Disclaimer : I'm a huge KPop fan and you will come across names and photographs of KPop idols in most of my stories. They are my muse and inspiration in so many ways. The incidents and characters are fictional and have no resemblance to any K pop idol in any manner.
"Is the goblin crying today?" Laila asked her roommate Alia.
Alia(face palms)- Oh God! You and your KDrama obsession!
Laila was a complete crazy K drama addict! She could binge watch an entire series at one go! The most recent one being Goblin. In this drama, the protagonist is actually an 800 and something year old goblin and his best friend is a Grim Reaper! It was one of the biggest hits within South Korea and abroad. Most K drama fans love Goblin and associate the rains with a crying goblin. That's why the rain reminded Laila of the goblin!
Alia also liked k dramas but wasn't as crazy as her roomie and bestie Laila. Both the girls became friends when they came to the city and happened to rent the same flat. Total opposites, Alia and Laila are chalk and cheese! Alia is the pragmatic, practical, realist, cleanliness freak, meticulous and punctual. Laila was exactly the opposite and a diehard romantic to boot! Alia was younger in age but Laila was a big baby! The worst part is Alia loved her to bits and pampered her a lot because Laila was too adorable and endearing.
Once Alia had met with an accident and Laila had saved her by taking her to the hospital in time and even giving her blood to save her! They weren't as close earlier but after this incident Alia could happily die for Laila or kill anyone who hurt her! Trust me, you wouldn't want to see Alia mad and angry!
Laila- Alia, I feel sad.... I wish the goblin would stop crying! I really want to go out!
Alia- So what's stopping you?
Alia regretted those words the moment she uttered them! Laila was out of the door onto the terrace, dancing in the rain and jumping in the puddles before Alia could put on her raincoat and her Wellingtons!
"This crazy lunatic! If I didn't love you so much, I would wring your pretty neck! Aargh! " Alia was screaming as she came out with a raincoat for Laila.
Laila- Come on, you old woman! No one would believe you are just 24!!! Come here and dance with me!!
Alia pulled the raincoat over the constantly moving Laila and turned to go back inside. But Laila pulled her closer and didn't let her go. Laila was screaming and dancing away as Alia laughed at her crazy friend.
The girls were having a blast!
A sudden ray of light fell on a dark figure on the bench in the park opposite their building and Alia saw someone watching them. That dark figure was watching them from the shadows, camouflaged in black clothes and holding a big black umbrella.
By the time she cleaned her glasses and looked again, the figure was gone and the bench was empty.
"That's strange! Who was that? " Alia wondered as she pulled Laila back into the house with all her might.
Alia- Laila, please dry yourself before you flood the entire entire living room!
Laila- Ok! Such a pain to live with someone with an OCD! I wish I had a 'normal' roomie!
Alia- Oh, you think you are normal ???
Their friendly banter continued as they had a quick dinner of chicken noodle soup with vegetables, while Laila kept singing 'Chicken Noodle Soup'( a song by JHope of BTS with Becky G) at the top of her voice! After dinner, Alia washed the bowls and cleaned the kitchen. By the time she came to bed, Laila was already asleep!
Morning dawned misty and cloudy. It was still raining. Laila and Alia worked part time in a salon cum spa which was close by. It was time to wake lazy Laila up! As Laila dragged her feet to the washroom, Alia went to the kitchen to make coffee and cook some breakfast. Within an hour the two girls were on their way to the salon.
Alia glanced at the bench as if on cue, noticing a man fully clad in black, holding a black umbrella. From a distance she couldn't make out much except that he was clearly, looking straight at them. Alia didn't stop. She urged Laila to move faster, feeling safe only once they were inside the salon.
On their way back, the bench was empty but Alia spotted the same man. He was walking away trying to get into a cab. He shot her one last look as he climbed in.
Alia was a bit scared and frantically pushed Laila inside and banged the door shut. Laila didn't notice Alia's fear and went into her room singing loudly.
Tonight as the rain pelted against the window pane, Laila wanted to dance in the rain again. But Alia saw the man with the umbrella sitting on the bench again, looking at their house. She distracted Alia with some K Drama suggestions and kept casting furtive glances outside. Finally, the man was nowhere to be seen.... Alia waited for some more time before dragging Laila to bed. They had a working day tomorrow !
The man with the black umbrella was a fixture on that bench. Laila was still blissfully unaware of anything around her but Alia always noticed him watching them from afar. It's been a week now and his creepy behaviour is freaking Alia out!
Today, she had decided to confront him once and for all! As usual she spotted the man on the bench. She sent Laila home and walked towards him. As she got closer, she looked back at their flat; it was clearly visible from where she was standing. Which means the pervert had a fantastic view of them dancing in the rain on the terrace the other day! He's had it today!
As she reached closer to the bench, the man took out a white folded stick which visually impaired people use. He tried to open the stick but couldn't. It fell from his hands and he went down on his knees trying to find it.
Alia had a lump in her throat and tears streaming from her eyes as she knelt down and fetched the stick. She helped him get up and sit back on the bench, handing him the stick. He thanked her politely in a deep voice which touched her soul. She was so overcome with guilt that she started crying. A clean white handkerchief was offered by a gloved hand and she thanked him.
As she wiped her eyes, she looked at him. He was really young, early 20s probably... Black hair with stylish blonde highlights. He always wore beautiful long coats and gloves, as she had noticed everyday on her way to work. His eyes couldn't see but the black orbs were strangely pulling Alia into their depths. He was so handsome! That face, that voice , polite behaviour and a gentleman as well! He looked rich and had a lot of style! She wondered who was the one who couldn't see! Definitely she herself, who judged him so harshly without knowing a thing about him!
" Are you alright, Miss? Why are you crying? If you don't mind telling me I will listen to you!" He said.
Alia- No, no, I'm okay.... It's just.... this weather makes me emotional!
The man looked intensely towards her and said," Yes, me too....Are you missing someone ? I know how much it hurts when you lose a loved one..."
Alia- Who.... Who did you lose?
The man sighed as he said," Myself! A few months back, I met with an accident right here! I lost all memories except this bench here! I come here everyday to see if I can find myself somehow..... Doc says it's a useless exercise but I'm hopeful! Besides, who wants to be cooped up inside the room all day! "
Alia was still digesting this information when a black Benz( which she always thought was a cab!!!🙄) stopped and another young man came out, completely dressed in black, holding a black hat in his hand!
"Doc, you are here so soon? This kind miss helped me out today! Thank you so much!" He said as he climbed into the car.
The other young man looked at me and asked," What happened to him? Was he behaving funny?"
Alia- No, not at all! His stick had fallen and I helped him up! Nothing to worry!
Doc- Thank you Ma'am!
As the car sped away, Alia walked back to her house feeling sad for the man in the black umbrella.... She went home and hugged Laila, surprising her....
Laila- See, the goblin doesn't stop crying.... It makes me cry Alia!
Alia- Me too, Laila....
Remembering the sad eyes of the young man, Alia cried enough to shock Laila, hoping to see him again.
The morning dawned bright and beautiful as Alia stretched her limbs and got out of bed. She quickly brushed and took her large cup of coffee out on the terrace, sitting on the swing and glancing at the bench across. It was empty.
Ah! Blessed Sunday! How wonderful it is to wake up without an alarm! Sipping on her coffee and enjoying the cool breeze, taking in the beautiful view of the rising sun, Alia was lost in her thoughts when the phone rang.
It was her mother. After a nice long chat with her parents, Alia hung up and went inside to change her clothes and shoes. She liked going for a walk in the park as and when she could. Sometimes the weather and sometimes work played spoilsport but today was a clear,bright and sunny day!
Alia( thinking aloud)- If Laila were awake she would say the goblin is happy today!
Quietly she locked the door behind her as she set out to the park. With BTS playing on her I pod, she walked and jogged around the park for almost an hour.
As she made her way back to the flat, her eyes fell on the bench. She stopped and looked at it, wondering if she would see him again. Sighing, she walked back. Was she dreaming or were the cherry blossoms actually blooming? Like, overnight??? Maybe she hadn't paid attention all this while!!!
Alia made some smoothie and woke Laila up. The sleepyhead was even harder to wake up on a day off! As Laila came out, still drowsy after brushing her teeth, Alia gave her the choice of coffee or smoothie. Laila picked coffee. Alia sipped on her smoothie.
Laila- Alia, let's have a picnic today at the park! Can you see the cherry blossoms are blooming today?? The goblin must be really happy! Probably in love too! After all, this isn't the season of cherry blossoms!!!
Alia laughed as Laila uttered these words but she also wondered about the last remark! Of course, this isn't the season. It's Autumn after all! Nothing blooms in Autumn! So.... how are the cherry blossoms abloom?
The girls prepared a quick picnic with fruits, salad, sandwiches and juice. They got ready and went down towards the park. As they walked in, Alia didn't notice the man on the bench.
Suddenly, the girls heard a voice call out," Miss, is that you? It's a nice day! I hope you are feeling better now!"
Alia turned to see the man on the bench. He still carried his black umbrella! She held Laila's hand and sat down next to him.
Alia- Hello! You look cheerful too! It's a nice day for a picnic so my friend and I came prepared! Do join us! By the way, I'm Alia and my friend is Laila.
The man smiled and said," I'm Aamir. Nice to meet you both. Alia, I could smell your perfume, that's how I knew it's you! It's lavender, right? Stands out among the scent of the cherry blossoms!
Laila had already laid the picnic mat close to the bench so that Aamir didn't have to move too much. She was watching Alia intently as she helped Aamir to sit down on the mat with them. Where and when did they meet? He even knew the perfume she used!!! Alia definitely had some tea to spill!
Laila watched as the handsome Aamir charmed his way through Alia's heart. She could see Alia was falling for the charming young man. Although Laila seemed oblivious to her surroundings, she was in fact a very perceptive and observant person. She had noticed Alia's discomfort since the dance-in-the-rain night and also seen the dark figure that made her jumpy all week! Was it Aamir? Somehow, Laila was getting weird vibes from Aamir! Not negative. More like mysterious, really mysterious ..... She couldn't put her finger on it though....
They had a great time talking and knowing more about each other, but Aamir was very guarded. He turned his head suddenly as yesterday's guy in black, the Doc, walked towards them. Laila's eyes met Doc's and he quickly looked away.
But she had seen it all....
Alia and Laila- Please join us.
Doc hesitated but joined them anyway. He kept glancing at Alia and Aamir. Then he looked at the blooming cherry blossoms and said to himself," Oh hell !He really doesn't know how to control himself around her!"
Laila - No, he doesn't! He's a goblin in love.... It rains when he is sad and the sun shines bright when he is happy! And cherry blossoms bloom in Autumn when he is in love!!! But you are not a Goblin! Are you his friend the Grim Reaper?
Doc was stunned. Alia and Aamir were staring at Laila, shocked.
(They all spoke together)
Aamir and Doc- How did you know?
Alia- What are you saying?
Laila- Well, I just put 2 and 2 together! Alia is Goblin's long lost love and I was sent to protect her in every birth till she met him! And you are mine, for ever!
Laila's words and twinkling eyes made Doc's heart flutter as he blushed and looked away.
Doc- I never thought you'd recognise me or remember anything about the past!
Laila- Your magic spell didn't work on me Loverboy! My memory was never erased! I know you became a Grim Reaper because of the heinous crimes you committed in the past towards me, but I still love you and I waited all these years.....
Laila got up and hugged a sobbing Doc as Alia finally mustered the courage to hug Aamir. The lovers know it won't last forever, but they were happy to be united at last!
Aamir was so happy that tears fell from his eyes as he slowly saw with his eyes....He could see everything now! His tears of happiness had washed away all his pain and he could see everything clearly now! He hugged Alia tight and said," I am sorry I ignored you that day! You cursed me saying only my tears of happiness on finding my lost love again would bring my sight back! I love you! Never leave me again!!!"
The lovers happily spent the day together, laughing as more and more people were pleasantly surprised to see cherry blossoms blooming all over the country in Autumn!!
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