Jin Ho stared at his oldest friend. There was no way in hell he'd let her get stuck marrying some awful man who spilled things everywhere. It was all too much. He'd have to come up with a plan, and fast — maybe he could ask a co-worker, for real? Though, he wasn't sure if any of them were good enough for her, either.

She'd let him know how it went? Ohhh, Jin Ho was starting to get angry. What did she mean it was already all set up? Didn't Mrs. Jeon see how unhappy her daughter was about the idea?

"I —"

When is your dinner? What time is it?

"OH!" Jin Ho set his mug down and practically leapt out of the chair. "I — I have to go!!" He had to walk all the way there, after all, and Narook's wasn't nearby to Hoshi's flat at all. "I'm sorry," Jin Ho said, voice sort of pleading, "to leave like this but you're right, I have to go. And — and I want to know everything that happens, okay? Call me as soon as it's over. I'll cook you breakfast."

He ruffled her hair again and leaned down, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "See you."

The smell of sandalwood lingered in the air after he'd gone.

Jin Ho had been very busy the last few days. Since his date, he'd picked up an extra shift for someone who needed it in addition to his usual beats. It left him very tired, and with all the raging emotional mess of starting to date and having such a crush and everything else, the poor thing was just exhausted.

Not, however, exhausted enough that Hoshi's call didn't wake him up. Jin Ho didn't give out his phone number all that much, so the list of who could be calling was relatively short. His voice was rough with sleep when he answered, but he did answer.

"Sorry to call so late, I just got in. Would you come over? Some wine would be very good right now."

That didn't sound good at all. "Of course," said the young policeman, already looking for his boots. "I'll be right there." He hung up quickly and rooted around for a shirt. It took him a bit to get to Hoshi's flat because of walking, but when he arrived, it was clear that Jin Ho had hurried. His hair was still in its messy sleep-plait, sort of fuzzy from rolling around. He'd thrown his shirt and jacket on over black trousers and boots without taking care to tuck in the shirttails or otherwise fix anything.

He could tell when she needed him.

The metalbender didn't bother to knock. "Hoshi?" He turned the door handle, letting himself in. "Are you okay? What's wrong?" No matter how she tried to brighten her voice, Hoshi could never fool her childhood best friend.

It was even worse than he could have possibly imagined. As a police officer, Jin Ho had dealt with victims of violence before, and as soon as he saw Hoshi, his mind leapt to the worst possible conclusion.

"I didn't have any wine to bring," he said, ignoring her question about his walk. "You know I don't keep that stuff in the house." His gaze followed hers, taking in the broken strap on her dress, the trail of beads. The normally bright, clear green of Jin Ho's eyes darkened in anger. As she rushed past him he knew better than to grab for her, instead letting her reach the door and lock it before the energy ran out and she collapsed.

Only then did Jin Ho kneel down next to her, close but not touching. "Hoshi," he said very softly, "what happened?"

Because Jin Ho had an idea. And that idea included the need for Dae-ho to be very, very dead. The policeman didn't get angry that often, but when he did, it was something to behold. The slim metal wires he kept in his coat pockets felt like they were burning holes, so badly did he want to use them. He'd find that man and garrote him.

"Let's make you some tea," he said. Jin Ho wouldn't touch her unless she came to him first. "It's okay. I'm here. I won't let anyone hurt you."

Jin Ho was glad he was in the kitchen as Hoshi spoke, because it meant she couldn't see his face. The young man was well aware of the fact that his face was probably murderously angry. It was a good thing Dae-ho hadn't stuck around, because the cop might find himself on the other side of the law if he ran into him any time soon.

To keep himself busy he made the tea while she spoke, not trusting himself to say anything. By the time the tea was ready, Hoshi had gotten to the part about Dae-ho trying to kiss her, and it was all Jin Ho could do not to break a cup. He carefully brought her a cup of tea and sat down on the other end of the sofa, hopefully far enough away that she wouldn't feel uncomfortable.

"And was he successful? Did he touch you?" Because spirits help him if he had.

Jin Ho sipped from his own tea, taking time before saying anything else. "Hoshi," he said finally, "you know it's not your fault, right? You're not responsible for that man's actions. And I promise I will make sure you never see him again." Jin Ho could and would easily take out a restraining order for her, just like he could and would be willing to be threaten the man should he ever darken the door of the Lotus Cafe again.

Picking up a blanket, Jin Ho draped it around his oldest friend. "Do you want me to stay with you tonight?" he asked. He could stay in her bed or he could stay on the sofa, he didn't care. If she felt safer when she wasn't alone, he'd stay.

Jin Ho's smile was bright with relief. "That's my girl," he said. He should have known she could take care of herself! And even though she was very upset right now, she had stood up for herself and prevented something awful from happening to her. Jin Ho was proud of her.

At her beckoning, he followed her to the bedroom, where he unlaced his boots and set them on the floor. He'd have to get up very early to go home in the morning before work, but that was all right. As Hoshi washed the kohl off her face, Jin Ho rebraided his hair into a tighter braid again. If he didn't, it would be all over the place by morning. When she returned and climbed into bed still wearing the dress, he raised an eyebrow and made a "hhhnnnmnm" sound.

"No," said Jin Ho, motioning to the bathroom, "go and take the dress off. You'll hate it being on you when you wake up. Besides, if you sleep in that we'll have little gravelly beads all over us by morning." He knew that she'd wake up and see the broken strap and be upset all over again, and he didn't want that for her. Pulling off his white shirt, he handed it to her. It was far too big for her — Jin Ho was taller than she was — but that didn't really matter. What mattered was that Jin Ho's shirt hadn't been on that horrible date, and it didn't smell like musk. It smelled like camellia oil and metal lubricant and vanilla.

"Do you work tomorrow? If not, I'll make some breakfast and we can talk about your date. I'm calling my mother in the morning and asking her to cover for me at the shop..."

"Yeah, I work tomorrow," he said, voice apologetic. "I picked up an extra shift from someone so they'd cover for my date, so, I've been working a lot. We can always talk about all that later." It didn't seem overwhelmingly important to him just then. Mizu was nice, and the date had been wonderful, and he planned to see him again. But it would keep.

Jin Ho left his trousers on and slid under the covers, waiting for Hoshi to come back. When she did, he wound both his arms around her, hugging her close. Her head fit neatly under his chin. "I'm proud of you today," he softly. "You're a strong woman."

—-

Jin Ho didn't have time to meet back up with Hoshi for at least two days. He hadn't been lying when he'd said he'd been working a lot! And while he was out, he made a very threatening and personal visit to Dae-ho, warning him of consequences should he ever return to the Lotus Cafe. And he might or might not have yelled at Mrs. Jeon in private.

Jin Ho did not, unfortunately, have the day off. Hoshi’s first call went unanswered, but he was home by the evening when she called again. He had just gotten out of the shower and answered the phone, hair dripping.
“Hello?” Ah! It was Hoshi! From the sound of her voice, she was feeling a bit better. “Hi!”

After they briefly checked in with each other, Jin Ho invited Hoshi to his flat for dinner. He was absolutely starved but his eating-out budget had been exceeded by his date with Mizu, so he needed to eat at home. Jin Ho was very meticulous and careful with his finances, keeping a colour-coded written account and making sure each yuan was accounted for.

He had on hand basic ingredients for the foods he’d grown up with, and that evening soondubu jjigae* in particular sounded delicious. He had made the spicy gochu yangnyum sauce for the broth of the soup a week ago, and it kept for a few weeks. Jin Ho liked to keep things like that on hand. He loved the smooth, silky texture of soft tofu jjigae. Humming softly, he got to work cooking. Hoshi liked the whole egg dropped in the bottom of her jigae so that it would half-cook by the time the soup was almost gone.

When the knock to his door came the soup was halfway ready and two mugs of tea were already made. Opening the door, Jin Ho smiled. “I made soondobu jjigae,” he said. “I hope you’re hungry!”

Sweeper had been more melancholic and lazy than usual, and did not bother to get up from his fluffy rag bed on the floor. Jin Ho spared a glance for the old dog, smiling a little.

He handed Hoshi her cup of tea and closed the door after her. His hair was still wet and loose; he had to air-dry the stuff before braiding or else it would never dry! And he hated sleeping with completely wet hair. It was like having a wet blanket around his head.

Jin Ho returned to the kitchen to mind the soup. "How's eemo?" he asked, using the familiar, sweet term for aunt that he often used for Mrs. Jeon.


* soondobu jjigae is a spicy soft tofu soup.

Jin Ho smiled, taking the container, simultaneously shifting damp hair back over his shoulder. It was heavy when wet! "I'm sure it'll be fine with it," he said. Almost everything went with soondobu jjigae, which was one of the reasons he loved it. Well, that and his childhood. His personal motto when it came to tofu soup was "the redder, the better." He loved it extra, extra spicy! Luckily, Hoshi knew how he was likely to make it. "Come on in — I'm just finishing, okay?"

Of course she'd want to sit, so Jin Ho motioned to a chair for her. His mother had taught him to offer a beverage to visitors and so he went back to the kitchen to get one for her.

"Cute Earth Kingdom dress," he commented, setting glasses of water on the tiny kitchen table. Jin Ho had a small, modest space, but he had managed to make it very organized and livable. The kitchen table could fold its legs away, making it easy to store if needed.

The garlic was sauteed in sesame oil before he added it to his tofu, cooking them together for a bit before adding broth. Then gochujang, blooming red. The kitchen began to smell very spicy indeed! He dropped a whole egg into Hoshi's soup and set it before her, going back for his own. Jin Ho liked to break his egg up and stir it all around, and he came back to the table doing just that.

With a satisfied sigh, he breathed in the smell of the soup. "Perfect, right?" he asked. "Just like when we were kids." Jin Ho's mother always made soondodu jjigae very spicy, while Mrs. Jeon made it less so. Obviously, Jin Ho had learned from — and preferred — his mother's.

As they ate he glanced at her carefully. She looked much better, really. That flush to her cheek was back and she didn't seem nervous. Jin Ho was relieved to see Hoshi looking back to normal.

Jin Ho began eating his soup, eyes closing with pleasure as he tasted it. He truly did love food. And food was something everyone had in common — despite language barriers or bending or nations or anything else, everyone could enjoy food when it was delicious. There was a commonality in it that he thought was just... beautiful. And food could be such a comfort!

The memorable meals in people's lives take place in the presence of friends and family. Dishes we cook for those we love leave indelible impressions in our minds, like culinary timestamps. Sitting down to the soup with Hoshi was like opening a time capsule, and it reminded Jin Ho of playing outside in the snow as a child, coming in to spicy warmth and laughter from their combined families. It was a warmth brought on not only by the spice of the dish, but also by the feelings attached to it.

Hoshi teased him about his egg, but he just shrugged. Jin Ho liked the bits of egg! He liked to eat it all together! His friend, however, ate it like his father, with the whole egg at the bottom to finish it off. Personally, Jin Ho never wanted to wait for his eggy deliciousness. Why should he?

He blushed when Hoshi caught him looking at her, and then smiled. "I am relieved," he confessed. "I was worried about you! But you look like you're feeling better. Back to normal?" The soup maybe helped. It at least helped Jin Ho!

The young policeman was a bit tired after so much working, and he still had more to do. He ought to go see Mizu, but time felt like it was so scarce. Sweeper padded in to the area, sitting down and resting his head in Jin Ho's lap. He slowly rubbed the bridge of the dog's nose. "Good boy," he said.

Looking back at Hoshi, he quirked an eyebrow. "Anything new in your life?"

“Of course not,” said the young man blandly, concentrating on his food. It didn’t matter what he said, of course. Hoshi knew he had had more than something to do with the sudden disappearance of Dae-ho from the Lotus Café. Jin Ho had seen to it that not only would Dae-ho never come back to the café, but his mother would be too embarrassed to show her face, either.

Good riddance.

"But come now, tell me how your date with Mizu went. We never got to discuss it."

“Oh –“ Jin Ho blushed and looked down at his bowl. “It was, you know. It was nice. I had a good time. We just had dinner, that’s all.” He paused in his eating. “We went to Narook’s and just talked. It was kind of nerve-wracking?” Then he laughed and went back to eating his soup. There wasn’t much more to tell about his date, honestly. No goodnight kiss, no walk in the park, no romantic moments… not really. “I think he likes me well enough, but it’s hard to tell.”

Jin Ho finished off the last of his soup and went back for more. He always ate two bowls of soondobu jjigae. When he sat back down, he shrugged. “He’s very uh, quiet. I told him about the accident, but – we didn’t really talk about it a lot.” Which was a relief. “Mostly we talked about things we like. I guess that’s typical first-date stuff, isn’t it?”

He didn’t count their tea at the Lotus Café as a real date.