Lost

IV

A Friday.

Another Friday.

When all the kids left after the school bell rang, their mommies had come to pick them up, there is still one girl left. Her trolley bag sits down in lack of care beside her small feet, she scrapes her fingers lazily over the uneven concrete wall. Teachers are around checking out the vacant classes for the last time, a few sit in the office going through their ediocre works and gossips. Other days any of them would accompany her until she left but these days, they just leave a window open to the playground to keep an eye around the scene. Responsible yet not.

Sujin doesn't want to get mad. She knows Ma has work too. She knows that it takes her time to reach her school since it's far, not that it has been more than two consecutive weeks that she had to wait for half an hour every single day after school, to say, only. Not to but to mention, it's from the day she started her school. She is fine, she can take it as long as she is treated with an ice-cream afterward.

As for today's exception, counting the number of digits the minute-hand of the clock skipped that now rests at 9, she realizes she learned to read clocks well, and that it has been forty-five minutes she is standing to build a friendship with the hot summer sky.

And she knows it's not fine.

She is mad.

Her tiny figure huffs around the playfield. Never ever the playing equipment lying around have seemed so not interesting enough to play with to her. The rubber band collecting her Shizuka hair loosely hangs around her buns. The steamy breeze makes it worse, now her head is a caramel frizzy mess. The small black school shoe kicks away the pebbles lying around, none of them travels a meter distance. Sujin whines, tears are meant to well up her precious eyes.

'Ma! Why aren't you coming?' She sniffs through running nose, 'I don't like it anymore!'

'Is your Ma late today?'

'She is late every day!' Her bucket of complaints explodes, not bothered upon receiving the sudden reply from the sudden appearance beside her, and she goes, 'She doesn't care about me anymore!'

'Aish, don't say that...' The person runs their hand through her hair detangling the heavy knots, 'Your Ma loves you more than anything, she must have her reasons to come late. Does she work?'

Sujin wipes her cheek, 'She does but now she is reading.'

'Reading? So she's working on degrees? So you see, she works so hard. And isn't she doing it because of you?'

The girl takes a small pause of silence, then replies with a low hum, 'Yes.' Soon she adds, 'But I don't like it when other kids leave and it's just me standing here alone-'

'Ohh, you're upset for that? But I am here right now. Can we talk? Friends?'

The beautiful glow of smile instantly sums up on her face, 'Oh-kay!'

'So,' They kneel down on their knees and take a seat above the bricks surrounding the flower bed beside the gate. Sujin doesn't feel uncomfortable beside them at all, whether they are a stranger or not, as if she knew them even before she was born. The big wondering eyes stare at the petite figure standing before them. their immaculate dark brown shade seems to be a perennial trait. The person observes the girl for a while, as though they are in deep thought of something which further intensifies the chocolaty oceanic tint of their eyes. Big hands envelop the small waist as they take her onto their lap, 'What's your name?'

'Sujin.' She immediately replies.

'Aww such a cute name. Do you know what it means?' Her head briskly nods, 'Yes I know. Mom told me that. It means long life.'

'Good.' They smile, the eyes sink in to give a bigger life to the eye bags as the upper line of teeth shows up. They smile just as big and innocent as the little girl.

'So when does she usually arrive to pick you up other days?'

'She takes around half an hour, but today she is later.' Sujin plucks her lips. 'She must be stuck with something. We can take a walk around if you are bored. It'll pass away time easily. What do you think?'

'Yess!!! Let's go outside!'

'Outside? Uhh...that's not a good idea. When your mom is gonna come back if she doesn't find you, she will get worried.' Sujin wraps her both hands around their single one, 'No it will be fine! We won't go too far. There is nothing at school to walk around. Please!'

They stand in a dilemma for a while, then intermittently speak to concede, 'Al-right? But we will just go around this lane, not anywhere else. Okay?'

'Okay!' She jumps in joy and runs ahead of them before they could catch her. 'Wait up for me!'

'Come faster!'

'I can't. I'm old, you see.' Sujin laughs.

'Mom always treats me ice-cream after school when she comes to pick me up. You will have to treat me one too.'

'Ahh, do I have to?' Sujin pouts making puppy eyes, 'Ye. Please...' No one in the world is able to deny that cuteness, and as though she knew it too.

It is bound to work. They couldn't resist their silly grin, 'You sure come expensive, 5-year-old lady Gaga.'

'So you are going to buy me some?' He shrugs, 'I don't think I have any other choice.' Her hands fly in hooray with the biggest smile plastering her face, 'Let's go!'

'And...I told you my name. You didn't tell me yours yet.'

'Oh, I forgot!' Laughs he. The usual titter on his face.

'It's Jungkook oppa.'