Finding the Right Words

Chapter 27- Do I Get A Hug?

I skated off the rink and hid behind Henry. Wookie? Why was Wookie here?!

Too bad he saw me. He leaned to the side, looking behind Henry. "Hey! Is this your pet, Henry?"

Curse that nickname! Was I never going to escape it?!

Henry turned around and pulled me out from behind him. "What's wrong, Mel? Don't you want to meet your Wookie-oppa?"

Nappeunnom. He knew exactly what was wrong! 

But I had been revealed, and it was too late to go hide somewhere else, or I'd be rude to Ryeowook. So I bowed and did the best I could to hide behind my hair. "Annyeonghasseo, je ireumeun Choi Minsung imnida."

"Woah! Her Korean is so good! But... Minsung... why do you have a Mokpo accent? You sound like Donghae!" I laughed inwardly, realizing that, as usual, he'd forgotten to refer to his hyung formally. Wait, I sounded like Donghae?! Since when?!

"You noticed that, too?!" Henry exclaimed, "I thought I was hallushinating!"

"Hallucinating, Henry," I corrected, "And I do not have a Mokpo accent!"

Both of them, in unison, "Oh, yes you do."

Min Hee skated up, asking, "What's going on here?" Then she realized who was there and suddenly made a 90-degree bow. "Annyeonghasseo! Annyeonghasseo, Ryeowook-sunbae!"

"And who is this?" He asked curiously. 

"I'm Kim Min-"

She never got to finish her sentence, because out of nowhere, John came flying out of the rink, yelling "Look out!"

Slow motion. John trying to brake. Min Hee, turning to look, then moving aside. Me, reacting too slowly. Me, standing less than three feet from Ryeowook. John, falling forward...

He smashed into me, and I, in my skates, toppled straight down... right into Ryeowook.

He tried to catch me, but I guess I weighed more than he thought I did, because he fell backwards with my momentum, and he hit the floor on his back. 

Oh god. Oh god, please let this not be happening! I opened my eyes and found myself sprawled on top of Ryeowook. His eyes were closed. 

"Oh god! Oh god! Ryeowook-oppa?! Oppa, are you okay?!" 

"He hit his head pretty hard on the floor..." Min Hee noted, concerned.

I was almost in tears. I closed my eyes, searching my brain for what to do. "Please, Wookie-oppa, you're okay, right?!"

"Minsung... can you... get off of me?"

When I opened my eyes, he had his eyes open and was looking at me expectantly. When his words sank in, I realized where I was, and shot to my feet. My face was burning red. I looked away, too embarassed to look at him, while Min Hee helped him up. 

Henry, meanwhile, was practically dying of laughter. John, too, even though he'd caused all of this.

"John..." I said quietly.

"Yes, Mel?" He replied between laughs.

"You are so going to DIE!"

His eyes widened and he flew as far away from me as he could, and I chased after him on my skates, starting to feel just a little bit graceful in them. I cornered him and beat him as much as possible, then turned around and realized that Henry and Ryeowook were staring at us.

Oh my god, would Wookie think that I was some kind of vicious brute?!

I left John cowering and laughing in the corner, and skated back to them. "I'm sorry... you didn't... I'm not usually... like that..."