HELLO KOREA

I mentally said. 
"Angeline?" Miss SuAh called out, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Come on, we have to get your luggages, then go out to get you a handphone and send you to your apartment." she listed out the plan. I know it is impossible to reject her offer, so I just nodded and walked towards the conveyor belt.
"Annyeong hasaeyo sajangnim. Welcome back." a man dressed in black suit greeted.
"Aigoo, JinSung ah, when will you stop being so formal?" she said.
"Aniya. This is...?" he looked at me.
"Long story. I will fill you in some day. For now, I feel like I have some responsibility to take care of her. It is like as if fate brought us together." Miss SuAh smiled. I have to admit. She has one of the nicest and warmest smile. A little similar to omma's, but of course omma has the best smile
. "Annyeong hasaeyo agassi, I am butler Lee JinSung. You can call me JinSung too." he smiled and offered a handshake. I stared at his hand, then to Miss SuAh.
"JinSung ah, she has been through quite a bit today. I think she will slowly open up to us soon." she helped me explain about my coldness.
"I understand." he replied. Just as Miss SuAh instructed, we went to Coex Mall to get me a handphone. And also at the same time, she managed to talk me in to let her get me some new clothes. No wonder she is a managing director. Her speech and her way of convincing people is just awesome. Finally, after lunch we went to my apartment, JooSang Bok Hap apartments. I was shocked when I saw the interior. It was just too beautiful. White marble tilings, white wall paper with some intricate designs, white door, it was more than perfect. The furnitures were all in the apartment. I entered the rooms and checked them out. The largest room, a purple room is my bedroom. The other two rooms, one is a study room, while the other is a music room. A keyboard, 2 desktops and a recording mic.
"You really like music don't you?" Miss SuAh asked. I nodded as a smile slowly crept up on my face.
'Thank you omma' I mentally said.
Just then, a flash of light blinded me slightly. Miss SuAh was giggling to herself at her phone.
"You know, just like your name, you really look like an angel when you smile. You should smile more." she turned the screen around to show me the candid photo she took.  "If you don't get into any of the companies, give me a call, I will gladly accept you as a model." she joked. 
"Do you want to rest a while?" she asked. I considered for a moment, but decided that going out to explore when it is still bright day, is better than exploring at night.
  "Ah, you want to go out first? I will bring you around. You should get to know the streets around here. It will be safer for a young pretty girl like you, especially at night." is she a psych?! She could read my mind. Just like omma. Omma...... 
"Yah.. Did I say something wrong? Why...why are you crying?" she flustered. Seeing how worried she was, I decided that I should do some talking too. Well, this is the only way to survive alone in Korea I suppose.
"A...ani.. Just...I miss my omma." I replied her softly.
"Aigoo.. Come here. I will promise to take care of you alright? If you are bored, lonely, homesick, just call me. I will come right away." she tried to calm me down while hugging me. Starting to feel that she is someone that I can trust, I start to open up to her. 
"Go..goma..woyo." 
"Don't be. I just want you to be happy. It is very tough for such a young girl to be alone, what more in a foreign country. Now, no more crying. You don't want to be in the streets with puffy eyes right?" she lightly poked my eye-doe. I nodded.
"He...I mean Butler Lee has been waiting here all along?" I was shocked seeing the same car still at the same spot. 
"Of course, if not how will I be going back?" she smiled. "JinSung ah, I think she doesn't like to trouble people. Why not you go back first? I will bring her to walk around and explore. I will explain to appa when I get back home." she gestured.  After that, we went to walk around the streets. I made quite a bit of mental notes of the lanes and surroundings. 
"Don't stress yourself too much on the first day in Korea." Miss SuAh noticed my troubled face. "You need to take time to recognise places by heart. If you don't feel safe walking alone, you can call me up any time remember?" she placed my hands into hers.  We did some walking around, and decided to do some grocery shopping before she send me back to the apartment.

"Yah!! How can a girl, going through puberty, be eating such unhealthy stuff!!?" she literally shouted. "You should be eating healthy food, not ramyun, nor instant rice. And can food too, put them back!" she instructed. So I went down lane by lane and put them back neatly. 
"I realised you don't have utensils in the apartment." she recalled. I froze at the word utensils. I quietly followed her to the kitchen utensils lane. Picking out the better quality utensils, she placed into the trolley.  Then, she took a few knives, big and small and started to read the descriptions. Images started to flash through my mind.

Appa.   Knife.   Blood.   Death.

I let go of the trolley, clutching on to my head. With the knives still in her hand, Miss SuAh wanted to pull me in, asking if I was alright. I flinched away from her, screaming.
"APPA!!" 
"Ordi? Your head? Let's bring you to the doctor." she said, placing the knives on the shelves. She thought I was in pain. With the images haunting me, I dropped down to the ground, hugging my knees and crying.
"Waeyo??" she was really getting worried.
"Appa, appa died because of me." I stuttered while crying, shaking my head left and right profusely. That murderer. That bloody knife in his hands. Appa's blood shot eyes, staring right into mine as he fell lifeless on my nine-year old body.
"Shhh...shhhh.... It is all over. I am here to protect you." she kneeled down and hug me tightly, telling me that everything is alright. No one will come and harm me. 

~~~~~~~~~~

"You are scared of knives? Because of what happened when you were young?" she asked while preparing dinner. She decided that what had happened in the supermarket was too much for me to handle. She managed to convince me to go over to her place for a sleepover instead, so that she can at least take care of me.
After dinner, I offered to wash the dishes, but she insisted on me resting. She pushed me towards the very large living room and the tv. It was showing an episode where the little girl was being kidnapped and her father was stabbed to death while protecting the little girl. Similar images flashed through my mind. Appa...that was how appa died. 
"AHHHHHH AHHHHH AHHHHHH" I pulled my legs up onto the sofa. My left hand clutching onto my head while my right hand was grabbing any possible item to throw at the TV. 
"SuAh, gwenchana?" I heard foot steps and worried voices rushing down the stairs.
"Appa, Omma, it is not me. The scream was by her." Miss SuAh rushed out of the kitchen, explaining to her parents.
"Who is she?" her father asked.
"Appa, I will explain to you later. She is probably very shaken now." Miss SuAh said. "I will bring her up to my room first. Can you get the maids to send up a cup of warm milk for her? Thank you." with that, Miss SuAh helped me off the sofa as I weakly dragged my way up the stairs. Thankfully she kept holding on to me tightly, if not I might collapsed and rolled down the stairs.
"Hush Hush. You are safe here." Miss SuAh helped me up on the bed and placed the blanket over me. I kept my arms around her neck, not wanting to let go. My tears soaking her sleeves, my fingers clutching on tightly to the back of her t-shirt. Just the way I would wake up from a nightmare and hug my omma.
"Appa appa." I kept calling out.
"Shhh. I am here to protect you. Shhh..." she cooed.
"Agassi, the milk is here." one of the maids walked in.
"Thank you. Place it at the side tabe." Miss SuAh turned her headly slightly.
"There is milk, you got to let go of me so I can bring it over for you." she spoke softly. I tightened my grip, shaking my head left and right.
"Don't don't leave me." I pleaded.
"I won't I am just going a few steps away to take the milk and come back immediately." she combed my hair. Slowly, I let go. She quickly rushed over and came back with the warm milk.
"Drink it. It will help you sleep better." I was about to take a sip when I heard the word sleep. I halted my actions.
"Anything wrong with the milk?" she asked.
"Nothing. I just. I am afraid if I sleep, I will have nightmare again." I wiped my tears.
"You won't. I am here. I want you to sleep peacefully. You will be starting your practice tomorrow right?" she reminded me. Omma always told me that no matter how afraid I was because of the nightmare, I must always sleep well so that I will be in tip-top condition for practice.
"Araso, But, can you..Is it too much of a trouble to ask you to pat me to sleep?" I placed the empty cup on my lap.
"That is no trouble at all." Miss SuAh quickly take over the cup and place it on the side table. Then she climbed on the bed and started to pat me while singing a lullaby. Slowly, in her soothing voice, I drifted off to sleep.