"Oh gosh, oh gosh...it's not in here!" I panic. I rummage through my entire bag for the giraffe origami I made a couple of days ago, but I can't find it. I remember sandwiching it between a couple of random pages of my Japanese literature textbook a couple of days ago. I thought it's in it the whole time; however, as I flip it through, the origami is not there. 

"皆さん, おはようございます(Minnasan, ohaiyoo gozaimasu-Good morning, everyone)!" a professor chirps while strutting through the door. 

"Ohaiyoo gozaimasu..." I mumble to blend in with the students' voices. 

"Welcome to food management! I'm Zhoumi, your instructor, and I look forward to working with you all in creating the best culinary experience for future restaurant businesses." 

The missing paper creature is etched in my head for pretty much the whole class. I know what you're thinking. It's just a piece of paper. I can make another one. No big deal, right? But I use the origami papers I've saved in the time capsule for a long time to make that giraffe. And when I made it, I feel as if the yellow 紙 (kami) carries a nostalgia spell through my fingers that send me back to memory lane. I remember that day when I first got Kyuhyun and Yesung into origami very well. We each made all of the three animals of our choices, and we proudly displayed our creation on our nightstands. That was also the day when we practiced reciting our KRY pact. Oh! Wait! I think I have not mentioned to you about KRY, huh? We called ourselves the KRY; we just took the first letters of our names and put them together. In our pact, we promised each other to be best friends forever. But when my parents and I moved away, I didn't get a chance to contact them. It's a long story. It is hard for me to tell them how much I missed them or how I did far away from my childhood home. And the more I became distant, the more I forgot all about us and the pact. 

The squeaking sound of chairs jolts me from my thoughts. I stuff my things back into my bag.and walk quickly, hoping to catch the bus, which will leave in 5 minutes. Strangely, not many students head out of campus at this time. The sky goes dark, and street lights cast golden shadows. I almost arrive at the empty bus stop when suddenly I hear a piercing scream coming a few feet away. I crane my neck to see three figures illuminated by one of the street lights. To my horror, a guy's face was covered with a black beanie and mask, leaving a pair of eyes tinted with hatred. He is strangling a man by the neck and kicking another man who is lying on the road. 

"Junwo! Please!" the man on the ground begs, "Let him go!" 

"Let me finish him off first," the man in black scoffs, "then I'll put you to death." 

"No!" the innocent wheezes. He coughs out blood. "Please! Junwo! Please! Spare me! Not my love!" 

"I don't want to see you or him alive!" he booms, "Homos don't deserve to live! They're pathetic like fleas!" 

My blood boils. I can't stand seeing the man squeezing the victim's neck like a lemon juicer any longer. That guy needs to learn a lesson! So I hold onto the straps of my backpack and walk to the scene.

"Stop what you're doing or I'll call the cops!" I stand my ground. 

The bully glares at me, "None of your business, kid." 

"I mean it!" I try again, holding my phone. 

"Look! Back off, kid! Or you're next in line!" he snarls. 

"You have no right to harass people." 

"What did you say?" he snaps his head in my direction. He drags the suffocating man away and storms towards me. He fishes into his pants pocket for a pocketknife. Like a flash of lighting, he flips the knife open and points it too close to my chin. I can feel my skin turn white, and my whole body trembles, but I keep my posture still. 

"How dare you telling me off like that." he gnashes his yellow teeth, "Are you saying you're with these...hideous humans? Gays aren't suppose to exist. They're a mistake!" 

"Why? W...why would you ever call them a mistake? It's love that matters, right?" I argue calmly. 

"Hah! Love, eh?" he raises his eyebrow in dismay, "I don't see it." 

"Then, you have to look harder." 

His eyes are menacing red — the metal blade scatches against my skin. I squeeze my eyes shut so that I can avoid his stare. I expect him to stab my neck when suddenly the tension is cut off by a harmony of police sirens. Red and blue light flashes in the night. The sound of a megaphone blares through the air. 

"降伏してください (koofuku e kudasai- Please surrender)!" a policeman orders. 

The guilty curses in Japanese. Once the police dash out of their cars, he drops his weapon and puts his hands up. 

"Ryeowook!" a voice makes me jump. I turn to see someone who I avoid giving eye contact in Japanese literature class. The tall classmate with soft brown hair grabs me by my wrist and pulls me into a hug. A soothing hug. I'm in total shock when he wraps his arms around me at first, but in a few seconds, I feel...safe. Oddly. 

"Are you okay? Did you got hurt?" he gushes, "Good thing I called the police beforehand!" 

"Y...you did?" I stammer. 

He cups my face with his big, soft hands and looks into my eyes worriedly. His brow furrows when he sees a cut on my chin. 

"Don't worry about it." I reassure, "It's just a scratch." 

"It could have gotten worse." he frowns. 

The man in the mask is handcuffed by a couple of officers. A few others come by with four paramedics and a stretcher. The victim, whose body is bruised pretty badly, is immediately transferred onto the stretcher. The other one, who I assume it's his boyfriend, massages his neck with one hand and holds his lover's hand with his other one. Thank God he's okay! He suddenly spots us and heads towards us. 

"Hey! I want to say thank you for helping us just now." he smiles, "Seriously! I wish I can repay you! You were brave." 

"Oh!" I exclaim, "Uh...no problem. I was doing what I feel is right." 

"You almost got yourself killed!" Kyuhyun hisses. 

"Well, if it weren't for me, this poor man would be dying of oxygen!" I snap back. 

"I agree with your friend here." the man nods, "Junwo is one of Osaka's most wanted criminals. His target is always gay couples, but I'm even surprised that he almost stabbed you. Good thing we're saved. I wonder who called the police." 

"That would be me." Kyuhyun raises his hand. 

"Good call!" he praises, "Thanks for doing that!"

"Anyway," I say, "I'm glad you're okay. And I hope your friend is too." 

"Thank you." he nods, "Heechul would be grateful for you too. Oh! And my name's Hangeng." 

"Well, Hangeng, I'll pray that Heechul will be okay." I smile back. 

"Thank you again." he bows and runs to the ambulance. 

                                                                           *                                   *                                  *

Unlike the plastic seats, I usually sit in trains, the leather seats in Kyuhyun's car have heat pads installed. The mirrors look like they are freshly polished, and the Bluetooth in Kyuhyun's iPhone 7 connects to the stereo. Damn! His car is like a hundred times more expensive than the cars my friends drive! One thing that catches my eye (and I don't even know such a thing existed) is an electronic cup warmer equipped between both of our seats. I wonder how many cups coffee does he drink every day? 

A part of me tells me that I shouldn't have accepted his offer of driving me home. I can take the bus on my own since I've done it so many times, plus it's half an hour away. However, he insists on taking me home after my almost-got-murdered incident. But come to think of it, another part of me assures that having him around feels secure. I keep taking peeks at him. He has grown so tall and handsome. His brown locks fall close to his black, doll-like eyes. Any girl will be lucky to have him like a boyfriend; he as a bodyguard will be a bonus. He even rests his left hand on the steering wheel and taps his other hand on his thigh to a playlist of Chinese and Japanese pop songs. 

"You like listening to Asian music, huh?" I ask. 

"Yeah," he answers, "They make me motivated in learning new languages." 

"Do you still sing?" 

"I still do," he nods, "but it's hard to sing as much as I want to." 

"Really? Why?" 

His tapping stops. A chill of regret shoots through my spine. 

"Did I...say something?" 

He immediately shakes his head, "No, it's fine. It's just that...my dad...he...uh...forbids me from playing music or singing. Or even listening to music." 

I stare in disbelief, "What? Why?"

He shrugs, "He doesn't want me to be a musician." 

"But I thought you've always wanted to be a singer. I remember you saying it many times when we were little kids." 

Kyuhyun takes a glance at me with a small smile, "Let's say...I have a rocky relationship with my dad. He keeps pushing me to study science so that I can be a doctor." 

"He did?" I exclaim. 

"It's not that I hate my Appa," he continues, "but it's just that he doesn't understand me. He thinks he knows what I need, but the truth is he doesn't have a clue at all. I keep telling him over and over about me wanting to be in the music field, but he scolds me that arts are a waste of time. We don't always agree on a lot of things either. And whenever I signed up for a talent audition or performed in a small crowd, only Umma shows up." 

"That's why, when we had concerts planned by Yesung's mom, I never got to see your dad." I muse. 

"So, you noticed." Kyuhyun smiles. 

"I...never thought of that till now." I reply, "I'm sorry." 

"Hey! No need to pity me." he chuckles as he watches for the traffic light ahead, "I won't stop singing. Music is my life. I can never get out of it."

He still has that glint of determination in his eyes, which reminds me so much of my admiration for him back when I was in elementary school. 

"By the way," a thought hit me, "the boy who sits next to you at Sungmin Sensei's class is Yesung, right?"

"Duh! Don't you recognize him?" he teases.

"Hello! It's been years since I saw you two!"

"He hasn't changed a lot, you know. He still acts goofy."

"He does? Aww,! Yesungie!" I giggle.

"He'll be so happy if you call him that." he giggles back. 

"Yeah. Just like old times." I agree.  

There are short gaps of silence in between. I try not to tick off a long list of questions written in my head because I know Kyuhyun has to focus on his driving. Despite that I fill up the awkwardness with simple questions, it's nice to talk to him again after a long period of separation. 

We stop talking for two minutes until I figure it's time to bring this matter up. 

"I'm sorry," I mumble. 

"What for?" 

"For...bumping into you on the first day."

I hear him chuckling. "What's so funny?" 

"You still won't brush that off? It's only a teeny tiny accident," he replies. 

"You scare the hell out of me because of the way you looked at me." I roll my eyes, "You looked like you hate me right from the start." 

"Why would I hate my long lost friend?" 

I look at him in surprise, "D...did you just say...long lost friend?" 

Kyuhyun presses the brake as a traffic light in front of us turns red. He looks back at me, "Well...you are my long lost friend." 

"I...I thought you've forgotten about me." 

"Are you kidding me? I would never forget about you." 

"Then...I know this sounds wrong, but," I spill, "are you...mad at me for...not writing to you or Yesung back then?" 

I readjust my scarf to avoid his stare. 

"Maybe a little," he answers. 

"I knew it." I sigh. 

The sound of the car engine fills the atmosphere. Kyuhyun takes a deep breath. 

"Hey! You know what?" he says, "Let's put the past behind. All it matters is that you're here back in Osaka. I've missed you." 

His words are like a veil lifting off from worries that have been weighing in my heart for so long. "I...I've missed you too," I reply. 

He pulls the gearshift lever up to parking mode; I realize that we're already at my house. He must have read the house numbers while we are talking. 

"This is where you live? It looks cozy in there," he remarks. 

"Thanks. It's a homestay kind." 

"Nice! You must be lucky." 

"Well, what about you? Do you still live with your family?" 

"Nope," he shakes his head, "I live alone." 

I stare at him with wide eyes, "You what? For real?" 

"Yeah," he explains, "my parents are back in Korea for business, and my sister travels around for concerts." 

"Oh, wow! They sure have busy lives." 

"Yeap." he looks down at his fingers. His lips are zipped in a thin line, almost like a frown. 

"You know," I suggest, "my homestay guardian, Leeteuk told me that he'll cook ramen for dinner tonight. Do you wanna join us?" 

His mouth hangs slightly open.

"He has two adorable children, by the way." I persuade, "I bet he'll be happy if he has you as a guest for the night." 

"Ryeowook, that sounds lovely," he says, "but I don't wanna crash in ...you know...so randomly." 

"Okay. Then how about we set up a dinner date?" 

"A date?" he raises his eyebrow. 

"I mean a friend date...with Leeteuk and his boys. I'm sure it'll be great." 

He taps his chin for a moment. "Sure. Why not?" 

"Great!" I unbuckle the seat belt, "Are you free tomorrow night?" 

"I have a class tomorrow night, unfortunately," he replies.

"On a Friday? being you!" I make a face. 

He pouts and thinks for a few more seconds, "I'll text you then...wait, I don't think I have your number." 

"Oh! Right!" I quickly take out my phone, "Here! You can type in your number in my phone while I do the same with yours." 

"Okay." he agrees and unlocks his. 

After exchanging numbers, I thank him for giving me a ride before I get out of the car. 

"Ryeowook!" Kyuhyun calls as he rolls down the window.

"Yeah?" 

"How's your schedule tomorrow?" 

"Umm...I'll be on campus till noon." 

"Do you wanna join Yesung and me for lunch?" 

I can feel my heart bouncing. I have been anticipating for something like this for so long! 

"I would love to!" I smile. 

"Great!" he waves, "See you tomorrow, reckless brat!" 

"Huh?" 

"Don't get close to a criminal next time!" he smirks and drives off. 

"Whatever." I roll my eyes. 

It takes me a minute to realize that Leeteuk is standing at the half-opened door. He has a surprised look on his face. 

"Did he say criminal?" he his head to the right, "Something happened, Ryeowook?" 

"Oh! Leeteuk-san! ただいま (tadaima-I'm back)!" 

"おかえりなさい(Okairi nasai- welcome back). Oh! Is that a cut on your face? What in the world happened?" he gasps. 

"I'm fine, Leeteuk-san. I was saving someone from being attacked by Osaka's most wanted criminal." 

"You what?!" his jaw drops.

"It's not as bad as you think. Trust me." I stiffen a laugh. 

"Well, young man," he pushes me upstairs, "you have some explaining to do while I go and find the first aid kit." 

"Yes, Leeteuk-san." 

"By the way, who's that friend of yours?" He's good looking." he asks. 

"You saw him?" 

"Well, I should thank him for dropping you off at this hour." 

Gosh! Kyuhyun should definitely come over!

"My childhood friend," I reply, "Cho Kyuhyun."

Ryeowook (リョウク)