Gone

21.

We entered a luxurious dress shop which looked rich from outside itself.

"This will be costly. Let's not go inside," I whispered.

He smiled and held my arms tightly, "let's act like a couple. I am sure they'll give discount if we buy a couple outfit."

"Welcome sir and ma'am," a lady in white shirt and pencil skirt greeted us. "How can I help you?"

"We are looking for the best couple clothes for this winter eve," Ye Jun said and loved at me with a big smile plastered on his red face.

"Sure sir, please come this way," she said and took us inside. "How is this? It's the latest design by our fashionists."

She pointed at a cozy, woollen dresses of the same brown colour.

"Ask my lady," he said.

I blinked and touched the clothes. They were warm and soft, just like Ye Jun. The colour was dark as my life but I am fine till they provide comfort and looks.

"You liked it?", he asked me.

I was about to say yes but decided to check the tag first, since I don't want to waste his money.

"It's good but maybe not my type," I fake laughed as the price was over five thousand dollars. "Ye Jun I guess we already have a full wardrobe. We can buy something else."

I pulled his arm before listening his reply and excused us outside the store.

"Why you did this?", he asked with a worried face.

"Nothing. I-I just didn't like the d-dress."

"There was no need to pull me here. You could have simply rejected it."

"I was...just...."

"It's ok," he made me sit on a bench in the mall. "Are you tired? Do you want to take some rest?"

I nodded since I was not feeling well. My fever was increasing. He touched my burning head and made me take some medicines for pain relive.

"Have you taken your breakfast?", he worriedly rubbed my back when I moved my head from left to right. "Then let's eat first. Later we will continue shopping."

We went to the mall's food station and sat on a couple's chair, they arranged especially for today.

"Dhriti so before we eat, I want to show you what I prepared," his hands slid inside his pants pocket and took out a black middle sized box, which said 'for you' on top with golden.

He slowly opened the box as my heartbeat increased. My lungs were shouting and demanding to come out with other organs in excitement.

It was a rose gold chain with a beautiful pink crystal shaped in a swan as a pendant.

"I have spent a lot of time in finding this piece for you. It was only one piece in while Seoul," he brought the pendant near me. "The swan is me. It has been found that ninety nine percent swans only have one life partner for their whole life, and if their partner dies, they could pass away from broken heart. But I want to love you like this swan loves it's pink crystal belly."

I smiled, "if there ever comes a day when we can't be together, keep me in your heart. I'll stay there forever."

"Swan mates for life," he simpered and slowly the pendant hanged on my elegant neck. "A sculptor could not have fashioned your slim neck any better. It could jolt me like an electric current when that megawatt smile gave me your full attention."

Filed to perfection, his fingernails ran through my hairs whose colour matched with that of a black swan. Spools of it plunged around my photogenic face and hid a swan's neck, elegant and smooth.

"I will be back within minutes. Wait for me," he kissed my forehead and disappeared somewhere between the fog.

My eyes were wandering around in boredom when he didn't returned after fifteen minutes.

"Never trust cute guys," I kept looking at my watch as I don't want to waste a single minute today. Every moment feels special when he is near me. I know my blood pressure increases but that's fine because if he is a disease then he is only the cure.

I was watching few kids playing hopscotch on the streets while tossing the pendant in my neck when a kid approached me.

"Unnie, will you play with us?", she asked me with a genuine generous smile.

Somehow this kid reminded me of Kang su. She was also clingy like this. My cutie kitten I miss you. I wish we could celebrate the first snow together. She always used to wish a plushie or ice creams, but this time I should have wished her.

"Sure baby," I bent down to her height and she seemed to be of Kang su's age group only.

I have a special kind of affection for kids. As far as I remember, I was a born spoiled kid. Always wasted money on stupid things. Once I was crying very hard because I didn't had new shoes but then I met a kid who didn't had feet.

She pulled me by my finger to her friends.

"She is our new friend," she introduced me to her friends who were of different age groups. Some were even ten or eleven.

"First you all need to kiss me, then only I will play," I pouted and one by one all the kids jumped on me like I drop my clothes in a bucket. "Ok ok, so what do you want to play?"

"Chase!", one suggested and memories with Kang su flashed brightly.

"Sorry champ but I can't play that," my lips curved down.

"It's ok unnie, we can play something else," another shouted and hugged me tight.

That's what we call innocence. Kids don't see what they say or to whom they communicate. All they know is how to shower love with compassion and without discrimination. I am just afraid that someone who doesn't belong to a society of humanity will take advantage of them. I just pray that we take care of orphans or poor kids at streets and try to feed them of you are abled enough. Why go waste money in five star hotels when we can do a job of mankind with the same money?

"Unnie let's play hide and seek. You count and till then we will hide but no cheating," another recommended and everybody agreed.

"Every one go and hide. And please don't hide in dangerous places, ok?", I said and started counting.

As I said ten, there was pin drop silence. No a single tiny head was visible. Of course I did a little cheating and so I have an idea that they went in towards my right. I started taking slow steps to maintain the suspense of the game.

"I will find you all," I said softly and whimpered.

I was searching in the parking lot because I think kids like hiding there. I have played a lot of seeking games when I was a weak kid and most of the time I used to hide behind big cars. Though I played alone with myself, it was still fun. Don't laugh at me!

"Caught you!", I shouted after seeing a shadow on the window glass but unfortunately there was no one.

I looked back to see whose shadow it was and....

"Damn! What the hell is she doing here?", I mentally cursed myself when I found my mom passing by.

"I am sued if she finds me," my forehead furrowed. "I can't let her destroy this day. I need to do something really quick!"

I bit my nails when I saw her coming towards me. I don't want to be dragged home at any cost. I hid behind a black SUV, hoping it would save me. But I was wrong. That woman came even closer while I was cussing myself.

I don't know if I was lucky but the car was open. I don't know where the hell my mind went and I opened its dicky. All thanks to this careless owner.

"Ouch!", I rubbed my head after getting hit by the car door when I tried to get inside.

Fortunately, my mom changed her direction and went away. Good. Stay away. I sighed in relaxation as I saw her going far from me through the inner glass of the car trunk.

I lowered my head when I heard someone getting inside and starting the car. I tried to open the gate as it was suffocating inside but sadly it was locked till now.

"Shit!"