@Leanna Decker Donggu couldn't help the laugh that escaped him at her reaction, the little jig coming as a complete surprise. "No, no, don't be sorry," he managed through the laughter as it managed to ebb away after a few moments. He had full plans to talk about fun stuff once they got past the basics anyway. Humming, he nodded a few times. "You are getting a slightly better discount than the other discounts."
Never one to just let up on some light teasing, Donggu continued to poke a little fun at the woman; especially since he wasn't one to hold much shame and found hers amusing. He grinned, tilting his head to try and see past the menu. "Oh come on, it is! I've never seen someone get embarrassed so easily."
He nodded solemnly as she mentioned having experienced the single-party rule and offered a shrug in sympathy. "The one-person thing , but hey: things are changing! And once you wrap your mind around the store, cooking is fun and it means saving money. So look on the brightside~" he said optimistically, lightly drumming his fingers on the table. The food was brought out shortly after and he brightened, thanking their waitress while helping her set everything down.
"Okay, last lesson before we can just chat," he said, idly twirling a chopstick in his hand. "Before you eat, the person serving or whoever cooked will say 'Please eat deliciously~' which basically means please eat well. Then, before eating, it's polite to say 'I'll eat well~'" as he spoke, he pressed both hand together. "as a token of gratitude. It's sort of like saying grace."
@Yoon Donggu There was no hiding Leanna's glee upon hearing that he too had seen not only the Incredibles but also other Disney and Pixar movies. The redhead positively beamed and did a small dance in her seat as if she had found out that she had just won the lottery or something of a similar ilk before she settled down again with a somewhat sheepish laugh. "Sorry. I am just so happy to be able to talk about things I already know and like instead of always learning." She explained, still trying to take in everything that he was saying in stride. "So I am going to get a slightly better discount?"
In response to both his laughing and his vaguely teasing words, Leanna scrunched up her face at him in playful defiance before lifting up the menu to try and hide behind it. "It shouldn't be adorable! It's just embarrassing. I have no game face." She half-whined and pouted behind the sheet.
It really was a whole new world for her and she was struck them by the sheer amount of information she still needed to learn. "I have run into that before. The single party thing. But I don't have many friends yet and no family so I don't have too much choice. I'm still just trying to get used to the grocery store so that I can make my own food." Leanna sighed a little, feeling a bit overwhelmed by everything as the bits and pieces started to make sense to her. "I think I might just have to take a class in Korean cooking so I have more to eat than rice and chicken or eggs."
@Leanna Decker "Of course I watched the Incredibles!" Donggu responded in a tone that implied that anyone who hadn't was seriously missing out. "I've seen pretty much all of Disney and Pixar movies. American movies have a much further reach than those from other countries." He continued eating idly while she worked on her number and hummed for a moment. "An affiliate link...those links that come with a code unique to certain influencers. I have one with a slightly bigger discount since it's a family company."
He found himself laughing again as her face rivaled that of a beet and lightly shook his head. "Definitely interesting. I think it's adorable how easily you get embarrassed."
Leaning casually against the flats of his arms, he waiting for any confirmation that she understood the mini-lesson or questions to indicate a need for further explanation. Even when she verbally expressed the former, her face was still screwed up in thought and he let out a soft laugh before taking a drink of water. "We recycle pretty much all of our food waste," he supplied before pressing his lips together, eyes lifting to the ceiling as if the semi-forgotten statistic lie up there. "I think it's at about ninety....four, ninety-five percent at this point? But yeah, we don't just throw it out. A lot of restaurants are starting to offer single-person portions but, for the most part, people are given enough for two or three. I think there are still a few places here and there that won't even serve a single party."
@Yoon Donggu “You watched the Incredibles too? That makes me so happy! What other movies like that have you seen?” She asked, clearly excited and ecstatic to find something that they both enjoyed so that she could share in the love with him. Sure, it was a kids movie, but it was another solid stone in the foundation of their friendship and she was happy for it as she reached for his phone to type in her number. “What’s an affiliate link?” Leanna inquired as she slid the phone back to him and once more settled into her seat.
Almost as if on cue, the red-head began slowly matching her skin tone to her hair again as she covered her face with her hands and peered through a gap in her fingers. “It’s not the interesting. It’s like a disease.” The woman joked and sort of groaned at herself and her face for so easily betraying her emotions.
Leanna listened to his explanations quietly and thoughtfully, doing her best to wrap her head around the clear cultural differences that were so alien to her. “So never at a restaurant, I understand.” She began, her brows furrowed as she was still puzzling it all out in her mind. “Is there a lot of left over food then that gets thrown in the garbage or do people order less so that doesn’t happen? That would actually be very smart and save on waste and be better for the happy planet.”
@Leanna Decker Oh, to have someone almost instantly play along with your nonsense... It was one of Donggu's favorite things—one of the star qualities he looked for in a new friend—since largely 85% perfect of his conversations ended up that way: long, useless but enjoyable tangents that took mental hiking to get away from and towards the original topic. He'd hold off for now though since he also had to be in teacher mode. "Mask," he supplied, scribbling the word onto the paper before shaking his head, a smile on his face. "No capes, capes are dangerous. That's what Edna Mode says, anyway." He tacked on the last part while lifting up from his seat so he could retrieve his phone and unlock it, sliding it over to her. "You can get them online, yep. I'll send you affiliate links too, so you get discounts."
Her explanation caused an equal parts incredulous and amused bark of laughter to escape him and he lifted an inquisitive eyebrow. "So being Irish just makes you randomly go red sometimes? Interesting..." he trailed off cryptically, fully planning to test that theory when opportunities presented themselves.
Once he finished his explanations, Donggu subconsciously tugged his lower lip between his teeth in anticipation of her response. Had he spoken too fast or said something weird? These were his main concerns but the words that did leave only caused him to scoff and lightly shake his head. "Nuh-uh, I'm the embarrassing one. I have, like, no shame. But you're very welcome to try!" At her actual question though, he allowed himself to go a bit more serious and in a breath thoughfully. "Well, restaurant leftovers aren't really a thing here. Street stalls usually let you take food but restaurants like this won't normally even have takeout containers. You just eat what you can and that's that. Taking leftovers looks kind of, how should I say...pitiful? Like, you're desperate because don't have any food at home. Even if you actually don't, there's that stigma around it."
@Yoon Donggu Hearing that he took the name as his superhero moniker had her snorting and then nearly doubled over in laughter. The man was downright cute when he wanted to be and she was enjoying his calm and somewhat nerdy nature because it fit right in with her own. "So, mister hero, what does your costume look like? Is there a mask and a... thing on the back that blows in the wind?" she asked, not knowing that particular word, smiling at how fitting it was to be asking him for another vocabulary word just then. "I don't have a kaotalk so I can just give you my phone number. Do you buy these things online?"
As he questioned her blush she could only grin and turn a deeper shade of red as soft, barely contained shudders of laughter jiggled her shoulders. "It's nothing! I'm Irish! This is a thing that happens!" Leanna tried to explain away hastily between giggles. A few breaths later and she was settled again, nodding back as he agreed to her plan.
There was a lot for Leanna to take in but he was slow and quite explicit in laying out the areas where she could improve which she appreciated quite a bit. He did, however, make a comment that she just couldn't let go. "Oh, I bet I could embarrass you if I tried." the redhead ventured, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes as her features lit up for a brief second before she became serious once more about the lesson. "So you can't ask for like a quart of porridge if you wanted takeout or does it only work for for more vague amounts?"
@Leanna Decker "Vocab man," Donggu repeated before grinning a lightly clapping his hands together two short times. "I like it! That'd be my superhero name!" he finished proudly, knowing full well how lame that sounded in practice. He was satisfied with it though, his eyes creasing into near crescents as he played through his own completely lame alternate universe scenario in his head. In hindsight, he honestly didn't remember the exact names of the products that he used. He admitted that with a sheepish laugh, sighting the fact that at this point everything was just in the same place and he grabbed it in order without much thought at the end of a long day. "Are you okay with giving me your number or kaotalk? I'll just send you the links."
At first sight of the rosy rouge beginning to tint the woman's skin, he found himself letting out an endeared chuckle. "Aigoo, what's this?" he vocalized, amusement written clear on his face. He nodded along as she spoke before giving a firm one once she was done. "Okay~" he repeated, easily latching onto the repetition and flashing an ok sign.
"It shows, it really does," he said, further encouraging her after hearing how long she'd be at it. He gestured briefly to the side dishes, belatedly realizing that she hadn't touched them at all since equipping her chopsticks, also giving himself time to think up an intelligent answer. He was no teacher, after all, he just knew what did and didn't sound right. "Well, first: you'll never embarrass me. I promise. Second, try to avoid questioning endings. '-seubnikka'...and things of that nature. You want to sound sure, even if you might be wrong. Fake it til you make it, you know?" he explained before tilting his head a bit. "Also, 'a lot' wouldn't really work for porridge. A cook might top it off for us but, it's kind of the same thing as uncountable nouns. They don't get certain determiners."
@Yoon Donggu "Good idea. You can be my vocab man for when things go somewhere I don't know." Leanna replied cheerfully, her dimpled cheeks only accentuating her mirth as she smiled warmly at Donggu. When his hands went up to his face she caught herself looking maybe a little more closely and slightly too long for it to have been appropriate so she immediately brought her gaze down to the table as if it were the most interesting thing she had ever seen. "You might have to write the products and steps out so I can go shopping for the things later."
Just the idea of learning the naughty words had started to make Leanna blush. From the apples of her cheeks to the tips of her ears she could feel her skin heating up and turning a pink color, showing easily through her pale skin. "Okay but not in public so that people don't get the wrong idea. Okay?" She inquired, repeating herself a bit in her nervousness.
The encouragement from Donggu across the table helped her to get through the order and she was able to even smile at the worker when he stepped in to finish. When she stepped away, Leanna had turned to him for some kind of grade and was pleasantly surprised with what he had to say. Once more that rosy hue dotted her visage and she did a little wiggle in her chair of happiness when she heard the verdict. "Thank you. I have been working very hard on this for about a month. It has not been easy." she admitted and then grew a bit more serious. "So where can I do better? I don't want to embarrass you."
@Leanna Decker The former executive's attention had been so caught up on picking what to eat next that he didn't realize what was happening until the paper and pen were in his light of sight. "Oh-- yeah, sure," he said, setting his chopsticks down and habitually brushing his hands off before picking up the writing utensil. "P.o.r.e.s..." he murmured, spelling the word out in Korean and then writing it in smaller English underneath. He smiled and slid the paper over to the side where it wouldn't get stained. "I'll hold onto it. For any word that I say that you need to be written, just tell me. As for this," he lightly patted his cheeks. "It's like a lot of steps. We can go through them while we eat."
His reaction to her question was akin to a chain reaction. His brows lifted in mild surprise as a smile formed on his lips before it became a full-blown, but brief laugh. Then he nodded, reclaiming his eating utensils. "I'll teach you the bad words when you want, sure." He chuckled again, leaning back in his seat to let her do her thing.
While she ordered, he kept an ear out for pronunciation and what could be improved on. When she seemed to lose the steam from the beginning, he nodded in encouragement, mouthing in English that she was doing great. The worker nodded by the end, taking a moment running over what she understood from the order in her mind before repeating it back for clarity. "That sounds right," Donggu supplied, sitting up a bit more and giving Leanna a thumbs up. "Could we get an order of soy sauce marinated crabs too?" Once the entire order was confirmed and the worker left to get it going, he smiled at his friend. "You did great! Be more confident, your pronunciation was really good for a new learner."
@Yoon Donggu The moment he said the word she had been trying to figure out, she repeated it a few times to herself and reached into her pocket for a piece of paper to write it down. At that point she realized that she wasn't entirely sure how to spell it just based on the sound and so she carefully slid both items across the table to Donggu. "Could you put that down on this so that I can remember it for later? I will make flash cards at home for the words I don't know." she explained with a smile, her gaze wandering back to his features with admiration. He really knew how to take care of himself and she was a bit jealous of it. "And please teach me what you do. I want to shine like that."
At some point she knew she would have to learn have to learn the curse words just to know when someone said them to or about her but she preferred to think people were usually nice when they said things she didn't understand. The world was friendlier that way. "One day will you tell me the naughty words?" she inquired, trying to figure out how that lesson would go and deciding that he would probably need to be somewhere other than work for it. "We have a deal then." Leanna said with a firm nod of her head, thoroughly amused by their new arrangement.
"Yes, hello!" Leanna began cheerfully as the worker turned to her. "Hongeo Samhap. For one person?" What started off full of confidence quickly began to deteriorate and she flashed everyone a truly apologetic look as she continued to the best of her ability. "Black sesame porridge, a lot. Please."
@Leanna Decker Utterly comfortable in other peoples' space, Donggu often forgot that the sentiment wasn't always reciprocated. Noticing Leanna's discomfort, he offered an apologetic smile and elected to stay firmly on his side of the table while listening to her. "Pores?" he supplied, easily catching on with her description. He chuckled softly upon noticing her reddening face, finding it cute, and dipped his head in a thankful gesture. "Thank you! I've had a really serious skincare routine since forever."
He nodding along with her admission, shrugging at almost the same time which caused a laugh to escape him. "That's fair, but they're totally the most fun to learn," he said. His brow raised inquisitively at her suggestion but he found himself nodding, completely on board with the idea even though it sounded ridiculous; especially because it sounded ridiculous. "Pickles works, I can dig it," he said before he continued eating the side dishes.
He watched with great interest as the worker came over. "Hello! Are you ready to order?" she inquired, looking between the two but naturally settling on Donggu. "My friend wants to give ordering a try!" he smiled and gestured over to Leanna, causing the worker to turn to her expectantly.
@Yoon Donggu As he leaned in to look at her face, Leanna felt a little self-conscious and inadvertently shifted her position to back away from him with a nervous laugh. "Thank you but I think yours is better. I can't even tell if you have -" She paused, realizing she didn't know the exact word she needed in Korean so she began trying to describe it instead. "Holes in your skin on your face?" The redhead gestured to her own slowly blushing visage, doing her best to think about other words she might use if he couldn't understand what she meant.
"I don't actually know any of the curse words. I fail, I know, those are normally the words everyone learns first but not me." Leanna admitted with a soft laugh and shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe I can just say a word that is very strange instead so that you know that I am having a hard time keeping up? Like pickles? If I stop you with pickles it is because you are fast." The female nodded a few times as she picked up her chopsticks and followed along with how he was holding them, never really having any proper experience with them before only to realize she had probably been doing it wrong. She dismissed that thought though, fully prepared to make an idiot of herself as she raised her hand into the air and called for some help. "Jeogiyo?" Leanna intoned and waited for the worker to come over to them.
@Leanna Decker Donggu grinned, satisfied and retracted his hand to when her mood seemed to return. "Oh yeah! She'd love to help," he exclaimed, bobbing his head a few times in affirmation. "She lives for it." He squinted and leaned forward a little bit, getting a good look at her face before returning to his personal side of the table and opened the drawer at the side of the table, grabbing two pairs of chopsticks to set out, starting with hers. "You have really nice skin though, she'll keep telling you that."
He waited patiently for her response, picking up his own chopsticks and starting to snack a bit on the side dishes and paying special attention to the cucumber and fernbrake. He then belated realized that maybe it was his natural tendency to talk fast, even for locals, that made things a bit harder for her. "You know you can curse at me and tell me to slow down, right?" he asked, lightly tapping the tips of his chopsticks on the table to even them out. "Just say 'beeeep, Donggu, I can't understand anything you're beepbee saying!'" he said, changing the pitch of his voice to one a bit higher and supplying the censors before he dissolved into laughter at himself. He cleared his throat, still smiling, and grabbed more food before continuing, "The dish itself is called hongeo samhap. When you're ready, just lift a hand and say 'jeogiyo!"
@Yoon Donggu There was a moment of confusion for Leanna as well, her expression mirroring his as he began to laugh and she wondered if maybe she had missed some social cue somewhere. Her brows knit together gently with concern as she regarded the male once more only to come apart again with relief upon hearing his words. "Oh? Okay, good! Now I don't have to write any letters or bribe anyone with sweets." she replied with a small smile even though she still had every intention of doing so just because it was nice. The touch to her hand was sweet and she appreciated that he cared enough to try and reassure her, making her beam as she nodded her head in response. "I will gladly take the samples. Maybe she can help me with my complexion."
Leanna sat back and listened to him speak, trying her very best to keep up with his natural pace though there was a definite delay as she translated as much of it as she could in her head. It took about half a minute from when he stopped talking for her to formulate her response that came out in her slow but relatively decent Korean. "I am a brave woman so I think I should pick that option." She intoned and offered the male a rather mischievous grin. "Does it have a special name?"
@Leanna Decker Confusion etched itself across his visage at the sudden shift in demeanor for the other and, though it took him a little longer to catch on, he was quick to comfort and settle her apparent worries. "Hey, it's not that big of a deal," he said, a soft laugh emitting to show just how inconsequential the ordeal was. "Truthfully, my mom loves me. Maybe a little too much." He lifted a hand to shield his mouth as if he was telling a secret. "I'm a liiittle bit spoiled, but don't tell anyone." With a tendency to be touchy as he got comfortable, he reached out to give her hand an assuring squeeze. "As long as you take the cosmetic samples she'll inevitably shove into your arms if you ever meet in person, you'll be fine."
"General, yeah," Donggu confirmed, an affirming smile on his lips. He then leaned forward a bit to better see the menu and pointed out a few things. "There aren't many representative Jeolla dishes that are spicy but Jong-Ok halmeoni has adapted a few dishes to her tastes. The's a spicy beef stew, stir-fried pork. If you really want something from Jeolla and you're feeling a little brave and don't mind strong smells.." he briefly wrinkled his nose before pointing again. "Skate is usually served with pork, kimchi, and a spicy dipping sauce."
@Yoon Donggu "Okay, well, maybe don't count on me. I don't want to let you down or anything so maybe I should be smarter about how I do things." The woman said, suddenly feeling the pressure to try and keep him happy. Leanna was a bit naive and gullible so she truly thought there was a rift between the two and her face grew a bit more serious as she began honestly considering how best to win his mother over. She chewed on her lower lip, expression determined as she knew in her heart that she would try to convince this woman of her son's worth no matter what. "Does she like other stuff too? I should make a list."
It took Leanna a few seconds to realize that he was trying to correct and when the thought finally struck she turned a soft pink hue, trying to figure out just where she had made a mistake. She had been about to ask for further details when she was sort of able to piece together her error and then nodded a few times. "General is the right word? It means not specific?" the redhead asked for clarification before turning her attention to the food. "Fernbrake, okay. I think I want something with a bit of spice. Which of these dishes is a little spice?"
@Leanna Decker Despite the fact that his mother truly adored him and his older sister more than anything, Donggu was enjoying the sense of raport and the small bit of banter being exchanged. It also helped that she was essentially feeding his ego which sent a happy, warm feeling through his chest. "I'm counting on you, friend~" he said, giving a pair of thumbs up.
As soon as the incorrect word hit his ears, Donggu's brows furrowed and his lips pressed into a line as he tried to use his context clues to work out the correct one. "Mm, do you mean general? It can be general. Like, 'please give me a lot' or 'please give me a bit more.'" As he spoke, he demonstrated the non-specific amounts with his hands, spanning them apart and then pinching his fingers closer together. He then pointed to the little dish full of brown strips. "That's fernbrake. They're kind of an aqcuired taste, but I love them," he said with a chuckle. "But okay! I believe in you~ I'm thinking of getting the black sesame porridge," he said, pointing to the dish on the menu. "Do you know what you want?"
@Yoon Donggu Although she had mostly been playing around, Leanna did take note of the things his mother seemed to like as well as the vague location of the bakery in case she was ever in need of a sugar infusion. "Got it. She can be wooed with sweets. Then she will have to admit how awesome you are." The redhead chimed in cheerfully, flashing Donggu a big goofy grin. It was a small thing but she let him have the door victory so she wanted to be sure that he knew that she thought quite highly of him.
When he was speaking to the worker, she looked up and tried to listen carefully to try and pick up any nuances of pronunciation as well as the general content of the talk. "The amount? Does the amount have to be specific or can it be shoes?" She inquired, not realizing that she completely used the wrong word because she didn't have her notes out in front of her. Regardless, she quietly repeated after him a few times and then tilted her head slightly to the side. "Sure, I can order for us but what is ferbrake?"
@Leanna Decker "A cupcake?" he asked, brows lifting before tilting his head in thought. He hummed, pretending to truly think on it and even going as far as to tap his chin. "She might just be swayed if you make it a red velvet brownie one from Creamfields. That's a bakery that's uh..." he trailed off, trying to situate himself relative to the rest of the neighborhood, before pointing. "Over that way."
While she read through the menu, he took the time to come out of his coat since he already had a pretty general idea of what he wanted. The part-time worker came over with a tray full of side dishes and water in the meantime that he helped set down and arrange on the table. He asked for extra cucumber kimchi and fernbrake, so the girl ran off to grab that which left them alone again. "Not really," he responded once Leanna finally spoke again, having already reverted back to his native tongue. "As long as you say the item, the amount, and 'please,' you should be fine. 'Please give me lots of fernbrake'," he said, the example being a repetition of what he'd said before. "Do you want to give it a try and order for us today?"
@Yoon Donggu Hearing that his mother was a chairwoman was a bit of a surprise for Leanna but she nodded her head, immediately gaining more respect for the woman than she already had. "What about a sternly worded letter and a cupcake or something?" The redhead asked with a soft chuckle as she pulled out her seat, removed her coat, and placed the garment on the chair beside them at their table before she gracefully sat down across from Donggu. As he laid out the menu, she folded her arms lightly on the table in front of her and leaned over to get a good look at what all it said. Her reading was still a bit dodgy but she got the most of it after a few read throughs. At his suggestion she swapped over to her slower and slightly accented Korean before responding. "I have ordered food before but I may have done it wrong. Is there a special way?"
@Leanna Decker "A sternly worded--" his own words were cut off by his laughter, shoulders once again shaking with the effort to keep it at a respectable volume. "It's going to take a lot more than a letter to change Chairwoman Yoon's mind on anything, so good luck with that." The entire time he spoke, he remained steadfast in his place at the door, idly gesturing her to go ahead in. When it seemed they'd remain at a stalemate, the soft emittance of air from the other caused a triumphant grin to grow. He briefly stuck his tongue out at her like a kid before walking in after her and even pausing to hold the door for someone that ran up last second. He breathed in deeply on the way to the table, taking in both the smells that sent his previously mildly famished stomach into a frenzy and the cozy atmosphere that immediately began to melt his chill-stricken bones. "Mhm, I do. It's close to the day job so..." he trailed off, leaving the rest to implication and sat on the side opposite the one she naturally gravitated to. "Okay," he said, picking up a menu from the side and laying it flat in the middle of the table. "Do you want to switch to Korean now? Have you ordered food before?"
@Yoon Donggu “I hope your mom thinks your amazing! It would be sad if she didn’t an’ then I’d have to write her a sternly worded letter just ta tell her how great ya are.” She informed him with a grin, waiting for him to walk inside. The pout that formed on his lips nearly eradicated her resolve but she held her ground even after he held the door trying to see which one of them would budge first. Leanna had no intention of letting him win until they were greeted by a woman from inside and she realized that it would be incredibly impolite to keep her door open. A small sigh escaped her as she flashed Donggu a playful glare and stepped past him into the interior to return the greeting. The redhead glanced around the place before selecting an out of the way table and headed in that direction. “So you come here pretty often?”
@Leanna Decker Used to more harsh elbow jabs, Donggu habitually prepared himself for the hit when he noticed her moving but was presently surprised to just get a little nudge. He still allowed himself to be moved a little by the action and raised a hand to rub the offended spot, making a face as if it genuinely hurt. "Oh? Then I'll count my lucky stars." He grinned at the return compliment, standing up a bit straighter to set up his next words."Well, thanks! My mom thinks I'm pretty amazing."
He nodded as if to affirm his own thoughts and explanation, idly clapping his hands behind and in front of him as he listened to her question. A minute pout formed on his lips as he came from his thoughts to find her having beaten him to the door and he put a hand closer to the top to hold it open for her, gesturing her in. "If memory serves, the owner is from Iksan, so I believe that's-" he started to explain but momentarily interrupted his train of thought to respond to the woman-in-question's greeting from the back of the house. "Jeolla food. Sit wherever you like"
@Yoon Donggu Leanna was quick to play right along with his joke, a cheeky grin plastered across her pale features as she reached over to gently nudge his upper arm. "You should be so lucky that I would call ya. An' I still might. Bein' alone is quite the emergency that a friend is best at fixin'." She replied with a quiet chuckle of her own, actually touched that he would think so well of her despite being nearly strangers. "Well, thanks. I think yer pretty swell too."
There was a space of time where she wasn't sure if he understood her meaning at all and the redhead was already trying to think of ways to re-word her questions by the time he began speaking again. She listened carefully and nodded, learning pretty much exactly what she thought to be true was the case. "Gotcha. So we are eating the housefood of which province today?" Leanna further inquired as they neared the restaurant and opened the door for them both. "Or is this Seoul food?"
@Leanna Decker With amusement written clearly all over his face, Donggu endured the teasing before snapping his fingers like a foiled villain. "Dang, there go all my plans," he lamented, despite the smile that remained on his face ruining the illusion of the joke. As she continued, he scoffed a laugh and shook his head. "Don't discount yourself, you're already pretty great from what I can tell."
For a moment, her own confusion just served to confuse him and it may as well have been the blind leading the blind. He tilted his head again, directing his attention back to the street in front of them as the restaurant came into view at the end of the road. "Oh, okay, I see what you mean. Food varies based on the provinces. For instance, Pyongan food is pretty bland. Gangwon food is simple and dishes usually have potatoes, corn, buckwheat, or seafood. Here in Seoul, cooking uses a lot of seasonings, but it's not overly spicy...unless it's one of those restaurants with a challenge haha. Uhm..Jeolla has a lot of seafood because it's surrounded by water. So, basically, depending on where you go, jipbap can be different, even portions can differ."
@Yoon Donggu "Sounds like a fair deal to me but even then, don' wait up at nights wantin' a call from me 'cause it ain' happenin'. You will just have to live on without me 'til I come an' bother you again." Leanna joked lightly, even laughing when he pretended to be hurt about her other comments. "I dunno, Donngu. You did agree to spend time with me an' I am hardly high class, 'exquisite taste', or anythin' like that so now I have to wonder 'bout you."
As he began to try and explain the differences in cuisine, she chewed on her lower lip lightly and waited patiently for the thoughts to flow from him. While it did make sense in some ways she was still a bit confused and even though she nodded in response, she then immediately changed her mind and shook her head. "So what would house food from Seoul taste like? Or is that considered somethin' else entirely?" she asked, trying to put words to her lack of understanding. "If you were to go to like Daegu or somethin' and ask for jipbap could you find Seoul food but not food from Daegu?"
@Leanna Decker Feeling the other's eyes on him, Donggu looked over at the redhead and did a little double-take when he realized the look she was giving him. "Oh—" he laughed a little and started to say that she looked too much like his older sister when /she/ was judging him until she started speaking. His smile softened and he shook his head. "Eyy, don't worry about it! We're friends now, right? I'll help you when I can. And I'll let you know if I have any appearances that I can't skip out on ahead of time." Immediately following her teasing, he let out a dramatic, scandalized gasp and brought a hand up to clutch the space over his heart. "Leanna-ssi, how dare you. I have exquisite taste, I'll have you know." He chuckled soon after, lightly shaking his head as they continued walking.
Recognizing her confusion, he hummed in thought, pressing his lips together as he tried to translate an easier explanation of the food sensation. He briefly addressed the weather difference—saying he would love snow just once—before continuing to think on her question. "Okay, so..." he trailed off, gesturing a bit with his hand. "With people being away from home, usually kids from other cities that study at Seoul universities or have jobs here, it's hard to eat your mom's cooking. You can't just go home and ask mom to make your favorite dishes. So, jipbap places started becoming really popular. It's like food that you would eat at home, food that tastes like home...hence house food." He tilted his head a little, nose wrinkling as it didn't sound quite right in his head but he looked at her, hopeful. "Does that make sense?"
@Yoon Donggu Although he accepted it, she hadn't been entirely serious and she couldn't help but to narrow her eyes at him as she shot the man a skeptical look. "Well, now I hope I never get lost or need help because I would feel bad for interruptin' yer schedule." The woman said with a soft laugh, enjoying the salute even though she shook her head at his silly antics. It was the comment that followed which she just couldn't resist joking with him about, even if she had full faith in Donggu. "But what kinda taste? Even bad taste is taste."
"House food? So house food is different from like restaurant food?" she asked, trying to wrap her head around the concept. Most American food had levels, kind of, but only based on the background of the person making it and many restaurant foods could be duplicated in the home with the right cook so she was a little confused. "It doesn't snow often. Maybe once a year. Most of the time it's sunny and hot. Not quite like here."
@Leanna Decker "Ah, you'd be surprised~" he responded in sing-song. Truthfully, Donggu had anticipated something of that nature coming along with the offer, sort of like a package deal: city tour guide also meant being first response for wrong turns or subway lines. He'd made a friend like that at Standford, so it only felt right to pay the kindness forward and be that person for another. Plus, it made for long-lasting relationships. He was still pretty close with his quote-unquote tour guide despite the thousands of miles between them. Grinning softly, he made a show of saluting. "I promise I won't steer you wrong. This is a house of taste," he said with a laugh, gesturing to the cafe as a whole.
Despite a chill running down his spine as soon as he pushed the door open, his smile remained as he made room for her to walk out. "Jipbap is essentially soul food. It translates to..." he trailed off, lips pursed in thought as he ran over the translation in his head. "House food," he concluded brightly, stepping out himself and pulling on his fabric defense and promptly shoving his hands into the pockets. He made sure to stand on the outside of his new friend, warding against any cars, bikes, or scooters that rolled by on the narrow street.
"Ah, right. Texas is pretty hot, huh? Well, it'll be over soon. I saw some blossoms blooming the other day near Hangang. Spring'll be here soon enough~" he said, momentarily removing his hands in a cheering gesture with an eager expression. Then, as soon as the thought came to mind, he looked at her with his brows furrowed in curiosity. "Does it snow there? In Texas, I mean."
