Warm Bodies (Pt. 1)

Jennie would wake to the smell of food, looking at her surroundings before finding herself in her bedroom. She sat up in the bed, her mind running through all the memories she could remember. Her thoughts soon became consumed with the only memory she could think of, the family that she had met. She shook her head, knowing it needed to be erased. She raised herself out of the bed, noticing her clothes were still on. She looked around the room again, but the smell of food was calling her name. She stood up, her hand flying to her head as she began to feel dizzy. She could hear her bedroom door open, and she looked up with her palm touching her forehead.

"You're awake?" Minji whispered, walking over with a concerned look painted on her face. "I was coming to check on you. I'm so happy you're okay." She smiled softly, but Jennie could not find the energy to force herself.

"Yeah, what's that smell?" Jennie tried to change the subject quickly.

"We were cooking breakfast." She smiled and pulled Jennie's arm, guiding her to the kitchen. When she walked out of the room, she could already hear voices arguing softly through the kitchen. 

"She won't like that!" She could hear the demand in the voice before another followed.

"Everyone likes it. She will like it." Jennie and Minji walked from the door to the opened living room, peering into the kitchen.

"Look who is up." Minji cheered, getting the boys in the kitchen to calm themselves and turn toward her. Jennie watched both boys smile, Tae running over to grab her face. 

"Are you okay?" His hand touched her cheek, then her eyes before she swatted it away from reach.

"I'm fine. What's going on?" Jennie looked at Kai in the kitchen, who smiled softly and motioned for her to sit.

"We were just making breakfast. I was setting the table." He spoke, making Tae turn to make the most annoyed face at him.

"Let's eat." Minji pulled Jennie over to the table, grabbing Tae in her other arm as she led them both to their plates. She sat Jennie beside her, Kai taking the seat across from her, making Tae sit in front of Minji. She pulled back the cheekiest smile, excitedly pulling her chair forward. With the table being set, each with a bowl of rice in front of them. Jennie reached for her spoon, being the first to scoop the rice, but it was soon topped off with a piece of Hobak Bokkeum zucchini from the small bowl in front of her. She looked up to see Kai smiling, looking back down at his own bowl to eat.

"I told you, she doesn't like Zucchini." Tae reached up to grab the piece, but her hand stopped in front of him.

"I'll try it," Jennie said, looking to calm him down. She smiled at Tae, who sneered, hiding his face underneath his hair. He went to eat his own spoonful of rice before having it topped off with a half piece of an egg. He looked forward to seeing Minji looking at her own bowl.

"I don't like eggs," Minji spoke slowly and began to eat. 

Jennie stared at her food; everyone else had already begun to eat. She truly did not like zucchini, but she could see Kai's careful eyes watching her every move. She took a deep breath before placing the spoon in her mouth to start chewing, tasting the flavor of the zucchini. She held back her uneasy face by pulling back a smile that was infectious, to say the least. They all ate in silence, listening to the clinking of their utensils and everyone chewing. It was refreshing for them not to be headed anywhere in particular, but it was very awkward, to say the least. Minji and Jennie took glances at one another as the boys continued to only look towards Jennie. The girls tried to finish first, standing up to excuse themselves from the boys. 

"I actually have to get going," Kai broke their stride to the bedroom, having both girls look back in his direction.

"Here, let me walk you out." She spoke, turning to face him. He smiled, picking up the bag he'd left on her living room floor. Minji smiled before entering the kitchen to help Tae begin cleaning, his face visually upset. The two were left in the kitchen as Jennie and Kai made their way to the door and began to walk out. She pushed her hair back shyly, the thoughts of the night flooding her memory. 

"Are you feeling okay?" He asked, looking down at her, taking note of her nervous actions. She nodded, looking up at him.

"You guys didn't have to stay. I feel bad that I couldn't at least set a space." She held her head down, and it made him smile.

"You're okay. That's what matters." He looked away, looking at the sky as her eyes went to his face. He smiled to himself, feeling her eyes on him. "If you feel that bad, then you can just let me take you on a date." 

His hands slid into his pockets as he cocked his head to the side, awaiting her response. He watched her slow response, unsure of how to respond. He hesitated for a second, thinking before his hands pulled from his pocket to clasp together behind his head. 

"I'm still waiting on a note, so that could work too." He sighed, reaching the gate and walking out. "I'll be waiting." His hands dropped as he moved away from the gate, smiling at her before walking away. She stood in silence, watching as he never looked back towards her. 

Back inside, the two were washing the dishes, and Minji could not help but enjoy her time with him. He huffed over her, at one point their hands touching, and she could not help the redness that came into her face. Tae had been so distracted he hadn't even noticed, finally looking down to catch her eyes. They were caught in a gaze, him being stunned by her big brown eyes. He could not shake them. She was frozen in admiration, her eyes twitching from his hair to his lips, from his skin that molded a perfect chin to his neck, and she had to swallow. The sound of the door broke them both from their trance.

"Minji?" She watched Jennie come in, moving away from Tae to go to her side. Jennie smiled softly, looking at her friend, then back at Tae. "I think I'm going to rest. Tae can give you my extra key if you want to come back." She looked towards him, and he was completely unfocused on what he just heard.

"Sure. I'll go home and pack a bag." She smiled and tried to lead Jennie to the room, but a voice called to them.

"Here, you go. I'll make sure she's resting." He dried his hands, walked from the sink to Minji, and handed over his key. 

"I'll be back then." She smiled hopefully before leaving. Jennie walked to the room, listening as the door closed. She reached the front of the bed, yawning before she was yanked backward, falling onto a hard surface. Her hand instinctively went to the shoulder, but it was grabbed. She was now face-to-face with Tae. He locked eyes on her, watching her every move, from the blinks that she took to every breath that escaped her lips. He wanted to speak but could not find the words to say. She looked completely shocked, pulling her hand from his grasp.

"Tae-" He stared at her, his face closing in but stopping before he let her go with a sigh. He took a step back, going towards the door and staring forward as he called back to her.

"Are you sure you're okay?" She looked taken aback about the moment that just occurred, swallowing hard.

"Yeah," She watched as he closed the door. She went to the door, listening to him pick up his things and leave. She lay on the bed, burying her head in the pillow. With so many things on her mind, she could not fall asleep now. Her mind and heart were focused on too many things, but the one sticking out the most was her family. She reached over to the side table, opening it to expose a journal. She picked it up, closing the drawer behind her. Jennie sat up on the bed, opening the book to show the front cover with a picture. Her eyes began to swell as she smiled at the picture. Her hand ran across the picture before wiping a tear as it quickly streamed down her cheek. She quickly looked up at the ceiling, taking a breath before looking back at the picture. She let her smile return as she studied the faces, sniffling to keep her breath steady so she wouldn't begin crying. 

"You've been gone too long." The words slipped from her lips, the same as the stray tear that lept to her cheek.