Seo Woomi and I headed home from school. We have agreed to go to my house because it was the weekend and we planned to do a drama marathon. Seoul was definitely more bustling than the place where I came from. After my parents' divorce, I decided to follow my dad to Seoul because I was curious about city life. I wanted to broaden my horizons and start anew. Sure, I miss my mom and so I call her as often as possible. But so far, I think my life's stable. 

     "Jungeun-ah, do you know that boy named Jumin from school? What do you think of him?" Woomi asked.

     "Well, he's a good dancer and he's pretty smart. He's also liked by many girls. Why, you like him? I teased.

     "No, it's just that I'm his partner for our unit in P.E. and I was just wondering what kind of person he was." Woomi had a calm expression on her face, but I can tell that she felt a little more than just curiosity. 

     "Well, I guess you'll find out then. Wow, our Woomi finally as a crush. When are you going to confess? I taunted again, earning myself a punch from her. We laughed and I opened the door to my house. 

      Woomi settled herself onto my bed and I took out my laptop so we can commence our scheduled drama marathon. Then I got some snacks and we started to watch. We decided on romantic/action because I tended to like romantice producions while she enjoyed action thrillers. Knowing Korean dramas, it wasn't hard to pair the two together. 

      Hours went on like this, we got through five episodes and it became dark. We would have kept watching if Woomi's phone hadn't sounded. She excused herself to the bahroom and came back a few minutes later.

      "Bad news, Jungeun. I just got a call from the meat restaurant down the street and it looks like my brother is at it again." She sighed deeply as she put her phone back into her back pocket. 

      "He's still not over his breakup? I inquired. Woomi's brother, Seo Haejun, had ended his three-year relationship with his girlfriend because of the location of his college. Ever since, he's been dismay. 

      Woomi shook her head at my question. "No, he's still living in the past like always. Sorry, Jungeun, let's continue our marathon some other time." She waved and headed out the door.

       I quickly followed her and held her back. "Wait, I'll go with you, it's dangerous to go alone in the night." Part of the reason was because I didn't want her to be sad by herself. And plus, Seoul really was a dangerous place during the night. 

       We quickly made our way to the place where Seo Haejun lay drunk. His right cheek lay flat on the table, distorting his features. There were many soju bottles standing on the table and the meat was burning over the low fire. I got hold of his right arm and Woomi grabbed his left. Together we lifted him and left after paying the ahjumma the due fee. Seo Haejun wasn;t a heavy man, but his drunk stature made him hard to handle. He was constantly trying to break free and kept muttering things that made no sense. We decided to rest on a bench to catch out breaths. 

       Then at that moment, I saw a group of people move towards out area. They gathered around the unlit section of the block and seemed awfully suspicious. I nudged Woomi and directed her attention to my concern. She nodded with understanding and we made an effort to take Seo Haejun once again. I thought we were doing really well avoiding those strangers and all until I heard the most unpleasant words come from someone near me. 

       "Hey, you low-lives! What do you think you're doing over there? You must think you own the whole city or something because you keep branding your stupid names on it! Get a life would ya!" Seo Haejun yelled in a very drunk manner. Woomi and I flinched and dropped Haejun during the process. The gang crept closer until they were illuminated by the street lamp. Even though they were under the light, most of them wore hoods, making their visuals undreadable. There were eight members in total and all appeared to be guys. 

       "Excuse me sir, but if we're low-lives, then what would society call someone like you?" One of the gang members dauntingly said. At this point, I sensed something unpretty and I told Woomi through eye contact to take Haejun and run to the police like a mad man. I would distract them in the process. 

       "Um, sorry sirs. He's a bit drunk tonight, he doesn't know what he's talking about. You should just forget you even heard anything and be on your way. Once again, I truly apologize in his stead and-" 

       "Who is this annoying chick? If anyone should apologize, it's that drunkyard over there. Bring him over, would ya." The same gangmember said. He looked around, and his eyes caught nothing as Woomi successfully escaped his sight. He cried out in frustration and told the others to find him. Then he turned to me. "Maybe this little girl would like to pay the price instead, huh?"

        I flinched back in terror and decided to make a run for it. Like a mad man, I ran without direction, away from the daunting man. I could hear his footsteps though he must have been slow for they were fading away. Nonetheless, I kept running and I was swept into one corner of an alley by an outside force that did not belong to me. Terror struck me once again. I struggled to talk but a hand clamped my mouth shut. It was warm to the touch and strangely pleasant in this cold weather.

        "Shhh. Don't make a sound if you don't want to get hurt." It was a young man's voice. For some reason, he didn't sound like he wanted to harm me. I relaxed just a little. He still kept his hand over my mouth and he drew me closer to him as the gangster's footsteps came nearer. My heart beat a thousand times and I caught a whiff of his scent. It had a peculiar tinge to it, as if he had been near fire. We stayed still until the stupid gangster passed by us. and he relaxed his grip on me a little. But for some reason, he kept his hand over my mouth. I turned my head around and found out why he hadn't removed his hand. 

         The man was one of them. One of the eight that tried to mess with us. I tried to pry his hands off, but his grip was too strong. Raising a finger up to his lips, gestured for me to be quiet. He directed me towards the other end of the alley and took hold of my wrist to lead me there.

         "Shh, follow me." The stranger said.