HOHOHOHOOH HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHEN<333

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2007

                Jongdae wouldn’t really say he “woke up.” I mean, he figures that’s what had to have happened, but he never really actually awoke. He just sort of…appeared?

                Occurred?

                Started existing?

                He doesn’t know, but the last memory he has (the only memory, if he thinks of it) is of standing on some street in some city that makes something pull at his thoughts but he has no memories of this place. Just a vague nagging that he should.

                But he doesn’t.

                So he frowns, looking down at himself. He’s dressed in plain jeans, in a tshirt and a light jacket that provides enough warmth for this time and weather. He reaches a hand into his jeans and he finds a wallet, with money and an ID that reads Kim Jongdae, DOB: March 6, 1984.

                84, huh? he thinks, surprisingly calm. So that makes me… but he doesn’t know, because he doesn’t know what year it is now.

                “Excuse me, what’s today’s date?” he asks the nearest person. There are few people out, and the sun is just peaking up into the sky, so he figures it’s very early.

                “Today? November…November, uh, 12? Yeah, it’s the 12^th,” the stranger agrees with himself, already turning to leave.

                “I’m sorry! But—but what…it’s November 12^th of what year?”

                “2007,” the man calls, not even turning back to look at the curious Jongdae.

                23. I guess I’m 23, he decides. He’s not quite sure what to do with that information, though.

                But he’s hungry.

                So he takes things one step at a time and looks for something to eat.

~~~

                “Hey where are you?” Areum asks into the phone. “I’m waiting at the cafe.”

                “Sorry, sorry,” Eunji murmurs in a hushed voice. “The lunch with my family is running late. Start without me I’ll be there in half an hour tops.”

                “Fiine,” Areum agrees begrudgingly, hanging up shortly afterward.

                Like always she had procrastinated. A friend was celebrating her birthday tonight and they were all meeting at her apartment before going out dancing, and of course Areum hadn’t yet bought a present.

                “Mm what would Hyunyoung like,” Areum murmured as she walked along the stalls in downtown Seoul. If she didn’t see anything she’d just go to a department store; you can’t go wrong with designer makeup or brand name clothes.

                She’s sitting alone, having taken a break from walking, instead resorting to having a bowl of noodles. She had planned to meet with Eunji early in the day but she had rushed out of the house without having eaten breakfast.

                “Excuse me.”

                Areum jumps slightly when she hears the voice, glancing up to see an attractive stranger with messy dark brown hair and boyish features.

                “Uh- m-me?” she affirms, feeling stupid.

                The stranger nods. “Yeah. Sorry. I hope you don’t mind,” he prefaces before pulling out the other chair at her table and sitting down.

                “Oh…uh…yeah sure…go ahead,” Areum mumbles, more from the sudden shock of it than from actual agreement.

                “What should I do?”

                “Excuse me?” Areum squeaks, trying to decipher his question.

                “Oh, sorry, I mean, what should I do?” he repeats, emphasizing the last word. “I mean. If I were visiting here for like, a day, or…whatever, what would you recommend me do while I was here?” Jongdae doesn’t know where to start. After eating some food and wandering about he came upon a few realizations.

                #1. He really had no memories. Sure, he knew how to walk and read a map and he could speak and understand Korean just fine. And he knew how you had to pay rent to live somewhere and have a key and lock your home up every day, he just didn’t have any recollection of him actually doing any of that for his own things. He can’t think of any home he has nor any people he might know.

                #2. How long is he staying here? Should he try to find a house, a job, a family?

                #3. And the last realization he chose to believe was that no, he probably wasn’t staying here for long. He’s not quite sure, and he had been freaked out at first, but then he firmly decided not to worry about it. To have fun for today and if he wakes up here tomorrow then you know what? He’ll deal with finding a job and a house tomorrow.

                But for today he wants to know what’s fun around here. So when he sees a girl that looks generally his age, and it’s even better that she’s alone (and also she’s really pretty), he approaches her and asks his question bluntly. It’s not like he’s got anything to lose.

                “Like...touristy things…?” she asks, cocking her head at him.

                Jongdae shrugs. He’s not sure what touristy things they have here, but if it’s like the typical tourist attractions then no, he’s not interested in museums and architecture. “Uh…more like…fun things. Things you do on a weekend night with friends.”

                “Ohh…” Areum pauses for a moment, thinking about how to answer and trying to distract herself from how attractive this guy is. “I guess…karaoke is fun. There are good clubs around here at night. There’s tons of good restaurants and yummy cafes. Amusement parks over the way. Every so often there will be performances in the park that’s a little that ways,” Areum rambles off everything she can think of. Abruptly, she stops her list. “Why do you ask?”

                Jongdae, who has been nodding appreciatively the whole time, stops to consider the question. Finally, he shrugs. “Because I’m bored.” He stands up then, pushing the flimsy chair backwards and almost knocking it over. “Thank you,” he smiles and bows slightly at her before turning to leave.

*

                The large group of friends she had come with splintered into many groups, some with guys, some on the dance floor, some getting drinks or in a booth. Areum’s not complaining though, she knew this would happen. But she’s with a few good friends and they’re laughing on the dance floor through the pounding music, and she’s having a good time.

                “Hey, I’m gonna get something to drink, okay?” she says to her friend, but it’s really more of a shout and even then she’s pretty sure her friend didn’t hear her, only nodded then went back to dancing.

               Areum shrugs before pushing her way out of the crowd and to the bar. She hadn’t even realized how tired she was, how thirsty she was, until she took a break.

                “A beer,” Areum tells the bartender, who nods obligingly.  

                Areum’s never been a big drinker. She learned early on she can’t hold her alcohol well so she never pushed her limits. But she’s out so she thinks she might as well try something new. But when a colorful martini with a frosted rim is placed in front of her, she looks up, surprised, at the bartender, about to tell him she didn’t order this, but he cuts her off before she can start.

                “It’s from him,” he says, gesturing with his head a guy sitting a few seats down.

                “Oh, then, uh, thanks,” she murmurs, bringing the drink closer to her.

                “Don’t tell me that,” the bartender says with a little laugh, turning away to help another customer.

                Areum nods again, dumbly, before turning to the guy that bought her a drink. She’s about to approach him when he turns around, bringing his glass of beer along with him to the empty seat next to Areum.

                “Oh! It’s…you,” she murmurs, surprised when she sees the stranger she had run into earlier on in the day.

                Jongdae gives her a gummy smile. “Yeah, I wanted to say thank you,” he tells her. He’s wearing different clothes from the morning; fitted black pants and an electric blue button up with the sleeves rolled up. His hair looks styled, too.

                A matching smile sneaks onto Areum’s face.  “Yeah, definitely, I- thanks. I’m glad I helped. So what did you do today?”

                Jongdae hums slightly, thinking about his answer. “Mm I went to an internet café after we talked…ate some more and looked up some things. Then I went to this carnival over ways a little bit. Got lunch there, came back here, went shopping,” here, he paused and glanced down at his new attire, letting out a slight laugh, “and uh…came here. Soo yeah,” he finishes with a nod of his head before turning his attention back to Areum.  

                Areum nods. “Wow, you definitely found something to do...”

                Jongdae lets out a small laugh. “Yeah, thanks for this morning.”

                “Oh don’t worry about it,” Areum assures him, waving the thought away with her hand.

                Jongdae nods, about to speak when one of Areum’s friends swoops in, teetering dangerously on too-high heels.

                “Areum-ie, let’s go.” When she spots Jongdae she pauses, letting out a long giggle. “Stop flirting and let’s go open gifts.”

                Areum looks at Jongdae apologetically. “I- uh, sorry, but I’m here celebrating a friend’s birthday,” she explains, opening her purse. Hurriedly, she scribbles her number on a post it, trying to ignore the embarrassment she feels.  She slides it over to Jongdae, her friend squealing as she does. “Right, just, bye, it was nice to meet you and uh…yeah bye!” she calls before her friend pulls her away.

                Jongdae looks in mild surprise at the digits scribbled on the sheet of paper. He grins at the pretty handwriting. As he reads over her name he realizes with a start that he had never told her his.

                Well, it’s okay, she’ll find out when I—And then Jongdae realizes he doesn’t even have a phone. He hurriedly shoves his hands into all of his pockets, double-checking that he didn’t miss it before.

                When his hands come away empty he frowns, digging into his lower lip with his teeth. But it’s not something he can do anything about, so he continues to dance, drinking at the club and chatting here and there with girls that don’t really interest him. And when he’s tired he falls asleep in one of the hallways in the back of the club, not sure if he’ll be around to get in trouble for it or not.