“Did I hear it right?” I surprisingly told myself.

“Whoo!! That’s my girl!” My dad happily shouted from his seat.

I really don’t know what to say or react upon hearing my name. All I know is that I’m studying in Seoul. Take note in Seoul, the capital city of South Korea.

“Hey, aren’t you taking the scholarship?” A man in his black toga standing in front me, asked.  

He’s Park Seung Joon, our class’ Magna Laude. A pure Korean but raised here in the Philippines, obviously. He’s really good in speaking our language better than those rich Filipino kids who take American English as their basic language. Physically, he looks very attractive due to his height, fair complexion and classic taste in fashion but despite these qualities plus himself of being a Korean, I really don’t know why I “quite” hate him. Maybe because, he’s not like those typical people that I know and get along with. To tell you frankly, I couldn’t remember the last time that we talked to each other.

“Who says I won’t?” I answered.

Up to this time, the reality hasn’t sunk in yet. I close my eyes and catch a deep breath as I carefully stand up and again find my balance in my heels. Until… the worst thing happens. My right foot trips when I make my very first step. A warm hand suddenly saves me from a complete stumble.

“Hey, take it easy. Don’t get too excited.” Seung Joon said and shows me his calm smile.

“ah, ah, I --- know, right?”

TOP slides the “mirror door” to left and makes his way out from the bathroom. At this time, he’s already wearing casual attire, a blue and white striped shirt under a plain peach cardigan partnered with a pair of skinny white pants. As we passes by his extensive walk-in closet, he gets his favourite shades and black leather laced wrist watch and wears them as he goes out from a finely carved wooden white door which leads him to his living room. Actually, his walk-in closet has two doors that lead him to the two of the most important parts of his condominium, his bedroom and the living room. From the walk-in closet, he goes straight to the kitchen counter, takes the script with him and leaves his condominium. As he’s walking across the hallway, a woman in her 50’s carrying a bag of groceries greets him.

“Good morning! What a surprise to see you at this hour?!”

TOP bows and smiles in reply. He offers his hand to help her with the bag of groceries that she’s carrying.

“No, no, I’m fine. I thought that you and your friends are taking a break?”

Again, TOP smiles in reply.

“Don’t tell me that you’re working again… (sigh) Kids nowadays are totally different from my generation… Are you going to have your lunch here?”

“Hmmm… I’m not sure but I can just heat it, if just in case, I would come home late.”

“If that’s what you want. I’ll just place the food on the kitchen counter. Before I forgot, what do you want me to cook?”

“Anything, as long as it’s delicious.”

 “Alright, I already know what that means.”

Every morning, this woman arrives in TOP’s condominium to give her mother-like service. She’s been doing this for 5 years that’s why TOP treats her not as a maid but a family. During her first months of service, she was only allowed to clean certain parts of the condominium at a fixed schedule without knowing that TOP owns that condominium, because, she was hired not by TOP himself but by his road manager.

Together with the script, TOP goes to his favourite café across the street to continue his reading there. He chooses to sit at the farthest empty spot that is right next to the “glass wall” where he can observe the people passing by and the surroundings as well. He’s really an observant in nature, he appreciates every single thing that he sees, receives and experiences.

“Hey, man! It’s been a long time!” A short yet cute guy in his early 30’s wearing a pastel yellow collared shirt with an embroidered text on his rightmost shirt saying, SeOUL café, approached TOP.

“Man, nice to see you again! How’s everything, huh?”

“Well… looking good and better than you. Thanks for those stuff that you gave me the last time.”

“Still using those, until now?”

“N—No, I already bought the same brand and items last week.”

“Gosh, I thought that you still have it. It’s been months since I gave you those things.”

“Anyways, man! The last night’s concert is freakinly damn good! The female fans around me were crying when you guys do your farewell thing. How I wish I could make thousands of women cry.”

“Uh, uh,  I think you’re getting the wrong idea. Men aren’t made to make women cry, but sometimes, tearing up is one way of showing sincerity and freeing yourself from the heaviest emotion that you feel inside…”

“Wow, man! Where did you learn that?”

“You really wanna know?”

“Of course, man!”

“Patience is a virtue, maybe, one of these days… You’ll hear me uttering the same words again.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it. Anyways, do you still prefer the same thing?”

“Yes, a cup of hot latte, Please.”

As their short conversation ends, TOP immediately browse the pages of the script that he was reading last night and checks every lines to see where he ended. Not too far from his seat, a five year old boy sees him from the outside. With all his strength, the little boy let his right hand go from the soft grip of his mother’s hand. The boy runs toward the “glass wall” where TOP is busy reading the script. The boy hardly knocks the glass to get TOP’s attention. TOP pauses for a moment to check who’s the knocking on the glass beside him. Little by little a smile starts to draw on his face as he sees the boy doing the cute yet popular dance move Fantastic Baby. He really can’t help but give the little boy his biggest and brightest smile and cute little applause. Not too long, the mother of the boy arrives to take her son. The mom bows to TOP a couple of times in behalf of his son for disrupting him. TOP also bows and lifts his two thumbs to show the mother that everything is fine with him. The mother carries her son. As she turns her back, TOP gives his cutest “puing puing” expression to the kid and waves his hand.