Simon Dominic: Doubling Forward

CHAPTER #1- Chance Meeting

They had only been at the park for ten minutes, but already the day had become full of panic. Both Tablo and Simon Dominic were searching everywhere for Haru. One minute with their attention on their cell phones and suddenly Tablo's daughter was missing. They called her name, asked people in the park if anyone had seen the little girl. Had she just wandered off or did someone abduct her, these were the questions both men asked themselves.

Meanwhile Nari was watching the ducks on the near-by pond, as this reminded her of home. She hadn't been home in over a year and still her Korean sucked. Once again she'd failed a written test for the language course she was taking. When she'd told her grandmother, all she got was a scolding for not trying hard enough. She wished her mother hadn't become sick, then she'd still be in Canada, where almost everyone spoke English. Her mother moved home, so that Grandmother could care for her. Since her father had left them long ago, her only choice was to move back to South Korea with her mother. Life wasn't kind to Nari, but she struggled onward.

A wail that was not animal, came from behind a bunch of bushes along the duck pond. Curious as to what was happening, Nari went to investigate. She found a little girl, around 4 or 5 years old, crying. With her limited Korean, Nari asked what was wrong. That made the girl cry harder.

"I'm Nari, what's your name?" Nari asked first in English and then in Korean.

"Haru," the girl answered between sobs.

"Are you lost?" Nari tried again with Korean.

The little girl nodded her head. Finding a tissue pack in her pocket, Nari helped the girl blow her nose and wipe her tears.

"Who were you here with?"

"Daddy and Simon Dominic."

Having always liked hip hop and rap, when she came to South Korea Nari had found out about Simon Dominic and Jay Park. Listening to their music, had helped her learn some Korean. She sent a tweet to Simon Dominic saying she found a friend by the duck pond and that he should DM her. Hopefully the man would check his phone and get back to her. In the mean time, Nari put her jacket on the ground and sat down with the little girl.

"You speak Korean like a baby," Haru told the lady bluntly.

"Yes, I know. Sorry," Nari sighed sadly.

The little girl stopped crying and put her hand into Nari's. "It's okay."

It wasn't long before she got a message on Twitter. Simon Dominic asked the name of the person she'd found. So Nari replied with the little girl's name and her cell number so he could call.

The cell rang immediately. "Hello?" Nari answered in English, forgetting to speak Korean.

Simon D asked in English, "is Haru with you?"

"Yes, one minute and I'll put you on speaker phone.... go ahead!"

In Korean Simon D spoke to the little girl. They exchanged words too quickly for Nari to understand or follow. It wasn't until he began talking in English again, that she knew what was going on.

"We'll come to you. Please just stay there with Haru."

"Okay, I will."

Simon D hung up and told Tablo that his daughter had been found. They quickly ran to the pond, which was just over a hill, from where they were. As they ran down the hill, Simon D saw the woman who'd spoken to him on the phone. The first thing that came to mind, was that she was pretty. She held Haru's hand.

"Daddy!" Haru yelled in Korean.

It was a word Nari understood and so she let Haru go to her father. From media, she recognized Simon Dominic and suddenly became shy. It warmed her heart that the reunion between child and father, was so loving. She decided they didn't need her anymore, so picked up her jacket and turned to leave.