House-warming Party
As soon as we reached next door, much to my surprise- the guy from yesterday opened the door and greeted us. He bowed politely to us and smiled, showing his rabbit teeth. He was dressed in black and white flannel shirt with black jeans. "Good evening. I'm Kim Jiwon. It's great to have you here today, Mr. Lee and family." He said. Whoa, this guy here got a deep voice with cute teeth.
"Oh good evening, too! We are so glad to be invited here tonight." Mom and dad smiled back at Jiwon. Psh, too much formalities. I almost forgot to bow at Jiwon until mom decided to push the back of my head downwards and I bowed immediately. I looked up and his smile widened, amused by our actions. I forced a laugh while secretly firing daggers at mom through my glares who was faking a smile at me.
Jiwon's parents came towards the door to greet us and ushered us inside their house. I looked around the living room and noticed that a few people was already here for the party. They were chit-chatting and laughing with each other while having drinks.
Their house was fully furnished, I noticed. It was amazing how they could manage everything so quick despite the fact that they just moved in yesterday. Or probably this place was already furnished long ago? The white walls were spotless and the tiles were clean and shining. There were photo frames being hung on the walls, showcasing old and new photos of important events of their family.
Their black and elegant sofas also looked brand new with a glass coffee table located in the middle of the living room. Their 52 inches LCD tv was held on the wall, screening shows in high definition. Few decorations were added to the furnitures, making them looked a little less empty.
"Thank you so much for the food, Mrs. Lee." Mrs. Kim thanked my mom and sent her a friendly smile as she laid her arm on mom's waist. "You're welcome. Well, it was actually that I made the cake and my daughter made the spaghetti. I hope the cake and spaghetti will taste fine and match your family's taste buds," Mom mused. "Wow, you have such a good daughter." Mrs. Lee looked amazed. "My daughter can barely cook. No, I mean, she hates cooking. I wished I have a daughter who can help me to cook, just like yours!" She said and a girl around my age cleared her throat with a dissatisfied look on her face.
"Mom..." Jiwon said while smiling at her younger sister, amused at her reaction. When did he's never amused? I guess he finds everything that happens around him is amusing. "At least I helped, right?" Jiwon said to her mom, trying to win a point. His mom rolled her eyes and answered, "Yeah, sometimes. Just when he wants something."
I held back a laugh at his mom's answer. Burn. But that answer didn't fade his smile away. He glanced at me as he caught me holding back my urge to laugh. He gave me one of those eyesmiles of his and I swiftly tore my stare away from him as I tried to look serious. "You kids get well with each other. We're going to set up the tables." Mrs. Kim ordered as she dragged my mom away. "Be nice." Mom mouthed at me with a warning look before she go and I rolled my eyes at her. Damn, these two moms are seriously going to be best friends from the looks of it. I thought as I watched them disappeared into the dining room with the dishes we brought.
Our dads had gone for a while ago to have a friendly chat with the other men outside. And the only ones left at the living room were me, Jiwon, his younger sister and a few children playing around. Thank God for the children's laughter or if not, it would be so awkward. Silence, just like in the cemetery.
"So, what's your name?" Jiwon finally spoke, breaking the silence as if he could read my thoughts. Probably he felt the same way as I am, too. But actually, talking to him was the least thing I wanted to do tonight because the events from yesterday were still stuck in my mind.
"Lee Hayi."
Jiwon nodded. "That's Kim Sera. Younger sister." He said as he gestured towards his sister who were staring blankly at her phone, being oblivious of the surrounding. "And that's my younger brother, Kim Jihan." He pointed a boy in blue shirt with his chin. Jihan was probably aged around 3 to 4 years old. I nodded at his introductions as I tried to avoid any eye contact with him.
"Want me to show you around?" He suddenly asked making my mouth slightly parted in surprise. Hell, NO. It will be awkward... "Um, s-sure." I found myself agreeing to him. "Is Sera coming along?" I inquired, stealing glances at Sera who was still staring at her phone, emotionless. At least, if she comes along, it would be less awkward. It wouldn't have to be me and only Jiwon.
"Sera wouldn't go outside unless necessary. And she won't if she's busy with her phone." Jiwon's eyebrows quirked upwards as he pressed his lips into a thin line. Sera looked over her phone when she heard those words. "Just go. I won't go with you guys anyway." She rolled her eyes and continued with the so-called 'job-in-hand'.
With that, I awkwardly followed Jiwon towards the front door. Is there any other teen in this house? Can it not be just the two of us?! As I remembered the events from yesterday, my cheeks heated up. I could even imagine his abs under the flannel shirt that he wore. I shut my eyes tightly as I tried to remove those thoughts from my head.
Jiwon opened the door for me like any gentleman would do and ushered me outside. Outside, the elders were laughing at some jokes which echoed through the neighbourhood. "Are your relatives here, too?" I nonchalantly asked as I watched the elders talked like good old friends who never seen each other for years.
Jiwon stood beside me and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. He nodded and spoke. "Some. But my cousins didn't have the chance to come over. They are much older than me. Some were studying at their college and some were married, living far away from here." Oh, I nodded. That explains why there wasn't any other teen besides me, Jiwon and Sera today. This neighbourhood had a small number of teen, too. Which was why I always played alone outside during my childhood. I spent my childhood with literally no kids around my age at that time.
"Our moms clicked easily, huh?" He looked at me in the eyes with his lopsided smile. I raised an eyebrow and slightly nodded. "So why not us?" He continued as his smile shifted into a mischievous smirk. What the... is he flirting on me?! His eyes were shaped into crescents and upon seeing that, something burst in my stomach. Is it my intestines? Or heck, butterflies?!
"Just because our moms clicked with each other, doesn't mean that we should clicked, too." I muttered a reply as I restrained myself from rolling my eyes. Jiwon chuckled. "Or maybe we could ignite some sparks between us two." He said again as he shrugged his shoulders. My forehead folded into creases as I tried to process what he just said. "Wait... what?!" I looked at him in fury as he walked backwards towards the basketball court. He was laughing at my reaction. "I was just kidding!" He said amidst his laughter.
I followed him slowly towards the basketball court while Jiwon continued to walk backwards as if guiding me to where he wanted to show me. He grabbed a basketball from the ground and bounced it twice before looking back at me.
"Saw you by your window yesterday."
He said in a matter-of-fact tone. I stopped in my tracks and watched him as he swirled around to bounce the ball and tossing it directly into the net. This is the least topic that I wanted to discuss with him today. I cursed inwardly at my bad luck as I forced a smile. "Oh, I was checking out the weather."
Jiwon turned to look at me. His smile never leaving his face. "You were looking downwards. Not looking up to check the skies for the weather." His playful smile creeped in as he bounced the ball using his right hand and then, his left hand. This guy... is he trying to provoke me right now? I hate talking about it right now and how he simply teased me on it made my body heated up in annoyance. I bit my lip as I stole the ball from him and bounced it infront of me several times.
