Childhood Friend (3)
“Eek….”
Ayane let out a shriek of dismay.
The final chapter of Fengshen Yanyi. After subduing Daluo and the Yin King Zhou, Taigong Wang—who had risen through the ranks for generations—told his ex-wife, who wanted to reunite: 覆水定難收. Spilled water cannot be gathered up again. It's usually used as a metaphor for an irreparable relationship between lovers. Though things hadn't completely fallen apart between Tae-il and her, words once spoken couldn't be taken back.
Ayane had no choice but to nod in the face of the sage's wisdom. Who was the idiot who boldly claimed they could eat 50 plates of sushi? 'Huh? That was me, Ayane?'
This was why people should never boast unless they were absolutely sure. Ayane was no exception. She regretted her words too late. Born into an ordinary household, she'd underestimated the warped sense of money a rich girl like Iris had. She'd picked the wrong opponent to show off against.
“Sorry we're late. You ordered so much…”
“Haha, no worries. It must be hot out there—hope it wasn't too tough?”
“Thank you…”
Shin Tae-il chatted amiably with the delivery guy as they carefully brought in the sushi boxes one by one. Ayane's face turned pale blue watching the mountain of sushi boxes piling up in the entryway.
“Haha, Ayane, you sure you can really eat all this?”
“N-No way did Ayane expect them to actually order this much…!”
Ayane appealed to Tae-il with an aggrieved expression, insisting on her innocence. She really hadn't known. Whether it was Rena, Iris, or Sakuya, all the girls who might join Tae-il's band were the type to follow through on what they said. Those three weren't joking—they'd actually do it. That was exactly why you didn't mess with the three out of the main quartet excluding Ayane.
Tae-il didn't have much to say. He just placed a hand on her shoulder and looked at her with the gentlest eyes he could muster.
“Let's be more careful next time, okay?”
“Ayane did wrong…”
Ayane slumped her shoulders, while Tae-il laughed hollowly, resigned to the fact that overeating was inevitable today. He lightly lifted the neatly stacked sushi boxes, like a set of tiered trays.
“Ayane, help me carry these.”
“U-Uh, okay…!”
“Thanks for the delivery, sir.”
“Haha, no problem. Enjoy!”
After receiving an apology from the delivery guy for being late, they slowly moved the sushi to the living room. Rena had already set the table ahead of time with chopsticks, soy sauce, small plates, and the like.
“Finally here… huh?”
Rena's face hardened the moment she saw the sheer volume Tae-il and Ayane were carrying. But that wasn't even the end of it. After setting down the boxes, the two headed back to the entryway and brought in another load of the same size. Rena pressed her forehead with a sigh.
“Not that I have much room to talk after falling for that gloomy girl's taunt, but… you guys really gonna eat all this…?”
“We can eat it!”
Ayane bristled, unwilling to lose to Rena. Rena whistled in admiration.
“Pigs really are something else.”
“Ayane's not a pig!”
“If you hate 'pig,' how about 'flower pig'?”
“Ugh! Ayane's super slim! Wanna see?”
“Ayane! Stop! STOOOOP!”
As Ayane started lifting her top to show her stomach, Tae-il hurriedly stopped her. Good thing they were at home. Otherwise, she'd have exposed herself to who-knows-how-many people. He pulled Ayane into his arms, patting her back as he pleaded softly.
“Please, both of you, stop fighting and help set up…”
“Okaay…”
“Tch.”
Ayane flushed red and went limp in his arms, while Rena clicked her tongue but still carried over the sushi boxes. With the pointless bickering stopped, Tae-il eyed the food piling up high enough to break a table leg and worried.
'Can we even finish half of this without Arisugawa…?'
Tae-il was a light eater. From what he'd seen of Rena in Gunma, she ate modestly for her size too. Ayane might've boasted 50 plates in a fit of anger, but realistically, it was impossible. Unless you were a big eater like Sakuya, polishing off this much was basically mission impossible.
'I miss her already…'
His memory was fuzzy, but he'd passed out without properly saying goodbye. He'd sent a late text checking in, but separating like that still felt regrettable, separate from what Sakuya had done. And staring at this mountain of uneatable food made him miss her even more.
Regardless of Tae-il's worries, the meal prep proceeded steadily. While he stepped away to grab cups…
“Gloomy girl, put that square lunchbox over here.”
“Shin ordered it, right?”
“Yeah.”
“But wasn't what Shin ordered definitely sashimi rice bowl…?”
Ayane tilted her head, wondering why the lunchbox was so piping hot. The mystery didn't last long. Tae-il returned.
“From afar, it looked just like a restaurant buffet.”
He set down the cups with a laugh, saying it was photoworthy. It was a sight that put those celebrity housewarming catered buffets from old Korean variety shows to shame.
'Kinda nostalgic. Makes me think of my past life…'
Rarely, during ancestral rites or family elders' birthday parties, even estranged relatives would gather like this and order delivery. The only difference was Chinese vs. Japanese food.
'Wait, is that the only difference?'
Tae-il didn't have fond memories of family gatherings. As a musician, he was always prime teasing material for the relatives—easy to chew on, so to speak. Or more like the communal punching bag. His younger cousins envied his instrument skills, which let him brush off the adults' nagging, but he couldn't do anything about the stress it put on his parents.
'Now that I think about it, nothing nostalgic at all.'
Under the motto of “if you're gonna curse, curse yourself,” his parents would dutifully argue with the relatives at every gathering. Tae-il was the target, of course. Family events always ended with everyone sniping at each other. It was bizarre. They were supposed to bond, but they'd just fight tooth and nail. The funny part? They'd fight like that, then show up to the next one anyway. Truly ironic.
'Whatever. This is way better. No faces I hate to see.'
He'd envied his cousin Shin Seong-il, who skipped those gatherings without a care. Tae-il shook his head, shaking off the bad memories and thoughts.
“Haha, guess we won't need dinner tonight?”
“Ayane agrees…”
“Right. Rena, here's the receipt from earlier.”
“Thanks.”
Tae-il handed Rena the receipt, rolled up like a scroll from how much he'd ordered. She tossed it carelessly onto an empty sofa without a glance. Price didn't matter. What mattered was whether Ayane could finish it all.
“Looking forward to it, gloomy girl?”
“Urgh…”
As Rena grinned and gave her a sly look, Ayane groaned and tore open a wrap. Just eat first. Think about surviving later. She picked up her chopsticks, dipped a piece of sushi in soy sauce, and popped it in her mouth.
Ayane's eyes widened after swallowing.
“Huh? Why's it so good?”
“Idiot. Of course it's good—it came from an expensive place.”
“It was expensive, huh…”
Ayane pursed her lips in mild disappointment, having assumed delivery sushi would be subpar. Rena snorted.
“What, now even tasting good is a problem?”
“No complaints here!”
Ayane aggressively shoved more sushi into her mouth at Rena's mockery. Tae-il quickly patted her back gently.
“Slow down, seriously. You'll get indigestion.”
“Mmph!”
“Eat first, talk later.”
“Okay, okay!”
Tae-il chuckled and wiped a grain of rice from the corner of her mouth. Rena frowned at Ayane giggling like a pampered kid and turned away sharply.
'She's kinda pissing me off acting like that…'
She didn't like how Ayane clung to Tae-il, or how he doted on her. But pretending to be a ditz like that to get attention? Rena's pride wouldn't allow it. Instead, she decided to draw his attention another way. That's when she spotted the lunchbox he'd ordered.
'Oh, right. The sashimi rice bowl Shin got.'
Unlike the round sushi boxes, this one was square and taller. Rena handed it to Tae-il.
“Hey, Shin. Here's your sashimi rice bowl.”
“Oh, thanks, Rena. Got so caught up with the sushi I forgot.”
Tae-il smiled and opened the lid.
“...?”
He doubted his own eyes.
“Huh?”
The contents were wrong. It wasn't supposed to be red and fresh like sashimi rice bowl. It was eel rice bowl. The aroma was rich and savory, stimulating his salivary glands—nothing like sashimi. On second thought, the packaging was completely different from standard sashimi bowls. Tae-il tilted his head, wondering where his order had gone and why eel had appeared instead.
Rena smiled slyly.
“What's up?”
“No, I definitely ordered sashimi rice bowl…”
“Really? Guess I messed up the order then.”
When Tae-il showed her the inside, Rena shrugged like it was no big deal. Ayane perked up too and egged him on as he hesitated with his chopsticks.
“Shin, just eat it! Eel rice bowl's more expensive than sashimi!”
“Expensive doesn't always mean better, Ayane…”
“Chance to bankrupt Honjo!”
“Hmph. Over this? Me? Hilarious.”
“Eek!”
As the two started bickering again, Tae-il sighed inwardly.
“Fine, whatever…”
Eel was good for guys, after all. Despite a few hiccups, lunch proceeded relatively peacefully, contrary to expectations.
During the meal, Ayane asked, “But shouldn't we call Iris?”
“She'll come running when she's hungry later.”
Rena spat curtly. It was a different reaction from her usual deference to Iris-related topics, with a slightly sour expression. Ayane and Tae-il exchanged glances. There was tension between them.
“If you wanna call her so bad, gloomy girl, go upstairs yourself.”
Rena irritably crushed her sushi with forceful chopsticks. Tae-il leaned toward Ayane while eating his rice bowl, shielding his face as he whispered.
“They were getting along fine at the onsen, right?”
“Yeah. They were even joking around.”
Tae-il recalled the morning when they'd leisurely watched Rena scream, but now he looked troubled by the unexpected turn. A rift between Iris and Rena was new for him.
“Hope it's nothing serious…”
“Is that why?”
Tae-il flinched mid-chew at Ayane's mention of “that.” There was only one thing “that” could mean here. Band member. As Ayane said, Rena was on drums.
“Ayane, did you know…?”
“Hmph.”
“Ow!”
Ayane lightly stomped on Tae-il's foot in petty revenge and turned away, adding, “Shin, you player.”
“Hey, don't just drop that outta nowhere…”
Tae-il felt wronged. Sure, he'd wanted Rena, but he'd never directly invited her to join the band. If anything, Ayane was the one who'd brought her in. But love was irrational by nature. Tae-il's minor ordeal continued until the second doorbell rang.
* * *
“So hot…”
Iris woke in the guest room, reveling in her discomfort. Her scalp and back were drenched in sweat. She squirmed in the sticky feeling and glanced around. Hot. Not quite a sauna, but her palms were slick.
Lifting her head, she saw the air conditioner—off.
“Ah.”
That explained the heat. Not being at home, she'd set a timer when turning it on. Mistake.
“Weird. Did I really sleep under the blanket?”
She'd acted like she was at home without thinking. She shoved away the now-soiled blanket and stretched her stiff body.
“Nngh…!”
She rubbed her sore neck with a soft groan. Once loosened up, she tidied the bedding, left the guest room, and headed downstairs to the living room.
“Oh?”
In the time she'd slept, it looked like they'd thrown a party—the place was lively even with no one around.
“Did they eat sushi or something?”
The Western-style interior reeked of soy sauce and vinegar. Iris rummaged through the mostly cleared sushi boxes on the table.
“Huh?”
She tilted her head at something she found. A yellow Post-it note was stuck boldly to the table's edge. She peeled it off, but the scrawl was so illegible it was hard to read.
“Definitely Shin Tae-il's handwriting.”
Deciphering the intentionally chicken-scratch writing, she realized it said sushi was in the fridge—eat as much as she wanted.
“As much as I want…?”
How much had they ordered to write that? She shuffled to the kitchen and opened the fridge—Rena's famously empty-for-its-size fridge was crammed full of sushi boxes.
“…”
Instead of the unappetizing sushi, she grabbed orange juice and chugged it.
“Phew! What the heck happened while I was out…?”
She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and scanned for Rena. It didn't take long.
Thump. Thump.
Faint vibrations echoed through the mansion. Iris followed the sound like she was entranced and spotted a new door where Rena's studio used to be.
“Soundproof booth…?”
Iris peered through the small window on the door. Everyone was inside. At first, she thought they were viewing Rena's artwork. But no, that couldn't be. With no exhibition prep, the studio was full of paintings too risqué to show others. Like ones of men and women in tantric union. Or women in lewd expressions exposing breasts and privates. Stuff even Rena, who liked Tae-il, wouldn't dare show. So not artwork viewing.
And sure enough. As Tae-il stepped aside from the door, Rena and the drums came into view.
“Rena…?”
Iris doubted her eyes. The former studio wasn't just Rena and her bandmates. There were drums she'd never seen. And Rena sat at the center, gripping sticks.
“How…?”
Rena, holding drumsticks, beamed. After chatting with Tae-il, she giggled and played a thud-thud-thud rhythm. Rena had more than one secret. Iris felt a strange flutter in her chest.
'What? She likes Shin Tae-il?'
Her childhood friend's emotional shift was baffling, but Iris figured it made sense. Ayane was one thing as a childhood friend, but even that great Sakuya was smitten. No law saying other girls couldn't fall for him too. Though it irked her that it was her own childhood friend, hearts don't bend to will. That's youth—love freely, clash freely.
'But your relationship was super bad…'
Iris had even hesitated to intervene because Rena and Shin Tae-il were on such awful terms. One-sided from Rena, of course—Tae-il never reacted much to her dislike. Iris had sighed in relief multiple times at how maturely he handled Rena's childish jabs.
Still.
She hadn't not worried about their dynamic. 'If he forms a band with Shin Tae-il, she'll have to see him often whether she likes it or not…' She'd fretted if Rena—secretly so childish—might explode from lost time with her friend.
Thank goodness. Monday in the art room, they'd seemed okay. The aggro-mob that picked fights on sight had turned neutral. Iris relaxed.
'Their conflict seemed a bit resolved.'
Something must've happened she didn't know, but as long as things mellowed, all good. But apparently, it was more than mellow. Iris, half-doubting the “Rena likes Tae-il” idea, was genuinely shocked. Rena looked happier than ever. The sad part? Her friend was beaming, but Iris wasn't.
'Frustrating.'
Iris scratched at her chest with her nails. Petite Rena stomped kicks, pounded snares and toms wildly. Less skilled than Tae-il—who'd claimed no confidence—but she grinned ear-to-ear the whole time.
While Iris spaced out, Tae-il leaned in to fiddle with the drums, adjusting them to Rena's height. Done, he naturally stood behind her, gently taking her hands. Ayane shrieked and wedged between at the intimate contact; Rena mocked her, urged Tae-il on, and they played naturally. Rena laughed. Mangling the beat, but blissfully happy.
For some reason, that smile felt utterly foreign to Iris.