Chapter 5: Where's my pizza
Moji, sensing the tension in the air, clapped her hands and said with her usual dramatic flair, "You know what? We never finished that K-drama series—Crash of Hearts, remember?"
Sewa gave her a look. "You mean the one where the guy pretended to have amnesia but actually owned half of Seoul?"
"Exactly!" Moji grinned. "Let's binge. Maybe it'll help you forget Mr. Mysterious."
Sewa chuckled softly. Moji always knew how to lighten the mood, even if she was a bit much sometimes. "Fine," she said, picking up her bag. "Let's do it."
The rest of the workday passed in its usual rhythm. Reports, phone calls, and a couple of emails she could have ignored. When closing hour came, both women headed out to their respective cars.
Moji drove her black Kia while Sewa followed behind in her sleek cabriolet Benz. They reached Sewa's house in no time, the compound spacious enough to park both cars with room to spare.
As soon as they stepped inside, Moji kicked off her shoes and made a beeline for the guest room like she owned the place.
"You'd think you live here," Sewa muttered, shaking her head with a smile.
"I basically do," Moji's voice called from down the hall.
In no time, Moji was out of the shower, now in a soft, oversized grey sweatshirt and fluffy socks, looking cozy as ever. Sewa followed suit, changing into a comfy tee and joggers.
"What are we cooking?" Moji asked, peeking into the kitchen.
"Nothing serious," Sewa replied. "Instant noodles okay?"
"Perfect," Moji said with a grin. "Throw in some pepper and sausage, and I'll think I'm dining gourmet."
They prepped the noodles quickly—two steaming bowls with chopped sausage and a dash of pepper flakes—and moved to the living room.
With blankets tossed over their legs and the TV flickering to life, they curled up on the couch.
"Let's see if Mr. Amnesia finally gets his memory back tonight," Moji said, pressing play.
Sewa leaned back, the warmth of the moment washing over her. It wasn't the romantic evening she imagined, but it felt… nice. Safe. Peaceful. And right now, that was enough.
The K-drama episode was at its peak drama level. On screen, the female lead—Eun-ha—stood frozen in the middle of a grand ballroom, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"You mean… you've remembered this whole time?" her voice cracked, trembling as tears welled in her eyes.
The male lead, Joon-ho, looked down in shame, his expression a perfect cocktail of guilt and helplessness. "Eun-ha, I… I didn't know how to tell you. At first, I really had amnesia. But after a while, I—"
"So you remembered," she whispered, voice shaking. "But you still let me pour my heart out. Let me carry you through your nightmares. Let me fall in love with someone who wasn't even lost anymore."
"It wasn't like that," Joon-ho stepped forward. "I didn't want to lose you again. I wanted to hold on to this version of us..."
"By lying to me?" she spat, backing away. "That's not love, Joon-ho. That's selfish."
Moji burst out laughing. "Ahh! He messed up big time. You're done for, bro." She reached for more popcorn, amused at the emotional wreck unraveling on screen. "He really thought he could 'soft gaslight' her with love and get away with it."
Sewa shook her head with a scoff, eyes still on the screen. "Not cool, bro," she muttered, sipping from her glass. "You don't play with a woman's heart like that. That's emotional warfare."
"He's lucky he's fine as hell," Moji added, popping another piece of popcorn into her mouth. "Otherwise, he'd be dead to me."
"Same," Sewa said with a grin. "Dead and buried."
They both laughed, momentarily forgetting the complications of their own lives, engrossed in someone else's chaos.
Sewa turned to look at Moji, who was happily munching on popcorn while slurping a forkful of instant noodles. With an amused expression, she asked, "How do you always have popcorn?"
Moji didn't even pause, simply reached into her oversized sweatshirt pocket and pulled out another unopened packet of popcorn, tossing it to Sewa with a smirk. "It's a secret," she said mysteriously, wiggling her eyebrows.
Sewa caught the packet, shaking her head. "One day, I'll figure out where you keep stashing these," she said, tearing it open and taking a handful.
"No, you won't," Moji grinned, stuffing another bite of noodles into her mouth. "I'm like a magician but only for snacks."
Sewa chuckled, popping a few pieces into her mouth before turning her attention back to the TV screen. "You're ridiculous."
"And yet, you love me," Moji said, flashing her a playful wink.
Sewa popped another handful of popcorn into her mouth, the buttery crunch filling the quiet moment between them. A smirk tugged at her lips as she chewed. "I sure do," she said, glancing at Moji, who was equally engrossed in both the drama on the screen and the snacks in her lap.
The two of them sat curled up on the couch, wrapped in soft blankets, as the K-drama played on. Every now and then, they'd exchange reactions—Moji dramatically gasping at the sudden betrayals and plot twists, while Sewa simply shook her head, unimpressed by the male lead's decisions.
"Not cool, bro," Sewa muttered as the female protagonist finally realized that Mr. Amnesia had been faking his memory loss the entire time.
Moji, on the other hand, burst out laughing. "Oh, he's so done for. I mean, why lie for this long? He deserves whatever she's about to do to him."
Sewa just rolled her eyes. "Men and their nonsense."
After finishing off her bowl of popcorn and the instant noodles they had made earlier, Moji grabbed her phone. "I'm ordering pizza," she announced, her fingers tapping away on the screen.
Sewa gave her a pointed look. "How do you eat so much and still keep this badass figure?"
Without even looking up, Moji smirked. "Remember? Snack magician."
Sewa scoffed but didn't push the conversation further. Instead, she pulled the blanket tighter around herself, getting comfortable as they continued watching. The soft glow from the TV screen flickered across the room, their laughter and occasional commentary filling the space.
Fifteen minutes later, a knock echoed from the gate.
"That was fast," Moji remarked, pausing the show.
Sewa stretched as she got up, grabbing her card from the table. "Be right back."
She made her way outside, the cool night air brushing against her skin as she walked toward the gate. She was expecting the familiar sight of a delivery man holding out a pizza box, ready to exchange food for payment. But when she pulled the gate open, she was met with a completely different sight.
Tobi.
The streetlight above cast a soft glow on him, highlighting the sharp angles of his face. He stood there, hands tucked into the pockets of his jacket, looking almost hesitant. His dark eyes met hers, and for a moment, neither of them spoke.
Sewa's grip tightened around her card. "You're not the pizza guy," she stated, breaking the silence.
Tobi's lips curled into a small, almost sheepish smile. "No. But I could be a decent substitute."
Her heart gave an involuntary skip, but her expression remained unreadable. "You didn't say a word since Saturday, no text or calls." she said, her voice carefully even. "And now you show up at my gate in the middle of the night? What is this, some kind of surprise visit?"
Tobi exhaled slowly, shifting his weight. "I owe you an explanation."
Sewa folded her arms, studying him carefully. The memory of their last night together resurfaced—the laughter, the shared glances, the kiss under the stars. And then, the days of silence that followed.
"You're damn right you do," she muttered.
From inside, Moji's voice called out. "Sewa! What's taking so long? Did they forget the extra cheese?!"
Sewa glanced over her shoulder before turning back to Tobi, still standing there, still waiting.
"You better have a good reason for this," she said, finally stepping aside.
Tobi nodded. "I do."
As he stepped through the gate, Sewa shut it behind him, her mind already racing with the possibilities of what he was about to say.
Moji looked out the window, not seeing any pizza, and questioned, "Where's my pizza?"