7MoH 1.18

“Just drop me off here.”

Brian glanced over at Jeong-in in the passenger seat. His Mustang had just turned onto Palm Grove Drive.

“Didn’t you say your house is on Willow Street?”

“It’s fine. I just want to walk.”

“It’ll get dark soon, you know?”

Jeong-in didn’t know Brian Cole had such a gentlemanly side. If he could just be more careful with women, he’d be a pretty decent guy. It was a shame.

“It’s not that rough a neighborhood.”

“Whatever, suit yourself.”

Brian stopped the car, and Jeong-in got out after a brief thank you. Brian pressed the gas pedal without hesitation, and his Mustang quickly disappeared from view.

Just as he started walking, someone called out to Jeong-in.

“Jay, are you heading home?”

Turning around, he saw Rachel, Justin’s mother, unloading groceries from her car. Justin’s house was just a few blocks away from Jeong-in’s.

“Hello. How’s Justin?”

“I just dropped him off at the airport. I’m so worried…”

Come to think of it, today was the day Justin was leaving for Boston. The flight to Boston alone takes six and a half hours. To make the campus tour that started in the morning, he had to leave today, the day before.

Suddenly, guilt washed over him. While comforting someone he barely knew in that lavish mansion, he hadn’t even properly said goodbye to his closest friend.

“Have you eaten dinner? Want to join us?”

“No, it’s okay. I should get going.”

“Alright. Come over and play sometime!”

Jeong-in exchanged brief pleasantries and trudged along. As he walked the familiar path looking only at his feet, streetlights had come on and darkness had fallen all around.

His thoughts multiplied. Suddenly, scenes from the telenovelas Grandma Meiling used to watch came to mind. The secret and twisted relationships in those over-the-top dramas. Could Chase and Vivian’s secret be something like that? Perhaps they had a hidden identical twin brother.

Jeong-in continued with these absurd speculations until he found himself ridiculous and stopped.

His footsteps halted when he spotted a familiar silver convertible parked on the street in front of his house. His eyes met Chase’s, who was standing in front of the car. For a moment, they just stared at each other without saying anything or moving.

Chase was the first to move.

With his hands in his pockets, he walked up to Jeong-in and stood before him. Each step he took carried a strange sense of intimidation.

“That guy couldn’t even drive you all the way home? At this hour?”

His voice was low and calm, but there was an edge to it.

“Why are you talking like that? Brian is your friend.”

The front of Chase’s eyebrow twitched.

“Why did you leave without eating dinner?”

It wasn’t like Jeong-in was Korean and obsessed with food. Why was he making such a big deal about it? Jeong-in was tired and didn’t particularly have anything to say. The weariness showed plainly on his face as he let out a brief sigh.

“I don’t understand why you, Prescott, came all the way here to interrogate me.”

“Let me ask one more thing. Why is it Darius and Brian, but I’m just Prescott?”

There was a suppressed emotion in his question. It was a point Jeong-in had never even considered. Jeong-in blinked, momentarily stunned.

“Well, that’s…”

Why didn’t he call Chase by his name? Was it because his surname Prescott was too powerful? Or was he afraid that the moment he called him by his first name, Chase would take on a more special place in his life?

Strangely, Jeong-in felt reluctant to call him by his name.

“That’s just what everyone calls you.”

At Jeong-in’s deliberately casual answer, Chase made an expression of frustration, as if something wasn’t going his way.

“Something definitely happened. What is it? Did you get bad news from home?”

“It’s nothing like that.”

“You expect me to believe that?”

Jeong-in was equally frustrated.

“Why are you making such a big deal about me not eating? Are you the food police or something?”

“That’s not the issue. Your mood…”

“Exactly. Why is my mood so important to you?”

Chase, momentarily at a loss for words, let out a rough sigh and ran his hand through his hair somewhat irritably.

“You’re too complicated. You’re as difficult as that damn formula drawn on your t-shirt, dammit.”

“What? Damn? Dammit?”

Jeong-in’s brow furrowed at Chase’s rough language, unusual for him. Chase continued regardless.

“It’s obvious you hate me just by looking at that book! I know that! But when we talked at the beach or when we’re alone, it doesn’t seem that way. What is your heart really feeling? Seeing how obviously you avoid me at school, it doesn’t seem like you want to be my friend. You’re not trying to look cool like the other kids, and you don’t seem to want anything from me.”

“Why? Is that not allowed?”

Jeong-in’s voice also became increasingly agitated. Chase looked at him clearly with blue eyes full of confusion.

“Are you deliberately trying to get under my skin?”

“Your ego is huge. Not everything revolves around you, Chase Prescott.”

“Is there a problem?”

Just then, someone’s voice interrupted from behind.

“Jeong-in?”

Both of them turned around simultaneously.

Suzy, who appeared to be on her way to take out the trash as she held a black bag, was standing in front of the entrance, looking at them with a worried expression.

“Mom…”

At Jeong-in’s form of address, Chase’s gaze naturally shifted to Suzy. Suzy was alternately looking at her son and the tall blond man arguing in front of their house. Her eyes moved sharply, checking if this person might be a threat to her son.

Chase quickly took a step back. He opened his mouth as if to say something to Jeong-in, but ultimately closed it without speaking. Then, without hesitation, he turned toward Suzy.

In truth, he felt like he was being mercilessly beaten with words by Jeong-in. But from an outsider’s perspective, it might look like a big kid bullying a smaller one. He needed to clear up the misunderstanding.

“Hello. My name is Chase Prescott. I’m Jay’s school friend. We’re taking English composition together.”

“Oh, I see. Jay’s school friend… wait, Prescott?”

Suzy also remembered the name that had been mentioned several times in her conversations with Steven. Plus, Suzy had even visited the Prescott family mansion before. It was to find the bag that Jeong-in had left behind.

Chase scratched the back of his head awkwardly and added,

“My father runs a small business named after our family.”

Small business, my foot. Jeong-in snorted.

Meanwhile, Suzy felt like puzzle pieces scattered in her mind were falling into place. Jeong-in coming home late yesterday, the varsity jacket he was wearing, his mention of making a new friend – everything fit together perfectly.

“Are you… a varsity player? Football team?”

Chase looked surprised, his eyes widening as he asked back,

“How did you know that?”

“Just a hunch.”

Suzy gave him a meaningful smile. Then, looking back and forth between the two, she carefully asked,

“The atmosphere seemed tense. Were you two fighting?”

“No, not at all.”

Chase quickly stepped in to answer. His voice carried a somewhat desperate tone, hoping she would believe his sincerity.

“That’s good then.”

Suzy nodded with a gentler smile.

It was the first friend Jeong-in had brought home besides Justin, so Suzy felt something special. Moreover, bringing someone who appeared to be part of the school’s popular crowd made her feel deeply moved.

From the day Jeong-in first entered the American school until now, every day had been filled with worry about whether he would adapt well. Each day felt like walking on thin ice, wondering if he would come home crying after hearing prejudiced remarks somewhere.

Feeling that things were finally falling into place, Suzy felt a sense of relief rising from deep within her chest. Her heart even fluttered a bit with joy.

“Chase, was it? We’re about to have dinner. Would you like to join us if you haven’t eaten yet?”

Jeong-in’s eyes widened as he looked at her mother. While he had been calming Madison down, Chase would have had more than enough time to eat dinner. Jeong-in was about to decline on his behalf, but Chase was quicker.

“I’d be grateful to join you, thank you.”

Jeong-in’s mouth opened slightly. He looked at Chase with an expression of disbelief, but he was maintaining a friendly smile while keeping his gaze fixed on Suzy.

“It’s Korean food, though. Will that be okay?”

“I love trying new foods.”

The situation unfolded in a direction Jeong-in hadn’t anticipated at all.

Crossing the threshold of Jeong-in’s home for the first time, Chase slowly looked around the interior.

The house wasn’t large, but it had a warm and cozy atmosphere. An old wooden bookcase, a coffee table with peeling paint, and mismatched chairs were placed throughout the space. All were items bearing traces of time.

Suzy preferred refurbishing antique furniture found at yard sales or secondhand furniture stores rather than mass-produced furniture. It was one of her hobbies, and Jeong-in had always participated in the process.

“Your home is really beautiful.”

“Thank you. It needs work here and there, but it’s still a lovely home.”

Chase smiled as he looked around, then asked Suzy,

“I’d like to wash my hands. Where’s the bathroom?”

“Over there, through the door with the wreath.”

As Chase headed to the bathroom with a word of thanks, Jeong-in moved closer to his mother and whispered,

“Mom! How could you suddenly invite him!”

“What’s the big deal? He’s your friend.”

At Suzy’s nonchalant response, Jeong-in lost his words and sat down heavily on a dining chair with a resigned sigh. When Chase came out of the bathroom shortly after, he naturally approached Suzy. Standing side by side, the height difference was enormous. Suzy had to look up significantly to see Chase’s face.

“Your mother must be proud. Her son has grown so well. How tall are you?”

“About 6 feet 5 inches (195cm).”

“If only our Jay were just 2 inches taller.”

“Mom!”

Chase turned around and burst into silent laughter at Jeong-in’s sulky expression. In this comfortable space, Jeong-in’s expressions seemed much more honest than usual.

“Is there anything I can help with?”

“Could you set the plates?”

Chase took plates from the cabinet Suzy pointed to and placed them one by one on the round dining table. It was a table just right for four people but slightly cramped for five.

The dish placed in the center of the table was spicy braised chicken, a Korean dish they made most often. The seasonings could be stored for a long time, and the only additional ingredients needed were potatoes and onions. Chicken was easy to find anywhere, making it quite a convenient dish.

“Oh! Chase, can you handle spicy food?”

Chase thought for a moment as if recalling his memory, then answered.

“Well… It depends on the type of spiciness. I’ve been told I handle Spanish food pretty well, but I lost to Indian food.”

“Today you’ll be challenging Korean spiciness. Here you go.”

As Suzy opened the lid of the pot, hot steam rose and the spicy and rich aroma of spicy braised chicken filled the room. Chase stared intently at the inside of the pot as if it were his opponent.

“This… looks like chicken that fell into lava. To be honest, it’s a bit intimidating.”

Suzy burst into laughter at his comment. She scooped an appropriate amount of rice onto Chase’s plate and added a few pieces of the spicy chicken stew, saying,

“Here, give it a try.”

As Chase picked up the chopsticks, Suzy asked if he needed a fork. Chase shook his head and said,

“It’s fine. I can use chopsticks. Thank you for the meal.”

After a polite greeting, Chase picked up a bright red chicken leg with a determined expression and placed it on top of his rice. Suzy stared at him intently and casually asked, “Being this handsome, you must have a girlfriend, right?”

Chase hesitated momentarily but soon offered a gentle smile. Though he neither confirmed nor denied it, his silence felt like enough of an affirmation.

Watching him, Jeong-in felt inexplicably irritated. The urge to provoke him and uncover his secret about Vivian quietly emerged.

“She’s not just any girlfriend, Mom. She’s the prettiest girl in school. The junior captain of the cheerleading team.”

Chase slowly turned to look at Jeong-in. His expression grew heavier, but still, not a word of denial or any response came from him.

“My goodness,” Suzy exclaimed with sparkling eyes. “A football player and cheerleader couple? So TV dramas and movies weren’t just making that up?”

Chase again simply smiled quietly without giving any particular answer.

The composure was gradually disappearing from him. Though Chase had been eating nonchalantly at first, at some point his eyes began to redden, and even his breathing became increasingly rapid.

Jeong-in sighed once and brought him a cup of cool water. He emptied it in one gulp.

“Oh dear, is it too spicy for you?”

Suzy looked at Chase with an amused smile, as if she were dealing with a child trying spicy food for the first time.

“If it’s spicy, try eating some rice,” Jeong-in suggested matter-of-factly, and Chase immediately took a large spoonful of rice. It felt quite nice to see the large man obediently following his advice. Once again, he resembled a large golden-haired puppy.

The strange tension he had felt until just moments ago vanished instantly.

“It’s spicy if you eat them separately. Try this.”

Jeong-in shredded the chicken into small pieces with her chopsticks and placed it on top of the rice. He added a potato, then mashed and mixed it appropriately with a spoon.

“It’s less spicy if you eat it this way.”

Chase followed Jeong-in’s demonstration exactly. As soon as he took his first bite, his expression changed. The spiciness subsided, and a savory flavor filled his mouth.

Chase quickly emptied his bowl and asked for another serving of rice, which he devoured using the same method.

Recalling the amount he had eaten at the diner before, Jeong-in understood, and Suzy looked contentedly at the blond young man who was heartily enjoying the food she had prepared.

“Let me help you clean up,” Chase said, carefully lifting his empty plate. Suzy looked surprised for a moment before waving her hand dismissively.

“You can start doing that around your fifth visit.”

Suzy gave Chase a warm smile, then turned to Jeong-in and casually suggested, “Jeong-in, why don’t you show Chase your room?”

Jeong-in raised an eyebrow at the sudden suggestion. He didn’t forget to send a reproachful glance toward Suzy.

The best scenario would have been for Chase to politely decline and say he should be going, but instead, Chase couldn’t hide his expectant expression, like a dog who just heard the word “walk.”

“Haa… Follow me.”

Jeong-in stood up with a short sigh, and Chase followed behind him.