A Lonely Stalker

NOW I'D LIKE to introduce a new character in the story as the author. A character whom Jeong-min will meet and bully. 

Fran Nataneal Chaves is a Russian-Hispanic boy born in America. Coming from rich parents, he got everything he wanted. Shoes, clothes, cars—although he can't drive, and just straight-up cash. But Fran strangely was never happy. He found each day to be tedious and drag by.

His parents forced him to try archery when he was younger, and he was considered a prodigy. Except Fran was never happy when shooting the bow and arrow.

"I want to make spaceships," his younger self had said. "I want to travel the universe and discover planets." 

His parents had refused, And Fran turned into a depressed slump.

Until he met her.

On a summer day in the middle of June, his parents forced Fran out of the house.

"Go be social," they said. "Go interact with kids your age."

Fran did exactly the opposite.

He ignored every kid that came his way, avoiding eye contact. He didn't want to make friends. He'd be fine by himself, alone.

After a while, Fran began to get tired and took refuge in a café. He went up to the cashier to place his order.

Fran stops and takes in all the cashier's features. From her dark, silky hair to her pale skin. Her rosy cheeks and how her eyes glistened in the streaks of sunlight coming through the windows. 

She's beautiful, he thinks. Why haven't I seen her before?

Because you've never gone out before. Maybe that's what Mom and Dad were trying to get you out of the house.

Fran stares at her name tag. Jeong-min Yeon? Pretty.

"Welcome to the Espresso Oasis," she says sweetly. "What would you like?"

Fran just stares at her, gawking. It's not until Jeong-min cocks her head that he realises he's been asked a question.

"O–Oh right! Erm, I'll get um"—He stares at the menu on top of her—"an iced americano?"

She lifts her hand back up and smiles. He finds himself staring in awe.

Her smile is stunning. 

"That'd be $8.90. Cash or card?" She asks.

"Cash," Fran replies. He digs into his pocket and hands her a ten-dollar bill.

"Keep the change," Fran tells her. "It's a tip."

Her eyes go wide, and then she bows. "감사합니다!" 

She stands up straight, blushing. She looks around as if she's done something wrong, and Fran instantly recognizes why. 

She's Korean. She's from the East.

His parents would never let him be with her.

Why am I thinking about being with her?

He manages to fumble out some of his very bad Korean skills. "Silsuneun dah Nanda…?"

She calms down, smiling. "It's "실수는 다 한다."

Fran nods and sits at one of the tables as she runs around the counter to get to the bank.

She looks about my age, he thinks as he sits down. So what's she doing working at a café?

Jeong-min comes to him a few minutes later, holding his iced Americano.

"Your coffee, sir." She flashes him a smile and his stomach flutters.

"Thank you," he says, taking the paper cup in from her. Fran's fingers gently graze her and he shudders. 

How could hands be so alluring?

The barista nods slightly and resumes her stance back at the counter, taking orders. Fran tries his best to focus on the slight bitterness of his Americano as he scrolls on his phone. But he can't.

He can't think of anything but her.

Eventually, Fran couldn't resist and put his phone down. He started staring at her as she did her job. Everything from taking orders to making drinks to welcoming people into the café. He watched as she smiled and laughed with the customers, and when she joked around with them too. 

Fran couldn't help but fantasise. He fantasises about her smiling for him, joking around with him, cheering him up. And some…more interesting things too.

He wanted to know her. He didn't want her to see him as a simple customer. He wanted to know her. What her favourite colour was, what school she went to, what she liked eating. If it meant being with her, he'd let her talk about archery—if she liked it, even though he loathed it himself.

But Fran was shy. He couldn't go up to her. Playing over the first interaction they had, Fran overanalyzed everything he could have potentially done wrong. The way he stuttered or stared at her. Maybe she thought he was creepy. Maybe she thought he was weird.

Fran wanted to cry a bit, he wanted to sit on the marble floor and melt into a puddle of embarrassment. But he didn't.

It took him a long time to bring him out of his thoughts. Sighing in disappointment with himself, he opened his Notes app.

He brushed some of his bright orange hair off his ear. He had dyed it this summer without his parent's permission. They flipped, and Fran felt a bit of satisfaction. But alas, he felt the sadness of not being able to pursue his dreams washed over him once more.

Fran had thought multiple times about running away. He had a whole Google Doc explaining and planning how he'd do it. But he was scared. He was terrified his parents would see him, and they'd never let him see the light of day again.

That's an irrational fear, he told himself. It still didn't make it less nerve-racking though.

Fran began to eavesdrop on every conversation Jeong-min had. "It isn't stalking," he told himself inwardly. "I'm just getting to know her."

From then, Fran went on to learn her favourite colour, favourite food, what apps she used most often, her type in guys (and how he focused on that), and what she usually ate. Fran kept all his information about her in a new, private Note. His parents tended to be a bit nosy at times.

When Jeong-min was in sight and not talking to customers, Fran covertly took pictures of her. One while she was making a drink, another when she picked stuff off the ground and cleaned the café. 

Time flew by, and just as the sun said its goodbyes to the people on poor Earth, Jeong-min disappeared into the employee room. Fran, realising how late he'd stayed, stood up as he packed his things. As he walked out the sliding doors, he threw his mostly full Americano into the garbage.

Fran felt upset. School would be starting back in a bit, and he wouldn't have any time to visit this café at all. 

But for now, he'd be taking matters into his own hands.

After walking a couple of blocks away from the café, Fran turned to hide behind a bush. He got a few weird looks from people passing by, but he didn't care.

Jeong-min walks out of the cafe, and Fran takes this as his time to strike.

Putting on his hoodie and looking low, he silently walked towards her. 

Naturally, Fran had AirPods. And everyone knows that you can track your AirPods. Subtly, Fran takes out one of his AirPods from the case and drops it down the very small crack in her bag.

He had many more pairs at home, this one didn't matter.

For now, he smiled as he walked back to his estate, thinking about something other than space.