another time, another place
another time, another place
Kai/Krystal
Romance | 4255 words
The story starts like this. There is no damsel in distress ― a young lady with an abusive step mother, or a princess dreaming of freedom in a land far away. There is no prince charming riding a white horse or knight in shining armor. There isn’t any fairy godmother, or a fancy ball thrown by the royal family in the quest of finding the perfect girl for their crown prince. But there is a carnival in a small village far away from the hustle and bustle of Seoul where the air is much fresher and the population is much smaller, surrounded by trees and hills as far as the eyes can see. And in this carnival, there is Kim Jongin, the local country boy who was born and raised in this very village with a part-time job that bores the hell out of him.
Jongin heaves out a sigh for the nth time in the past thirty minutes as he watches the merry-go-round turns. He can see the happy faces and hear the delighted giggles of the kids on the ride, while their parents wait on the side, some taking pictures while the others only smile and wave when their children come into view. He glances at Taemin’s booth across the pathway divides the two of them, and he can see a guy older than him trying his luck at the punching game to impress the girl he is with and probably to win her heart by winning the huge teddy bear for her. The guy fails his attempt, and Jongin tries hard to suppress his snicker when he sees the guy’s reddening face. Taemin catches his eyes and sends a signal for him not to laugh, but an amused grin quickly appears after the couple walks away.
He never expected to be spending his summer weekends minding the shoot-your-desired-present game booth in this carnival. Though the job is not at all physically challenging, which means he can just sit there and not moving a muscle since there aren’t that many customers (some nights there isn’t any at all, and he stays glued on his chair the entire night that when it’s the closing time, he feels sore in his bottom and legs), the waiting process still tires him out. But he needs the money. There are mouths to feed back at home and as the man of the house, he can’t depend on his ailing mother that much anymore.
“So, what’s the deal?”
The voice comes to him out of the blue. He didn’t hear any footsteps approaching so the person caught him off guard. He looks up and finds a girl about his age, wearing a black rock band t-shirt and black skinny pants, her long raven hair falls beautifully behind her back. She cocks her head to one side, her stare fixed directly at him. Jongin suddenly feels the need to sit straighter, his right hand unconsciously reaching for his hair to fix his bangs, as if he’s meeting someone rather intimidating and he needs to make a good first impression.
“Do I just aim at any gift I want and shoot?” she demands again.
“Um, sorry?”
The girl rolls her eyes out of frustration and impatience. “I thought you’re supposed to work here?”
Jongin scratches the back of his neck in confusion. “Well, yeah, I am working here.”
“Then you’re supposed to tell me what to do. Duh.”
After another minute of eye blinking, neck scratching, and sentence arranging, he manages to recite the instructions that he was forced to memorized word by word. “500 won for five bullets,” he says, handing a small basket containing tiny balls used as the bullets. He watches her as she loads the gun with the bullets, at the same time still explaining the rules. But before he can finish talking, she has already aimed at the spinning wheel, and her first bullet hits a stuffed giraffe. Jongin stops midsentence, his jaw dropping and eyes widening as if it is his first time witnessing such scene. He quickly rushes to pick the giraffe up and returns back to his place to hand her the prize she won. “Congrー”
“I used only one bullet, so that means I only need to pay 100 won?”
He shakes his head. “But the rule isー”
“Alright, alright,” she sighs as she rummages through her bag to search for money. “I don’t have cash right now.”
“We accept coins.”
“Do you accept cards?”
He frowns. “Does this place look like a high class shopping mall in Gangnam to you?”
“Well, I don’t have cash with me.”
“We accept coins, in case you didn’t hear me earlier.”
“By cash, I mean I don’t have any coins with me either.”
The girl gives him a look that says are-you-an-idiot-or-is-there-something-wrong-with-your-brain? but Jongin chooses to ignore that. He crosses his arm and attempts a smug face in return. “No money, no business.”
“Fine!” she explodes, giving the stand a good kick before storming away.
He lets out a snort and watches her leave. He wonders who the girl is, as she doesn’t seem to be from local or the nearby towns. When she disappears from his vision, he leaves his chair and picks up the stuffed giraffe she hit earlier. But she’s good, he can’t help but to agree on that fact. He stares at the toy for a minute longer. The corners of his lips eventually curl, and after throwing another glance at the direction where he last saw her, he hides the toy under the counter.
“Here.”
He looks up from the book he’s reading and returns back to the present time from the fictional world of the book. Standing in front of him is the girl from last night. She has her arms crossed, one of her feet tapping the ground and an annoyed expression on her face. There’s a 500 won coin on the table. Jongin takes the money and keeps it along with the other profits before getting up from his seat, the girl’s eyes following his movement. He stoops his head to peer below the table, and takes out the toy she won the last time. “Here’s your prize.” He hands her the stuffed giraffe. “I kept it just in case, and turns out you really did come back.”
She accepts the toy and holds it with both her hands, making her look like a little kid. “I… It’s just that I hate owing someone, that’s all.”
They don’t exchange another word. It isn’t until when she is about to turn and walk away that he speaks. “You actually still can use your remaining four bullets, you know. You might win something else.”
“Can I use the bullets to shoot you instead?”
“Forget I said anything.” He plops back down to his seat and opens his book again. He is not the type who dislikes someone and holds grudges, but he thinks maybe it would be a better idea not to place the girl and him in the same room.
“I’ll just come back some other time for them,” she adds later. “There’s no rule that states I need to use up the bullets all at once, is there?”
Jongin blinks at the girl. “Uh, no. I believe there isn’t.”
“That’s settled, then,” she says before taking her leave.
Jongin finds himself anticipating and searching for the girl’s face amongst the carnival comers the coming week. Every now and then he would look up from the book he has yet to finish and scan the crowd (not that there are that many people at the carnival) for her, but she never appears again.
It is about two weeks after the first meeting that they encounter each other again, when Jongin delivers the milk to a house not far from where the carnival takes place, approximately 15 minutes away from the main town and 30 minutes away from his home by foot. But Jongin rides his bicycle wherever he goes, so it takes lesser time. There are hardly any cars in the area anyway, and buses are only available in the main town.
The door swings open without a further notice, and the girl almost knocks Jongin who is bending down to place the milk carton by the doorpost over.
“Hey, watch where you’re goー” He raises his eyes and meets her astonished stare. “You!”
“Don’t you think I’m the one who should be saying that?” he probes as he gets back up on his feet.
She scrutinizes the milk carton, puts her hands on her hip and cocks her head. “What, you’re sending poison to my house now?”
“It’s your house?” His eyes widen. “What happened to Mr and Mrs Shim?”
“They’re my uncle and aunt, and it’s not really my house. I’m staying with them for the summer.”
“Ah, no wonder I haven’t seen you before.”
She closes the door behind her and somehow they fall into synchronized steps. “What happened to your job at the circus? Did you get fired for being an incompetent employee?”
“My job is fine, thanks for asking. And it’s a carnival, not circus. It’s only on the weekends so I’m free on other days. Also, I am far from being incompetent.”
“Hmm, I see,” she nods.
“So you are Changmin hyung’s cousin?”
“You know him?”
“It’s a small neighborhood, so everyone knows everybody,” he explains. He kicks his bicycle stand up lightly and turns to her. Seeing her different and much simpler appearance compared to all black getups the last two times he met her, he asks, “Where are you going so early in the morning, by the way?”
“Jogging,” she replies, pointing at her running shoes.
Jongin climbs on his bicycle and gives her a cunning smile. “You might want to stay away from the woods. I’ve heard stories from other people,” he informs her, before pushing the pedal and cycles away without a single glance back.
The girl waits for him the next morning he comes to deliver the milk. Hearing the creaking sound of his old bicycle and his footsteps approaching the house, she quickly opens the door, giving him a scare.
“Don’t do that again!” he scolds her, the shock still hasn’t left his face.
“Why not? It’s fun,” she smirks.
Jongin glares at her before turning around to head back to his bicycle. “What do you want?” he asks when he notices she is following him, making big steps to catch up.
“It occurred to me yesterday that I still don’t know your name.”
“So you’ve been thinking about me.”
She gives him a kick on the shin, causing him to jump on one feet and wincing in pain. “Like you haven’t been thinking about me.”
“When did I ever?”
“You kept the toy for me.”
He scoffs at her statement. “Fine, we’re even.” He stops at his tracks when they reach his bicycle, and he extends a hand towards her. “My name is Jongin. Kim Jongin. Nice to meet you. Satisfied?”
She smiles and accepts his handshake. “Nice to meet you too, Kim Jongin.” When he lets go of her hand, she raises a brow. “Aren’t you going to ask for my name?”
“You are going to tell me anyway even without me asking,” he shrugs.
“I’m Krystal Jung.”
“Krystal?”
“That’s what people call me back home. Well, my parents call me by my Korean name, but everyone else calls me Krystal. I’m from San Francisco. You know that place?”
Jongin shakes his head because there’s too much information to register in a short amount of time and also because he really has never heard of the place. “San Peurー what is the name again?”
“San Francisco.”
“What did you say your name is?”
“Krystal. God, you sure are the slow one.”
He nods as he climbs on his bicycle. “And what is your Korean name?”
She hesitates for a moment before answering. “It’s Soojung. But everyone calls me Krystal.”
“I’ll call you Soojung,” he announces. “It’s easier for me to remember. And to pronounce.”
She seems to be wanting to say something in protest, but she doesn’t and keeps on walking beside him. “Okay,” she finally murmurs.
“And why are you following me anyway?”
“It’s your fault I couldn’t go out to jog yesterday, so as a pay back, you need to accompany me jogging every day.”
At first Jongin perceives her as a burden, and for the first week or so he would make it a point to deliver to the Shim residence as one of the final houses so that he doesn’t need to put up with her for that long. But eventually he grows accustomed to Soojung’s endless chatters, from her life back home to how there is no water heater in her uncle’s house that she dreads taking a shower every morning despite it being summer. It’s the countryside after all, so the water is much cooler here like how the air is much fresher. Jongin learns that her parents sent her here after she was caught going to a club with a fake ID. Being in your hometown would do you good, they told her, but Soojung can’t seem to understand how living away from the city in a small village with hardly any entertainment but weekend carnivals with tacky attractions would do her any good.
“There’s a beach, you know. It’s about a 40 minutes’ walk from here but it’s worth it because the scenery is pretty, especially during sunsets.”
“Do you know there’s this thing called the car? We use it for travelling so our legs won’t get tired.”
He chuckles. “40 minutes is nothing, missy. Plus there’s so much to see on your way there.”
“By so much you mean the hills and the farms and all?”
“Yeah,” he nods as if it’s the most natural thing in the world.
“Dude, I bet you’ve never been to the city. There’s so much much more to see in the city.”
“You’re right, I’ve never been to the city.”
Soojung stares at him in bewilderment. She used to think people like him don’t exist anymore, and even if they do, it’s either the elderlies or the ones in dramas. “Someday I’ll bring you to the city, and I’ll show you all the fun you’ve missed your entire life.”
Soojung shows up at the carnival again five weeks after the first time she sets her foot there. Nothing has really changed at the carnival. There is no new ride or game booth, the hot dogs being sold at one of the stalls there still look as greasy, and Jongin is still reading the same book.
“Did you, like, read the same page five times before you move on to the next? It’s not even that thick!”
“To make a comparison, reading and me is like you and walking. We don’t get along well.” She raises her fist and threatens to hit him but he only gives her a grin. He notices her wearing a similar black t-shirt of another band that he has never heard of and the same black skinny jeans. Her long raven hair is let loose, almost cascading down to her waist. “Why are you dressed up in black head to toe? Did you just come back from a funeral?”
“No, but I heard someone named Kim Jongin will be having his funeral soon so I prepared in advance.”
“And if it happens Jung Soojung will be the main suspect,” he counters back, and she laughs in return. “So are you here for your remaining bullets?”
“I have a better idea.”
“What about your booth?” Taemin asks as Jongin rolls his sleeves up.
“I just placed a toilet break sign and locked the safe box. There’s no customer anyway.”
“What if Mr. Lee comes?”
“Trust me, he won’t. Even if he does he’ll only come much later to collect the money.”
The older boy is not really satisfied with the answers but he doesn’t say anything further and shifts his attention at Soojung. “So this is the girl who has been kidnapping you all summer?”
“I’m Krystal,” she introduces herself.
“But I thought Jongin said your name is something else. What was it again? Soojー”
“Jongin has a short tongue so he makes up another name since he can’t pronounce mine. Just call me Krystal.”
Jongin raises a questioning brow at her but she keeps her gaze in front. He turns to Taemin again who has a rather confused expression on his face. He punches Taemin lightly on the shoulder and smiles. “Hey, I’m ready to play.”
Soojung ends up going home with two new stuffed toys; one he won from Taemin’s booth and another she won through her unused bullets. There’s a ring on her finger too, despite the supposed diamond being an oversized blue stone and tacky. But she likes it, especially because Jongin nearly spends all his money trying to get it.
“Let’s go to the beach tomorrow.”
He looks at her in shock. “You mean you’ll walk?”
“I have legs, in case you didn’t notice.”
“I thought they are just for show.”
She launches her kick again but he manages to dodge before she could hit him. “Say yes before I change my mind!”
He lets out a hearty laugh, and it gets louder when he sees her irritated face. “Alright, alright.”
“Yay!” she jumps in glee. It is only that he realizes that they are already in front of her house. “We’ll go there after you’re done with your delivery. We’ll walk there real slowly because you know I can’t walk as fast as you do, and also because I’m not good at walking long distance. Don’t worry about the sun. I’ll put on sunblock before I leave the house and I’ll bring along an umbrella in case it gets too hot. You don’t need sunblock by the way since you’re already naturally tanned. I’ll prepare lunch so we can have a picnic there. Then we’ll stay there until the sun goes down because you said it’s the prettiest during the sunset. Then we’ll play some more and leave after we find something to eat. Or we can grab something along the way, but I don’t think there’ll be any stall. Are there any stalls or restaurants near the beach? Should I prepare extra food to set aside for dinner?”
He smiles as he listens to her endless chatter, making sure to nod every now and then so that she would know he is paying attention. “We’ll go to the beach tomorrow,” he cuts in.
She stops talking and looks at him. A smile slowly appears on her lips. “We’ll go to the beach tomorrow.”
They don’t go to the beach the next day.
It rains so hard that the ground gets all muddy and it’s difficult for him to deliver the milks even when he’s wearing a raincoat. The Shim residence is his final delivery place as they planned the previous night. Jongin arrives there all wet and dirty only to find her face soaked with her tears. He is taken aback seeing her crying like it’s the end of the world. “It’s just the beach. We still can go tomorrow,” he tries.
“I already prepared the food. I got up at five just for that, and now everything has gone to waste.”
“It’s not. We’ll wait for the rain to subside, and if it doesn’t, we can just eat it here. I’ll finish everything, I promise, even if it doesn’t taste good, because coming from you, I’m sure it won’t taste good. But I’ll finish it anyway, because it’s from you.”
He expects her to laugh at his teasing, but Soojung cries harder. Not knowing what to do, he pulls her into his embrace and comforts her in the solace of his protective arms. “I’m leaving next week,” she murmurs later in between her sobs. Her voice is almost inaudible and drowned in the heavy downpour, but he hears it loud and clear.
“It’s not the end of summer yet.”
“They already booked the ticket.”
Jongin doesn’t say anything else. When she has calmed down, they both sit at the dining table and she lets him eat the food she made. It tastes good, so he praises her genuinely. However there’s also that bitter taste that lingers in his mouth when he recalls her words, but he doesn’t tell her that.
She doesn’t come out the next morning he comes, even after he waits. She doesn’t come out the mornings after that either, even after he knocks the door.
On Saturday morning there is a loud banging on his door and a loud voice calling his name. When he opens his door still half asleep, he discovers Soojung all jumpy and giddy with a big grin and the brightest pair of eyes on her face, as if nothing ever happened.
“Let’s go to the beach!”
He wants to say no. It’s Saturday and he needs sleep. But he remembers her tears from the last time and the reason she cried. “You’re ridiculous, Jung Soojung,” he tells her before he dashes off to the bathroom.
With him leading the way, he points out every hill and building, showing off the place where he grew up. She keeps comparing them to the skyscrapers and colourful water fountains in the city, but he knows she’s truly enjoying the scenery and it’s just her competitiveness kicking in. She begins to complain about the distance after only ten minutes, and each time she does he would purposely strides faster and she would whine even more.
The supposed 40 minutes’ walk becomes an hour since she keeps wanting to rest, but when they finally arrive at their destination, her scowl instantly transforms into a smile that stretches to her ears. She runs towards the beach in excitement, glancing back in between and yells his name.
“This is the best!”
“Told you it’s worth the walk.” He carefully tiptoes towards her, and when she is within an arm’s reach, he calls her name. He springs forward just in time as she turns around, lifting her up on his shoulder and twirling around to make her dizzy. She screams in both fear and exhilaration. “I’m going to let go,” he says as he lowers her to the water.
“No! Put me down properly where it’s dry!”
“What’s the point of coming to the beach if you don’t want to get wet?” With that, he throws her into the water and she lets out another shriek before she hits the water.
“You’re so going to get it, Kim Jongin,” she declares as soon as she emerges up. They set off to a chasing game, but tables quickly turn when he threatens to do the same thing again. Soon she trips on her feet and falls with her back flat against the sand, and he trips on her and falls down next to her. They both burst out laughing as the chasing game suddenly turns into a tickling game. Once they agree to surrender altogether, both of them are already breathless.
Soojung’s face is flushed red, their chest both heaving up and down rapidly as they gasp for air. “Best day of my life, no doubt.”
“Coming from a city girl who can’t stop boasting about the greatness of the steel forest, I feel proud and honoured.”
They fall into a silence and their fingers find each other. He turns to her and she does the same. Slowly, he moves closer towards her. Their faces are inches away from one another. “Come with me to the city.”
“You know I can’t do that.”
His grip on her hand tightens as if he doesn’t ever want to let go. She closes her eyes as he leans in. Her lips taste salty, and he doesn’t wish to find out if it’s the sea or her tears.
The walk home is much quieter, despite her constant complaints regarding the distance and how exhausted she is after running around all day. Halfway, he kneels down and tells her to rest on his back. She accepts the offer after much hesitation. “Best ride of the town,” she murmurs, and falls asleep.
He goes to her house the next morning although he doesn’t need to deliver milks on Sundays. It is Mrs Shim who opens the door.
“Soojung left before the sun even rose. Didn’t she tell you her flight is in the morning?”
He shakes his head in confusion. “It must have slipped off from her mind.” When he arrives home, he notices a milk carton next to the doorpost. He bends down to pick it up, only to discover a ring with a tacky oversize blue stone underneath.
The story ends here. There is no magical kiss that awakens the sleeping princess, or one that turns a beast into a prince. Jongin is a country boy and that’s where he belongs. He has responsibilities of his own so he can’t simply rides a horse-drawn carriage with his princess charming into the sunset. His story is not a fairy tale so there is no happy ending for him.
He inhales the fresh air and smells the approaching autumn. As the warmth slowly leaves his body through the tips of his fingers and coldness starts creeping up right into his bones, Jongin falls out of love.