fish sticks, kimchi and rice, sandwich

JaeJoong wandered around the train station trying to find signs as to where the train had brought him. Strangely there was no one around for him to ask either. "Normally, people are everywhere at train stations." he thought. As he got to the other end of the station a breeze of food floated by. His stomach growled angrily. "Man, I'm hungry!" he looked around to see where the smell was coming from. He looked down to the streets below and saw a street food stall. He started to make his way down towards the food stall.

"Fish sticks! Delicious fish sticks!" the elderly woman announced.

JaeJoong took his backpack off and quickly looked thru it to see how much money he had. Seeing only a few coins he read the sign hung in front of the stall. "I can only get 1 stick for my coins," he thought about it for a while before deciding to put his coin back into the backpack. "If I use this all here then I won't have any money left" he told himself.

"You! Don't you want to try some delicious fish sticks?" the woman called to JaeJoong.

JaeJoong walked up to the woman trying to get a closer look at the fish sticks as he bit his lips.

"How many do you want?" she asked.

"I'm .... not hungry, mam" he lied.

"Yah! Then what are you doing here? Get away from my stall!" she yelled at him.

JaeJoong was startled by the difference in the ladies voice and jumped back. "Sorry," he said with a bow.

"Shoo! Shoo! Go away," she told him.

JaeJoong walked backwards a few steps and turned around and started to walk towards the road. It felt like his stomach was tied up in knots and was being pulled really hard. The pain was causing him to bite on his lower lip.

After a few minutes he saw another food stall. It was an older man this time. He wasn't shouting for his customers like the other lady. But he sat in his chair and was fast peeling something. JaeJoong thought he would try to ask the old man where he was but he wouldn't get close to the food cause the man might yell at him like the lady.

"Ummmm, excuse me," he started. "Are you busy?" he asked.

"Of course I am!" the old man gave a mean look.

JaeJoong felt like the old man was going to stand up and slap his head in a flash. His foot automatically stepped back from the man.

"Hahahahahaaa," the man laughed. "I'm only kidding with you little kid, what service can I do for you?" he asked with a soothing voice.

JaeJoong was rather confused but at least he wasn't yelling anymore. "I was wondering what the name of that train station is, sir" he asked.

"That one over there?" the old man pointed up above the trees.

JaeJoong nodded.

"Well, that's the Seoul cargo train station. They bring in food and other items from all over the country," the man explained. "Why do you ask?"

"Nothing, sir. I just wanted to know," JaeJoong felt it was safer to keep the fact that he was lost a secret.

"Little boys are always so curious," the old man complimented.

"Thank you!" JaeJoong bowed and ran back towards the train station.

JaeJoong went back up to the train station and decided to wait for someone to show up. He could tell them to take him back to Gongju he figured. He sat down on the bench next to the cargo he came in. His stomach still in pain. Finally he remembered his lunch from yesterday! He quickly got the two containers out. There was a little bit of rice and kimchi left. He took a sniff of the rice and decided it was still edible. Eating it quickly he had never tasted anything better.

Darkness came so quick it seemed. Still no one showed up to the train station. JaeJoong was getting scared again, he was about to go back to his cargo but stopped. "What if that cargo takes off when I'm asleep and I end up in another city?" he thought. "Then I'll never be able to go home." JaeJoong decided to not get in the cargo. He looked around for a place to sleep when he was a light coming from a nearby bridge. It was a big fire in a bucket. And he saw people sitting around the fire. "At least I can go and ask them if I can sit by the fire. I'm sure they wouldn't mind" he thought. JaeJoong ran down the hill towards the bridge.

"Excuse me," he said.

"Yeah?" a man in ripped clothing bundled up in front of the wall answered.

"I was wondering if I could sit by the fire too," he asked.

"Anyone can sit by the fire," he said and turned away to lay his head on the wall. "Here, you can have this," he threw a bundle of newspaper in front of JaeJoong.

JaeJoong was confused as to what to do with the newspaper. He looked around and under the bridge he saw a bunch of people sleeping on the floor with newspapers as blankets. JaeJoong's heart started to ache at the site in front of him. He had never experienced a night without his warm bed and fluffy blankets.

"You don't want it?" the man asked.

JaeJoong quickly grabbed the newspapers and walked over to a spot by the wall. He carefully laid out the few sheets on the ground and sat on top of it. He took the remaining sheets and covered himself. It didn't feel any different. The coldness was still there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey, you!" a voice woke up JaeJoong. "You! Are you dead or alive?" the voice asked.

"Huh?" JaeJoong opened his eyes and looked up but couldn't see where the sound was coming from.

"I guess you're alive," the voice came again.

"Huh?" JaeJoong looked around.

"Down here," a hand patted JaeJoong's head and pulled it down. "I'm down here."

JaeJoong finally saw the little person in front of him. A girl with a bright smile, long black hair, and big black eyes.

"Who are you?" JaeJoong asked.

"I'm here to help you," the little kid spoke to him. "Are you new? I've never seen you around here before," the kid spoke.

"I'm .... I ... don't know," JaeJoong was at a lost for words. He didn't know what exactly he was to this place.

"You probably ran away from home, right?" the kid asked.

JaeJoong was surprised that the little kid guessed right. "I...."

"No need to explain to me. Here, this is for you," the kid handed him a sandwich.

JaeJoong just stared at the sandwich. He was still kind of lost in his thoughts. This little girl is so clean looking and her clothes are not torn nor dirty like the rest of us. Who is she?

"Aren't you hungry?" the kid waved the sandwich around in front of JaeJoong.

"Yunnie! Don't do that!" a motherly voice came from a few feet away.