“Time flies, Love stays.” Maino raised his left arm, right hand still holding the mic. Finally. He told himself as the lights dimmed, signaling him to leave the stage. That was the end of his solo performance. He ran towards the backstage where their managers were waiting.

 

“Good job,” a man wearing a black, tight-fitting pants and shirt worn beneath a short jacket said as he approached him. It was Hoon, rapper and main dancer of their group.

 

“Good luck hyung,” was Maino’s response while raising his hand for a high five. It was time for Hoon’s solo performance.

Maino continued walking with one manager behind him. When they reached their destination, he turned the knob to open the door of their dressing room and was a little shocked when he didn’t find the other 2 members of their group inside. He was expecting they would be there.

 

“Want me to get you something?” Simon, one of their managers asked him as soon as they entered the room.

 

“No, thank you,” he answered as he gave his manager a small smile. “I just want to rest a bit while waiting for the next performance.”

 

His manager nodded then left the room to give him some time to rest.

 

As soon as the door closed, Maino sat down on the arm of a leather couch and pulled off his boot. For the moment, the soft couch was a haven to his exhausted and aching body. He closed his eyes, let out a deep and heavy sigh. Four more group performance before their concert ends and they can finally go home. This was the last leg of their World tour. They could finally rest and go to a well-deserved vacation.

 

He reached for his head then started giving it a soft massage. He could hear the fanchant in their dressing room. Hoon was going to sing two solo songs before their encore performance so he kept his eyes closed and rested for a bit more. He dropped his hands on his chest and felt an unfamiliar object. It was the necklace gifted by a fan. He decided to wear it since he found it cute. It has a pen-shaped pendant. He was distracted, as he suddenly felt hungry.

 

Oh I want to eat some delicious steak tonight. He told himself.

 

As soon as he said it, a bright and flashing light came out from nowhere. The brightness of the light grew stronger. He felt his body shivered. As he opened his eyes to see what happened, confusion flooded Maino’s mind, drowning him in doubt and questions.

 

“Where the hell am I?”


__________________

 

 

Gal was on her way home. It was already 11 in the evening. She just finished her 15-hour shift in the hospital. This day was a very tiring day for her. She had to perform an 8-hour operation to a little girl and she was just so thankful that the operation was a success.

 

Gal’s a well-known general surgeon who’s on her early thirties. She was the youngest doctor to be featured on TIME magazine and the youngest on the TOP 10 best Surgeons in the country.

 

She firmly grabbed the steering wheel as she felt sleepiness taking over her body. Rubbing her brown eyes then letting out a deep yawn, Gal took a right turn in an intersection and was stunned when a man suddenly crossed the street. She pressed her foot sharply on the brake pedal and her car came to an abrupt stop.

 

“,” she cursed to herself. She looked at the man in front of her car and he was as shocked as she was.

 

Gal went out of the car to check if the man was okay.

 

“Sir, are you okay?” She looked at him with a very concerned look.

 

The man looked at her, confusion visible in his eyes. It took a while before he answered, “Where am I?”

 

Oh shoot! Did I hit his head? Does he have head trauma? Gal murmured to her self.

 

She reached for his head to check any head injury and noticed the guy to be a little taken a back by her action.

 

“I’m sorry, sir. But I need to check if you hit your head. Don’t worry I’m a doctor,” she said as she carefully examined him.

 

“No, I’m fine. You didn't hit me,” the man said and she could feel he was feeling uncomfortable so she decided to stop checking him.

 

“Miss, where am I?” the man asked again this time in a bit firmer tone.

 

“You’re in Sanip, sir,” she answered. The man seemed to be more confused by her answer so she asked him “Is there a problem?”

 

The man looked around then finally met her gaze. “I’m not in South Aerok?”

 

“No?” her answer sounded more like a question. Where the hell is that place. She asked herself. That was the first time she heard of that place.

 

He looked at her intently and she felt shiver down her spine.

 

“Sir, I’m sorry but I think I need to bring you to the hospital,” she was expecting him to say no so when he nodded his head, she felt a sigh of relief.

 

“Just to make sure, you’re okay,” she continued.

 

She headed back to her car and felt at ease when he heard him coming after her.

 

Surely something’s wrong with him. She told herself.

 

 

_____________________

 

 

Gal was in her hospital office while other doctors were doing the tests on him. She could have done it herself but she was too tired since she had been awake for 18 hours straight.

 

Their ride to the hospital was silent. The man did not dare to ask any question so she decided not to ask anymore question. While driving, she noticed the man was properly dressed for an occasion or something. He was wearing a booths, white fitted pants, white shirt and a blue jacket with lots of Swarovski stones. His hair was neatly brushed up and he was wearing a light makeup. Sure it wasn't a casual look. It was like he was attending nope, more like going to perform on a concert.

 

She her laptop and started searching for ‘South Aerok’. Sure she was not a geography-person but she was sure it was the first time she heard of that place. As expected, she found nothing about that place. She was pretty sure she found no head injury on him, no physical signs of head trauma, so she was confused as to why he was showing signs of amnesia.

 

She was deep in thoughts when she heard a knock on the door.

 

“Come in please,” she said.

 

A white bearded man entered his office. It was Dr. Villanueva, one of her seniors and the doctor who performed test on the mysterious man.

 

“He’s okay. No signs of any head injury. Results of all the tests done were good.” He exclaimed as he handed her the test results.

 

She reached for the papers as she let out a deep sigh.

 

“But why he seems to have amnesia?”

 

“He doesn't seem to have lost his memory. I asked him his name and he was able to answer me. He gave me his age, birthday, name of parents, he can clearly remember everything. But..” he stopped as he took a step forward with brows furrowed.

 

“What is it Dr.?” she asked, her tone now full of curiosity.

 

“He seems a bit weird. I asked him where he lives and he mentioned a place I’ve never heard before,” he uttered.

 

“South Aerok,” she muttered in an almost inaudible voice but enough for Dr. Villanueva to hear. He nodded.

 

“I gave him a map and asked him to show me where that place is located but he was kind of confused. He pointed to Corea but he said he wasn't quite sure because the map he knows was a little different from what I gave him.”

 

“Do you think he’s traumatized doc?”

 

“Yes, I think that's the best explanation as to why he was confused as to where he lives,” he paused for awhile. “I think he just needs some rest and some food because he said he was feeling hungry.”

 

Gal gave the old doctor a small smile.

 

“I told him to wait in the lobby,” he informed her as he walked toward the door. Before he stepped out, he gave her one last look, “And Gal, I think you also need some rest,” gave her a sweet smile before leaving the room.

 

She took one last look on the test results that she was still holding. She groaned and rubbed her sore back as she stood up to meet the mysterious man.

 

 

________________

 

 

The mysterious man was sitting on one of the benches in the hospital lobby. He stared at the cellphone he was holding. He searched for his manager’s number and tried calling him but his call can’t get through. His phone had no signal.

 

“What the fck,” he muttered. He wanted to curse and swear more, and had to clap his hands on his mouth to prevent it. All he wanted to do was to go home. But how could he go home if he didn't even know where he was. He was deep in his own reverie when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked back and saw the woman who almost hit him looking as tired as he was.

 

“So your name is Maino,” she paused for awhile, handed him the papers she was holding before continuing, “You’re fine, sir. Nothing to worry about.”

 

He reached for the test results and smirked to himself without looking at her.

 

She waited for him to answer and when she was sure he wasn't going to say anything, she asked, “Are you hungry?”

 

He finally raised his head to look at her, “Hell yeah.”

 

She smiled before saying, “Let’s eat. My treat.”

 

He stood up from where he was sitting and walked in front of her.

 

That was the first time she really had a closer look on him. She never thought he was that tall. It was like they had 1-foot height gap. His hair was a little messier now, it was still brushed up but few hair strands were already hanging down his forehead. She stared absently at his face, examining every inch of it. His dark eyes, streaked with shining silver, glimmered under the fluorescent light. His nose was just as perfect as his lips and his perfectly carved jaw. Her heart had quickened the moment she realized his gaze was steadily fixed on her and even now her breathing was uneven.

 

She felt uneasy under the close observation of those pale black orbs and hastily looked away.

 

He seemed to have noticed her uneasiness so he took a step back away from her.

 

He offered his hand while giving him a sheepish grin, “Want to formally introduce myself. I’m Maino.. And I gladly accept your invitation to eat.”

 

With a smug smile on her face, she reached for his hand, “I’m Gal.”

 

 

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