EPISODE 18

"Where did you say you met him from again?" Ming asked.

"Who?" Qing replied, confused and then she quickly realized she was actually referring to Min-Jun.

"Tao? That knucklehead. I think I'm regretting it now." She said and drink from a bottle of water on the table.

"We met by chance at the airport while I was stranded. My bus broke down on the way to Qingfeng, and we all had to get off while the driver tried to fix it. But he was taking forever, and my flight was leaving in an hour. I didn't want to miss it, so when I saw a taxi, I jumped in with my last penny. The craziest part was, my passport was in my bag, which I left on the bus. I didn't even think about it until I got to the airport and realized i left them behind."

"Oh my gosh, you can't be serious!" Ming exclaimed.

"And that wasn't all. I also lost the only picture I had of my dad, which was in that bag too," Qing added, her expression turning somber. But somehow, she was kinda glad she lost it, maybe it wasn't her fate to meet her him after all.

"OMG! You don't mean it," Seo-yeon gasped again in a mouth full.

"Losing all that didn't bother me too much because I considered it fate. But I was really worried about how I was going to get back home. That's when I saw Tao. I approached me just in time. I seized the opportunity, but everything took a turn for the worse when we got robbed. It was only after a few days that I discovered he had amnesia and was homeless. With no other options, I decided to bring him along with me."

"OMG! That was so kind of you! So where did the money for getting back home come from?" Seo-yeon asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"The thief didn't notice his wristwatch, so we sold it," Qing replied.

"OMG! So how…?" she started, but Qing cut in, clearly annoyed with her constantly saying 'OMG'

"Can you stop saying that and just eat your food before it gets cold?" Qing snapped, her patience wearing thin.

Ming smile, turning her attention back to Tao, who was working effortlessly diligent. He look funny at the moment but his charm was intact. "He's cute, you know, and really hard-working too."

Qing sneered at the compliment that seem more like a joke coming from the picky Ming.

"Hard-working and cute? I'm pretty sure that's not coming from you. Otherwise, I'd take it as a mockery."

"I'm being honest!" I almost fell for his handsome face when I saw him yesterday. Luckily for me, I didn't; otherwise, I would have been head over heels for a broke, homeless guy," she said, finishing her meal.

"I'm done! I'll get going. Are you coming?" she asked but Qing declined, she still need to help her mom out. Min-Jun is definitely not going to be of any help, judging from the way he's behaving.

"Just go with her; Tao will help me out," Miss Gown said, encouraging Qing to leave. Her biggest nightmare was seeing Qing getting close to Tao. She promise to keep them both apart untill she successfully kick Tao out. She definitely not going to let him stay for long.

With a cheerful nod, Qing took off her apron and headed out with Ming. Just as they left, two women in their fifties entered. Miss Gown welcomed them warmly, and they smiled back, taking a seat and ordering two bowls of stingy tofu. They actually came for something else other than the food and now that they were here, the rumors wasn't a lie after all. They keep a straight face at Min-Jun and gossips audible enough for everyone to hear.

"Is he the handsome Korean young man everyone is talking about?" Mrs. Shin asked, her eyes landing on Min-Jun, who was finishing up with the cleaning and preceded to watching the dishes.

"Oh, that must be him—the guy Qing came back with," Mrs. Song concluded.

"I guess she finally decided to get married this time."

"I don't think that's the case. A handsome guy like him would never notice someone like Qing when our beautiful daughters are still single," Mrs. Shin replied and they both laughed to it.

Ms gown, stand and listen as they gossip about his daughter right in her presence, at her restaurant.

"You're absolutely right. But what is he doing here?" Mrs. Song pondered.

"Exactly! What kind of daughter runs away with a man when she's not even married to him?" Ms. Shin added.

"That's just the kind of girl Qing is—always bringing trouble to her mother. If she were my daughter, I'd be furious," Mrs. Song said, shaking her head.

"No wonder her dad left them," Mrs. Shin whispered, unaware that Ms Gown was closer.

Ms Gown felt a pang of sadness as she heard them talk about her ex-husband, who had abandoned them for a wealthy woman in Seoul years ago. The dishes was ready, and she brought it to their table, placing the bowls down a bit too forcefully, splattering some sauce onto their dresses. Angrily, she turned and walked away.

"What's wrong with her attitude?" Ms. Shin asked, surprised.

"She must have overheard us," Mrs. Song muttered, glancing at Miss Gown's retreating figure.

"So what if she did? We were just speaking the truth," Ms. Shin replied, trying to clean the stain off her dress but failing miserably. She glared at Miss Gown's back and muttered, "Like mother, like daughter."

Standing up, she turned to Mrs. Song. "Let's leave here, I just lost my appetite."

"What? What about the meal?" Mrs. Song asked, confused.

"Just leave it," Ms. Shin said, tossing some money onto the table and dragging Ms. song along with her.

Min-Jun had overheard their conversation and noticed the change in Ms Gown's expression. He wondered what had happened to her husband and felt a sense of concern for her.