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Hi, my name is Jung Daehyun. I'm a storyteller.

I've always believed that one should never pass an opportunity to tell a good story. . .

The stories that I'm about to tell are my stories.

From my mind and (or) my memories.

I'm telling you my stories because. . .

I finally had a chance (                 ), and I took it.

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First Detection

    Detection, the first scenario that comes to my mind when I hear the word is a scene like that of a spy movie. Imagine a spy bending around so carefully in a dangerous and dark laser infested room. Oh so precisely maneuvering his way to the other side of the room with all the back bending, arm twisting, and body contorting tactics in his arsenal, moving smoothly towards the end to disable the alarms. But at the very last moment, a single strand of hair carelessly finds contacts with the laser, then next thing you know all the alarms go wild and he finds no way to escape. That for me is detection.

         I, for one, am not the type to play spy detective. It just never brought excitement to me. I find that it's a tedious thing to do, unlocking mysteries and solving crimes, when I would much rather have stuff just blatantly slapped across my face. My clients would often complain that for a story teller,

I am not very imaginative.

I would often like to argue that I am just misunderstood. Very misunderstood.

But with 124, I often found myself in an unwanted detective situation. I'm not sure if he was aware of it either, on how he can flip from pristine white to grim black in just one second. I suddenly found myself being more wary in detecting his 'laser' triggers, in which I silently found joy in accomplishing. He has changed my world in a way that I might hope to be beneficial, to my humanity. But at the same time I'm still left to wonder why he had to come to my life at that moment of time.

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It was 11:06 am, eleven-o-six.

This is to be my second meeting with 124, Yoo Youngjae after his unforgettable entrance in my office one cold winter night.

It's 11:08 now, eight.

I've always had a problem with my clients and tardiness, in which I totally explain by the very first meeting. Tardiness, is a disease of the society and it never sits well with me.

I watch the clock tick and it's five seconds before 11:09. I should just dismiss him. Really, Yoo Youngjae is somewhat shameless, definitely something else. And I thought that I might just like him but I guess I passed my judgement out too early.

I grabbed hold of another folder, busying my mind with other files as I try to find other ways to control my growing agitation. A little reading here and there could keep me from counting but alas the bell rings and my door is yet again burst wide open  and at the center stands (or barely stands) a heavily panting boy, who by now, is 31 minutes late.

"You're late. And on top of that, I feel as if you might have a hidden desire to break my door." I greeted him 'nicely' enough considering he's a menace to the punctual society. But to my shock, again, I'm greeted with the most bizarre gesture.

Panting, panting and more panting. Hand signals, pointing, fanning, breathing, more pointing, more finger mimicking and more panting. I- I am in awe. I wasn't aware that I actually signed up for a game of charades.

"Mr. Jung I'm- so- sorry. Ah let me catch my breath." He fans himself with his hands ever so animatedly. I can't even tolerate this but I somehow feel like I am not given a say in this matter. "Oh- waaa. It was just- there was- and I- ran and then-" Stop. I had to cut him off here.

"Mr. Yoo... just sit. Please." I can only stare as the boy plopped himself down my couch, and I can only honestly ask myself why exactly did I allow this situation to fall upon me.

It's not too late to turn back from this boy. Just. Dismiss. Him. 1.2.3.4...

"Ah, Mr. Jung.."

What now.

"Yes Mr. Yoo?"

"I'm sorry..."

I am but speechless. He actually does have some kind of conscience in there for him to actually realize he's wrong, enough to apologize.

"I'm sorry..."

Apologizing twice. Miracle of room no. 0803.

"...but can I please have some water?"

He looked at me with pleading eyes as he continued to fan himself. "Please?" ing hell.

If I can just melt laxative fast enough to dissolve it in your water but then again..

The idea was so inviting but I feel like karma would bite me back in the , like I feel that he would just all over my apartment, leave me alone to clean and still come back the next day just as if nothing happened. Yup I see it all too gruesomely coming to life. Heck why do I believe in karma?

Accepting my defeat, I unknowingly grabbed a glass and filled it with water from my newly bought water dispenser. I handed it to him and he drank it all down in a second. I quickly walked back to my dispenser, well, I just assume he would want more so I filled my never before used pitcher with water and placed it down the coffee table. He gave me small nod back, and I'm assuming that's a sign of gratitude. Really, as of now, I can only assume most of his actions because he's... weird.

I stand there to give myself a moment to bask on my disbelief because for once in my life, I can't read my client. And if I can't read my client, I wouldn't know how to deal with them.

"Are you feeling better now?" I'll start with a safe question. 

"Yes, much better." thank you so much for being patient with me." He bows courtly and I judge him internally. Now, he acts like he's polite again. Majorly judging him right now.

"So... you want me to put together a story, but of what exactly?" I click out the top of my pen-- ready to take note of our first official meeting. Usually, I listen to my clients' thought flow. First meetings are made for the client to be more comfortable with being with me so they can discuss their thoughts more openly. Most of the time when a client wants a story, its main idea is something they have thought so well off but they have a hard time conveying in words. It's always important to get them to have  a good 'connection' with me or whatever so ever you may call it. But honestly I just take this opportunity to observe their personality especially.

"A story book. I want to illustrate a story." He answers a non-answer and it's not very helpful. I start tapping my pen on my paper, growing quite impatient with how the flow of our meeting is going. I would really appreciate it if this kid stops being too vague and loopy. I can only groan inwardly and slowly tear my hair in my mind as I listen to each dragging second tick along with the tapping of my ball point pen.

Yoo Youngjae, 21, lost in translation.

"Okay." I take a long deep breath. And I cry inside.  "Mr. Yoo I get that, but what kind of story? Do you have something in mind to illustrate?" 

"Cute things." His lips pouted as he answered back to me. Let me bang my head on this clipboard. Let me. Please. 

Yoo Youngjae, 1 + 1 is equals 0 to him.

"Can you describe it for me? What do you see in these drawings?" I feel like I'm in occupational therapy. I feel like a shrink. I'm not a shrink for heaven's sake.

"Well..." He closed his eyes and paused for a moment while I, myself, can finally have a moment to sigh desperately without being seen or judged. "I see blue. I see clouds. I see bright skies. I see tall green grass." He continued on and on.

Mr. Yoo, I see black, black, black everywhere. 

"So, it's nature." I dejected.  "What main character do you see?" At this point I can just liken myself to a fisherman, waiting tirelessly (or not) for that one fish to bite the bait. Have you ever wished you had a fast forward life remote? I truly wish I do now.

He looked longingly at the icy cold view from my window. His eyes had that wandering look, almost like he was seeking for something. I was very astonished as he looked so vulnerable at that moment. Should I say that it piqued my curiosity again, and I was too amused at the complexity of his momentary expressions that it was enough to not notice my once growing agitation.

A few more moments have passed and before I could mentally tear all of my hair off, he turned to me and gave a clean 45 degree bow. 

"Mr. Jung, I was hoping... you could help me find it. Please take care of me for now."

Yoo Youngjae, what is a Yoo Youngjae?

Pause.

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There are times in your life that you give someone a benefit of a doubt, despite what your senses tell you. In my case, the alarms and triggers have all gone overboard until they were all spent and yet, I still chose to (forcefully) give him that benefit. For what reason? He makes me wonder. He makes me curious. He even frustrates me. Even without knowing it, he has awakened a challenge that even I, myself, find that I have been changing as a person because of him.

Like I said, by the end of this long winter we did become friends, but not so smoothly for there were these 'hurdles'.

It took three more meetings, a tedious brainstorming, and a whole lot of patience to finally get a character.

Also, I finally have a small grasp of how Youngjae's personality is and also how some of his triggers snap. To be able to detect a small part of the whole trap that is Yoo Youngjae is enough triumph for me, agent Jung Daehyun. 

Youngjae although insufferable is really naive- or more likely, someone with a pure heart. He's very fragile as a whole but he's filled strong spirit and resolve.

People like that are so foreign to things like external stressors, internal turmoil, unexpected occurrences, and so on and so forth that it makes them react so unstably to it. 

When we had our third meeting, he wouldn't talk at all. All he did then for about 45 minutes was stare at me and nod, even an occasional eye roll and tongue click.  It was a bit intimidating and nerve wrecking, seeing him look at me like that but then it wasn't until I paused from a short break that the problem started to be addressed.

The answer? He was hungry-- but he didn't think he was until he has eaten.

Oh hell, I was irked out again but as our meetings went by, I noticed that he has a lot of triggers and he doesn't even know it's happening. And the worst part of that is I'm left to find out as to why he is reacting differently from that default polite, kind, passionate Yoo Youngjae. 

Over and over again.

It's a tiring thing to deal with but I could only hope that he would learn himself more, even at my expense.

There was a shy rabbit named Joko.

Joko always wore a clown mask.

The mask was his favorite because it makes him fearless.

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To you, 

Joko is brave,

remember that.

- D

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A/N: I forgot I had an 'author-life' responsibility, but I don't have an editor so meh.  

To the subscribers, can I tell you that I am grateful? Even amidst the warnings you stayed. I will do my best to update it! And really, I know you skip this part but comments do make us authors roll with joy. Please don't hesitate to comment, even a simple 'hi' because it will definitely make me happy! Also forgive me, I cannot seem to write more than 2500 words.

Some explanations and descriptions:  Daehyun is pretty much right about his deduction about Youngjae here. ~ You can pretty much guess that Youngjae usually doesn't know that he reacts a certain way to certain stuff because he doesn't know he's even reacting differently, especially when it's his first time to encounter it. Imagine when you're hormonal? Something like that. (A terrible explanation)

Let me know what you guys think!

<3 Dani