Page 21 of You Had Me At Annyeong!
I wonder if she recognizes me …
Chapter Six
Bali, Indonesia
They had just wrapped up the final schedule of the shoot. Haneul and his colleagues had been camped in Bali for over a week for the filming of a commercial for SecondSkin’s Fall-Winter launch. His team had headed out to celebrate—the ladies were especially excited to socialize with the film’s lead model, a superstar known as the Thai Lee Minho for having played his iconic character in the Thai version ofBoys Over Flowers. Having excused himself from the celebrations by feigning a headache, Haneul had picked up a crate of beer and headed to the beach.
The FKJ playlist filling up his ears had reached its halfway point. Lost in the music, Haneul hadn’t paid much attention to the sun that looked like it was going to be gobbled up by the sea any minute now. Moments like these—by himself, away from work and family—were few and far between, so he treasured them like no other. Absent-mindedly, he patted his butt and fished out a pack of cigarettes. He was about to light one when he remembered that smoking in public is banned in Bali.Dejectedly, he put the smokes away when he noticed a figure, closer to the water than to him, skipping about without a care in the world. At first, he thought it was a child but on closer inspection, it was revealed to be a childlike adult. The face was partially hidden behind a large straw hat, but the body definitely belonged to a woman, petite, with a newly acquired beach tan, head full of what looked like soft curls tied in space buns.
As a Star Wars fan, Haneul was amused and suddenly interested. Headphones still on, FKJ playlist exhausted, he was now listening to Anderson.Paak. Taking a long sip of beer, he wiped the foam on his mouth with the back of his palm and leaned back against the cane chair he’d been sitting on for the past hour or so. A tiny burp escaped his mouth. He sheepishly looked around to see if anybody was close enough to have noticed. Finding no one, he smiled triumphantly and fixed his gaze on the space buns.
What is this Princess Leia up to, I wonder …
The childlike adult was drinking out of a bottle that looked suspiciously similar to one that usually contained a bubbly, mild intoxicant, and she seemed to be involved in a game with the water. She briskly walked towards it—sarong clasped in one hand and bottle swinging from the other—scurrying back when the waves came crashing, and breaking into peals of laughter. Haneul kept staring, wearing that same amused smile. A couple of children joined Princess Leia soon and perfectly mimicked her every move. She didn’t seem thrilled with the company and stuck her tongue out at the children, making one of them cower and run away to his mother’s safe, gentle embrace. Haneul, now laughing violently, had almost made up his mind to replace the child when he felt something whooshing past him. Almost immediately, he saw Princess Leia freeze, and before he knew it, he was on his feet, sprinting towards her.
NO! THIS CAN’T BE!Haneul’s eyes widen in amazement even as he cradles her carefully whilst balancing himself on the soft sand.
This wasn’t a stranger who had fallen into Haneul’s arms. This was the storm he had dodged a day ago … the storm that was threatening to ravage his heart. The face that he had only caught a glimpse of but one that had kept him up through the night. The name that he had, by now, memorized after staring endlessly at the visiting card …
He was about to call her by her name, but stopped himself just in the nick of time.
What sort of a creep will she think I am if I do that …
‘Are you all right?’
‘Oh, whoa, um, yeah, I guess …’
‘Here, let me help me help you up … don’t rush it! Slowly. Grab my arm!’
He wrapped a protective arm around her lower back and allowed her to use the other to hold on to as she wobbled back to her feet. She wavered a little, so he quickly grabbed her by the shoulders and steadied her.
‘Would you like to sit for a bit? Let me get you some water.’
He made her sit on the cane chair he had brought for himself and grabbed a bottle of sparkling water from his bro sack. Watching her as she drank in quick, large gulps, he seemed unsure of what to do next.
‘Man, I was parched! Thank you. And, thank you for saving me!’ she said in a sing-song voice, causing a mini short-circuit in his brain and making his heart race.
‘I did nothing. You were lucky is all. Are you sure you aren’t hurt?’
‘I fell ON YOU! Are you sure YOU aren’t hurt?’ she grinned.
Laughing nervously, he said he had escaped unhurt and flopped down on the ground.
What is that bewitching smile?!
‘I seem to have gifted my bottle of champagne to the sea and I see you have a few beers here. Perhaps this is a good time to introduce myself!’
Haneul’s heart was starting to pound.
Stretching an arm out, she said, ‘Hi, I’m Timira. I’m Leia, too. That’s not my other personality, don’t worry. It’s my middle name … sorry, I’m rambling. Very happy to meet you and your beers, sir!’
But Haneul could barely hear a thing over the sound of the frantic beating of his poor,poorheart.
Timira jabbered her way through the next couple of hours. Haneul didn’t seem to mind at all. Being a man of few words, he relished this opportunity to listen. He was also thankful to Timira for not letting him drink too much—he wasn’t sure about handling alcohol well this evening. Although the rising level of Timira’s intoxication did seem like a cause for concern …
‘… is the beer over?’ a surprised Timira asked, her pleasant voice now slightly nasal and pitched higher than usual.
Haneul didn’t answer. He seemed to be lost in deep thought.
