Chapter 03
From Me, To You
Two days later, Suzy didn’t expect him to knock her house that morning, but she also didn’t mind, actually.
Kim Myungsoo stood on the porch. As usual with a plaid shirt - same pattern, different colors, all the time - and stuck his hands into his pockets.
“Hello…?” Suzy muttered, wasn’t sure. Her voice was hoarse, her hair was messy, her eyes a bit red, but she was quite conscious.
“What are you doing here? It’s Monday. No one go to work today. “
“I know, you stupid.” Myungsoo nodded, didn’t think her heart was a bit ache when she heard ‘stupid’ word from his mouth. “Therefore we have free schedule today.”
“I don’t want to.”
“You have to,” Myungsoo whispered, “because you must take care of me.”
“This is ridiculous.” Suzy smiled bitterly, but she opened her door soon as wide as possible. “Please come in. You can go to the dining room and join the others for breakfast, if you want.”
“Okay.” Myungsoo smiled once, watching that girl ran to her room.
He took off his shoes and replaced it with sandals that placed next to the door. The first thing he learned when visiting this house.
He walked slowly into the house. Vaguely heard a chaos from the back of the house. He guessed they were Suzy’s brother and sister, and he was sure he wouldn’t be wrong.
When he first entered into this house, he felt there was something different here. He feels more secure, warmer, better than he ever felt.
His heart was like whispering to him, this is your home.
He wasn’t too sure about that, because he just didn’t know what it was like being at home.
Footsteps sounded from the kitchen, approaching him. Myungsoo turned his head and watched the figure of a man running at him.
“Hello!” He greeted Myungsoo, waved his hand once.
“Uh? Oh, hello.” Myungsoo faked a smile.
He laughed when Myungsoo didn’t think anything was funny around them. “You don’t know me, right?”
Myungsoo didn’t say anything but nodded.
Then he laughed again, but this time faster than the previous one. “I’m Lee Sungyeol. My house is across yours.”
Myungsoo raised his eyebrows, a bit of disbelief.
But Sungyeol didn’t realize that and said, “We’re both in the same age. Well, I’m a year older, actually. But we were on the same level at school before, so you don’t have to call me hyung.”
“I understand.” Myungsoo nodded again.
There was an awkward situation that squeeze between them, before Sungyeol start again. “Oh, have you breakfast? We can have breakfast together in the dining room - “
“No, no need to. I already have breakfast.” Myungsoo smiled, hiding the lies. He hadn’t breakfast today, actually.
Sungyeol understand and returned to the dining room alone, while Myungsoo didn’t mind left by him in the hall. Myungsoo waited Suzy for a few minutes more until the girl down the stairs.
“I’m sorry. Am I too long?” Suzy asked without looking at Myungsoo’s eyes, still stirring the contents of her postman bag.
“No. No at all.”
“Okay, let’s tell the people that we’re going out today!” She said and he let her pull his hand, took him to the dining room.
She told her grandfather and grandmother, her parents, her sisters and her brother and Sungyeol that they would go out that time. Myungsoo just smiled and nodded occasionally behind Suzy’s back.
Every time his eyes met Sungyeol, his eyes ran.
And Suzy realized that.
“Myungsoo, what are you doing?” Suzy broke his daydream.
“Oh, no.” Myungsoo tried to act normal. “Okay. Let’s go now. “
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“You seem you don’t like him.” Suzy muttered behind him, watching her feet stepped on the sidewalk covered by orange maple leaves. Every leaf from the trees around them was falling to the ground, and she liked it.
Myungsoo stopped, and it maked Suzy - who bowed her head - hit his back.
The girl squealed. “Ouch! Oh, what happened?”
Myungsoo turned back and saw her, then he realized Suzy was short enough if she just wore sneakers. “Your last question, what does it mean?”
Suzy didn’t answer but continued to see his face through her bangs. Another expression, she thought. But she knew he wasn’t in a good mood this time.
“You look creepy.”
Myungsoo didn’t reply to her words and continued staring at her. His black eyes widened and Suzy thought she would be killed with that look.
“I mean, you look like you don’t like Lee Sungyeol.” Then she laughed. “Forget it. I don’t think that’s true, my guess about everything was never right. “
At least she didn’t see that terrible gaze in his eyes.
“Well, do you want us to walk around Seoul today, right?” Changing the topic of conversation is a good thing to forget problems, Suzy checked.
“Oh, no, we won’t.” Myungsoo just shook his head. He just picked up a piece of paper crumpled in his pocket and gave it to Suzy.
Suzy read the words written there, an address. “So we have to go here?”
“Certainly,” he nodded.
“Why do we have to go here?” Suzy looked at him. Sunlight was flooded his hair until it was too shiny for her to see him.
“Photo gallery. The owner invite me to go there.” Myungsoo watched straight ahead, then rolled his eyes at her. “You know the place, Suzy?”
Suzy laughed, “I live in Seoul since I was born. Of course I know.” She gave the paper back on Myungsoo. “Okay, let’s go!”
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“I think this one is better.” Suzy pointed a picture, not far from their positions.
A hour later, they arrived there by train, as usual. Myungsoo already forced her to use a cab, but she refused. Myungsoo couldn’t accept that fact - he was a stubborn one - but he didn’t want to start a debate on the weekend, so he didn’t say anything.
Suzy looked like a high school student when wearing casual clothes like today. And her act - how she laughed, how she walked, how she felt happy - made Myungsoo more sure about his thought.
“No, I think this is better.” Myungsoo pointed at a picture in front of him.
Black and white photograph of a highway scene. Simple, attractive, and memorable. He simply loved it. While Suzy chose another photo. Two snowmen that seemed to embrace, the other black and white photos.
It was like a game of who chose the best photos, and they enjoyed it.
Myungsoo walked up to her. “You look like very fond of winter and all things related to it.”
“I do.” Suzy smiled delightedly. “You know, I even think that the meaning of my life is Christmas. I always wait for that moment. So when Christmas is over, I ever once thought my life means nothing.” Then she laughed, and Myungsoo taste a little bitterness in it.
“Indeed, what is the meaning of life?” Myungsoo sighed and passed her, seeing the other photos again.
Suzy smiled, “Oh, a question like this again. I know this will end up in the quote ‘what is life’. Am i right?”
Myungsoo grinned. He just met this girl for four days, and she was able to peek his mind. “You learn very quickly.”
“You think too much,” Suzy commented, “like Minyoung unni. But in a different way.”
They walked in silence, looking at pictures around them and passed them just like that.
Then Myungsoo started the conversations again. “So, for you, what is life?”
She could barely see him over her shoulder. “Life is a miracle, you know. Someone told me that.”
“Miracle?” Curiosity braved him to ask her.
“Miracle how you can wake up in the middle of your sleep. How does your heart beat faster when you’re nervous. How do you hear a joke and find it funny. How do you feel there are butterflies in your stomach. Those simple things that ignored by many people. And another thing, which is important,” Suzy stopped, and he also stopped. “Miracle how people fall in love.”
And that time, their eyes collided.
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