1장
Seoulmates
I watched as they all gulped beers down around me. One by one, I watched them quickly become intoxicated. "Oppa, I'm really bored." I whined. "Have a drink, Hye-In, you're old enough!" My Oppa raised his bottle and smiled at me. One of his friends beside him handed me a single beer. "Gamsahamnida!" Ihe nodded slowly. Aishhh, what to do? This usually isn't a good idea. I thought. "I have a surprise for you, so drink up." He continued to persuade me, and eventually succeeded. I guess this is it! I held the beer tightly in my hands, and struggled to open it. Feeling defeated, I hung my head. "Do you want me to get that?" A smooth voice seemed to call from a distance, but as much as I tried to remember the face, it slipped away in a dark memory.
I held my head with one hand, hanging over my over-sized hotel room bed. "Oppa! Aish. My head really hurts." I whined and rolled off onto the green carpet bellow. As if my brother could hear me, even though he was an entire hotel room away, I started fake sobbing. I looked up to see an unfamiliar place around me This must be my hotel room. I was now staring in amazement. Oppa really overdoes it these days. I got ready in my empty room and fixed my straight dark brown hair in the mirror. I was really fortunate, because although I lacked a lot of things, I had a perfect complexion; and the kind of eyes you needed surgery for. I wonder what Oppa has planned for today.. I grabbed my bag and phone and continued out into the hall where I knocked on my brother's door. "Oppa! Open up! Oppa!" I knocked.
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The boy who opened the door was not Hye-In's Oppa, after all. "Eh?" Hye-In cocked her head slightly in confusion. "Hey you!" The young man cried. "You know me?" She smiled. "Uh..No.No." He paused, "You must be Jae-young's sister, he's getting ready. I'll tell him you came." He said brightly. "Well who are you if you don't mind me asking?" Hye-In asked politely. "I'm Taemin." He smiled. A strange feel of deja vu washed over her as she shook his hand. "Nae, I'm Hye-In. Have we met before?" Hye-In stared at him, completely puzzled, where exactly had she seen his face before? "You've probably seen me on TV." He lied hiding his disappointment behind the biggest facade of delight he could muster up. Taemin mumbled under his warm breath, "You said you would remember me." Too low for the girl who was now already in her room to hear.
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As I walked into my room, I heard him whisper something behind me. I shrugged it off thinking it might have been something bad. Unbelievably enough, I was here, In Seoul. My brother is really amazing, I thought. Working for people like him. My brother was a lot older than me, by 10 years to be exact. I remember back, about a week ago, when I had received the call that he wanted me to travel with him and his friends for a while. He managed a band called Shinee. Shinee? I had asked. I wonder if I met them last night. Aigoo, that's embarassing.. I don't remember a thing. I suddenly was overwhelmed with fear. How could I go out there and meet them, who knows if I said thing's like "Oppa's! You're so stupid! Oppa's! You're talentless!". I continued thinking the worst, and hoping for the best. When my brother came into my room, I was relieved. "Oppa, did I act stupid last night?" I asked. "Not that I know of." Was his reply. He shrugged and continued "No one said anything to me. And from what I remember you weren't there the whole time. Maybe you had come back early." Thank god. "Oh okay. That's good." I laughed, relief in every inch of my bones. "What do we have planned for today, Oppa?" I asked. "We're going to go out to eat for lunch, then some sight seeing I think. This week is one of the only weeks they really have off, appointment free. So we have to take advantage of that." Oppa explained. I nodded in agreement and follow him into the hallway, where we met a large group of people, but the boy I had met earlier was not there. "Where is that kid, Taemin?" I asked. "Already worrying about Taemin are we?" They teased in a manor I didn't understand. I shrugged it off and walked with them wherever they had planned to go. They were a really energetic bunch. Their names altogether, were, Onew, Taemin, Key, Jong-Hyun, and Minho. They were all my Oppa's. When we went to eat, we stopped at a small Italian place. "Onew, Italian again?" Key whined. "Come on, Key, we always go to your stupid rice place. Italian again wont kill you." Onew rolled his eyes. The others laughed and we all took our seats. They asked me questions about how the U.S. was and even made me speak English. I was comfortable with them, surprisingly. "America's cool I guess. Nothing like here though. I haven't lived here in over 4 years." I sighed. "I really missed it." I explained. "So last night, where did you and Taemin go?" Onew pined. What?! Anxiety rushed over me quickly. "Um. I don't really remember." I smiled fakely. What the hell, that little rascal lied to me before.. "Yeah right! You're just being shy. Our two youngest ran off together after you talked for hours. I'm sure you remember. You barely drank." Key pushed even harder. "No! It's nothing like that!" I raised my voice nervously.
I really hope not, or he's dead! That ert. I thought and excused myself from the table. I caught a cab back to the hotel. When I arrived I was in a rage. I knocked on Taemin's hotel room door. "Taemin! Open up!" I yelled. As he opened the door his smiling face made me calm. "T-Taemin." I squeaked. "Why did you lie to me?!" I demanded an answer. "About what?" He asked. "About ever meeting me?! Apparently you had your way with me, right?!" I said angrily. I couldn't believe there was a young man like him. "That's what you're accusing me of?" Taemin retorted, he was offended, and I could tell. Maybe even hurt? I thought. "Don't make things up out of nowhere, Hye-In. That's unfair of you. I wouldn't ever do that to you." He said sweetly. "Don't talk to me like you know me!" I said in an outburst. His face fell, and he really was hurt, for sure this time. All of the anger rushed out of me. "Eh..eh.. are you okay?" I bit my lip.
"What a waste last night was. I thought I met someone different." He looked at the floor. "Can you explain to me what happened last night?" I asked nicely. "It's embarassing." Taemin frowned. "So no." He began to shut the door in my face, but I pushed back with my hand. "I deserve to know. I'm scared." I said. "Of letting anyone in? Yeah, you told me that last night. Don't worry." He reopened the door, "But you said to someone like me, you were willing to." and then he shut it. Leaving me speechless. How could I have told him that? Even if I were drunk. I've never been nice while drunk. Ever. My stomach sunk. Did I tell him personal things? I slid against my door, opposite of his and waited. Chanting, "Taemin, Taemin, come on. Open the door." I must have been there for an hour, because I had dozed off somewhere during that time.
"Why are you so sad?" Taemin asked, taking the seat next to me on a leather bench. "I'm not sad! I'm angry!" I yelled. "Oppa knows not to let me drink! Yet he did it anyway. I have a surprise for you, so drink up. Drink up, Hye-In! Ha!" I sulked angrily. "From where I'm standing, you're not angry." That image slowly drifted away, and drifted into one of my hotel room. "Hye-In, are you like this just because you're drunk?" He asked. "No, Taemin, I've never been like this anyway. Not while I'm drunk and stuff, Taemin. I'm so mean when I am. Didn't you see?" I slurred, my head on his stomach, hanging off of the bed as he laid the right way. "You're mean because you're afraid though, didn't you just say that? You don't want anyone to know that you're sad?" He smiled. "Naeeee, but I can't be afraid when Taemin is so warm and smiles like an angel." I my side, and looked up at him. "Promise, you'll remember me in the morning?" Taemin asked, eyes full of hope. "I promise.." I said dozing into sleep.
I woke up on my bed, in my hotel room. I sat staring at the ceiling with a warm feeling floating through me. I remembered, I thought happily. I can't believe it. The images are so vague, but they're so perfect.. but I can't let this happen. I hopped out of my bed and ran to Taemin's door. I banged on it until he opened. My cynical thoughts washed over me. Letting someone in is pain, it's just how the world works, I remembered my Omma saying so long ago. "I remember now, Taemin. And I don't want to let you in. I was just drunk. So don't think about that anymore okay? I'm not sad, I'm okay." I said quickly, so that he couldn't have a chance to answer. Two arms enveloped me from behind as I turned to walk away. "You must not remember very well.. because, 'Oppa, even if I try to run away, I want you to catch me.' ... so no matter how fast you run, I promise I'll run faster." He mimiced my voice, and continued to whisper words into my ear that made me shiver.
You're right, I want you to catch me.
I want to know for myself, Omma, if what you said to me as you left, was really true. Omma, where are you now?
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