Chapter one:

“One more year until I move to America…” Taemin said as he lay on the floor after falling off the bed. Getting up, he went to cross off the date on his calendar whilst simultaneously slipping on his bright red slippers. “One more year until I’m out of this hell hole of a place.” He sighed and proceeded to the bathroom. Picking up his toothbrush he looked at himself in the mirror and sighed again. Taemin carried out the rest of his morning routine: taking a shower, getting dressed, checking his social sites and napping for an extra hour. All of this done by twelve AM.

“You’ve got mail!” Pinged his phone as he instantly turned his head to see who would possibly text him. It was Onew his outgoing and more social friend. The text read ‘meet me by the train station in 20 minutes, HURRY!’ Taemin rushed out the door still in his red slippers thinking that Onew’s text was a state of emergency. Rather, when he got there he was greeted with a cheerful laugh and a hug.

“Why?” Onew asked looking down at Taemin’s feet.

“I thought you were in trouble, it sounded pretty urgent.”

“well you could at least changed your shoes, if I was in trouble and being chased, how would you catch up to them in SLIPPERS!?”

“Ummmm…” Taemin said actually giving the rhetorical question some thought.

“Anyways I was thinking we could spend a day out in Seoul?”

“You mean the city? I don’t know...”

“Please? It will be so much fun! We’ll stay in the arcade then go shopping and eat out!”

“I don’t know if it’s been you who I’ve been friends with the past 7 years but you don’t know me at ALL.”

“C’mon Tae Tae, for me?”

“Well I’m here now… I guess so.” Taemin sat down on a bench next to a girl reading a book. That same book also happened to be his current favourite: ‘to kill a mockingbird’. He just loved the way the story unfolded and how rich the back story was. Taemin was always someone looking for a good book all the time; he even read books more than once to ‘get a feel for the author and their message.’ Is what he would always say. He seemed to stare at the girl without even trying but he was interrupted by Onew.

“Oooh! Someone’s in love!” Taemin’s eyes shot wide open and he turned around to punch Onew in the stomach almost as if it was rehearsed. But then he noticed something, the girl seemed all but un-phased. She seemed as immersed in the book as a snake being hypnotised by a musician’s flute.

“Excuse me?” Taemin asked her. “Um, miss?” yet the girl still did not react.

“Weird...” Onew whimpered still on the ground holding his stomach.

“Shut up! Don’t say that, she can still hear us.” Taemin loudly whispered back to Onew without realising the girl putting down her book.

“Can I help you?”

“Huh?”

“You wanted my attention… I’m sure it was you.” The girl looked at Taemin and Onew rather puzzled. “Why is that boy on the floor?”

“Oh him? I’m not sure, he must have tripped.”

“Should we help him up?” she placed her finger on her chin to further show her confusion.

“No, he’ll be ok.” Taemin smiled and closed his eyes to make himself what he calls ‘cute’. But by the time he opened them again she was back to reading and ignoring the outside world.

“Taemin, our train is here.”

“Right, let’s go have some fun!” he said rather sarcastically. As he stepped onto the train the girl looked up and told him “you have nice slippers. Your style is different. I like different.” And with that the train doors closed and Taemin looked out at the girl.

“Thanks.” He said. “Nice book.”  He stepped away from the doors and went to go find Onew who was at the very end of the carriage.

“Down here!” Onew shouted out.

“I know.” Taemin said rather dully as he waddled down the aisle in his red slippers. Two children laughed and pointed at him but when Taemin went to look at them they stopped instantly, like he was some sort of authority. Taemin never felt like he had a presence and always kept back, so this was new to him.

“You ok?” Onew asked, “You look pretty down. Is it that girl? We can still get off at the next stop and walk back to meet her again!”

“That idea is possibly the worst I’ve heard from you. She probably would be gone by then plus the next stop is Seoul dummy! But no, it’s just...

“Just? What is it?”

“I never got her name; I’ll probably never see her again. I’ll never be able to contact her; it’s just depressing when you think about it. Without a name you’re no one.”

“Whoa! Someone’s gone too deep into the metaphor tunnel.”

“Heh.” Taemin said looking outside the window like they do in the movies.

“This has gotten to depressing too quickly, let’s be more positive!”

“Right!” Taemin said in a lighter and happier voice. “So what should we do first?”

“Well I was thinking we could go to eat some sushi and then go bowling!” he suggested whilst playing around with the water bottle in his hand.

“Cool, how about we also go play some laser tag?”

“There’s the old Taemin I know!”

“That Taemin grew up 7 years ago… Haha”

“Right. Why did you grow up so fast, you was only 13?”

“….”

“It’s ok, another time.” Onew gave a reassuring smile whilst patting Taemin’s back.

“Yeah.”

 

Memory:

“Don’t forget me while you’re gone!”

“I won’t, I promise!”

“Remember my chant!”

“Of course...”