Chapter 33 (Part 1)

 
“Oppa!” I screamed, causing all the other shoppers to look at us. I stood there with my mouth wide open. If someone had hit me with a feather, I would have surely fallen down.

My heart was racing at a million beats a second and I could feel tears welling in my eyes. He looked so beautiful clad in jeans and a dark suede jacket and I could see that he’d grown his hair longer as it was now grazing the top of his eyes.

I couldn’t even move if I wanted to and just stood in the same spot, watching him walk towards me.  “You’re here? How come? Where are you staying? How long are you staying?”

His face broke into a smile as he moved closer to me. “You have so many questions. How about a hug and a kiss first?”

On hearing that, I dashed towards him and he scooped me in his arms and twirled me around. I couldn’t believe how happy I felt. Min Ki Oppa was here!

After about a minute, he put me down and we just stared at each other with silly smiles. I looked at the face I hadn’t seen in what felt like twenty lifetimes and it hadn’t changed much other than looking a little gaunt. I worried that he was skipping meals but before I could vocalize that, he said, “What have you been doing in America? You’re even prettier than ever.”

“You too, Oppa. What have you been doing all this time? You’re more handsome now,” I said, grinning at the compliment.  I twirled around so he could take a good look. “Everybody gains weight in America. Oppa, I’m still beautiful, aren’t I?”

He was about to say something when we heard a large barf sound. We turned to see Yvette pretending to throw up.

I laughed and walked over to her and tapped her back like I was helping her out. “Here’s my crazy friend Yvette.”

She stopped up straight and grinned. “Now I know why you’re so obsessed with him – he’s almost as hot as John Abraham.”

Min Ki raised his brow. “John Abraham?”

I laughed. “Please ignore her – she’s not well. I’m sure he’s an Indian actor. She loves those movies.”

“Oh,” he mouthed.

I laughed because he was pretending to understand even though I knew he didn’t.

Then he smiled at me.  And I smiled back. And we were back to smiling at each other like two silly goofs till my brother cleared his throat.

“Yvette, why don’t we leave these two alone?”

My eyes immediately averted to the hand that was now on her wrist. I could sense trouble brewing from a mile away. I just didn’t like the look on my brother’s face. Was he bored and looking for someone to play with?

“Yvette,” I said, looking her dead in the eye. “If you’re leaving, go home alone. Don’t go anywhere with my brother – he’ll break your heart.”

“With an endorsement like that, how can I not follow him?” she said, giving him a flirty grin.

The alarm bells began to ring loudly in my head. “No, no, no, no!” I yelled before going to them and separating them. I had too few friends to risk losing one because of my brother.

Everyone but me laughed and while I was glaring at them, Dong Won said, “Min Ki flew all the way from Nowhereland to spend some time with you and you’re wasting it talk to us?” He nodded his head towards him. “Why don’t you just go with him and mind your business?”

Before I could say anything, Min Ki grabbed my hand. “He’s right. Let’s leave them alone now,” he said while dragging me away.

As he pulled me away I turned around and called to Yvette. “Better go straight home. If you know what’s good for you, don’t hang out with him!”

***

Walking side by side with Min Ki with our hands linked felt so good. His hand felt bigger and warmer than I remembered.  I didn’t realize how much I’d missed him till he was standing next to me. “Where are you staying?”

“At your brother’s dorm.”

My mouth fell open again. “When did you plan this?”

“A few weeks ago. I was lucky to find a cheap ticket online.”

“Wow,” I mouthed. “I can’t believe that you and my brother managed to keep this away from me!”

He laughed. “You’re not that hard to fool,” he teased as he tapped my head like a little kid.

I frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He laughed again and pulled me close to his body. “I’m just joking.” Then suddenly stopped walking, turned to me and hugged me tightly. “I missed you so much!”

I smiled and let myself melt in his hug. Even though he’d changed his soap, he was still using his usual shampoo and that smell reminded me of the love we’d shared back home. As he hugged me tighter and tighter, I remembered all the walks we’d taken together and the first time he told me he loved me. And I felt a tear tug at my eye as I thought about how I begun to take him for granted and how I'd allowed myself to get confused for no reason. I was glad he came to remind me of just how important he was to me.  

Even though we’d been in contact via phone and email, there was nothing as great as having him stand right next to me. I had so many things to tell him but right then, I just wanted to enjoy having him right next to him. I hugged him back tightly. “I missed you so much!”

“I can tell,” he said with laughter in his voice. When we finally separated, he looked down at me and said, “Seeing that smile has already made this entire trip worth it.”

I felt a little flutter in my belly.

***

“So what was all that stuff about a hiking trip?” I asked. We were back to walking in the mall holding hands.

“Which hiking trip?”

“Oppa!” I said, slapping his arm. “You really had me fooled.”

“I’m glad you love my surprise.”

“Of course I love it!” And how many girls had a guy who’d do all the things he’d done for me? I felt so lucky. And since he’d made such an effort to see me, I knew it was my duty to make sure he had a good time but I couldn’t think of any ideas. “So what do you want to do?”

“I don’t know – I just want to be with you,” he said in a sexy voice that just made me want to kiss him. So I did, right on his cheek.

He looked a little surprised but smiled back at me.

I looked away shyly then said,  “But how do you want to spend the time with me? Do you just want to sit and talk? Get something to eat? See a movie?”

“Do you have a movie theatre in here?”

I nodded enthusiastically.  “A great one. Let’s see a movie then,” I said pulling his arm and leading the way. There’s this—”

“Great.  Watching movies hasn’t been the same without you. There’s this movie I’ve been wanting to see – the action scenes are supposed to be quite amazing.”

I scrunched my nose. “Oppa, I don’t want to watch any movie with explosions. There’s this new Kate Bosworth movie that’s supposed to be so romantic.”

He groaned. “I don’t want to fall asleep.”

“But it’ll be so romantic,” I said, pouting. "If I can't see it with you, who can I see it with?

He laughed. “Okay,” he said as we approached the movie theatre. “But you’re going to have to do whatever it takes to keep me awake.”

I stood up straight and gave him a mock salute. “Yes, sir!”

He handed me a twenty dollar note. “Go and get us some popcorn while I pick up the tickets.”

I walked away on air, remembering what it felt like to be with the one you loved.  I must have been smiling like a complete idiot because when I got to the refreshments counter, the cashier looked at me like I was crazy. But I didn’t care. My Min Ki was here!

I was still floating a few minutes later when I found him standing a few feet from the ticket counter holding our tickets.  He took the container holding the popcorn and drinks from me then handed me my ticket.

“We’re in theatre 12,” he said, leading the way as he followed the signs.

I was still smiling, wondering what good deed I’d recently done to deserve this when I looked at the ticket in my hand. It read: Guns, Cars and Explosions. 

“Oppa, what’s this? This isn’t Kate Bosworth’s movie.”

He looked back at me. “I thought about it and there’s no need to watch a romantic movie – we can make our own romance. But I heard this movie has one of the best chase scenes in recent history.”