Part Of Him | Park Seonghwa

Chapter 12

I look around and we're somewhere, I'm familiar with. This place, this is where we usually hang out with my family. It's near seaside so seafood is popular here. Seonghwa hold my hand again, and we walk inside the place. The fresh breeze and the smell of sea and fishes greeted my nose. My face grimace at the smell, but liked it anyway. It smells like nostalgia.

There are plenty of seafoods here, fresh, grilled and many other way of how you like your seafood to be cooked. My eyes roam around the busy place and saw an old woman struggling, since Seonghwa is busy looking at the seashells, I take my hand away from his hand and run to the woman. "Hey," I call out. She looked at me, and scan me from head to toe. "Do you need help?" I plastered the kindest smile I can show her, hoping she won't thought of me as some sketchy person who will snatch their things.

She smiled, a smiled that I'm sure I've seen on someone. I can't pinpoint, but I'm sure I know someone with the same smile. Someone close to me. Brushing off the familiarity thought, I offered a hand. She looks hesitant, but give in anyway. She handed me some plastic bags, it's heavy. "Are you sure?" She looked at me, concerned. I nodded and smiled at her.

"Yeah of course, don't worry." I assure her. "Where are you heading to?" She point the luxurious car from afar, so with my freehand I assist her as we walk.

She's surely rich, but why is she alone carrying these heavy plastic bags. I thought, while guiding her so she won't struggle with some of the plastic she's carrying. When we reached her car, she opened the backseat, and there's basket on the ground, she put her plastics there, so I did the same to the remaining on my hand. "Wait," she said and open her purse. I could predict what she's about to do.

I shook my head along with my hand, dismissing her action. "Oh please, ma'am if you'll pay me, you don't have to. Just keep it." I smiled at her and didn't let her speak to me anymore as I run away, waving at her. I go back to where I left Seonghwa and he's no longer there. My heart started to thump loudly, what if I get lost. I look around and decided to asks this lady in front.

"Excuse me, have seen my friend? The guy I'm with earlier." I bit my lips, as I felt anxious. I have a bad trauma with this kind of situation. Because one time, when we went here, I got lost and there are guys who's about to force me to go with them, gladly there's a lady who help me and bring me back again to my parents.

She narrow her eyes, trying to remember me or Seonghwa, whatever, and then she look at my left direction, pointing. "He went there, I guess he's looking for you too." After thanking her, I went directly there and look around. Suddenly I felt someone grabbed my wrist and I froze.

"Morgan, are you okay?" Seonghwa appeared in front of me. He look worried, his left hand holding a plastic bag. "I looked for you, I thought I lost you." He let go of me, and hug me. His eyebrows furrowed as he tilted his head to look at my face. The evident worry on his face, just telling me he cared for me. I felt like crying. "Morgan?" I snapped out of my trance and blink.

"Oh sorry, I thought you left." He chuckle and hold my hand.

"I will never do that. Do you eat seashell?" I nodded. He smiled showing the plastic bag, he's holding. "Let's go find another, what do you want?" He asked me as we walk towards different vendors of seafoods. I point the king crabs and look at him in awe. It's so big, one would be more than enough for us. "One please." He point the crab and handed the payment. There's a place here where we would pay for them to cook the seafoods we bought. We buy two more different types of seafoods.

While we wait on our table, there is a lady probably on her mid 50, selling something made out of seashells. As a person who loves art, I was fascinated with the creativity of these. "Do you want one?"

"I have money." I said, but Seonghwa shake his head and hand a bill to the lady. The lady gladly take it, and wait for me to choose. I choose the small ones since it looks prettier in my eyes and thank her. It's a necklace. "You know what, we can half the bill." I suggested, because I felt bad for him to pay everything and seafood is no longer budget friendly.

"Morgan, let me. It's my treat since.. I'm still courting you." I giggle at him, he looks helpless. I'm sure he's still adjusting for this too.

"So you mean, once we already dated, you won't treat me anymore?" He gasped and deny my thoughts.

"No, no, no, it isn't like that. I mean—I need to impress you first." He looked down and shyly scratch the back of his head. I laugh, and nodded. "Maybe if we go out on a date next time, I will let you pay for the half." I'm happy to hear that. Because I'm not used to being treat except Dorothy, because that girl will sulk if you won't let her treat you. I and Charlotte too, we always half the bills or any amount we need to pay, that's why I don't want Seonghwa to pay for all of these.

I looked at the necklace on my hand and hide it on my backpack. The foods were served infront of us, and my stomach grumble seeing how delicious the foods across me. "Be careful, it's hot." He said, while serving me the leg of crab he cut using shear. I lick my lips as I smell the smoke.

When I saw him put some scallops at his plate. I started to put on some plastic gloves, so I can devour this mouthwatering leg of crab. There's dip serve along with rice, so I made sure to full myself. In the middle of my mini-feast I heard my phone ring so I hurriedly remove the glove on my right, Seonghwa hand me a tissue that I use to wipe my mouth. I look at my phone and saw Charlotte's caller id.

I drink water first, then swipe the green button. "WHERE ON THE CORNER OF THIS FCKNG EARTH ARE YOU?" I backed away, and stare at my phone. Seonghwa heard it too, because he stopped eating to look at my direction. "Morgan, answer me!" Charlotte's threatening voice, resonate on ear.

"I'm with Seonghwa.." I answered in cautious way, I don't want to say something that might frustrate her more.

"Oh, you should have told me, I'm worried." I heard her sigh in relief and I smiled. Then she continue, "You've been out for two hours then Yunho said, you already left. I'll be out till midnight," she informed me, and I couldn't be the saddest here. I heard a loud thud, and I got alarmed.

"Charlotte what happened?"

"I dropped my wallet don't worry."

"What do they want this time?" My voice shakes a little, and I hope she didn't hear that. I know she don't want me to worry about her. Everytime she said she'll be out till midnight, it means her parents called her. And she would be beat up mentally again, they don't validate her feelings and would gaslight her every possible moment. So I'm sad to know she have to come meet them again. They don't bring good news, when they asked Charlotte's presence there.

I heard her sigh on the other line. "I don't know, let's hope it's nothing personal that will torture me. Enjoy your day with Seonghwa, don't think about me. I'll be fine." Even though she can't see, I nodded and smile.

"Yeah, I will. Take care okay?" She hummed as respond, then end the call. I put down my phone and saw Seonghwa's expectant gaze. "It's Charlotte, she said she'll visit her parents." He nodded as understanding. We eat in silence as my mind flew to somewhere.