“Ow!”

               Was the only word that came out of my mouth when I felt someone bumped into my small body making me lose my balance. I can feel my foot failing on me, and my bum soon kissed the hard concrete beneath me. A loud crack was heard when the stranger who bumped me stepped on my brand new Ray-Ban sunglasses. , I used my whole savings for a year to buy that damn expensive sunnies because Umma refused to buy it for me. I am really damn unlucky today.

               “OH MY GOSH! I’m sorry! I’m so so sorry!!”

               This stranger apologized to me. His voice was so deep and low, if I had heard this voice in another situation, I would have be mesmerized. But no, he was the cause of my aching bottom. When I tried to get up, my whole body protested, every part of it hurting. It made me sat back on the sidewalk, groaning at the pain. Feeling a swish of wind in front of my face, I stopped the next groan coming out of my mouth. I can feel a hand being offered not far from my face. The stranger in front of me was offering his arm to help me up. I was about to take it when I suddenly remember something.

               “Mongryeong, where’s Mongryeong?” I panickly turned my head right and left, though I can’t see where he was, I was expecting that 2 year old corgi of mine to respond to my panic state. He had given me a warning before with his light barking, telling me I was walking on the wrong line and potentially will collide with someone, but I ignored it. Besides, people will give way to people like me, right? And this is the result I got for ignoring my guide dog’s warning. Hurting, and losing that silly dog. “Mongryeong boy, where are you?” I kept calling his name. Why is he not responding to me?

               “Here,” the husky voice answered me again. “Your dog was busy sniffing me,” I felt Mongryeong being led to my side, and soon enough I felt the tongue of my beloved pet my cheek. “So, Byun Baekhyunssi, if you hadn’t realize, you’re in the middle of a very crowded street—“ yeah, I know. I can feel people constantly bumping my arms and shoulder, Should I care if I’m in the middle of the street or not? I’m blind! People should’ve been more careful and watch where they were going. “—so if.. you let me help you get up, we can just—“

               “How did you know my name?” was the first thing that came out of my mouth. I wasn’t planning to be an to this stranger but how he knew my name was a bit creepy.

               “It’s on your nametag.”

               “My nametag?”

               “Yes. I mean, no, I mean..” I can hear him clearing his throat in a nervous manner. He’s really nervous, I can feel it at how fidgety he sounds and I don’t know why I can feel this guilt in his voice. “I mean.. here, on you dog’s nametag, it’s written that the owner’s name’s Byun Baekhyun. Which is you, if I’m not wrong. Am I?”

               “Why should I tell you if you’re wrong or right? What if you’re planning to abduct me? What if you’re a serial killer making me your next victim?” I didn’t care if I was rude. I’m getting pissed with all this people passing by while bumping and brushing my body which, fyi, was still slumping at the sidewalk because it hurts so bad that I wasn’t able to stand up. I wouldn’t be surprised if the stranger left me here just like that for my attitude, but instead what I heard was a laugh from that y y low voice that made me shiver.

               “Yeah,” he said, “You’re right. I am a serial killer. A serial killer who wears a pink suit and colorful pants. Yeah, right. That makes me the dumbest serial killer alive. Come on, Baekhyunssi,” he laughed again. I know he saw my pout because he tried to stifle his laughter as I felt another swish of wind near my face again. He’s offering his hand again to me. “Come, I’ll help you stand up. I’m responsible for… what happened. Let me help you, Baekhyunssi.”

               I finally decided to accept the hand in front of my face, feeling his warm and a little sweaty palm. I don’t usually feel comfortable being touched by a stranger, but somehow, I didn’t feel grossed out by him. Me, the always-have-to-be-clean me, who doesn’t like to touch unknown objects because I didn’t want to get infected by their germs, not feeling gross holding a stranger’s sweaty hand is not usual. Holding his hand made me feel a weird comfort feeling. Like this is something I did often. Like I’ve always hold this hand in times of trouble. Pshhhhhh, I don’t even know this guy but weird things are flowing through my mind.

              “How could I know what outfit you’re wearing? If you haven’t noticed,” I pointed my eyes, “I’m blind.” I said it not to offend him, and somehow I feel like he knows I didn’t mean to.

               “I know, Baekhyunssi. I know,” there’s that sad and guilty tone again in his voice. I didn’t know why he sounded like that. Maybe he has family or friends who is also blind. What scared me was, I really felt uncomfortable with this sad tone he’s using. I feel like I want to wipe away all those sadness in him. Oh dear God, I don’t even know this guy but why am I feeling like this?

               I shook my head, trying to throw all the weird thoughts out of it. Still holding onto one of his hand, I tried to take a step. But as soon as I put down my foot, a sharp and piercing pain shot through my spine. Automatically my other arm reached out to grab his, which was on my waist to prevent me from falling. 

               “. I can’t see already! Now I can’t walk too? Can this get any worse???” I yelled to no one in particular. I’m seriously pissed. I’m supposed to meet my childhood friends that I haven’t met for years since I moved to the States. I know I’m not yet late, but how can I get there in time when I can’t walk? Just as I finished throwing my tantrum to the air, I can hear the sky rumbling. Droplets of water were starting to fall to my face.

               “Me and my big mouth,” I said to myself. The man still holding my hand chuckled. Oh how I wanted to punch him for laughing at my suffering. Though I had to admit, his laugh was intoxicating, making me feel like I want to hear it more often.

               “Come on, we should go find some shelter. I’ll help you,” he said, as I feel him pulling me closer to his body so he could help me walk. My heart started beating faster at the contact of our bodies touching. I feel him so close that I can smell his body odor. It’s a mix of a masculine cigarette smell and something like a familiar cinnamon and citrus scent. It’s the product my dongsaeng and I used to—wait, why am I thinking of that person again? I spent 12 years of my life in the States to forget about that person. Please, not now, God.

               Fixing his hold on my waist, I can hear this stranger talking to Mongryeong. He let one of my hands he was holding go so he could hold onto Mongryeong’s leash. He balanced my body so I was half leaning onto him. With a single arm, he led me walk to I don’t know where. Don’t you think it’s really weird that I trust him even when I haven’t known him at all? I let him lead me to some place we could sit down until the rain stop, and so here I am now, inside a cafe (I’m sure it’s a cafe from the strong smell of coffee and sweet pastries), waiting for the Stranger to get our orders. Mongryeong was left outside in a newspaper booth. The ahjussi who sells them was kind enough to let Mongryeong stay there with him as long as he had to. After promising that we would get him after the rain stopped, we left my pet to wait for the rain to go away inside this cafe. I was busy tilting my head left and right, sniffing the smell of sweets I really love from cafes, when the familiar smell of cinnamon and citrus got stronger. In a mere second, a plate was laid on the table in front of me.

               “Here you go, one cheese croissant and a cup of peppermint latte. Enjoy your meal, Monsieur,” the Stranger announced his arrival with my orders. I can’t help but smile at his silly act. I can hear him pulling out the chair across me, and threw himself there while saying, “Aigoooooo I loooooveeeee cheese cakes!!!”

               My smile went wider when I heard that. His y voice and his silly-ness does not match, but I liked hearing them. “Thanks for this, ummmm…?”

              Realizing I haven’t asked for his name, I tilted my head, waiting for an answer for my silent question. This is embarrassing, how can I not ask his name earlier?

                “Oh! I’m Seh—eunghyun!”

                “Seheunghyun?” a bit weird don’t you think? It’s an uncommon name.

                “I mean, Seunghyun. My name is Choi Seunghyun. You can call me Seunghyun. Yeah, I’m Seunghyun.”

               I snorted as I heard him repeating his name. Why did he sound nervous? Why did he keep repeating his name? Is he giving me a fake name? It’s like he’s assuring me, and himself, that Choi Seunghyun is really his name. But I hear no nervousness in his voice. His breath was not rapid, he shows no gesture of nervousness. Yup, when you can’t see, you maximize the use of your other senses to see what’s around. I trust my ears to hear every move and gesture around, and tell me what they can analyze from it.

               “Alright. Seunghyunssi,” I decide to let him go this time. “Thanks for the treat,” I thanked him. He did say that he was going to pay for the coffee and croissant, as an apology.

                  “Aigoo, it’s okay. This is nothing compared to… to what... I’ve done to you.”

                 “Pssssshhhhhh,” I waved my hands in front of my face, asking him to stop all that guilty talk. Why is he making this a big deal? “I only sprained my ankle a bit. No big deal, okay?”

                    “.. yeah,” he answered after a moment of silence. “Yeah, okay. Do you… You sure you don’t want me to take you to a doctor, Baekhyunssi? You really can walk with that ankle?”

               “I’m not sure if I can walk, but I’m sure I don’t need to go to a doctor. I was supposed to meet my friends here around Myeongdong, but.. oh, can you tell me the name of this cafe? I’ll just ask them to come here instead.”

               As soon as Seunghyun told me the cafe we’re in - Tous Le Jours – I quickly sent a message text to Luhan and Chanyeol, asking them to come to this cafe instead of the meeting point we decided before because it’s impossible for me to walk there. I used an old phone my mother use to have, the one with keypad on it. Smartphones? Bleh, not very friendly with me, those kind of phones. My mom said that smartphones nowadays are more high-tech and there’s this feature that can help me read a text message where the machine reads our text out loud for us. Seriously? Na-ah, no way. I don’t want to spend money if my old cheap phone can do what those smartphones can do. I mean, not reading your texts out loud, no. But it’s enough. I use my phone only to make phone calls (which numbers had been saved in the speed dial – 2 for Umma, because 1 is reserved by the phone for mailbox and I don’t know how to change it, 3 for Appa, 4 for Granny, etc etc) or sending text message. I can still recall the alphabet placed on the keypad. Well, a little typo here and there but people understands. They usually answer my text with a phone call anyway. Just like what Luhan did as soon as he received my text. Luhan, my Chinese friend, is coming with the boyfriend he has been dating for the last 3 years,Wu Yifan. He also came from China, and I have never met him before, so Luhan was going to introduce him to me today, in our little reunion. He also said that Chanyeol is already on his way to Myeongdong with the guy he just dated for a few weeks, Do Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo is Chanyeol’s partner in a duet acoustic band formed since they were in high school. They still do some gigs nowadays in several café, but not as much as before. I heard that Chanyeol had been cru