Perfect Strangers
Kim Gwiboon is running; running to nowhere, anywhere but home. Her breath comes out in short puffs and a thin mist surrounds her pale icy pink lips. It is cold outside and Gwiboon is dressed only in a thin nightdress, but none of that matters to her. She is running away from home with no possessions, nothing to tie her down. Because her parents just don’t understand. Gwiboon sings and dances and she feels exhilaration every single time she’s up on stage performing. (I want to be a star, she says.) They laugh. To them, Gwiboon is nothing more than a childish, too skinny, too tall girl. Gwiboon would never be a star. But Gwiboon knows, she is a star no matter what they say. She stops when she realizes she is crying. For what reason, she does not know. She walks over to a bench, and sees a young boy, around her age, maybe older. He’s staring at the clear night sky.
Running away, he asks. Gwiboon takes a seat beside him, swinging her feet up to sit cross-legged before nodding softly. You too, Gwiboon says. It is more of a statement than a question. The boy smiles, I’m Lee Jinki. They don’t talk for the rest of the night (but at some point Jinki’s coat found its way around Gwiboon’s shoulders), but neither of them minded. The silence wrapped around them, and Gwiboon breathes in Jinki’s scent. The first rays of light shines on their faces, and Jinki stands up, extending a hand to Gwiboon. She takes it, allowing herself to be pulled to her feet. Jinki says a curt goodbye and leaves. Gwiboon leaves for home as well. (Because they know they’ll meet again.)
The next night they return to the same bench. Gwiboon is still huddled in Jinki’s coat. They sit in silence once more. I want to be a star, Gwiboon whispers. Jinki smiles, I just want to be noticed. Gwiboon reaches for his hand, and as soon as their fingers are intertwined, she understands how he feels. The way people walk past him. He was invisible. Jinki’s breathing is a little hard, forced, and Gwiboon knows that he is feeling the way she does. She does not question their unspoken connection. Neither does Jinki.
Nights pass the same way. They would sit silently beside each other; Gwiboon occasionally falling asleep against Jinki’s shoulder. He would take the younger girl’s hand, and they’d dream together. In their dreams they would pick up the shattered pieces of their past and put them together to form a future where nothing mattered but the two of them. Are we friends, Gwiboon blurts one day as the sun rose in the distance. Jinki laughs a little, and kisses Gwiboon on the forehead. He stands up to leave. No, he replies, we’re perfect strangers.
Gwiboon is just a young girl fighting for her dreams, and Jinki a young boy fighting to be noticed. But at the end of the day, as their broken hearts start beating in sync, they realize;
they’re fighting for love.
(Because when strangers fall in love, it’s possibly the most beautiful thing ever.)
Running away, he asks. Gwiboon takes a seat beside him, swinging her feet up to sit cross-legged before nodding softly. You too, Gwiboon says. It is more of a statement than a question. The boy smiles, I’m Lee Jinki. They don’t talk for the rest of the night (but at some point Jinki’s coat found its way around Gwiboon’s shoulders), but neither of them minded. The silence wrapped around them, and Gwiboon breathes in Jinki’s scent. The first rays of light shines on their faces, and Jinki stands up, extending a hand to Gwiboon. She takes it, allowing herself to be pulled to her feet. Jinki says a curt goodbye and leaves. Gwiboon leaves for home as well. (Because they know they’ll meet again.)
The next night they return to the same bench. Gwiboon is still huddled in Jinki’s coat. They sit in silence once more. I want to be a star, Gwiboon whispers. Jinki smiles, I just want to be noticed. Gwiboon reaches for his hand, and as soon as their fingers are intertwined, she understands how he feels. The way people walk past him. He was invisible. Jinki’s breathing is a little hard, forced, and Gwiboon knows that he is feeling the way she does. She does not question their unspoken connection. Neither does Jinki.
Nights pass the same way. They would sit silently beside each other; Gwiboon occasionally falling asleep against Jinki’s shoulder. He would take the younger girl’s hand, and they’d dream together. In their dreams they would pick up the shattered pieces of their past and put them together to form a future where nothing mattered but the two of them. Are we friends, Gwiboon blurts one day as the sun rose in the distance. Jinki laughs a little, and kisses Gwiboon on the forehead. He stands up to leave. No, he replies, we’re perfect strangers.
Gwiboon is just a young girl fighting for her dreams, and Jinki a young boy fighting to be noticed. But at the end of the day, as their broken hearts start beating in sync, they realize;
they’re fighting for love.
(Because when strangers fall in love, it’s possibly the most beautiful thing ever.)