Gratitude

 “Let’s eat, shall we?” Minseok urged his friend while he had already dipped his chopsticks in the sweet sauce of his fried rice. Seoeun had just started sipping the steaming hot pork broth she had ordered. Its sweet flavor warmed and melted her from the inside. It still had a different taste than what she had tasted before, though. That old lady that loved her and her brother as if they were her own grandchildren often made them pork broth and Seoeun had memorized its exact taste. It was the taste of her childhood. Not her mother’s meals, not the street food she used to share with Baekhyun whenever they had money to buy for themselves. These homemade dishes were unique and nobody, not even a top chef from a prestigious Chinese restaurant, could get the slightest idea of the flavor this food possessed. It was made with much love and care and nothing could replace that.

 “What are you thinking about, Seo?” Minseok muttered between the mouthfuls of his rice.

 “I just remembered grandma Xie, who used to bring us homemade traditional Chinese food.” Seoeun kept her sight on her plate because she was afraid that Minseok would see the glistening tears in her eyes. She dearly loved this woman as if she were her own grandmother.

 “Don’t be sad, she is on a better place now. I’m sure she is proud of us.” He tried to calm her and his soft words really did help her. Sometimes the girl would feel down for some little reasons but Minseok was always there to comfort her even if he had to lie to make her feel better. And that was one of his traits that she loved.

 “Thanks for being there for me, Min.” the girl blurted out and met his soft gaze that was resting on her face. Her cheeks tinted in a light rosy shade but she kept the eye contact. She wanted to make sure that he knew just how important was he to her.

 And he knew. He knew how much she appreciated him as her friend and remembered every single thing she had said to him. Because she was as important to him as he was to her.

 The next week the pair spent travelling around China and its endless mesmerizing fields, where their souls felt free and capable of anything. Seoeun savoured every single thing she encountered on their way and saved it deep in her heart. One day, she would visit China again. Or even live here, who knows.

 New York, USA

 “I don’t really like this hat…” Minseok trailed off as he was trying to fix his hair in the mirror behind him. They were in one of the hundred vintage stores in Brooklyn, trying out different outfits and accessories. The warm sunrays of the afternoon day gently their faces and made them smile unwittingly. After countless hours of walking around the neighborhoods in Brooklyn, their feet hurt but their desire for discovering new things was unharmed.

 “Why? It suits you perfectly!” Seoeun beamed and fixed it on his head. Then she stood on her tip-toes, placed her palm on the top of his head and turned his face fully towards the mirror, “See?”

 “If you like it this much, buy it for yourself.” Minseok returned the smile and swiftly removed the hat from his head and put it on Seoeun’s. “It looks better on you anyway.”

 The girl blushed and took a look in the mirror. She saw the little gleam in her eyes while the smile was still plastered on her face. Only Minseok and her brother could make her look and feel like this.

 At the thought of her brother, Seoeun’s smile faltered. She hadn’t thought much about him, now that she spent every minute of her trip with Minseok. Back home, she claimed that she would dearly miss her beloved brother, but it didn’t seem the case, now that she was far away from him. She did miss him but not as much as she thought she would. A little hunch of embarrassment crept under her skin. Seoeun was embarrassed by the fact that she didn’t miss her twin brother.

 “I’ll buy it for you.” Minseok interrupted her train of thoughts. A moment later he was passing the money to the seller. He patted the hat that was still resting on Seoeun’s head and led her to the exit of the shop.

 “Thanks, Min.” she managed to mutter in a minute. The girl was still feeling uneasy from her former thoughts.

 Seoeun’s loose top danced with the light breeze while she was savouring the night view of New York. Minseok and she were now travelling around the whole city in a sightseeing bus, where they could visit all the interesting places for one night. Again, Seoeun was fascinated by the beautiful urban scenery before her eyes. Nightlights glimmered everywhere and were reflected in the windows of the endless skyscrapers. The city resembled a little universe, closed and isolated from the outer world. With its own beauty it outshined its surroundings and was the focal point of a bigger world. The girl noticed a man, with a phone glued to his ear, walking hurriedly on the pavement. A tall woman was clicking with her high heel on the ground in front of a club, as if she was waiting for someone. A little boy with dirty cheeks and dusty clothes was peeking from the corner they had just passed. New York was indeed a world by itself. New York never faded, never slept.

 Just as she was mentally tracing the outline of a glorious tall building her eyes fell upon the calm waters of the Hudson River. There she stood – the proud and magnificent Statue of Liberty. Beside her, she heard Minseok hold his breath for a few seconds. She knew that it was a dream of his to see the statue and even climb on top of it. Just like the girl, he was amazed by the immense diversity of this city. Unfortunately, they couldn’t jump off the bus and take a quick picture with the green lady but they would definitely pay her a special visit some other day, there were plenty.

 The two-hour trip around New York found its end right before the Brooklyn Bridge.

 “Let’s make a midnight walk on the bridge; I’m sure we could get some nice pictures from there.” Seoeun proposed as she was taking out her camera. The boy just nodded and followed his friend. Again, they were tired but never felt down enough to get sick of exploring. This was one of the things they had in common – their immense desire to explore and discover.

 “Do you enjoy the trip so far?” The boy asked as they were slowly walking in comfortable silence.

 “Of course I do, I love it!” Seoeun exclaimed and added, “But I miss Baekhuyn.”

 “We should buy a present for him so that he wouldn’t feel forgotten when we come back.” The boy joked, lightly nudging Seoeun.

 “I already bought a little doll for him from Shanghai. I think tomorrow we should go back to the vintage store and buy a hat for him too. I really liked the one you gave me.” The girl looked at Minseok who was staring at her with a confused expression. Every time she saw a glint of emotion run through his face, she found herself falling deeper for him. She felt proud, even, for making him express his mind.

 “You can just give him this one.” He suggested with a shrug.

 “I can’t gift something that’s already a gift to me.” The girl averted her gaze from him and brought her arms closer to her body to keep herself warm.

 Minseok noticed her light trembling and opened his mouth to say something only to close it again. He simply didn’t know what to say. The boy was never good with words nor was he good with actions, in fact. He just kept his feelings and emotions locked from the outer world. Perhaps he was afraid to show them or he just didn’t know how. But at that moment he felt like he had to do something, not to show any emotion but to be a gentleman and help a friend.

 He took his blue hoodie off and threw it on Seoeun’s shoulders. Her shocked eyes met his for a second, before he looked the other way.

 “You were trembling…” he started but was cut off by her soft voice.

 “Thank you.”

 Little did the boy know that this simple gesture of gratitude contained something much deeper than just saying ‘thanks’ to a gentleman.

Author's Note

Hey hey, lovelies! Sorry for the short update but I couldn't really write anything much because New York has soo many charms and I can't write a chapter for each of them. So I wrote this like a little 'date' for our characters but it was more like a filler chapter, so don't hate me for the delay! I know nothing significant happens here but I drop a hint for some upcoming events here and there so bear those in mind if you find them xD.

 Subscribe and comment and until next time, kisses!