FIREFLIES: Sequel to The Man From Nowhere

Slow Awakening

"These are our children.  Out on the street. On milk cartons. On poster walls. Are we not going to do anything about it?"

The senator was campaigning again.

This time on lost and abducted children.

"Even if they were the children of the street," the senator stressed, "they were our children too."

So-Mi stared at the TV forlornly.

From her favourite spot on the floor.

"My dear senator, can you find my lost best friend too?" So Mi asked.

Tae-sik looked at her, over his book,  from his position on the sofa.

"The senator is getting more and more popular," she said to the ahjussi. "They said she may even run for president at the next elections."

"Chincha?" Tae-sik looked at the TV screen, looking at the passionate beautiful senator. "Has she contacted you lately?"

"Nope, I'm not that important, after all," So-Mi smiled at him and went back to finishing up her thesis.

Typing away on her old PC.

"What's your final year essay on?"

"Human behaviour," she answered him absently.

"Well, seeing that your major is psychology after all, I'm sure it'll be on human behavior," Tae-sik retorted.

So-Mi looked up at him, grinning at his deadpan voice.

"Mainly about how upbringing affects a person as an adult. Mine is focused on street children."

"I'm sure your senator will find that interesting."

"Yup, I bet she will," she smiled into her PC. "I seriously don't mind her using my case studies in her campaigning, especially in building a better support system for these kids."

He really enjoyed chatting with her like this and has come to acknowledge his more open nature nowadays.

"So-Mi...?"

"Eh?"

"Your case studies," he frowned. "You're not back on the streets again, are you?"

"Ani," she said, turning away to hide her discomfort.

"So...Mi..." or maybe to hide her crimson cheeks from his slow and dangerous yet cajoling voice.

His voice has never failed to turn her stomach up side down.

Only that she was becoming really good at hiding his effects on her.

"Seriously, I'm not," she shook her head, but still looking at her screen.

"What about digging in the police archives and stuff, then? Are you?" Thinking how she said she had her methods at getting information.

"Nnnnope."

He continued to stare at her, slightly amused at her behaviour.

And she could feel his eyes boring into her head.

"Chincha! I'm not."

She turned towards him, at last, to make her point.

Her eyes wide to prove her innocence.

He openly smiled at her action.

But uninvited, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.

"You doing good with your cop friend?"

"Depends on your definition of good."

So-Mi had her eyes back on the screen at that moment, mumbling her essay sentence to herself.