Taewon-Tiny Mole on the Eyelid

I was beating eggs into a bowl when I heard a tiny knock at the door. It was the girl. 'Can I help you with anything?' she asked sheepishly.

'You can fry the sausages on the pan,' I replied, pointing at the defrosted sausages on the kitchen counter. She immediately tied up her hair and took out the pan. She heated the oil and began to fry the sausages.

'Hey, listen,' she started as the sausages sizzled. 'I wanted to tell you something.'

'I'm listening,' I said as I poured the eggs into a pan.

'I wanted to thank you,' Mia said, her eyes on the frying pan. 'For your help that day. If you hadn't told me what was happening with Deen, I would have never found out. He'd still be suffering.'

She was facing away from me but I could tell she was feeling guilty. I quietly walked towards her.

'I also wanted to apologize,' she continued. 'For that day-'

She suddenly turned and realized I was standing very close to her. It was not intentional; I only wanted to hand over the bowl containing the egg mixture to pour with the sausages.

But now we were close in proximity. I could feel her nervous breath on my face. My heart was pounding very loudly against my ribs. On closer look, I saw her properly for the first time. Her brown eyes were looking into me intensely. Her tan skin was smooth and I noticed a tiny mole on her eyelid. I felt an inexplicable need to touch it but did not dare to.

We stared at each other for a while. Finally, I blinked and cleared my throat.

'Pour this in the sausage,' I ordered as I handed her the bowl, backing away a little. Mia nodded nervously and took it from my hand. She turned back towards the stove.

'You...' I started. 'You don't have to thank me. Nor do you have to apologize. It was just a misunderstanding.'

Mia sighed and turned towards me again. 'But I still can't make sense of it,' she frowned. 'You know I work for TNT and yet you offered your help. You even pretended not to know me in front of Cheng! I don't understand why you're being so nice?'

'Why did you confess to me that you work for TNT?' I asked her.

'Because it was the right thing to do!' she exclaimed.

'And I'm helping you because of the same reason,' I said. 'Because it was the right thing to do.'

'But you don't have to feel sympathy towards us,' Mia pleaded. 'I appreciate your help, but I don't want to be indebted to you...'

'Tell me something Ms. Mia, do you have anyone to help you here?' I asked sharply. 'Do you have anyone whom you can trust or rely on in your time of need?'

Mia was silent. Her silence gave me the answer to my questions. 'Ms. Mia, you may think you can do everything on your own,' I explained. 'But have you ever thought that if Deen is in trouble and you're unable to reach him, what will happen? If you don't rely on friends to come to your aid, then you will never be able to raise him properly.'

I took a step towards her. She was looking down but I held her chin and raised her head. We were looking straight into each other's eyes again. 'Trust us,' I assured her. 'We will be there for you and Deen. You don't have to cry secretly in an alleyway ever again.'

She gasped. 'How did you-'

'Doesn't matter,' I said. 'We'll help you look after Deen. All you have to do is reach out to us. Understand?'

Mia gave a small smile and nodded. I smiled back.

'Now!' I clapped my hands. 'The sausages are ready. Let's call them for dinner, shall we?'

'Yes,' Mia laughed. For a moment, her dazzling smile had me frozen to my spot. At that moment, a fleeting thought came to my mind. Maybe seeing that smile everyday would not be a bad thing.