"Hello, I..." I hesitated for a moment. "You can call me Heather..." I made up a name on the spot. I didn't want to let others know of my identity. I needed some peace when I'm here alone, in a foreign country. It was my first day at school, my second week in the states. Luckily, I picked up some english when i was in Korea so I can still manage a conversation with the people there. It was an international school, with people from different countries studying here. But I haven't seen any Koreans yet. 

I was trying to find my way to the next class when I knocked onto someone. "Mianhamnida..Sor.sorry.." I blurted out Korean at first then I changed to English immediately. 

"Korean?" that person asked in Korean and I looked up at him and nodded. "Gwaenchanayo.." He said and smiled. That was the sweetest smile I ever seen other than my mum's. 

"Mianhae...I wasn't looking..." I apologised again. 

"It's ok..I already said... looking for class? you new here?" 

"neh..." 

"Let me help you..." I showed him my timetable and he brought me to the class. 

"kamsahamnida!" 

"No problem! you're running late...go in now.." He said and smiled again. gosh I can melt in his smile. He's just like an angel sent to help me while I'm struggling to survive alone in this foreign country. I've never met him again the whole day. I was hoping to see him again. 

The next day at lunch, i was sitting alone at a corner, eating when he came up to me. 

"Annyeong!" he said with his killer smile again. I wasn't expecting him but I don't mind his company. He seems like an easygoing person. He was the first person to strike a conversation with me. Maybe because we're both the same, so we clicked pretty fast. 

"Oh Annyeong haseyo!" 

"You don't have to be so formal with me...after all we're from the same country and alone here..we can be friends..I saw your classes yesterday, we're of same age.." 

"Ah I see..." He's really very outgoing and straightforward. 

"What's your name?" he asked with his sweet smile. I wanted to answer him immediately. But then I thought again of my status. Maybe not. 

"Why should I tell you?" I said with a straight face. It was hard keeping a straight face in front of him because he was all smiley all the time. 

"Then I wouldn't tell you mine either..." He replied with a straight face. He looks cool when he is not smiling. 

"It won't do you any good to know who am i..." I said the truth. Well, if he knows I'm from a rich family, he might be put off. Or he will want to make friends with me because of my background. I want sincere friends. I have enough of fake people in Korea. 

"I can find out you know...we're in the same school.." He came closer, his expression changed to a teasing one. 

"I trust that you won't.." I challenged him. But I did felt that I could trust him. Maybe because we're both alone in a foreign place, he was more like a family even though I only met him for one day. 

"woah! we just met girl...aren't we progressing too fast?" he said teasingly. Gosh he is really that straightforward which makes him a honest person whom I can trust. 

"Dream on kid.." I chuckled. It's amazing how we can joke around when we just met. 

"Yah! I think I'm older than you..." 

"You sure? Kid.." I stressed on that word on purpose. 

"Yah call me oppa...if we're not going to tell each other our names.." Well, it seems not bad. 

"O...Kid.." I laughed. 

"yah!" He laughed too. 

We would meet after school and study together. I hardly see him with anyone else in school. He was my only friend too. Sometimes I would really get very curious about his name. But after a while I got used to his presence and I was used to calling him oppa. And it proves he was my oppa. He was older than me. And he really takes care of me. He said he came here a year before me so he was much more familiar here. On weekends when we don't have school, he would bring me around and show me around. It was really relaxing to be with him, especially when we had no burden as we don't know each other's real name. 

It had already been a year since I came. We got along pretty well that almost everywhere we go, people would mistake us as a couple. I wish I could have a boyfriend too but I know very well since I'm young that I won't be able to find a true love and be with that person. One day, I received a call to hear that the apartment I was living in collapsed. I couldn't stay there anymore. Fortunately I didn't bring anything precious with me. My valuables are always kept in the bag i always carry. I can always buy the stuff I lost in the collapse of the building. 

"yah..where are you going to sleep tonight.." he asked. 

"don't know..I can always find another place to stay..." 

"In such short notice?" It was possible. All I need is one call back to Korea. But that would expose me. 

"Well..." I didn't know how to answer him. 

"Come over to my place...I live alone anyways.. you know it..." I've been to his place before, quite a lot of times, to study and hangout. It was a small place but there was an extra room since he was living alone. I never asked him about his family and neither did he. We respect each other which made me treasure him even more. He was my only real friend. 

Living with him was fun. We're always laughing and bickering as if we lived together for a long time. 

"Dwaeji! Wake up!" He shook me with his feet. 

"Who are you calling pig!" I shouted at him in my sleepy voice. 

"I don't think there's a third person in the house..." He walked out. 

"Yah you!" 

"I'm your oppa! Mind your manners!" He shouted from outside. "Come out for breakfast piggy!" 

It was until one day when he said it. 

"Babo..." 

"mwol..." 

"I thought about it.... I asked myself again and again...." 

"What happened oppa?" He sounded very serious. I got worried. 

"I...Please..be my girlfriend.." I was shocked at his sudden confession. I didn't know what to do. I didn't expect it. "Yah did you turn into stone? Do you hate me so much? It's ok if you reject me..." Hate him? How can I? Never in my whole life! He was the best gift to me. 

"babo!" I responded. And he smiled. I don't want him to lose this smile. 

"Saranghae babo..." 

"who are you calling babo..." 

"oh sorry...I should call you...my girlfriend now..." 

"yah!" 

"mwol? you don't want me to call you that? Oh I know...you want to be my wife instead? aigoo, you're so impatient..we just got together and you want to marry me..." 

"Yah! I think you're thinking too much..." 

"What? you don't want to marry me? you don't love me?" 

"Yah don't say such things.." Of course I love you. Of course I want to marry you. But sorry, I will leave you one day. I..Just let us enjoy all the time we have. Just give me the best memory I can ever get. 

"Arasseo...saranghaeyo..." He said and gave me a peck on the cheeks.