Page 4 of GR8VITY

I relax into the bench and nibble on my last mochi until it's gone, satisfied that my answer seems to have made him happy. Waiting until my last bite, he starts packing up our trash before slipping that strap of his mask back on and standing. I'd noticed how insanely tall he is, but from this angle with me still sitting down, he looks like a giant. A beautiful, mysterious giant.

His head tilts slightly as he looks down at me. A few moments pass between us as we lock eyes, and it makes the tickle in my belly come back.

"Same time tomorrow?" he asks in that low husky tone.

I nod slightly with a smile. "Sure."

As he starts to walk away, I remember my manners. "Thank you for the ice cream."

He turns around and walks backwards as he says, "Any special requests for tomorrow?"

Caught in the moment, I jump in two feet first like I usually do. "Your mask?"

Listen, no one can blame a girl for wanting to see a beautiful man. Apparently, he feels the same way. He stops walking backward, landing him in just enough illumination from the streetlight that I can see that I've made him smile again underneath it. "I'll see what I can do."

He bows ever so slightly toward me, and I stand to return it. Then, he turns and carries on. Covering my lips with both hands, I watch him until he's out of sight. I absolutely cannot believe what is happening right now. Shaking my head in disbelief, I turn around to walk the opposite direction. There's no point in staying out here now. I'll likely just be wishing that he was here to talk to the entire time, anyway.

Tucking my hands in my pockets, I slowly walk toward my apartment in a daze. I had a couple boyfriends in America, especially in college before I moved back home to take care of my omma. Even my first one in high school didn't make me feel the little butterflies in my belly like I just felt with Kyung. I didn't get the nervous feeling at the thought of seeing them again. Most importantly, none of them put me at ease the way that he did with one conversation. It felt completely natural talking to him, like I've known him for years. I've even gone out with a few guys here, but all to the same effect. None of them felt like this does.

The optimist in me is looking forward to seeing him tomorrow. I never really had a pessimist side until I lost my omma, and it's speaking loud and clear right now, telling me I need to stomp on the brakes with feelings. Maybe that version of me has been in there all along, and I never noticed. Maybe that's why I haven't ever let anyone close. Deciding it's the better choice for now, I tuck all of them into a tiny box in the corner of my mind and mentally tie it with a bow.

Closing my eyes, I suck in a lungful of crisp night air before letting it out in a harsh puff. Refocusing so that I don't trip over my own feet, I take my hands out of my pockets and pick my step up into a light jog for a few seconds before going full sprint the rest of the way home.

TRACK 02

NO MASK

LIZ

When dawn brings the next morning, last night feels like nothing more than a fever dream. None of it, but especially Kyung and those darned feelings that I've tried so hard to keep locked in the box. About the only part of it that does feel real is the ice cream, and that's probably just because of my love for sweets. Might also be watching him enjoy it as much as I did. Either way, for the first time in what feels like forever, I managed to get a good eight hours of sleep.

Still, it doesn't stop me from grabbing a coffee on the way to the children's home. I've just gotten my Americano and am walking out when I notice a familiar face out of the corner of my eye. There, hanging on the wall is a large photo of eight guys huddled together and posing. The frame is signed, but it's not the writing that has caught my eye. It's the tall figure toward the back with his arm slung around a blond guy's shoulder who looks just as tall as him. There's absolutely no doubt that it's Kyung. It's in the height and the face shape, but much clearer in the eyes and his smile. The title at the top is underlined, labeling them as GR8VITY. It sounds familiar, but I can't place where I've heard it. Quite possibly because my brain is still in shock, seeing the mysterious man I've locked away feelings for here out in broad daylight for everyone to look at.

Glancing around, I don't see anyone paying me any mind for once, but I don't want to risk looking like a weirdo. Filing the information away for later, I sip my iced coffee on the way to the children's home. I teach English to the smaller kids for the first few hours, so I'm distracted enough to lose myself. But as soon as I'm alone, it sits on my brain through the rest of the day while I try to process. Some of the things he said last night make more sense now. Not like it changes my feelings at all. I've even tried stepping out and looking at it from a different angle. He's obviously an idol, which is a big deal here. More than once, I've seen the chaos and fangirling over idols. I get it somewhat. They're celebrities, but I don't look at Kyung and see that. He's just a cute guy who stopped to talk, dropped a cheesy but cute line, and bought me ice cream.

I'm tempted to Google him and see what it all means, but I refuse. Whatever status he may have because of his job, he can tell me himself instead of me being one of those girls. Because, no matter how I look at it, he's just going to be that cute cheesy guy.

I battle with myself all day, going back and forth on whether I should mention it or not to see if he'll tell me. In the end, I stop worrying about it. If it happens to come up then so be it.

Honestly, I'm so excited by the time I'm walking toward the overlook that I've almost forgotten about it already. He's standing tall beside the railing with his hands tucked into a grey hoodie. He turns to look my way before he possibly ever could've heard me coming. It reminds me of that old saying about souls knowing souls.

Even from a good distance away, I can see him checking me out. Which is funny, because I didn't do anything different today than I've done any other night. I won't ever change who I am for anyone. I left my hair hanging freely like I always do and just threw on a pair of jeans with a black t-shirt. It's just an odd feeling because I can practically feel his gaze caressing my soul.

"Hello," he greets me in his native tongue.

"Hi," I reply, letting my smile slip out.

"Feel like taking a walk tonight?" he asks.

When I tell him sure, he turns slowly, giving me enough time to make it next to him before he starts walking. The only sound for a minute is our shoes on the concrete. I can't help but picture how short I must look next to him. Even his legs look a million miles long. Without a doubt he's slowing his stride to match my smaller one.

We turn down a path that cuts through a small park. It's more secluded than the overlook, and I've noticed that not a lot of people venture down it at night. Not that it's not safe or anything. There are plenty of streetlights, and I feel safer in this dark park than I would've walking in broad daylight in some of the streets in the cities back home.

He stops so abruptly that I take two more steps before I realize he's not next to me anymore. As I turn around, it's just in time to see him slipping off his mask. Twirling it on his finger, he shoots me a cocky grin before tucking it into his pocket.

My brain does that thing again where it misfires and doesn't exactly communicate with my mouth. Which is my excuse as to why I blurt out, “I saw you today.”

He stops mid-twirl as his smile slips into a more guarded expression. “Yeah?”