START8
"You didn't tell me that you applied for uni in Korea!" Connie exclaimed. Her voice held excitement and disappointment at the same time. "And to Ajou University! Isn't that one of the top ten!"
Her expressions changed so rapidly. It was an extremely different reaction from Chris. He just laughed and teased me for even trying to apply. Even as I read his email, I could hear his bursts of comedic laughter between the lines. It was a good thing that he wasn't physically there to tease me. I would never hear the end of his voice.
"I don't know…" I muttered. I had forgotten entirely that I had signed up for Ajou University. When the acceptance letter came, I was so surprised. Then I remembered Ajou wasn't the only university I applied to.
Just for luck, I tired to apply for KoRyu. That was one of the top three universities in Seoul. Of course, I expected the rejection that came but I was only testing the waters. The main reason I applied for university there was because I wanted to catch a glimpse of the youngest soccer player in the Korean team, Park JuYoung.
Oh the World Cup – don't get Connie started on that topic. She'll concentrate so happily on the match between Togo and France but once we hit Swiss, her anger was unstoppable. If words could really break bones, the ref would definitely not be living right now. His body parts wouldn't even be able to be buried. By the time Connie was finished with him, he would be just another speckle of dust in the wind.
"So," Connie nudged. "Are you going?"
"I think so," I replied.
It was the best option out of the other universities I had applied to. The ones I wanted to go to have placed me on a waiting list. The ones I had only slight interest in offered me a scholarship but their activities didn't suit me.
There is a truth to why I chose to go to Ajou University. I called Stanford to ask why I was placed on their waiting list. They put me on hold for the longest minute of my life before getting back to me. When they did, I exhaled so loudly they asked if I was okay. I said I was and begged them to continue on.
What I found out shocked me. They said I had much potential but I was better off in a Korean university. The truth was that I had many Korean words scribbled over my application. Some answers were written in Korean but scratched out and rewritten in English. I was so puzzled when they told me this because it was all unconsciously done. Not only that, but my personal statement focused on Korean culture. Stanford was extremely shocked when they called my school to discover that I was in fact, not from South Korea nor was I Korean at all. So they met up with my counselor who showed them the universities I had applied to. When they discovered that I was accepted to Ajou, they placed me on the waiting list.
So that's how it is.
Connie threw a magazine on the table. It was a local Korean magazine that her cousins sent her every month. I picked up the magazine and gazed at the picture.
"Lee Junki," she said. She stuck a baby carrot into her mouth and chomped loudly on it. "He's such a girly looking guy."
I smiled weakly and continued to look at the picture. I was about to throw it back on the coffee table when the sun reflected into my eyes. I peered at it when I noticed a sparkle over his ear. Connie continued to munch on the carrot sticks as I flipped through the magazine.
"You can keep it to practice your Korean."
I didn't reply until I reached the article on Lee Junki. Yet the words just flew by me like any other article. They just talked about his latest work and how he was doing. I began to look at his photo shoot. Needless to say, his face was just as nice as I remembered. The bags under his eyes were less visible. In large letters, the magazine quoted him.
"I miss sleep. So I try to sleep every moment I get."
Letting out a small giggle, Connie turned to me, giving me a weird glance. I shook my head, saying it was nothing but I had actually remembered the first time I saw Junki sleeping. That day in the hospital, he was sleeping so peacefully, like an angel. I wanted to trace my fingers over his skin. Even without makeup, it was nice and smooth.
Then, there it was, like a single star in the dark sky, the cross earrings that hung from Junki's ears. I almost gasped when I saw them. The air barely escaped my lungs as I let my fingers dance over his glossed photo. I touched each photo that showed his earring. It felt surreal. Gulping, I rubbed his 2-D ear, hoping that it was just a dream. But when I lifted my finger, the earring remained.
Connie stared at me.
"Rubbing that magic won't make Junki pop out of nowhere you know."
She knew I liked Lee Junki a lot.
Suddenly the phone rang, startling the both of us. Connie shrugged and indicated that she wasn't going to pick it up even though she was right next to it. I sighed and reached over to answer the phone. I tried to tickle Connie as I spoke.
"Hello?"
"…Haneul?"
I almost dropped the phone. It's been a year since I heard that voice. My name sounded like a melody from his lips. It was almost as if he could bring the true meaning behind my name. Ironically, it's not even my real name.
"Yes?" I whispered and got off Connie. She stared at me as I shushed her. As I answered in Korean, she perked up. Now she was curious but I wouldn't allow her to pick up the other phone to listen. "I'm here."
"Is…he there?"
I felt the phone slip from my hands. I was sweating so much. Nervously, I began to twirl my hair.
"You mean Dong Young? No."
I heard him breath a sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness. That boy scares me." I heard him laugh a little. That made me relax by a tiny notch. He seemed nervous too. "I just want to let you know that I'll be in town for a photo shoot."
"How did you get my number?"
I know I'm not answering his comment but that question was killing me. Actually, many questions were bursting to be answered inside of me. Like why he wasn't asking why my Korean was so fluent or why he decided to call me up now. Why he didn't try contacting me after Dong Young hung up on him…there were so many questions left unanswered.
"Um…" I could imagine his cute self-squirming in discomfort. "I asked Dong Young but he refused to tell me. The next time I called his place, his mother answered and gave me a friend's number. Then I called up that friend and he told me yours."
"But I changed my number since last year."
"I made those phone calls last week."
I remained silent, letting myself absorb this information. What a joke. Why would he bother to call me after an entire year? I wanted to hang up but there was a nagging voice inside that told me to make sure.
"Is this some cruel joke Dong Young is playing on me?" I spoke angrily through the phone. "Yah, Kim Dong Young, I never thought this was funny."
"Dong Young doesn't know I'm calling."
"Oh…"
I felt quite stupid for making a small scene like that. But I just had to make sure. This was too real to be true. No, it was too much of a fantasy to be true.
"I'll be in…tomorrow."
I think I fainted at that point. I'm not quite sure. But I heard Connie screaming my name and his voice screaming through the phone. I felt the waxy plastic slip out of my hands as my head hit the floor. Everything turned black but I could hear the distinct voice in my head. I'll be in…tomorrow. I'll be in…tomorrow. So it's been a year, Lee Junki.
Why do you still remember me?
