Grandma's Confrontation

Grandma came back from the bath and saw Jun busy at the kitchen counter.

She walked towards the counter and saw that the rice was almost done and the curry was on the stove boiling. She took the curry in a spoon and tasted it after blowing air on it several times.

"Mmmm!" She exclaimed, "Juna! This is very tasty!! You surprise me every time with your cooking skills." She beamed a smile at him.

"It's good?"

"Absolutely!"

"Well, Grandma you taught me all this, so I have to be good!"

"Oh come on! This is way better than my cooking. Do you cook in Seoul too?" She asked.

"Yeah, sometimes I do. When we get bored of noodles, we all go to one of our friend's house. He lives there with his mother. Sometimes she makes us food but most of the times I insist to do it. This curry, she taught me this one."

"Oh my Juna!" Grandma grabbed his face and gently kissed on his forehead. "I was worried sick about you. If you are getting enough food or not, if it's healthy or not… Now I think I can sleep peacefully."

"I already told you Grandma, don't worry about me. I can take care of myself."

"Yeah yeah. I know." She rolled her eyes.

"Rather than worrying about me, you should look after yourself!"

"I get it. I take care of myself. Don't worry."

Jun went and put a lead on the pot. "I'll take out the kimchi from the fridge..." He murmured to himself.

Grandma was looking at him working, "Juna…"

"Yeah?" He asked without looking at her and kept looking for the kimchi in the fridge.

"Do you meet Mia usually?"

"Yeah."

"So she comes to meet you or..?"

"No. no. I go to meet her. The girls are not allowed at our dorm."

"Ohh…So is she always alone?"

For the first time he stuck his head out and looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean….if she's alone or umm….Ray is with her all the time..."

Jun closed the door of the fridge. "Well, that's a funny story…"

"…"

"I didn't know about those two getting together…When you guys got to know, that day I also found out, later than you all actually! Hehe…"

"Why didn't she tell you before?"

"Well, it's been only several days….and the last time we met, she tried to tell me….I guess the timing was off…" He chuckled.

Grandma looked at him worriedly.

"Aa. The curry is done!" He said to himself and turned off the stove. The rice cooker beeped and he turned it off too. "Good. Done." saying that, he removed the apron and headed outside.

Grandma followed him hurriedly. He went towards his room so did her.

He stopped in the room's door and turned back, "What happened, Grandma? Why are you following me like this?"

"…." She looked worried.

He noticed it.

"Come inside and sit here." He made her sit on the bed and dragged the chair to her to sit on it. "Now tell me what is wrong? Why were you asking me all those questions?"

"If I'll ask you one thing….promise me you won't get mad…" She said.

"What are you saying Grandma? Have I ever got mad at you? And if I have, that's only because I care for you. You know that right?"

"Yeah I know...but…"

He took her hands in his both hands, "Oh come on Grandma. It's fine. You can say and ask me whatever you want. In this whole world, only you have that right over me. Okay?" He squeezed her hands.

"Juna, are you happy dear?" She asked looking right in his eyes.

"…." He blinked in confusion.

"After hearing that, Mia is…Mia is in relationship with Ray…Are you happy?"

His grip on her loosened, she looked down at his hands.

He stayed quiet for couple of seconds, trying to gather some words and then said, "What kind of question is this, Grandma? Why would I have any problem with that?"

"You can't answer the question with another question." She said.

He let out a shallow sigh, "Of course Grandma. I….I am happy." He quickly looked down avoiding her eyes.

"Are you sure?" She asked again.

He stood up and went towards the window, "How many times should I say that?... I am happy for both of them." He said looking at a distant outside.

"And besides, why would I have any problem?"

"Because you love her!" Grandma's firm voice made his eyes open wide in surprise.

He turned back and as he was about to say something, he saw her holding a familiar box in her hands. Couple of frowns appeared on his forehead.

"I found this in a bag, hidden under the bed while cleaning." She said.

"Why did you—"

"That's not the question Jun. The real question is what are these doing under there?"

"…." He looked down.

"The real question is if you love her this much, how can you be happy to see her with another man?"

"…." His fists were clenched as he felt his eyes were welling up.

"Tell me Juna! Why you never ever told her that you love her?"

"BECAUSE SHE WAS IN LOVE WITH SOMEONE ELSE!!!" He yelled as tears started streaming down his cheeks. Breathing heavily, he clenched his fists tighter.

"Juna…." Her eyes also got filled seeing him.

"Because she was in love with someone else, grandma. She was in love with Ray, and he was with her…. Since the high school…..And she still loves him grandma. They both do."

"….."

He came forward and silently took the box from her hands.

"But Juna…"

"Grandma…I didn't want to show it to anybody but as you have seen it, I request….Please don't tell anybody about this…"

"But…"

"Please…"

"…." She sighed deep and looked down. With heavy steps she started walking towards the door.

"And Grandma…"

She stopped at the door but didn't turn back.

"I am happy because she is happy."

Tears started flowing down her eyes as he said those words.

"Don't worry about me. I am fine."

She went away and he was left there alone with that box in his hands.

He carefully kept it on the bed and opened it.

There was a lot of stuff in there. A small red colored shoe, a pink ribbon, couple of pencils and a handkerchief.

From the bottom he took out a stack of papers.

Some of them were letters which Mia used to send him as a child, during Christmas while rest of them was some scribbles of some lyrics along with the music notes.

He kept it back again and closed the box. "I don't want to get rid of you guys…So please stay where I hide you this time.…"

~