Melting Lee Ji-Hoon's Heart

Hye-Won

As my eyes open because of the light rays reflecting from my open window, I sigh in disbelief as I realize that it's another Monday morning and I have to go to work, again. The weather is really cold in Korea this morning which makes me reluctant to get up from bed.

“Jeon Hye-won!!!” The sound of my name makes me jolt up from my bed at once. I clean my eyes and stare at the person next to my open door. Kim Jong-in, my annoying little cousin, stands next to my door with a toothbrush in his hand as he smiles at me.

"Good morning. Halmeoni said, " I should tell you that you will be late to open your coffee shop soon." Jong-in says and disappears down the hallway, leaving my door open. At that moment, I realized that I'm supposed to get to work before my boss arrives.

Kim Jong-in is my mother's sister's only son. When he was just a year old, his dad left him and my imo to their fates with another woman which devastated imo to the point that she committed suicide. Halmeoni had to take responsibility for him ever since.

I groan and get out of bed. I quickly take my bath, get dressed in my work day clothes and head to the living room. The house looks lively and smells beautiful.

“tteokbokki." I say as I walk towards the kitchen. My halmeoni has started her kitchen magic.

"Good morning, halmeoni." I say to her in Korean and kiss her on the cheeks.

"Good morning, sonnyeo. How did you sleep?" Grandma asks and scoops her world-famous tteokbokki on a plate and pushes it to the edge of the counter for me to take. I give her a grateful nod, reach for the fridge and pour a glass of orange juice for myself.

"Good." I say, while pouring the juice in the glass I picked out.

"Mmm..."

"Is this about that man you've been seeing? " Grandma asks in Korean.

I groan. Everytime she speaks in our language to me, I feel like a child. She always does this on purpose.

"Halmeoni..." I say, feeling embarrassed because such topics are not meant to be discussed on the dining table.

I close the fridge and take a sip out of the orange juice. I sit down to start eating.

"I thought you and Baek-Hyun are no longer seeing each other." Kim Jong-in says and pokes his head into the kitchen. I glare at him.

"Out. The seniors are talking." Grandma says, scolding him to get out of the kitchen. Kim Jong-in rolls his eyes and disappears behind the wall.

Grandma sighs and turns to look at me. I avoid her gaze. I can't, with her right now. I don't want to talk about my bad relationship with Baek-Hyun.

"Sonnyeo." Grandma says in her sympathetic tone.

Whenever she speaks like that, I know I'm in for a long lecture. I look up, while trying to eat up my tteokbokki and get the hell out of here, even though I don't want the delicious experience to end just yet. I'm nearly late for work and Halmeoni knows that.

"Are you okay?" She continues in Korean.

"Yeah. I'm fine." I say and stand up, carrying my plates with me to the sink.

"Okay, I believe you." She continues to speak in Korean.

I try to ignore her and drop my plates in the sink. I turn on the tap to wash my hands.

"Is that lowly coward still meeting with you? I mean, after you told him you were no longer together?" Grandma asks, turning the pot of stew she has boiling on the fire.

I laugh loudly at what she says and immediately apologize for my rude outburst.

"Yes, Halmeoni" I mutter, still snickering underneath my breath. Baek-Hyun is the last person I want to talk about right now and she knows that.

"Oh, my dear, what on earth did you ever see in that young man? I never quite cared for him, you know. He's got those 'daddy and mommy issues' written all over him. Oh, the arrogance! He's too full of himself, I tell you. And let's not forget the way he didn't stand up for you when his mother was giving you a piece of her mind. Shameless, absolutely shameless! As for his parents, who do they think they are? Just because they're well-off doesn't mean they should treat others like pieces of trash – use them and toss them! Goodness, they're simply out of control, these privileged folks..." Grandma goes on and on with Korean.

Grandma's just the character. I can't laugh any harder this morning.

"Halmeoni. It's okay. Baek-Hyun's chapter in my life is over. We're not getting back together. I didn't know it would turn out like this. I'm done with him. For good. And I don't care about his parents belittling me. I'm a successful woman and a graduate with a degree in fashion and beauty. The fact that I don't have a good job yet doesn't make me useless." I say and sigh as I turn off the tap.

This is why I don't want to talk about Baek-Hyun or his family. They just give me a headache that tends to stay for too long.

"I'm happy you're finally moving on and becoming a real woman. I knew I trained you to be better." Grandma says and sits behind the counter as she watches me. I don't say a word but drink my juice in peace and quiet.

"So when are you planning to leave that job? It's bringing you anything, but good. You don't live in a good apartment, Jeon Hye-Won. You have a roommate and yet you feel so content with that coffee brewing job." Grandma says in Korean.

"Halmeoni. I'm not content, I just don't have a choice. Plus you taught me how to work hard and earn money the right way." I say and drop my glass on the counter.

"That job of yours, being an ordinary coffee shop waitress is not even that good of a job. I want you to do something else. You have a fashion degree, start looking for jobs in big fashion companies. They will need new ideas and fresh faces." She still continues in Korean. I knew this was going to be a long lecture.

"I'm not an ordinary waitress, halmeoni, I'm sorta head staff over there. There's a big difference between ordinary and being a senior."

"You still work in a small coffee shop downtown for minimum wage." Grandma points out.

I sigh and look away from her. My Grandma still doesn't know the nature of my job. She thinks I work at a small coffee shop when in fact, I work at a prestigious coffee shop in the day/ night-time stripper den.

"Halmeoni, you need to give me credit sometimes. There are no jobs in Korea, not now that there's a population surge. I have tried before and trust me, I'm still trying." I grab my hat and my sweater and wear them.

"I thought you hated your boss." Grandma says again. I groan and roll down my eyes, putting my hands on my face.

"I didn't say that. I remember I only said he's an arrogant privileged man."

"He's never said a word to you and you think you hate him. You always talk about him every chance you get and how he brings his lowlife friends who gawk at you to your workplace. I don't even think he knows you exist." Kim Jong-in says as he walks into the kitchen.

"Halmeoni, Kim Jong-in is becoming so rude. He even interrupts grown-up conversations now and then." I report him to Grandma as she playfully glares at him and pinches his cheek.

"I'm have to go now." I walk towards my Grandma and hug her from behind.

'You know I want the best for you right?" Grandma asks me in Korean. I smile and nod.

"I know." I pull away from the hug and turn to leave.

"Don't forget your brother's birthday is tonight. You can't be late." Grandma says.

"Yeah sure. You know I won't miss Byung-ho's birthday for anything in the world. Where in the world is he?" I grab an apple and walk towards the living room.

"He's still sleeping. I've tried to wake him up." Kim Jong-in says behind me.

"Byung-ho! Are you awake? Oh my God Byung-ho, Keyowo is about to eat your Winnie the Pooh storybook!" I lie and run my fingers through Keyowo, our family cat's fur. She purrs and tilts her head to the side.

"Oh no! Don't let her!" I hear Byung-ho's voice and his small feet racing down the stairs. I laugh and head out of my family's house.