|||||

He who didn’t know how to live; he who didn’t know how to feel, fear, or love found himself saved that morning. He who thought he didn’t deserve to breathe awoke under a soft blanket.

Ah…so I made it, he thought sullenly.

It was hard to move. His body felt sore and displaced. Was this solid build really his? Where was he?

Then he remembered running…running and more running. They were after him again before he struggled through a wall of tall thick bushes glued together. Then he couldn’t remember anymore.

He groaned a little at the pain belting throughout his whole body like whispers of the morning sun through a dark alley. What happened?

When he turned to look around he saw someone lying curled up beside him; her head by his hand. She looked tired, but well rested. A little dreamy, but relaxed.

He stared at her as if he’d never seen such a person. Actually he’d never really seen a person like this. Who was she?

Reaching her hand up she scratched her neck before turning onto her back and moaned a little before opening her eyes. opened into quite a yawn before she opened her eyes, blinked, and quickly turned to look at him. Alarmed, he slightly move.

“Oh!” she sounded before scurrying over on her knees. “Are you ok?”

Feeling a little intimidated and shy he moved away from her touch.

A bright, but calming smile contained her face before she assured, “Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you.”

He felt her pull the blanket away before grabbing the end of his shirt. Cautious he reached out to grab her hand. Just what was she thinking?!

“I have to check and see how your wound is. We have to make sure it closed up and not infected.”

He stared at her cautiously for a long time as if measuring her appearance out before slowly pulling his hand back. He looked away embarrassed before slowly drifting them back to look at her. With his eyes landing on her face he observed her concentrated expression before she let his shirt back down. When she turned to look at him he quickly darted his eyes away.

She smiled again, “It looks like it’s healing up fine. Do you want to get up?”

Pressing his hands against the ground he tried to sit up with difficulty. The pain in his belly shot throughout his body making his arms slightly numb and his torso silently scream out in absolute horror.

“Here,” she offered sliding her arms underneath his arms to help pull him up. As his torso rose he felt their bodies touch and her hair brush against his face. Her touch was gentle and coaxing.

“Whew!” she sighed stepping away from him then tilted her head back to look up at him. “You’re quite tall.”

He pressed his lips together unable to reply to her kindness.

“Do you remember what happened last night?” she questioned picking up the pillow and blanket. “Should I call the cops? You were hurt bad, you know.”

He just stared at the ground and blinked.

“Are you ok?” she asked.

He quietly nodded and took an unbalanced step before catching himself against the table.

“Careful,” she called out. “Are you hungry? You must be starving. Why don’t you take a seat?”

The person who never received kindness before found himself under the wings of another that morning. The person who had no reason thought he found something meant for him.

His eyes glued themselves to her as she moved back and forth from the counter to the stove. Curiosity filled him about who this person was. In a few minutes he found a plate of freshly cooked rice and scrambled eggs in front of him.

“My name’s Namjoo,” she introduced herself as she sat down with him. “I’m visiting my friend for a few weeks. Are you from around here?”

Namjoo…

He’d never heard of that name before, but he thought he would remember it for the rest of his life. Lowering his head he nodded.

“What’s your name?”

Why was it that she wasn’t shying away or scared of him? Wasn’t she intimidated by how he looked? Why…was she so nice to him?

Anybody who saw him bleeding would have left him there to die, called the cops to take him away, or leave him in the streets. Instead she fixed him up and was even feeding him. What had he done to deserve this?

Hesitantly looking up he peered into her eyes quickly before looking away. He was honestly captivated. She was his definition of an angel in disguise.

Namjoo stared back at him expectantly with a soft smile cradled on her lips.

His eyes met with the tabletop again before he quietly answered, “Kris.”

She pulled a bright smile on her face and sat up, “Do you want more food? There’s still some left on the stove.”

Realizing his plate was already empty he quickly shook his head embarrassed if he took more. After eating she took the plates to the sink to wash them. Taking his chance he stood to watch her measuring himself against her small build.

He could tell she was a city girl. Perhaps well educated and raised with a full family of two parents. She had luck on her side and she had grown up with a lot of care. She had things that had been taken away from him long ago. How lucky she was.

Namjoo slightly turned around upon sensing his presence before looking up at him, “Is there something else?”

Quickly looking away he shook his head and muttered a quiet, “Thank you,” before turning around to walk toward the door.

|||||

“Have you eaten?” Xiumin questioned over the phone.

“Yea.”

“Good, I’m having roasted duck right now.”

“I’m not jealous,” Namjoo replied pulling a drawer in one of the empty rooms open to find a broken mirror inside. “Anyway, what kind of house is this?”

“I heard it’s rented for use during the summer, but no one really lives there,” Xiumin explained.

“Did a family use to live here?” Namjoo wondered looking around at the clean walls then to the window. “It’s big enough for a family of four or five.”

“Perhaps, but why?” Xiumin asked.

“Just wondering.”

“Maybe a family did live there, but loan sharks are pretty common in China,” Xiumin went on, “if a family did live there once, they might have been driven out by the loan sharks. Only a family of high social status might be able to own the house. You know these things about the gap between poverty and the rich.”

Namjoo pressed her lips together and stared at her reflection through the broken mirror before placing it back. “So when are you getting off work? I’m kind of bored here.”

“I’ll probably be late, but we can grab dinner together,” he told.

“Fine,” Namjoo walked out of the room. “I’ll go entertain myself then.”

“Don’t get lost,” Xiumin warned, “if you do, write down your address and have someone find it for you.”

“I’m not a child,” Namjoo made a face into the phone.

“Fine, get lost, have fun, gotta go now.”

Namjoo listened to him hang up before letting out a sigh. After dressing up in fresh clothes she grabbed her bag determined on going out by herself. She definitely wouldn’t get lost, she’d make sure of that.

Before leaving the house she paused in the kitchen and turned around to glance toward the short hallway leading to the back door. Namjoo stared at the wooden door with the little window at the top as she neared it. It was well closed now and just to make sure Namjoo reached for the doorknob and twisted it.

How had Kris been able to enter if the door had been locked from the start?

Namjoo slightly narrowed her eyes at the door and walked into the kitchen to grab a chair to place under the knob just for assurance.

“Ok, now that that’s done,” she wiped her hands together and finally left the house.

Hong Kong was really a crowded city was what Namjoo realized after stepping out of the house. Wherever she went she would see crowds of passersby each going at their own thing. To her luck the house she was staying at wasn’t centered in the heart of Hong Kong, but closer to the subway station. Near there were countless restaurants and various other tiny shops.

When Namjoo crossed the street with a cautious job so as not to be left behind she discovered that street vendors also owned a part of the street. Tiny and dark alleys were on the opposite direction of the shops. The area looked gloomy and dirty and upon the sight, so Namjoo made sure not to stray too far from the city area.

|||||

After a long walk Kris finally made it back to his cramped up place hidden underneath a building that would soon be towed away by the city hall. There were packs of noodles stacked atop each other on the tiny shelf too small to hold anything to the left upon entering the place. The yellow curtains faded of color to his right blocked the sunlight from coming in. All he could see was the dusty rays.

The metallic sink he hadn’t touched in a few days was already starting to dull from its shine. The ugly white tiles on the ground were starting to peel away revealing the dirty floor that was originally there. Three large steps brought him into the next room he used for relaxation. The ugly flat yellow couch welcomed him when he sat down. There was a tiny 14’ TV in front of him, but it no longer worked.

He listened to the silence eventually buzzing in before feeling the throb of the stab he’d received while trying to fight the guys off last night. It wasn’t like he’d started a fight or anything. They’d just never left him alone after driving his family off.

Pulling his shirt up he glanced at the ugly brownness surrounding the little strands Namjoo had fixed him up with. With a sigh he leaned back into the couch and thought about the kind helper who had saved his life.

He drifted in and off into sleep with sweat forming on his forehead from the throbbing of his wound. When he awoke a few hours later he heard a bird chirping by the window before flying off. Kris finally forced himself up feeling woozy and lightheaded before finally making his way outside.

Cars and chatter instantly filled the air as the door shut behind him. Kris turned away and squinted his eyes when the sunlight shone on him. The music of traffic became louder as he neared the street.

Food. He wanted food.

Searching around for any sign of cars he jogged across the long road and stared down at the fresh food cooking at the stand in front of him. As he browsed his options he soon felt his eyes drift down the intersection toward the tiny shopping district overwhelmed with vendors, street shops, and pawn shops.

After a few seconds of searching the thick crowd he finally spotted the angel from that morning. Suddenly forgetting about his hunger he started down the road and crossed the busy street with the crowd before stopping a few shops from her.

Kris watched her drift from vendor to vendor caught in awe by the handmade accessories and jewelries. He slightly laughed when she hurried away from a shop after the owner tried to urge her to wear something he’d made. As she walked along he slowly followed.

The busy people surrounding them slowly faded into the background as he walked along; his gaze locked on her. He didn’t think he’d run into her again, but he thought it was a relief she was appearing in front of him again.

He’d never met anyone like her before. Right then he knew he wanted her in front of him always.

Kris slightly turned distraught when she suddenly hurried toward the street. His mouth opened as if to call out for her to wait, but he didn’t say anything. Namjoo pulled over a cab before getting inside and he watched regretfully as the car disappeared down the street.

|||||

“What’s this? You pulling strings again?” Namjoo asked when she walked through the golden door.

The waitress who led her in bowed before walking out and closed the door after her leaving the two of them to dine alone.

“Not pulling strings, it’s a feast.” Xiumin corrected.

Namjoo glanced up at the large chandelier hanging on the ceiling as she took a seat across from him at the large round table draped in the classic white tablecloth.

“The table’s…really full,” Namjoo slowly commented staring down at all the delicacies. “How much was all this?”  

Xiumin watched her reach out to touch the shiny white plates in awe before sitting back in her chair.

“That’s personal business,” Xiumin stated, “what did you do all day? You didn’t just stay inside the house, did you?”

“Of course not,” she replied without looking at him. “I went out.”

“And you didn’t get lost? Wow.”

Namjoo made a face when she glanced at him.

“Oh, you were wondering about the house, weren’t you?” Xiumin reminded.

She nodded, “Yea, I was.”

“Well I asked about it,” Xiumin told, “a family owned the house once. They were the only ones to have owned it.”

“Really?” Namjoo commented. “What happened?”

“From what I was told, they were a family of four. The father was an alcoholic, but the wife came from the rich side so they were able to get the house. Things went down the drain when the father got money from some loan sharks, but they never got the money paid back so they ransacked the house and drove out the family.”

“That’s sad,” Namjoo added, “where are they now?”

Xiumin shrugged then tapped his plate with his fork, “Forget that; lets eat and we have a lot to catch up on after.”

Namjoo ate her fill before he finally drove them back to the house, but instead of heading in right away they took a walk around the block. It was a quiet night and none of the neighbors were out of their houses. As they passed by the grand houses Namjoo could see the lights glowing inside each shelter. In her head she imagined happy families each enjoying their own thing whether they were watching TV or surfing the net or doing homework.

“Is it just you and your sister now?” Xiumin asked.

Namjoo quietly nodded her head, “Mom came back for the funeral with her boyfriend then left soon after. Everything’s slowly going back to normal. Heejoo is starting classes in the fall again, but she’s got her tuition and everything covered, so I’m not worried.”

“Sorry about your father, I should have come back.”

“No, it’s fine,” Namjoo shook her head, “he probably wanted to go anyway.” She lifted her head up from the ground and looked up at the sky, “My father played two roles in my life. He was my dad and my mom. Even if my mom is still alive, it doesn’t really feel like she’s there and in a sense, it feels like I killed them both.”

Xiumin turned to look at her with deep sympathy feeling the same hurt she was feeling.

“They divorced because of me, you know that, right?” Namjoo turned to look at him then away. “I told you about how I was so angered by their arguments that I told them to split. He was so heartbroken because of me.”

“You know it’s not your fault,” Xiumin tried.

“It’s ok, they all say that.”

“I mean it,” he emphasized, “even if you go back now, they probably would have done it anyway. You didn’t know what was running through their minds. You probably won’t ever know, so you can’t know that it’s your fault.” A brief moment of silence whizzed by before he grabbed her hand and led her back toward the house. “Come on, it’s getting late.”

She let him lead her up the steps before he turned to face her. Her eyes slowly rose to meet his when he brushed her hair back behind her ear and pressed his lips into a secure smile. A slow second breezed by before he slid his hand behind her neck and gently pulled her in for a comforting hug.

“Don’t hold it in, Namjoo. Remember we promised not to leave each other alone?” he asked. “I’m sorry I left you by yourself, but I’m here now. It’s ok.”

He felt her reach her hand hesitantly up his back before clutching onto his shoulder and dug her face into his shirt.

“He was crying when I did it,” she sobbed. “I killed him, Xiumin.”

***Here's an update! I'm going to update City Blues next then go back to 3 Ways! So wait for me!

***P.S. I'll have a poster up soon.