500 Won Coin

Everyday she always hear him and his guitar. At first she thought it was cute but now she finds it pretty annoying.

"Get a job, pretty boy." She kicked his guitar case that had a nice sum of cash and coins inside. "If I knew you were going to be out here everyday doing this, I wouldn't have given you my money in the first place.

The nerve of him doing what he loves for only an hour a day and still manages to make more money compared to how much she makes in her 9 to 5 job.

"Chaerin could you be a little nicer?" He smiled and strum the strings on his guitar, playing the same usual tune he always plays.

"Don't say my name especially when I never gave my name to you in the first place." She uses her serious tone, hoping that will show him that she didn't like him very much if it wasn't already apparent to him yet.

"Then I'll wait for an appropriate time to say your name like when you're serving me chicken and rice." He grinned mockingly at her.

She clutched her name tag that is attached on her work uniform, her eyes flickering to the floor. What he had said struck a nerve for her. There was nothing wrong with working in a restaurant, serving food to ungrateful people like him. At least she's working hard to get what she wants, at least shes' not the one sitting on hard and dirty cement, practically begging for spare change. Knowing that keeps her head up high.

"Right and when I'm serving you chicken and rice you will get the honor of tipping me in advance." She crouches down at his eye level and picks up a 500 won coin from inside his guitar case. "Thank you for your business."

"Put it back." He surprisingly shoots her a glare.

"...No." She clenches the coin in her hand. "I'm tired of being scammed by jerks like you. I know what you're really doing here. You want to take money from poor innocent folks by playing your sad music and fooling them into thinking you're depressed and in need of help. But all you're doing is using the money to get those ridiculous tight colored pants you're wearing right now!"

"Shut up! You don't know why I do this! Now put the coin back!" He said in a demanding tone and continues glaring at her. Even if she had donated him more money than that 500 won coin she has in her hand before he still wanted that 500 won back, but she stood up with no chance of giving it back and that angered him. "Put the coin back where you took it and just maybe I'll be nice enough to find another street where your Y attitude won't walk on!"

She scoffs, as if she would really stay after being told she has a y attitude. "Goodbye." With that she leaves with the coin secured in her hand.

"Hey!"

3 days past and she hasn't seen him since, leaving her to think he was out of her life for good or so she thought. As soon as she opened her door, he was back in her sight, standing before her.

"W-what are y-you d-doing here?" She stammered over her words and was shocked by his sudden appearance.

"GIVE IT BACK. GIVE ME BACK MY 500 WON COIN!" He yelled in a drunken rage, clearly still frustrated over the matter of her taking his coin.

"Go away before I call the police." She choked and suddenly stumbles backwards, falling further into her apartment when she felt his weight on her. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"She screamed and tries to push him away but he had already locked his arm around her with no intentions of freeing himself from her.

"Minjun, why did you have to leave?!" She heard him let out a heart wrenching cry. "No matter how hard I tried to, I couldn't save you. Chaerin, I couldn't save him." He cried and his tears that flowed down from his eyes soaked her shirt.

She could feel how broken he is and having experience a big lost herself she found herself relating to him in some kind of way and that made her comfortable enough to let herself wrap her arms around his waist, giving him a heartfelt hug that he needed dearly.

"It's okay." She rubs his back soothingly, giving him reassurance to rest his chin on her shoulder and to have that necessary sleep to get out of his drunken state.

When she felt it was about time he sobered up already she slaps him across the face. The pain on his cheek naturally woke him up. He groggily sits up and saw that he was half . He figures he must have smelled awful for her to go out of her way to strip him.

"Sorry, I got tired of waiting for you to wake up. " She sits beside him and touches his forehead to see if he has a fever or not then she lowers her hand on his bare shoulder, giving him a massage. "Would you like something to drink?" She offered.

Although a small smile crept on his lips when he touched her, he still couldn't help but feel sad. The way she was being kind towards him after he barged in her life and acting like a drunken fool just makes him feel apologetic even more.

"Then I guess we have no choice but to start talking now." She removes her hand on his shoulder and places her hand on her lap. "I came across your student identification card, Kang Seungyoon and since you already know my name we could skip the introductions?"

"Yeah," He sighed lowering his head as he felt embarrassed that not only does she know he is underage but also how younger he is then her. That would explain why she isn't hot and bothered to see him shirtless. She doesn't see him as a man.

"How do you know I live here?" She asked, curious to know if he's been stalking her or not.

"I do an early morning paper route. During the time I was delivering paper I just so happened to see you throwing out trash. I saw you had a key with the number 21 on it and I just sort of knew it was your apartment number. " He answered honestly.

"But why did you-" She paused and shook her head, thinking it was best to save the question she had for him later. "So there was more to you then just singing on the streets for money. I'm sorry for assuming you did nothing but that and I should really be commending you for being able to have the confidence to sing in front of strangers."

"...You know most of the money you see in my guitar case is actually my own money that I put in there and I just sing because it's something to do before I start my shifts at the grocery store. It's not really a big deal." He awkwardly rubs the back of his neck.

She smiled and held his calloused hand. "You're cute Seungyoon-ah and you are a hard worker. I'm sure Minjun knows this too."

When she mentioned the name, Minjun he finds himself breaking down in tears. He pulls his hands away from her to wipe his tears away.

She didn't mean to make him shed so many tears but she thought it was best for him to come into to terms with what happened and hopefully help him through his suffering by letting him realize it's okay being, okay.

"Who is Minjun?" She asked and only the sound of his sobbing filled the air. She knew he wasn't ready to talk about the emotional topic so she starts to open up to him first.

"My boyfriend wasn't exactly someone you would bring home for mom and dad to see. He wore big metal clad rings on each finger, occasionally he would cut his ragged jeans so high up his thighs it had people staring at him to see if he was really a man and his hair color changed every week, sometimes every two hours. He was truly a parent worst nightmare." She chuckled as she reminisce the old times and continues to speak.

"But I love him and no one can change how I feel for him, even when he himself failed to keep his promise to stay with me forever." She sniffled and blinked away her oncoming tears. "Even when he left me with all his debts, I still love him and I hated myself for not catching the signs sooner. If I did maybe he he would still be alive." This time she let the tears flow freely. "You never get over it but you still have to keep moving and that's what I'm doing. I'm still alive and healthy, I must move on." She finished and wiped away her tears.

"Minjun was my best friend since grade school." He finally spoke, feeling a common bond with her. "I grew up only trusting and relying on him to make me happy. That's why I tried so hard to earn money to save him when I found out he had a heart condition and needed a heart transplant. I was too late though. He left this world yesterday." He clenches a tight fist and says through gritted teeth. "I want to follow him so bad, so so bad." He took his right hand and ran his sharp nails over left wrist, creating red marks.

"What good will that do for you? All it does is show how selfish you are especially when there's lots of people who find life so valuable but never got the chance to live a long life. You can cry, scream and lash out until you feel better but those thoughts about following your friend should be kept away. I'm sure Minjun soul won't be at peace if you were to act on your thoughts. Live on Seungyoon-ah, okay?" She cups his cheeks and began wiping away his tears.

He sniffled and stared into her eyes, feeling skeptical as he wonders if he's the only one with a heart that is pounding loudly against his ears. If her heart beat the same it would be too good to be true but when he came to her, he came knowing she would be the one to make him feel better.

"Do you know why I came to you?" He asked in a soft whisper and places his hand over the top of hers.

"I've been curious about that. Why?" She was really curious because they were strangers more than anything. She slightly tilts her head, waiting for an answer. "Seungyoon-ah?"

Why tell her when I can show her? He had a brief moment of thought. He then found himself pulling her hand down from his cheek and leaning forward to kiss her on the lips but she didn't comply to his movements. She turned her face away, not looking at him at all. That stopped him from moving any closer.

"Are you not going to answer me?" She asked with a sigh, giving him enough reason to not try anything on her.

"Right." He cleared his throat and moved his face away from her. "You just look like a person that's full of wisdom. That's why I came to you."

"So that's why- I got your clothes in the dryer. Your mother must be worried about you. I'll go get your clothes for you so you can go home." She stood up and walks away to fetch his clothes.

That ended their night together.

***

"Minjun with you gone, there's really not much to do but to focus on school and what fun is that, huh?" Seungyoon closes his wallet after he finished staring at a picture of his friend. He leans his forearms on a rail and looked down at the streets and sidewalks, keeping himself distracted.

"You always told me I have to be confident around women." He continues to talk to his friend who is no longer there. "You always told me to make the first move because as much as they think they don't want you, in the end they always want you." He sighed. "Well my friend, It's easier said then done. I don't think Chaerin want me at all. She showed no interest in me when I tried to kiss her, Minjun-ah."

He stood up straight and stretched out his arms, with his wallet still in his hand a 500 won coin slipped out of his wallet. "Huh!" He heard the coin bounce on the ground and saw the coin roll off the balcony he stood on. Instinctively he ran out of the cafe he was in to get his fallen coin.

When he made it to the entrance of the cafe he saw the coin was untouched and suddenly a breeze past by. The sand particles in the air went in his eyes, irritating him, he stopped to rub his eyes.

Meanwhile the coin was stepped on and kicked by several passerby's. The coin somehow flipped on it's side and when Seungyoon eyes were less irritated he saw the coin rolling away again. He kept his eyes locked on the coin while carefully trying to grab it.

As he avoided bumping into a few people and street poles, his brows furrowed in confusion. It was strange its as if the coin has some strange force pushing it to continue to roll away from him and for some strange reason he's following it. "What the-" He was about to have a breakdown if he doesn't get the coin in his hand soon, but as soon as he felt like breaking something the coin came into a halt when it collided to surpisingly the girl that he had on his mind day and night.

"Yes!" Chaerin cheered when she lifted up her feet and found a 500 won coin underneath her shoes. She crouches down to pick it up. When she stood up she smiled to herself while examining the coin.

The sight of her made Seungyoon entire body shake. He was filled with emotions that was too much for his heart to take, and he tears up feeling like it was his friend, Minjun's doing because meeting her like this was far from being a coincident. It was fate. "How did you know I wanted to see her, Minjun?...Even in the afterlife you're still caring for me." He muttered to himself and gathering enough courage he walks up to Chaerin with his hand extended out. "Give it back."

Chaerin smiles becomes brighter when she saw Seungyoon in front of her because if she must admit, she was wondering where he has been all this time. She doesn't say anything and places the coin on the palm of his hand.

"That's not what I meant." He held onto the coin and dropped his arm to his side. "I meant...give me back my heart." He looked at her with a strong gaze.

Her smile slowly faded into a thin line, "Seungyoon-ah, I know you felt a connection that night when we were together but I think you got the wrong idea. Instead of being lovers like I think you want to be, what we are really meant to be is friends. I'll make it even better. I'll be your Noona-" She gasped when Seungyoon suddenly s his arms around her waist and when he leaned forward she frantically asks, "What are you doing?" She leaned back to avoid anymore contact and she would have fallen backwards if it wasn't for him holding on to her.

"If you won't give me back my heart, then I will steal yours." He loosens one arm to grab her chin because he wasn't about to have her turning her head on him like she did last time. He laid a soft kiss on her lips then he nuzzles his face down her chin to her collarbone before pressing his ear against her chest. "I hear your heart beating fast." He smiled.