Chapter 4 Bonding.

"So you've left Sung-min and now going after this other boy?" Temi asked.

"No!" Stephanie yelled as she lay on her couch with her legs spread eagle and stuffing her face with red grapes.

"The way you were talking dreamily shows something else" Precious said.

"And from the pictures you sent Jin-soo looks way cuter than Sung-min" Eunice squealed.

"I remember all those times of how you would marry a foreign man. Now it's no longer a dream" Utibe said acting dramatic.

"Yeah which one of you will keep calling me Joseph the dreamer?" she asked.

"Why does Jin-min or whatever his name is look younger?" Temi asked.

"Because he's younger" Stephanie replied spitting the seeds out.

"How old is Sung-min?" Precious asked squinting her eyes in suspicion.

"He's just a year older than me" Stephanie replied sitting up.

"His face doesn't look just a year older" Utibe joined in.

"Stephanie what are you doing in Korea?" Temi asked.

A knock had Stephanie dropping her laptop and looking at the door in question.

"Place the laptop towards the door so we can see the local people" Precious said with a tiny laugh.

"Whoever it is, even though it is room service you guys shouldn't embarrass me" Stephanie told them which caused them to go quiet. She just rolled her eyes and opened the door still looking at them. When she turned she gasped in surprise and in horror.

Mi-na stood there using her hand to support herself on the doorframe and she had a wide smile on her face. She was dressed in dark blue pants and a purple turtle neck with black flats and a Jacket which was also black.

She removed her glasses slowly and biting the tip. It was really not a nice habit, especially when she was doing that to a fellow girl. She really looked like she was checking her out.

"Mi-na, what are you doing here so early?" Stephanie asked embarrassed because she was still in her nightgown at this time. 'She was an adult for goodness sake'.

"Its 9:30 a.m." Mi-na replied looking at her watch. "It's a little bit late" she said standing straight.

"How did you find out where I stay?" Stephanie asked still not over the shock that she was still here.

Mi-na chuckled and leaned closer. "You and my brother like each other so when he starts talking about you things just flow out of him like a faucet" she said with her hands on her cheek.

Stephanie smiled. "He talks about me?"

"Yes, now can I come in?" Mi-na said peering past her shoulder.

Stephanie didn't notice and moved aside for her to enter.

"Who's on your laptop?" Mi-na asked pointing to her coffee table.

Stephanie's eyes went wide and she speed walked to the table. "It's just some friends from home" she replied.

Suddenly Mi-na was behind her and breathing down her neck which made her shiver.

"Africans right? You're the only African I've met and I'm happy to meet more" she said waving at the laptop.

"Nigeria to be exact" Utibe corrected which had Stephanie rolling her eyes.

"Are you the older one's sister or the younger one?" Eunice asked.

"What?" Mi-na asked confused.

Stephanie jerked forward and closed her laptop. "That's enough of that you're my guest" she said finally looking at her.

"What did that girl mean when she said older one and other one?" Mi-na asked.

"She's always confused so don't pay any attention to her" Stephanie replied with a nervous smile.

Mi-na quirked her nicely arched brow and looked at Stephanie for a few seconds before smiling. "I came here because I want you to accompany me on my outings today".

"Why couldn't Sung-min accompany you?" Stephanie asked quirking her brow.

"His exact words. Why would I follow you around and do women stuff? I'm not one so go find one to go with you"

"So you decided on me? Stephanie asked quirking her brow which was no way near Mi-na's. Her eyebrows were light and wasn't styled in any way.

"Yes! Now get dressed" she said pushing her into her room.

"It's not like I agreed to go with you" Stephanie murmured.

She closed her door and walked to her wardrobe and got to work on what she would wear. She finally settled on a white cotton shirt with long sleeves and a pair of shoes and threw her underwear on top of it.

She walked into her bathroom to do the normal stuff that everyone does in the morning. Hope Mi-na wouldn't think that she was lazy.

When she was done cleaning herself with her towel and she opened her door to see Mi-na on her bed twirling her bra.

Stephanie froze. Normally a fellow woman wouldn't be bothered being in a state of undress in front of another woman, but there was something about this particular woman that kept her on edge.

"What are you doing here?!" Stephanie squealed clutching her towel to her chest.

Mi-na looked at her from the top of her head to where the towel stopped which was mid-thigh and she smiled. "Sung-min is very lucky" she said softly.

"Go back to the living room!" Stephanie said through clenched teeth. She was getting cold and the woman on her bed wasn't helping.

"Why? Are you shy or something? We're both women and there's nothing on you that I haven't seen on you. Well your breasts are still a little bit......" she trailed off and just kept staring.

"I swear you and your brother look and act alike. You just like to stare and it just makes me self-conscious and is very overwhelming.

Mi-na smiled. "You have cute underwear" she said pulling the band for emphasis.

"Leave!" Stephanie whined pulling her off the bed and pushing her out the room.

Stephanie locked the door and heaved a sigh of relief. 'So crazy' she told herself.

She applied body lotion and rubbed the facial cleanser on her face. Luckily she bought some makeup when she went to the mall for her mother, but it could work for her. She was light anyway. She applied nude colored lipstick and styled her hair.

She wore her clothes slowly and looked into the mirror in only her underwear. "When did underwear become cute?" she asked her reflection.

She put on her clothes and got her jacket. She eyed the glasses Mi-na gave her and she couldn't resist it. 'If I wear it she might think we're getting along right? And I need her to like me if I'm interested in her brother'. When she opened the door, Mi-na had an apple in her mouth.

"I'm ready!" Stephanie announced.

"You look good" Mi-na said with two thumbs up.

Stephanie followed her outside and stopped on front of her car which had Stephanie gaping. Yes she didn't know much about cars, but she knew a convertible when she saw one. A nice black convertible.

"This is my second baby. I bought this to spoil myself a year ago. 2018 Porsche Boxster" she said opening the door for her.

"Thank you" she said as she got in putting on her seatbelt.

Mi-na opened her door and got in. "We're going to have a blast today. First off we're going to meet my friends at a lovely restaurant which they told me about. Then we're going to pamper ourselves at the spa and get our hair done at the salon and finally, shopping".

"Meet your friends?" Stephanie asked in a low voice.

"Yeah" Mi-na replied putting the car in motion. "They are nice people and they are just like me and Sung-min so there's nothing to worry about".

'What if they don't like me? Did Mi-na tell them that she's coming with a friend? All these questions raced through her mind as fast as the trains she had seen in the subways.

She got out her phone and found Sung-min in her WhatsApp contacts.

'Sung-min, how did your sister find me?' she waited patiently for him to reply.

'I think that was my mistake, sorry' he typed back.

Stephanie sighed slouching in her seat.

'She's taking me to meet her friends and I'm nervous. I'm this close to jumping'.

Sung-min took time in replying, but when it did it was a simple 'Please don't'.

'Mi-na really likes you and I know she's coming off too strong; but she has only good intensions I'm sure of it'.

'You really have a way with words' Stephanie typed unaware of the smile adorning her face.

'Thank you' he replied and she could just imagine the smile on his face. and he was fond of licking his lips when he blushed.

'When will you be free?' Stephanie asked.

'It's only been a day and you're missing me already?'

Stephanie rolled her eyes. 'Well if you don't want to go on a proper date, I'll just find someone else'.

'I was just joking' and she could picture vividly how nervous he was.

'How about tomorrow? I have the perfect place to take you'.

'Tomorrow sounds nice and make sure your sister stays at home please'.

'You have my word' he promised.

'I'll talk with you later' and she turned her phone off.

She looked to her left and jumped a little in shock because Mi-na was staring at her with that creepy smile.

"You were talking to my baby weren't you?"

Stephanie blinked twice in confusion. "Baby? You mean Sung-min?"

Mi-na nods as she put the car in park.

"People may think it abnormal for me calling a full grown adult baby; but no matter how old Sung-min gets he's always going to be my baby brother and he knows that".

That little speech softened Stephanie's heart and she saw Mi-na as a human. A woman who loves and was looking after her brother. She was nice when she wasn't acting crazy all the time.

"We're here" she announced.

Stephanie got out waiting for Mi-na to do the same thing. Mi-na walked up to her and wrapped her arm round her shoulder. "A word of advice" she whispered. "My friends tend to get really excited so don't get a big head".

They walked into the restaurant.

Mi-na led her to a table where two women sat. 'They all look like porcelain dolls' she screamed internally.

"Good morning you two" Mi-na greets as she approached the table. "I brought along a friend today and her name is Stephanie and she'll be joining us for breakfast today and hopefully other times".

Stephanie looked away from their piercing gaze. 'So judging' she thought.

Mi-na shook her hard enough to disrupt her thoughts. "These are my friends Stephanie, the cute one is Park Jea-eun and the pretty doll over there is........"

"Geun Seo-hyeon" the woman in a round neck grey gown completed standing up and stretching her hand out. When Stephanie took her hand, she shook her slowly.

She had round eyes and in a dress like that with her long brown hair in a ponytail and a curled bang obscuring part of her forehead.

"Are you a model?" she asked assessing her.

"No" Stephanie replied with a smile and she was sure she heard Mi-na chuckle.

"Would you like to be because you look the part" she said with a smile and interlocking her fingers. "Are you Mi-na's girlfriend?" she asked taking her seat.

"You can call us that. I consider us girlfriends" Stephanie said as Mi-na pulled out a chair for her.

"Nice to meet you" Stephanie said shyly to the other woman who had been quiet.

"Same" she replied.

"So how did you two meet?" Seo-hyeon asked grinning from ear to ear.

"I met her through Sung-min" Mi-na replied with a grin of her own. "I can assure you that he's absolutely smitten" she said squinting her eyes at Jae-eun. Said woman only rolled her eyes.

"I wouldn't say smitten Mi-na!" Stephanie chastised.

"He is and so are you. Do you two see yourselves when you stare at the other?" she asked.

"So you're dating?" Seo-hyeon asked with a genuine smile. "I'm happy he agreed to get back on the horse considering the failed relationships".

"I'm not sure that we'll get to dating because I'm only in Seoul for a while and Sung-min knows this to" she said through clenched teeth and glaring at Mi-na who just shrugged.

"Well you can always try long distance relationships if you're serious about him" Seo-hyeon said stroking her chin which Stephanie found amusing but she didn't laugh.

"Well if we are done talking about your brother, can we order?" Jea-eun asked.

"My brother is worth the conversation" Mi-na said removing her glasses. "Right Stephanie?" she asked still looking at her friend.

Stephanie kept quiet and looked at her menu. Luckily there were words in English which she was thankful for.

"I think we should order now" Seo-hyeon suggested with a smile and giving her friends a look.

They took some time looking at their menus and taking a longer time to decide. Stephanie was done a long time ago, but she still kept looking at her menu because they were doing it. She had enough experience going out with her parents and she knew that they would take their time.

They finally dropped their menus to which she sighed. Mi-na called on a Waiter and they gave their orders. Few minutes later their food came back.

She knew her plate was the one with pancakes and strawberries, but the pancake wasn't the one she was used to. 'Well there's a first time for everything' she thought. Seo-hyeon pulled the plate of waffles and blueberries to herself with a hot cup of coffee. Mi-na had a plate of toast with eggs and a cup of tea. Jea-eun had a plate of sandwiches.

She said a little prayer and the three of them said something in Korean. She thought it was going to be a quiet breakfast, until Seo-hyeon dropped her cutlery.

"So Stephanie what do you do?" she asked.

"She's a writer" Mi-na replied for her a little bit too excited.

"Wow!" She exclaimed with a clap.

"You studied art just like me!" she squealed. "I'm an artist though".

"That's really nice. You're the first person I've met that took on art as a real profession" Stephanie said with a smile of her own.

"That's sweet" she cooed. "I'd like you to come to my gallery when you have the time. I want you to see some of my works" she brought a silver card out of her bag and holding it out for her to take.

Stephanie took it and put it in her pocket.

Jea-eun cleared her throat. "How many books have you published?"

"I haven't published any" Stephanie replied simply. "I wanted to wait till I was older so readers would take me seriously".

"So what do you do?" Stephanie asked.

"I'm an actor" she replied with a smile. "And also a chef".

"That's nice" Stephanie said trying to smile.

"I know" she replied knowingly. "How do you expect to make money by writing books? It's a digital age now and you really expect people to pick up a book?" she asked with a pout.

"Jea-eun what are....?" Seo-hyeon tried to cut in but Mi-na raised her finger.

"Yeah I have thought about how I'd make money especially since I stay in a country that doesn't read. I thought of becoming an actor and maybe I'd start writing later, but then I asked myself all the films we watch aren't they stories?"

"The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Harry Potter written by J.K. Rowling, Hunger games written by Suzanne Collins, Twilight written by Stephenie Meyer, Romeo and Juliet written by William Shakespeare. And I'm sure a time in your life you came across one of the works of Stan Lee.

"I look up to those people and knowing what I can do I can get to where they are" Stephanie said looking so determined.

Mi-na had a grin on her face and Seo-hyeon clapped.

"Well it looked like I made a mistake. You love being a writer and I'm sorry to have judged you" Jea-eun said going back to her food.

They went through their breakfast without any more arguments. She continued talking to Seo-hyeon and she enjoyed the conversation. She told her what drove her to be an artist and also about her role models and her doing the same. It had been long since she had such a challenging talk and she thanked Jea-eun for that, internally of course.

Seo-hyeon was nice to have around and they ended up exchanging numbers. Well she wasn't that social so the woman was the one that asked for her number. She gave it to her happily. She prayed that Jea-eun wouldn't want to exchange numbers. The woman rubbed her a wrong way and she had a feeling the woman didn't like her.

They were done with their food and Mi-na paid for them and bid her friends' good day and led Stephanie out of the restaurant.

"That went very well" she said patting her on the head. "Unnie is so proud of you" she said trying not to laugh at the look on Stephanie's face.

"Who's Unnie?" Stephanie asked slapping her hand away.

"I'm Unnie" she replied. "Unnie is what younger sisters call their older sister in Korean" she explained slowly.

'Isn't it a bit too early to think of me as a sister. After I do my surgeries I'm leaving'.

"I'm glad you think of me as a sister" Stephanie said blushing.

"So if I'm meant to call you Unnie, what are you going to call me?" Stephanie asked as they got into the car.

"I'm going to call you Dongsang" she said as she put the car in motion.

"So where are we going to now?" Stephanie asked.

"To the spa and then we are going to get our hair done" Mi-na said and she stepped on the gas.

'Today is going to be a very long and exhausting day' Stephanie thought.

She got out her phone and just looked through her messages. Her friends were blowing up her phone because she closed her laptop. She rolled her eyes visibly. A few from her mum and dad checking up on her. Her brother checking up asking her how everything was going, her sister making a lot of demands. Her younger brother asking for new videogames and a few boys asking for girls numbers.

She put the glasses on and rest her back against the soft seat. Better to relax now because she didn't see herself enjoying her day with a crazy woman like Mi-na, but then she could be wrong.

She closed her eyes and covered her mouth as a little yawn came out. 'I didn't drink any tea so why am I sleepy? The food must have been good' she thought before closing her eyes.

Mi-na might have been talking to her but she didn't hear anything as she succumbed to sleep

Said woman kept talking and still driving not caring that she wasn't getting any response. She slowed down as she came to a red light.

"So what are your thoughts on that?" Mi-na turned to Stephanie who had her neck at an odd angle and her lips were slightly parted. She shook her head and adjusted her neck so it wouldn't hurt later and adjusted the glasses.

She smiled and got her phone and took a picture and did some other things, until the horn of another car had her sitting up abruptly and she dropped her phone on Stephanie's laps and moved. She could hear what the other drivers were saying.

"Rude!" She yelled back. "Do you kiss your wife with that mouth?"

She felt satisfied seeing him yell and she flipped him the bird and drove off.

She was happy Stephanie wasn't awake to see her act so uncivilized and so unladylike.

She pulled over and picked her phone up and found out that she didn't actually send what she wanted to.

She sent two messages and the receiver hadn't gotten it yet. She pouted and looked at her side mirror. No matter what people thought she wasn't one for getting into fights and wasn't about to get into a fight and she wasn't going to pay a fine no thank you.

She got back into her lane and made her way to her favorite spa. She was going to pamper little sister.

Sung-min ran his fingers through his wet hair. He went swimming after Stephanie texted that she was going to spend the whole day with his sister. He loved his sister he really did, but it didn't sit right with him to leave Stephanie alone with her.

It would be stupid if he went to get her. Mi-na would call him a possessive brat, while Stephanie would ask him if he was jealous again. He smiled every time he thought about her and that was how Mi-na got her address.

He carried his clothes and made his way to the backdoor. He cleaned his hair with a towel he kept on the chair swing. His phone was next to it and he saw he had a message in his WhatsApp. It was from Mi-na and he was nervous about opening it.

'It's not like you're going to die' he thought as he opened the message and he nearly dropped his phone in shock. He hit his board which was against the wall and it fell on his toes and it hurt.

He looked at the words under. 'Take a closer look because you might be waking up to this face every morning'.

"Mi-na" he groaned.

Mi-na sneezed and she tried getting up, but she was pushed back down onto the bed.

Stephanie moaned and she looked at her on the next bed. She was confused because at first she wasn't on board about getting massaged because she was going to be nude and another man was going to touch her in ways she wouldn't like. 'Now who's enjoying herself?' she thought.

"You just sneezed out of nowhere" Stephanie said absolutely relaxed.

"Yeah I think someone is talking about me" Mi-na said as her masseuse went to her legs.

"Superstitions" Stephanie said turning her neck to face her. "My lower back and shoulder blades" she instructed the man.

"You know Sung-min gives decent and breathtaking massages" Mi-na said wriggling her brows suggestively.

Stephanie sighed. "If I'm being honest with you, I really don't know Sung-min that well and I'm sure he too doesn't know me that well".

"That's why people who are interested in each other go on dates" Mi-na said with a smile.

"Yes I know and that's why the two of us are going out tomorrow" Stephanie moaned again as all the knots in her back popped.

"Really?" Mi-na asked forgetting she was currently getting a massage tried to get up, but was pushed down by a masseuse scolding her in Korean.

"Yes" Stephanie replied closing her eyes.

"So if everything goes well and you end up falling in love with Sung-min, what then?" Mi-na asked no longer sounding playful.

'Everything was going so well until she dropped a bombshell' Stephanie thought frustrated.

"I really don't know, but what I do know is that it is in the future. I came here for medical purposes and wasn't planning on meeting Sung-min or you, but it happened and I can't go back in time to change it. I can't deny that I don't feel anything for your brother, but it's only been five days and I can't just say I'm in love just like that".

Mi-na smiled. "A writer and very good with words. I like you".

The masseuses stopped and Mi-na sat up with a stretch. "I think it's time for our wax".

They waxed had facials and the spa manicure and pedicure and when they were done with what Mi-na called "The Spa Grand Hyatt Seoul" she drove to her favorite salon to get their hair done and the way it looked like, the day wasn't nearly done.

As soon as Mi-na stepped in, she yelled "Ha-yoon! We have an appointment".

"Where are we?" Stephanie asked trying to keep up with Mi-na and also hide her face because people were staring at her.

"Don't worry Dongsang they know me and they love me. Ha-yoon!" She yelled

A woman in a white shirt that looked so weird and black pants and white sneakers and a short fringe ponytail walked up to them quickly.

"Mi-na you're here" she said looking at her client and she looked to Stephanie and smiled. "Nice to meet you. Mi-na said she was bringing a friend over and she would only settle for the best".

Stephanie looked to Mi-na and smiled. 'Is she really this enthusiastic?' she asked herself.

"Please come with me" she said leading the two of the, to two empty chairs.

Stephanie had the urge to do a complete turn with the chair, but people were still looking at her and it would be really stupid.

She looked into the mirror and a man stood behind her. 'Complete eye candy!' she screamed internally.

"What would you like?" he asked removing the rubber band from her hair.

As the tips touched her nape and her upper back, she shivered.

A smile graced her lips and she looked into the mirror. "I've always liked my long hair. I don't want any scissors near me and I like it straight" she said softly playing with her front hair. He nods and gets to work on her hair.

She looked to Mi-na who had her hair down and it was so long.

"It's so long and pretty" she cooed. "Why is your hair brown and Sung-min's hair black?"

"Sung-min takes after his mother and me an exact replica of his father" she replied.

"What are you going to do with your hair?"

"I want layered curls" she replied.

"Can I ask you a question?" Stephanie asked quietly.

"Why are you so shy all of a sudden?" Mi-na asked quietly.

"Well it's about tomorrow and I wanted to ask what he likes and what he doesn't like. I want tomorrow to go well and I don't want to mess it up".

To her surprise Mi-na laughed. 'This is so serious and she's laughing' Stephanie thought angry and so embarrassed for asking.

"Stephanie I like you for your sweet attitude" she said when she finally calmed down. "Sung-min is taking a chance with you. Normally he's shy. Really reserved, but he walked up to you and you are already in a salon with his sister. He's usually shy when it comes to foreigners, and he knows you're only here for a short time, and he still wants to take you out".

"Point please" Stephanie said confused.

"Get your head out of the internet because I know you've been researching and your mind is filled with a lot of prejudice stuff" she said bluntly. "A lot of people have different views on a lot of topics, and not everything you see on the web is true".

Stephanie smiled. "Thank you" she whispered.

"Just be your normal self and don't be surprised if he is the one that messes up because I'm sure he's going to try so hard to impress you".

Stephanie laughed.

"After now we're going shopping and I'm going to get you a dress that Sung-min will surely drool over" she said with a wink.

"There's no need for that" Stephanie said looking back to the mirror.

"Just don't get carried away, you know it's your first real date" she said with a wide grin.

"Mi-na! She groaned.

The two stylists just looked at themselves and smiled knowingly.

After the salon, Mi-na paid and held her hand leading her out waving "Bye everyone".

"I'm really tired" Stephanie said hopefully secretly hoping that Mi-na would take her back to her hotel. She enjoyed herself, she really did but she was tired.

"You must be hungry" she said opening the door for her. "We'll get food at the mall when we're done shopping".

"Mi-na, you've already done enough today. First with breakfast, the spa, the salon and now you're taking me shopping. It's really too much".

"Stephanie being with you is so exciting and I kind of see you as a little sister I never had so please let me do this" she said with those same eyes that Sung-min used to look at her.

"Fine" she grumbled.

Stephanie got into the car and waited for Mi-na to get in so they would go.

It didn't take long before they were at the mall and Mi-na was holding clothes in front of her and giving it to a worker who kept following them around.

"Mi-na it's too much!" Stephanie whined.

"How many dates do you think you're going to go with Sung-min?" Mi-na asked quirking her brow that looked sharper from the spa.

"A few" she replied pushing Mi-na's hand away.

"Yes and you need a different outfit for each even though you're coming over for a visit. You need to look good, cute and sexy at the same time" she said with a smile.

"Now get into that room and try them on!" she said sternly.

'I will get Sung-min for this I swear' then she chastised herself for swearing.

She had to admit Mi-na had good taste, but anytime she tried anything and went outside more things were given to her.

She heaved a sigh of relief openly when she gave all the dresses to the worker. She wasn't going to complain anymore. Mi-na was free to do what she wanted.

True to her word Mi-na took her to get something to eat and finally she was taken to her hotel and didn't help Mi-na carry any bag. The staff was the one who helped her get it to her room.

Stephanie slumped onto her couch, while Mi-na sat down slowly. "I can see you're tired".

"Is that so? I didn't notice" Stephanie said with every word dripping with sarcasm.

Mi-na rolled her eyes and stood up. "I should probably get home because my sibling instincts tell me that my brother is worried". When she looked down out the couch Stephanie was asleep.

She smiled and sat down and tucked her hair behind her ear and kissed her on her cheek. "Have fun tomorrow Stephanie" she whispered.

Mi-na left her room quietly and went to her parked car and drove home slowly to her home where her little brother would be waiting for her.

When she pulled up in the driveway and saw her brother with his arms crossed standing on the front porch and he wasn't smiling, she knew she was going to get an earful tonight.

"Hey Sung-min" she said with a wave. "I assure you that your date is going to be amazing tomorrow" she said with a wide smile getting out of the car.

"I am not amused" he said squinting his eyes.

"It was worth a shot" she said walking past him and into the house.

He sighed looking up to the sky and then he followed her in locking it after him. 'She needs help'.