KISS 1- KOI NO YOKAN

 

I don’t believe in love at first sight; I believe in Koi No Yokan.

 

 

    

“Wow, so beautiful!” Dara exclaims. She is so astounded with the breath-taking view she is seeing from above. She knows that Lotte World Magic Island is beautiful, but she has never thought it looks so amazingly beautiful from up above the Gyro Drop. There are lots of people in the park, looking like tiny black ants going here and there. The Seoul metropolis, the lake, and all the surrounding rides that she wants to try are readily apparent. It is her first time trying a ride. She has never thought it’s that fun and exciting. Ever since she was a kid, it is the first time she really appreciated the beauty of the place. She has never tried any when she was little not because she didn’t want to but because she is not allowed to, so she didn’t get to have fun going to theme parks before. Now that she has the chance, thanks to her lenient best friend Bom, there’s no way she won’t try all the rides.

“Oh, my! Here we go!” she shrieks excitedly. The ride goes round up to the top of the tower.

“Hey, don’t get too excited there. You might faint later this goes down.” Bom says nervously.

“Bear with me. You know this is my first time.”

“And m—might be your l—last.” Bom adds with trembling voice.

“Don’t say that, poop! I can do this. And can you please relax? I never thought you’re this afraid of heights. You have ridden this so many times with all your ex-boyfriends, yet you’re still shaking seriously like that?” Dara smirks.

“You, twit! You know I’m not shaking because of heights. Have you ever thought of what might happen to me after this? Be sure you’d be alright, or else I would kill you before your parents kill me.”

Dara just mischievously laughs. She sure knows Bom is worrying about her. This is why she doesn’t want her to see her uneasiness and shaking.

“So, how’s it riding this with your ex-boyfriends? Romantic? Sweet? Awesome?” Dara asks to help Bom feel relaxed, but it just made the latter even mad.

“You, cow! Don’t ever tell Jaejoong we rode this or I’d really kill you. I fear him more than your parents. I can’t even imagine what he’ll do to me once he knows I brought you here.” Bom nags with glaring eyes.

“What are you saying? Why would I tell him about this? I ain’t out of my mind. I’m just curious about your dates.”

“Jae won’t bring you up here, nor will he date you. You just wish!” Looking like an evil friend, she squints and gives Dara an evil smile.

“Oh, thanks. You’re such the nicest best friend ever.” She answers sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Bom is just bullying her, but Dara knows it is true. Jaejoong will never date her. He sure will not even set his eyes for her. He doesn’t even know her feelings for him. He hs always been caring about her and has been always by her side since they were teens not because she’s that special to him but only because it’s part of his job.

He is an only child. His mother died while giving birth to him, and he lost his father in a car accident when he was just twelve years old. Since his father was a close friend of her dad, her parents take care of him and send him to the same school she attends. Because he is really a responsible kid, he has offered himself to be her butler so he won’t be ashamed to them for all the things they are providing him.

Dara sneers after realizing that she will never really have a chance to be noticed by him. Everything he is doing to her is all out of gratitude.

“Hmp! You’re a blockhead.”

“You saying anything?” Asks Bom.

“Nah! I’m talking to myself.”

“You really are crazy.”

“So we’re friends.” She utters with a naughty smile. Bom just hisses and curls up her upper lip.

The two are still teasing each other when they suddenly hear a loud sound of faulty mechanics. The ride stops. All those in the ride are horrified. The ride has stuck.

“B…Bom, are we…stuck up here? I—is this really p—part of the ride?” Dara asks with trembling voice. Bom, who doesn’t have any idea of what is happening, looks so flustered. Who won’t be? They are up there, hanging, almost 230 ft. away from the ground. They are like fleeting in the air. Their knees are quivering. Their bodies are shivering.

“It…isn’t…b—broken, is—it?” adds Dara.

Bom blinks her eyes a few times and reaches for Dara’s hand. She holds it tightly. She tries to speak, but is choked. Her voice sounds hoarse that she can’t be heard clearly.

“Re…lax…”

Just as she utters the word, the ride drops them without warning. It is so fast, down to the middle of the tower, making all riders scream.

“What’s happening? This is supposed to be just a one-drop ride, right? Why are we still here?” Dara asks, noticing that they are still hundreds of feet away from the ground. They are then suddenly dropped again down for just a few meters, making them all scream again.

Dara and Bom shut their eyes, hold hands more tightly, and start shouting and blaming each other.

“You shouldn’t have asked me to try this stupid ride, Dara!”

“Then, why did you let me ride this with you?”

“You forced me!”

“You agreed when I told you I’d buy you corn after.” Dara grits her teeth talking about her best friend’s favorite food.

“How dare you offer me corn for this?!”

“How dare you choose corn over me?!”

Unexpectedly, a strange mechanical sound is heard. The ride goes round so fast and goes up to the top again.

“Maybe they’re filming a Korean adaptation of Final Destination! Maybe there are hidden cameras attached here. Let’s make sure we look good on screen; who knows we’d be discovered?” Bom expresses palely when they reach the top.

“I never thought you’d come up with that kind of idea at times like this Bommie-ah. Just which planet were you from?” Dara scornfully says.

The two suddenly become dramatic. They squall even louder when the strange mechanical sound became louder and stronger.

“We’re gonna die! We’re gonna die!” Cries Dara.

“I love you Darong!” Bom utters as tears run down her cheeks.

“I love you, too, Bommie-ah.”

“I am so sorry. I’m sorry for letting you ride this. I don’t know why I let you try this.”

“You were thinking of corn, Bom. I’m sorry, too. I offered you corn for this suicidal ride.”

Their faces are already soaked wet with tears. Dara slowly opens her eyes and sees that they are on top of the tower again. She looks beneath her. She doesn’t know why, but she has suddenly felt afraid. She has already seen it a while ago, she’s even feeling excited and amazed that time. Now, she’s feeling unwell. Maybe she is feeling really nervous now after what happened that her heart starts to thump so fast. Her palms start to sweat. She feels like she is going to fall. Her heart thumps even faster and faster. She is already out of breath. Then, her heart aches. It is like hundreds of pins are piercing it. She abruptly takes her hand away from Bom’s and placed it against her chest. It is just then Bom has opened her eyes and looks at her. She gets so horrified. Dara’s struggling to catch her breath. She feels bothered. She doesn’t know what to do.

“Darong! Are you alright? What? Why? Tell me!”

Bom looks blood-less. She is afraid her best friend might die up in that ride with her. Should it really happen, she sure will not be able to bear the guilt for allowing her try a ride with her in exchange of corn, the trauma seeing a friend die next to her and the fear from her best friend’s parents—they sure will slaughter her.

She wants to finish the ride already, to go down.

“I’m…f—fine. Don’t worry.” Dara gasps. Pain is painted all over her face.

“You look like you’re already dying, and you’re telling me not to worry?”

“I…can do this. I won’t die…up here. That’d be…s—so e—embarrassing. I don’t want to die without poise.”

Dara gives her a sheepish smile. She tries to endure the pain she is feeling. She slowly leans her body backward. She gently closes her eyes again and takes a deep breath. Bom holds her hand, massaging it.

“I feel better now, Bom. Thank you.” She says softly with her eyes still closed.

The ride starts to go around again. In just a couple of seconds, it drops down rapidly to the bottom of the tower.

---

    

 

     

“! You’re a dead meat if I see you. I assure you that, bastard!”  Jiyong cusses on his mind. He is at the theme park, standing near the snack shop, Candy Castle, looking for someone. His eyes are glaring, his teeth are gritting, and his fists inside the hand-warmer pouch of his gray hooded sweatshirt are clenching. He has been searching the whole place for almost half an hour, but he can’t find them, yet. His phone inside his pants’ pocket rings. He fishes it out briskly and answers.

“Did you find him?” He asks. He gnashes his teeth again while listening to the person on the other line.

“How about the girl, have you—”

He didn’t get to finish his question when something suddenly bumped his back thigh. He turns quickly, quite gets surprised when a little boy plumps on the ground; his Funnel cake scatters beyond his feet. The boy looks up at him and starts to cry. He looks at the little boy pityingly. He feels something that seems nostalgic. As he stares at him, a sudden memory comes to his mind.

     A seven year old boy was running after a 1995 Lincoln Town Car.

“Shelly! Shelly!” he screamed while tears were running down his cheeks. He ran faster when the car sped up upon entering a tunnel, but he tripped over a rock and stumbled on the ground. He got his left knee wounded and his right ankle sprained. He tried to stand up, but he couldn’t. When he looked up, the car was gradually gone.

“Shelly…” he sobbed. “Take care.” His sobs slowly became louder until he totally squalled on the ground, still screaming the name he kept on calling.

Jiyong snaps back to present. The little boy is still crying; his face is full of tears. He stoops down and helps the little boy stand up. He gets his hanky from his back pocket and wipes all the tears and dirt from the little boy’s face. He can’t help not to give a timid smile noticing that the boy stops crying and is already looking directly to his eyes innocently.

“Are you alright?” he asks. The boy nods gently.

“Where is your mom?” The boy turns back slowly, looking for his mom. He points the lady in green dress who is searching for him as well. When the lady finds him, she hurriedly goes to their direction.

“I’m sorry if I hurt you. I will just buy you another cake, will that be ok?”

The boy smiles sheepishly. Jiyong gently pinches the boy’s cheek and messes up his black shiny hair.

---

 

 

     

Dara and Bom are so nerveless when they finally get off from the Gyro Drop. It is the first time Bom gets so scared riding it. She used to enjoy it with all her exes, but it just becomes so traumatic now with her best friend.

“I… did… it… Bom. I… did it. I will live longer than I expected.” Dara gasps, still catching her breath.

“Bully for you…” Bom sneers.

“Where do we go now?”

“Let’s go take a rest for a while.”

“Can we try the Gyro Swing later? They say it’s more fun and exciting to ride…”

“If you wanna kill yourself, go ahead! Just don’t ask me to ride that swing with you! You almost killed yourself riding that stupid Gyro Drop and now you wanna have a suicidal ride again? NO, DARA. I WON’T RIDE THAT WITH YOU.” Bom bawls out.

Dara is taken aback. Bom has never scolded her like this before. Fearing Bom will get even madder, she keeps silent. She pinches her lips together and bows her head.

Bom breathes deeply and raises her eyebrows alternately.

“We better go eat. My tummy already needs to be fed. I’m hungry, and…” she pauses for a second when she smells something delicious. “Ah…I’m craving for sausage tteokbokki.”  She walks straight to Candy Castle leaving Dara behind. “That Gyro Drop absorbed all my energy, really.” She adds.

Dara is about to follow Bom when a little girl blocks her way. The kid is wearing a white dress and a red-hooded cape, and is carrying a basket full of different cookies—chocolate chip cookies, snicker doodles, chocolate marshmallow cookies, and macaroons.

“Little… Red Riding Hood?” She asks and smiles sweetly.

“Hello, pretty unnie! Do you wanna taste my cookies?” Asks the little girl.

“Oh, sure! How much is it?”

“Just two hundred fifty won each, princess unnie.”

“Okay. Then, give me five cookies of each kind.”

“Oh! Thank you.” The girl smiles. She hurriedly gets a brown paper bag and puts the cookies inside it.

“Here, unnie. I hope you like it.”

“Thank you.” Dara gives the girl her charge. She gets one cookie, and tastes it as soon as she receives the bag. “Oh… this really tastes good.” She says with a smile.

“I’m glad you like it, unnie. Oh… I…” The little girl pauses for a while when she remembers something. She puts her hand inside her sleeves and gets a drawstring bag. “Here.” She offers Dara.

“What’s this?”

“My gift for you. Open it.”

“A fortune cookie?” Dara asks as she opens the bag and sees what is inside. The little girl just gives her a cute smile and nods. Dara takes the cookie and grabs its two pointed ends, pulls them apart and breaks the cookie into two pieces. She gives half of it to the little girl.

“Here, have it.”

The little girl smiles more brightly and gets the half from her. Dara pulls the fortune out and reads it.

“Koi No Yokan…?” Her forehead creases and her eyebrows furrows. The words are foreign to her; she doesn’t understand it. “Is this Japanese? What does this mean?”

“Such a good knowledge one may ever have. You’re lucky, unnie. Love is definitely going on your way.” She is smiling sweetly.

“W—what?”

“The sense you can have upon first meeting another person that the two of you are going to fall in love.”

Dara smiles. “I don’t get what you’re saying, honey.”

“Koi No Yokan. It is the knowledge one has that he or she is going to fall in love with another person, that the two of you are going to fall in love. You could sense it upon first meeting the person.”

“You mean…love at first sight?”

“This differs from the idea of “Love at first sight.” In that, it does not imply that the feeling of love exists; rather it refers to the knowledge that a future love is inevitable.”

Dara blushes with what the little girl says. She is about to ask the little girl when she hears Bom’s loud voice calling her name. She is already in front of the snack shop.

“Darong! Why are you just standing there? I’m really starving. Come here faster, twit!”

“Ah…comin’!” Dara answers. She looks at the little girl and smiles. “Ah… well, excuse me honey, but my friend’s already calling me. Thanks again. Nice meeting you.”

The little girl nods. Dara is already three steps away from the little girl when she hears her calling her again.

“Unnie!”

Dara turns back and looked at her. “Yes?”

“Should you find true love, don’t expect for a happy ending.” She looks a little worried.

“Huh?”

“Don’t expect for a happy ending. True love doesn’t have an ending.” The little girl continues. She smiles and bids her goodbye.

 Dara crinkles her eyebrows slightly, not getting the little girl’s message. She wants to ask the girl, but she has already run away from her.

“Darong!!” She hears Bom calling her again. She turns around and goes to her friend’s direction feeling confused.

“What do we eat?” Dara asks as she reaches her friend.

“I wanna have tteokbokki first.” Bom answers excitedly.

“Aren’t we gonna have a heavy meal? Didn’t you tell me you wanna have beef rib soup and bulgogi bibimbap?”

“After this.” Bom smiles.

“Hmf. Pig!” Dara tips up the corner of and smirks. She joins Bom eating tteokbokki. That’s one of the things that she and her friend enjoy doing, eating.

They both stuff their mouth, enjoying the food. Dara’s mouth is really full and is quite having a hard time swallowing the food when she hears a kid crying. She looks behind her and sees a little boy crying on the ground. His cake also scatters on the ground. Then, a man helps him stand and wipes his face. He can’t see the man’s face because of the little boy’s back blocking her sight, so she tilts her head a little and looks at the man’s face. She doesn’t know why, but she feels a twitter in her heart when she sees him. He has a pretty boyish look that every girl sure swoons over. His nose is slightly sharp, his lips are thin and red, his face looks smooth, and his eyes are small and pretty. But behind those beautiful eyes of his, she can feel and see something she doesn’t know what. Agony? Sorrow? Misery? She has no idea.