Chapter Five – Deep-Fried

               It was late August, and the students were back at the local university.  The fried chicken restaurant, Clucky Chicken, was booming with business.  Hee-So, Dae-Hyun, and Jeong-Jin stood outside, with Jeong-Jin still in Dae-Hyun’s arms.

               “They look very busy, so the wait may be long.  Maybe we should go some place else.” Said Hee-So.

               Jeong-Jin got teary-eyed and said, “No fried chicken?”  He shot his papa a look that was adorable and sad at the same time.  This “look” worked almost all the time.  It worked instantly on Dae-Hyun.

               “We’ll go to another place I know. Let’s go.”

               Jeong-Jin shouted in delight.  Hee-So wondered if Jeong-Jin did his “look” on purpose.  After all, his son was quite precocious for his age.

               They walked back towards the café and a 2022 Black Kia Stinger GT2 had its engine turn on and the lights came on.  Dae-Hyun had used the remote start function on the side of his key fob.  Hee-So turned to look at Dae-Hyun.

               “Still driving a Kia, I see.”

               Dae-Hyun walked to the trunk, still holding Jeon-Jin, and pulled out a car seat, perfect for a four-year old.

               “It’s my favorite car brand,” he said while placing the seat in the backseat and clicking it into place.  Dae-Hyun put his son in the seat and buckled him in. Then he said, “I just bought this one.  I still had the previous car up until a couple weeks ago.”

               Hee-So’s eyes widened.

               “You mean the same one from before I left?”

               “The very same.”

               Dae-Hyun opened the passenger door and motioned for Hee-So to get in the car.  He offered a hand to help Hee-So in, but it was ignored.

               “I can get into the car myself, thank you.”

               “That didn’t sound thankful.” Dae-Hyun said teasingly as he gently closed the door.

               As Dae-Hyun got into the car and buckled his seat belt, he looked back at Jeong-Jin.  His son was already sleeping soundly.

               “He must have been tired.”  Dae-Hyun said softly.

“Yes, and he will still be hungry when he wakes up, so we should grab the fried chicken on the way home.”

               Dae-Hyun gently pulled onto the road and made a call using his Bluetooth.

               Ring…..  Ring….

               “Hello?”  A male voice, sounded middle-aged, came on the phone.

               “Ming, this is Dae-Hyun.  I need you gather a to-go order for me.”

               “Oh, yes! Anything for my Hyun-ie!” Ming sounded delighted.

               Hee-So looked at Dae-Hyun who blushed with embarrassment.  Dae-Hyun cleared his throat.

               “Ming, I have company in the car with me,” he cleared his throat again.

               “Oh! I’m so sorry Hyun-ssi. What can I get for you.”

               “It’s okay, we go way back.  We’re practically family.  It’s just that I’m using the Bluetooth speaker in my car,” Dae-Hyun paused, then continued, “I would like to order some of your deep-fried version of the sweet and sour chicken with the sauce on the side.”

               There was a brief silence on the other side.

               “…. Hyun-sii, you’ve never ordered it this way before.  Usually, you order the pan-fried version-─”

               Dae-Hyun interrupted, “It’s for a child.”

               There was another bit of silence on the other side.

               “I understand.  I’ll have it ready in within 10 to 15 minutes.”

               “Thank you, Ming. I also need you to make enough for two adults and a child.”

               A short pause then Ming said, “I’m happy for you, Hyun-ssi.  I’ll see you soon.” As if he understood.

               Dae-Hyun hung up the phone.

               “HeeSo-ah, Ming is a man who is like an uncle to me.  As you know, when I was a child, I often wondered on my own without permission.  I snuck out and would often to go to Ming’s Chinese restaurant.  Ming would feed me a small bit of food and give me something to drink.  I spent a lot of time there and worked part time during high school just to escape my household.  He is very kind and won’t say anything to anyone.  I trust him with my life.  Hee-So nodded to show he understood what was said.

               “If he has your trust Hyun-ah, he has mine too.”

               The car came to a stop at a red light.  Dae-Hyun gently brought Hee-So’s left hand to his lips and kissed the back.

               “Thank you.” He said softly while giving Hee-So’s hand another kiss before letting it go.

               The light turned green, and the car resumed its way to its destination.

~ To Be Continued ~

PS: Sorry for the short and late chapter.  My health issues have been acting up.  Thank you for reading and your patience.  I appreciate you!