Lani sniffed as she gave Lonnie a pack of ice. He has woken up already. His forehead was swollen thanks to what Eloise did to him.
“Does it hurt?” She asked in a crying voice and Lonnie smiled at her.
“I’m fine”
“I am so sorry for what my grandma did to you”
“Don’t cry, Lani. I’m okay, trust me” Lonnie said and both smiled at each other.
“Has the broomstick woken up already?” Eloise asked, coming out from her room. Lonnie who was sitting on the wooden floor quickly stood up to his feet.
“Halmeoni” He said with a bow.
“Aigoo, what planet did you come out from? How can you faint because of a little heel on the forehead?”
“You called that little? I saw how you threw the heel at him, grandma. He’d have died because of you”
“What were you expecting me to do? To welcome him when I saw him attempting to kiss my granddaughter!”
“I apologize for my misbehavior”
“Hey broomstick, you are not allowed to talk yet”
“Stop calling him broomstick, he has a name” Lani whines.
“He is a broomstick, because he is too soft. He can easily be broken into two just like a broomstick”
“My Lonnie is not a broomstick!”
“Lonnie? He is Lonnie? The K-pop singer you have been obsessed with for years?” Eloise asked.
“Yes he is the one” Lani said, frowning her face.
“You’re Lonnie?”
“Yes, grandma” He answered with a smile and Eloise hits his head, shocking the living daylight out of him.
“So you’re the idiot that always make my granddaughter cry? Looking at you closely, you’re handsome, but do you know the amount of sleepless nights she had because of you? Anything that comes out from that little mouth of hers, is Lonnie this, Lonnie that. Did you possess my granddaughter?”
“No he didn’t grandma. He is an idol, so it essential he is loved by a lot of people”
“I am sorry for the troubles. I won’t make Lani cry again”
“Of course you shouldn’t, or I am going to break your two legs!” Eloise shouted at Lonnie and he snuggled backwards.
“Since you’re a K-pop star, what are you doing in the countryside? Did you come here to deceive my granddaughter and get her pregnant”
“No.. I….
“That’s your plan! That’s why you were attempting to kiss her earlier, you want to ruin her life! You’re so dead!” Eloise said, picking up her heel.
Lonnie quickly hide behind Lani.
“Hey broomstick, come out from that place”
“Lani, please help me” Lonnie muffled as he stayed glued behind Lani, holding her
“You’re even holding my granddaughter, you have bad intentions!”
“Grandma!!!” Lani yelled and Eloise halted from using the heel on Lonnie.
“Stop it grandma. I know you care about me, but Lonnie has no bad intentions towards me. He lives downstairs, he is the tenant who paid lots of cash to rent the apartment downstairs” Lani said, and Eloise dropped the heel.
“He is the rich guy who didn’t want to be disturbed?”
“Exactly grandma. He is not a bad person”
“Broomstick” Eloise said.
“Yes grandma” Lonnie answered, coming out from Lani’s back.
“You’re my rich tenant?”
Lonnie nodded his head.
“Well… It still doesn’t change the fact that you tried to kiss my granddaughter” Eloise picked up the heel again and began using to chase Lonnie around the house.
“The next time you see my Lani, run” She threw the heel at Lonnie and this time around he caught it.
“Whoa, you are trying to do kung fu with me, right” Eloise said setting her hand for a punch.
Lonnie shakes his head, fearfully.
“I wasn’t doing kung fu with you” He said like a baby
Lani placed her hand on her forehead, feeling frustrated. This is why she has never thought of having a boyfriend, cuz her grandmother is a tigress.
“Lani!” Lonnie screamed her name, when Eloise kicked his back.
***
“Eat up” Eloise said to Lonnie some minutes later.
Lonnie looked at her nervously, not attempting to pick up the chopsticks.
“Do you want to get smacked on the head?” She asked and Lonnie quickly picked up the chopsticks and began to eat.
“Do you like my granddaughter?” She asked, and Lonnie choked on his food.
Lani wasn’t with them, cuz Eloise sent her an unnecessary errand just so she could talk to Lonnie.
“What?” Lonnie asked.
“I am sure your ears aren’t clogged. You like my granddaughter, right?”
“Well….”
“Even if you like her, you still have to pass through me before you date her?”
“Huh”
“You’re going to pass my exams before you will be allowed to go near my Lani”
“Exams?” Lonnie asked with widen eyes”
“Yes, broomstick. Get prepared cuz from today henceforth, I will be giving you an exam, and if you fail in any of these exams, you won’t date my daughter”
Lonnie gulped down his spit.
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone you live here, but don’t go close to my Lani until you pass the exams. If you try to kiss my granddaughter again, I will bury you alive. Am I being understood?”
Lonnie nod his head.
“Continue eating”
Lonnie faked a smile and continued eating, nervously. The food was delicious but he couldn’t get the taste of it, because Eloise’s eyes were on him.
******
Rory came out from the pork restaurant after he was done with his shift. He looked tired and exhausted because he has been serving the customers for straight five hours without resting.
“I am so tired and hungry at this same” He yawns, stretching his body.
“You might swallow the whole world with your mouth”
Rory turned around and sees Posy resting her back on the wall.
“Posy” He smiled at her.
Posy returned the smile and walked up to him.
“Work must be so exhausting, you’re sweating all over” She cleaned his face with a white hand towel.
“Yes it is. What are you doing here?” He asked.
Posy smiled and waved a lunchbox at him.
“I figured out you will be hungry, after the day’s work, so I brought you an homemade meal”
“You figured it out correctly, I was dying of hunger” He whines and place his head on Posy’s shoulders.
Posy chuckled.
***
“Taste yummy right?” She asked smiling and Rory nodded his head munching on the food.
“Your mom’s cooking are always the best” He said with a smile but he stopped smiling when he sees the frown on Posy’s face.
“What’s the frown for?”
“I put so many efforts in preparing the meal myself and you’re just going to give the credits to my mom?”
“I thought it was prepared by your mom?”
“Why will you think like that?”
“Because Dami and Lani sucks when it comes to cooking. I thought you’d be like them”
“Of course not. I’m the most girly one among them, I am not perfect but at least I am trying. I want to be the best cook for my future husband”
“Should I be your future husband so I can enjoy your cookings?” He asked, smiling.
“Huh?”
Rory looked her facial expression and laughed. “I was just kidding” He said and continued eating.
Posy stared at his handsome face, lost in admiration for his good looks.
He may act like a crazy person, but he has a face that always draws someone’s attention to him.
******
•SEOUL, THE UNBEATABLE MANSION•
Sage fell on the couch after they arrived in their mansion. They just finish their stage performance, and it was a successful one.
“I’m so tired” She groans
“I will get you all something to eat. What will you like to eat?” Mr. Kang asked, and Sage quickly sit up on the couch.
“I will like to eat seaweed rice rolls, braised kimchi and spicy pork bulgogi” She said.
“Foodie, I wonder where it always goes to, cuz….” Camren looked at her slim figure and shook his head.
Sage understood why he shook his head, so she hits him, Camren chucked and pulled her hair, playfully.
Miles frowned, getting jealous. Even when Lonnie isn’t here, Sage was still not looking at his side.
“What will you like to eat, Miles?” Mr. Kang asked.
“Bulgogi rice bowl and soft tufu with egg soup” He muffled with his eyes on Sage.
“Okay… what about you, Camren?”
“Just dumplings”
“Only that?”
“I don’t know how to eat much”
“You and Lonnie are alike. You’re even better, only water can fill up his stomach” Mr. kang said and Sage laughed.
“I miss him so much. If he was here, I’d be begging him to eat. If you don’t force him to eat, he won’t eat. My handsome Lonnie” Sage said.
Miles banged his hand on the table, he stood up and walked up to Mr. Kang.
“You’re being paid to take care of us, not talk about a useless person who isn’t here!”
“How dare you call Lonnie useless!” Camren shouted at him, and Miles punch his face.
“Camren!” Sage rushed to him, and when she saw the blood on Camren’s face, Sage hits Miles’s chest so hard.
“What’s your problem!!!”
“My problem is you Sage! Until when are you going to keep neglecting me? I was your friend first before Lonnie and Camren came into your life, but you valued them more than you valued me! Are you pretending not to know that I am head over heels for you? I love you Sage, but you keep ignoring me like I don’t exist!” Miles said with pains in his eyes. He was crying.
Sage ignores him and went back to Camren. “Are you alright?” She asked, cleaning the bloodstained in his lip.
Tears falls down from Miles’s eyes, and he walked out of the house.
“Miles!” Mr. Kang went after him.
***
“Ouch” Camren muttered in pain as Sage treated his lips. He got a cut after Miles punch him.
“Sorry”
“You shouldn’t have ignored Miles’s confession”
“I already know he likes me”
“You do?”
“I am not daft, Camren. I already know he has feelings for me, I just pretended not to know, that’s why I don’t talk to him often”
“So what are you going to do?” Camren asked.
Sage sighed and rest her head on Camren’s shoulder.
“Lonnie is the one I love, so it doesn’t change anything even if he already came out in the open that he likes me”
“Don’t feel sad, okay. Lonnie is going to come back to you”
Sage raised her head from his shoulder and both smiled at each other.
Camren tapped his chest and Sage chuckled before resting her head perfectly on his chest.
“Can you sing me a lullaby? I want to sleep”
“Do I look like your nanny?”
“Stop it, Camren, I’m being serious here”
“Sure I will”
Camren began to sing for her, and Sage fell asleep in Camren’s chest, with her hands wrapped around his waist.
Camren looked at Sage and smiled, removing the strands of her hair to look at her properly.
******
•HADONG, COUNTRYSIDE OF KOREA, STEWART HIGH SCHOOL•
Dami, Rory and Posy rolled on the floor, laughing after Lani told them what her grandma did to Lonnie last night.
“Don’t tell me you all find it funny?”
“It’s so funny, Lani. I wish I was there to watch the drama. Your grandma is a kung fu master” Dami said, laughing.
The rest joined in the laughter.
“You all are annoying!”
“Lani!” Sean rushed to her holding a shopping bag.
“Sean”
“Here you go”
“What’s the shopping bag for?” She asked.
“You agreed to come to my birthday party, right? Well it’s tomorrow, and I want you to wear this to my birthday party” Sean said, smiling.
“You don’t have to, Sean. I….”
“Don’t reject it, please. I also want to introduce my parents to you, and I’d like it if you look your best. I will be heartbroken if you reject the dress. Please accept it, that will be enough for me as a birthday gift” Sean said.
Lani sighed and took the shopping bag from him.
“Thanks”
“I should be the one thanking you. See you tomorrow at my party” He hugs her and leaves with so much excitement.
“That was so romantic” Posy said.
“Stop it!”
“Stop it!” Rory mimicked Lani in a girly way, and they laughed.
******
•LONNIE’S HOUSE, SAME DAY•
Lonnie was playing the piano when a knock came on the door and he smiled and quickly rushed to open the door.
“Lani, I have been waiting….” Lonnie’s words hang in his mouth when he saw Eloise instead of Lani.
“So you were waiting for my granddaughter? What for?”
“I wasn’t waiting for her. Have a nice day, grandma” He said trying to close the door, but Eloise used her leg to hold the door, and Lonnie flinched.
“What do you want, grandma?” He stuttered.
“Your exams begins now”
*****
Lonnie’s jaw dropped when he saw the amount of dirty dishes in front of him. Eloise took him to her restaurant, and he was wearing a nose mask so he won’t be identified.
“You want me to wash all of this?”
“No, I want you to sing with it. Of course I want you to wash all of it. It’s your first exam if you want to date my granddaughter” Eloise said.
Lonnie looked at the plenty dirty dishes wondering where he is going to start from. Even he was neglected by his mom, he has never wash dirty dishes in his entire life.
“Why? You don’t want to wash it? Should I give my Lani to someone else. My Lani is very beautiful, so a lot of guys want her, should I call one of them and tell him I approve of him?” Eloise said, dialing a number.
“No!!! Don’t!!!” Lonnie said, holding her hand not to go further with the call.
“Are you going to wash it then?”
Lonnie laughed and said. “Yes, I will. Washing dirty dishes is my hobby”
“Then go ahead and start washing the dishes”
Lonnie stood in his lips and began washing the dishes.
“Make sure it’s sparkling clean” Eloise said and leaves.
“This is for Lani. This is for Lani. This is for Lani. It’s all for Lani” Lonnie said, as he struggle to wash the dishes. He even cut himself in the process of washing the dishes.
“Ouch” He muttered in pain, but despite that he continued washing.
“It’s all for Lani” He said and continued washing with a bleeding finger.
“More dirty dishes on the way” Eloise said entering the kitchen with a heap of dirty dishes.
……
TBC
