CHAPTER SIX

Sara woke up the next morning with a headache. She realized that she hadn’t eaten anything at all last night. She shuffled to the fridge and almost cried when she found it empty. She had never seen an empty fridge before. She stared at it in wonder. “So this is what living alone is like”, she said to herself. Then she smile brightly. “Time to go shopping”.

She quickly showered and put on a warm sweater, jeans and boots. It was still really cold outside.

While she searched for the nearest convenience store, she pondered on her current situation. Posing for online shopping advertisements had been easy. She never really had to watch her weight; maybe it was because she danced so much. But being an actual model was a different story altogether. Was she prepared to give up her love for food just for this job? It was only for a month. But then what? She had her degree in journalism. But where should she work? She could speak Hangul all right, but not on a professional level. If she wanted to stay on, then she needed to take extra classes.

All this pondering had brought her to a supermarket. She looked up in surprise. “How did I get here so quickly?” she laughed at herself. She grabbed a basket and began to pick up a few ingredients. While looking for a small bag of flour, she mistakenly bumped into another’s trolley. “Ah, I’m so sorry, I wasn’t looking”, she said quickly. She looked up and managed to keep herself from gasping in wonder. “How can a guy be this pretty?” she asked herself.

He looked up at her in surprise. “Its ok, you didn’t get hurt did you”? He asked in concern.

“No, I’m fine thanks”, she replied.

He looked at the ingredients in her trolley and then chucked. “Are you making waffles”? he asked her.

“Close enough, I’m making pancakes. How did you know?”

“Because I’ve got the same ingredients too, look”, he showed her the contents of his trolley. They both chuckled.

There was an awkward moment when they didn’t know what to say next, so he bowed and said quickly “Im Ryeowook, nice to meet you”. She did the same and said “I’m Sara, nice to meet you too”.

Sara couldn’t look at him any longer without blushing. She felt the need to run away. She was intensely aware of her ordinary looking clothes and her wavy out-of-the-shower hair. What was it about him that made her so awkward? “Princely, that’s it, he looks princely”, she said to herself.

Ryeowook on the other hand was amazed at himself for being able to talk to her.

He wanted to find out more about her, but he didn’t know how to go about it.

“Sara, are you new around here? It’s just that I’ve lived in this neighborhood for awhile now, and I know almost everyone who lives nearby”, he began.

“I just moved here yesterday”, Sara replied with a smile. “I’m from the U.K. , Sorry if I seem abit lost at the moment Ryeowook-shi”, she said with a laugh. “I’m still getting my bearings”.

“Wow, so you’re here alone?” He asked in shock. She nodded.

“But you’re so young! Aren’t you afraid?” Ryeowook was really amazed. Even though he debuted when he was really young, he still had his hyungs for support whenever he needed them.

“I’m not afraid, and I’m already 20, I can take care of myself”, she said with a bright smile. Ryeowook wasn’t so sure. She looked like she needed someone to take care of her. “Ah, what do I do? I can’t leave her all alone like this, and I’ll be gone to Taiwan again soon.”

“Sara, I won’t be around in the next few days, so if you need any help, then please call this number”. He quickly wrote down a number and a name next to it. “It’s my hyung’s number. I’ll tell him about you, so if you need anything, then just call him, ok?” Ryeowook handed her the number and gave her a reassuring smile.

Sara was abit overwhelmed at all this care and attention. “Ryeowook-shi, you’re too kind, thank you for all your help”, she said sincerely.

“I’m glad I could help Sara”, he said with a grin. “Let’s meet again when I have some free time ok? Remember to call that number”.

“I will, thank you again Ryeowook-shi” she said. And with that, they parted ways. As Sara stepped outside into the cold, she felt her cheeks burning. “Ah! He was so cute!” She remembered the note he had given her, and took it out of her pocket.

 “Kim Jong Woon” was the name on the note. “Jong Woon-shi, I hope  that I don’t trouble you too much, but knowing me, its bound to happen” she said with a sigh.