What was I thinking?

I had got to stop saying the wrong things at the wrong timings. Was it really necessary for me to get myself involved in weird situations?

Why was I so bad at having simple a conversation with a girl, especially one who had been my friend for so long? 

...

After we got down from the bus, I managed to somehow get away from Jessica and all the awkwardness that left its shadow upon us. 

We roamed the colourful streets of the Namdaemun Market, and everyone enjoyed themselves. I could see why Ms.Kim was such a popular teacher; she wasn't one of those people who was nosy about your personal life, unless you wanted to talk to her about it. Secondly, she wasn't strict at all and she understood us, I guess. I hadn't really talked to her much, but this is what I had observed. Jessica was especially fond of her.

The good thing was, the guys didn't really pay attention to our uncomfortable exchange of words in the bus, so they didn't say much, except stuff like-

"Yo, I didn't know you talked to that Aussie girl!"

And...

"Since when did you befriend Jessica? I don't think she's cool, she talks to that weird Indian nerd!"

Some of the things that they said were pretty rude, because firstly, Jessica could hang out with whoever she wanted to, and secondly, Hae-Ri was definitely NOT a nerd just because she was exceptionally good at academics. I made sure to convey my opinion, because one thing I couldn't stand, is when people judged others who they didn't even know.

But there was also stuff like...

"Bro, you got good taste, can you introduce me to her?"

And...

"Jessica seems nice, I've thought about talking to her a couple of times, but...I keep chickening out. Do you think she'll find me weird?"

After a couple of hours, everyone started getting hungry, so Ms.Kim suggested that we try the street food.

"Bruh, I've had Korean street food all my life. It isn't something new.", I said to Su-Won.

I suppose Ms.Kim heard me, because almost immediately, she said, "Especially for the non-Koreans, who haven't got an opportunity to try the true taste of Korea. The Koreans would've had this multiple times, I assume,".

Hmm, I thought, what was this woman's weak point? Did she even have one?

...

We found a couple of stalls that sold Jjajangmyeon, Tteokbokki, Rice Cake Skewers, etc. and also had a few tables set up beside them, so we decided to have our lunch there. 

I was just about to ask Su-Won to share a bowl of Tteokbokki with me, when Jessica suddenly started asking me something.

"You like Jjajangmyeon, right? Let's share a bowl, I'll pay," she said, taking out her wallet.

"Sure, but lemme pay, you can treat me later," I requested, but she was adamant.

"Silyehabnida, can we get a bowl of Yuni-Jjajang?...Min-Jae, do you want it really spicy?", she asked. (Excuse me)

"Yeah okay, if you're okay with that, I mean...you know...your tennis? I thought you weren't supposed to consume spicy food," I checked.

"Oh, that's fine, this is a one-in-a-while thing. Excuse me, yes, make it extra-spicy, please.", Jessica said, handing the owner a 5000 won note.

She grabbed my hand, and dragged me to one of the tables. I flinched. As expected from Jessica's bold personality; she was being so casual even after our conversation earlier. That was a good thing, I guess. She didn't have to think about what people thought of her, she could be herself...the lucky thing.