http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAzWT8mRoR0

[A/N]

Red - You

Blue – Junhyung

Green - Hyunseung

Insert your name when you see ____.

“Congratulations __!” my English teacher said.

“Thank you so much, ma’am,” I replied shyly.

“I knew you’d win in this competition. I was never wrong in choosing you to represent our school in the short story writing contest.” She brushed off some of my hair that covers my face and patted my shoulders. “Keep up the good work, okay? I’m now going to leave you here. Enjoy the spotlight.”

 

I nodded and thanked her again. She gave me another pat on my shoulders and left me. I sat there in the left part of the stage clutching the trophy I had just won.

 

“Congratulations __!” shouted someone so loudly, it made me jumped from my seat. I look up to see who it was and saw my classmate, Shinhye.

 

I gave her a small smile and a nod. “Thank you, Shinhye.” She congratulated me over and over again saying how proud she is to have a classmate who can write good stories. This happened a lot of times as my other classmates came to congratulate me as well. I find it tiring since I am not used to people looking and talking to me. But I think I should get used to talking to people now.

 

I turn the pages of the draft of the short story I wrote. Because of this story, people started noticing me and I gained a lot of self confidence.

 

‘Maybe if I didn’t write about our story,’I thought. ‘I’d still be the __ everyone knows. Quiet. Shy. Distant. An introvert.

 

I closed the draft of the short story I wrote and hugged it tightly to my chest.

 

“Thank you so much. Thank you.”

 

~~~~

 

 

“____!”  My grandmother exclaimed. She gave me a big hug and I hugged her back. “My, my you’ve grown so big! Every time I see you during summer you seem to be growing taller and taller! Aigoo, things keep changing. The only thing that has not changed about you is you still don’t talk!” My grandmother said and let out a chuckle.

 

I gave her a small smile and bowed as an apology. She patted my back and led me to my room. I was putting my clothes I brought with me in the drawer when the door suddenly burst open.

 

“____-unnie/noona!” exclaimed by a young boy and a young girl. I smiled as I see my two younger cousins, Eunhae and Eunmi. Both of them gave a me big hug.

“Let’s play ____-noona!” Eunhae said tugging the shirt I was wearing.

“Let’s play! Let’s play!” Eunmi repeated.

 

I put out my sketchpad and started writing. This is the way I talk to other people  They find it weird that’s why no one talks to me or even wants to be my friend. After I finished writing, I let my cousins read what I wrote.

 

I WANT TO, BUT I HAVE NOT YET FINSIHED FIXING MY THINGS.

 

Before they could complain my grandmother came in with her walking stick. “I told you Eunhae and Eunmi to not bother your __-unnie. She must be still tired because of the long journey.”

My twin cousins started whining. “But we want to play with ____-unnie,” Eunmi said.

“Yeah, we missed her so much,” Eunhae said.

 

Seeing how much my cousins wanted to play with me, I told my grandmother, IT’S OKAY GRANNY! I’LL PLAY WITH THEM.

 

Eunhae and Eunmi jumped up and down and immediately dragged me out of my room.

 

We played the game we usually play whenever we stayed over at grandmother’s ancestral house during summer – hide and seek. Grandma’s ancestral house has a lot of rooms that’s why we love playing hide and seek there. This time, it was Eunhae who was the it. Eunhae faced a wall and we started the game. Eunmi and I ran and looked for places where we can hide. I saw Eunmi hide in one of the drawers in the hallway. I on the other hand, went upstairs. I saw the room in the end of the hall in the second floor open which was unusual since it is always close and locked.

 

“1!” I heard Eunhae shout.

 

I hurriedly run to the room and close the door slowly and quietly. It was my first time to enter this room even though I always spent my summer vacation in grandmother’s house. I expected to see a room with beautiful interiors just like the other rooms in the house, but to my surprise the room was empty except for a big wardrobe at the end of the room. The room was so dusty that I leave footprints as I walk. I approached the wardrobe thinking that it would be the best place to hide.

 

“3!” I heard Eunhae shout again.

 

Without anymore hesitation, I opened the dusty old wardrobe and step inside. The wardrobe was full of black coats which will make it more difficult for Eunhae to find me. I move further to the end of the wardrobe. I moved and moved until I felt a gust of wind and something weird touched my feet. I looked down and saw grass touching my calves. It was also then I realized that the surroundings became bright. And when I finally turned around, I found myself in an entirely different place.

 

I clutched my sketchpad to my chest and started exploring the place. It was sunny and the place had lots of full grown trees and bushes. The silence was deafening and the only sound I can hear is my own footsteps and the rapid beating of my heart against my chest. I walked until I came to a desert-like place. But still it did not stop me from the exploring the strange place. I tremble as I walk, but something inside me tells me to continue walking. I walked through the sandy place and only stopped when I saw a guy going my way. He was wearing a grey shirt underneath a black button-down polo and black pants.

 

I think he saw me for he halted. He looked at me with a blank expression on his face, studying me from head to toe. I guess he found me boring because after taking a look at me for a while, he shrugged and continued to walk. I watched him walk but suddenly, BAM! He bumped into something invisible. I tried to control my laughter but he saw me and glared at me. I immediately stopped laughing and looked away. From the corner of my eyes, I watched him rub his forehead and study the thing he bumped into. I saw him run one of his hands in the air and knock his knuckles in it. He made a knocking sound as he pound his fist in the air which confused him and me as well. I stepped closer to him and did the same thing he did.  It turned out that he bumped into a glass wall.

 

I looked up to see how high the glass wall is. Fortunately, it wasn’t that high, just a few feet above our heads. We both looked from left to right to see if there is anything that would help us cross over the wall. However, we found nothing. The more that I look farther in the horizon, the more the place becomes endless.

 

Giving up, I sighed. The guy’s shoulder’s deflated and he sighed as well in disappointment. He bent over touching his knees. ‘He must have come from a far place,’ I thought. 

 

The guy stood up again and he looked at me. Our eyes met. I blushed slightly realizing how handsome he is. His black hair parted to the left, his bangs partly covering his left eye. His slightly pouty lips are just kissable. I looked down in embarrassment as I realize how plain looking I am to him.

 

I looked up again for I heard him knock on the glass wall. He was saying something to me but the glass wall blocks whatever sound he was making. I made signs that I cannot hear him and this time, the guy shouted in the hopes that I would be able to hear him already. But still I cannot hear any sounds so I shook my head to tell him that I cannot hear a thing he says. The stranger sighed in disappointment and put his hands on the pockets of his pants. I waited for him to do something when an idea came into my mind.

 

I opened up my sketchpad and started writing. From the corner of my eyes, I saw the guy eyeing me weirdly. After I finished writing, I showed him what I wrote.

 

DO YOU KNOW HOW TO WRITE?

 

The guy scoffed and rolled his eyes. He spoke and although I didn’t hear it, I was able to read his lips and I’m sure he said ‘Of course’ with sarcasm.

 

I tore a page of my sketchpad and made it into a paper plane. The guy furrowed his eyebrow was he look at me with curiosity in his eyes. I searched my pockets for an extra pen. Luckily I found one. I threw it over the glass wall and the guy caught it. I also threw the paper plane I made and let it fly over the wall. Good thing the air was still and the paper plane I made reached him.

 

The guy looked at the paper plane and the pen I gave him and back to me. I wrote again in my sketchpad.

 

SINCE WE CAN’T HEAR EACH OTHER AND SINCE WE KNOW HOW TO WRITE, WHY DON’T WE COMMUNICATE TO EACH OTHER THIS WAY?

 

A small smile broke into the guy’s face. He started unfolding the paper plane and began writing.

THAT’S A GOOD IDEA.

 

I smiled back at him and we started asking each other question, like why we are there and where we came from.

 

SEE THOSE HIGH RISE BUILDINGS BEHIND ME? THAT’S OUR PLACE. The guy said.

He asked me in return where I came from. I pointed out to the silhouette of trees and bushes on the horizon behind me.  THAT’S WHERE I CAME FROM.

YOU LIVE IN A JUNGLE?  He asked one eyebrow raise.

I giggled and shook my head. NO, I DON’T LIVE THERE! I CAME FROM A DIFFERENT PLACE.

 

I explained to him that I was playing hide and seek with my cousins in our grandmother’s house and I hid myself into a wardrobe in one of the rooms.

AFTER THAT, I FOUND MYSELF IN THIS UNKNOWN PLACE.

 

The guy was in awe and his mouth was slightly open. I WAS JUST KIDDING OF COURSE. I KNEW YOU DON’T LIVE THERE. YOU’RE TOO BEAUTIFUL TO LIVE IN A FOREST.

 

I blushed slightly and my heart skipped a beat. No guy has ever called me beautiful in my entire life. I was watching him from the corner of my eyes and I can see him blushing as well. He was looking in the other direction rubbing the back of his neck. It became a bit awkward but I decided to break the ice.

 

I sat down on the sandy floor Indian style and the guy did the same. We bombarded each other questions and told each other about ourselves. He would tease me every now and then and I’d do the same thing to him. It was our first time meeting and talking to each other but I feel so comfortable with him, like I’ve known him for a very long time.

 

WHAT BROUGHT YOU HERE BY THE WAY?  I asked him.

I WANT SOME QUIET TIME TO WRITE LYRICS. I WAS WITH MY FRIENDS BUT THEY CAN BE NOISY AT TIMES, SO I WENT TO LOOK FOR SOME QUIET PLACE. He replied.

I MUST BE DISTURBING YOU THEN. I told him.

He shook his head. NO. IN FACT, I ENJOY YOUR COMPANY.

 

I smiled at him and we continued what seems to be endless conversation. We were so immersed in talking to each other that I forgot I was playing with my cousins and that they might be looking for me now. I immediately stood up much to the guy’s surprise and told the guy that I have to leave already.

 

MAYBE WE CAN TALK AGAIN SOME OTHER TIME.

I’LL BE HERE AGAIN TOMORROW. He said. SAME TIME.

 

I nodded and bid him goodbye. I have run already when I heard a loud knock on the glass wall. I looked around and read what the guy wrote.

 

I FORGOT TO ASK, it says.  WHAT’S YOUR NAME?  To think about it, we haven’t given our names yet to each other. 

I’M _____, CHOI _____. HOW ABOUT YOU?

I’M JUNHYUNG, YONG JUNHYUNG.

 

I gave him a bow and bid him goodbye again. As I left he knocked on the glass for the second time.

DON’T FORGET, SAME TIME TOMORROW!

I nodded, bid him goodbye and finally left.