Welcome Home
Protect Us-Three years later-
As Jiho said, everything was restored back to its place about a week after the disaster. A letter was sent to the government and it was all over the news. It was the hottest news of that year, and it still has been going on since. More and more scientists were determined to create better technology so they can communicate with the aliens, which I knew was impossible. Our technology can never match up with their technology.
I finished university and got a job in Seoul as a fashion designer. It was mainly Jiho and my love of art that influenced me to go towards that pathway. I've worked with many idols and celebrities. So far, I've worked with big celebrities, new celebrities and models. I've even got a chance to work with Zico once. I don’t think I’ll believe anything he says anymore. He said he wasn't a serious model. I believed him since behind the camera he’s goofy and crazy, but in front of it he’s another person. I think he’s a full time model now, but don't quote me on that.
Apparently, he didn't know about Jiho being an alien since he asked me why he disappeared all of the sudden. I lied and told him that he was taking a break from modeling for now and he believed me.
Anyway, ever since that day I've been living by myself pretty well. Originally, I was supposed to come back home after I finish school, but because of my job I stayed since it was more convenient. I'm at the age where I should have a boyfriend, but I don't feel like it's right to get one without the aliens around me. It feels like I need their consent to whether I can have a boyfriend or not.
Needless to say, I've had boys ask me to be their girlfriend - good looking boys, might I add - but I always let them down gently. My parents on the other hand, want me to get married soon. They heard about the invasion on the news while they were out of the country. They think another invasion will happen so they want me to enjoy life like it was my last day on Earth. I doubt another invasion would happen anytime soon, unless the boys come back to Earth. Sometimes I wonder if they actually want to come back.
Today was another photo shoot for my clothing line. Everyone was busy and running around. A couple of camera equipment were not working so they were trying to fix it. There were staff sorting out the clothing for an idol group to wear but they were late.
"Hye Mi, are they here yet?" the assistant photographer asked me. "The photographer has a schedule 3 hours from now."
"They're not here yet, and don't worry. Your photographer won't be late for his next appointment," I assured him.
I jogged over to the dressing room to make sure everything was in place and ready to go. The accessories were sorted out and the clothes were too.
"The boys are here." A staff member informed. I nodded and followed her out to greet them.
"Charging Complete 100%! Hello, we are 100%!" they greeted. "Sorry for being late," a boy apologized.
"There was major traffic," their manager explained. I gave them a small smile, "It's alright, I understand. Now boys, go to the back so you can get changed and your makeup done."
In an instant, they rushed to the back. "Next time, you should live up to your name - 100% on time," I mumbled to myself. "Okay, standby!"
After a long day of work, I headed home. It was a chilly night so I had a sweater on. When I was walking up my street, I saw a silhouette in front of my house. The person wasn't near the street light so I couldn't see who that person was. The person, who looked like a guy, was looking up at my house. My eyebrows creased. Who is that?
As I got closer to him, I purposely made the heels of my shoes scrape the ground so he could hear me coming. He turned his head. I saw a glimpse of yellow hair and thick-ish lips before he turned back around and started to walk away.
I thought he was some sort of dangerous person so I didn't bother running up to him.
The next couple weeks, the same person was standing in front of my house. That person was definitely a stalker. This time, I didn't allow that person to hear me coming. I walked up to him as quiet as possible. But of course, I had to be wearing heels that day. His head snapped towards my direction, and again he turned around and walked away. I wasn't to let him go that easily. I took out my house keys to use as a weapon and ran up to him.
"Yah, stop right there!" I yelled. The man obviously didn't stop and ran away. I ran faster but I couldn’t run fast with heels on so I tripped and scraped my knees and palms. “Ow!” I yelled in pain. I looked my bloody and dirty hands. My hands should only cut injured my scissors and needles, not by falling down! I dusted the dirt and gravel off my hands. When I looked up, the man was just standing there, facing his back towards me.
“Stop right there!” I yelled. I tried to stand up but he suddenly said, “Stop!” in an awkward high voice. I stopped. Silence. “Are you okay?” he asked me. It was obvious he was trying to disguise his voice with an annoying high pitch.
I was slightly confused to why he asked me that. “Why do you care? Are you a secret admirer or something?” I got up from the ground. I started to walk up to him but he suddenly said, “Something like that. Don’t trip again, you clumsy girl,” and ran away.
I stood there blinking. Then I shook my head. “Are stalkers really that strange?”
About a month has passed and that stalker hadn’t appeared. It was the weekend. The very rare days where I have two days off, one after the other. On days like this, I would take out my map of Korea and look at the places where there aren’t any red circles. My map is almost full of red. Almost. I would never throw this map away until it is full of red circles.
The day before, I scanned through my map. I placed my finger on the paper and dragged my finger down and decided my pinpoint. I took out my red marker and circled it. Busan.
I woke up early in the morning on Monday and got a ticket to the earliest train to Busan. I got to the train station by taxi and waited for the train. The KTX train came right on time, like always. I boarded the train and then it set off when the train was full.
I slept on the train and was woken up by the conductor, announcing that the train has arrived at Busan. I looked at my wrist watch. It took 3 hours to get there. I got off the train and called a taxi to go to the hotel I booked a couple days before. I got to the hotel and got my room. Right away, I opened the room with the card and threw my luggage in, closed the door and headed out. I wasn’t going to waste any time.
Whenever I go to different cities, it always has been like this. I wake up early in the morning, catch the earliest train or taxi, go to the hotel I booked and head out right away without even stepping inside the room. There are thousands of people in South Korea, so I wouldn’t want to miss the chance.
Luckily, my break was on the weekend, a day where people go out shopping with their friends and family. Though I am always prepared for days like this, I was always missing one thing. A picture. A picture of Daehyun. I always have to describe to people what he looks like and they always ask me if I have a picture, which I don’t. I don’t own a picture of him or any of the other aliens. I’ve described him to so many people, I’ve even memorized his description by heart.
I started out in the market. I always do. Who can’t live without food? I went up to each and every one of the ahjummas and ahjusshis, describing what Daehyun looked like. I went up to a lonely ahjumma sitting on her stool, enviously looking at the people beside her area. “Excuse me,” I said. Her eyes lit up like a Christmas star.
“What can I get you? Someone as beautiful as you should buy something of mine.”
“Sorry, but I was just wondering whether you’ve seen a certain person.”
The glow in her eyes faded but she still kept her smile. “Of course, what does that person look like?”
“Well, he has brown-blonde hair-” I don’t know why I still use that description. He probably changed his hairstyle after three years. “-he’s about 177cm in height, he has a little mole under his eye, and he has thick-ish lips.” I said.
She furrowed her eyebrows, thinking. “Do you know what he’s wearing?” I shook my head. “Do you have a picture?” I shook my head again. This is the last question they ask before the say, “It’s going to be impossible to find him.”
But this ahjumma didn’t say that, she said, “I’ll keep a look out. There aren’t a lot of people with blonde hair around the market.” My face lit up and I bowed continuously. “Thank you, thank you!” I gave her a piece of paper with my number on it and told her to call me when she saw someone like him. She nodded and I skipped my way out of there, since there was already one person helping me in the market but then I stopped. I felt a pang on guilt in my chest.
I turned around to see that same ahjumma still looking around with no customers. I couldn’t just walk away. Finding Daehyun can wait later. This is the only time I’m visiting the market anyways.
I turned around and stopped in front of her. She looked up in surprise. “Did you forget something?”
I smiled and shook my head. “I’m going to help you, for helping me.”
The whole day, I was trying to sell vegetables to customers. “Carrots, green beans, peas, broccoli, we have it all!” I advertised. I grabbed an ahjumma who walked past us. “Excuse me, would you like to buy carrots?”
She shook her head, “I’m going over there to buy my vegetables.” She pointed to the stall overflowing with customers. She tried to walk past me, but I stopped her.
“Do you know they charge you more over there?” She didn’t believe me. “How much do they sell there?” I asked her.
“They sell it for 3 dollars per pound.”
“Three dollars? We sell it for two!” “Really?” “Yes, and do they wash the carrots for you?” She shook her head. I dramatically slapped my forehead. “We sell it for 2 dollars, it is prewashed and cleaned, and we even cut off the leaves off for free! Don’t be fooled by them. It is grown in the same neighbourhood, how much of a difference would it make? They’re selling it for more because they attract a lot of customers. We won’t do such thing to our customers, right ahjumma?” I turned around and ahjumma gave me a smile. I winked at her.
“…fine.” She gave in. “Give me 2 pounds.” “Coming right up!”
That was when things got really busy. The customer brought in her friends. The store that was once popular had no customers. Some even told me that I had a nice figure and skin and I told them it was all because of these vegetables. Advertising at the market was so easy.
It was already night time and people in the market were packing up. I was helping ahjumma pack up when she stopped me. “That’s enough Hye Mi,” she told me. “Go home, it’s been a busy day for you.”
I shook my head with a smile. “I’m not tired at all. I want to help you pack up and bring all this cash home. What if someone jumps you?” I joked.
She laughed. “There is no one in this part of town. Just go home.” She placed a wad of cash in my hand.
My eyes widened. “No, I can’t!” I grabbed her hand and placed the money in it and closed her small hands so the money doesn’t go flying. “I helped because you helped me. I don’t need the money.”
She chuckled, “Bless you. At least bring home the first product you sold.” She gave me a bag of carrots.
I laughed at the bag in my hands, “Thank you, and goodnight. Be safe!” I waved and went back to the hotel.
A day has been wasted, but I don’t regret it. There was always the next day.
---
I woke up in the afternoon and got ready to go to the shopping area in Busan. That was always the second place I searched. I mean, everyone has to go shopping every once in a while. Like always, I walked around and asked random people. All of them said they didn’t see a guy like that, moreover a guy with brown-blonde hair.
I went into a café for a break of walking around all day. “May I help you?” A waitress asked.
“Can I have an Americano please?”
“Coming right up!” She walked away to get my order. I took out my map. I only had today to search all of Busan, and I don’t think that will happen. I’d have to ignore that red circle I drew around Busan and try again another day.
The waitress came back with my drink. I thanked her and placed my map on the table. “Are you a tourist?” she asked, probably noticing my map. I looked up and shook my head. “I’m looking for someone.”
“Is that what the red circles are?”
I nodded. “Those circles are the places I’ve been to and haven’t had much luck. Say, have you seen a boy with brown-blonde hair, about 177 cm in height, with a mole under his left eye and with thick lips?”
“Brown-blonde hair…? I think I remember someone like that.” My eyes widened. “Really? Can you tell me where?”
“Sorry,” she apologized, “I don’t know exactly where. But the description does sound familiar…” I waited for her to search her brain. “Oh!” she snapped her finger. “I forgot my boyfriend had brown-blonde hair. He dyed it to full blonde though… His name is Jung Daehyun. Is he who you’re looking for?”
I froze. Daehyun. The person I was looking for…was already with a girl? “Yeah, I’m just a…cousin of his." I lied. I didn't want to spill anything to that stranger. "He ran away from home and...I'm not allowed to go home until I find him. His family is really worried about him.” The last part is the truth. I am really worried about him. “D-do you guys live together?” I tried hard not to sound surprise but that didn’t work out as planned. Good thing she didn’t notice.
She nodded. “We’ve been together for three years. He’s an amazing man. He’s not in town right now, he’s on a trip to Seoul."
I let out a scoff. "Wow, he's been here all along and living happily? I can't believe it. I've been searching for him for three years, thinking he was having a hard time but he was enjoying life like nothing's wrong." I shook my head and cleared my throat. I forgot I was supposed to act like his cousin. "I mean, I wasn't even allowed to go back home until I found him, you know? Our family is really strict."
Instead of giving me a weird look, she patted my shoulder, "I'm sure Daehyun oppa didn't mean to trouble you all. He told me he didn't have any parents-" I blinked. Did he really tell her everything? "- and he said he was living with a really sweet girl before. I think he's talking about you right?" She smiled sweetly.
I found myself dumbly nodding at her question. I cursed at myself for thinking she was a vixen for taking away Daehyun. At first, I was really angry that he fell in love but then I noticed this girl is someone really sweet. Her smile and attitude just shouts out her sweet personality.
"Well, he talked about his cousin a lot-" My heart crashed. Right, I'm just his cousin. "- and I'm sure he didn't want to abandon you and your family. He said that the alien attack years ago seperated him from his family. He said his family disappeared and somehow, he ended up here."
Yeah, right. He knew that my house was untouchable. He left because he hates me.
"I guess that's a possibility." I said. "We just thought he ran away because he hated us."
She shook her head and squeezed my shoulder, "It's not like that at all! He really loves his family. He was just lost."
I gave her a fake smile, "Now I can tell my family that Daehyun is safe at least, right? He can continue living here. At least he's safe and happy."
"I'll tell him that you came by. May I ask for your name?"
I shook my head frantically. "No, don't!" I quickly said. "I mean... he'll just be worried. I - I mean, we're - " I fixed myself, "just glad he's safe. With a girlfriend like you, I don't think he would want to leave anyways." I dryly joked.
She giggled. I was in awe at how she can even laugh prettily. Daehyun found a good one. "I understand." Just then, a customer walked in. "If that is all, I'll be leaving. Oh, and don't get too mad at Daehyun, okay?" She bowed and I awkwardly did too.
I watched her walk back to the counter and sighed. I blankly looked out the window. He got a girlfriend right after the invasion? Did he not think about me once? Did he not come and find me because of this girl? I wanted to cry, I wanted to throw my cup of coffee at the wall like it did something wrong to me. But I couldn’t. Why should I be angry that he found love? A really pretty and sweet girl, in fact.
At least I knew he was alive and healthy. Most importantly, I’m glad he’s happy. I sighed again and drank my coffee. A sigh of relief. My eyes trailed to the map on the table and my lips smiled. Now, I won’t have to use that map anymore. My search is done.
My phone suddenly rang. It was my neighbour. I gave my number to the family in case anything happens, since they were one of the few who came back to the area after the disaster.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Hye Mi, it’s Jihoon.” He’s the eldest son of that family. We're really close, too. “There are some weird people in front of your house. They all have blonde hair and they won’t leave until they see you. Can you come back? They’re making a ruckus in the neighbourhood and my parents need to rest.”
Blonde hair? Is it that blonde, weird-voiced stalker? Did he bring his group? “Alright, I’ll be back in 4 hours.” I hung up. There was no point in staying in Busan anyways.
I got off the taxi in front of my house, but on the other side of the street. Like he said, there was a group of blonde people in front of the gate. They look kind of familiar too. As I approached them, they looked even more familiar. They even sounded familiar.
"Where is she? I want to see her so bad!"
"Hyung, you've been whining for the past hour. She's not going to come back if you keep whining."
"Youngjae's got a point."
"I have a feeling she's going to back soon, though."
My bags dropped to my feet. The boys turned around. There they were, right in front of me. Yongguk, Himchan, Youngjae, Jongup and Zelo.
"I told you! Mimi~" Someone pulled me into their chest and wrapped their arms around my body. I couldn't even process who it was or what was happening.
"Yah, stop squishing her." He was pulled away from me. "Can't you see she's frozen?"
"Hye Mi~" I heard a soft voice coo. That voice made me snap out of my trance. I moved my eyes up to that person's face. It was Jongup.
"Can you hear me? Do you know who I am?" I slowly nodded. "Hyung, hyung! I got her to nod!" he screamed. I winced at the loud volume. "Sorry Hye Mi." He patted my head.
"My turn, my turn!" Jongup was suddenly pushed out of the way. "Noona, do you remember me?"
I didn't say anything but stare at his face. He still looked the same. "The amazing, cute, tall Zelo?" He waited for my response but I stayed silent. His face fell. "You don't remember?" He was about to step back but I grabbed his hand.
His eyes widened. "Noon-"
"You're Zelo. My favorite alien." I wrapped my arms around his torso. He pulled my arms off him. I was suddenly afraid that I made him uncomfortable, but he suddenly put his hands under my arms and lifted me up in the air.
I let out a small shriek from the sudden lift and I automatically wrapped my arms and legs around his neck and waist.
"Yah! No fair!" I heard Himchan yell. "I didn't even get a hug and you're clinging onto him like a koala bear!"
"And how come you're his favourite! I did so much for you!" Youngjae pretended to sob while Jongup consoled him. Zelo suddenly kissed my chin and let me down gently.
Yongguk walked towards me and hugged me for the first time. "Hye Mi.. we're home." I smiled and nodded on his chest, wrapping my arms around him.
Thank you Jiho, for bringing them back to me. With them, I think my life is going to be happier. And thank you Yongguk. Without you, the planet would be destroyed. Thank you for protecting us.
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