Read Online Heart & Seoul by Victoria Smith - Free Book Online

I’d never heard of someone being too tall for a ride
before, and I snickered when Drake deliberately buckled his knees
as a Lotte World worker studied the line for lawbreakers. I got the
whole thing on camera, capturing his first smile of the day. I was
so happy to see it.
    His height didn’t hinder him on anything
else, and we moved on to the carnival-style games after the rides.
They didn’t have any wait so we were able to do several. Drake was
determined to win me a stuffed animal. It took him a couple of
tries, but he got me a fluffy bunny, which I fully appreciated. I
was never good at those games.
    We took shots at a picture booth after that,
in which my bunny was right in my lap. I made a show out of it
being a priority in the photos. Sometimes pushing Drake out of the
shot with it. The last one, he covered the bunny’s eyes as he
kissed me. That one was my favorite.
    By this time, it was late afternoon and we
were both pretty beat. We decided to skip the outdoor portion and
just have some lunch before heading back to the hotel. To get the
full Lotte World experience, we opted for quick service at one of
the restaurants.
    When I ordered, I went by the pictures and
got something that tasted pretty good. It was quite spicy, though,
so I wasn’t able to finish it all.
    One of the Lotte World workers happened to
be sweeping around us and offered to take our trash.
    I gave her mine, then picked up my
cellphone. “I’m going to go ahead and call Han to come and get us.
Do you want to go anywhere else?”
    Drake shook his head. “I’m kinda tired.
But,” he paused, scooting over to me. “I think I can find a little
more energy for something else before I take a nap.”
    He nudged my cheek, and I giggled.
    The female worker dipped her head in shyness
at our PDA, and I casually moved away. Not wanting to be rude. The
woman said something in Korean, gesturing to Drake’s trash. When he
held it out, he smiled directly at her.
    “ Gamsahabnida , thank you,” he said to
her.
    She bowed, taking his plate. Her head
lifted, and for some reason, her eyebrows narrowed when she made
direct eye contact with Drake. Out of nowhere, her dark eyes went
wide, and she placed her hand to her mouth. The trash she held fell
to the floor, but before we could question her weird reaction, she
rattled off quick phrases of Korean to Drake.
    I grabbed his shoulder. “What’s going on?
What’s she saying?”
    He shook his head. “I don’t know. She’s
speaking too fast.” He lifted his hands to her, trying to calm her
with slower phrases.
    She didn’t seem to understand that we
couldn’t understand her and only spoke quicker. She was growing
more erratic, her voice more excited by the second. The panic was
rising inside me, but thank goodness Drake was calm.
    He gazed around at the busy food court.
“Excuse me, does anyone speak both English and Korean?”
    He got the attention of a girl at a table
near us. “I do.”
    He motioned her over and explained the
situation. The girl turned to the panicking woman and communicated
with her.
    “What is she trying to say to us?” Drake
asked.
    The woman finally took a breath, but she was
still speaking very quickly. The girl listened, nodding. “She wants
to know your name.”
    His name? Why would she want to know that?
Drake told the girl without hesitation, and she spoke it to the
woman. This didn’t seem to appease her. She only looked
confused.
    “Why does she want to know my name?” Drake
asked.
    The girl inquired. “She says you look like
someone she knows.”
    My heart stopped, and Drake’s lips parted.
“Who?” he asked.
    After the woman spoke to her, the girl faced
us. “Her nephew.”
     

Chapter Eleven

    Drake and I sat in his social worker’s
office, anxiously waiting for her to come in. We both wanted
answers after yesterday’s trip to Lotte World. Drake deserved
answers.
    Hana came in, and we both lifted our heads.
The already tight hold of our hands went even