Save Me I’m Fine - Volume 1

“Hey, wait!”

Ra-Na is sprinting, but the man didn’t walk any faster. Standing at 5″4′ tall compared to the man pair of long feet for his about 6″ tall plus. It’s such a pain for Ra-Na short leg waddling to catch up with him.

Ignoring the annoying glance from the people around her, she quickened her pace. She wondered if the man has a hearing impaired problem. Everybody is looking at her like a weirdo but he can’t hear her? She was out of breath catching with the man. Watching him going between the old building, she catches her breath again. Running towards his direction.

She comes into an empty alley, the old building seems abandoned a few years ago. Without the maintenance, the alley is stunk and dark.

There’s no trace of the man anymore. She looks into the long narrow empty dead-end alley, he cannot be disappearing into the thin air? Ra-Na wondered.

Moving a little bit further into the alleys, she halted to stop. Sensing something is not right with the situation. What if this is a trap?

Like some abducting scheme for human trafficking? She stands froze on her track, the man could be a psychopath who had been stalking over her! Remembering their conversation on the shuttle she feels horrified again.

“Wait, what makes me think that this belongs to him? Am I somehow bewitched? Somebody could have dropped it before him. Ah, I must’ve been out of my mind.” She said expressed her thoughts to herself.

Giving the ring a once look over in her palms, she decided to keep it, a weak current ripple in her palm as she holds onto it.

She inspected the ring under her eyes again. The band is a gold rose metal, hard and heavy, simple, nothing more than a solid band.

What more amusing is the carefully crafted rune or sort of unknown shapes. Hundreds of tiny diamond adorned along the band, fine and smooth as she caresses it under her finger.

Mesmerized by the sophisticated and charming ring. She couldn’t stop herself from trying it on each of her fingers.

Starting from the index finger until it perfectly fit her slender ring finger.

The ring looks flattering to her skin tone as if the ring were mean for her.

“Well, I will keep this until someone claim it.” She told herself. Taking one last look at her left hand with the ring on, she turns away from the alley.

She almost forgot her reason to skip class and come to the City. Checking on her smartphone for time, she realizes she will be reaching home after dark if she didn’t move now.

Opening the map browser, Ra-Na type in her dad workplace. Scrolling, zooming in and out the map provided. She realizes she can find Min-Ho workplace by walking distance. Confirming the way, Ra-Na prance to her destination.

Walking among the people in the City, Ra-Na finds herself enjoying their way of living in the City. Everyone footing in their way. Their expression is timeless. They always had something urgent to manage before the end of the day. She can breathe comfortably among them. At home, and everywhere near the town she goes, everyone looks slumber. Yet, they are always happy and satisfied. Is that the reason she always feels suffocated?

Enjoying the fresh view she almost forgot to stop as she approaching her destination. Looking up to the skyscr.a.p.ers above, she can’t resist the urge to be part of the city again. She can’t stop herself from chuckling. Freedom, she wants to replace her suffocation with freedom. Impatiently, she dialed Min-Ho number to make sure his whereabouts. It takes a few beeps before Min-Ho actually pick up her call.

“Hello there Ra-Na,” Min-Ho answered right away.

“Hello, dad!” Exclaimed Ra-Na. “Hi, are you busy?”

“What’s up Ra-Na. No, I’m about getting off from work.”

“Oh, great!”

“Ahah, you sound sneaky, I bet you need pocket money.” Min-Ho teased.

“No, not today. I miss you too much dad. Please finish your job, I will call you back later, bye!” Ra-Na pushes the end call before Min-Ho could answer furthermore.

Amusing she will get to meet her dad today. She runs to the side of the building so that she can surprise him. She patiently watches every person coming out of the company tempered glass door. Everyone in their formal attire, elegant and sleek. She dreams of having the future like this. Doing something she likes for life, she wondered if it is wrong to dream of a career of her own.

She almost drowns far in her thoughts until she saw Min-Ho with his brown brief clutch under his armpit. His calm features and the protective broad figures she always remembers. Dad!

She was about to reveal herself from the hiding place. When she heard a child shrilling voice calling for daddy.

“Daddy!”

She turns to see a boy escaping from his mother grip to get to his daddy.

“Daddy!” The boy repeated for the second time.

Ra-Na looked to the way the boy running towards. Her heart skips a beat as she saw her dad kneel one knee down and take the boy in his arm. He carried the boy to the woman standing not far from them.

The first thing comes in Ra-Na mind is the reason the boy calling her dad, daddy? Ah, yes, she could be wrong, that is not her dad, comforting herself she dialed Min-Ho number again.

The moment Min-Ho takes out his phone and signaled to wait for him at the duo and turned away to answer Ra-Na call. She braces herself standing on her wobble leg to face the truth about to reveal in front of her.

“Hello, Ra-Na.” He answered, coldly.

Ra-Na remains silent for a moment to get her heartbeat adjusting to the normal tempo again.

“Ra-Na..are you there? Is everything alright?”

“Hi, Dad.” Ra-Na coughed a little to hide the brittle in her voice. “I’m fine. You are right, transfer money to me please, dad.” She mimicked a little girl singsong tone to convince him.

“Alright, Ra-Na. I will call you after my meeting.” He said, faking a soft voice.

“Thank you, dad. Love you.”

“Ok.” He replied and hung off. He didn’t say “I love you too” like always to his daughter, and he is lying about being in a meeting too.

He returned to the boy and woman. Kissed the woman forehead and they walk side by side with the boy in the middle. A perfect family.

Perfect family. Her dad is having another family, a happy one, while they are breaking to piece day by day.

Ra-Na is holding everything back until now because she believes that one-day Ha Jun will cure. When dad comes back home and settled down at the house, their family will be complete again. And she can stop feeling outcasted.

The hopes are crashing down now. The woman beside dad, slender with her long hair tucked into simple chignon bun. She is a woman full of charm and grace beauty. Comparing to her depressed mom, how can her mom comparable to the lady beside her dad? Her dad wouldn’t need to deal with the girls that give him a headache. He was already contained with his new life, it is a matter of time to dismiss them.

Why would someone break someone they love once, married and even have children with? Sadis.

That day, Ra-Na didn’t look up to the sky to contain her tears anymore. She let it streaming down her cheeks wishing the tear ducts will bleed to dry.

In the city full of people, she feels alone. The lively spark she saw was now a long and narrow gloomy dark tunnel.