Chasing Her

Chapter One

To: ahr_eum

Where the hell are you, and why is your phone
off? Do you have any idea how concerned I am
about you? I saw you just yesterday, and I’m
positive nothing went wrong between us,
so why did you leave? Was it something I said?
I don’t get you, Ah Reum. Didn’t I tell you
that I had something to say to you?

From: sayhun

Ah Reum snorted. She would usually be happy that the thought of herself crossed his mind since he’s usually too busy relishing in Da Eun’s presence. Now that he is, happiness doesn’t seem like the correct word to denote her feelings.

To: sayhun

Don’t worry about me! It is not like you.
I’ll be back soon, so just enjoy the time off
from being my best friend.

From: ahr_eum

Ah Reum sighed as she set her phone down to tie up her hair. She had arrived in California just eight hours earlier, and the jetlag was a whole new sensation she had never perceived before.

The first thought that came to her mind when they arrived was that she wanted to sleep, eternally if she could. However, her dad would not let her. At that time, she was already on her way to the couch when her father had stopped her and gave her a lecture on why she shouldn’t rest and how she will promptly regret it if she closed her eyes. Honestly, if Ah Reum was not so exhausted, she could’ve sworn that her father’s eyes had become huge hearts. Ah Reum could tell that he was quite enthusiastic to show her what California could offer, notably since she lived in Korea her entire life.

He recommended going to the beach, which Ah Reum was firmly against the idea. They had squabbled about that on end for an hour until Jaesop received a call from Mi Seok. He surprised Ah Reum with the news that she will be joining them for dinner that night. He deferred the visit to the beach, quite hesitatingly and gave her free time to go wherever she desires, while he shops for groceries. However, he gave her only three areas she could go. It was either the mall, the ice cream parlor or accompany him to the grocery store. He said it was because she wasn’t too familiar with the environment yet, so if she went anyplace else, less crowded nonetheless, then it would be more troublesome for him to find her.

Ah Reum pondered about it for a long time.

The grocery store was instantly eliminated because the workers that work there frequently disdain her for just meandering around the store without purchasing something. They’d susurrate about how she should go to the mall and window-shop instead of wasting her time and theirs. That was not the only reason, of course. Sometimes, the market permits the consumers to try out samples to decide if they want to buy the item. A shopper is naturally given one sample for free to entice them to purchase the item, but Ah Reum lines up multiple times, with the pretense of wanting to be sure before she buys it. Does she buy the food, though? No. That’s why they banned her from the store.

Going to get some ice cream sounded incredibly tempting. Ah Reum could use something cold in such hot weather. Her only dilemma was that she couldn't spend her entire day at the ice cream parlor. After she buys her ice cream, what is she supposed to do while waiting for Jaesop to pick her up? It was alright when she was with Yixing. He had a lot of fascinating stories to tell, but as she’s by herself, everything would be different. The clerk would stare at her after she buys, wondering when she will leave or if she will order another one. Despite her love for sweets, ice cream, though tasty, ultimately gets displeasing to eat, and too much sugar will make her too hyper as if she isn’t already.

In conclusion, she’s bound to go someplace else to kill time, just until Mi Seok comes to her father’s home for dinner.

With both the ice cream parlor and the grocery store crossed off, she had no other choice but to go to the mall, yet it is like an indoor beach. There would be too many people and too little space to move. In place of sand, there would be gum adhered to the grounds, frustrating many and causing some to grin. 

After years of deciding, Ah Reum presumed that the mall would be the best place to go. After all, what better way is there to waste your time than to gaze at what you want but can’t have? If Ah Reum received a penny for all the times she’s wasted her time desiring something she can’t have, she would feasibly still have zilch because the time she spent in her fairytale-like delusions was never a misuse of time. 

Of course, that’s just to explain how broke she is, so even with the allowance both her mother and father gave her, the only thing she can afford is a meal at the food court.

Ah Reum grimaced at the thought. What kind of person only goes to the mall to eat?

Saying her adieus to her father, Ah Reum immediately began her (window) shopping spree without anticipating much. She initially believed that the mall in California would have the same contents as the mall she frequents, but she was erratic.

Everything that she observed left her amazed. She had never seen six-inch heels at her local mall before, so seeing them up close left quite an impression on her. Perhaps when she saves up more cash, she’ll buy it for Yerim. After all, she has always been whining about how short she is.

No matter how often Yerim complained, Ah Reum liked her height. She frequently felt the need to remind Yerim of how cute her height was just to get on her nerves.

…

Ah Reum often warned others that running away from their difficulties is never a solution.

How ironic because here she was lying down on a bed at Mattress Warehouse, thousands of miles away from home with a mind as full as a stuffed turkey.

Her head throbbed with each