[From Yoojung’s POV]

 

After Hyorin had stepped out of the house to meet Hansol for a study session, I was back to having absolutely nothing to do for the day. Unfortunately, most of the boys were not free from their schedules, in spite of the 2 month summer break. Firstly, those who were taking their CSATs seemed to have an endless number supplementary lessons and remedial classes, even if it was the weekend of the summer holidays. As for the rest of the boys, they were either out of town or had made plans of their own.

 

Initially, I had wanted to ask Yoonsol and Seokmin out for lunch, only to remember that they were going to be away for a month on a holiday to Europe, especially to countries such as Greece, Spain, France and Italy. Next, I sought the company of Lee Chan, only to find out from his butler that he had joined his parents on a business trip to Hong Kong to attend an important meeting with one of the biggest CEOs in the petrochemical industry.

 

After hearing those, I began to feel a tinge of envy that they were able to spend time with their family members. For my case, my parents resided in the Americas and it made it inconvenient to go back every so often to spend the holidays over in San Francisco. Of course, we made a point to keep in touch every week over Skype or a simple call over the phone if a webcam chat was not feasible. Both, despite the fact that they were middle-aged, led relatively busy lives; my mother was a senior secretary in a law firm, just like Jisoo’s, and my father was a private dentist. Hence, this often led to conflicts in our schedules, further hindering the fact that I could not go back to the United States or them coming to Seoul to visit me.

 

Luckily, before they had decided to send me back to Seoul to do my studies, they had purchased an apartment in Gangnam and opened a bank account with Citigroup Korea to ensure that they would be able to send me a monthly allowance to fend for my food, medical expenses and utility bills. The apartment they bought was a simple 3-bedroom apartment. It consisted of a master bedroom, guest bedroom and study room, together with the typical features of an apartment such as a kitchen with an open concept and a living room which came with sofa that could fit a maximum of 8 people. Indeed, it was an interesting concept as the entrance to the sofa did require one to walk down 2 steps. With that, it never failed to give it a warm and comfortable feel, knowing that I would be able to invite friends over whenever I felt lonely and we would then have a place to socialize, chit-chat about anything under the sun and compete with each other in video games.

 

However, I knew that they had sent me back to Korea, with hopes that I would do better in my studies there and learn the importance of independence at a young age. Of course, my parents had hired a part time nanny to ensure that I was okay. Her name was Mrs Jung and she would come to my place thrice a week whenever I was in school. She came over to prepare dinner for me and to make sure that my apartment remained conducive for both work and play. However, there were times when she would show up on extra days, even if she did not need to, and tended to invite me for a cup of coffee or a simple lunch after school to ask about my well-being. Ever since I had stepped back into my country of origin, I could not be more blessed to have a person like her whom I could rely on in times of need.

 

“Perhaps I should get out of the house today.”, I thought, and hence began to take my DSLR camera and pack my necessities into a haversack. I had decided to cycle around the city of Gangnam and drop by the Hangang Park, not only to exercise, but to go on a photography trip. Even though I was alone, I preferred very much to interact with the human population than to stay indoors in the quietness of my apartment.

 

Ensuring that everything I needed was in my bag, I pumped some air into the tyres manually, before taking it out of the house and placing it against the wall so that I could lock the door. For obvious reasons, I sent a message to Hyorin to inform her about my whereabouts.

 

You: Hey, I’ll be heading out today to Gangnam and the Hangang River. Do you want anything?

 

Rin: It’s alright unnie! What’s with the sudden plan though? Planning to update your blog again, I suppose?

 

You: Yeah… I need a break and definitely need a breath of fresh air. Stay safe okay? Remember what I said, no funny business when I’m not around.

 

Rin: HAHAHA of course not! Don’t worry about me! Stay safe also okay? Look out for traffic! Oh, what time would you be home? Hansol just told me that he would not be free for dinner after our study session.

 

You: Sure, I hope to be back home by 7pm and the latest would be 7.30pm. I plan to cook some chicken bulgogi today and kimchi stew. Would that be alright?

 

Rin: Duh. Whatever you cook is always good so I’ll always be alright with whatever you cook. Need me to get any ingredients for you, unnie?

 

You: It’s fine! I’ll get them later for the side dishes!

 

You: Okay, please go and study now. Don’t get distracted, yeah?

 

Rin: Yes mum.

 

With that marking the end of our conversation, I smiled and placed the phone securely into my back pocket while thinking, “Come on, looks like it’ll be some me-time for the day.”

 

****

 

[From Yoojung’s POV]

 

Only the Almighty knows how much time had actually passed. In my opinion, the day felt somewhat shorter, as if a few hours had been shortened to a few minutes. The last thing I remember after stepping out was the fact that the sun still resided high in the sky. Sadly, there wasn’t much of a breeze today, which definitely brought my energy level down faster than it should have.

 

For lunch, I had a bowl of spicy naengmyeon to curb the heat and a small bowl of patbingsu to get my energy back before I headed back out to continue with my picture taking of the streets of Gangnam, especially the street decorations. Since Gangnam was fairly near to Hongdae, I had also managed to cycle to the town for a bit and took many photographs of the graffiti on the walls that were unique to the hipster nation of Seoul’s younger population.

 

Now, I sat in a quiet coffee shop in Hongdae, checking to make sure that the pictures I had taken were worthy to be uploaded to my photography blog that I had been running for the past 2 to 3 years. It was only then in which I had noticed that it was already 6pm, causing me to drink my iced coffee at a faster rate and subsequently, I was on my bicycle again, cycling to the Hangang River to catch the sunset at the Han River bridge.

 

I reached the Hangang Park in record timing and began to take pictures of the serene environment. Since I had started school in Seoul, I always loved coming to the Hangang Park. For most of the time, I came to seek comfort and solace outside fast-paced life of the Seoul Metropolis. With its serenity and tranquility, especially with the luscious greenery and the rich diversity of flora and fauna, it always helped me to unwind and throw my caution to the wind. It gave me a peace of mind when I went there and I could always rely on nature alone to give it to me without words spoken.

 

As I walked, I noticed a figure lying down on a white bench that faced the Hangang River and was under a huge Angsana tree. His back faced the cycling path and his body rose and fell in rhythm with his breathing. It wasn’t rare to see people coming here to rest, but it was definitely strange seeing someone who was impeccably dressed with dress shoes and a possibly tailored suit.

 

Curiosity got the better of me and I parked my bicycle against the rail, so that I could take a closer look at this strange sleeper in the heart of the Hangang Park. However, I began to notice the cuts on his face and body, as well as the fact that his shirt was stained with maroon shades of dry blood. My eyes widened in shock and a chill ran down my spine at the sight, immediately wondering why this strange man did not seek medical attention to treat his wounds. Furthermore, this man was young, looking as if he was younger than a 20-year-old.

 

“Okay, he’s still breathing. Keep calm Yoojung. Remember what the first aid trainers always said…” I thought, thinking of solutions on how I could help the sleeping figure. Perhaps he had his own reasons for not going to the doctor to receive treatment because I felt that it was wrong to assume that he would come from an affluent background, despite the fact that he was dressed to the nines.

 

Suddenly, an idea popped into my mind and I got onto the bicycle again, paddling as fast as I could possibly paddle.

 

“Don’t worry, whoever you are. I’ll come back soon.”

 

After a 15-20 minute ride, I had finally arrived at my desired destination. The sign above the relatively large clinic read “Jeon Family Clinic” and I heaved a sigh of relief to find out that it was still open and I had 30 minutes to get whatever I needed before it closed. Little did I know that Wonwoo was sitting in the waiting area, writing notes fervently and reading his notes with utmost concentration.

 

“Yoojung?” He said in his low tone of voice, but it was questioning, as if I was not supposed to be here.

 

His voice made me jump out of my skin in shock and I looked towards the source of the boys, only to realize that Wonwoo was currently snickering at my reaction while shooting me a casual wave.

 

“What’s up? I don’t think you’ve ever visited this clinic ever for a while. Is there anything wrong? You look a little flustered…”

 

“Yes, there is something wrong. Look, I saw this man at Hangang Park today and he was no older than 20-years-old. He looked like a typical rich man’s son but when I examined him, he had several cuts on his face and body, as well as a blood stained shirt.”

 

Wonwoo’s eyes widened gradually as he processed the information, and I was surprised at my current composure. On the inside, I was definitely worried but I assumed that my facial features did not convey the same message.

 

“He’s alive, I hope?” Wonwoo asked, expecting the worse.

 

“Yes, he was breathing normally when I approached.” I replied calmly.

 

“Let me talk to my father about this when he finishes seeing his last patient of the day. I know he would be able to help you since we have quite a bit of medicine in this clinic. Just take a seat and I’ll let you know when he’s ready.”

 

****

 

After a relatively long time, Wonwoo had finally stepped into his father’s room and closed the door behind him, so that he could explain the situation to his father. However, it was not long before Mr Jeon had stepped out of his room and I stood up to greet him.

 

With a smile on his face, he proceeded to the store room to collect the necessary and came back out again with a paper bag of items. Inside contained a whole bunch of things, including painkillers, bandages, antiseptic cream, q-tips and even an ointment for scars.

 

“Here you go, Yoojung. I’m glad to know that you’re doing this to help someone in need. Give me a moment to print out the labellings and I will tell you what you need to do with the various medicines that I had given you. I’m pretty sure you know what to do with a bandage and plaster right?”

 

I let out a breathy laugh at his comment and replied, “Of course, Mr Jeon. By the way, how much would all these cost?”

 

At the question, Mr Jeon only smiled again and shook his head, “Don’t worry, Yoojung-ah. This is for someone in need so I will cover the medical expenses. In my opinion, help should never be considered in numbers. Remember, the fact that you decided to act upon your need to help is already commendable and I don’t think I would be able to sleep if I charged you for them.”

 

After the labels had been printed, Mr Jeon patiently explained the purpose of each ointment and clarified my doubts about the medicine that he had prescribed. “If anything happens, I would leave my contact in this bag. I don’t usually give my personal contact number so if he calls, I would know who the patient I’m expecting is.”

 

I thanked the both of them profusely and bowed 90-degrees for their help. Wonwoo only laughed along with his father and said in a joking manner, “Perhaps you can volunteer your time at the clinic or hospital as repayment?”

 

“Ha. I’m not surprised if I do.” I replied, before bidding them goodbye and cycling back to the Hangang Park to check on the man in need.

 

****

 

Before I headed back, I ended up stopping by the convenient store to get some water, food and an umbrella for the man. Furthermore, I was definitely in luck since I happened to stop by a pop-up store which sold blankets. I decided to buy one for the man and an extra for Hyorin, knowing that she had always wanted a blanket combined with a hand warmer.

 

When I reached the exact place, the man had not moved an inch and continued to remain in his initial position. At that, I began to prepare whatever I needed. I placed the medicine bag at the foot of the bench and ped the hand warmer to retrieve the blanket, placing the hand warmer and blanket gently under the man’s head and over his body respectively to keep him warm and comfortable through the chilly night.

 

However, it wasn’t long until he began to shift in his sleep, turning his whole body around until he was facing the cycling road. Initially, I was afraid with his sudden movement, worried that he might wake up and chase me away harshly, considering the state that he was in. Unfortunately, with the sudden introduction of brightness from the street lamp, I began to notice a little more about the man who laid in front of me. He had high, visible cheekbones, a relatively sharp nose bridge, doe-like eyes and lips that curved at either ends of his mouth.

 

It was at this point when I had begun to recognize the man in front of me; it was close to impossible not to recognize the sleeping figure. Proceeding to estimate his height and his overall body shape, I nearly stumbled back from the realization over who this man actually was.

Yes, it was the boy who had disappeared for slightly over a year. He was a close friend for most of the days, an "older brother" who would always lend me a shoulder to cry on, and the one responsible for the butterflies in my stomach for the past 2 years. At first, he was close to being considered dead, but now, here he was; lying in the Hangang River without a decent roof over his head. How could anyone ever forget who he was?

His name was Hong Jisoo, aged 19, a former student at Dongguk High School. He was a friend, an older brother in both literal and figurative terms and a lover.

---

Author's Note:

Hi readers! I'm back with the 7th chapter of this fanfiction :) I'm sorry that I've not been frequent with the updates, considering the fact that I've started school again and have been extremely busy juggling with school work and after-school activities. :( It doesn't help with the fact that I come home as late as 8pm for most of the days, leaving me with no time to write any new fanfictions or the energy for inspirations. T.T However, I hope you guys still enjoy this chapter as much as the previous ones. :) If you did, feel free to leave a comment and subscribe to it if you are new to the story. :) Unfortunately, updates would continue to be not as frequent anymore but I hope you guys stay tuned and I'll try to update when I can. :) For now, happy reading! ^^