So Min

It was almost 1am as I strolled..

No…

Skipping.

Yes, I was skipping, down the alley that led to my home.

It had been a long day, but I did not feel at all tired. Deep down inside every nerves, my body was wide awake with elation.

“You are home late, young lady!” scolded Mom as she stood with both hands tugged at her waist. “Eeekss….You reek of alcohol!”

Giggling like a silly fool, I stumbled into the house clumsily. I was drunk, because I drank. And I drank because I was happy. I had not been this genuinely happy for a long, long time.

I was drunk, but I was conscious…well, partially conscious to be concise.

Mom moved towards me in an attempt to support my body, but was startled by another voice.

“I’m sorry, Auntie. I should have stopped her from drinking so much.”

“Oh…I didn’t realized that we have a guest. And you are…?” I heard Mom asked.

“I’m her colleague. Sorry for disturbing you at this hour. I’ll be gone once she has settled down.” Hyun Joong apologetically explained while holding on to my arm the whole time to prevent me from tumbling forward.

Mom was hesitant in her response and I started to wonder what in the world was she thinking of. I felt like the three were frozen in that short time frame that Mom was speechless.

Finally, she thawed the ice, “I’m terribly sorry that my daughter has caused you so much trouble. Come, let me take her.”

Hyun Joong looked rather doubtful and tried to clarify, “Are you sure that you’ll be ok alone with her, so drunk?”

Before Mom could reply, I could hear the thunder roaring and throngs of water suddenly came pouring down from the dark sky.

“I guess I should be asking if you are ok daring into the torrential rain?”

I may not be totally clear minded, but I swore I could sense some cheekiness in her voice.

What has gotten into her?

Hyun Joong

I could not help but smiled at her wittiness.

I offered to carry So Min to her bed and her mother shooed me out of the room after that.  The drunkard was chanting  ‘Cheers’ and ‘One more glass’ repeatedly when I left her to be changed by her mother.

And because of the sudden downpour, I ended up spending the night sleeping on the floor in So Min’s living room. So Min’s mother was efficient and immediately furnished me with an oversized T shirt and track pants that belong to So Min, a pillow as well as a blanket to ensure my sleep on the sofa is sufficiently comfortable.

As I stared up at the unfamiliar room, I felt surprisingly comfortable in this alien environment. Though small, I could feel the warmth that radiated from every object in the room, in contrast to the cold four walls that I had been enclosed in for the past months. Even So Min’s mother made me feel very warm inside when I talked to her. She made me feel that I had known her for ages and oddly, she had the power to make me feel like a part of this family. A pity that I could not remember anything, for if I did, I was pretty sure that my own mother would be just as nice as her.

The alcohol must had been effective to drug me to sleep. I did not realize when I closed my eyes and when I opened them, the morning light had penetrated through the living room. Slowly, I sat up and smelled the surroundings that wisped of fresh pancakes being made.

It was a Saturday morning and I had a very good sleep.

No dreams last night. No nightmares for once in my amnesic life.

After folding the blankets and putting it away with the pillow neatly, I started my search for any signs of soul in the house.

And there she was in the kitchen, with a whisk in hand and an apron hanging over her petite frame.

Her smooth, soft skin reflecting the beauty of the morning light..

Her angelic face gleaming with unspoken happiness that infected my heart to float up with the soothing breeze.

The mere sight of her twirled my world into an enchanted forest, and there was only So Min and I, under the clear blue sky while birds were chirping to echo the music in the air.

“Like what you see?”

The enchanted forest suddenly disappeared as I turned around to find myself face to face with So Min’s mother smiling mischieviously.

“Good morning.” I greeted bashfully.

 “Good morning, young man. If you are done staring at my daughter, could you come and help me set the table for breakfast, please?” invited So Min’s mother.

I complied quickly as I could feel my stomach rumbling for some food too. As I approached So Min with the intent of transferring the pancakes that she had laid on the plates to the table, my breathing became more uneven as I inched nearer to her. She was humming a light-hearted tune and was not aware of my presence behind her. She turned around abruptly and rammed into me. Fortunately, I caught hold of the plates in time before they crashed onto the floor while I relied on my upper body to cushion her fall. When she realized that her palms were cupping on my chest, she retreated immediately but that earned her another clumsy fall with her bum hitting the cemented floor. This time, I was unable to react fast enough to save her and could only stand right before her and watched her grunted in pain.

Her mother, whom I bet was watching the scene the whole time, burst into laughter. Her laughter was so infectious, and coupled with the fact that seeing an over reacted So Min was rather funny, I could not help but joined her. So Min, on recognizing what a clown she had been, amalgamated her chuckles with ours.

It was such a blessed moment for we were so happy over such a simple thing. And the joy continued throughout our breakfast as we chatted and ate our hearty breakfast.  

Stealing a glance at So Min from the corner of my eyes, my smile widened beyond control and a soothing sensation enveloped my heart.

For a brief moment, I felt like I was home. 

If only this blissful feeling would last…

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Bowwow

I really would like to pen down a few words to thank everyone who has left me your comments here and also in my inbox. A little tired after the chapter and tomorrow i have an early morning. So, I just want to quickly thank all who has given me your encouragement in my last update and your undying support. I want to thank the new subscribers and also let you all know that i really appreciate your subscription.

Please continue to read this story and hope it will be enjoyable till the end!

Good nite!!! =o)