The Move

Delilah sat there inside a single-deck blue bus, she stared at the window as grasslands blur past her vision, as the sunset started to close off, the afternoon, made way for the evening, a seemingly perfect orange color illuminated the grass, as calming lo-fi music played on the buses cheap speakers, every single piano key played softly, Delilah closed her eyes as she took a nap.

One hour passed, Delilah opened her eyes, she noticed that the afternoon was over, the sky was dark and blue, accented by the orange bloom of the street lights, the grassy plain turned to concrete and tall buildings that were separated by dark alleyways and an occasional road that leads towards a different area of the city.

The bus took a sharp turn right, it ran over a road bump, while other passengers sat in their seats unmoved, Delilah whom just awoken, while seated her body hopped, It didn't help considering her small stature, everyone inside took notice of her. feeling slightly embarrassed she took the hood of her black hoodie and hid her head,

Nearing the stop the bus ran over another road bump that made Delilah's body hop again, further embarrassed, she tucked her hands inside her pockets clenching her fists.

The bus stopped, a bell rang not unlike a traditional alarm clock as the two doors of both front and back ends of the bus opened.

As many would quickly rush to get off the bus Delilah sat there and waited until everyone got off the bus, soon Delilah stood up and picked her luggage off the compartment above her seat, she took out a case that contained wireless earphones, she put them as she walked towards the exit.

"Za Bleuteuth zevice haz naw conneteda." the earphones announced, to some people, that kind of butchery of the English language would have bothered many English speakers, but for Delilah having owned the wireless earphones for years left her unfazed.

Delilah stepped out of of the bus, at the same time she played her music, setting the mood she desired, an all-female J-Rock band called, Riri-Dori, their song translated to English as "Forever Stranger" 90% of the song was sung in Standard Japanese but the other 10% the lyrics were in Engrish saying "I cut my hair, facing a new road."

Surrounded by what Delilah described quietly to herself "This place is a fucking jungle." as she stared at the fully packed terminal, people were rubbing shoulders, the air smelled like a hodgepodge of perfume, deodorant, and rubbing alcohol yet somehow it couldn't defuse the smell of sweat and shit in the air. Delilah felt nauseous, conveniently she had a face mask in her pocket. she quickly wrapped it around her mouth and pulled the elastic cord behind her ears.

Delilah walked towards the exit, past the security guard reading a magazine about K-pop groups called Universe. On the cover was a specific K-pop star named Jeong Cho. Delilah continued her walk, but on the way out she walked past a magazine shop, with a rack full of the very same magazine the guard was reading, she stopped for a closer inspection, Delilah read the cover. It was subtitled. "Jeong Cho leader of girl group Love Thrice leaves the limelight. boyfriend allegations???" near the bottom of the cover is another photo of Jeong Cho, walking out of a restaurant wearing a t-shirt, it seemed the photo was focusing on her tummy, It didn't look like 'k-pop standards' but it had a caption it said. "Jeong Cho Pregnant!!!", Delilah thought the magazine was disgusting, she then shrugged and walked away forgetting it ever existed.

Delilah walked out the automated sliding doors of the terminal, the first thing she did was lookup. she barely saw a single star from the air pollution, everywhere she looked lit billboards and neon signs were pointing toward something to sell, from bars to Christian bookstores, everywhere Delilah looked, her eyes were distracted by something intriguing, Delilah stood there in awe.

Delilah felt a vibration on her left pocket, It was her phone, Delilah took off her earphones and placed them back inside Its case placing them in her pocket on her left, and then took out her phone from her right. the caller ID said "Heart Dalisay"

"Hello?" Delilah said.

"Moshi-Mosh Liah where are you?" Heart replied.

"Art, I just got out of the terminal, where are you?"

"I'm in a shop called Tom's Coffee, It's right next to the terminal, you can't miss it. oh, I bought you coffee too." Heart said excitedly.

Delilah looked around and she couldn't see a shop called Tom's Coffee. "Art, I can't seem to find it," she said worriedly.

"Coffee's here, don't worry Liah, I see you just wait." Heart said excitingly, she hung up before she could finish her sentence.

Delilah dropped her hand holding her phone feeling very tired, she stood there waiting for Heart. Delilah felt uncomfortable as she noticed people took small glances at her.

Delilah felt a tap on her shoulder. as soon as Delilah turned she was attacked by a hug, almost pushed back by the hug Delilah let out a "whoop" from her mouth. it took Delilah a second to realize who it was that hugged her. "Art?" she didn't respond, Delilah thought "Wait, this girl is short, who is this?"

Heart walked up to Delilah from her left side, she said. "Delilah, who's this?" Delilah widened her eyes in shock. "Hey!" Delilah pushed the girl away from her, holding her shoulders while the girl held her by the waist, She was a Korean girl, her skin was a light brown, her hair was long and straight.

Heart dropped the two coffee she held, in her hand "Oh my god!" she exclaimed.

Delilah rolled her eyes towards Heart. "Dude was that my coffee." Delilah looked at the girl and she thought, "She looks pretty, but why is Heart acting weird, there are pretty Asians everywhere right now."

The Korean girl looked worried, like she ran away from something, while Heart stuttered unable to say anything, Delilah looked at her surroundings, but she still felt disorientated.

"Are you okay?" Delilah asked the girl.

"No, I didn't think they would follow me, it's been almost a week since I left." the girl replied.

"What's your name?" Delilah asked.

"What's her name! Liah are you kidding me?" Heart said out loud.

"Art, chill, I think she says she's being followed," Delilah replied.

"Oh," Heart blurted out. Instinctively she grabbed Delilah's hand, "Don't let go of Cho" Heart said to Delilah.

"Who's Cho?" Delilah asked as she's being pulled by heart.

"It's me!" The girl shouted as she grabbed Delilah's hand.

Heart leads the two girls straight into a crowd pushing and nudging past everyone in their path, everytime Heart pushes someone she lets out a barrage of excuses and apologies, meanwhile Delilah and Cho struggle to get through the crowd.

After a while, they finally managed and had gotten out of the crowd and found themselves inside a surprisingly well-lit alleyway. Heart leaned forward breathing heavily while Delilah and Cho properly stood up straight and managed their breathing.

"Are we safe here?" Delilah asked.

"Not yet." Heart stopped to take a breath, "We'll have to go through that door."

Heart pointed at a single wooden brown door, atop a stone staircase surrounded by black bags of trash packed together on the ground.

"You sure, that place looks iffy to me?" Delilah asked.

"Nah Liah, It's all good, I work there." Heart replied.

Heart composed herself and walked up to Cho she stood stiffly and she said. "Hello Miss Jeong Cho, I am a big fan of your work."

Cho smiled and said, "Thank you for helping me."

Cho's accent was very heavy and she spoke in broken-ish English but still very understandable. Cho looked at Delilah and nodded her head towards her. Cho widened her eyes, it expressed a sudden realization that she created in her head. she bowed her head and stuck her hands together apologizing.

"I'm so sorry I hugged your girlfriend suddenly," Cho said in rapid succession, her wording felt less understandable but piecing together what she said didn't take too long before Delilah and Heart realized what she said.

"Oh no, we." Delilah said and stopped her sentence as she glanced at Heart, "We're not dating." Delilah said nervously.

Cho leaned back embarrassed as she hid her face behind her hands, "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to assume."

"It's fine, Miss Cho, we kinda get that a lot back in high school." Heart said.

"Oh, okay, I think I understand now," Cho replied bowing her head.

The three stood there for a while in silence only drowned by the busy streets. To cut the silence Delilah said. "So, Art, creepy door?"

Heart opened the door, green light and smoke seeped through, fully opened a cloud of smoke burst out.

"You work here Art?" Delilah asked nervously. "The **** are you doing here?" Delilah continued.

As they all walk inside Heart explains her job. "So like you know-how, there are café shops everywhere?"

Cho stopped walking in front of Delilah and Heart, interrupting Heart's sentence, Delilah grabs Cho's shoulder, before she could utter any word she saw what was inside the shop.

On the edges of the walls, there are neon lights stapled on, changing color slowly every few seconds, people sat in beanie chairs surrounding round tables with giant bongs on top, as they exhaled clouds like cartoon dragons.

"Delilah it's your dream come true, I work in a community weed café," Heart said sarcastically waving her arms gesturing 'surprise' but without any sense of enthusiasm."

Delilah took off her face mask and said, "Well I at least I prefer this smell than whatever the **** is out there."

"Yeah, you'll get used to it eventually." Heart replied.

Jeong Cho saw Delilah without a face mask and she said out loud in Korean, nudging Hearts arm. "[Hey, your sister looks cute without that mask]."

"Right, Cho, we don't speak Korean and I think this is your first time in a hotbox," Delilah said as she pulled on Cho's arm.

Cho replied but entirely in Korean "[I don't want to go out there with all the paparazzi, looking like this.]" she said whiningly.

Delilah and Heart looked at each other they hoped one or the other could figure out what Cho could have said.

Heart lit up "Oh I think she doesn't want to go outside, because of the paparazzi or something."

"That would make a lot of sense," Delilah replied.

Cho moved away Delilah's hand childishly she then continued to walk towards an empty beanie chair and flopped down to sit on it.

Delilah and Heart looked at Cho sitting on the beanie chair high off her fucking mind, Delilah looked at her hand holding the face mask she wore. Delilah walked closer to Cho and knelt to her eye level, she said.

"Cho, we're gonna go, so wear this face mask."

Cho took the face mask and smelled it. "[Woah, It's not that bad smelling.]" She put on the face mask.

"I don't think that's enough to hide her Liah." Heart said.

Delilah stood up and took off her hoodie and handed it over to Cho, Delilah wore a 'Nothing but Thieves' band shirt underneath her hoodie. Cho took a whiff at Delilah's jacket.

"[Oh, your hoodie doesn't smell bad either.]" Cho put on the hoodie. "[Okay, carry me into your arms, my prince.]" Cho said while reaching out her arms towards Delilah.

Delilah smirked and said. "I, am really tired and I want to go sleep in my new apartment for the next five days." Delilah stopped her sentence so she can pick up Cho off the ground. "You little intoxicated princess, incapable of speaking anything remotely English, we don't know where you live, but at least you'll be safe with us."

"[Has anyone told you that you're very pretty, you should be a star.]" Cho said as she leaned her shoulder on Delilah, "[But then again, don't, because they'll call you fat and starve your body.]".

"Art, can you carry my bag, I'll carry Cho," Delilah asked.

"You sure?" Heart replied.

Heart opened the front door for Cho and Delila, they walked out into a street filled with more people than before. It was more festive, people were wearing wings on their backs and danced on the streets, everyone wore white and threw and wiped paint on each other's bodies while loud, music played as everyone danced on the street.

"Art, what's going on?" Delilah said in a panic, while Cho held on to her tightly.

"Today is the first day of the fairy festival, forgot to mention it was today." Heart said with a smile on her face.

"We'll whatever today is we need to get back to our place asap," Delilah said as Cho was starting to lose her grip on reality.

"Don't worry It's just a short walk from here." Heart said as she walked ahead of them.

After a short walk but what felt like an eternity for the trio, they have arrived finally at the apartment building Liyro Avenue, lot 7, building 1, up the elevator, and on to apartment room number 25.

"Liah, that's your room over there to the right, next to your door is the bathroom door, next to that is the plastic table with an electric stove is what I call my kitchen, the mini-fridge is in my room if you want something cold go buy your damn mini-fridge." Heart said lethargically as she tosses her key's on the side table next to the bed and went straight to her bedroom. dropping Delilah's bag next to her bedroom door.

Delilah dropped Cho on the sofa, so she can rest, she then took her bag from the floor near Heart's door. Delilah then entered her new room, on her one single-sized bed, took out bed sheets, and layed them on perfectly on the bed.

Tired from her day, Delilah laid down without using a pillow. she stared at the ceiling. soon there was a knock on her room's door. Delilah moved her head and It was Cho.

"[Can I lay down with you?.]"

"Am I crazy or did you ask to lay down with me"

"[I wanted to talk to you and thank you properly.]"

Delilah, moved her body closer to the wall while Cho laid down next to Delilah, nearly one inch apart from each other, holding their hands on their chests individually.

"[I also don't want to lay down on the sofa, it was stinky.]"

"Weed usually takes a while till it gets in my head and I need to be relaxed and laying down."

"[I am so sick and tired of the paparazzi, it has been like four-month since I left the group.]"

"Like I am a really small person you'd think that the chemicals in weed would travel all over my body faster."

"[I left because I couldn't handle the pressure anymore. Every waking moment training, then spend the rest of my day with my group mates that I hardly get along with, then they expect us to get along well together in public appearances.]"

Delilah put her arm on Cho's wrists and took a deep breath. "Oh wait I feel it."

Cho looked at Delilah confused as to why she held her hand. "[Ever since we were in that smokey room, I can hardly hear a thing.]"

"Oh yeah, I'm feeling it kicking in," Delilah said in a relaxed tone.

"[You know this quite nice, just laying here talking, you are a really good listener by the way.]" Cho said smiling.

"This is boring, but I like boring, less hectic that way," Delilah said closing her eyes.

"[I'd like is to befriend Delilah, You seem like a nice person.]"

"Huh, you said my name? You know I don't know a lick of Korean." Delilah said as her voice went low. "Maybe we could be friends, after all, you're sleeping in my bed talking whatever the hell you're saying right now." Delilah continued.

As Delilah fell asleep Jeong Cho continued to talk more about random things until she fell asleep.

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