The air was still crisp from the morning rain; drizzle sprinkled down less heavily than before. With one gloved hand on the mirror, and the other on the handle bar of a vintaged Harley Davidson, a man took a deep breath. After 17 long years, he was back, and this time, he was going to stay. No more nomadic adventures, no more drifting from place to place, he was ready to put his roots back down in Busan soil. He had been very successful with his auto repair business in Yeosu, and he decided to take up shop in his hometown. It was just as beautiful as he remembered it. Off in the distance, he could see the faint outlines of the shore of Haeundae Beach. With a second sigh of nostalgia, he revved up the motorcycle engine and sped off down the still highway.

 

 

 

"Thank you! Come again!" Eun Kyo waved. It was oly 12pm on a Saturday, but business had been surprisingly good. Halmeoni had given her a lot vegetable to sell at the Haeundae Market, and they had been selling like hot cakes. At this rate, she could leave early and still have time to go to the beach.

"Jeogiyo! Yeongbaechu juseyo!"(Excuse me, one cabbage please!)

"Ne!" The girl turned away from the stock to find, not an older woman, but Dong Hoon standing there with a wide grin.

"Sunbae!"

"What's up? Wanna go catch a movie?"

"I wish I could, but I can't. I can't leave until I've sold all of this stuff."

All of sudden, Dong Hoon hopped over the small wooden barrier, and looked around at the leftover inventory. There were bags of radishes and carrots, and a few cabbages. It wasn't much but the crowds in the market were thinning out, and at it could take forever to sell everything. He would just have to speed up the process. Grabbing a megaphone from a nearby stand, the boy got on top of a wooden crate and shouted, "Special sale, one day only! Buy 2 heads of cabbage, and get any third vegetable of your choice for free!" 

The brown skinned girl's eyes widened as all of a sudden, throngs of ahjummas stampede to her small stand. She could hardly keep up with all of the orders ash she and Dong Hoon scurried to bag the produce. Everything was happening at once and it was all so exhilarating. How clever! How did he know that this would work. He caught her watching him and threw her a wink before going back to the customers. Eun Kyo had never seen such a rush! In hardly any time at all, all of her stock was gone, and the crowds had subsided back to normal. Dong Hoon sat down on a nearby crate, waiting patiently as she counted how much money they had made.

"Sa baek gu ship pal (498), sa baek gu ship gu (499), o baek! $500!" she exclaimed.

"Uwa, jinja?"

Eun Kyo carefully locked the money box that she used to carry profits to the bank, then placed it in her satchel. She would be sure to make a stop by the bank before going home. But now, she finally had a chance to have some fun. 

"What movie are we gonna see?" she asked leading the boy out of the market, and into the bright afternoon sunlight.

"How about, Jackie Chan's movie, Police Story?" Dong Hoon suggested. He had always been a fan of anything with Jackie Chan in it.

"That's an old one! How about his newest one, I think it's called Rush Hour. I heard its really popular in the States."

"That sounds good to me. Gaja! (Let's go!)." The teenager wrapped one arm around the girl's shoulder, and she wrapped one arm around his waist. She smiled. This was the first time she had ever felt so comfortable with someone other than her grandmother or her friend, Soo Ah. It was nice to be able to let her guard down, and with a boy at that. There was something about Dong Hoon that just made her feel so safe. 

 

After the movie, the two spent the afternoon hopping around from place to place in downtown Busan. They stopped to eat at a ramen restaurant, then visited a few fishcake stands, before settling at a karaoke room. Eun Kyo was a bit worried; in most karaoke places, they were too young to be allowed in alone, however, one of the room owners happened to have been a good friend of Dong Hoon's father, and let them use a private karaoke room. Just as they were about to go in, the room owner beckoned the boy over.

"Hey, is she your girlfriend?" he inquired, with a knowing smile.

The 18 year old blushed and whispered back, "Not yet, but I'm trying." The man chuckled to himself as Dong Hoon hurried to catch up with Eun Kyo down the hallway. The room was cozy and small, with big speakers set up and strobe lights making colorful patterns along the wall. Eun Kyo immediately grabbed a tamborine and the remote, and began looking for a song. 

"Which one do you wanna do first, Eun Kyo?" 

"H.O.T.'s Candy!"

Dong Hoon looked annoyed. "You actually like those pretty boys?"

Eun Kyo felt a little crestfallen. "Well, what do you wanna sing?" 

The two sat on the couch and thumbed through a songbook that was on the glass coffee table. Dong Hoon pointed to a reggae hit called Dear My Lady. Eun Kyo gave him a thumbs up and handed him the microphone. As the background music began, Eun Kyo noticed how the boy's expression changed. He wasn't the laid-back joker that she knew, but a sensitive heartfelt boy. She was surprised at how smooth and velvety his voice sounded. He was actually a good singer! She had never heard the song before, as it was an American hit, but Dong Hoon knew every word of it, even in English. He was so full of surprises! Once again, the brown skinned girl found herself staring at the boy, something she had been doing a lot of lately. Dong Hoon was actually quite attractive; there was indeed a reason why so many of the school girls had flocked around him. Ever since that day at his house where she had burned her hand, she had been seeing him in a different light. The way he had looked at her then, and the way he was looking at her now, his deep voice. Her face was warming up again, the strobe lights were suddenly softening, but it wasnt just the room becoming dark, it was getting dark outside. And it was then that Eun Kyo suddenly remembered.

The music had stopped. "Eun Kyo-ya, there's something I wanted to tell you, something I've wanted to say for years now," Dong Hoon began, his hand on an item in his back pocket. He was about to say more when Eun Kyo leaped off the red sofa.

"The bank!"

The words faded in his throat. "Mwo?"

"The bank!" she repeated, "I forgot to take the profit money to the bank, and they close in 30 minutes!"

"I'll take you there on my moped." The handsome boy exclaimed, the sudden urgency making him forget about the confession he was about to make, "I parked it at our tent bar. It's only a block away. Come on!"

When they got to the moped, they immediately hopped on, and careened into the hustle and bustle of downtown Busan. They arrived at the bank with only minutes to spare, and Eun Kyo was just able to make the deposit. The sun was disappearring below the horizon now, and the girl's grandmother would be wondering where she was, so Dong Hoon agreed to take her home. The giftbox weighed heavy in his pocket. He had just remembered what he wanted to tell Eun Kyo, but it would have to wait until another time. The moped sped a lonely country road. The sky had grown to a light gray, a gentle mist sprinkled down, cooling off the afternoon's heat. They were only a few kilometers down the hilll when the bike began to slow down and come to a complete stop.

"Aish!" the dark haired boy shouted, trying to rev the engine back up.

"Museun iliya?(What's wrong?) Are we out of gas?"

"Naw, I think the battery's dead. We're gona have to walk it." Both of them climbed off the bike and began to pull it by the handlebars the rest of the way. Thankfully, the rain stayed at a light drizzle; it wasn't long until they came to their familiar neighborhood.

"Hey!" Eun Kyo pointed. "There's a bike and auto repair shop up there, and the light's still on. Ppali!" They hurriedly wheeled the moped up to what appeared to be a garage door, and knocked as loudly as they could. 

"Ya! Jeogiyo! Anyone in there?" Dong Hoon called loudly, bamming on the shuttered door. Someone must to have heard them, because all of a sudden, the garage door was pulled up, and in the threshold stood a tall, tough looking man with a black goatee, and his black hair pulled into a ponytail under a skull and crossbones bandanna. He wore a shiny black leather jacket and matching leather gloves with the fingers cut off of them. Most people would find this guy scary, but to them, he was the most impressive man they had ever seen. He must have been new in town, because neither of them could remember seeing anyone like him aroun. He didn't look annoyed at them, but actually amused.

"Evening kids," the man said, in a cool tone, "A little late to be joy riding, isn't it?" Minors have an early curfew in these parts, but I won't tell if you won't." He winked, with a clever grin. "What can I do for you?"

Dong Hoon spoke up first. "My moped's battery suddenly gave out. Would mind giving us a boost. It's getting dark and I really need to get my friend home." The man turned to look at the girl. Eun Kyo suddenly felt very self-conscious under the stranger's curious gaze. But instead of giving them a barrage of questis, the older man showed them inside. As the two guys went to work on the bike, Eun Kyo took the opportunity to have a look around the small shop. It was surprisingly well organized and neat. There were all sorts of leather goods hanging from the wall: leather belts and leather satchels. There was even a small desk in the corner with a lamp, and pile of paperwork. There was even a leather lanyard on the desk, that seemed to still be a work in progress.

"This has got to be the coolest shop I've ever seen," Dong Hoon exclaimed, as they connected the jumper cables from a motorcycle to his moped, which seemed to pale in comparison. "Is that a real Harley Davidson?"

"It sure is. A classic 1989."

"What other things do you use the shop for, sir?" Eun Kyo asked.

"I make leather products mostly, but I do a little appliance repair, microwave, blenders, you name it." All of the sudden the man seemed to be deep in thought, looking at Dong Hoon curiously. "You know, I am a little short staffed right now," the mechanic said, "and I could really use an apprentice to learn the tools of the trade and help out around the shop. You seem like a clever guy, how would you like the job?"

The eighteen year old blinked. "Me?"

"It's only part time, and you would have to work some saturdays, but I'll make the pay worth your while. What do you say?"

For a moment, Dong Hoon seemed to be at a loss for words, but when he glanced at Eun Kyo, she was nodding encouragingly. He talked about cars all the time; this could be good for him.

"I say......alright!" The guys shook hands, and Eun Kyo smiled with excitement. After a few minutes, the moped's engine revved up, and the head lights were back flashing again. 

"Its working! How much do I owe you?"

"Just some free advertising. And by the way, your first day of work is Monday, 9am sharp!"

Eun Kyo climbed unto the back, wrapping her arms around her friend's waist. "Bye, Ahjussi! Thanks again!"

"See ya around kids! Hey wait, you dropped something!" The mechanic called after them, but the teenagers had already sped off down the road. The 40 year old man bent down to pick up an antique wooden box that appeared to have a broke latch. There was something oddly familar aboutit; there was something so recognizable about the mahogany color and the delicate flower carvings. He had seen this somewhere before, but where? He raised the lid and on the bottom of the box, etched in Korean, it said, "If lost please return to this address." The man squinched to read the address at the bottom. At that moment, it hit him. He knew where he had seen that box before. He silently gasped. "Eomma!"