WHO: Sue Kim, Shin-hwa Kim and Nick Langer WHAT: Fake smoothie tasting and awkwardness. WHERE: Kim's Gym. WHEN: Thursday night. (BACKDATED) RATING: G.
NICK: Maybe it was loneliness or boredom or a little of both, but Nick had been looking forward to Sue's psuedo-smoothies all day. So, despite having set out a little earlier than he probably needed to, he still found himself running a little late. District 3 was new territory for Nick; only recently had he gotten to know district 2 a little, but D3 was much bigger. At least Sue had told him which stop to get off at. After much consulting of his handy iHolo he finally found the gym.
Glancing at the time on the screen, he saw that it was just five after seven. "Not bad, considering," he thought to himself as he pushed the door to the gym open. He couldn't help watching a few people practicing (and feeling kind of out of place) before looking around for Sue.
SUE: Luckily for Nick, Sue'd told a trusty regular to keep an eye out for a newcomer, and to discreetly let her know when he'd arrived. It wasn't so much that she didn't want her dad to know she had company over, it was just that, well, she didn't think Nick would much appreciate the third degree Mr. Kim would subject him to. So, not long after Nick arrived, she appeared from a side door, gesturing at Nick to follow her.
"Hey! You found it okay!" she said by way of greeting, ever-cheerful. "How was the trip? It can get a little weird on the C sometimes, there are a lot of people who still come around their old neighborhood to freshen up tags and stuff, 'cause this is still their Brooklyn, but that's mostly at night." As she chatted, she led the way up a cramped set of stairs into a landing that offered up two doors; she went to the one on the left, turning various locks in a ritualized order.
NICK: Nick relaxed a little when he saw Sue off to the side and even offered her a small smile. Boxing gyms weren't a usual hangout for him, as he'd never really considered himself much of a fighter. So, he couldn't help feeling kind of relieved when he got through the sidedoor. Nick listened to Sue chatter as he followed her up the stairs.
"Yeah, it was fine. A few weird looking people, I guess, but they weren't bothering anyone," he answered while Sue fiddled with the locks. "Wow, that looks... complicated," he couldn't help adding, wondering if that was to keep out all those taggers.
SUE: "My dad's a little paranoid," Sue laughed, undoing the last lock and swinging the door open. She waited for Nick to go in first, and then closed the door behind her. Numerous clicksand clunks followed, and onward they went into the apartment. It was a short walk down a narrow hallway - just a few steps, really - and then a left turn into a small kitchen. It was a typical District 3 kitchen: old tile, warped linoleum floor, molding around the doorframe and windows that hearkened back almost a century. With other residents, it might be dingy and grey, but this was Sue's kitchen, so she'd painted the walls a bright turquoise, and there were cheerful magnets on the decades-old refrigerator, and fake sunflowers in a vase on the windowsill.
The 'Jamboree Juice' sat next to an old blender on the countertop, along with a container of yogurt and carton of soy milk. "Ta-daaaa!" Sue did her best Vanna White, showcasing the little tableaux. "Would you like the honors?"
NICK: Nick couldn't help noting that the place felt kind of homey and it definitely felt more cheery in there than a lot of the places he'd been lately. He took a moment to appreciate the spread on the counter before inching closer and picking the juice carton up.
"Yeah, sure," he mumbled, already distracted by the directions on the side. Fortunately, it seemed easy enough -- just throw it all in the blender, really, which was lucky for Nick as he wasn't much of a cook. It didn't take long for him to get everything in the blender and mix it all up. Once it was done, he turned to Sue with a questioning look.
"Well, it doesn't look so good, but," he paused and picked the pitcher up, then sniffed the contents, "it doesn't smell too bad."
SUE: At hand with two tall glasses, Sue peered curiously into the pitcher. "Well... nothing ventured, nothing gained?" With a shrug and a grin, she set the glasses down on the table, waiting to be filled. Once they were, she took up hers with a slightly dubious look, and then tipped it towards Nick. "Cheers!"
SHIN: Unfortunately the clink of glasses together was drowned out by another sound; the thick, guttural and pointedly invasive sound of Shin-hwa Kim clearing his throat. It's unclear exactly where he appeared from; if he was home all along, or somehow got through the complicated series of locks in eerie silence. Either way he stood in the doorway to the kitchen, his hands resting in his jacket pockets, watching Nick intently with a pair of eyes that were somehow both ambivalent and menacing all at once. When attention turned to him his brows spocked ever so slightly, as if prompting the explanation he felt was his due - though it should be noted his gaze remains firmly rooted on the strange boy in his kitchen, his daughter generally ignored for the moment.
SUE: If Sue was inwardly cringing or wildly thinking up excuses, it didn't show. Instead, she smiled brightly at her father, and greeted him with a chirpy, "Hey, Dad! This is Nick, I met him last weekend in D-0. We're trying to recreate Jamba Juice, do you want to try some?" She proffered her own glass, the sludgy mix within emanating artificial strawberry-banana smells.
NICK: Fortunately Nick didn't have a chance to take a sip of the faux smoothie or Shin's sudden appearance probably would have caused him to choke on it somehow. Similarly fortunate was Sue's light-hearted response, or Nick would been panicking a little more. Having lived long enough as a hobo, Nick was used to certain looks in his direction, but now there was nowhere to hide and oh damn, this guy knew how to box, too, didn't he? Nick swallowed before speaking. "Hi," Nick said, half-heartedly, but hoping that some sign of friendliness would perhaps help in not getting his ass kicked quite so badly.
SHIN: Nick is given a brief reprieve from Shin's unblinking stare when the smoothie is pushed his way; his eyes flick downwards in benign judgment before the slightest shake of his head conveys disinterest. Immediately his gaze jumps from the fruity concoction back to Nick, eyes narrowing in shrewd appraisal.
"Hrm." He grumbled, offering yet another selection in what seemed to be an expansive of non-verbal sounds in his repertoire. "Nobody lives in District Zero." The statement was flat and vaguely accusatory, and though he didn't actually ask any follow up questions, the demand for an explanation was clear in his benign features.
SUE: Ignoring the implied accusation, Sue tipped her glass and began to drink, making eyes at Nick indicating that he should do the same. The sip, however, did not last long; indeed, it was followed by a look of severe chagrin, and a very hard swallow. "Eeeeuuuuhhhhh," she shuddered, "That... that was so not worthy of the name 'Jamboree'. There is no party here," she said mournfully, gingerly setting down the glass and pushing it away with her fingertips. "Only the opposite of a party."
NICK: Having noticed Sue's look, Nick also took a sip of the "smoothie" before responding to Shin, but he didn't seem to mind the slightly rubbery taste so much. In fact, he'd consumed much worse things in the past, so as Sue was setting down her glass, Nick was still gulping the rest of it down.
"It's not that bad," he said with a shrug, then set his empty glass on the counter as well. "I mean, it's no Jamba Juice, either," he added, as the aftertaste of the drink began to set in, which was decidedly much worse than rest of the drink.
"Uh, yeah," Nick began, still feeling obligated to reply to Sue's dad and glanced up at him. "I don't really live... anywhere, I guess. Right now, I'm just staying with some people in District Two for a few days. Until they get sick of me, probably." He finished talking with a short, nervous laugh.
SHIN: Shin watched the two kids debate their beverage doubtfully; he didn't move or make any effort to make his presence any less intrusive, despite Sue's expertise in maneuvering around him. Nick's answer received a noncommittal grunt, followed by a blandly questioning look cast Sue's way; this is the type of boy you bring into our home?
"I need to move the free weights to make room for the new bags I ordered." He grumbled in a pointed non sequitur, rather than getting into a vocal debate over the company Sue was choosing to keep. Any hopes that this meant he was going to leave them in peace were dashed as his eyes flicked over Nick in doubtful appraisal. "Since you're here, you can help. Come on." He jerked his head to indicate Nick was to follow, and turned to head towards the stairs to the gym without further conversation. Apparently this playdate had very arbitrarily been brought to a close.
NICK: "Oh, uh..." Nick quickly looked over at Sue, hoping she could save him, but it seemed too late. Damn, this was getting more and more awkward. "Sure, I can help." What was he going to do, say no to man that could easily punch him into next Tuesday and already seemed inclined to do so anyway? So, Nick found himself obediently following Shin back down to the gym.
SUE: "Dad!" Sue said, exasperated and just a touch mortified. "I just met him," she continued to admonish as they exited the apartment and headed back down to the gym. "You can't just recruit him for manual labor!" When she caught Nick's eye, she made exaggerated expressions of apology and 'my father is a crazy man'. "That's not exactly hospitable!" she went on, raising her voice over the sound of their feet clattering down the stairs. "Especially to a fellow Southern Californian!" Here she raised her eyebrows as if to say, 'eh? eh?', regardless of whether anyone was looking.
SHIN: "Southern Californians can carry weights just as good as anyone else." Shin droned placidly, though the subtle undercurrent of self-indulgent amusement would be unnoticeable to anyone but immediate family. He pace didn't falter at Sue's whining, and soon enough he was pushing through into the empty gym and flicking on a series of fluorescent lights. He stopped before a stack of adjustable barbell weights and gave one firm nod to them, and then another towards an empty corner in the opposite side of the room. "Over there."
Somewhere upstairs there was a muffled ringing, likely from the telephone in the Kim's apartment. Shin's eyes cocked roofwards, then towards his daughter expectantly. He nodded benevolently, as though giving her leave. "Go ahead. We've got plenty to do here."
NICK: "Nooo," was Nick's internal response, but he tried not to betray it. "See ya later," he said to Sue instead, wondering exactly how much later it would be. Nick chanced a glance at the exit before looking back at the weights and wondered if he should just leg it out of there. But, no, he didn't much fancy ending his night being chased down a street by an angry Korean man. He couldn't help a small sigh before picking up the lightest of the weights and walking over to the other side. Jeez, could he have picked a further place to move them to?
SUE:I will be right back, Sue mouthed, holding up two fingers. Two minutes! I am really sorry! She made a series of exasperated gestures at her father's back, and then ran back up the stairs.
Unfortunately, the caller on the other end was not a two-minute phonecall. It wouldn't be until several quarters of an hour later that Sue could come back down and rescue Nick with profuse apologies.
Dinner at the Kim house tonight was not going to be fun. (And not least because Shin would not allow for any waste -- fake Jamba Juice atrocities included.)