The rusted white building before me could be called nothing less than home now, daddy calls it his "castle". I shut daddy's rickety car door and approached "Moon shores: apartment homes". Dragging my big black luggage up the stairs, the first step then the first flight, and that’s when I noticed him. Leaned over the railing, smoking a cigarette with dark shades over his eyes, staring in the direction of the sea. He wore skinny jeans a big 'Illest' tee, Steve Madden shoes and hair nearly cropped at the sides and a poufy Mohawk in the center. Not bad, maybe he's something good about daddy's crumpling white castle. A prince maybe. A prince living in Korea's blue collar cement jungle.

I should have gone inside. Unpacked my things, long distance call mom, but I didn't. I stared at the smoke curling around his mouth wickedly attracting me to him until a soft voice called from down the hall. Hiding I watched my prince.

"Namjoon~" she cooed "Are you ready now?". Her short black hair bounced around her face, tiny and flawless.

"I don't think so, love" He spoke. For the first time. His deep, husky voice echoing in my head. He continued staring out in the distance somewhere far. She pounted her small mouth and started to speak again.

"What's that suppose to mean? I know I'm a bit young and it wont be my first but hey, I'm not that kind of girl though, so don't get the wrong idea. I'm just living a little too fast, just like you."

He breathed in another drag of his cigarrete and faced her, his back towards me.

"Now listen Yu-ri, you need to find ur way back to home or to 203 or 493 or even that dumb boy from 347." He spoke with conviction and left nothing else to be said. Her small face scrunched up

"I will 'find my way to that dumb boy from 347' or 203 or 493 you stuck up !" and she stormed off in the direction she came. I'd been holding my breath from the tension in the air and the unwanted emotion of 'im glad he denied her'. How could I say I wanted him? It was the first time I'd ever laid eyes on him. But why shouldn’t I? Almost like he'd read my mind he turned his head toward the shadow I'd been hiding in.

"How long are you just gonna hang there?"

I walked out of the shadow a bit. My ears hot and I whispered a hey, brushing my hands down my wrinkled shirt. I could feel him watching me from behind his shades. Reading through me like a book. Straight a, straight laced, ignorant American and a black girl to boot. I thought he could see my memories of my only friend, Ambrielle, from Florida. I thought he saw the innocence in my eyes like the devil smells fire before the match is lit.

"What's your name?" he finally asked.

"Carmen. My friends call me Carmen." I lied. No one calls me Carmen. I don't even know where it came from that name. I.... I think I needed Carmen to be real. for her to take over in times like this.

"Carmen. That’s pretty. I'm Namjoon."

I nodded. There's so many things I wanted to say but a nod is all that I could conjure up.

"Carmen. Why were you watching me like that? I saw you climb up those stairs, hiding in that corner."

My ears grew hotter. What could I say? I waited for Carmen to answer for me.

"Are you just a stalker"

"No" I answered. Carmen blew right on past me. Silent. I tensed my muscles in my face and arms.

He laughed low to himself "Can I at least know what school you go to? You go to school right?"

"Joil high. You?"

"Same. I'm a senior."

"Me too." My voiced drifted, "Ya know I've got clothes to unpack so I'm just gonna..."

"See you at school tomorrow, Carmen"

I answered and turned and left. I lied again.I didn’t actually spend that much time unpacking. Daddy had to go back to work. I wasn’t not to sure what it is he does for a living and to be honest I'm sure he didn’t do anything at all for a living. When he hugged me goodbye he smelled like smoke and alcohol. Last I knew daddy didn’t smoke or drink. But a lot of time has changed since then, 10 years actually. Probably lived off checks from his time in the military. After I left I spent sometime channel surfing but mostly hearing the couple next door loudly confirming just how much fun they were having, headboard knocking against the wall and all.

Must be nice.