Savoury

Despite trying my hardest to evade my feelings, I spent most of the night crying quietly into my quilt. When the knock landed on my door in the morning, it felt like I had just fallen asleep, and I was already being awoken. I tried to return to sleep, but it didn’t want me as much as I wanted it. My eyes felt dry and so did my cheeks. My forehead felt like it was protruding out of my head, and I had a terrible headache. It felt as though I had been drinking.

I hoped shower and fresh clothes would help, but it didn’t. There was no cure to this hangover. I wore eyeliner to minimise the puffiness of my eyes. I wasn’t planning on going anywhere, but I didn’t want Joonho or Jin to be suspicious. I hoped they would just assume I was tired. Which I was. So tired. No amount of sleep was ridding me of my tiredness.

After sitting in my towel on the edge of my bed for over a half hour, I noticed a white piece of paper sitting under my door. I groaned annoyed that I had to move, having been comfortable for so long, before dragging my body and picking up the note off the floor. It was from Joonho, asking me to come have breakfast with him in his office. I was too tired to feel anything else including hunger, but I had to make the effort or else he’d think something was wrong.

I forcefully got myself ready and made my way downstairs. As I stepped off the last step the doorbell rang. I hesitated. It wasn’t my house, and I certainly wasn’t expecting any guests, but I was a couple of steps away from the door and there didn’t seem to be anyone else rushing to answer it. I tip toed to the door and opened it slowly, before feeling the weight of somebody else pull the door open further and lean over me.

“Don’t open the door, it’s not safe.” Kyong was standing behind me, towering over me. A postman was standing behind the door, and he reached over my head and picked up the mail he was handing over to us. I moved out of their way, nodding along to Kyong with a smile, before heading for Joonho's office. Just like I thought, I shouldn’t have opened it.

Inhaling a deep breath, I knocked lightly on Joonho's office door, as Kyong made his way past me, looking through the mail that had been delivered. After taking a couple of steps away, he returned, opening the door to Joonho's office for me. I felt my heart jump, rushing inside to get out of his way. He didn’t find the encounter as awkward, casually walking past me and handing Joonho an envelope he had just opened and checked. He smiled, as he took his leave. I don’t know why I found them all so intimidating. They all seemed kind and sweet, yet my body felt tense anytime I was around them.

“Morning, how did you sleep?” Joonho greeted me with a smile.

“Not the best, it’s still a new place, just need to get used to it.” I had to excuse my puffy eyes somehow. He nodded along in agreement, and I felt a little bit better that he believed me. I took a seat on a two-person couch on one side of his office, sinking into the leather and making myself as comfortable as possible.

“Are you hungry? Shall I get them to bring in breakfast?” He came to sit on a chair beside the couch, looking through his phone.

“Sure.” There was still awkwardness around us. After all we were strangers, despite our blood running the same DNA. I sat quietly, not knowing how to get into a conversation to make things somewhat more entertaining.

There was nothing. He was still on his phone, and I was mindlessly looking around the room, finding things to focus on, until a maid brought in our breakfast. She set up a metal, silver portable table in front of us, that was only big enough for the two of us. She had a cart she had pulled along that held all of the food she was going to serve us. I felt out of place. I never even had a cleaner, let alone a cook or a maid.

“Sweet or savoury Sir?” She looked at Joonho with a sweet smile that looked as though she was lusting after him. It made me do a double take and look at Joonho from a different perspective. I suppose, in a way, he was attractive. He was tall and slender, but he had some definition to his muscles. His hair was nice and tidy, and his features were drawn on by an artist. Again, I felt out of place.

“Savoury for me please. No mushrooms or tomatoes.” He didn’t even lift his head from his phone, giving his order to the maid, who quickly arranged it on a plate, before placing it in front of him. Egg, bacon, hashbrowns, many other things that I certainly didn’t fancy. She put down a pot with tea and coffee as well as cups and sugar and milk.

“Sweet or savoury Miss?” She didn’t look at me the same way she looked at my brother. She hardly held eye contact with me, and I could only assume that it was because my two maids had told her about me. I wondered if I was pegged the spoilt witch for dismissing them the other day and not giving them a chance.

“Sweet please.” I hesitated, not knowing what sweet meant, but also too afraid to ask and make things even more awkward.

She placed a plate of pancakes, fruit and a pot of syrup. The smell was so sweet and inviting that I finally felt something else other than my headache. I thanked her, bowing as much as I could, and she quickly departed.

Joonho was still on his phone, and I sat back, waiting for him to finish so we could eat. I didn’t want to be rude and begin without him. The smell was so inviting, I felt like nudging him just to get his attention.

“Sorry, work doesn’t stop sometimes. You go ahead. We don’t do the honourific stuff while we’re in England, only next to elders or parents.” He smiled, lifting his head from his phone for a second. I smiled in return and began eating. I had assumed the point of eating together was to get to know each other, but he didn’t seem to have time and I felt like I was in his way.