Chapter 8: Ungrateful

JUNWON shoved a spoonful of ramen in his mouth as he silently listened to his group members chatting and talking about something he found himself unable to focus on. He rolled his eyes at the loud chattering before taking another bite, letting out a small groan, slightly overwhelmed at how delicious the food tasted.

Of course, it was nothing to what he made with his lover at home, but that time, there was something else-a secret ingredient-making the food amazing. He thought, for only a brief moment, about asking the chef what was so unusual yet genius about that bowl of ramen.

He took a glance at his members' expressions, wondering if they thought the same thing as him. To his dismay, they continued to chat enthusiastically about something he couldn't bother hearing anymore.

So ungrateful.

Or maybe he was just extremely hungry after the crucial 4-hour dance practice they just had?

He shrugged and continued to eat in silence, ignoring the loud chattering before him once again.

As soon as his chopsticks hit the empty bowl, letting him know that he was done with his food, he sighed and gathered his courage to stand up from his seat, his stomach heavy for some unknown reason.

Soon enough, he found himself in the gigantic kitchen, surrounded by a few staff members who were eating their food in complete silence. He bowed to show his respect, muttering a small greeting before setting his bowl in the sink.

And then, he made his way out of the room, heading towards the practice room to continue the group's practice.

. . .

Mal made her way towards the kitchen to make a snack, ignoring her stomach rumbling as she did so. Taking a glance at the living room, then at the kitchen's interior while she stood by the doorframe, she hummed to herself in satisfaction and stepped inside the kitchen.

Her eyes fell on the four-doored refrigerator. A sigh escaped her mouth before she hurried towards the machine, opening one of its doors in one swift move. Scanning the food that was stacked neatly on the shelves, she spotted tomatoes and onions. She nonchalantly shrugged before grabbing an onion, along with two small tomatoes before closing the door.

She set the ingredients on the kitchen island with a small thud, along with her phone, before hurrying to the other side of the room, where the storage room was, to get the rest of the things she needed.

After fumbling through the storage room in search of something she could cook, another sigh escaped her mouth as she grabbed a packet of noodles.

She then set her hand on the storage room's slide door and moved it to its side slightly, in an attempt to close it.

You maniac-

She visibly jumped at the noise of the ringtone coming from her phone, which was still placed on the kitchen island. Turning quickly at the sound, she spotted her phone's bright screen as it rang mindlessly, to her dismay.

"Siri," the girl began, "who's calling?"

"Santa is calling you." The robotic voice answered back. Mal slightly nodded her head before shutting the door to the storage room, heading to the island once again.

"Hello?" A familiar voice greeted as soon as she pressed the green answer button.

"Hey, Santa! How is everything going?" She greeted back, a smile forming on her lips. "How's Yaya?"

He sighed and nodded his head, a sad smile placed on his face while he fumbled through something Mal couldn't guess the origin of. "Everything is fine. We're, um, super busy. But we're good."

"That's great!" Mal replied in a cheerful tone. "I hope you're not overworking yourself or anything. I know Yacht's knees are still healing and all..."

He nodded, the image of his best friend, Yacht, taking bills to improve the health of his knees and heal his injuries. He found his mouth curving downwards into a frown.

"You're right. We're desperately in need of a break."

"You could say that again." Mal replied, opening the packet of noodles with both of her fingers by tugging at the plastic sides. "I know how we're tired and all. I really hope we get to spend some time together before you two leave for Thailand."

"Um, actually there's three of us. Earth is here too."

The name caused the girl to jump up and down in enthusiasm, which was much expected by Santa, who knew how much she loved some of his co-workers from Thailand, including one of his best friends named Earth.

"Earth is there?!" The girl cheerfully replied, a wide smile erupting from her lips. "That's so cool! I need to see him."

"Yeah, he wants to meet you too! He just arrived yesterday and he's been asking about you ever since." Santa turned his head to his both sides in search of his friend. To his dismay, he spotted several staff members and no sign of Earth.

And when he realized it, there was also no sign of Yacht.

He rolled his eyes and sank back to his seat, causing a soft whoosh to erupt through the leather armchair. "I would've called him over to join us here, but I think he and Yacht just went to get snacks."

"Aw, that's cute-"

Before Mal could finish the rest of her sentence, they were both interrupted by an audible click. The girl immediately took the phone away from her ear and glanced at the screen with a curious gaze.

Junwon is calling you...

Bewilderment filled her insides, causing her eyes to turn into balls. "Junwon is calling? Why?"

Santa's eyebrows automatically furrowed themselves in mutual confusion. They both knew that Junwon wouldn't call at that time of the day, because the group would usually be in a dance practice, where phones were strictly forbidden.

"Does he need something?" Santa asked, and for some reason, Mal found herself unable to answer the question.

"Um, I don't... Know. He probably does." She mindlessly replied, staring at the green answer button. "I should hang up. I'm really sorry, Santa. I'll call you back as soon as I see what he wants."

Santa glanced around the location once again, half expecting that he would see the same staff members doing their job. Instead, two familiar figures hurried towards him with excited smiles, bags of the food that he adored in their hands.

"Actually Yaya and Earth are here, I think we're going to start filming soon."

"Good luck, Santa." She spoke, and Santa could almost feel how sincere and melancholic it sounded. "I love you. Tell that to the others."

He nodded his head with a small smile, repeating the same words in a softer tone. "I love you too, Mal. Stay safe, alright?"

"I will. Bye, Santa!"

Soon enough, the pair hung up.