FRIDAY; 07:49:21 AM
I pre-ordered tickets last week to a Francis Bacon art showcase which will commence tonight. I bought one for Jaehyun and I. Unfortunately, Jaehyun had to be instantly transferred to his temporary post somewhere in Seoul. There was an emergency and his presence was highly needed.
I knew it meant a lot to him whenever he's put into a new post since he badly wants to prove himself to his seniors. So, I didn't force him not to go. What kind of a friend would I be if I were to hold him back from achieving his dreams? Jaehyun would do the same if he were in my shoes.
But before that, I have an appointment with Mrs. Han at the Sunny Smile Orphanage. The twins are going to have their seventh birthday soon and I was planning to organize a party for them. I made a pinky-promise with them a few years ago and I've been saving up for this too.
I leaned towards my vanity mirror and puckered up my lips, applying peach-colored lip balm. After I was done putting on light make up, I tied my hair into a slightly tousled bun to match with my street-style clothes. I wore my go-to pair of black tattered jeans and white sneakers. I wore a denim jacket over my black and white crop top tee. When I was finally done, I headed down stairs.
"Where are you going this time?" Dad sternly asked as I walked down the aisle.
"I'm going to the orphanage." I answered.
"Have you eaten breakfast?"
I planted a gentle kiss on father's forehead and cupped his cheeks. "Dad, can you not worry too much about me? I'm not a little girl anymore."
We both locked gazes and a hint of perturbation exuded in his eyes. "I'll get going. See you later."
I held on to the straps of my back pack and sauntered outside the ever so peaceful house of ours. I rode a bus to the orphanage. The insides were kind of empty which shouldn't be. I wonder why.
When I arrived at the orphanage, I saw Mrs. Han talking to someone by the window. They were inside the lobby while I was still making my way to the entrance door. When Mrs. Han saw me, she waved her hands and flashed a close-lipped smile. The woman who she was speaking with turned around and greeted me with a warm conspicuous smile.
Mrs. Han gestured me to go near her. So, I did. She wrapped her wrinkly arm around my waist and faced back to the woman in front of us. "Mrs. Kim, I want you to meet Park Jiseul. She's a loyal and diligent donor and volunteer of Sunny Smile Orphanage."
"Nice to meet you, Jiseul." Mrs. Kim lightly nodded her chin as she extended her hand to me.
I slowly shook her hand and flashed a pleasant smile. "Are you going to be our donor?"
Mrs. Kim shyly chuckled, tucking some of her ash-brown hair behind her ear. "Yes, I will. In fact, I also brought goods. It's being unloaded near the kitchen. I hope Mrs. Han won't mind assisting the delivery boys as to where they will store them."
"Oh, I most certainly won't," Mrs. Han leaned to my ear and added "Talk to her for a bit. I'll be back.
"Okay."
The corners of Mrs. Kim's lips tugged upwards and coiled into a soft smile. Her eyes flitted around the lobby.
"You'll love the children. They're kind, sweet, talented, and very creative." I said.
"That's pleasant to hear."
It was kind of awkward between Mrs. Kim and I for some reason. I flashed a quizzical smile and she seemed to have read my expression well.
"How did you end up volunteering?" Mrs. Kim queried, her eyes sparkling in interest. We both sat on the couch while facing at each other before I gave an answer.
"Well, I kind of know the feeling of growing up without my mother and only having my father to raise me. It broke my heart even when I had one parent by my side. Imagine having none. I couldn't imagine how much these kids went through at such a young age. I didn't want them to feel they aren't loved, that nobody wants them. Through my actions, I can help them the way I wanted to be helped when I was young."
Mrs. Kim grimaced. I fluttered my lashes in confusion.
"Did. . . I say something offensive Ma'am?"
She shook her head, wiping off a tear from the corner of her eyes. I then knew from the very moment I looked right through her shimmering black orbs that she was a mother in grievous pain. She softly gazed upon me, heavily sighing.
"I. . . I also want the same thing. I-I lost my little boy when he was a baby. He was taken away from me. As a mother, take anything from me, just not my child. He was my world. He was the reason I wanted to live a better life," She paused, biting her lower lip.
"I couldn't imagine what could've happened to my precious baby boy. I don't even know if he's alive or not. All I know is that he might be the same age as you. I've been into different orphanage inside and outside of Seoul to look for him, hoping he might be in one. I searched all my life until visiting turns to volunteering. It became a regular thing for me to do charity work ever since then. But there was never a day, when I come into new orphanages, that I hadn't hope my son was there."
Mrs. Kim's voice was tremulous while she was talking and I couldn't help but empathize. It struck me right in the core. I was a child looking for my mother. She was a mother looking for her child. The pain is killing us both until our very last breaths. Strangling us, our lives on the line. The truth forever running away from us.
"So, here I am." She added, feigning a half-smile.
"Here we are." I answered, putting my hand over hers. "Should we see the children?"
Mrs. Kim chuckled and stood up. I trailed behind her.
*
"Yes, yes. I will be fine, Jaehyun. For the last time, please stop nagging. I am not your girlfriend nor your child." I groaned.
I heard Jaehyun snort over the line. "I'll end the call, alright?"
"Alright. Again, I'm sorry for not being able to come with you. It's just very urgent. I will make it up to you, okay?"
"Sure. Bye, Jaehyun." I concluded the call.
I was closing my art gallery. Jungwoo and I did a bit cleaning and called the day off.
"Miss Park, thank you for stopping by today. I was about to close the gallery but then you came!" Jungwoo timidly smiled at me. "You're not busy?"
"It's nothing, Jungwoo." I paused. "Not really. I'm going to the Francis Bacon art show later. Want to come with me?"
Jungwoo frowned for a moment. His shoulders dropped in defeat and he looked at me with puppy-like eyes. "I would love to, Miss Park. But I cannot miss my shift at the movie house. I promised my partner to cover up for him tonight."
I scrunched my nose and pouted. "Well, that's fine. Good luck on your shift then. I'll get going. I'll miss the bus."
Jungwoo and I waved good-bye at each other as we parted ways. I was heading to the bus stop while he went to the opposite direction.
While I wait for the bus to come, I scrolled through my cellphone out of boredom. I checked out the daily news and an article caught my attention.
The Wolves' hunting season has begun
I quickly clicked on the link and read its content.
Last night, series of deaths were reported from different regions of the city. The witnesses' statements were confirmed by the SPD that they were doings of the Wolves as all of the murders had the same MO. The bodies of the victims belong to a butcher man, in his late 30's, a 24-year old single mother, and a priest. The left side of their faces had three claw marks, fresh and deep. An old-timer Detective had released a statement that two decades ago, the claw on the corpse's skins are the Wolves' watermark. It is claimed that it serves as a territorial sign for the gangsters. The SPD has heightened up their security and safeguard and have been working on the case non-stop. People are encouraged to read and watch the news for further announcements.
It's them again. The wolves. Who are these bastards anyway? How can they take away lives as if it's worthless? Unless they find no value in human life, then they're heartless monsters. They're indeed wolves. But what does Mr. Nakamoto and my father have to do with these horrible creatures?
I sat there staring at the artificial screen, completely clueless of my surrounding. All I could ever think of was the group of men, whom I allegedly suspect as the nefarious gangsters being mentioned in the news.
Reading the article made my chest somehow combust. I tightly gripped onto the gadget when I felt a quick brush on my shoulder. I tilt my chin only to see Taeyong standing beside me, holding a cup of coffee in one of his hand.
He nonchalantly waved at me and asked "What's with the long face?"
"Oh, it's you." I quickly drew back my phone and buried it in the pocket of my jacket.
"Yeah it's me. Where are you going?"
An idea came to me when Taeyong sat next to me. But I'm too embarrassed to ask him.
I took out the spare ticket for the art show and handed it to him.
His face crooked in perplexity. He looked at the paper and then to my frantic face. "W-what's this?" He asked with a fruity accent in his voice. "Y-yah! Answer me, will you?" Panic evident in his tone this time.
"I badly need someone to go with the art show. I have no one else in mind. Everyone has been very busy and you seem to have a lot of time in your hands," I exhaled for a while and bit the insides of my cheeks. "I am asking you as a friend and nothing else. I just want someone to go with—I usually go with Jaehyun but—"
Taeyong shyly chuckled, the laugh lines around his eyes deepening and his cheekbones protruding. "Yes, I'll come with you. Do you typically over-explain things or are you embarrassed?"
Dumbstruck, I remained silent. I swallowed my lips as the humiliation was rushing all throughout my body.
"Are you sure?" I raised my brows.
"Yes. Where will it be held anyway?"
"Just an art gallery at Insa-dong."
"Okay, then." Taeyong pursed his lips into a thin line. His shoulders were shaking from trying to contain his laughter. I gritted my teeth and hit his arm. "This is not a date. Don't tell Jaehyun about this or even anyone."
Taeyong cleared his throat, swallowing hard. "Yes." He spat.
A bus finally came. Both of us stood up while being a little uncomfortable at each other's presence. Taeyong went in first and I followed behind him. He walked towards the double seat near the middle isle and sat right next to the window. Other passengers had already taken their seats while I was troubling to find one for myself. I didn't want to sit near the rear of the bus. It will get bumpy. Some of the seats were already taken, except for one at the back.
Feeling discomfort, I sauntered towards the end of the bus when I felt a light tug on my wrist.
Taeyong lightly patted the cushion of the seat. He pointed his chin down, signaling me to sit next to him. I hesitated, of course. I didn't want to sit beside him. I didn't want to stir any false rumors about him and I.
"Don't make your life harder." He said, pulling me down. I was left with no choice but to follow his order. "We're going to the show as friends, remember?"
I stiffly sat, resting my quivering shoulders on the backrest. I positioned my hands, my palms faced down on my lap, constantly rubbing my knees in distress. Meanwhile Taeyong was looking out the window, seemingly enjoying his view.
"So, you like Art—" Taeyong's lashes batted at a fast pace when he saw me squirming like a fish caught in a net because of anxiousness. I noticed his cheeks tinge pink as our eyes met. I bet mine did too. It took us couple of seconds to look away. When we had the chance to ignore what happened, we both acted unnaturally as we make our way to Insa-dong.
A/N:
OOooOooOOoooOMffff we're getting there. . . .