Absinthe novel Chapter 65

With the Samsong issue all cleared up, the hyungs and I spent the next couple of days hanging out at all the posh spots in the city. Since the vice chairman could not be left alone, Minsu and Gunho-hyung had to alternate, which, I'm not even surprised anymore, was made into an issue by the metro's resident chismosa.

@bjmesoftly is at it again in his Fendi get-up, having afternoon tea Al fresco-style at the very posh @TheBlackBird! But wait! Who is this new Korean hottie he's with?

It was a picture of myself wearing this very simple pair of white chinos, a black baseball cap, and a black-shirt from Fendi. I wanted to go for a very casual, very simple look which was why I chose this for my date with Gunho-hyung that day, but Gossip Gurl didn't seem to miss out on any detail!

I mean, I bought this shirt not because it screamed luxury, but because I like the color gradation to the left side. It gave an illusion of being hit by sunlight. The Fendi logo was so faint you could barely see it. So Gossip Gurl knowing all the brands I wear is a testament to how scary her or his stalking powers are!

Another hottie for a different day? Don't we all wish we're living the life of @bjmesoftly? He's eating good cheese and wine, (and possibly his daily dose of Vitamin D!)

This time it was a picture of myself and Minsu-hyung being totally overdressed and out-of-place with our three-piece dinner jacket ensembles at Dr. Wine Manila. Faye has never taken me there before, so I had no idea its supposedly rich clientele was more of the preppy and casual crowd.

There were countless more posts chronicling all my hang-outs with the two hyungs. It's no wonder Jiwoo wasn't really trying to make contact. But I'm not really worried because it's going to be his birthday this coming Friday and I'm going to prepare the best birthday party for him.

The following Tuesday morning, I persuaded Vivi and Nico to come join me for dinner to plan for Jiwoo's birthday. At first I pestered Nico to make his dad agree to loaning out their entire restaurant for me, but eventually we agreed on doing it at this amazing garden that Nico's family rents out for parties and events.

I also managed to convince the two to cook for all of us by saying it was now their opportunity to taste test their recipes and creations for Maxwell. Consequently, Jiwoo's party will be a fusion of European and Asian cuisines.

Plus, my desserts!

And as for everything else, I got Faye to help me with that.

Or so I thought.

"We should totally go for The Little Mermaid theme," Faye declared, taking a sip from her cup.

I rolled my eyes exaggeratedly before saying, "Come on, Faye. Be serious."

"I am serious!" Faye answered in equal exaggeration. "He can be Prince Eric and you can be Ariel, and I can be the badass bitch, Ursula!"

"I agree with you being a bitch but it's a total no for you being badass." I snapped. "You're not helping!"

"Like I was trying to be helpful!" Faye snapped back. "This guy's the reason why you're not going back to Korea! And I'm not happy with that."

Okay. So this was still about my decision to turn down Samsong. I never knew it meant that much to Faye.

"I thought this whole baking thing was just a hobby..." Faye added. "And now that the owner himself agreed to you being out and proud there, I thought there was really no more issue with you going back to the corporate world.

I raised my left eyebrow in response. "Faye, can we talk about this later? I need you as a friend now."

"Will there be a later to talk about this?"

"Yes, I promise to listen to all of your arguments and give merit to them whenever merit is due." I said. "But for now, party for your gay best friend's boyfriend, please?"

Faye nodded. "So what's Jiwoo into?"

I tried thinking about Jiwoo's interests but I got nothing.

Blank.

Now that I think about it, I have zero idea what Jiwoo was into. Was he into sports? Was he into video games? Was he into travelling?

"God, you don't know your boyfriend, do you?" Faye said.

I face-palmed myself at this failure. It's official – I suck at being a boyfriend.

"Uhmmm.... I guess, food?"

"He's into food?" Faye repeated mockingly. "God, I would not have known that specially since he's a chef."

"You know your attitude is really not helping," I answered in defeat.

Faye chuckled and lightly clinked her coffee against mine. "Sorry. Just kidding. If cooking's all you got, though, then why not go with that theme?"

"Naah," I said. "Too basic."

"Okay," Faye said. "Then go for the classics – vintage, retro, masquerade ball, Colonial Philippines?"

I thought about the options Faye mentioned but they all sounded too superficial for both my taste and Jiwoo's. God, why is it so hard to think about a party theme?

"Corporate? Formal? Beach?" Faye continued to blurt out the ideas she had off head.

"I don't know Faye," I said. "It doesn't feel like Jiwoo."

"I wouldn't know, BJ." Faye said. "I don't know how Jiwoo feels like."

The two of us were quiet for the next minutes. I was pretty sure Faye stopped trying but my head did not know how to give up and continued to try and think of other possible ideas.

"I don't really know why you're beating yourself for this." Faye said, breaking the silence. "It's quite simple, isn't it? Just take Jiwoo home, spread your legs apart, viola! Instant birthday party!"

"Fine!" I said, getting really annoyed now at Faye's refusal to properly cooperate. "I'm doing this on my own. I'm going home."

I pushed my chair back and stood up. Faye looked at me and rolled her eyes again. It's sort of becoming her signature move now.

"Sit down, BJ." Faye commanded. "I was joking and you're being too sensitive."

"Are you really going to help?"

"Yeah," Faye said. "Play to his heritage. Stuff he wasn't able to do despite being half-Korean."

I sat back down and thought about what Faye said.

"That's fun, but won't that trigger bad feelings about his father?"

Faye shook her head. "You're celebrating the aspect of him that he was not happy about since birth. He hated being a Kopino, right?"

I nodded. Jiwoo did hate being a Korean-Filipino child. Especially after finding out that his father was a sex tourist from Seoul.

"I'm sure he would appreciate it to know that some people don't see his being half-Korean a bad thing."

I could totally see Faye's point.

"Koreans have that party they do for their babies when they turn 100 days old, right?" Faye continued.

I nodded again. "Dol janchi."

"Yeah," Faye said. "That one. Let's do that. Except this time, everything's for Jiwoo instead of a 100-day old baby."

My face automatically eased into a satisfied grin. "That's really a good idea, Faye. That way, there won't be a need for costumes or whatever. And we get to see Jiwoo in a hanbok!"

Faye smiled. "I told you I was going to help."

I smiled and threw myself at Faye for a hug. "You're really the best, Faye. I swear!"

"Stop it," Faye complained. "You're ruining my dress."

I let go and returned to my seat.

"You said Nico and Vivi are cooking right?"

"Uh huh, but we're hiring the kitchen staff from Nico's catering company. Nico and Viv's just developing the menu."

"Then it's going to be fusion European and Asian?"

"Uhm, yeah..." I answered. "Any problem with that?"

Faye was thoughtful for a while before she spoke. "I was hoping we could change that to Korean? Since the theme is going to be Korean, anyway. I can have Janus develop drinks based on Korean drinks as well."

"Okay!" I said. "Will you handle the décor and everything else?"

"Décor, invites, giveaways, program – leave everything to Faye." Faye said confidently.

"Thank you so much!" I said. "Let me go now and discuss the new menu with Nico and Viv. See you tomorrow, Faye!"

"I'll be at your place by 1. Better make me something special for lunch for all this hassle."

I smiled. "Definitely!"