queens, new york. 
july twenty-fifteen.

She's not exactly mad nor thrilled when she finds a jet-black, leather jacket mixed in with her pile of colorful clothes that still carried the strong scent of detergent that had a pint of lavender in it. The detergent made her head hurt, and the lavender practically attacked her nose, but it was the black jacket which obviously did not belong to her that made her feel a little more than annoyed.

They had one job, one job, and they couldn't even do it right? It wasn't an outrage, but with her extreme personality, inside she felt like it was. But perhaps even laundry ladies have their days, though still, she had to go all the way back to the laundry shop that was three blocks away from the hotel.

She tells her mother about this while she's attending to a call, but she ends it immediately when she sees her daughter coming because nothing is more important than her children, not even an atomic bomb dropping over queens. "Darling, why don't we just let the maids or one of the butlers handle this and go over there, hmm?"

"No, mom." Soojung shakes her head. "It's not their duty," and it really wasn't. The maids were supposed to help the guests of the hotel and though technically, she's the master and not the guest, she still didn't want them to run the errand. 

She needed to go out herself and explore Queens for once because it was going to be her new home again for the next few years or perhaps just months because a new hotel of their's has been built not long ago and since both her parents will be focusing work here, it's clear that this is the place she has to go to during the holidays. She doesn't even know much about Queens or New York for that matter.  

Her sister told her they'd go shopping some day and maybe even join a cheesy tour of the city, and after that, she'll get to drive her sister's new car and they'll eat ice creams while watching the sky line. 

But her sister is busy, busy, busy and she's bored, bored, bored to her wit's end.

She needs to go out, because ever since she landed in JFK two days ago, all she's been doing is attend banquets and parties and other midsummer festivities other rich and notable people have invited her family too. 

She needs proper air to breathe now.

She must've looked desperate to go out because her mother sighs and gives in. "Which car?"

"The audi," she says without hesitation.

"No can do, darling, I'm going to be using that later because I have a meeting to run to with the board of trustees." she says, making her pout. "Why don't you go out and just exercise?"

"But mom -"

"Go and walk, darling."

She sighs, and drawls out a "fine" as she turns around to head to the door. She doesn't really like walking, she's been chauffeured back and forth ever since she was young and even when she was in Paris, she always drove her Mercedes everywhere she went with her friends. But secretly, she's pleased with her mother and how she actually encouraged her to go out herself.

She enters the elevator with a smile, the horrid black jacket wrapped around her right arm as she presses on the elevator buttons. The elevator doesn't stop and she's going straight down to the crowded lobby. 

Ever since the hotel opened for business three months ago, people from all around the world, tourists as she called them, flocked here just to stay for a night or two or maybe just one afternoon in the rooms. Not only did their hotels have grand statuses, but the service was great and for once, the rooms weren't overpriced.

The bellhoopers that pass by smile at her in a way she thinks is both respectful and forced. The maids are worst because the generic smiles they aim at her obviously fake.

She rolls her eyes when she finally walks out of the 80-floored hotel. And they say she's the plastic one. 

People pass by and someone bumps her without sparing a sideway glance, the cars honk and the classic yellow cabs zoom past, drivers yell and pedestrians hastily cross the street with phones pressed in their ears. A Russian socialite passes by her and the dog she carries in her left arm growls at her.

She growls back, but then out of her lips' own accord, she smiles. 

She takes the air and closes her eyes for a moment because this is her new home, and all her homes are the city, and the air definitely smelled like city. 

She walks in the direction of the laundry shop and from time to time, she takes in all the signage and billboard ads that are displayed. She takes in the shops, the people, the streets, the cars - everything about Queens delights her somehow. 

A person bumps into her again, but it's her own fault this time because she was too busy looking at the billboard ad that held the name of her sister's fashion company. 

"Oh, sorry about that." she turns to the person when she finds herself listening to a very British accent as she looks at very green eyes. 

He winks. "Carry on, love." he says before walking away, leaving her squealing over the thought of gorgeous men scattered over the whole city.

She continues to walk, and extra bounce in her step and a song in her head. She hums the song later on and when she pushes open the glass door of the laundry shop, the chimes above it sound and the words "my jacket!" are exclaimed by someone from across the tiny space of a laundry shop. 

She momentarily halts and looks up in a confuse manner as another handsome, yet irritated-looking, guy trudges towards her with stomping footsteps. He's not looking at her, just the jacket she has in her hands. 

Surprised, she extends her right arm and he snatches it away from her with force that makes her take a step back. 

She scowls. "Hey, that wasn't -" she is cut off when her pink and grey blazer comes flying toward her and she catches it as it hits her face. She doesn't even realize that it was missing in her pile of clothes the first place.

"Oh, dear, I - I'm so sorry miss! And - and sir, we -" 

Dark-haired, dark-skinned, Asian guy who just forced the jacket out of her hands and then hurled her blazer towards her shows more disrespect as he cuts off the stout owner of the shop. He tells her to 'zip it' and to 'do her work properly next time' because 'or else my father will hear about this'. 

He storms out the shop, not bothering to look her way to see if she was even mad or at least, okay with him throwing her blazer like that at her.

Because she was in fact mad and not okay. She felt offended and to say the least, she just wasn't okay with his behavior overall. 

She glares at the door where he had just left, before turning to the shop owner with an apologetic smile. "What a jerk. The mishap was fine on my behalf, don't worry. I'll make sure to come here again next week, your service is great!" she tries, but the stout woman only gives her a forced smile and a pained "thank you". 

She leaves because she doesn't really know what to do or say next. She walks the streets again and the warm summer breeze of Queens hits her in the face. She puts on her blazer and walks a little faster than before, this time she has another purpose.

She catches sight of him as he puts on his black, leather jacket in a see of color. He turns the corner and she doesn't catch him until they reach Roosevelt Avenue, as the sign above their heads say.

He looks at her, and she looks right at him and then, she finds herself staring.

He was handsome, really, and his dark complexion and hair didn't seem to blend with the bright surroundings of the city. His eyes were narrowed, but even then, she could tell it was brown, the color of almonds. He was Asian, she knew of it and he looked like Daniel Henney and she could not believe she thought of that. 

"Oh," he says, and his voice seems calmer now than before in the laundry shop. Actually, he even seems calmer now. His features are soft and show no signs of anger. He looks at her differently now, like he knows her. "It's you. You must be mad, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to act that way. It's just that this jacket," he holds up his sleeve towards her. "This is really important to me, if that makes sense. But it must not to you, but I'm telling you to understand, hopefully. I didn't mean to act like that in the shop, I was just worried."

She blinks because he said that all in one breath and he looks sincere and genuine that it's hard for her to roll her eyes. He even sounded sincere and genuine. "For your jacket?"

"For my jacket." he nods. "I'm really sorry, did I hurt you? I didn't crumple your blazer, don't worry. I was just agitated and irritated at the same time. This jacket means a lot to me. I'm Kai by the way."

She finds herself staring again, but this time at his outstretched hand. She looks up, and he's smiling too. He really looks sincere about the long rant mixed with an apology. She tilts her head, just a little, because she wonders what's wrong with him.

"Krystal," she says anyway but shakes her head at his hand. "You, umm, I mean I -"

"You don't like handshakes? That's fine, I usually don't too." he places his hand back at his side, but then, he places them inside the pocket of his jeans. 

Levis, she guesses. 

"People taught me to shake the hands of other people when I meet them," he says, and somehow she knows he's on the verge of ranting again. He's talking quickly, rapidly, like he's running out of time. "But maybe in your case, I'm free not to do that. Anyways, you're really pretty, you look like your Asian. Are you Asian? You must be Asian. I'm Korean you know, I was born in Seoul. You know Seoul, right? The capital of Korea?"

She finds it amusing now, how straightforward he is and how he talks like there's no time left for pauses and spaces. She also finds how he called her "pretty" amusing too. She steps aside when a group of young girls bounce past them and this boy, Kai, does the same. He's looking right at her, beaming and he looks like a kid despite having such a mature and handsome face. 

"Handshakes are just not for me, I guess." she shrugs.

"Oh, so are you -"

"Yeah, I'm Asian." she nods, fighting the urge to smile now. "In fact, I'm Korean too and I do know Seoul, I lived there once." 

His eyes widen and he brushes dust off from his jacket. He looks at her like he has something interesting to say, and before she knew it, she drank two cups of hot chocolate and ate one banana muffin while he listened to him talk. He seemed to like talking. In between conversations and short pauses, she kept checking her phone for her mother's text because forty-six minutes ago, she told her they'd be going out again tonight. 

When the text came and they exchanged goodbyes, she feels more than regret that she has to leave. Kai says he has to go too because his brother had been calling him all this time. She didn't really want to go yet, not when he was this much fun to be around with. (Their conversation went from Seoul to Queens, from planes to hotels, from hobbies to interests, and from real names to birth date)

In two hours, she already felt like she knew him entirely. He did all the talking, and she, the listening. And she liked it like that, honestly because Soojung had always been so good at lending an ear that she feels like she has actual purpose when she listens to all of Kai's words.

His real name is Kim Jongin, he grew up in Seoul, they're the same age, and his family is currently living in Manhattan but sometimes he goes over to his brother's apartment here in Queens. He likes to read, but is too lazy to read a book, he likes hot chocolate and comments on how her eyes remind him of them. Most of all, he likes to fly and Soojung doesn't ask why.

When she gets up and speed dials her mom's number, Kai stands and says, "Bye Soojung," and she wished he hadn't. 

author says:
thank you for being so patient! It's finally here, the first update. comments are welcome and loved, your thoughts on the first chapter can really help me through with the story. I'd love to hear them, till the next update.