4 And Found

V

'This place!' Sujin pauses on her feet and pushes the glass door with all her might. Seeing her struggle, Jungkook grins and pushes it open for her. She runs again to take over a seat.

'You seem to know the place a lot, even more than me, don't you?' Jungkook sits down before her. Sujin replies, 'Yes. Ma takes me here every day after school.'

'Ice-cream every day? You seem too spoiled as a kid.' He adds a laugh. 'What does a spoiled kid do?' She asks.

'Gets themselves a cold and leaves their mom broke making her buy ice-cream every day. Are you being a good kid? Tell me.'

Sujin pouts, 'But I love ice-cream. And what does broke mean?'

'Broke means she won't be able to buy you ice-cream anymore. And when you will get a cold, you will not feel well and you will have to lie in bed all day.'

The little girl thinks for a while, 'But isn't that good?'

'You think? You will leave your mom worried. She will fall sick too. Do you want that?'

She frowns, 'No. I don't.'

'Then?' Jungkook places his elbows over the table and quirks his eyebrows, 'Will you eat ice-cream every day from now on?'

'I won't.' He pats her hair, 'Good girl. But we can let it slide for today. Tell me which one you want to get.'

'Chocolate!' She cheers.

'Aigoo, our Sujin is here.' Both of them look back as a staid middle-aged woman approaches their table. Morning light as a pleasant floral smile upon her lips and pallid rays as wrinkles on her cheeks when she speaks, 'I was wondering, you come earlier other days. And where is your mom?' She glances at the boy with questioning eyes.

'Oppa took me here today, Ma hasn't come yet to pick me up so I came with Jungkook oppa.' 'Ah...' She runs her hand through her hair affectionately, 'Don't worry. I already got your flavor ready. How was your school today?'

'It was good. I have learned to count till 20.' Sujin proudly self-acclaims. 'Wow, our Sujin is learning so fast! One day you are gonna make us all proud.' The woman smiles bigger before turning to Jungkook, 'Sujin comes every day. And she is talking and running around all the time so all of us already know her before our own names.'

'Don't I know that already?' Jungkook chuckles, 'She already got me captured in her trap with her bubbliness.'

'Yeah!' She laughingly nods, 'So what should I bring for you?' 'I will take anything Sujin takes.' 'Alright.' She gives a last smile, a last pinch to Sujin's cheeks and slowly turns to leave. Sujin continues to fling her legs back and forth under the table impatiently.

'So, Sujin, do you have any other sibling? Who is in your family?' Jungkook asks to keep themselves engaged as the ice-creams arrive. 'It's me and Ma at home. And Shiro.'

'Your dad?'

'No, no dad.'

'What about him? Does he live away for work?'

'No, I never saw a dad. Mom says I don't have one.'

'Oh...' He mutters, 'What happened to him? Did he...oh I am sorry.' He tries to change the course, 'Your mom must handle you really well. You're so lucky to have her, na? How much do you love your mom? Show me.'

'This much.' Sujin extends her arms.

'Just this much?'

'No. Even more.' She tries to extend her hands further.

'Bigger than this shop?'

'Yes. Bigger.'

'Okay.' He giggles.

'All other kids I have seen have their dads. When I ask Ma, Ma says girls can be independent and be on their own.'

'Wow. What else does she say?'

'She says people are sent to the world so that they can take care of each other. I will have to learn well so that when I grow up, I can take care of her and the people around me. That's why I am gonna work hard at school.' Her small legs keep swinging back and forth under the table.

Jungkook talks in amusement, ' Wow, she seems like a great mom indeed.'

'Ma told me the story of how I was born instead whenever I asked about my dad.'

'A story?' He shifts his head closer with seemingly keen eyes, 'I am interested. Please tell me the story.'

'She says once it was the time of summer-spring. New leaves were starting to gather around the trees and the weather was getting warmer. Ma was sitting before a window sewing a dress, suddenly she pricked her finger with the needle. A leaf slided down the window shed to the casing. Seeing the new leaf she wished to have a child as soft and fresh as the leaf and as beautiful as the spring. Two months later I was born.' She proudly blabbers out the whole story word by word like her well-memorized number table.

Waves of laughter are trying so hard to break Jungkook's dam, yet he taps a silent smile and awes, 'I see. Now I know the mysterious story about our cute little Miss Sujin.'

'And who is Shiro?' He adds.

'My puppy. I brought him just one week ago.' She sits up straight enthusiastically and continues to explain with her rapid fast-moving hands to better articulate the jargon through her stuffed mouth, 'He is even smaller than me, like this small. His body is so furry white! Whenever I go rub his chin he lies upside down on the floor huffing. Will you come over to my house? I want to show him to you.'

'Do you love puppies?'

'Ye!'

'My one friend has a puppy too. His name is Yeontan. If I ever come, I will bring Yeontan with me.' Her eyes instantly light up, 'Really? You are the best.'

He giggles in reply. 'By the way, are you finished with your ice-cream?' She nods, licking the spoon for the last time. 'Then we should go now and check if your mom has come back.'

'Okay.' Jungkook holds her hand to prevent her from running again and proceeds to the counter. 'Here's the bill. Thank you. Sujin, let's go.' The duo saunters out to the main road.

'Ahh, we must be a little late. It's been past fifteen minutes now.' Sujin tightly clings by his fingers, 'But I don't wanna go back yet. Let's walk around for a little more, can we?'

'But we should go back. We will some other time, okay? Hope so your mom hasn't come yet.'

'I don't think she has. Look!' She jumps shooting her fingers to a distance, to the flock of pink and white cotton clouds held by a man near the streetside park. 'Cotton candies!'

'Do you want to get some?' She hesitates at his offer, 'But oppa, you already got me an ice-cream. I shouldn't be eating more sweets now. Let's go back to school.'

'Wow oh my God, this is the first time a kid is actually rejecting cotton candies out of modesty. So I must get you one now.' Sujin gives the sweetest smile at Jungkook. His heart almost flutters at the beauty of innocence.

One stick of pink resting in right and another white one in left, Sujin bounces her way through the footpath, passing by the rushing people safely without trips and bumps while the adult tags along. The school is a few-meter length away, the gate is open all wide. One or two teachers are standing near the entrance talking with a rise of rush in their voice with someone. Coming near, the figure of a girl comes to vision. Her hands, one clutches her hair and another rests close to her lips, she appears terribly restless and her eyes are almost red and glistening with tears about to fall. She is yelling at the teachers and accusing them of something because she says, 'You seriously didn't find her anywhere inside there? Please look once more. Just where can she go?! Please!'

'Ma!' Sujin utters a small shout. The girl immediately turns around. In shock and worry, tears now turn a stream of the river through her both reddening eyes.

'Sujin!' She runs, kneels down, and hugs her tightly to her chest. 'Where did you go without telling anyone? We have been looking for you everywhere!' She releases her and brings her chin up to meet their eyes, 'You left Ma so worried!'

A tall shadow arrives near their knelt figures, the girl's eyes travel up and now meet the so-new person. She sees him and she looks back at the girl. Immediately everything is cleared to her.

She stands up, knuckles tightened, face stony hard as ever as she wails. Anger with flames and burns is in the hottest red burst over her face.

'You punk!!'