A Homeless Begger

After dropping Tessa off, I started making my way back to CHS to pick up my car. I had barely walked a short distance when my phone rang.

I answered, placing it against my ear.

"Hey, baby," a soft, familiar voice spoke.

I froze. Baby?

I immediately pulled the phone away from my ear, checked the screen to make sure it was really my phone, and then put it back. "Who is this?"

"Oh, honey, do you not recognize my voice?" the woman on the other end teased.

I blinked. I have no idea who this is.

Then she giggled. "D-boy, it's your mom."

Oh.

"Mommy!" I grinned, my whole demeanor changing in an instant.

"Hey, Daræy, you forgot your sna—"

She suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

I turned to see why—only to find Tessa running towards me, arms full of chocolates and sweets.

"Daræy, you forgot these!" she huffed, shoving the treats into my hands.

At that exact moment, my mother—who was still on the phone—decided to add fuel to the fire.

"Daræy, is that your girlfriend?"

Oh, come on.

"No, Mom, she's just a friend," I replied quickly, trying to get rid of Tessa before my mom could say anything else.

But, of course, she didn't stop there.

"Baby, there is no such thing as a girl and a boy being just friends."

I sighed. "Yes, there is, Mom."

Tessa, who had been quietly watching, pursed her lips and tilted her head in thought.

What was that? Did she think I was an orphan this whole time? Focus, Daræy.

"Me and Tessa are just friends," I reiterated.

"Tessa, what a pretty name," my mom cooed. "Can I speak to her?"

Before I could make an excuse, I felt Tessa snatch the phone right out of my hands.

"Good evening, Mom," she greeted sweetly.

I stared. Mom?

My mom chuckled. "Good evening, darling. You have such a nice voice."

"Thank you! And so do you—soft and sweet," Tessa complimented back.

And just like that, the two of them started chatting like long-lost mother and daughter.

I stood there, completely ignored.

By the time Tessa finally handed my phone back, my mom was in love with her. They exchanged pleasantries before hanging up.

"Your mom is sweet," Tessa smiled.

"So was yours," I replied, smirking. "Well, now that we've met each other's parents, what do you say we get married?"

She narrowed her eyes at me. "I'm not exactly your type, remember?"

Then she gave me a playful shove and started walking away.

"Goodnight, Daræy!"

"Goodnight, love. See you tomorrow," I teased back before finally heading to CHS.

After retrieving my car, I drove home.

---

The Next Morning:

I arrived at class very late on purpose, knowing I was among the last set to present.

But when I stepped inside, the lecture hall was nearly empty—only four students were scattered around.

I frowned and checked my wristwatch. 10:40 AM.

The class was supposed to start at 10:00 AM and end at 12:00 PM. Did I come too late? Did my watch break?

Confused, I stepped back outside to check if I was in the wrong hall.

Nope. Right hall.

Then I checked online and saw—

The class had been cancelled.

Wonderful.

As I stood there processing my wasted trip, I heard someone call my name.

"Daræy!"

I turned to see Joy walking toward me.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I didn't know the class was cancelled," I admitted.

She winced. "Oh… sorry."

I chuckled. "It's fine."

She nodded, then casually added, "I just saw Tessa, though. She said she came to read and would be heading home soon."

"Oh, okay."

But… was I okay, though?

For some reason, I couldn't stop thinking about her. What was she reading? Was it interesting? Did she understand everything? What course?

Wait. Why do I even care?

Maybe I didn't care about the subject itself—I just wanted to hear her voice. Or maybe… just feel her presence.

Before I could stop myself, I turned to Joy. "Do you have her number?"

I had no idea how I got the words out. My brain must've shut down.

But Joy, being the peaceful person she was, simply nodded. "Yeah."

She pulled out her phone, took mine, dialed the number, and handed it back to me. "That's the number."

Then she walked away.

"Thank you," I finally managed to say, but she was already too far to hear me.

Oh well. I'd thank her properly some other time.

Now, I was left alone, staring at my phone.

I looked at Tessa's number about a billion times, debating whether to call.

Then—without meaning to—I accidentally tapped it.

The phone started ringing.

Panic.

I immediately ended the call and held my breath for five seconds.

No callback.

Whew. That was close.

But just as I was about to leave—

My phone rang.

I nearly threw it away.

I slowly looked at the screen.

Tessa.

She was calling me.

Oh no.

What do I do? Do I answer? Do I ignore it? If I answer, what do I say? What excuse do I give?

I started pacing, speaking in Korean to myself, mumbling unanswered questions while looking like a lost boy.

People were staring.

Her call rang twice. I didn't answer.

Then she didn't call again for a while.

And I panicked again.

Why didn't I pick up? What excuse would I give if she asked? What is wrong with you, Daræy?!

I groaned at myself—just as the phone rang for the third time.

This time, I took a deep breath and answered.

"Hello—여보세요 (yeoboseyo)—"

Ah, shit. I said that in Korean.

Then, to my complete shock, she replied in Korean too.

"Ah, hello, I got a missed call from this number—안녕하세요, 이 번호에서 부재중 전화를 받았어요 (annyeonghaseyo, i beonhoeseo bujaejung jeonhwareul badasseoyo)?"

I froze.

She speaks Korean?!

"Ah, you see, I thought it was someone I knew, so I called back. I'm sorry—제가 아는 사람인 줄 알고 전화했어요. 죄송해요 (jega aneun saramin jul algo jeonhwahaesseoyo. joesonghaeyo)."

She's even polite when she isn't wrong. Nice.

"My name is Tessa. What's yours?—제 이름은 테사예요. 당신 이름은 뭐예요 (je ireumeun Tessa-yeyo. dangsin ireumeun mwoyeyo)?"

I finally snapped out of my daze.

"My name is Daræy—제 이름은 다레이예요 (je ireumeun Darey-yeyo)."

"Daræy as in Williams?—다레이, 윌리엄스요 (Darey, Williams-yo)?"

"Yes, as in Adebayo O. Williams—네, 아데바요 O. 윌리엄스요 (ne, Adebayo O. Williams-yo)."

"Ah, I see… Where are you?—아, 알겠어요… 어디예요 (a, algesseoyo… eodi-yeyo)?"

"Well, I'm outside the auditorium, close to the library—음… 강당 밖 도서관 근처에 있어요 (eum… gangdang bak doseogwan geuncheoe isseoyo)."

"Turn around—뒤돌아보세요 (dwidoraboseyo)."

I did.

And what I saw?

…A homeless beggar.