Searching for Love, Found Wealth

With the woman now standing full length in front of me, I felt like a little six-year old girl being scolded by her mother for getting lost.

A door opened behind me but whoever came out stayed behind me. “So, where’s your pass?” the woman asked again calmly. I looked down “Don’t have one”.

She must have had an angry look. She asked again, “Then why are you here?”. I dare not tell her I came sight-seeing, neither should I mention came visiting Charles’ parents. It could put them in trouble somehow.

“She came to see me, ma’am” a male voice said. I turned, expecting to see Charles. But, of course, the voice didn’t seem like Charles’. Who’s this guy?

“Is she? Then why didn’t you say anything but just stood there?” the woman’s angry tone was coming back. “I didn’t know. I didn’t recognize her” the guy answered again. I then understand he was trying to save me. The woman left me with him after some serious warning to me.

I looked carefully at the guy. He looked Asian – well, with my level of knowledge on Asian cultures – he looked Korean. “Thanks, I got a little lost” I said as he went into his room. I walked back trying to retrace me steps back to Charles’ room.

I always came back to the Korean guy’s door. At one point, I had a hard time finding his door and I nearly walked straight into that woman again. She was the VIP’s section coordinator.

I mustered up the courage and knocked on the Korean’s door. He could at least show me out of the VIP’s section. “Annyoung, Chingu!” I greeted when he opened the door. I had learned that from a Korean movie I watched once, “Annyoung” is the Korean pronunciation for “good morning”. Likewise, “Chingu” means “friend”.

After that I felt silly, why try interacting with him in Korea, when you don’t speak Korean, by the way, he is in America so he speaks American and I just heard him did.

“You can’t retrace your steps back, right?” he smiled at me. He seemed friendly. I nodded. “Sorry to bother you” I bowed again. He went inside and came out afterwards. “Follow me” and he showed me out of the VIP’s section.

As we walked, I expected a conversation between us like it was my first time being that close to a foreigner. I noticed he had dark curls at the back of his hair. He stopped moving but I was so busy entangling his curls with my eyes that I stopped abruptly behind him without knowing he had led me out of the VIP section already.

“Chingu?” he called with a Korean accent. I became conscious of myself and smiled to him. “Go left till you get to your room” he added and opened the door with his pass. As he tried to leave, I yelled “Komayo” meaning “Thank you”. It wasn’t in the right accent. He didn’t turn back but waved his hands. I felt bad about it but whatever, he just saved me from Mrs. VIP.

I scurried back to Charles’ room before I got into another trouble.

I heaved a sigh of relief as the door closed behind me. I had run so fast into Charles’ room that I was panting heavily. “Hey?” I gasped when I found out Charles wasn’t in the room.

“Where’d he go!” I slowly opened the door and peeked out, someone was coming. I closed it gently back and rushed to the leather seat.

“You’re here?!” Charles exclaimed on seeing me. I just shrugged casually acting like today wasn’t my “very-embarrassing day ever”. I was sure I’m going to add this in my diary for memories. “Um, okay. Since you are here.. well” Charles began to stammer. My constant gaze at it eyes seemed not to be helping him say what he wanted to say. Thoughts about his dead sister came to my mind. My eyes began to water.

“Are you okay?!” Charles asked suddenly. I forced a smile at him, I wanted to speak up but I noticed he tore his eyes away from me, – shyly! I looked away from him and pondered on why he was acting shy but from my side eyes I noticed he was staring at me.

I haven’t always been the type to get such attention from boys – and such attention shouldn’t be given to me from someone I consider my “best friend” – I really didn’t know what to do. Should I meet his gaze or act dumb? If visiting me was to plan a romantic adventure then he’s so wrong! I was fifteen, not stupid. Basically, I was smart for my age even being at grade 11.

His phone buzzed from his pocket and he slowly reached for it. “Hey, mom, Kiera is still here. She has been waiting here” he answered. I turned and faced him. “Okay” and the line was cut. He looked up to me “I’d take you home, they couldn’t come” – he diverted his eyes immediately.

I felt sad, I had waited this long for them, even got into Mrs. VIP for them and they couldn’t meet me. Well, honestly the reason I came was to apologize to Charles for being unresponsive earlier not even to see them. And now I thought of it, I haven’t apologized yet.

As we walked out of the hotel, I began thinking on how I’d relay my apologies. Charles kept walking a head of me. “Umm…Charles?” I started. I hastened up and caught up with him. “I’m sorry for not being a good friend the first time you visited and being ridiculously snobbish. I sincerely apologize” I was now wearing a smile. “I promise to be better”. It felt like minutes but I knew it was seconds.

He was just looking at me, surprised – maybe also dumbfounded and not knowing how to reply. What I did next surprised him – surprised me but before I could think much on it, my hands were already around his body. He hugged me back after a while.

It felt warm like when we were little. When my dad had walked on me, I had lost my joy. Charles had been a great help. He wasn’t really a cool friend but he stayed by me. I felt worse for my attitude towards him, I thought of bringing up the topic of his dead sister but I didn’t know how he’ll feel.

I finally released him but he didn’t release me and then I noticed, he was crying. It felt like an epic classic moment, like the ones in movies. Two lovers bonded together after along time – but in this case, we’re best friends.

I didn’t know why he was crying but I was sure the sounds I was hearing were from my stomach. “I’m hungry” I blurted. After two seconds he released me, wiped his eyes, touched my neck, and said “what do you want to eat? Creamed chicken?”. I nearly laughed out, he always called “roasted chicken”, a “creamed chicken”. It felt funny and I gently took his hands from my neck and placed it on his sides.

“Don’t ask me what I want to eat. I want to eat lots of things – Chinese foods” I smiled. It was a confession actually. I really used to dream of eating in a fancy Chinese restaurants with my mom. Or maybe with my kids.

“I know one around here”. I stared at him.All content © N/.ôvel/Dr/ama.Org.

“You know what?”

“A Chinese restaurant. I had googled it once”

My eyes shone. Is my long dream of eating in a fancy Chinese restaurant coming true? “What? Isn’t it expensive?”.

He held my hands, “Lets go” and he dragged along. Was this some kind of date?