Chapter 39: Making a List, and Checking It Twice

Tuesday | January 23rd, 2024 | 9:08 PM

"How do you guys feel about seafood?" Karina asked while she wiped down the countertop. I shrugged my shoulders while I restocked straws and napkin dispensers. "I don't really have a preference, it's all good to me,"

"Steak, steak sounds really good," Ningning swooned from her spot at the sink. Karina and I laughed at the younger girl. "Yeah, steak's good," Karina replied, amused.

"It's up to Chungha anyways, since it's her celebration dinner," I mentioned. Ningning and Karina nodded in agreement. Earlier today, Chungha came to us about some good news. Her lease on her old apartment expired and she'll be moving out soon. Now, she's officially moving into a new apartment complex that she says is 'a gazillion times' better than the old one.

Speaking of the devil, Chungha came out back from the kitchen and walked over to the counter, stopping by us. "Did you guys decide on what we should eat for tonight?" She asked. We looked towards Karina, since the idea was hers.

"I suggested seafood, maybe sushi? But Ningning said she was in the mood for steak," She answered. Chungha hummed, looking like she was thinking hard. "Hm, well what did Minjae say?"

"He didn't give a definite answer, just said whatever is fine," Karina answered. "Well," Chungha began. "Sushi sounds good, and I can go for some sashimi right now." She finished, her eyes looking over at the two of us.

"Steak," Ningning muttered quietly, almost a whisper. I chuckled and shook my head. "I'm down." I told them. Chungha nodded and looked over at Karina, who gave her a thumbs up.

"Great, it's settled. We'll go out to the sushi place across the street," Chungha declared and turned to the register, punching a few keys. "Alright, I'm gonna clock out and see if they have tables open over there. You guys can, you know, clean the place." She said that with a stupid cunning smile on her face.

Karina and I glared at her and she snickered as she circled around the counter and started walking to the front door. Karina and I got back to cleaning the front of the cafe, while Ningning moved over her mop and bucket and started getting to work on the dining area.

"You think if we beg her, Chungha would let us come over?" Karina whispered to me. I smirked and shook my head. "Tonight? What for, just to lounge around an empty place and watch her unpack boxes?"

"Why not?" She asked with a cheeky smile. "Maybe we'll get to see that complex pool and dip our toes in it." She pointed out. I scoffed and smiled, rolling my eyes.

"I hope Chungha throws a housewarming pool party, I've been wanting to take a swim," Ningning mentioned as she started mopping the floor. Karina and I shared a look and grinned, laughing at the youngest's comment.

"In the middle of January," I questioned. "Yeah," Ningning shrugged.

"What are you trying to say, Jae?" Karina nudged me. "Are you afraid of the cold?"

"What? Of course not," I replied, turning to her. "It sounds dumb and stupid to go swimming in the cold."

"Ah, don't be such a wimp about it. Obviously, her complex has those fancy heating systems for their pools. They probably have one of those heated outdoor jacuzzis, too." Karina mentioned.

"Are you sure about that?" I asked. She shrugged, "Doesn't hurt to ask over dinner."

"Well, whatever. If it happens, I'll gladly jump in the water then," I relented. Karina's lips quirked up.

"Yeah, that's the spirit," Ningning giggled from the side. The three of us continued our cleaning, making idle chatter while we worked. We finished within 20 minutes, and then took off our aprons. Karina undid her hair from the ponytail she had and shook it loose.

"Are we ready?" She asked, looking between me and Ningning. We nodded, and we started to clock out for the night. Together, we closed up the cafe and stepped into the parking lot, the cold winter air greeting us. As we passed up my car, Karina tapped my shoulder from behind.

"Hey, I forgot to ask you during work but do you think you can give me a ride home later? My boyfriend's borrowing my car for the week and he had to drop me off today." She explained. Her pale cheeks flushed a pretty pinkish red from the cold. Her teeth were slightly chattering and her body shivered as the breeze blew past.

"Sure, no problem, I'll drive you back home later," I told her. She smiled and thanked me. Then, we crossed the street and walked over to the restaurant. When we stepped inside, the three of us were met with a warm, calming ambiance. At the front, Chungha was talking with the hostess. She looked over at us and smiled, waving us over.

"They're here now, thanks again." She thanked the woman. Then, the hostess grabbed a stack of menus and walked us through the restaurant, taking us to a booth.

We followed behind her until we reached our booth. She sat the menus down and handed one to each of us. "Enjoy your meal," The woman smiled at us.

"Thanks, have a good night," I smiled back and took a seat next to Chungha. Karina and Ningning sat in front of us. After the hostess walked away, we grabbed our menus and started skimming through.

"Ooh, they have spicy tuna rolls. Let's get some of that." Ningning suggested. We all hummed in agreement. "Salmon belly sounds good too." Chungha added.

"What about scallops?" Karina asked, and Chungha agreed. "We can split an order,"

"Alright," I murmured. After a bit of browsing, we eventually got a complete order together. We set down our menus and sat, waiting for a server to come by.

"So, have you started packing?" Ningning asked Chungha. She groaned. "Ugh, no. Not yet, at least."

"When do you have to move out?" Karina asked. "Kind of soon, it won't be too bad though." Chungha responded. 

"You sure? It seems like a lot, you've got a whole apartment to move into," Karina replied.

"Not really, I'm planning on moving the bigger stuff soon. I have enough time to move my belongings in a couple of days." Chungha explained. "I don't think I have that much stuff either. It shouldn't be that hard."

"That's good," Karina commented. Our waitress arrived and asked us what drinks we'd like. After placing our drink orders, the woman nodded and excused herself.

"And you're definitely inviting us over to swim in that fancy ass pool, right?" Ningning asked hopefully, leaning forward with her elbows resting on the table.

"Swimming in the middle of January?" Chungha raised an eyebrow, a small smile peeking from her lips.

"That's what I said!" I exclaimed, turning to Karina, who just giggled and waved me off.

"Sure, why not. Last I checked, their pool and jacuzzi has a heating system, so the water's going to be warm," Chungha informed. Karina and I made eye contact again before we both started to laugh. "That's great, good to know, yeah." I snickered, rubbing the back of my neck.

"I did say I would throw a housewarming party. It'll happen once I completely move in, which will be soon, I swear," Chungha noted.

"I'm going to hold you to that," Karina stated with a wide grin.

"Please do, and remind me too," Ningning requested, nodding her head.

"Will do," Chungha promised. Eventually, the waitress came by again, carrying a tray full of our drinks. She distributed the drinks to each of us, setting a cup of tea down in front of Chungha, water in front of me, a soda for Ningning, and a lemonade for Karina.

"Alright, here's your drinks, now, what can I get for you to eat tonight?" The woman asked as she took out her notepad. We went through our orders, repeating what we wanted and the waitress jotted it down.

After a moment, she smiled and bowed her head. "Okay, great. Thank you, enjoy the rest of your night," She turned and walked away.

"So, Ning, when are you going to tell your auntie to give us a raise," Karina joked as she sipped her lemonade.

"I'll get her to do it, one way or another," Ningning said confidently, giving Karina a smirk. The pretty girl snorted and leaned against her hand, shaking her head.

"She'll never go for it," Karina moved her eyes towards me, "What about you, Minjae? What have you been up to?"

"Hm, not much," I shrugged.

"Oh come on, that's all you have to say? What about your life outside of the cafe?" Chungha asked, nudging me with her elbow. I looked between the three girls, all looking at me expectantly. "I think you know what we're talking about."

"For real, your love life is just too entertaining," Ningning added, a teasing smile on her lips.