Nana leaned her back against the banister.
Both of her hands were stretched down to the floor, occupied with shopping bags. Her tired eyes stared straight ahead at a lady gliding like a swan a few feet from her - her Mom. The lady was excitedly roaming around and touching pretty dresses inside a brightly lit store; all of which all looks the same to her. She occasionally turned to Nana to ask for her opinion, to all which Nana sleepily nodded.

"Ah, ah, check, one, two,"
She turned her head around and looked down. Three floors below her, three guys stood on a little stage in the center of what seemed like a car exhibition.
One of them nodded to the other two guys, who were each holding a guitar and sitting on a boombox respectively. Nana watched as people continued to walk past them without a care in the world.
The guitarist started to strum his strings and the guy in front of a standing mic hummed melodically. The familiar tune sparked her interest, she knows this song. Turning her back at her Mom, she put down her shopping bags and rested her chin on her palms.

Beauty queen of only eighteen
She had some trouble with herself
He was always there to help her
She always belonged to someone else

He continued to sing even when his surroundings went on their activities without even giving a glance.
And it was beautiful.
She thought of that as she stared at the group. The way they seemed to be oblivious to their surroundings, to be lost in their own world, reminded her of someone.

I don't mind spending every day
Out on your corner in the pouring rain, oh.
Look for the girl with the broken smile
Ask her if she wants to stay awhile
And she will be loved
And she will be loved
And she will be loved
And she will be loved

The vocalist’s voice faded away as the first song came to an end. She clapped a little, her lips curled into a little smile. Other songs followed and it twirled through the air as she listened, her heart felt warmer.

“Nana, let’s go,”
She turned around and met her Mom with yet another shopping bag trusted into her hands. She took it and glanced back at the trio, still lulling her with sweet tunes.
“Can we go to the bookstore now?” she asked her Mom who nodded in response.
On her way to the bookstore, she purposely walked in front of them and smiled at the vocalist.
Their eyes met and he winked at her, causing her to look away and suppressed a laugh.
There were no sparks, although in another time it would be a good start for a romance to bloom. She shook her head when her Mom asked her what was so funny. The truth is, her smile was only a form of gratitude for he reminded her of someone. That was the hidden meaning.

She traced her fingers on the neatly stacked books along the bookshelves, occasionally picking one and reading the back of the book before putting it back. She was taking her time, she was in no rush. It was like taking a pleasure walk in a huge maze and not seeking for a way out. She often wondered how it felt to be lost, but for now she felt content to lose herself in a place full of books. She glanced at her Mom sitting on top of a leather sofa, examining her nails. She smiled when their eyes met because the role has been reversed. Nana could take twice the time her Mom used to pick the right blouse just to pick a book.

*****

Jimin tapped his hands on the desk as if he was playing a drum; at the same time humming to whatever music was playing on his ears. In front of him were neatly stacked comic books, all of which he has finished ten minutes ago. Nana did not seem to be bothered.
He stopped what he was doing and asked her,  “Ya, are you going to finish it in one go?”
Nana flipped open another page.
He sighed and got up. The sudden movement distracted Nana, and she was more surprised when he sat down next to her.
“What are you reading?” He moved closer and peeked from her side. She nervously inched her head away from him. Today, too, he smelled like coffee.
“The Notebook, I’ve told you already,” she showed him the cover.
“Ah, it’s in English,” he leaned back on his chair, “read me something from there.”
She looked into the depth of his melted chocolate eyes and saw a twinkle inside. She smiled a little as she picked up just where she was reading,

“Dusk is just an illusion because the sun is either above the horizon or below it. And that means that day and night are linked in a way that few things are there cannot be one without the other yet they cannot exist at the same time. How would it feel I remember wondering to be always together yet forever apart?”

Why did I choose such sentimental quote?, she thought. She glanced to see his reaction.
His mouth fell open. Just when she thought he was going to say something romantic or clever he blurted out, “What was that?”
She blinked and asked, “You didn’t understand?”
He shook his head and answered, “Nope. What were you talking about?”
She scoffed, but inside she was glad. He was laughing beside her as she tried to explain that it was something to do with sunsets.
“Ah, books you read never have pictures in it, how am I supposed to know?”
She wondered how could he know about that.
“That is why you have to use your imagination, your brain,” she tapped her head.
“There are pictures here? Where? Where?” suddenly he was knocking the top of her head and messing with her hair.
Nana shouted in protest and the librarian sushed them both. Although there are ony three of them inside, it was still a library. He let her go, still laughing at his hairstyle creation. She glared at him and returned to her book.

“But you know,” he interrupted her again, “you can’t imagine something you haven’t seen before.”
“Sure you can. You do it with this,” she lightly punched his chest. Her eyes widened for a second, she did not know his chest was so firmly bulit. Slowly she withdrawn her fist.
“You mean, you haven’t seen sunsets before?”
“I’ve seen pictures,” she shrugged.
He shook his head and said, “Whoa, no way. Come with me, let’s go,” he took her book and stood up. She also stood up to snatch it back from him, but he was faster and he was walking towards the door. She gathered her things and ran after him.

*****

They were standing side by side at where Jimin called as ‘the perfect sunset viewing spot’. She rolled her eyes when he refused to tell her where exactly that is, but she followed him nonetheless. He returned her book when she found him standing outside the school gate, waiting for her. Sparks seemed to fly inside her as she walked towards his shiloutte; she only dared to see his face when she was right in front of him. That moment, she instantly become worried that his smile will stay on the back of her mind for days to come. On an overpass, leaning against the rail, they stood listening to the sound of occasional cars blazing past under them.

“Why do you like to read so much?” He broke the silence.
“Hmm, because,” she turned to look at him, “when I read I can be whoever I want to be. I can go wherever I want to go, and everything is possible. No limits, no boundaries. I feel... free.”
He nodded slowly and said, “But the world is also full of possibilities. You can be whoever you want to be, you can go wherever you want to go, if you want to. No one can tell you what you cannot do, because there is nothing a man cannot do.”
She stared at him.
His eyes were fixed on the horizon and the wind gently played with his hair. His skin turned orange under the setting sun.
“I suppose so,” she finally said.

Suddenly he smiled and said to her with gleaming eyes, “Do you really want to feel free?”
“Eh?”
“I often do this, you see,” he pointed at an approaching car, “wait until there is a car under us and scream as loud as you can. But you have to stop when he reached the other end, so he’ll never know it was us. Okay?”
She did not say ‘okay’ to him because she did not feel ‘okay’ about it; but Jimin was roaring already that she had to cover her ears. She turned around to see the car passed through the overpass. Then she looked at him who was laughing with delight. “Come on, now you try!” he said to her.
Another car approached them, and with Jimin’s cue Nana screamed. A car passed through. She clutched her chest and panted. They looked at each other and laughed. “Whoa, that was loud,” he exclaimed. Nana did not know what to think, except that maybe that was the stupidest thing she had ever done: screaming at a car on an overpass.

“Here’s another one, together now,” Jimin pointed. Nana closed her eyes and screamed as loud and high as she could. Suddenly she felt a hand clamped on and a body pressed against her back.
“Ya, are you crazy, don’t scream as if there’s a murderer or some sort,” Jimin retorted in her ear. She struggled to let go, her heart thundering like an army of horses marching towards the enemy’s castle. His chest – no, his body, felt hard on her back as if it was made of wood; or maybe fire wood because it felt warm. His arm was also strong that she gave up yanking it from . She could not breathe.
“Don’t loose your voice like that,” he chuckled and let her go.
She gasped for air and took a few steps back from him until she leaned against the opposite rail.
He turned towards her and asked, “Are you okay?”

Behind him, the sky was red. It was as if someone tipped over a can of red paint and soaked the sky with it. He walked over to her and said, “Nana, your face is so red.”
She brought her palms to her cheeks, it felt hot. She quickly said, “It’s not, it’s just the sun.”
He turned around and she could tell that a grin was spread across his face. His eyes would disappear in it when he exclaimed, “Yesseu!” and he saluted the sun. And then, he laughed. Nana did not know why she felt at ease just by hearing his laugh. He got a special laugh, the contagious kind that makes people join along and they do not know why.
“Great, right? A lot better than that book, right?” his eyes never leave the sun as he spoke.
“Yes,” Nana stared at his back,
“I like it.”