TWO.

At promptly five thirty, Hyoyeon slings her bag over her shoulder, and then exits her apartment, ready to take the thirty minute walk to the Japanese restaurant. She wonders where the stranger from last night lives, and realizes with a kind of painful twist that he had probably spent the night in the streets, with nothing but a thin cloth to shield him from the icy cold. She feels a little bit guilty, but then catches herself, reminding herself that he is not her responsibility.

It is a fine evening out, and the streets are alive with activity. Buses go by packed with office workers, families walk in and out of restaurants, and teenage girls giggle as they exit shops with bags of new purchases. Hyoyeon looks up at the sky, squinting slightly as the mild glare of the evening sun greets her. She sighs, with a kind of sad acceptance, and hurries down the street. While other people get off work, she is going to it.

“Hi, Suzy,” Hyoyeon greets the young girl, also her co-worker. Suzy gives Hyoyeon a smile, and Hyoyeon hangs her bag on the wall pegs.

“Hi Hyo,” Suzy says.

“Have you recovered from your flu, then?” Hyoyeon asks.

Suzy nods. “A couple of pills and layers of blankets did the trick.”

Hyoyeon squeezes Suzy’s shoulder, wishing she herself could have enough money to give it to Suzy so she could see a proper doctor. Suzy knows what Hyoyeon is thinking, and squeezes Hyoyeon’s shoulder back, telling her silently that they are all in the same boat, anyway. They have all arrived here on foreign shore for different reasons, but with the same conditions and the same hopeful spirit.

“Has it been hard for you, the few days I wasn’t around?” Suzy asks anxiously.

“Oh no, it was fine, not many people come in here anyway,” Hyoyeon says, shrugging.

“Well, I don’t know if that’s good or bad.”

“Neither do I, Su, neither do I.”

The two work in silence then, starting where the other two waitresses before them have left off. Business is considerably better today, and Hyoyeon enjoys being properly busy; taking orders, serving dishes, re-filling glasses and answering queries. She exchanges the occasional hopeful smile with Suzy, for they both know that more people meant more tips, and more tips meant a better month ahead.

They count the tips later, when the restaurant has been emptied out, and cheer when they amount up to a whopping fifty four dollars, three times the usual amount of tips. The girls hug each other excitedly, and Hyoyeon imagines her kitchen being filled with fruits and vegetables and cup noodles.

The bell tinkles, and the both of them straighten up, anxious to serve another customer, but it is a messy man who peeks in, and Hyoyeon starts when she realises who he is.

“Ah, I knew I’d find you here!” the new entrance says, sidling up to Hyoyeon, a broad smile on his face.

Suzy looks at Hyoyeon questioningly.

“Um, this is Suzy, my friend and co-worker. Suzy, this is ….,” Hyoyeon trails off when she realises she does not know the name of the stranger.

“Hyukjae, my name is Hyukjae,” he says, but does not offer his hand to Suzy, knowing that she might not like to shake it.

To his surprise, Suzy offers him a friendly smile, and extends her hand. Slowly, Eunhyuk takes hers, eyeing her warily, but she pumps his hand up and down, re-assuring his fears.

“I don’t believe I know your name either,” Eunhyuk says, addressing Hyoyeon.

“Hyoyeon. Kim Hyoyeon,” she says, shaking his hand, too, although she wants to giggle at this formal introduction.

He has a twinkle in his eye too. “Hyukjae, Lee Hyukjae.”

“How did the both of you meet?” Suzy asks, curious.

“Well, I was working, you know, when this lady here decides to hit me up with a free meal, and so I say to myself, why not? And I promised her that if I could find her today, she’d know the story of my blonde hair,” Hyukjae says, smiling, certain that he is safe in this environment.

“Working? You were not working! And I was trying to be nice, not hitting on you!” Hyoyeon says, huffing.

“Communication with the people of the world, that’s my job, and say whatever you like, but I sure think you were hitting on me,” Hyukjae says, winking at her.

Hyoyeon is beside herself with rage, incredulous that this man has twisted the facts, and made their meeting seem like an absolute joke. “You ask for dimes, to put it in a nice way!”

“I beg, it’s a job too,” Hyukjae says, grinning at Suzy, who giggles, amused by their conversation.

“I don’t remember you being so brazen just last night, mister!” Hyoyeon says, flinging a towel at him, which he catches.

“Oh, so how did you remember me?” Hyukjae says, sending the towel back at Hyoyeon.

“Hungry,” Hyoyeon snarls, swiping the towel out of mid-air.

“Indeed.”

“Wary.”

“Ah.”

“Shy.”

“Nope.”

“Not insolent!”

“Well.”

“Well what!”

“I used to argue with all my teachers at my school, did you know that?”

“Oh, I totally knew that.”

“Little miss sarcastic, eh?”

“With a jerk, I have to be!”

“Ouch.”

Hyoyeon glares at him, and then bangs a menu down on the counter. “Are you here to eat, or not?”

“Nope. I’m here to tell you the story of my blonde hair, if you remember?” Hyukjae says, his lips arching slightly.

Hyoyeon sighs, and then keeps the menu, settling herself on one of the chairs. Suzy follows suit, curious to know more about this stranger.

“Go ahead, then. And I’m only listening because you want to tell it,” Hyoyeon warns.

“As you wish,” Hyukjae says, and then clears his throat.

“When I was eighteen, I was in a gang. We had gang fights all the time, with these huge clubs and spiky rods, and we’d just fight to the death. So one time, we were fighting with this group called the Blondies; they were literally blonde, all of them, and we were losing badly. I had already been punctured in the arm by one of those mean spike rods, here,” he says, pulling back his sleeve to show the girls the ugly scar that had remained. “Well, I was running, getting away from them, and then I met this group of graffiti artists, you know? I just grabbed this can that said ‘parched yellow’ and just got the whole damn thing onto my scalp. When the thugs came around they thought I was one of them, and I survived the whole battle. The rest of my gangmates, well, I don’t think any of them made it, so I was lucky.”

“Couldn’t they tell you weren’t one of them?” Suzy butts in.

“Oh, no. The Blondies are huge, they just recruit anyone who can fight, and they didn’t know each other very well, so the blonde hair saved me. Later on I had to dye my hair real blonde, so the Blondies wouldn’t know that I was a fake. Pinched together every single cent on me, I did, and got my hair this darn colour. Been living with this for years now,” Hyukjae says.

“What happened to the Blondies?” Suzy asks.

“Split up, dispersed, the police got wind of us,” Hyukjae says, throwing his hands up in the air. “Wish it hadn’t, though. At least, when you’re in a gang, you’ve got a roof over your head, food and water and two baths a week.”

“So how long have you not bathed?” Suzy prompts him.

“Man, about two weeks now. I just change out of my clothes now and then, got three shirts and two pairs of shorts.”

Suzy wrinkles her nose, but Hyukjae laughs. “You shook my hand. Regretting it now, huh?”

Suzy shakes her head. “That’s cool; it’s not every day you get to shake a hand of a guy who hasn’t bathed for two weeks.”

Hyukjae laughs again. “I like you.”

“Why, thank you.”

“So Hyoyeon, how did you like my story? You haven’t said a word,” Hyukjae says, turning to her.

Hyoyeon shrugs. “It’s not a story to like, I think.”

“Not a story to like? Why not?”

“It’s a grim tale, alright.”

“What about your tale?”

“Pretty grim, as well.”

“Ah. I’d like to hear it.”

Hyoyeon raises an eyebrow at him. “There’s nothing very much to tell, and besides, I barely know you.”

“Barely know me! I’ve just told you my grim tale, haven’t I?”

“That’s not equivalent to knowing you.”

“Then what is?”

“Knowing someone real proper, it’s like knowing what they can say with their eyes, or what they’re laughing about when they’re trying to keep the laughter in, like how Suzy was trying so hard not to burst when this guy kept dropping his chopsticks,” Hyoyeon says, smiling at Suzy, who throws her head back and laugh.

 “And knowing she’s going to fall of the chair soon,” Hyoyeon says, just as Suzy does exactly that. “It’s about knowing the little things, their emotions, their thoughts, not just their history. I can know the history of the President of this country, but I sure as hell don’t know him. Like, really know. I know you once belonged in a gang, and how you got your blonde hair, but we could sit here exchanging stories and I’d still wouldn’t know you. Knowing someone, you have to really feel the other person.”

Hyukjae raises an eyebrow at her, impressed.

“Alright.”

“Alright what?”

“I’m going to let you know me.”

. . .

Two hours later, Suzy is excitedly spilling the beans to Victoria, who listens with rapt attention. Hyoyeon sits near the pair, not knowing whether to laugh or cry at the extra details Suzy has conveniently added in, like how he couldn’t take his eyes off Hyo!

“Wow, Hyo, hooked yourself a big fish, didn’t you?” Victoria says, smiling at Hyoyeon.

“Oh go on, indulge her,” Hyoyeon grumbles, shooting a glare at Suzy, who stares innocently back.

“Where is this guy, anyway?” Victoria asks.

“Around the corner, he sleeps in this garage; it’s not in use anymore!” Suzy chirps.

“Suzy!”

Victoria laughs. “Relax, Hyo, I’m not about to go stomping in and demanding a detailed analysis.”

“It would just be like you to do that,” Hyoyeon mumbles.

“Am I really that bad?” Victoria gasps.

“No, you’re not, silly,” Hyoyeon says, giving her friend a one arm hug.

Victoria returns the hug with affection. “Alright then, you lot, get your butts home!”

Suzy screams as Victoria sends her a friendly smack on her bottom, and then dashes out, giggling, waving her goodbyes. As she skips out of sight, Hyoyeon shakes her head, picking up her own bag. She turns to find Victoria giving her one of her looks.

“What, Vic?”

“You’ve got to be careful, you know.”

Hyoyeon laughs. “You don’t really believe Suzy, do you? He’s just a guy I gave a free meal to, and who repaid it with some interesting facts of his past. I barely know him.”

“And what will happen when you do?”

“Why would I want to know him properly?”

“Well, he sure wants you to do just that.”

“Oh, come on, Vic!”

“Alright, alright! But promise me you’ll be careful, no matter what.”

“I promise, I promise.”

“Alright, Hyo, see you around.”

“Bye,” Hyoyeon says, exiting the restaurant.

She is about to head off home, when instead, she hesitates, thinking about the garage and Lee Hyukjae. Popping back into the restaurant, she asks, “Hey Vic, remember those extra blankets we were gonna throw out?”

. . .

Minutes later, she is walking toward the garage with a bag of blankets in hand, all the time muttering to herself that she has got to be absolutely nuts. She finds the garage easily, a desolate building with an equal desolate feel. She steps inside cautiously, the only light a bulb hanging by a thin thread. Faded newspapers and empty paint cans lie about the place, and Hyoyeon walks deeper in.

“Hello?”

There is a shuffling in the front, and Hyoyeon walks on further, discovering that the garage has a mini office. She has one hand on the doorknob, when she realises that there is someone on the other side too. Looking up, she comes face to face with Lee Hyukjae, and gulps. She stands back, allowing him to open the door, and he has a large grin on his face as he throws open the wooden frame.

“Well, well, what do we have here?” he teases.

Hyoyeon rolls her eyes. “I just came to give you these, since I thought it must be cold out here.”

Hyukjae accepts the bag of blankets. “Well, I certainly need these.”

“You could get a job, you know.”

“Where, now?”

“Anywhere, really. You could work at a bar, or even at the Japanese restaurant I work at, I can write down the number of the owner for you, if you like.”

“Why are you being so nice, Miss Kim?”

“I-I just –“.

“Pity me?”

“No!”

“Then?”

Hyoyeon sighs. “I’m just trying to make things easier for you. I know what it’s like to be cold and hungry, alright?”

Hyukjae raises an eyebrow. “You said that once, knowing how I felt, when we first met.”

“Yeah.”

“You’re not easy, are you?”

“Never was.”

Hyukjae studies her. “How would you like some coffee?”

. . .

“This is actually pretty good,” Hyoyeon says, sipping from her cup. The two of them are sitting atop a pile of scrap metal and tires, drinking instant coffee.

“Isn’t it just? It’s the one thing that keeps me full, and it’s cheap, too,” Hyukjae says, taking big gulps from his cup.

“Mm,” Hyoyeon says, and for a while the two of them are silent, staring up at the night sky. There are quite a few stars out today, blinking brightly at them, and their big, round companion shines just as brightly as they do. Cars can still be heard zooming down the street, and occasionally there are voices shouting.

Hyukjae sighs as he finishes his own cup, and then props himself up. Hyoyeon finishes hers too, and balances the cup carefully on a piece of iron.

“How long have you been living here?”

“A few months now. Previously, I lived at basketball courts.”

“And that didn’t work out?”

“Teens have a knack for late night activities.”

“So what are you doing up so late?”

“I never said I wanted quiet for sleeping.”

“Ah.”

“And you? Where do you live?”

“I rent.”

“The question was where, Miss Kim.”

Hyoyeon sighs. “An apartment, near the Chinatown area.”

“Why Chinatown?”

“Victoria got the apartment for me, and she’s Chinese.”

“Victoria?”

“Oh, right, you haven’t met her yet. She’s a friend, she works at the Japanese restaurant, too. Remember when I gave you the free meal? She was that waitress.”

“Mm.”

Hyukjae jumps off the scrap metal, giving a loud whoop as he lands on his two feet. Hyoyeon laughs lightly, amused by his stunt. He holds out his hand to her, but she promptly ignores it and jump straight off the pile as well. Hyukjae laughs, impressed.

“How’s that, huh?” Hyoyeon asks, smug.

“Not bad at all, Miss Kim.”

“Oh no!”

“What?”

“I left the cup up there!”

Hyoyeon looks at Hyukjae, and Hyukjae looks at her, and then they both start to laugh, their voices travelling far and wide, a melodious mix of joy.

. . .

 ^{Hi Fiona, dearest princess! It feels nice that the first comment is yours, and I like how it's set in San Fransisco too, heh!  Hello hyohyoholic, welcome aboard! Awh, good heart clenching kind? I hope that continues throughout this story ^^ Nisa-dongaseng! She is, isn't she? She's a good friend, Victoria! Kristy, dearlybeloved; I was very encouraged after reading your comment, so thank you very much! I'm really glad you're here once again to give me your support, words can't tell you how much that means to me! Hopefully, I can influence you to shower love on hyohyuk ;) pandagirl753, share more of your thoughts, I'd like to hear them!}