Chapter 10: The Past (Part I)

3 years ago…

          KANA

“Ahjumma, I’ll take this. It’s too heavy for you.” I say. She’s being persistent in carrying all of the groceries that we bought together.

“I can carry this too Kana. I’m not yet that old.” She insisted. I chuckled and gave up.

“Fine, but I’ll carry these.” I say and we heard our stop so we both stood up. The train suddenly halted and I was about to fall when a guy caught me. “Thanks.” I say.

“Are you…okay?” He asked. This guy seems to have trouble speaking in Korean.

“I’m fine. But you’re not a Korean are you?” I replied in English. He smiles and nods.

“I’m Chinese.” He says. The door opened and he grabbed the other things that I am carrying. “I’ll help you, it’s my stop too.” He can talk in English. I chuckle and helped ahjumma as we got off the train.

“Thanks, for helping us that is.” I replied.

“It’s nothing.” He says and looks at ahjumma. “Um, I hope that.. you won’t force yourself to carry all of these next time.” I chuckle. He’s bad in speaking Korean.

“I’m not that old yet.” Ahjumma replied and we laughed.

“She’s persistent in times like this.” I say. “We’ve got to go. Thanks again.”

“Alright. Be careful.” He says.

We walked away but I continue on glancing to the guy that helped us earlier. He’s still there watching us to walk away. I smiled and waved at him again until we have left the station.

“Ahjumma, wait here. Ahjussi might be waiting for us at the exit. Oh, there he is! Ahjussi!!”

“Young Miss!” Kim Ahjussi, our butler, exclaimed and ran towards us. I chuckled at how he struggles just to catch his breath. “This is why I am being persistent to you to just let me drive you to the supermarket! It was a hassle to find you!”

I chuckled and helped him place the groceries at the car. “I missed riding the train which is why.”

“She’s just happy to see a good looking man.”

“Ahjumma!” Ahjumma grins and enters the car and I followed. I wonder what his name is. That guy at the train earlier.

- - - - - - - - - - 

           CHANYEOL

“Check and check. You lose Baek.” I say placing my last pawn at the board. Baekhyun groans and threw his head backwards in frustration. I chuckled and saw Kim ahjussi back from fetching Ana and ahjumma. “They’re back!” I stood up and heard Baekhyun chuckle.

“You’re always eager to see my sister. Just confess already!”

“Oh shut it Baek.” I say and ran to where Ana is. “Hey.”

“Oh hi! Good thing you’re both here. Here we go. Carry these to the kitchen.” She said handing us the groceries that they bought.

“Why do we have to carry these?” Baekhyun says.

“Oh Oppa! Stop complaining and just do it!”

“I hate being ordered by you all the time. I’m older than you, you know?”

“Yes I am aware. Now gooooo!”

I chuckled at how playful these two are. We’ve been together since high school and I can say they’re different from the ordinary siblings that you see. They fight yes, but Ana always initiates the apology. I don’t think that’s normal because younger ones mostly have the pride, or do they?

“Why did you buy so much?” I asked placing the groceries at the counter.

“I don’t want ahjumma going back and forth from the market just to buy the things that she needs okay?” she replied. Ana stops and grins then pulled me towards her room. “I need to talk to Chan. Privately.” She said facing Baekhyun.

“He’s my best friend you know?” Baekhyun shouted from the kitchen.

“I know!” I chuckled and shake my head. “So, guess what?”

“What?” I watch her as she sits at the corner of her bed with her legs crossed. I like watching her move. I like everything that she do. I like her personally. Everything about her.

“Geez, I told you to guess Chan.”

“You won’t even let me have the time to think.”

“Oh fine!” she groans and faces me after I took my seat beside her. “I saw a guy earlier. He’s really handsome and he’s Chinese! We only talked for a moment but he’s really handsome and he just made my heart race Chan!”

“Oh really?” I have to try my best to show my support but at these moments I can’t. These are the tragic parts of my life. I don’t seem to know how to do support whenever she talks about other guys. I can’t force myself to do it. “Did you have his name?”

“Sadly no. I really wanted to know his name at least.”

I chuckled, in relief that is. “Well maybe if you’re destined, you’ll both meet again.”

I don’t know why I said those words but I really felt like that was the worst move that I made in my whole life.

- - - - - - - - - - 

           KANA

“Sorry but I have to ask you to wait for me in my class. The room’s 406. Will meet you there okay? Sorry!” Chanyeol hang up. He is such a responsible student having to lead his group and all. This is already the fourth time he have done this. We’re only on our first and second year in college and he is acting as a leader already. Both of them are. My brother likes doing it too. He’s been so active in the school council and became a member it.

I stood up and headed to the stairs to go to Chanyeol’s classroom. “Room 406 huh? I guess this is it.” I leaned on the door as I wait for him and texted that I have arrived.

Sorry! I’ll let someone give you the hard drive! I’ll make it up to you at lunch I promise!

I scoffed. Fine Mr. Busybody. The door opens and maybe that’s the guy that he asked to give the hard drive to. I turned around and saw the guy. It’s him.

“Oh? You!” he said and I smiled.

“You go here?” I asked.

“Yeah. I guess you know Chanyeol too?”

“Mm. Best friend.”

“Oh, really?” he seem slightly disappointed at my reply. “Byun Kana. You?”

“Lu Han.”

“Nice to meet you Lu Han.” He smiled and takes my hand, shaking it.

“Believe me, it’s even more nicer meeting you.” He said.

“I guess you can give it to me now.”

“Oh, wait.” He takes his phone out and suddenly showed it to me. I looked at him confused but then, I get what he comprehended just now.

“What is that?” I laughed.

“Aren’t you asking for my number?”

“Why should I?”

“Oh sh*t. The hard drive.” He flushed in embarrassment and I laughed even more. He’s funny. “Forget about what happened just now.”

“I will.” I took the hard drive from him and smiled. “Thanks for this.”

“Sure.” He says and kept on looking at me.

“I should go now-”

“WAIT!!” Well he said that a little bit out loud… “Um so uh.. I was.. um.. I was kind of wondering maybe you can consider having this too?” he said showing his number to me. I smiled and took his phone.

“Okay.” I saved his number to mine and placed my phone back to my pocket. “You should go back. Chanyeol must be having a hard time.”

“Sure.” I turned and started walking when I heard him call my name. “Kana!”

“What?”

“Gumawo!” he just spoke in Korean just now. I’m happy about that.

- - - - - - - - - - 

I stared at his number for thirty minutes. I don’t know what to say and if he is even expecting a message from me. So, I just shrugged the feeling off and started typing.

Hey. Um, I don’t know if you’re waiting for me to text you but here. Just wanted to know  if I got your number right.

- Kana

I hit send and shut my eye closed. Not even a second passed and I already received a reply from him which made me jump in surprise.

Don’t worry you got it right and yes, I was waiting for you to text me all day. Glad you did. Fine with you if I talk to you through this? I really am not good in talking in your language.

- Han

Han? He call himself Han huh? Should I call him that or call him Lu Han? Oh this is so frustrating. I don’t even know why I am being frustrated.

Fine with me. Say, I’m just curious but… should I just call you Han or you wanted me to call you Lu Han?

I hit send again and rested on my bed to wait for his reply. As usual, it didn’t even took him two minutes to reply.

Han will be fine. What do you want me to call you then? :)

He just asked what to call me. What should I respond to this? Should I call for help? I should right? I pressed one from my speed dial and called Chanyeol.

“…Ugh… What?”

“You sleeping?” I asked.

“Well, obviously…” he replied then yawned.

“You can’t sleep!”

“I think I have a right to be sleeping.”

“But it’s still nine forty!”

“There’s no such law saying that I can’t be sleeping at nine forty Ana.”

“But I need your help!”

“Just spill it please.”

“Lu Han and I are texting!”

“Oh… WAIT WHO AND WHAT?!” I can tell that his position changed from lying down to sitting.

“Lu Han’s that person! The one I saw at the train Chan and he gave me his number today!!”

“Wait, so what’s happening now? Why is everything so fast?”

“I know! Which is why I called you! He just asked me what he should call me!”

“Ana, you just realized that we are now having a girl talk only, you are talking to me that I am not a girl.”

“Chanyeol!”

“Fine, fine. Just tell him to call you by name. I think that’s what everyone normally do.”

“Like as in Kana?”

“Yes, not Ana. I am the only one who can call you that.”

I chuckled. Chanyeol doesn’t like calling me what other people use to call me. He’s picky that way. Well he’s my best friend. I can’t blame him.

“Okay then. I’ll tell him to call me Kana. Bye and thanks Chan! Night!”

“Yeah, yeah.” He replied then we both hang up. I immediately shifted to his text and replied.

            You can call me Kana. That’s what people usually call me.

I hit send and waited for his reply.

Oh okay. Kana it is then. So Kana, I know that you know what course I am since I am with Chanyeol. But I don’t know yours. Care to satisfy my curiosity?

I grin at his message. I like it that he’s confused about me. “A guy eh?”

I gasped. My brother’s here. “Did you just eavesdrop?”

“I was about to call you when I saw you grinning like an idiot. Who’s that?”

“None of your business.”

“Oh really? I think it is because I am your brother.”

I hate to admit it but he’s protective that way. Back in high school, when he heard that someone confessed to me, he stalked that guy and in the end, the guy gave up and he ended up saying, “This is why I have to know the guy first before I agree with you dating.” I sighed in defeat and let him sneak on my phone. He takes it and lay down on my bed reading our conversation. I hate it that I am letting him read it. Privacy? Gone down to 0.000%

“Lu Han? Oh this guy. He’s a friend of mine!” he sits up and gives me back my phone.

I grin. “So you approve?”

He laughs and I eye him weirdly. “Approve? What’s even there to approve my dear sister? Lu Han’s just curious with you. He’s from a different culture so don’t assume that his way of thinking is the same as ours.” He stands and walks towards my door. “But if you really like him in that way, then maybe I can approve.”

I smile. “Baek!” I called and he looked back.

“Hmm?”

“You know I love you right?”

“I know. More than all of the boys that you have liked.”

I smile and watch him leave. We may fight from time to time but he is the best brother ever.

Update!! Thanks for the new subscribers by the way ^^ I hope you guys will like the next chapter and the whole story!

- Cheonsabyul