There he was, in his black leather suit. Everything seemed to disappear around me as I stared at him, calling for him. I needed him, and I thought he needed me. But I was wrong. That black back of his continuously walking out of reach, his light brown hair that matched my own was obscured by the black hat he wore. His briefcase held in one hand as an assistant carried his luggage onto the plane. I was crying as I called for him, my small frail self screaming for him to turn around. I tore through the arms that held me and made my way over to him. My small legs stumbling on the ground as I ran, I tripped a few times, but I made it, I clinged to his pants, my tears ever evident in my eyes.
“Daddy! No! Daddy please! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’ll be better! I’ll be a better girl!” I wailed, pulling at his pants leg. Pain. Pain to my heart, not my face, as I was tossed aside, my large eyes looking desperately at him, wanting him to explain, but too scared to actually ask. “Daddy?” I murmured just above my breath.
“Do you know her?” the flight attendant asked.
“Never seen her before.” Came my father’s harsh words.
“Daddy!” I screamed, and tried to make my way back over to him, but the flight attendant stopped me.
“Sweetheart, I think this isn’t your daddy,” she said, kneeling to my level.
“Daddy!” I cried, as the woman held my shoulders. No, I knew she was wrong. That was my dad, that was my father. He was the one who had lived in that very house with me. He was the one who held my hand at my mother’s funeral. He was the same person that I had remembered being ever so caring to me, at least, he looked like him, but his heart was different. As if I understood what the attendant was saying I stopped crying, and it appeared that she was right. She was, to an extent, that man was, and wasn’t my father. He was, in physical form, biologically, but my father, the one that I remembered being ever so caring, that I was calling for ever so passionately was gone. He was long gone, and I would never see him again.
Her eyes startled open as she snapped up in her bed, she glanced around the room as sweat fell off her forehead. It happened again. That memory, that nightmare. Her light brown hair cascaded down her shoulders as her almond shaped eyes stared blankly at the covers of her bed. Her own pale, frail hand wiped away the sweat on her forehead, before she swung her legs over the side of the bed, and out of her covers. She stared at herself in her wall mirror.
“It’s okay, Sua, you’re fine.” she said to herself, before standing up, and stretching. “You’re fine, that was a long time ago, things like that don’t faze you anymore.”
She made her way to her closet, before taking a small glance back to herself in the mirror, she sucked in her stomach, and looked at the proportions of her body. She sighed, audibly, before slouching her shoulders, and opening the door. She looked through her clothes, before pulling out a button up pink blouse, a white vest, and a blue skirt. She grabbed a small red ribbon scarf, and layed it with her desired clothes on her bed.
She turned around, and walked into her bathroom, grabbing a white towel from the cabinets, and laying it neatly through the bars, before undressing herself and turning on the warm shower. The water rained onto her body, as she let it detangle her locks of hair. She tilted her head to the ceiling as it relieved her of the dream she had, and washed off all the sweat she had emitted during the night. It was a good five minutes before the water started to get cold, and she turned up the heat, and actually proceeded to wash herself.
***
Sua stood in front of the building, and took a deep breath in, before pushing onto the glass door. It was summer, she may look young but she was out of school. There was no need to turn her away, right? She walked over to the front desk, and waited patiently for the woman who was busy with another customer, client, employee, business partner? To turn and look her way.
“Hello, what can I help you with?” she asked. Her brown hair pulled neatly into an elegant bun at the back of her head.
“I’m here to meet with Min Juhyun.” I said, confidently.
“Do you have an appointment?” the woman asked, as she began typing into her computer.
“No, but I’m his daughter, Sua.” I stated, smiling.
The woman looked over at me, confused. As if I was telling an obvious lie, and I thought that I was going to get by with it. She cleared her throat, before speaking, “May I see an ID?” she asked.
“Yes,” I answered, and pulled out my newly received driver’s license. I knew that my school ID would probably be enough, but it was harder to fake a drivers license. If she didn’t think I was my father’s daughter than this would help, surely.
“Min Sua?” the woman asked, looking down at the ID, “You’re sixteen?” I nodded.
“I’m sorry, but he’s busy right now, and says he can’t meet with anyone.” the unruly red haired woman stated. She had tried to pull it back, or straighten it, but instead let the long locks rest just behind her shoulders. Her hair effectively pulled away from her face, but that was about all it appeared it let her do.
“I see.” Sua responded, and turned on her heel, before looking back, “Do you think I can make an appointment?”
“Appointment?” the woman repeated, and turned to her computer, “May I ask the purpose?”
“Of course,” she replied, and elegantly held her hands against the counter, her purse hanging off her wrist, “I must discuss the book me and my editor have been working on. I’d like to get it published through here, if that’s at all possible.”
“So, book proposition?” the receptionist repeated.
“Yes, that sums it up,” Sua replied, with a smile.
“Alright, the only available time we have today, is during his lunch,” she harshly told her.
“Can you call him and ask about that?” she asked, eager.
“Hold on, just one moment, please,” the receptionist stated, and grabbed the phone, before dialing an extension and bringing the device to her ear. It was a few minutes before she had received someone on the other end, but she still said ever so cheerfully, “Jason, we have someone who’d love to get a book published through us, and the only available time is during your lunch, but she’s ever insistent on getting an appointment in today.”
Didn’t have to make me sound that desperate, Sua thought to herself, resisting the urge to roll her eyes.
“Min Sua, sir,” the woman said into the phone, before her eyes went wide, and she looked over at the brunette. “Right away, sir,” she brought the phone down from her ear, before asking, “Are you available now?”
***
She had done it. She had finally done it. She looked at the published work in the book store, and smiled. It hadn’t gotten very many sales, but it was doing well. She had finally written and published her own book. She looked over to her editor, her friend and smiled, happily. A genuine happy smile. One that she hadn’t had on her face for a long time, “I did it, Levy, I did it!”
“You sure did, Su,” she smirked, her dark hair waving slightly by the sudden pulse of her hand jumping into a thumbs up, “You showed those stupid people with Phantom Publishers that you were better than what they were offering! I bet they’ll be asking for a fortune now seeing that your work has made big sales!”
“It isn’t that big, yet, Lev.” Sua smiled, but she still felt a sense of pride in seeing someone pick the book up off the shelf and bring it over to the counter to purchase.
“Can I get an opinion on this book?” the buyer asked Levy, who was managing the store.
“Of course! What do you want to know?” she asked, eagerly.
“Well, my girlfriend really likes fantasy romance, and I was wondering how much of it was in there.”
“Fantasy romance?” Levy repeated, before nodding, “Yep, it’s a good read, I’ve read it countless times myself,” she said, and wasn’t lying, Sua mused. Since she was the editor of the book, she really had read it a countless amount of times, mostly on her own accord.
“Really?” the boy stated, “That’s great! I think I’ll buy it for her then!” he placed it on the counter with a few action novels, and Levy rang up all his items before he paid and left the store, a happy grin plastered to his face.
“See, I told you Su.” she smirked, before readjusting her orange ribbon in her hair.
“Clocking out?” Sua asked, noticing the gesture.
“Yeah, closing shop,” she admitted, “I’m gonna have to kick you out.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Sua sighed, “I hadn’t even been here very long yet, though.”
“I know, but it’s Sunday, and you know we close early on Sundays. Besides, I have a date tonight, and I don’t really wanna miss it.”
“When are you actually gonna introduce me to him, Lev?” Sua asked.
“When he wants me to, Su.” Levy admitted, “I keep telling him that I wanna tell my friends and family, but he’s so dead set on not letting anyone know for the time-being. Not ready to go all public about it.”
“That’s stupid.” Sua sighed, “If I had a boyfriend, I’d tell everyone one, even if he doesn’t want me to.”
“Really?” Levy was skeptical.
“Of course! Especially if he’s as hot as what you make your boyfriend out to be.” she winked.
“Su,” Levy stated, blushing, “It’s not like that! We’ve only been dating for a month, it’s not even that long.”
“Sure, sure, you keep saying that!” Sua smirked, before deciding to leave her friend to close up shop.
She opened the glass doors, and felt the breeze of the cool summer’s day wash over her. She closed her eyes as she walked onto the sidewalk. There weren’t a whole lot of people about, so she let the wind blow through her hair, tangling it in the process, and leaned against the sturdy pole she felt beside her. Her eyes were closed and she sighed, content with this feeling, for that moment.
She felt the pole she chose as her leaning rest move, and she opened her eyes, and glanced over. It wasn’t a pole she leaned against. And now she felt utterly embarrassed, and she began to push herself off him, before she noticed the wireless earbuds in his ears and his eyes closed. His arms were crossed over his chest, the fabric stretching as they fit over his arms, and torso, if she were honest. She chose not to look into the features of his face, hoping not to see him again, and if she did, he wouldn’t know what was going on. Though his hair was covered by a red baseball cap, his lighter shade of hair was peaking out of all the edges.
“Sorry,” she muttered, as she rightened herself. He didn’t seem to mind her company, though. “I was lost in thought, and I…” she glanced over at him, but he wasn’t looking at her, maybe it was because he was listening to music, she thought.
A car pulled up to the curb, and the passenger window rolled down, “You gonna stand there forever?”
The man beside her looked at the car, before stepping over to it, and leaning one arm against the top of it. It was a nice car, Sua realized. Its black slick exterior was nothing compared to the navy leather seats that she could see through the open window. Its windows were highly tinted, and she saw a snowflake hanging from the rearview mirror on the windshield. It had silver rims, and silver lining the windows. However that was nothing compared to its model. It was a 20XX model of a lamborghini. Just last year’s biggest advertisement. She saw the man in the baseball cap press his finger to the wireless buds in his ears.
“Sorry, man, I’m gonna be walking today.” he stated.
“Suit yourself, idiot. It’s burning outside,” the man inside the car laughed.
“That’s why I’m not in this freezing dump.” he backed away from the car as the window rolled back up, and Sua couldn’t see anymore of the interior of the car. The baseball cap fitted man backed his way back onto the sidewalk, before pressing a finger to his ear again, and walking away from her.
She sighed, people were crazy. They all liked to model their most expensive things, as if bragging that they had money. That was why he left in the first place, right? For money? He couldn’t support his daughter with his income, so he left to stock up on it even more. She sighed, and turned to walk the opposing direction from the stranger she had accidentally leaned on. She stopped at one of the local cafes and decided to fill her stomach here. It wasn’t all that expensive, and she would be able to get a few more pages done on her manuscript for her next novel.
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