Summer Night's Dream
Episode 13 - How It Starts

Sometimes love come in a weird way that only you could understand, not someone else.

It's still the same afternoon. Apartment 7Seasons.

"I'm home" Ji-Ho slams the door behind her and replaces the shoe with a house slipper. Afterwards, he could hear a running sound from one of the rooms until one door opened and Park Kyung emerged from behind the door.

"Where have you been?!" Ji-Ho grieves hearing Park Kyung's loud and noisy voice. It felt like Park Kyung was the wife who was waiting for him, the husband, all night as he went out drinking with his office mates.

"Which other one?" Ji-Ho ignores Park Kyung's question.

"Jaehyo is leaving to sign a new advertising contract. And others were out to buy meat and other ingredients. We're going to a barbecue party later tonight to celebrate Jaehyo's new offer" Park Kyung explains at length while Ji-Ho slams his body on the couch. A long sigh blows out of Ji-Ho's mouth as her back touches the sofa's tenderness.

"Where have you been?!" realizing that he had not been answered earlier, Park Kyung repeated his question. "Why can't I contact you at all?!" he added.

Ji-Ho grabs her phone from her pants pocket and all she sees is a black phone screen, dead. Maybe his phone battery ran out while he was stalking Nara, he was not paying attention anymore. "My phone's battery ran out" he swung his phone with a black screen facing Park Kyung to show it.

"Okay... So, this is the third time I've asked, where have you been??" Park Kyung did not give up either. Now he chooses to sit across the sofa that Ji-Ho is sleeping on.

Ji-Ho grimaces when she hears that question again. "I'm out. stalking Nara," she admitted.

"What?" Park Kyung takes the sofa cushion behind her, hugs her, and advances her body forward. He found this more interesting, this story.

"Kyung-ah, I feel like I really fell for her," Ji-Ho said those words in a really small voice, more like a whisper. But Park Kyung can still hear it.

Park Kyung laughs. "Come on.don't overdo it. You just met him and even met him once. Don't be so dramatic" he sneered at not believing what he just heard. In his heart he feels even more amused to see his best friend become very melow, but he refrains from getting ridiculed Ji-Ho more.

"I know. But..well, maybe first sight love?" Ji-Ho groans after saying that sentence. He himself did not believe he could melow it. He covered his face with his hands, feeling desperate. For 25 years of his life, only this time did he feel this way.

Ji-Ho's memories drift back to the moment she first met Nara. Not when they 'collided', but a few hours before the incident. The actual first time he saw her, which he hadn't even told Park Kyung. Maybe that's when her feelings for Nara first showed up.

•••••••• ________________________________ ••••••••

Sunday afternoon. Hongik University.

"You go first, hyung*. I want to relax outside for a while\," Ji-Ho tells Taewoon\, her brother. Taewoon nodded and hurriedly walked inside the Hongik University building.*

After Taewoon leaves, Ji-Ho looks around him, looking for a good place to rest. The afternoon weather was perfect and did not want to be missed. Although it is still summer, but the sun is not so hot and the typical warm summer air blows slowly, making the afternoon very fitting to relax.

Ji-Ho steps away from the entrance of the university building, down a small staircase that connects the entrance to the university garden courtyard, then down the stone walkways on the grassy expanse of the park. Around it, a number of college kids cycle around the park. A few more people were sitting relaxing under a large, shady tree while reading a book. There was also a child with a bubble gun in one hand and milk in the other running to and fro with both hands floating in the air while firing his bubble gun. Then there was a group of female students who were gossiping, whispering while chuckling together. And...

"Yes!! Aigo*!!" the sound of a loud shout from behind Ji-Ho caught his attention. He turned his body to see what was happening.*

Ji-Ho sees a woman with an annoyed face grabbing the left side of her white shirt that was hit by a brown stain. In front of him, the boy who had been holding a bubble gun and milk stood and looked frightened.

"Are you okay?" a girl suddenly came up to the woman with a worried look. He asks in Korean, but from what Ji-Ho sees, from the way he talks and his face, you can guess that the girl is not a native Korean.

Both eyes are large with a pair of long eyelashes. Although his eyebrows are thin, but well formed. Speaking of shape, his body shape is not like the typical super skinny style of Korean girls. The body contains less - compared to Korean girls in general - but is not also fairly fat or excessive. The body is small, only about 155 to 160 centimeters. His face was also quite thin with a high nose. Her skin is a soft yellow color, again, not typical of Korean girls in general. And he has wavy hair past his dark black shoulders with straight front bangs covering his forehead.

“Hey, why am I observing that girl?!” Ji-Ho speaks to her heart. Feeling strange, he also chose to ignore the girl, woman, and child earlier. Just as she was about to turn around and leave, the woman started replying, and spoke Korean.

"My body is dirty now. I have to go to an interview. But what am I supposed to do with this dirty shirt?! This will give me a minus for appearance" said the woman while pointing at her clothes that were stained.

The girl looked at the woman in front of her blankly. It was as if he was processing what the woman had said. Then he scratched his head and looked confused, perhaps finally not understanding what the woman had just said.

"Pulse..I'm sorry I can't understand," the girl gave up and finally spoke in English. "But I guess from your body language, you are worried about your clothes. So here, wear my cardigan," he took off his cardigans and gave them to the woman.

It seems that the woman also does not speak English. He looked hesitant and confused for a while. Maybe he still doesn't understand why the girl gave him the cardigan. So, the girl made another move with her hands and body. "Wear it?" it performs motion like installing a cardigan to give an example.

The 'oh' voice slowly started to sound from the woman. It seemed like he could already catch what the girl meant. So he accepted it and immediately put it on. Fortunately, the brown stain was completely covered with cardigan. The woman smiled looking at the girl in front of her. Then he lowered his head as a sign of his gratitude. The girl also retorted with her head down, then moved her hand towards the building, probably trying to say 'please enter'. The woman lowered her head once more then walked away.

Ji-Ho's smile expands seeing the girl. The girl is good. It was not his fault, but he was still trying to help. After the woman had left, a relieved expression emanated on the girl's face. Then he turned his body to face the child. He crouched down and placed both hands on the child's shoulders.

The boy did not answer. He just stared at the girl in silence, then suddenly started to sob. Within a few seconds his sobbing cry began to turn into a loud cry. Some of the people who passed them glanced at the boy and the girl, maybe they thought it was the girl who made the child cry. Ji-Ho can see a panicked expression that starts to appear on the girl's face, but the girl tries to hide it by clearing her throat slowly. Ji-Ho walks to the nearest bench from them to further observe. Strange, he did not know why the incident was so interested.

"Aigoo~ wae? Uljimayo... ” he stroked the child's hair in front of him. "Uljimayo..ne?”

The boy did not stop crying. Although not as loud as the cry before, but the child was still crying. He covered his face with his hands and as before, sobbing, sounded very sad. Ji-Ho guesses the boy is still in shock because the woman was yelling at him.

The girl paused for a moment, thinking. Then he grabbed the child's head and pulled it into his arms. He constantly stroked the child's head gently. Ji-Ho can't bear to not smile. She looks so lovely, thought Ji-Ho.

Immediately, the girl began to sing the song softly. Due to their close distance, Ji-Ho can still hear the song that the girl is singing. He did not know the title of the song or who sang it, but he seemed to have heard it. Ji-Ho slowly begins to drift in the girl's voice. Her soft voice seemed to permeate Ji-Ho's heart. Ji-Ho can feel her heart racing as the girl sings.

The girl sings with a bright smile plastered on her face, and it makes Ji-Ho smile too. Then the girl's head moved left and right to the beat. Slowly, the boy's cry gradually disappeared, and he became calm in the song of the girl.

The girl chuckled in the middle of her singing. A soft, sweet looking little laugh. Ji-Ho's blood ripples, flowing towards his head. He could feel his face warm. And maybe flushed?

Geudae geu bameui jageun... Weiroum jitheun...

Bujileobeun...Nunmureul samkhin naldo.

Urieui sarangi sijak...Geudae son majujabgo

Hamkehandamyeon i sesang eoteon...

Gyeondyeonaerira na yaksokhagetso

Eonjenga...

Sewori jinago akeukhan geu...Ijhyeojyeo ganda

Saranghae geudaereul sarathae...Geudaeeui hyanggiga

Eonjenga.

Sewori jinago uri jinan... Baraejyeo

Saranghae geudaereul sarathae...

Geudaeeui chueogi...

Geudaeeeui sarangi

(J Rabbit - Light Sleep)

Ji-Ho's mesmerized. A few seconds after the girl finished singing, Ji-Ho still looked at her without blinking. Ji-Ho's consciousness only returns when another woman arrives and pulls the child out of the girl's arms. Looks like the woman has the child's mother, Ji-Ho thought. The boy's mother and the girl began to speak English. The girl explained what happened and the boy's mother nodded in understanding. Then the mother lowered her head and thanked him. The girl also bowed politely. After saying farewell, the child and mother waved their hands as they walked away. The girl returned with a wave of her hand and smiled warmly.

After they left, the girl turned around with shaky steps up the small staircase that connects the park with the main door of the building and passed in. Ji-Ho immediately gets up from where she was sitting, and quickly follows the girl from behind. The girl was still walking nonchalantly while occasionally squeezing her hands beside the body. Shortly after, they reached the place where the girl had gone. The girl stepped into the room that seemed to be a hall, walked down the steps and took a seat in the middle of the room. Ji-Ho does the same thing, coming in, but she takes the top spot and the end of the room, close to the exit so she doesn't get much attention.

Some people on stage were busy arranging musical instruments and sound systems and put up large banners that read 'Welcome our Delegates' and below with smaller posts emblazoned '2017 ISEC Exchange Program: Social and Health for a Sustainable Future'. A few more passed under the stage, arranging the decorations. Then there are also those who struggle with laptops on the front desk of the stage that seems to be connected to the screen on the stage later.  It seems that the hall will be used for a welcoming event, but Ji-Ho is also not sure what the welcoming event is. Is it an exchange program?

Ji-Ho shakes her head, trying to refocus and neglecting anything else to get back to her original goal. So he just sat quietly in his place while quietly observing the girl from afar. The girl looked nervous, she clasped her seat handle and unceasingly stomped her feet on the floor. His mouth keeps moving like he is talking, or maybe humming something, Ji-Ho is not sure what because their distance does not allow him to hear.

Suddenly a man came and patted the girl on the shoulder from behind. But the girl did not rub and even bit her nails. Then the man took a detour and sat down beside the girl. They talk for a while which Ji-Ho still can't hear from where she's sitting. All he could catch was the face of the girl who looked increasingly nervous. Then the man stood up and pulled the girl's hand. The girl reluctantly follows the man and disappears from Ji-Ho's sight backstage.

“What girl will perform?” inner Ji-Ho. Since the girl was no longer at her distance, her gaze was now fixed on the stage that was ready. The audience seats had also started to fill up and some people had also started to enter the hall room. “It looks like soon the show will start,” her inner self again.

Shortly thereafter the show opened. Ji-Ho doesn't pay much attention, her concentration crumbles as she glances at her watch. He was afraid that Taewoon was done with his business while he had not seen the girl again since he disappeared backstage. Little Ji-Ho rises from her chair with her head stretched forward, as if in doing so she can peer into the backstage state covered in black curtains. In vain, he could see nothing.

Ji-Ho doesn't pay attention to what the host on stage is saying, but the whole room is now clapping. An intro of the song begins to play and the girl comes out from behind the stage. The intro of the song is very familiar to Ji-Ho's ears. Of course, because it's his work, Okey Dokey. A proud smile bloomed on his face upon hearing the song.

The girl starts singing the initial hook of the song while shaking her hand following the music and continues by singing the Mino part of the song. Ji-Ho enjoys the look, but she feels something is awkward. The girl's face revealed a worried expression that was like she was trying to hide. Or is that just Ji-Ho's feeling? Or maybe the girl was just nervous? I don't know.

Even so, overall the girl performed very well, especially the part where she said 'mustang' which became part of the song lyrics. He blinked one eye and formed a heart with his thumb and index finger and threw it at the audience in front of him.

Unknowingly, Ji-Ho smiles broadly like a fool while watching the girl. His eyes sparkled brightly and he could feel his heart hunting like a running horse. It felt so unreasonable he suddenly became like that.

But just then he realized, the girl had caught his attention.

That time I know, she captured me.

X-X-X