Kate

                The next day, i was awakened by the ringing of Ara’s alarm clock. I moaned and rubbed my eyes. I checked the time on my phone and saw that it’s still 5 am. I looked down the floor to see Ara but she has already fixed her bed sheets. Suddenly, she showed up with a cup of ramen in her hands. “Omo! You’re awake,” she said.

                “Ara, it’s still 5 in the morning. Are you really waking up this early?” I asked her, as I tried to ignore the heaviness in my eyes.

                She laughed a little. “Ne. I really wake up this early. Where did you go last night?” she suddenly asked.

                “I… uh, I just went out for a walk. I can’t sleep,” I said.

                “I’m sorry if my place is too small,” she apologized.

                “No. It’s not that. I’m kinda used to small places. It’s just that… I’ve been thinking a lot lately,” I told her.

                “About what?”

                “Lots of things. I don’t even know if I’ll be able to participate in the art exhibit in our school,” I said.

                “Wae-yo?”

                “I don’t have enough money left.”

                She paused, thinking I supposed. “Why don’t you find a job?”

                “Like what? And where?” I asked, frowning. But she did give me an idea. She’s right. Instead of looking for a place to stay, why not just find a job? That way I can earn money and pay for my rent, buy supplies and more.

                “I don’t know. But I’ll try to ask if we’ve got an opening in the shop where I’m working.”

                I nodded. “Thank you Ara. I don’t know what I will do without you.”

                “Unnie-yo. Besides, you’re the only real friend I’ve got so far,” she smirked.

                I wandered around the nearby cafés and shops to see if they have an opening or something. I’ve been walking for hours and still I’ve got no luck. My stomach has been growling few minutes earlier and now it hurt so bad. I just wanted something to fill my stomach in. Suddenly, I remembered the coffee shop I went into last night. Maybe they can give free water there. I followed the lane that I walked and finally reached Kona Beans.

                As I entered, the same server greeted me in the front door. I smiled. She led me towards one of the tables. I thanked her and sat down the chair. I pretended to look at the menu though I’m not really going to order. Suddenly, I glanced at the guy near the counter. He seemed familiar. I stared at him closer and I realized that he’s the gorgeous (but jerk) guy that I saw here last night. Is this his favorite shop or something? Why is he always here? I continued to study his face. He really looked familiar. Just then, his eyes met mine. I started to panic. He’s still looking. I shifted my gaze towards the floor.

Andrew

                My manager told me not to hang out here in our shop but I just couldn’t neglect my parent’s orders. I respect them too much and no matter how much I wanted to disobey them, I just couldn’t do it. Maybe because I know that in the end, I would be the one suffering the consequences if I don’t follow them. They didn’t even want me to be a celebrity at first. Actually, until now, my dad is still not in favor of it. He’s kind of a controlling man. That’s why my sister even ran away and escaped from him.

                My dad told me to meet me up here today. I glanced at my watch and it’s already 12 noon. I still have a lot of appointments. I’m sure my manager will tell me off again. Aish! Where is he? I played my fingers on the counter table while trying to wait for him. Suddenly, I saw a familiar face sitting on one of the tables. Then, I remembered. She was the girl crying last night. I wonder what she’s doing again here. Suddenly, she glanced at me. I didn’t look away. Her face started to feel a sense of shock and panic. She quickly looked in another direction. Maybe she’s a fan. Sincha! Sometimes, fans do things that are unbelievable.

                I shook my head in disbelief. I was starting to lose my patience. The girl in the counter offered me a drink but I declined. Then, I said, “When dad gets here, please tell him I already went out.”

                “But Mr. Choi, your dad said you need to wait for him,” she said.

                “But I’m already late for my photoshoot,” I said, trying to calm down.

                “Mr. Choi…” the girl stopped, when someone spoke from behind me.

                “It’s alright. I’m here now,” I heard dad’s voice.

                I turned around to face him. Judging by the look on his face, he just came from the hospital. His hair was in a mess and he’s still wearing his thick glasses. He motioned me to sit in one of the tables. I sighed as I took my seat. “What are we gonna talk about dad?”

                “Andrew, someone told me that he saw your sister here in Korea,” he said without looking at me.

                I didn’t speak. If she was here in Korea all this time, how come I didn’t see her even once? And why didn’t she tell me? “Maybe he just saw someone who looks like her,” I said.

                “Unnie. He even took a picture of her taking the subway,” he said.

                I took a breath. “Why are we discussing this?”

                “I want you find her.” He looked at me straight in the eye.

                “Why don’t you just send someone to spy on her or something,” I said, standing up.

                “Andrew-ssi, don’t you care about your sister?”

                I do care about her. That’s why I don’t want to find her because I know that dad will just try to push her to do something that she doesn’t want. “Why don’t you try to answer your own question?” I said, leaving him.

Kate

                I was trying so hard to avoid looking at the guy on the counter who is now arguing with one of the servers. Suddenly, an old man with thick glasses entered the shop. My eyes widened in shock as I recognized the old man. He is Dr. Choi, the man who saved my dad’s life. I gasped for air trying to contain my excitement at the same time anxiety. How should I approach him? What if he doesn’t recognize me?

                I was about to stand up when suddenly, he talked to the jerk guy. Do they know each other? I watched as they took a seat on a table near mine. They seemed to be talking about something serious. Minutes later, the jerk stood up and started to talk in a higher than normal tone. He walked away leaving Dr. Choi in his seat.

                Maybe this isn’t the right time to approach him. His face looked upset. I couldn’t quite paint it. But, if I don’t talk to him now, I might not be able to see him ever again. I took a deep breath. I made up my mind. I’m going up to him. I stood up and dragged my feet towards his table. When I reached him, he didn’t seem to notice me at first. “Anyeonghaseyo, Dr. Choi!” I said, bowing my head as what Korean people do.

                This time he looked at me with a confused look on his face. He didn’t speak nor smile. He just looked at me. Maybe I should tell him about my dad. Maybe that way he’ll remember me. He suddenly spoke in Korean which I couldn’t quite understand.

                “Dr. Choi, I’m the daughter of one of your patients, Jacob Summers. Remember? I’m from Canada,” I explained.

                His face started to lit up. “Kate? You’re Kate? Jacob and Amy’s daughter? Omo!” He stood up and gave me a warm hug.

                I smiled knowing that he still remembers me so well. “I’m so glad you still remember me Dr. Choi,” I said.

                He motioned me to sit down. “H-how come you’re here? Are your parents here?” he asked.

                I shook my head. “I’m an exchange student at Kyunghee University, Dr. Choi.”

                “Please just call me ahjussi,” he said. “Sincha? Until when?”

                “I’ll be here for two semesters, sir,” I said.

                “Where are you staying?” he asked.

                Should I bring up my problem to him? No, that’s way too embarrassing. But, what will I tell him? I don’t have any place to stay. I looked down. “Actually, ahjussi I just got kicked out from my dorm.”

                “Wae-yo? So where are you staying now? You can stay in our place if you don’t have one,” he offered.

                “Ahjussi, it’s not really necessary. I don’t want to bother you. I just want to see you and thank you again for curing my dad,” I said.

                He let out a small laugh. “Kate, you don’t have to be so modest. Our place is big enough for you to stay. And besides, your umma and I have been friends for a while. What will she tell me if she finds out that you don’t have any place to stay?”

                I didn’t respond.

                “Omo! You didn’t tell them?”

                I shook my head.

                “Aish, this kid! What are you trying to do?”

                “I don’t want them to worry about me that’s why I didn’t tell them,” I answered.

                He tapped my shoulder. “Don’t worry. From now on, you’ll be living with us.”

                “But ahjussi…”

                “Aish, no more buts.”

                “Ahjussi… can’t I just work for you or something? I don’t want you to think that I’m taking advantage of you,” I said.

                He laughed. Then, he nodded. “You can just work here.”

                I stared at him. “H-here?”

                “Ne. I heard one of the employees got fired last night because of my son. You can be the replacement.”

                His son?? You mean, that jerk guy is actually HIS SON? No, it can’t be. He is way too arrogant to be Dr. Choi’s son. I shook my head in disbelief.

                “You don’t want to work here?” he asked.

                “Uhm… i-uh, when will I start ahjussi?” I asked.

                “Maybe tomorrow?” he paused. “Unnie. You have classes tomorrow, don’t you?”

                “I’ll just work after our class.”

                He nodded. “I’ll send someone to pick you up later. Where are you staying again?”

                “Really, you don’t have to do that ahjussi. I’ll just take a cab going to your house.”

                “Unnie. Just tell me where to pick you up.”

                I sighed. “At Primrose Street.”

                “Arasso.”

∞∞∞

A/N: Hello there! So what do you think about this chapter? I hope it didn’t confuse you. I’ll try to clear things up as the story goes on. Anyways, what do you think about Dr. Choi’s son? Do you think he’s going to like Kate staying in their house?

Stay tuned! :)

Comments anyone?

-theLEXical-