8.30 PM. Hanwan Housing.

Hanwan Grocery Store.

Myungsoo got out of the gorcery store after buying some snacks for his midnight movie time. He turned his head left and right, quietly trying to remember which path he had come from. He chose the left path.

He walked down the road with one plastic bag containing foods on his right hand, with head turning left and right every five steps he took. Slightly blaming his bad memories of directions, he continued. Though, the farther he went, the stronger his doubts that this way he was taking wasn’t the right way.

“I’m gonna be alright. It’s still in South Korea. Not that I’m walking on a jakku planet after all.”

He began to regret that he didn’t ask the cashier of the store first.

The wind blew quite harsh and he didn’t realize he was shivering due to the cold air despite wearing a long-sleeve shirt.

‘Why does it have to be so cold? It isn’t winter yet!’

He walked past some houses that he wasn’t familiar of. The blue paint of Sooyoung’s house nor the peach of Jessica’s seemed to not appear anytime soon, only to make him wonder just how far was he from his new house. As he walked, he could hear his own footsteps.

‘And why does it have to be so quiet? It’s still too early to sleep. Now I’m sure it looks like I’m shooting a horror movie.’

“Myungsoo?” A voice. ‘There, there, it’s not anything scary, is it?’

“Yah! Kim Myungsoo!”

The voice was too familiar for it to be scary. So he looked up, narrowing his eyes—so he could look better—and a nearing figure came into his sight. He could see her white sneakers in the dark—oh it’s a she! Thanks to the dim light that came from the lamps above his head so he could completely see the girl’s face. It was Choi Sooyoung.

“Yah! What the hell are you doing here at night?”

Her voice was high-pitched as if she was scolding her son for going home late. He lifted his right hand, the one with plastic bag, and sooyoung gave him an I-know--I-meant-why-are-you-heading-this-way-you-got-the-wrong-way-bro look.

He looked at her hopelessly. “I get lost,” he confessed. “Can’t remember which path I came from before.”

“You’re so hopeless.”

Myungsoo rolled his eyes. “I moved in here just three days ago, remember? Just why does this place have so many routes?”

She pointed to the way behind her back. “You’re probably going to get lost more if you continue this way, it’s going further away from your house,” she said. “You’re lucky to meet me here.”

A triumph smile on her lips. “Now come follow me, boy. Lemme show you the right way and take you home.”

Sooyoung took the lead as she walked first, and the boy could only follow her and positioned himself just beside the girl. The streets were dark but he was glad that this housing had enough lightings along the streets.

“And what is a girl doing outside alone at this hour?” He quickly came up with a question as soon as he thought of it. He looked at her in wonder.

“I like little walks at night, walking down the roads, especially after rain, it’s refreshing.” Just as he was about to talk, she quickly interrupted, “If you’re gonna worry and give me a lecture on how it is dangerous for a girl to walk alone on empty streets at night, nah, don’t.”

She shook her head. “It’s safe. We have security guards in each neighborhood entrances, the lightings are working, so you don’t—”

“Okay, okay. Geez, what are you, a mind reader?”

When the wind blew again, not-so-gently, it sent him chills all over his body. Though the girl walking beside him didn’t seem to be affected. He realized that she was wearing a thick jacket.

“You seem so prepared.” And here he was struggling with the cold. He only wore a plain long-sleeve shirt that didn’t help much.

She looked at him. “Oh this? I told you, I do this often.” The boy was slowly regretting that he forgot to bring his jacket. “How long are we going to walk? Jeez, I doubt you’re taking the right way.”

“Patience! You’ve gone quite far. So it takes time.”

He didn’t respond, and the brunette spoke again, “besides, you have me.” He swore that Sooyoung was so good with ambiguous words.

“Come to think about it... Then, you too have gone quite far. Aren’t you scared?”

“Tch, of what?”

“I don’t know. Ghosts maybe?”

“If it’s Baekhyun we’re talking about, then yes, he might be scared as hell.”

Their footsteps were awfully loud when they weren’t talking, so they kept talking to make noisier and liv