Hello, Mr Li: The Christmas Trip

FROM LI HOY'S PERSPECTIVE BEFORE HE WAS CAUGHT.

When Joreen pushed Hoy inside the bathroom, he was stunned. She pleaded frantically before locking him inside. He looked at himself, not sure whether he was supposed to laugh or cry. When did things turn this way? It was completely unbelievable. During this trip, he had done a lot of embarrassing things which he wouldn't have believed he was capable of doing before this trip started and one of them was hiding inside the bathroom! 

He reached for the doorknob, ready to open the door but Joreen's pleading eyes appeared in front of him. He got to hear from her that her parents had asked her to stay away from him and if they saw him inside his room, she would be in trouble. She was trying to avoid that trouble, but what if the person who had been spying on them had already taken a photo of them? What difference does it make? 

He sighed as he remained inside. If Mr Ping saw him like this, that stupid friend of his was going to laugh his heart out. 

He had been lost in thought and only returned to his senses when he heard... 

"You don't have to look so uncomfortable Jo. Do not worry, these things are bound to happen when people fall in love. So do not feel bad because your mother fought with your potential mother in-law oka—" 

"DAD!!!!"

Hoy furrowed his brows as he listened intently. Fall in love? Potential mother in law? 

Thry were obviously talking about himself and Joreen so what was the other thing about love and potential mother in law? 

"What is the matter Jo?" He heard her father ask. 

"I... want to sleep. You both can leave now."

A part of Hoy wanted the to leave but the other part didn't want to. He wanted to know what they were talking about? 

His own assumption was that Joreen was in love with him just like she had confessed when she was drunk. Her attitude lately actually made him think that it had truly been a drunken ramble. But she didn't have a crush on him but was in love with him? And her parents knew? They aren't freaking out?

"Did we do something wrong?" He heard her father asl again in a gentle voice.

"She probably is mad at me because I fought with Hoy's mother. What a silly girl! I was even taking her side."

Li Hoy was slowly confirming his suspicion. He knew one thing for sure, it was going to be awkward for the two of them after her parents left. As much as he wanted to hear more, he wished her parents would leave now because they were making Joreen nervous and u comfortable.

Should he just open the door and step out? He could put the blame on himself so they wouldn't scold Joreen. He thought to himself. 

"You both really need to leave.... please." Joreen begged. 

"Look... I understand how you feel. And just maybe, I can understand why you aren't happy with me. But I didn't have a choice. I won't sit back and allow other people insult my children just because my daughter fell in love with their so—"

"Mom!" Joreen screamed again. "Can you... just stop saying that... please? I... am not in love with anyone." 

Hoy chuckled quietly. He could hear the embarrassment in her voice. When he saw his reflection on the mirror opposite him, he almost slapped himself. Was he finding this funny? 

He should be worried about what to do with her feelings! 

The thought of dating her seemed awkward to him but he couldn't just let her carry that burden alone. Was that why she changed and told him she didn't like him? Because she probably remembered he had rejected her when she was drunk?

He gently rest his back on the wall. 

He liked her, he wanted her to be happy. But could he make her happy? What about the entire family? What about the scandals that would follow? How was he going to control the desires he has been having for her lately? He wanted to stay away, but could he really do so? 

Because he was lost in his thoughts, he didn't hear the previous question someone asked but he heard Jaime's comment to the question... 

"What? Giving up? After all the coaching I gave you to make him fall for you, you are giving up? Why? Is it because he is too dense?" Jaime asked, sounding genuinely curious and concerned. 

DENSE????

"Oh God! Pleaseeeee."

Did Jaime just call him dense? Wait... coaching? To make him fall in love with her? He frowned deeply as his overactive brain began to work to process this information. 

"What's wrong with her?" Jaime asked. 

'REVERSE PSYCHOLOGY' suddenly popped into Li Hoy's head. So that was what Joreen had been doing all this while? Why hadn't he thought about it? 

But the most surprising thing was the fact that her parents were coaching her and even encouraging her. Weren't they worried? He was 12 years older than their daughter for goodness sake! Plus he was always busy and cannot maintain a relationship. That is why he was still single. 

"Jo? Are you okay? Did he by chance blame it all on you? Is that why you are giving up? He dared try to blame you for the scandal?" Hoy heard Cixi's angry tone and his ears stood in alarm. 

Blame it on her? He would never do that! 

He wanted to leave the bathroom to explain everything to them but he realised coming out now wasn't a very bright idea. But he was still prepared to. He couldn't hide in here like a scared child. That was absur....

"CAN YOU STOP TALKING! HE IS CURRENTLY LISTENING TO EVERYTHING." He heard Joreen screech, his hand on the doorknob seized there. 

A heavy silence fell inside the room and Hoy knew that once again, Joreen had ruined things. He almost beat himself for not coming out ever since. 

"What.. did you just say?" He heard Cixi ask in a tone filled with disbelief. 

"I... didn't say... anything." 

"You said he is listening? How? Where?"

"That... was a slip of tongue." Joreen said immediately.

Hoy wondered why Joreen still told lies when she was extremely bad at it. 

Should I go out or not? He kept asking himself.

Aside from the fact that they would scold her, they may misunderstand when they see him coming out from the bathroom. Why did he allow Joreen hide him here in the first place? It wasn't like he did anything??!

"Wait.. what.. are you doing?" He heard Joreen ask in a frantic voice. He didn't know what her parents were doing, but he could hear people moving about. 

"What are you doing?" Joreen panicked.

"What is this?" 

Hoy realised their voices were sounding more audible now. By chance... 

"Don't do what?" Cixi asked, her tone didn't sound pleasant. 

"Baby, we should let her be. Since she wants to be alone, let us give her some privacy." 

Hearing Jaime say that, Hoy sighed in relief. Maybe he didn't need to come out after all since they were about to leave. 

He heard distance footsteps. But it didn't take long before he heard rushed footsteps and suddenly, the bathroom door opened. 

He wanted to believe it was Joreen, but it wasn't. Cixi stepped inside. 

Hoy was immediately embarrassed to have been caught inside there. This attitude now was so unlike him and he wished he could go back in time to warn his past self not to go on this trip. 

He noticed Cixi also looked surprised and at the same time, the woman didn't look impressed. 

"He..llo auntie." He greeted awkwardly, an embarrassed blush on his cheeks.

A few minutes later, they were all seated inside the room. Cixi, Jaime and Joreen sat on the bed facing Hoy who was sitting on the couch. It looked like he was about to be interviewed and it was funny how nervous he was. Was this how it felt like to those people he usually interviewed? He had never been interviewed before in his life so he didn't know how it felt. This feeling... he didn't like it. 

"Care to explain what is going on here?" Cixi asked, looking back amd forth between Hoy and Joreen who was sitting in the middle of her parents. 

"What were you doing with my daughter before we came?"

"Nothing! What are you thinking mum, he only brought me fruits!" Joreen said in his defence. 

"Then why is he hiding inside the bathroom?" Cixi asked before looking at Hoy again. No matter what, she couldn't wrap her fingers around it. He didn't seem like the type to hide in ther like some pervert. 

"I told him to stay—"

"I was worried. So I came to see her." Hoy answered calmly. 

"I didn't want you to scold her because she was with me." 

"So you hid inside the bathroom?" Jaime asked.

"I admit, that was embarrassing." Hoy said, making Jaime chuckle. 

"And I am guessing that was her idea?" 

Joreen, "Yes"

Hoy, "No"

They both answered at the same time, causing the two elders to look at the two of them.

"Please wait outside Jo." 

"What? Why?" Joreen asked her mother with round eyes.

"Just wait outside for a minute. And do not try to eavesdrop." 

Relunctantly, Joreen left them, giving one last look to Hoy who didn't look back at her. He kept his eyes on her parents. 

"We're sure you heard all we said earlier so there is no point in hiding it anymore."

"You mean... coaching Joreen to make me fall for her?" Hoy asked. 

It was her parents turn to shift uncomfortably in their seats. 

"Hoy, I am a man just like you, and I know I am not blind neither am I dense. You... have been looking at my daughter differently lately, haven't you?" Jaime asked. "I saw that correctly, didn't I?" 

A second felt like eternity as they waited for Hoy to answer. 

He looked from the mother to father before saying, "Yes."