He's that kid!!??

 

“Naomi? Are you okay?”, Jun Ki asks me.

 

“Huh?”, I say as I am pulled out of my thoughts yet again, “Did you say something?”

 

“I asked if you're okay”

 

“Oh. I'm fine. So what are we doing now?”, I ask

 

He looks at me with a smile.

 

“Is there anywhere you'd like to visit today? I can take you before it gets too late”, he says looking at me caringly.

 

“I don't know... I should probably get back to the apartment before Bong Cha-”, as Jun Ki cuts me off, I feel the air getting heavy.

 

“You've been in Korea for almost two days and haven't even gotten to see anything yet. Why don't I take you to least one of my favorite places, then I can take you to your apartment and you can rest. How does that sound?”, he says, as begins motioning me to his awaiting car.

 

He looks at me with so much sincerity that it begins to melt my heart, BUT, I will not be moved on my decision.

 

“I really should go-”

 

Then he does the one thing that can break my decision. The only thing that can break them. He gives me the puppy eyes.

 

“Fine”, I say with much annoyance. Well, I guess, at least, I get to see a little bit of Seoul for the first time.

 

We begin to walk towards the parking garage where we had parked his car and instead of entering it, he begins to guide me to a bike parking area. Motor bike that is. As in motorcycle.

 

“What are you-”, I'm at a loss for words as I see the bikes all lined up. I feel almost faint, like there is no breath to be taken.

 

“Are you okay? You look a bit pale”, Jun Ki says observantly.

 

“Maybe I should just go home I'm starting to not feel so well”, I respond as I begin to walk back to the building, planning to just call a cab to take me to our apartment.

 

I feel the world begin to spin around me.

 

“Naomi, what's wrong?”, Jun Ki begins to say frantically as I start to lose my stability.

 

“Ms. Naomi? Naomi!”

 

I hear people's voices calling me.

 

“NAOMI!!”

 

As I fall, I feel arms catch me just as my head almost hits the pavement, and the last thing I see are those eyes that I knew those many years ago.

 

“Mom, why is that boy crying?”, my six year old self asks my mother.

 

“I don't know. I'll be right back, okay?I have to go ask your father a question real fast.”

 

“I'll be here.”

 

I wonder what the question mom's asking is...

 

Why is that kid crying?

 

I walk over to him.

 

“Boy, why are you crying?”

 

“Go away”, the boy says to me.

 

“But I don't want to. My name's Naomi, what's yours?”

 

“Minho.”

 

“Hi. Now, look. You're not crying anymore”

 

“... Thanks.”

 

“I like you”, my six year old self says innocently.

 

“Would you just leave me alone. I just want to be by myself.”

 

“But I don't want to.”

 

I am being stubborn. That's what mommy calls it.

 

“Do you want to go get some ice cream?”, I ask as I hear the ice cream truck coming closer.

 

“Why would you do that for me? You don't even know me.”

 

“Because you look like you might need a friend.”

 

I take his hand and we walk towards the truck as it approaches. I begin to pull him along but I begin to lose my breath. I feel like I have no air in my chest. I begin trip over my own feet and fall to the pavement.

 

I feel something hit me and hear tires screech.

 

My head hurts.

 

I feel someone pick me up.

 

I look up and the last thing I see are these beautiful, fear stricken, brown eyes.

 

“-mi? Ms. Naomi? Are you awake?”

 

I open my eyes and find myself in a bright, white room.

 

“Thank God. I was so worried.”

 

My eyes are still blurry from whatever happened. Why am I here? Where is here?

 

“Ms. Naomi, can you hear me?”, I hear an almost melodic voice ask me.

 

“Yeah, but, I don't understand what happened. Where am I?”

 

“You're at the hospital. You passed out outside the studio. You've been out of it for three-and-a-half hours.”

 

“Oh.”

 

My eyes finally adjust and I look over thinking that it was Jun Ki who had stayed by my side, but was shocked by who I saw.

 

“Why are you here?”, I say with animosity just dripping off of the words I say.

 

“You don't have to be so rude to the person who saved your life, Naomi”, Jun Ki says as he enters the room, “If it wasn't for Minho here, you probably would have had a serious head injury. You're very lucky that he was there when you passed out.”

 

I felt embarrassed at being so rude. I usually am able to hold in my anger. Why do I just feel angered whenever I speak to him... I really need to get that under control.

 

“What happened, why did you just pass out like that? You were fine when we left but then all of a sudden you started almost hyperventilating. Do you have anything wrong with your lungs? It really scared me when I saw you so lifeless when you passed out”, Jun Ki asks in a worried tone.

 

“When I was younger I had some issues with asthma, but I grew out of it when I turned 15. I haven't had any issues in years. I don't know what happened”, I reply, but I can't help but feel that this was no small deal.

 

“Would you like me to get the doctor for you?”, Jun Ki asks while giving me a blindingly beautiful smile.

 

“That would be nice. Thank you, Jun Ki.”

 

Jun Ki leaves the room and I breathe a sigh of relief. I begin to try to sit up when I feel a pair of hands suddenly assist me.

 

That's right. I forgot HE was here.

 

“I can do it myself, thank you very much. Would you just go away?”, I say to Minho.

 

“I believe that when I asked you to do that 11 years ago, you didn't give me the pleasure of being alone so why would I give that to you?”, he asks with a cheeky smile.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

Then it hit me...

 

“That was you?!”

 

As I feel my body shaking at the thought of meeting someone who I had once known, Minho leans in very near to my face and whispers...

 

“It's good to see you again, Naomi.”

 

*********************************************************

 

Sorry about the late update, but I promise I won't give up on this until it is completed... 

 

Please leave comments, suggestions, feelings and concerns in the comment box below... 

Thanks!

 

-Marol