“Aiden are you okay?” Amber cried, reaching for me across the table. I fell out of my daze when she shook me somewhat violently. Trying to regain my composure, I attempted to laugh it off.

“Oh sorry, I was just caught off guard, that’s all,” I said, faking a smile. I hastily cleaned up the mess, collecting the broken shards in a napkin. The incident didn’t go unnoticed; the ahjumma came over in a hurry. I apologized profusely with my head bowed low.

“Anyways, Aiden this is my goldfish, Amy,” Amber announced proudly with a grin, her hands waving at Amy in awe like she was being showcased. Naturally I couldn’t help but smile at her childish antics. “Amy this is Aiden Jang.”

Amy stared at me intently. Did she remember me? Who would have thought our paths would once again cross halfway across the world in our motherland. Our eyes met briefly. I awkward broke away before she beamed radiantly at me.

“Amy Lee, nice to meet you Aiden,” she greeted me brightly. I buried my disappointment with a slight nod and forced smile. Maybe she snubbed the possibility of me being her childhood friend. The name Aiden Jang wasn’t noteworthy in any sense. I wrestled internally with my thoughts about whether to reveal my identity as we ate.

Amber left the table for the comfort room, probably because her stomach always got uneasy after even the slightest bit of samgyeopsal. Poor kid, she’s definitely missing out. The two of us were left in an uncomfortable silence without Amber's carefree flow of conversation. Amy and I stared at each other, scrutinizing each other unknowingly to our consciousness. She must have been lost in her own thoughts as well. I cleared my throat, obnoxiously grabbing her attention. She hung her head with embarrassment; hues of pink decorating her cheeks peeked through the curtain of fringe.

“Yejin-ah is that you?” I asked softly, my eyes were fixed on her; almost begging her to say it was so. She seemed to be absorbing my words, soaking those four simple words in. No one other than her parents and I used her Korean name. It felt like hours passed us by. My heart thumped with anticipation, the rhythmic beating mirroring that of an 808 drum. I noticed the corners of her eyes were glistening and I instantly felt bad. If there’s anything I hate the most in this world, it’s when girls cry.

"Gom (AN: Bear in Korean, also slang for dumb) Youngjoo..." she choked. My eyes widened with surprised before softening when a feeling of relief flooded over me. When I heard my childhood nickname I was overfilled with joy. My body acted on its own accord. Not holding back in the least, I rushed to her side, pulling her into my embrace. My arms cradled her body tenderly. Her face buried into my chest while her hands gripped my shirt desperately. I’m sure we looked like a couple united after haggard years separated by undeserved circumstances, picturesque. Straight out of a romantic drama. I guess it’s a good thing we always opt for secluded seating. Our oh-so-lovable llama friend interrupted the heartfelt reunion.

"Yahhhh, what are you doing to Amy, loser?" Amber demand with an accusing finger pointed at me. I retracted my arms, we both looked up at Am innocently. To be absolutely honestly, Am looked like she was about to utilize her taekwondo to beat me