The Third Picture

                Youngbae checked and rechecked his reflection in the mirror. Everything looked good but maybe he looked a little too nice. He frowned before glancing back at the bed to the t-shirt he had been wearing before. He had decided it had been a little too casual but now he was rethinking that decision. At least he didn’t have to worry about how to do his hair. He really only had one hairstyle with his Mohawk.

                He was about to change clothes again when his phone began to buzz. He immediately picked up and was pleasantly surprised when he heard Jiyong’s voice.

                “What’s up, man?” he asked, finally giving up on picking a different outfit to wear. He’d just go out with what he had on and make the best of it. She probably wouldn’t notice or care what he was wearing anyways.

                “I’m going out tonight with Seunghyun and a couple of girls. You want to come?” It was the same offer he got every week with slight variations; the other guy with them sometimes changed but two times out of three it was Seunghyun.

                “I can’t tonight.”

                “If you tell me you have to study, I swear I’m going to punch you the next time I see you,” he sighed. It was the same threat he always used, but this time it had a lot more gusto than any other time. Youngbae was glad he had a real excuse now.

                “I have a date.”

                “You serious?”

                “Yeah I’m serious,” he laughed, “Her name is Chohee and we’re meeting at the Han River in about an hour.”

                “You better get going!” Jiyong exclaimed, “Argh! You should’ve told me this earlier. Your outfits always , man! Don’t put on any cologne; your cologne too. Try not to be too shy but don’t be too forward-”

                “Yes, Mom, I got it,” Youngbae groaned. Honestly, he was in college and Jiyong was supposed to be his best friend not acting like a stand-in mother figure. They said quick goodbyes and Jiyong wished him good luck before Youngbae exited his room.

                His real mother was sitting in the living room with the dog on her lap as one of her dramas played on the flat screen TV. She turned and cocked an eyebrow at him, “Where are you going?”

                “To the Han River to meet up with one of my friends,” he replied, a bit unsure about whether or not he should tell her about the whole date part. Well, he wasn’t completely sure that what he was going to qualified as a date; it was more like tagging along with a girl but he wanted to believe it was.  

                “You’re meeting up with Jiyong? Shouldn’t you be studying instead?” she inquired, her onyx eyes boring in to him as the dog snuggled closer to her.

                “It’s the beginning of the semester. There’s nothing to study yet,” he lied. There was always something to study. He had a test in two weeks to prove that point but, for once, he wanted to focus on something other than getting his degree.

                “If you’re sure…”

                “I’m sure,” he smiled, wondering how he had actually gotten away with a lie. It was the first one he had told her since his father passed but he had never been good at lying to her in the first place. He tried not to act too suspicious as he put on his shoes. He patted his pockets to make sure that he had his wallet and keys before heading out the door.

                He was a little late to the meeting place but that was the bus’s fault no his. It was only by a few minutes but he was still afraid Chohee might have thought he stood her up and left. So, he jogged over to the food cart where they said they’d meet and let out a breath of relief when he saw her waiting there.

                She was wearing the usual baggy sweatshirt but it was accompanied by a cute, fluffy skirt. The two didn’t really go well together but it meant that she had tried to look nice too. The thought made Youngbae grin from ear to ear. She was also carrying a different camera. This one looked extremely expensive and fancy, even to a camera novice like him.

                “You didn’t wait long, did you?” he asked, apologetically.

                “No, not really,” she shrugged before lifting the camera up. He was ready for the picture this time though. He smiled and did a peace sign as the shutter clicked. Her lips quirked up into a smile as she looked at the small screen displaying the now captured moment.

                “No Polaroid?” he asked before walking over to her side.

                “Polly is a day camera. I use Leo at night,” she explained.

                “You gave them names?”

                “They’re my babies. Of course I’d give them names. Don’t you name your things?”

                “I haven’t had anything important enough to name yet,” he laughed. Before she could reply to that, he went over to the owner of the cart and ordered two ugly dogs, hoping that she was as hungry as he was. Luckily, once he handed her the food, she devoured it almost instantly.

                He ate his a little bit more slowly, enjoying the fat laden food as the two began to wander down the street. He continued to munch on it while holding her leftover stick so she could take pictures here and there. He tossed the remains away in the nearest trashcan and chuckled when Chohee decided to take a picture of that for some strange reason.

                “Do you like the river?” he inquired, hoping to make some sort of conversation. She paused, her cheeks turning a light shade of red before nodding. That surprised Youngbae because he hadn’t asked something particularly embarrassing.

                “It’s someplace I always wanted to go on… you know.”

                “A date?” he asked, now blushing himself. She nodded and Youngbae had to push down the absolute victory he felt. It was a date! It was a real date! This was the first step to having a girlfriend.

                “This way,” she suddenly said, grabbing his wrist and pulling him down the bank, closer to the rushing water. His fingers twitched, wanting to hold her hand or something like that, but he got too nervous to even try.

                So, he stood by and watched as she began taking pictures of the water. At first, he didn’t understand why she was doing that. It was night so you couldn’t really see anything in the water. It was more like black swirls reflecting the lights from the street above. However, that’s when he noticed what she was actually doing. She wasn’t just taking pictures of the empty river; she was taking pictures of the lives the river reflected. He smiled softly as she continued to click away, changing the angles occasionally or moving a foot or two down the river.

                “Have you got enough pictures yet?” Youngbae asked after he had followed her about a half mile down the river. It had taken almost an hour to get even this far but he had enjoyed the journey the entire time. “I can buy us something to drink.”

                “Let’s get some tea… and cookies,” she nodded, looking very serious about the last part. He chuckled but agreed before they went back up the bank and searched for a good café to stop at. Finally, she picked out one that looked more like a place middle-aged couples would stop at instead of college students. He didn’t argue as he followed her inside, the smell of freshly ground coffee wafted towards him. As much as he wanted the dark brown elixir, he knew he would never go to bed if he had some now.

                Since he couldn’t distinguish the decaffeinated tea from the caffeinated tea, he bought a smoothie for himself while Chohee ordered some sort of green tea mix with a whole bunch of sugar. They also bought a couple cookies to go along with the drinks before sitting down by one of the windows.

                She set the camera down on the table but was very careful not to put any of the food or drinks next to it. So Youngbae made sure to be extra careful of it when he set down his drink too. While Chohee drank her tea normally, she nibbled on the cookies in a way reminiscent of a squirrel. He tried not to laugh so he copied her eating style instead.

                She smiled at him and covered her giggle with another slurp of tea. Even though neither one of them spoke, the silence wasn’t intimidating. Instead, it was nice. They really didn’t need to say anything at all. It was a feeling Youngbae had never really had before but had witnessed between his parents.

                He glanced outside and smirked when he noticed the store across the street sold all sorts of musical instruments. The one they were featuring outside was a keyboard complete with foot pedal. Since they had already finished the cookies, he stood up and motioned for Chohee to follow. She grabbed her camera and threw her empty cup away as Youngbae figuratively pounced on the piano.

                By the time she exited the store, his fingers were running up and down the keys in what he would call a warm-up but everyone else stopped to stare. Chohee moved in closer and watched in awe as he began to play from memory Chopin’s “Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2”.

                The song wasn’t really the style of the neighborhood but even the hippest kids stopped to listen as centuries old music filled the air. Chohee’s face broke out into a smile as she lifted up her camera once again. Occasionally, Youngbae would look up and smile at her as the shutter clicked again. When the music ceased, the crowd erupted into applause, causing Youngbae to blush bright red.

                “So did you like it?” he asked once the people had dispersed after realizing he wasn’t going to play anymore.

                “You’re amazing,” she stated, “That was amazing. You really have a talent, Youngbae-ssi.”

                “I do?”

                “You do,” she nodded before reaching out to grab his hand. Youngbae’s smile grew and his blush darkened as their fingers intertwined. Chohee glanced back over her shoulder at the piano as they walked down the street, her expression soft but her eyes twinkled with admiration. 

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