CHAPTER TWO: DANIEL PARK
1522 Words
It has been quiet for exactly 20 minutes. Snow, Luke, and Adam stared at their phones on the kitchen island. It has been 20 minutes since they finished eating yet the loser hasn't been declared.
"I'm losing my patience." Snow muttered, crossing his arms on her chest. This is the longest game they ever played since they met each other.
"Should we try a new one? This is losing my patience, too." Adam responded.
Silence filled the room again. They waited for a few minutes until Luke's phone rang. Adam screamed out of joy. Luke lost. He has to do the dishes.
It's their friendship rule. As long as they eat together, the rule will live. It's a tradition.
"f**k you, Daniel. Why did you call?" Luke is a calm person yet you can still feel that he is irritated because he lost the game.
"You should've called earlier. I hate you." A burst of laughter can be heard from the other side of the phone before Luke hung up.
The two left, leaving the kitchen to him. He sigh escaped from his lips. This is the second time that he lost to this game because Daniel called. Last night, Daniel also called him which made him the loser. What a bad day for him.
But then, as long as it's Daniel, it's fine for him. That man has been working his ass off for months. They haven't seen him for a long time.
Daniel Park. The oldest of them all. He was born a Korean but grew up in Oxford, England. He is the father figure of the three. A man who has been drowned from the doctor duties that he forgot to come back to his friends and started living alone in the condo he bought near the hospital.
Don't get them wrong. The four has started to live together four years ago. The friendship they built is strong that no one can ruin. Maybe it is not good to hear for a woman to live with three men, but they respect Snow and she is their younger sister.
When Daniel told them that he will move out for a while, the others adjusted for his absence. It is not easy to live without the person who always cleans up Adam's mess and the disciplinarian. He is like the pillar of their circle.
Luke dried his hand before coming out of the kitchen. He saw Snow and Adam playing Xbox in the living room.
Snow Lee. He remembers her face earlier. He knows something is up that is why he did not ask a question about her spacing out earlier.
"I won." Snow announced before releasing the console from her hands. Adam is frowning again. He never won to Snow. They never did. Snow is an amazing person. She can do everything. Even playing video games, the three men cannot defeat her.
"I need a rematch!" Adam exclaimed. His childish side is showing.
Snow shook her head. "I'm tired. Go play alone. I want to sleep." She said, laying down on the couch.
Luke smiled. What a mess. This house is a mess. But he likes it. As long as he is with them.
"Emotional s**t," Luke whispered to himself to clear his thoughts. He walks towards Snow, snatching the pillow from her to throw it to Adam.
"What the hell, Luke Andre?!" He just chuckled in response.
"Snow, you just woke up. Don't sleep again."
"I'm sleepy. Leave me alone." She answered, closing her eyes.
Stubborn. Always been stubborn. Luke thinks she was born to become the most stubborn person in the world. But then, it's her choice. So he let her sleep. What a sleepyhead.
"Clean up, Adam. Daniel will surely scold us once he sees this mess. Jesus. I just cleaned last night." He exclaimed as he sits on the floor after turning off the Xbox. He wants to watch television. There's nothing to do much today. He is bored.
"Hey. I'm older than you. Stop acting like you're a big brother here." Adam hit him with the pillow Luke threw to him earlier.
"You're just a year older. And you're messy, so you should be responsible for the cleaning." He stated, shuffling the channels.
"For crying out loud." He heard from Adam. He shrugged it off. For sure he will start cleaning.
Adam is playful. He is always smiling. Mischievous.
Sometimes it is too much that is why Snow and Luke are always irritated. He's clumsy and bad at cooking.
"Hey. What time will he come home?" Adam asked.
"Maybe at noon or something. He did not tell me." A minute has passed yet Luke hasn't found a channel to watch yet.
"We should drink when he comes back."
"Of course. I'm sure Snow will like the idea, too." He settled to a documentary channel before leaning into the other couch.
"Maybe it's also the time to talk about--
"Not today, Adam." They heard the door shut.
A man entered the house. He heard them talking. That was his response. He is holding a cup of iced coffee, still wearing his coat and his glasses. A tall man smiled at them.
"Aren't you gonna welcome me back?"
Daniel Park.
"Daniel!" Luke and Adam shouted, waking Snow up.
When she heard the name, she immediately stood up and ran towards the man. The two were already there, greeting Daniel.
"Daniel!" She exclaimed, grinning widely. She opened her arms to hug the man who was excited to hug her back.
"I missed you," Daniel said, making Snow laugh.
"Hey! What about us!" Adam complained, stomping his feet.
Daniel released himself from the hug to hit Adam. "You're still a child." Daniel smiled before hugging him. His gaze turned to Luke who was standing still, waiting for his turn. "And you, always so calm."
"I have been away for only half a year yet you missed me this much? Funny. This is not you, guys." Daniel shook his head before taking off his coat. The three followed him to the living room.
Six months without Adam felt like forever for the others. They are like a system, for one cannot function without the other. Their friendship is strong, one cannot find a friendship like this anywhere.
Daniel sat down on the couch, leaving a sigh. "I'm so tired. I need to sleep but I think Adam hasn't cleaned up my room yet." He jokingly said.
"Just because you're the oldest, doesn't mean you can order us to clean your room." Adam huffed. Crossing his arms on his chest.
"But you're my favourite. You must clean my room." He replied, grabbing the pillow to hit Luke's face.
"I'm thirsty. Water, please." The latter gave him a blank face.
"There's a coffee in your hand. Drink it. What a fucker." He rolled his eyes, giving his attention back to the television.
"It's morning yet you guys are grumpy. That is not how you treat the oldest." Daniel yawned. He's probably tired from work. Being a doctor is tiring, he's glad he got this time to come back home and check the three out.
"Are you still going to be the doctor after this quick vacation?" Snow asked, changing the topic. Daniel looked at him with a smile.
"What are you talking about? Of course, I will go back to the hospital. Saving people is my forte." He leaned back, resting his body on the couch. "This couch is soft and comfy, I might fall asleep if I close my eyes."
"You know what I am talking about." Snow answered in a serious tone. The man chuckled. Too early for this kind of conversation, he thinks.
"Let's talk about that stuff next time. Let me rest, Jjang." He massaged his head, closing his eyes.
"Don't call me that." She turned his attention to the television. Luke is still watching and Adam continued to clean the living room.
"It's your nickname, come on," Daniel responded.
"Just don't." She stood up, not wanting to continue the conversation. This will just make her upset.
"I'm going to sleep. Don't disturb me." She climbed up to her room, leaving the men behind.
"You two are stubborn just like her. She already hates that nickname." Luke hissed.
"She does not hate it, Luke. You know that." Daniel replied, already dozing off out of tiredness.
"Whatever. She'll probably deal with you two soon." Luke responded, increasing the volume of the television. The documentary will soon come to an end, he should find a new one to relieve his boredom.
"I'll accept whatever it is. I will still call her that." Adam entered the conversation, almost finished cleaning up.
"Whatever. Don't forget she's the strongest among us."
Snow Lee. A young woman who has a dark past. She is taking her time to move on, to forget about her history, but it is hunting her down. Nightmares ruined her body clock. She's sleep-deprived.
Snow Lee. She can do everything. Even her friends cannot beat her even in a video game battle.
Snow Lee. As acknowledged by Luke, the strongest.
- Writer
