Hiding Pandora Read Online Free Page B

girl vomit into a bush.
    “She does not hold her liquor well,” I say.
    He laughs. “That’s Zoe Price. Since you’re a senior, you get your own room, but you do share a bathroom. Zoe is the girl you share with.”
    I turn to study her.
    She’s tall, probably about 12 centimeters taller than I. I’m 154 centimeters. She’s also a little on the heavy side. If Agent Kim were here, she’d say that Zoe has curves. But in Korea, she’d be considered overweight.
    South Korea has a very set standard of beauty. Everybody wants the same thing from their body. But here, there are so many ideas of what is beautiful . It’s weird to me, but I guess it’s normal here.
    “Do you think she’s pretty?” I ask him.
    He looks at me. “Is that a trick question?”
    I shake my head. “I’m just curious what your idea of beauty is.”
    “Oh,” he says. “She’s okay. A lot of guys like Zoe’s body. But she’s not really my type.”
    “American guys like fat girls?” I ask.
    He laughs, shaking his head. “Zoe is not fat.”
    I look at her again. “Really?”
    “Not at all,” he says.
    “If American boys find her attractive, they probably won’t like me.”
    Winston laughs again. “That is not true. American guys like Asian girls.”
    “Do you like me?” I ask. “I mean, the way I look.”
    He looks at me to see if I’m serious. “Sometimes, you are so shy. But then other times, you’re really outspoken.”
    “An American girl wouldn’t ask you if you find her attractive?”
    He shakes his head. “No. Not after knowing her for only one day.”
    “Weird. I want to know, so I asked.”
    “To answer your question, yes, I find you attractive,” he says. “I’ve already told you that you’re beautiful. And I mean it.”
    “Okay,” I say.
    “What about me?” he asks. “Do you think I’m attractive?”
    I look at him, truly considering his question.
    “Yes,” I answer, after a few seconds. “You’re quite handsome. I especially like your hair. I’ve never met a guy with blond hair before. And I like your light brown eyes. They’re kind of... what was the word you used? Amazing? That’s the one.”
    Winston smiles big, and I’m wondering what exactly it is about what I said that makes him so happy.
    “You have a great smile,” I tell him, because he does.
    “I’m so glad you’re here,” he tells me.
    “I’ve dreaded coming here for the past four months, now,” I admit. “But now that I’m here, and now that I’ve met you, I’m glad I’m here. I like being your friend.”
    “I think I might have a crush on you,” he says.
    My face grows warm.
    “I have a question, but I’m not quite sure how to ask it in English. There is this one word that I don’t know what the English word is for it,” I tell him.
    “What’s the Korean word?” he asks.
    “ Sseom lada ,” I say.
    “Hold on,” he says, then pulls out his phone. He taps something. “Google Translate. Say it again.”
    “ Sseom lada ,” I repeat.
    He frowns. “Thumb ladder? Maybe it didn’t pick it up correctly.”
    I look at the hangul on the screen. “No, that’s right. That’s not the accurate translation though. I don’t know what a thumb ladder is.”
    He laughs. “Me, either. Can you describe what it means?”
    “No. Well, maybe,” I say, then sigh. “It’s so hard to describe in English. It’s... okay, so, you have a crush on me. And we’re not, like, in a relationship or anything. But this is kind of more than a friends thing. Right?”
    “Wait, so you’re saying sseom lada is a word Koreans use to describe a girl who is almost their girlfriend?” he asks.
    I nod. “Well, sort of...”
    “That’s convenient. I wish there was an English word for that,” he says.
    “Anyway, I am just asking because I know Americans move fast when it comes to dating and stuff,” I explain. “In Korea, since we’re strangers, we’d have to become friends first, which makes sense. But I know it’s not that