See where she's going?" I asked her and she looked at me. I could tell she was thinking.
"Maybe you should. She might need your spy skills." She said to me and I hugged her.
"I will, see you tomorrow morning." I said to her and the two of us started walking to the door.
"Yeah, be up early. It's a 4 hour journey." She said to me and that was not going to be fun at all. That's when I started to sneakily follow Yeojin. We must've walked for an hour. That's when I saw her look around before making a phone call. It wasn't long until someone appeared. Jun. I was just confused. They held hands and kept walking even more. That's when I started to head back.
"Hwang, what are you doing out?" I heard Minho ask me as I got back to campus.
"Stalking Yeojin. She left again." I said to him and we headed inside.
"Did you see where she went?" He asked me as we started heading up to my dorm.
"She went and met up with someone." I said to him and he looked at me all intrigued.
"With who?" He asked me and I looked at him.
"You'll never believe this. Jun." I said to him and he looked like he was in shock.
"The same Jun she slapped this morning?" He asked me and I looked at him and nodded.
"That Jun. The only Jun." I said to him and he was shocked into silence. That's when we started heading to my dorm. Once we got there we both sat on the sofa.
"I still can't believe that they're being all lovey again." He said to me and I looked at him.
"Tell me about it. Maybe they had a little fight." I said to him and he looked at me like it was a possibility.
"Maybe they did. But when would they have worked it all out." He said to me and that was true. They kept to themselves all day, they didn't look or talk to each other for the whole day. They had no time to make up.
"That's exactly what I'm thinking." I said to him. After a few more minutes Yeojin walked in and saw the two of us.
"Oh, hey you two. I thought you were going out tonight." She said and that's when Jun walked in behind her.
"Care to explain. We saw the slap earlier and now you're with him again." Minho said to her, he was sounding like a parent at this point.
"Oh, you both saw that. It was a misunderstanding. You see one of his friends was saying that I would be a good actress and the two of us started acting out a scene. I would never hit his pretty face." Yeojin said and she went and kissed Jun's cheek. I was struggling to understand what was going on here. Minho was as well.
"Okay, I'll believe you." I said to her and that's when the two of them went me and her room. "Leave the door open!" I shouted and now I was sounding like a parent.
"We sounded like such parents just then." Minho said to me and I looked at him. At least I wasn't the only one who thought that.
"We did didn't we. We're too young to sound like that." I said to him and he looked at me with a smile.
"For now we are. Maybe in ten years time." He said to me with a smile. This guy needed to stop saying things about our future. It was going to make me fall even more than what I already had. When the morning came around. I was already for my road trip.
"Thank you again both of you for doing this. Especially because I did not fulfill expect to even be doing this with you two. I did spring it onto you." She said and she did kind of spring it onto me.
"It's fine, I could do with a road trip." I said to her with a smile. I needed to go to more places.
"It's fine. Honestly, I think I could do with a little trip as well especially if it's putting distance between this weird Yeojin and Jun thing." Minho said and hopefully it wouldn't be so weird when we came back. He got the door for Kitty and I.
"I forgot to say, Yeojin made sandwiches for us. As an apology for last night." I said to them and I saw the bag. She'd given it to me and Minho this morning. Once we both in he sat next to me. I was sandwiched in the middle which I was fine with.
"Huh. That's really thoughtful of her." Kitty said and that's when Minho and I looked at each other before looking back at her.
"Well, after last night. It's the least she could do." Minho said and let's just say me and Minho's cuddle on the sofa whilst watching movies was interrupted by the amount of noise coming from my room. We had leave and go to the boys dorm instead.
"Yeah, let's not talk about it." I said to him. I was so glad that we would be on the road soon. Of course like usual. My head went onto Minho's shoulder and I was asleep on his shoulder. I was woken once we'd arrived.
"Okay, we're here. What's the plan? You do have one, right?" Minho asked Kitty.
"Please tell me that there is a plan." I said to her and I looked at her.
"Well, of course I have a plan. We are waiting for my-great aunt to leave so I can talk to my cousin, Jiwon. And I'm not gonna do the grand 'you have a long-lost relative' reveal just yet. Today, we are simply gathering intel. We're gonna act like students who are interviewing locals who have lived here for generations for an oral history project." Kitty said and she had actually thought this through.
"That's actually really smart." I said to her with a smile on my face.
"That's actually not a bad plan." Minho said with a little chuckle.
"Thank you. I'm sorry again that I sprung this onto the- -" Kitty started and looked at the two of us.
"What and get us away from some drama that we could've caused? It's fine." Minho said and I looked at her.
"I'm just confused on what to think with it all happening. Maybe it was acting or maybe there was something else." I said to her and Minho looked at me.
"I don't think we are meant to be matchmakers or anything." He said to me and Kitty. She then looked at us and we all kept talking. This was one long stakeout.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know stakeouts were this boring." Kitty said with a yawn. I was getting hungry and we'd barely had any food left. Minho the took a walnut cake.
"Want the last walnut cake?" Minho asked me and I looked at him.
"Please, I'm starving." I said to him and gave me the cake. It didn't take long before I'd eaten it.
"Wait. I think that's her!" Kitty said and we saw an older lady come out her house. It had to be her. "That's my great-aunt! It has to be. Ooh! She looks just like my halmeoni. She's leaving. She's leaving. And she's left. She's left!" Kitty said as we watched her drive away. Kitty than began to get out the car.
"I think we're up." I said to Minho and I started getting out.
"Oh, we're going up. Okay." Minho said and he stared getting out as well. The two of us walking over to the door. Hand in hand behind Kitty. Once we arrived at the front door. Kitty just looked at it doing nothing. I looked at her and then at the door. "Kitty? Hello? You alright?" Minho asked her and I was hoping she was.
"I didn't expect to feel this...much. Is it weird to have a close connection to a place I've never been before?" Kitty asked and I looked at her with a smile on my face.
"It sounds completely normal to me." I said to her with a smile on my face. I'd felt connections to a lot of places I'd never been before.
"No, I think it's pretty special." Minho said to the her. It was very special.
"I just can't get over...my ancestors lived here." Kitty said and that's when the door opened. A girl appeared. This must've been Jiwon.
"Oh my god! Why are you just standing there? You're too late. She thought you weren't coming, so my grandma stepped out for a bit." Jiwon said and that's when Kitty looked at Minho.
"Oh. We're very sorry." Minho said to her.
"Which one of you is here to be matched?" She asked and that's when we all looked at each other. Was she a matchmaker?
"She's asking which of us is here to be matched." Minho said translating for Kitty. This was going to be just what Kitty needed.
"New plan. Go with it." Kitty said to the two of us.
"Got it." I said to her and I interlocked my fingers with Minho's, we didn't need to be matched.
"Tourists? I guess Halmeoni really is expanding her customer base. Follow me." Jiwon said and maybe this would give us some more insight.
"Are you telling me that they are matchmakers?" Kitty asked the two of and she was freaking out.
"Calm, Kitty. Calm." I said to her and I was hoping she would be.
"Kitty, be cool. Be cool." Minho said and Kitty went inside. The two of us following behind.
"So, I take it that you're client. Especially since these two are holding hands." Jiwon said and she was looking at us all and then papers on her desk.
"Yeah. So, our American friend here, she's so pathetic and perpetually single. She really needs professional help." Minho said to her and I looked at Jiwon.
"We have tried all we can but keep hitting rock bottom." I said to her and I was just going along with it all.
"Mm. Any professional help I can get is completely needed. These two are awful matchmakers." Kitty said making Minho and I chuckle.
"Okay, my Halmeoni doesn't like to get involved in anything complicated. So, are you sure there's no one left you all know?" Jiwon asked and I took the lead for answering this one.
"No, the dating pool has never been more empty." I said to her with a nod.
"There no one." Kitty said and that's when Kitty started to smile. Jiwon then picked a clipboard up.
"Okay, so one questionnaire, then?" Jiwon said and this was going to be an interesting day.
"Sounds great." Minho said to her and the clipboard was handed to Kitty. Once Kitty had filled everything in, it was time to talk.
"So, how long has this business been around? Is the whole family involved?" Kitty asked her, going for our project cover.
"It goes back many generations. Halmeoni would love for me to take over one day, but I'm actually studying to teach English. Probably at the village school so that I can stay here and take care of Halmeoni. She needs me. I'm her only family." Jiwon said and she passed around some tea for the three of us.
"Well, don't freak out, but speaking of family- -" Kitty started with a smile and I shook my head.
"Kitty, stick to the script." I whispered to her.
"Kitty, that's not the plan." Minho said to her and I was hoping she wouldn't. That's when the door opened.
"It's really starting to pour out there! Jiwon." Kitty's great aunt said when she came in. I didn't have a coat with me.
"Yes." Jiwon said and she headed over to her.
"Come here and help me." She said to Jiwon. This wasn't how it was supposed to go.
"Halmeoni! Over here." Jiwon said and she turned around to face us.
"Who are these people?" She asked and I heard the thunder rumbling. I really didn't like thunder. Minho had wrapped an arm around my waist to give me a sense of comfort. It was working. That's when I had a drink of my tea.
"Huh? Aren't this your new client?" Jiwon asked, we'd been found out. She knew we were imposters.
"What are you talking about? No, why would a radish farmer have such a fair skin complexion?" She asked looking at Minho. Who let out a nervous chuckle. "Plus his girlfriend has an expensive looking glow to her skin. And, his younger sister...has a famous mole, look. It's not there. Who are you all?" She asked us and we had definitely been caught.
"Uh, maybe I can help explain." Kitty said and she stood up. I stood up as well along with Minho.
"Uh, Kitty?" Minho said, she was going off script.
"Not the time, Kitty." I said to her.
"I am Kitty Song. My mom's Eve Song. She's your sisters daughter." Kitty said to them all. Just like that, it was all out there.
"Your mom is Eve Song?" Jiwon asked her, she must've known about her.
"You've heard about my mom? Her and Simon were- -" Kitty started before Jiwon cut her off.
"That's my dad." She said to her and we knew he was.
"Yeah." Kitty said to her.
"Halmeoni, what's she talking about?" Jiwon asked her and by the atmosphere in the room. This wasn't going to end well.
"That's enough! Stop and just leave! Get out!" She shouted at Kitty. We had to go. This isn't how Kitty wanted this trip to be.
"I...I don't understand." Kitty said to her cousin. She was about to find out.
"She says, 'get out.'" Jiwon said to her, I looked at Kitty. She was confused.
"Leave right now! I said get out! Why are you standing there? Get out!" She said pulling Kitty out. She'd started to try.
"Halmeoni!" Jiwon said to her. It was me and Minho's turn to get pulled out now.
"Yeah, yeah." Minho said and the two of us started walking out.
"Get out! Get out now!" She shouted at us. Kitty ran out.
"I'm so sorry." I said to them and I ran after Kitty in the rain. It wasn't long until I caught up to her. She stopped still and I hugged her.
"Y/n! Kitty!" I heard Minho shout he didn't know where we were. I looked back and saw him. "Kitty." He said. She was staring at the graves for her family. "Kitty, you alright?" Minho asked her and I was still hugging her.
"I should have seen this coming. I just kept thinking that they're family, so they would have to feel a connection. I mean, my great-aunt is a matchmaker. But my family...doesn't want me? I have made such a mess of things at school, and now I've made a bigger mess. And apparently, that's what my mom did too. I always thought that maybe I was like her in the best ways. What if I'm like her in the worst ways?" Kitty asked and that's when she started to sob.
"Kitty, you could never be her in the worst ways. Because she wasn't a bad person, maybe she was trying to do the same as you." I said to her. Maybe her mom and Simon were trying to reunite the families. Minho then joined in on our group hug.
"Come on now. That's not true. Oh, I know quite a bit about Kitty Song Covey. She's relentless and determined. She helped her sister find love in her own chaotic way, then traveled around the world so she could find it for herself. That's how I know she...well...well, that's how I know you won't give up on your family. Whether they want you to or not." Minho said to her and he was right about all of that. "Right. Shall we get out of here? It's getting quite muddy, and frankly, your living ancestors scare me. I don't want to meet the dead ones. Yeah? Come on." Minho said and we started walking away.
"Yeah, your living ancestors are a lot scarier than mine." I said to her and that's when Minho looked at me.
"And I thought Y/n's mom was terrifying." Minho said and I'd heard that before. We then started our way back home. Once we were back, I saw Dae coming towards the car as we all got out.
"Dae, is everything okay?" I asked him. He looked worried and panicked.
"I need to get to the hospital." He said to her, that would explain his expression.
"What?" Kitty asked him.
"My dad got into a car accident." Dae said to us. This wasn't what he needed. Not at all.
"Get in. I'll take you." Minho said and he got in the front seat. Dae joining us in the back. We then took off towards the hospital. Hopefully Mr. Kim would be okay.
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