*****

   The hope of the nearing rest made Jaejoong reach his desired destination quicker than ever. But when he came to his favorite spot, a frown found its way on his face. Being deeply in his own thoughts, he was almost near the bench were he usually sits before he noticed that the place was not peaceful. Well, it was, but his bench, the only bench there, was taken by some girl and Jaejoong really was not in the mood for any company now, even the company of his friends. So what to say about some random girl who may want to talk or flirt or even turn to be a crazy fan in the worst case.  Disappointed, he decided to turn away and leave, and becoming even more frustrated, kicked the stone that was lying near his leg, not actually realizing his action and the noise he caused.

   Girl sitting on the bench jumped upon hearing the commotion behind her and her eyes got round while looking at him and her first reaction was blushing.

“Here we go with all the screaming and recognizing” – Jae thought with distaste.

But to his surprise her first words was totally different.

-Omo, I am sorry, have I taken your place? Then please, have it back, I am going to leave.

And she quickly gathered her things and made a step from the bench.

Jaejoong swiftly recovered from surprise and suddenly feeling very generous he said:

-No, please stay. You are not bothering me in any way. Plus you were here first.

And added one of his most encouraging smiles.

*****

Karen was not going to miss the chance, even if she still was in awe of the situation she found herself in, she took the sit silently and the far end of the bench, living the biggest half of it for Jaejoong, who took the other far side and sat staring into the horizon.

Karen kept stealing glances his way; she could not turn her gaze away from his face. Even if Jaejoong noticed it, he still said nothing. But then her eyes wondered to his hands and she gasped.

- What happened to your hand?

 Jae looked down and only now noticed that he had scratched on his fist from that hit on the wall. He shrugged.

- Its nothing.

- It is not ‘nothing’. Please wait a minute.

Karen said while looking for something in her bag. Jae was surprised to see her taking out some liquid antiseptic and plaster, and then a bandage to top it.

-Are you normally carrying such things with you? Are you a medical student?

Karen laughed at it.

- No. Its just you will not believe how often I need it! My parents say that my clumsiness is unlimited, they almost did not want me to travel because of it .

Jae could not then help himself and smiled again looking at her. She was so natural, cute and charming. It was so refreshing to talk normally with a girl. Not be greeted by overly- enthusiastic fan-girls screams or feel a pressure to play some role. He was himself at the moment and was enjoying it.

Epilogue

The sun was barely seen near the horizon line, casting the last orange and gold  glow into the sky. The day was slowly coming to an end. The park and place around the river were slowly fading into darkness and started to be filled with silence.

Still, among the whole riverside, there was one spot and one bench where you could hear a light noise of cheerful laugher and brisk conversation. The two people on this bench were clearly oblivious to the time, not even noticing that they spend almost the whole day there, talking to each other. The silhouettes of the couple sitting there were well seen even from the distance.

But if anyone would have managed to come closer without disturbing them, and if that person was really paying attention to the details, the one would have noticed that the small girl’s hand was tightly held by the bigger, male hand, with the clear intention to never letting go.  

Yes, the day was slowly coming to the end. But for Jaejoong and Karen it was only the beginning.

****