The Sky and You

Chapter 16: That Day

That day Kurt decided to follow the girls wherever they go. As Keun Suk's friend and who had seen his pain, he wanted to make sure that he will make the right decision whether he will allow the two to meet again or never ever. He wanted to know if the Belle he knew before was really the Belle he found today or if she really did love Keun Suk in the first place or was it just an act.

That was what he thought earlier that day but as he spend some time with the girls especially with Belle, something was growing inside him, like a fire suddenly lit in his heart and its growing bigger and warmer.

A year ago, he never had a chance to get to know Belle, Keun Suk never told them too but with the little chances he's been with her, he was sure she was innocent and nice. And ever since this morning until that moment, he can say that she really is a very nice girl. Belle was very attentive to them, she was carefree and enthusiastic however her friends are her exact opposite, the two seems so wary of him, like any moment he might kidnap Belle or something.

The three girls were really close to each other and Belle seems to be the thread connecting them together. Belle moves and the two follows. Whatever she says they listen. Its like the three knows each other too much that they don't need to say a word to understand each other. They have a bond that's so precious no one could ever severe.

Belle looked and flashed a very beautiful smile at his direction and he found himself smiling back at her. She motioned him to come closer and join them.

"Oppa, you said you have a job here right? So what do you do? Are you a model or something?" she asked while they were walking to their next destination. They left Tanya and Abby in line for the popcorn.

"No. I am a DJ and a music producer but why did you say so? Do I look like a model to you?" he asked.

"Yeah. BB oppa is so handsome. Totally," she said even put up her two thumbs for him. He found himself chuckling at her praises. "Ha ha ha. Now your laughing Oppa. You look so serious earlier. Are you the serious type?"

"Why did you say so?" she seemed to be so curious about him.

"Well," she said, then, "OMG... Woah!!" she suddenly shrieked and when he looked at her, she was biting her lips and her attention was focuser on a family who were cosplaying some anime characters. "Ha ha ha. My gosh."

"Why?" he asked, curiosity got him.

"Look Oppa," she pointed at the family of three. The man was wearing a yellow wig, blue head band on his forehead and white cape with blazing fire design on the edge. He was carrying his son who was wearing a yellow wig and a headband too. The woman beside them has a long red hair, a wig too, that almost reached her ankles and she was wearing a white coat and green jumper underneath. "It's the Uzumaki family. So nice. Ha ha ha" she said enthusiastically.

Belle laughed at him when he still looked clueless. She was happy to explain and introduced one of her favorite anime characters to him. She was shrieking when he tried to drag her and take a picture with the family. It didn't happen anyway for her friends found them but because they were fooling around, the mood lightened and they started getting at ease with each other.

"Ahh... I can't move anymore," complained Belle.

They sat at a bench and Belle was massaging her left foot. He was exhausted himself, running after the girls who chased the Disney characters and endlessly taking pictures here and there. In the end, he became the photographer and the videographer of the girls while they enjoyed the parade. Just looking at them was very tiring but it was so much fun. He really did enjoy himself.

"Neo gwaenchanh ni? Bal-i apayo?" (Are you ok? Does your feet hurt?) he asked, it was later when he realized he spoke in Korean.

"Ne, gwenchanayo," she said and looked at him, giving him a very reassuring smile. "Wae?" she asked when his face looked like a big question mark.

"You can speak Korean?"

"Ahh... yeah. I can. In fact I can also speak Japanese. Do you want to try?" she said beaming.

"Its okay. I'm not fluent." He was flustered. He never knew she could speak Korean, Keun Suk won't even speak Korean in front of her. "Did he knew?"

"Knew? Who know?" she asked. He was surprised when she heard that. He wasn't sure he said that out loud.

"It's nothing. I was talking to myself," he gave a very shaky laugh.

"Okay. You know Oppa, its actually nice. I was surprised as well when I learned. My sister was watching korean drama that time then I couldn't believe it when I can actually understand what the actors were saying. Then my friends told me I learned Nihongo as well. Isn't it nice? I can actually speak a language without even knowing I can. ha ha ha," she said. She was smiling but there was a little bit of sadness in her eyes.

In just a day he spent with the girls, he realized there are not really bad people. Tanya and Abby seemed to really love Belle so much they would do anything to protect her. He saw that, how they trully care for her.

He learned a lot about Belle too. How she was a simple and sincere person, very inquisitive and smart but would cower at the site of extreme rides. A bit hardheaded too and her friends seem to be used to it so they know how to counter. The more he looks at her the more he thinks that she looks a little different from the Belle who looked awkward around people. She look more confident now, a little bit.

Kurt looked at Belle. He can't help but wander what happened that day a year ago, when both of them ended up with their hearts broken. Just then, she looked at the night sky with so much longing. Suddenly she raised her hand and reached out at the moon and star, like she was measuring their distance.

"Ahhh... so near yet so far... the moon and the star," her eyes full of longing and pain.

For a moment, Kurt felt like he was at the rooftop of the agency again. He just came back with a bucket of ice and champagne in his hands. Keun Suk was looking at the night sky, so much longing in his eyes. He raised his arm and reached for the dark sky, his hands positioned like he wasn't reaching but measuring the distance between the moon and the star. It felt like the side where he stood was shrouded with so much darkness and loneliness.

Back to the present, Belle was doing the exact same thing Keun Suk did that night.

"Belle," he said in barely a whisper for he was hesitant, "do you remember anything from when you first came here in Japan?" he asked, his heart full of anticipation.

"I really wish I could but sadly I can't. But you know what Oppa, I really think I was happy at that time," she said. There was a hint of happiness in her eyes and she said it with a smile.

"Why did you say so?"

"I don't know... feeling maybe? ha ha ha." she shrugged and chuckled. "You know... I used to have this beautiful dream, here in Japan, I just know it was here. In my dream I was very happy. The place was full of snow and I was skiing. I was very, very happy... but every time I wake up, I will feel empty... always empty."

"Why? Is that all?... your dream?"

"There was a man," she said.

His heart really felt like it skipped a beat.

"We would race from up the mountain," she continued, "and he keeps on laughing at me but below, he would always wait for me. Always the same dream... but no matter how much I try to remember who it was, I still can't remember at all. But... maybe that's why it was a dream because it wasn't true," she concluded.

"But you cry..." he said looking at her very sad eyes.

"Don't tell anyone about it okay, not even my friends. They tend to overreact sometimes... ha ha ha" she tried to laugh at it but the sadness she was feeling that moment won't leave her eyes, just like how Keun Suk looks like sometimes when he is pretending he is okay.

"Wanna try?" Without thinking, the words just came out of his mouth.

"What?"

"Skiing... Tonight."

Belle's eyes widened with shock like what he said was such an outrageous thing.