KANG SIAN
"Hey— are you okay?" I ask, twisting my drenched hair. The boy is shivering on the ground, his eyes glimmering as he looks around.
"'This is Earth, right?"
"Yes...?"
"Wait," I mutter, peeking over at his trembling form. My eyes widen. "Are you crying right now?"
"N-No." He says stiffly as he quickly shuffles up to his feet, breathing deeply as he bows. "Thanks for helping me— I would've died if it weren't for you."
"So it wasn't a suicide attempt, right?"
"Suicide?" He asks, tilting his head. His eyes still have that dazed look as he keeps looking around. "Is that something you eat?"
Heavens.
"I think you really need to go to the hospital."
"Hospital?" His eyes light up in recognition. "I know what that is! That's where you spend two hundred dollars to get.....um, fran—no, fractions fixed!
"Fractions? Isn't that what you learn in school?"
"I know what that is, too!" He exclaims, beaming proudly at me. "That's where you see kids jump out of windows—"
"Let's get you to a hospital." I cut off, gripping his wrist when he suddenly shakes his head.
"I can't go there. I need to go somewhere first."
"What? Where?"
"I need to find her." He says firmly, face looking paler by the minute as he sits down on the grass. "I just need a minute."
"Okay— you're scaring me, weirdo." I laugh nervously as I pick my discarded jacket off the ground, putting it over his head. "And you're shivering still. Where's your home?"
"Over there." He says, tugging at his wet hair while pointing towards the setting sun. "But really, it's so lonely. There's nothing to do and no one to play with..."
The Sun.
"You... come from the Sun?"
"No," He says innocently, looking at my stunned face.
"Mars."
________________________
KIM TAEHYUNG
"Wait, I'm not lying, I promise!" I call uselessly after her as she storms away, mumbling furiously. "I'm really from Mars!"
"And you left your jacket!"
But she doesn't seem to hear me because she just keeps on walking away.
"But it's really true..." I mutter as I pull out the soggy slip of paper from my pocket, wincing when I see the pencil markings all smudged together into a messy blur.
It was good that I'd memorized it.
My heart still racing from nearly drowning, I get to my feet and silently repeat the address in my mind.
471 Sycamore Street, Seoul.
471 Sycamore Street, Seoul.
"Excuse me?" I call when a person jogs by, putting on a happy smile on my face when he turns back. "Can you tell me where—"
