izmir

"where is kim doyoung-ssi?"

the latter forgot to take his luggage out from the bus and somehow slips away without anyone noticing, to god knows where. with his surprisingly light luggage i brought with me, I came to the receptionist to ask if they had seen him. they replied, "we saw a foreign traveler frantically rushing through the stairs instead of just waiting for the lift. we had no idea what was that all about, though."

i found him at the hotel's rooftop, looking upon the purple-tinted sky. he gazes in absolute fascination, endeavoring in like a priceless painting.

"kim doyoung-ssi,"

he falls deeply out of composure, brutally taken aback after an abysmal daydream. "what are you doing out here?"

he skids down the barrier, takes off his coat and proceeds to wrap it around my shoulder, keeping me warm.

"your luggage. you left it behind—"

"it's less than 10 degrees up here, you should better take care of yourself." he says, now with barely two layers of clothing covering up his body from the sparse, winter air.

"but your luggage."

he stops nagging and looks down. his face flushes. "ah really, you shouldn't have.." his eyes prescribed immense guilt. "but thank you." he comes back to the edge, admiring the view once more.

i clear my throat. "kim doyoung-ssi, i would appreciate it if you keep up with the others during group travel activities. try to stay alert with your surroundings, i mustn't be the one who saves you again from such silly occurrences, am i?"

"yeah.." he mumbles, though it seems like he barely catches what i've just said.

"kim doyoung-ssi,"

"have you ever noticed the difference between the skies here and the skies back in korea?" he asks out of the blue. "i left the bus early as i can just so that i could witness the sunset from up here, and i've noticed something."

he pauses.

"they're more saturated, don't you think? such vivid colors. it's like we're living in different hues."

i wasn't interested of shifting the conversation into something more philosophical. instead, i slightly bow and announce my leave. "i shall leave the skygazing to you, lee doyoung-ssi. but please do remember what i said to you earlier!"

he did not reply, as if he was now distracted once again into another life.

i turn around and purposely stomp my feet on my way out. unbelievable!

i did not notice his coat still hanging around my shoulder.