"I'm sorry, I couldn't give the money to the beggar... I actually don't have it with me." David says, scratching his head.
"Uhh... It's fine." She moves to leave but David again blocks her way with his body.
"But your singing and playing that flute... Was too good!" David finds a way to talk to her and she gives him an awkward smile with thanks. "But I had something else for you." He says before she could move again. He fishes around his pocket and takes out the shiny stoned bracelet. "It's a lucky charm, someone gave it to me." He shrugs his shoulders and hands her the bracelet. She observes it in her hands.
"You mean the old guy at the stall behind this street?" She says, holding the bracelet in one hand. "It's the type he usually has." She admits and David felt embarrassed that he got caught lying.
"Umm... yeah. So you know?"
"Yeah, I know the people around this street at the back of my hand. But are you sure I can keep this?" She says dangling the bracelet in front of him "You shouldn't feel obliged with my performance. I just did it for the old man."
"Oh no no. You deserve something better but I just had this so you must have it."
"Hey, are you in anyway flirting with me?" She asks, squinting her eyes.
"Pftt!! Of course not! No, I just... loved your song." But David knew it better and he was bad at hiding his feelings. Well, he just wanted to talk, wanted to know her.
"Well, thank you." She does a graceful courtesy bow. "I'm going to keep it." She says, putting it inside her small bag. "It was nice meeting you-"
"No!" David exclaims.
"I'm sorry?" She asks, confusedly.
"I mean... You should wear it now, it'll save you from anything bad that might happen. Ha-ha, just in case." David explains her with hand gestures and he has a feeling that this meeting is getting nowhere but awkwardness.
"Ok, Mr-"
"David!"
"Right, David... If I wear it now would you mind moving out of my way?"
"Oh, Lord! It's an open path." He extends his arms to full length and gives her a silly look, backing away a little. "And there is a lot of space to move, why ask?"
The girl raises an eyebrow at him, not believing what he said. She moves to the side and David comes ahead before she could move any further. She again tries to dodge him but he again blocks her way.
"Seriously?" She deadpans, tapping her foot against the ground and arms folded against the chest.
"I'm totally not trying to hit on you." More or less David tries to comfort himself with his own reasoning.
"I get it Mr. David."
"Just David is fine." He says, waving his hand, dismissively. "I am actually not that old."
"Look just David or David, I have elsewhere to go and I'm running late if you don't mind can I go now?" She pleads.
David took her by surprise by bowing his head in front of her. He raises with flushed cheeks, the girl looks at him with amazement. "G-gam poop samida?"
"What? Pftt!" The girl broke into fits of laughter and continues to laugh, clutching her stomach. David likes the sound of her laugh and the way she laughed. It was like fresh air after so long. "Did you just try to speak Korean?" She sobers up but her face still had the smile and it was red from the laughter.
"Must be Korean then." He says, scratching his neck.
"Do you even know what it means?" She asks and bites her lip to prevent from further laughter.
"Thank you?" He asks more than tells and the girl snorts with a slight shake of the head.
"You're weird you know that?"
"Trust me, I have never acted this weirdly in front of anyone before." He blurts out and then bites his lip. The girl smiles and David looks down on the ground with a stupid smile on his face, taking this chance the girl moves away from him and walks ahead. Noticing David's own distraction he hurriedly catches up to her.
"Can I meet you again some time?" He asks, walking beside her on the sidewalk. The girl shrugs innocently. "Can I at least know your name?" The girl doesn't respond him but continues to walk. Impatient as David could be, can't stay quiet before he gets an answer out of her. "Please say something?" the girl stops, stopping David in turn. She looks at him with hands on her hips. She blows her hair out of her forehead, a habit of her he noticed earlier before too.
"Come again tomorrow by the bridge, we'll decide on giving an answer to your question." She fixes her hat and turns to walk ahead. David notices one of her braids has fallen loose and her hair were about to fall open.
"Hey!" David calls her. She turns back and looks at him
"Now what?"
"Nothing." He smiles and she gives him another weird look of the day before turning back and walking away.
David brings his fist up in front of him and opens it. He looks at the pink pony band that he hadn't realized he was holding it since the time the Asian woman gave him.
David thinks that he should also keep something related to the girl, not a person he had imagined he could ever be. Not even with Katherine.