The First Hello

Three years ago…

Dara ran towards the park swing, happy to find that the whole place was now empty.

She had missed being alone ever since the time they had moved down to the Philippines for she had never found herself with time for herself on her hands. She was always surrounded by people… her family, her classmates, her friends, neighbors…

It wasn’t bad coz she always had fun with people around her. It was just one of those things that one felt occasionally - the need to be on your own.Looking up from the swing, she saw the stars shining brightly against the velvet sky and she inhaled the fresh autumn wind appreciatively. She missed this season.

The Philippines only had Summer and a very wet Winter as its seasons. Maybe one of the reasons why the people over there were almost always happy - they didn’t have to contend with the chill of winter.

She smiled at the thought… missing her friends instantaneously. She’d be back there soon.

She and her family just had to take this vacation back here in Korea for her Grandma. As soon as she became fine (and Dara believed she would soon be), they’d fly back to that Tropical Island.

The closest friends she had here had already moved away while she felt a little awkward getting back together with those other classmates that she saw still lived in the area. What was there to talk about? They all knew she left for the Philippines because their family business had gone bankrupt and had only just returned recently because of her sick Grandmother. None of it seemed like good conversation openers to her.

She heard feet shuffling from behind her. Turning around, a guy (head bent down towards the ground) was walking towards the other set of swings.

“He must not have noticed me” Dara thought as she watched the guy kicking a piece of stone as he trudged on.

The swing she was on was partly hidden by a thick bush but she could perfectly see where the other guy was going to.Looking closely, it was only then that she noticed that he had a pen and a piece of paper with him. He sat down and started scribbling, humming a tune every now and then.

He was younger than her, she was sure, but there was a definite air of control far beyond his age that she felt surrounded him. It was palpable amidst their distance from one another.

Suddenly, the guy looked up from his scribbles and began rapping. Dara was entranced.“WOW” she thought as the guy rapped about heartbreak and how hard it was to let go no matter how much you’ve hurt. She felt every word pierce through her. She’d heard very few do that.

The guy stopped - mid sentence - and began scribbling down again. Dara’s eyes widened in awe, momentarily forgetting the need to be alone. She felt something new now… it was to watch this guy, whoever he was.

She stepped closer towards the other swing, as close as the bushes would allow her. The guy was completely engrossed in his writing and his face was shadowed by the hood he wore but his presence was so strong.“Not that I care whatever it is you do but you keep finding ways to let me know even though we’re through -“ the guy rapped and nodded to himself. Dara could totally relate. The guy she had cared deeply about before her present boyfriend had done something of the same.

A soft wind blew through the playground and before she could stop it, a small sneeze had gone out of her.

The guy jumped up from where he was seating and looked around, searching for the person who sneezed. Dara felt her palms sweat. “Oh sheeeez” she thought resignedly.

“Who’s there?” the guy asked, now directing his gaze on the bush where Dara was hiding. Dara instinctively turned around, thinking of a way to get out without being seen.

“Hey! Show yourself!” the guy shouted this time “Are you the thief who’s been stealing underwear around here? If you are, be prepared to run coz I’m calling everybody out…”

“Oh no!” Dara thought “What luck!”

“One… Two… -“ the guy began counting.

“Ommo! No!” Dara shouted and stood up from where she was standing, furiously blushing.

The guy stepped back in surprise. “What are you doing there little girl?”

Dara blushed more. “Li - little girl?!?”

The guy looked at his watch. “It’s already late and it’s freezing. Shouldn’t you be home? Who are you anyway? I haven’t seen you from around here.”

Dara forgot her embarrassment at his authorative tone. “I’m NOT a little girl DONGSAENG” she told him explicitly “And I DO come from around here. Maybe it’s you who isn’t from around here.”

To her complete disgruntlement, instead of barking back in anger, the guy laughed.“What’s so funny?!?”

The guy stopped laughing but a wide grin was plastered on his face. “So… what is your name NOONA from around here?”

Dara’s left brow arched up, “I’m Park Dara and I live just over there!” She pointed towards their house, the third block from the playground.

The wide grin didn’t leave his face. “Well, hello NOONA DARA. I’m Kwon Ji Yong and I live over there”, he pointed towards the left house beside Dara’s, “So what were you doing hiding behind those bushes?”

Dara’s embarrassment crept back. “I -“ she shuffled her feet and looked down the ground, she gulped and decided to just tell the truth “I was listening to you… you were good.”

Ji’s eyes registered surprise but intead of asking her about it, he walked towards her and reached out a hand. “I think you should get out of there.”

She took his hand and leaped over the bushes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude.”

He nodded “I thought you were the underwear thief.” It wasn’t exactly an apology but his tone as he said it was enough to let Dara know he was sorry about threatening her a while back.“

You’re a good rapper.”

He nodded again. “I’m just scribbling down some things.”

“Well… you should continue doing that.”

Ji didn’t acknowledge that statement but he took off his hoodie. “You shouldn’t get out in a cold like this wearing something that thin.” Without waiting for her permission, he put the hoodie over her shoulders. “I’m walking you back. It’s kind’a late and they might be looking for you.”

Again. That tone of his. She would have argued with him but she sensed that he wouldn’t give in to her. He was calling her noona but he certainly wasn’t treating her anywhere near a “noona”.

He walked her towards their house’s door. She faced him and felt his hand dust off something from her hair “You got leaves all over you NOONA”, his forever-plastered-to-his-face smile showed itself again, “Goodnight.”

He turned back without letting her say goodnight too. “What a weird guy” she thought as she went inside their house, controlling herself from looking at him once more.The lights were already out of their front porch and she silently tiptoed towards her room so as to not disturb anyone. She opened the lights on her room and collapsed on her bed.

Just a few minutes afterwards, she heard a knock on her window. She sat up from bed and crawled towards the window… “Who in -“

Ji waved at her. He was holding up a long stick from his own bedroom’s window. She was shocked to find that their rooms were just right across each other. He held up a note. “You can give me my jacket tomorrow.”

Dara remembered the she was still wearing his jacket. She looked down on his gray hoodie and when she looked back up at him, his room was now completely dark.

“Kya!” she exclaimed “He’s really weird."