Oh, I didn't realize. [ It's not something that would've occurred to him, but now that he's thinking about it, he has enough information to give the thought some context.
Also, that second part. He only has context for that because of Minsu, in all likelihood. ]
People enjoy it when their cooking is well-received, right?
[ Sungki is a nice person. This is Dal's official assessment, not that it's required for anything. ]
Do you think it makes you want to do more things? I mean, do you feel like you want to catch up? If that makes sense.
Oh yes! Sometimes I wouldn't eat much lunch at school just so I would be extra hungry at dinner. It made her so happy.
[sungki swallows hard and glances down for a moment. he's happy here, but that doesn't mean that he doesn't miss his mother almost every day. but he smiles for dal when he looks up again.]
It does. I want to go slow and enjoy everything, but sometimes I feel too excited to wait.
[he announces it brightly, before realizing how it could be misunderstood.]
Oh, only for a few days. The tickets were a Christmas gift. I want him to meet my mother, and he wants me to meet his family as well.
[he sounds a little more solemn at that. because, well, jin's family is dead. but he wants to go to where they lived when they were alive, and pay his respects to them.]
I think we're the best qualified, don't you? We're kind of the same place.
Oh, [ Dal says, eyes widening a little. ] That's nice. You get to go home, huh? And Jin can meet your family.
[ That does indeed sound nice to him. ] Everyone will like Jin. He's a good person. [ Dal is 100% certain of this and no one will ever convince him otherwise. No sir.
Fiddling with the chocolate kisses in front of him, Dal hums thoughtfully. ]
You're right. We're similar in some ways. I think it would be good to be able to talk to each other if we wanted or needed.
[sungki will bring back gifts for everyone regardless, but he'd be happy to look for specific things that people might want. after all, some things are...well, japan has plenty of interesting things.]
You play it with a pocky stick! Each person starts eating from one end of it, and the first to stop before they kiss loses.
[except...what if neither of them does stop. as cute as myung is, sungki really doesn't want him to kiss his boyfriend. and he's pretty sure dal would feel the same.]
Or maybe Jin and I will play and show you, so you can play it with Myung!
[yes, much better.]
Okay, on the count of three, smile! [easy for him to say when he's always bright. he takes the picture, giggling happily as he shows it to dal.] She'll be so happy. And maybe she'll feel okay to make some friends of her own again.
Oh. [ Dal thinks about it for a moment or two, then, slower than the first time. ] Ooh. I see.
I'm not sure Myung and I would be very good at it. We like kissing each other. [ Thus, it seems to him, defeating the purpose of the game. Maybe he needs to mull it over some more. ]
I would like to see it either way.
[ Because he's a curious little mouse. Also, a mouse that's not that accustomed to smiling, but he does his best. His smile is a lot more sedate, but it's there. He's definitely on camera and definitely smiling. ] You look nice. I'm sure she will be happy to see it.
[ A beat, then he cocks his head to the side. ] Does she not have friends? [ It sounds like a callous question, but Dal isn't someone whose paradigm dictates that having friends is the norm. ]
Well if no one breaks away, you both win. If you know what I mean!
[the best outcome of the pocky game, the one that ends in make outs!
he's still smiling at the picture as he sits down, adding cute stickers and filters, putting rainbows behind them and giving them both bunny ears. he forwards a couple on to dal before looking up again.]
She's always been so focused on me, on protecting me. [his brows tug together a little.] Is it weird that I'd like my mother to go on a date?
That's true... [ Suddenly, the game is appealing to him more than before.
So surprising. ] It'd be good to give it a try. [ Does he just want more kisses? It's entirely possible.
When he receives the pictures, he looks at them for a moment, as if confused by what he's seeing. It's quite possibly one of the first pictures he's taken with someone else. ] The stickers are cute... [ He's enamored.
But looks up when Sungki speaks of his mother. ] It's not weird. Wanting her to have company isn't weird.
[there is nothing wrong with wanting more kisses from your boyfriend and sungki will fight anyone who says otherwise!
well...maybe not. sungki actually isn't much of a fighter, nor does he have the desire to fight. jin might end up fighting them, just on principle.]
You're cute! The stickers are just for fun. [his smile softens again though.] She gave up her life for me. Her home. I want her to have some of those things back, if at all possible.
[of course, it's all because of the secret of his birth, a thing that he's only told jin.]
[ Dal would question whether Sungki had a violent bone in his body. Though he also thinks that the other might be capable of surprising things.
It's a hunch he has. ]
Are there a lot? [ Of stickers, presumably. Watch as he gets hooked on this. Not that he will get addicted to selfies. Maybe pictures of random objects or animals he finds, things like that. ]
It sounds like you want the best for her. [ A beat. ] And it sounds like she's really strong. I'm sure she's doing well right now.
There are! They were very popular with my classmates at my old school!
[and sungki will show you them all, dal. every last one.]
I hope so! That's one of the reasons I look forward to seeing her again, so that I can encourage her. Maybe...maybe she would even feel okay about going back to Korea, if she wanted to.
[he sits down in his chair again, but not before pulling it closer to dal. close enough that their knees touch.]
I can see why people take a lot of pictures of themselves, if they get to use these stickers.
[ Dal's cheeks puff out slightly here. Possibly from pure enjoyment, but don't tell anyone. He's totally stoic, this one.
Taking a seat, he looks across at Sungki, brow a little furrowed with concentration. ] I'm not sure if I understand the connection between what you said and her returning to Korea. It's hard for her?
[ It's really not his intention to pry, but he doesn't practice very good self-censorship when it comes to curious inquiries. ]
Her family other than you, right? That's what you mean?
[of course, it's fun to take pictures to capture a moment too. but some people seem to like capturing a lot of moments...as many as possible. and in that case, the stickers really do add something.]
Yes. [he thinks for a moment, what to say, what not to say. jin is the only one who knows the whole story, but it felt important that he did.] My mother left Korea before I was born. Her family, they didn't want her to have me.
[sungki's always able to smile, but this time it's tinged with a little sadness.]
So Japan is all I've ever known. But she must miss her other family, right? It's been twenty years, and her parents are getting older. She must worry about them, and maybe there's a chance for them to make up and she could return to her home.
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[which sungki knows isn't actually the case. jin is plenty strong and healthy.]
It could also be taken as an insult to my mother's cooking, but Jin would never do that.
[he'll be far more likely to force himself for the sake of politeness, which sungki worries about just as much.]
I'm sort of the same. I feel like I've done so much these past months! But I know that compared to most others, it's not as much.
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Also, that second part. He only has context for that because of Minsu, in all likelihood. ]
People enjoy it when their cooking is well-received, right?
[ Sungki is a nice person. This is Dal's official assessment, not that it's required for anything. ]
Do you think it makes you want to do more things? I mean, do you feel like you want to catch up? If that makes sense.
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[sungki swallows hard and glances down for a moment. he's happy here, but that doesn't mean that he doesn't miss his mother almost every day. but he smiles for dal when he looks up again.]
It does. I want to go slow and enjoy everything, but sometimes I feel too excited to wait.
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[ He notices the way Sungki reacts and his brow knits together a little. ] Is that hard to talk about? We don't have to.
[ He'd like to be sensitive to these things. It's hard to know what merits it, but he does want to try. ]
I feel that way, too. A lot. It can be hard to tell myself ot slow down.
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[maybe it's a boyfriend thing, except they're boyfriends too. sungki smiles at dal's concern, but shakes his head.]
I just miss my mother sometimes. I'll get to see her soon though!
[and he's certainly not unhappy in the meantime.]
Maybe we could help each other somehow! Like be each other's support somehow.
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[ He seems to relax a bit at Sungki's reassurance, but makes a note to be careful from now on. ] Oh? Will you? Is she coming to visit?
[ For some reason, and he doesn't even know why, that makes him nervous. Hopefully, he hides it well. ]
You think we could help one another? If things are feeling overwhelming, maybe?
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[he announces it brightly, before realizing how it could be misunderstood.]
Oh, only for a few days. The tickets were a Christmas gift. I want him to meet my mother, and he wants me to meet his family as well.
[he sounds a little more solemn at that. because, well, jin's family is dead. but he wants to go to where they lived when they were alive, and pay his respects to them.]
I think we're the best qualified, don't you? We're kind of the same place.
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[ That does indeed sound nice to him. ] Everyone will like Jin. He's a good person. [ Dal is 100% certain of this and no one will ever convince him otherwise. No sir.
Fiddling with the chocolate kisses in front of him, Dal hums thoughtfully. ]
You're right. We're similar in some ways. I think it would be good to be able to talk to each other if we wanted or needed.
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[sungki will bring back gifts for everyone regardless, but he'd be happy to look for specific things that people might want. after all, some things are...well, japan has plenty of interesting things.]
Let's do that! We can be best friends!
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He very obviously needs to be introduced to any number of things Japan is famous for. ]
Best friends. I'm not sure I have any friends besides Myung. [ A beat. ] I don't know, maybe they would say differently, but I should speak for them.
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[you know, those sorts of cute but useful things.]
We're even similar that way too. But now we can both say that we have a friend - we should take a picture together!
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[ Japan, your novelty products confuse him. ] I'd love to try some food from your home.
[ He actually offers up a bit of a smile there. Again! ] Is that what friends do?
I'd like that. We should take a picture together.
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[but he giggles as he says it. sungki knows that it's a little bit more than that, and a little bit naughty.]
I'll bring you lots of snacks! Boxes and boxes! Maybe we can get Jin and Myung to play the pocky game...
[things to ponder on the plane ride home. for now, he hops up with phone in hand.]
I can't wait to show this to my mom too!
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[ He does not see. And he probably does not need to see, to be totally honest. It is knowledge his tender mind is not yet ready to accept. ]
What's the pocky game? [ See? Tender mind. ] I'd really like to try the snacks. Minsu would be all right with that, wouldn't he?
[ That's something for Dal to ponder until Sungki and Jin get back from Japan. ]
She'll be happy you made a friend, won't she? [ he asks, hoping the answer will be in the affirmative. Is he supposed to smile for this? ]
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[except...what if neither of them does stop. as cute as myung is, sungki really doesn't want him to kiss his boyfriend. and he's pretty sure dal would feel the same.]
Or maybe Jin and I will play and show you, so you can play it with Myung!
[yes, much better.]
Okay, on the count of three, smile! [easy for him to say when he's always bright. he takes the picture, giggling happily as he shows it to dal.] She'll be so happy. And maybe she'll feel okay to make some friends of her own again.
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I'm not sure Myung and I would be very good at it. We like kissing each other. [ Thus, it seems to him, defeating the purpose of the game. Maybe he needs to mull it over some more. ]
I would like to see it either way.
[ Because he's a curious little mouse. Also, a mouse that's not that accustomed to smiling, but he does his best. His smile is a lot more sedate, but it's there. He's definitely on camera and definitely smiling. ] You look nice. I'm sure she will be happy to see it.
[ A beat, then he cocks his head to the side. ] Does she not have friends? [ It sounds like a callous question, but Dal isn't someone whose paradigm dictates that having friends is the norm. ]
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[the best outcome of the pocky game, the one that ends in make outs!
he's still smiling at the picture as he sits down, adding cute stickers and filters, putting rainbows behind them and giving them both bunny ears. he forwards a couple on to dal before looking up again.]
She's always been so focused on me, on protecting me. [his brows tug together a little.] Is it weird that I'd like my mother to go on a date?
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So surprising. ] It'd be good to give it a try. [ Does he just want more kisses? It's entirely possible.
When he receives the pictures, he looks at them for a moment, as if confused by what he's seeing. It's quite possibly one of the first pictures he's taken with someone else. ] The stickers are cute... [ He's enamored.
But looks up when Sungki speaks of his mother. ] It's not weird. Wanting her to have company isn't weird.
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well...maybe not. sungki actually isn't much of a fighter, nor does he have the desire to fight. jin might end up fighting them, just on principle.]
You're cute! The stickers are just for fun. [his smile softens again though.] She gave up her life for me. Her home. I want her to have some of those things back, if at all possible.
[of course, it's all because of the secret of his birth, a thing that he's only told jin.]
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It's a hunch he has. ]
Are there a lot? [ Of stickers, presumably. Watch as he gets hooked on this. Not that he will get addicted to selfies. Maybe pictures of random objects or animals he finds, things like that. ]
It sounds like you want the best for her. [ A beat. ] And it sounds like she's really strong. I'm sure she's doing well right now.
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[just wait until dal sees his face with a teddy bear face. and then unzips it to peek through.]
I do. And she's very happy that I'm happy
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Are there more? [ He needs a mouse. ]
It'll be good for her to see you again. Who knows, maybe she has met some new people? You did, right? So who's to say she didn't.
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[and sungki will show you them all, dal. every last one.]
I hope so! That's one of the reasons I look forward to seeing her again, so that I can encourage her. Maybe...maybe she would even feel okay about going back to Korea, if she wanted to.
[he sits down in his chair again, but not before pulling it closer to dal. close enough that their knees touch.]
Maybe she can see her family again.
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[ Dal's cheeks puff out slightly here. Possibly from pure enjoyment, but don't tell anyone. He's totally stoic, this one.
Taking a seat, he looks across at Sungki, brow a little furrowed with concentration. ] I'm not sure if I understand the connection between what you said and her returning to Korea. It's hard for her?
[ It's really not his intention to pry, but he doesn't practice very good self-censorship when it comes to curious inquiries. ]
Her family other than you, right? That's what you mean?
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[of course, it's fun to take pictures to capture a moment too. but some people seem to like capturing a lot of moments...as many as possible. and in that case, the stickers really do add something.]
Yes. [he thinks for a moment, what to say, what not to say. jin is the only one who knows the whole story, but it felt important that he did.] My mother left Korea before I was born. Her family, they didn't want her to have me.
[sungki's always able to smile, but this time it's tinged with a little sadness.]
So Japan is all I've ever known. But she must miss her other family, right? It's been twenty years, and her parents are getting older. She must worry about them, and maybe there's a chance for them to make up and she could return to her home.
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