CHAPTER 1 - "Not Going Anywhere"

Alone and bored, I decide to take a picture from the Hachiko Monument when I saw a guy.

“Oh.” was the only word that came out from my mouth.

He was really pretty, standing tall and handsome. Like a model for a clothing line. His hair was black, maybe 5’8 in height, not too skinny but also not muscular.

 I guess he was missing something because it looked like he was looking for it. Or maybe he was looking for someone. Maybe he was waiting for someone to arrive.  He kept looking around until his eyes met mine.

Immediately I tried to look away and pretended to take another picture from the monument. Go, Min-ah. You can do this! Hwaiting!

“Konichiwa!” a guy behind my back said.

“Konichiwa!” I said in response and faced him.

At first, I thought he was Japanese because he looked really YEPPEO. (Some Japanese guys are actually a lot prettier than women) but then I realized I got it wrong when he started to speak in a clear, hanguk manner.

“Are you, by any chance, Korean?” he asked after the 5-second silence and stare.

“Yup, I am.” I answered and gave him a smile.

“By the way, my name’s Lee Taemin.” He said and held out his hand.

“I’m Min-ah. Bang Min-ah.” I replied and shook his hand.

“So, you’re alone?”

“Yes. I came here alone.”

“You’re not scared?”

“Of course, I am. It’s my first time here.” I told him and noticed his deep, brown eyes staring at me.

“Well, if you don’t mind, I’d like to walk around with you. Maybe show you around the city. Is that okay?”

“Uhh…” I hesitated and started to look around for the guy I saw a while ago.

This time, he wasn’t alone. He was talking to a girl, with matching holding hands. What the?

“Min-ah?” Taemin said, breaking my thoughts off.

“Oh?” I answered and faced him.

“Are you listening to me?” he asked, making sure I was really fine.

“Yeah, I was. Okay.” I assured and gave him a smile.

“So, you’re a photographer?” he asked, pointing to my DSLR while we were walking.

“No. I’m not. Actually, I’m still a student.” I told him.

“Really? Me too, but I’m studying here in Japan.”

“So you’ve been staying here for some time.”

“Yes, we moved here since I was ten years old.”

We continued to talk for a few hours as we strolled. He mentioned some names of stores and stalls we passed by. Finally, after some time, the Sanrio store caught my eye.

“Chamkanman.” I told Taemin. Without waiting for his response, I stopped and took a shot.

“Minah-sshi?” he called out.

“Yes?” I answered and looked at him.

“It’s almost noon, let’s go and eat lunch. Okay?” he asked and smiled.

I smiled back...