There it was again.  The racket from across the room was making her angry.  People have to get up early in the morning, but her idiotic neighbor across the hall didn’t realize that.  She had a meeting with very important officials from the city tomorrow, and how was she going to calm her nerves if she couldn’t even get a good night’s sleep? 

She looked at her alarm clock on the night stand and the numbers glowed 2:00 AM.  She turned over, put a pillow over her head, and screamed into it as loud as she could. 

“DING DONG.”

“DING DONG DING DONG DING DONG.”

“DINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDING…DONG.”

“What the hell???!!!! Who could be ringing the damn bell at this hour?!!!”  She didn’t want to get up and thought about ignoring it, but the person began to try to open the door, twisting the knob back and forth and banging on it.

“YA! It’s not funny!  Open the door!  It’s MY apartment! ”

She grabbed her robe and stormed to the door.

“Who do you think you are, you drunken idiot?!”  She swung open the door and the boy practically fell in.

She caught him by the shoulders and stood him up right before she began jabbing his chest.

“LOOK!  THIS ISN”T YOUR DAMN APARTMENT!  I don’t care that you’re drunk.  Stop ringing MY DOORBELL!”

He stumbled backwards with each jab, and her face kept getting out of focus, making him nauseous. 

“YOU NEED TO GROW UP.  PEOPLE HAVE LIVES TO LEAD IN THE MORNING.”

She saw it coming.  Ugh!  There was a sliver of it on his chin, and it looked like it was going to come in her direction.

“Aw, DAMN IT!” she thought.  She yanked his arm and dragged him to the ahjumma's plant outside the door.  She said a quick prayer, hoping the ahjumma wouldn’t be awake after all the yelling. 

At 26, she had hoped she wouldn’t have to be standing behind a drunken guy, supporting his forehead while he threw up into a plant.  Technically, this guy was just a mere boy, probably 19 so she guessed it didn’t matter. This boy was making her even more angry as he continued to bury the plant with his late night dinner and liquor.  She considered letting go of his forehead and seeing his face fall into the pot but decided it was too much, even for her. 

 “MOTHER F—” she yelped as some of his vomit hit the sleeve of her robe.  It was her favorite robe, and now it was going to stink like the vermin this boy was.  After what seemed like hours, she dragged him and propped him up next to the ahjumma’s door.  She reached for the Sharpie she always kept in her robe pocket and scribbled on his shirt.  This is what happens to people that cross her bad side.  She rang the doorbell several times and ran back to her apartment.  It looked like she could pull in at least two decent hours of sleep before having to go to work.

Just as she settled back into bed, she heard the creak of a deadbolt and the yelp of an elderly woman followed by the terrified screams of a boy.  Smug, she fell asleep with thoughts of brooms and plants swirling around in her head.

It looked like two hours of sleep would be the best she could do.  She yawned and stretched in bed before automatically reaching for her robe, but remembered it had been soiled so she just walked directly to the bathroom and got ready for work.

Ji-won dressed rather conservatively with her white striped navy blue pants, button up shirt, and white pumps. She stepped out of her apartment with her briefcase in hand.  She had had just enough time to curl her hair and pull it into a pony tail by the nape of her neck.  While turning to unlock her door, the door behind her creaked open. 

Out walked the boy she had assisted in the morning.  She saw he still had on the t-shirt she made for him—“I did it” with an arrow that pointed to the plant last night.  He had a couple bruises on his forehead, probably from being beaten with the broom.  She stifled her laughter and walked straight ahead towards the elevator as if she didn’t know a thing, making sure she didn’t catch a whiff of his stench on the way. 

As she walked by, he blushed and turned around to face his door.  He scratched his head and accidentally put pressure on a bruise hidden underneath his brown hair.  He groaned, being too tired to make any louder noise.  He vaguely remembered hanging out with someone but wasn’t sure if it was because he was so drunk he started hallucinating or if he just couldn’t differentiate between which girls he had spent last night with. 

“Whoever she was, she sure did a number on me,” he thought.  He wasn’t into S&M but something must have happened because he had so many bruises.  Oddly, he didn’t remember getting any last night, but he did hear lots of screaming.  Adding to that, his shirt got “Sharpied”, and he couldn’t even remember what he had done.

Just as he was opened his door to go back inside, the ahjumma from two doors down appeared with her broom.  She did not look happy.

THWAK.  THWAK. 

“Oh, that’s where I got the bruises,” he thought as he began shrinking back down to the ground in the squatting-scared-for-his-life position.

“Look!  Look what you did last night!  Where is the money for me to buy a new one?”  Mrs. Kim yelled as she hit him one more time with the broom.

“It wasn’t me.”

“Are you trying to deny what you did?”  She grabbed his ear and began dragging him to her door.

“Ahjumma!  Ow.  Ahjumma!  Ow. Ow. Ow. Ahju—ahju—” 

 “Look what you did!”  She used her broom to point at the plant and made sure to hang on tightly to his ear.

 He could smell it now.  It was horrible.  He couldn't even begin to describe the stench.

 “Look at your shirt!  Even your shirt confirms it.”  She pulled on his ear a little harder, brining him to his knees.

 “Oh so that’s what it—” He didn’t have a chance to finish his sentence as she pinched his ear even tighter.

 “What are you going to do about it?”

 “Okay, okay.  Let me throw this one away and I will buy you a new one.” 

 Satisfied with his answer, Mrs. Kim released his ear.  It was throbbing just as much as his head was now.  She was past her prime but she still had a good arm.  Mrs. Kim went back into her house, and Seung-ri simply stared at the pot. 

He began to recall the screams were his after being attacked by the broom. 

It was abominable what this girl did to him.  To think, he didn’t even get ANY last night, even after all the bruises he sustained. 

He picked up the horridly fertilized plant, walked to the back of the apartment complex, tossed it in the trash bin, and promptly walked back to his apartment to get some sleep.  Who did he hang out with last night, he kept asking himself.

As she walked out of City Hall, she began texting her best friend about the council’s refusal to extend the demolition of the community garden. 

Who the hell do these people think they are?  These families have been gardening here longer than all of these people have been serving on the council.   What was the world coming to that a family couldn’t grow their own food? 

“Heartless bastards,” she mumbled to herself.

 She was too angry to go back to the office so she made a quick call to the administrative assistant who would notify her boss she was playing hooky today after the punch-in-the-gut decision from the Council--hopefully, not in those same terms.  Rather than take the taxi, she walked the one mile home in the sneakers she had hidden in her suitcase.  Tacky?  Yes, but it beat walking in heels.   

It was a shame that the day was so beautiful.  Just a week or two before, the cherry trees had blossomed and the side walk was simply breathtaking.  Today, blossoms were being blown everywhere by the spring breeze leaving behind an endless trail of pink petals. 

As she neared the complex, she saw the discarded plant and laughed.  No doubt the ahjumma made him pay dearly for his sin.  She felt a little guilty but not enough to apologize.  He was the one who started it all with the endless ringing of the door bell.  It served him right for staining her robe. 

She began the climb up the three flights of stairs to her apartment—the elevator was still being worked on.  Just as she climbed the last step, the boy walked out from his apartment wearing ripped jeans and a plain black t-shirt with hair looking like he had just gotten out of bed, except for the massive amount of gel.  Obviously, he had tried hard to make it look like he had just gotten out of bed.

Inside her apartment she poured a glass of carbonated flavored water, cranberry mango—as good as any soda pop but without all the calories.  She stripped down into her camisole and boxers then crawled into bed.  It was only three in the afternoon but no one was going to keep her from sulking over today’s meeting.  She grabbed the stereo remote, switched on some Clazziquai to drown out the world, and closed her eyes.

She woke up to the buzzing of her cell phone, and immediately after, the beats of G-Dragon telling her she was his “heart, heart, heart breaker.”  It was dark outside but she couldn’t tell if it was morning or evening.  This happened every time she slept too early.  Her sense of time always got warped but it never stopped her from taking naps. 

 "Yeah?” she croaked.

 “J!”

 “Hmm.”

 “I heard about what happened.”

 “What?  Oh…yeah, whatever.”

 “I’m coming to pick you up.”

If Jinnie was coming to pick her up, it definitely was not the next day she thought.  Jinnie was pretty much a vampire, only waking up late at night to snack on men.  Apparently she wanted to drag Ji-won with her into the night.

“I’m still asleep.  Don’t come.”

“You need to get out and stop thinking about it.”

“You mean you need a wing-man because Hee-jin is sick.”

“Well, that too.” 

“I’m still in bed.  I don’t want to go.”

“See you in five!”

“What?” 

The doorbell began to ring and then she heard the jingle of a key sliding into the door knob.

“When I said five I meant seconds!”

She had forgotten that Jinnie knew where her spare was hidden.  To Jinnie, that obviously meant she was welcomed anytime morning, afternoon, midnight, whenever, and even when she wasn’t home.  Of course, little sisters are like that. 

“I even bought something for you to wear, but I want to borrow it next week.  I know you don’t have any nice clothes.”

“Why do you always do that?  They’re going to think I own things like that!”

“Precisely, J, Mom and Dad would never approve of me having things like this.  Now, hurry up before I drag you out.  We’re going to be late.”

“I don’t even want to go,” she mumbled.  Reluctantly, she dragged herself out of bed, and stumbled to the bathroom.  After washing her face and straightening her hair, she walked back to the bedroom to find a short, low cut black dress lying on her bed.  Picking it up and turning it over, she saw it was back less as well.  Jinnie always walked on the wild side while Ji-won was more practical.  Tossing the dress aside, she rummaged through her closet instead to find a black halter top and a pair of gray slacks.

"Ugh!  You’re so boring.  Please wear something else,” Jinnie remarked as she walked into the closet.  Digging through Ji-won’s clothes, Jinnie found a baby doll dress she liked much better than the old woman clothes Ji-won was trying to pull off.

The empire waist fit just a little too snug, but it was better than Jinnie’s original recommendation.  A yes now meant less arguing and getting Jinnie out of the apartment before she had more ideas.  Ji-won pulled her hair into a loose pony tail and they were on their way out. 

It was party thrown by a friend of a friend according to Jinnie.  Technically, that meant she heard it from someone and decided to crash it because there was nothing else better to do.  Ji-won couldn’t understand why Jinnie hadn’t chosen to take someone else.  It’s not like Hee-jin was her only friend.

It was at a huge three story house and there were cars everywhere on the driveway and they even scattered onto the lawn.  The music was so loud the car windows were shaking.  Upon entering the front door, she immediately began choking as she inhaled smoke. 

The party was full of 18 to 21 year olds and Ji-won was feeling out of place.  At 26, people did mistakenly take her for 21 at times but there’s a difference between looking like 21 and feeling like 21.  She did not belong here. 

“Jinnie, why did you make me come with you?”

“Mom wouldn’t let me go out tonight unless I was with you.  She says I party too much and I should spend more time with you so I can learn good morals.  This way, I’m making both of us happy and no lying is involved.”

“Mom’s going to kill you.” 

“Bye, J.  Hee-jin isn’t actually sick.  She’s right over there taking with those cute guys.  I def have to go now.  Have fun!”

This did not bode well with Ji-won, but before she could say anything Jinnie had already vanished in the smoke.  Trying to make the most of a bad situation she walked to the bar and decided she would have enough patience for an hour but after that she would drag Jinnie out kicking and screaming.

At the bar, she watched the clock tick away slowly as she sipped her club soda.  Parties were never her scene and looking around she knew why: the drinking, the dancing, and more importantly the lack of invitations.  Yes, she was a nerd in school but it didn’t mean she didn’t want to try it at least once.  There was an inner wild child underneath it all.

“Hey!” someone said sitting down next to her.

“Oh, hi!”  she said turning around.  Finally, someone was going to talk to her.

He gave a strange look and said, “Can I get two beers?” 

She turned around again to hide her flush of shame as her cheeks began to turn pink.  It was then she decided Jinnie already had enough time to enjoy herself, and it was time to go.  Screw one hour, thirty minutes was long enough!  

She made her way back to the door and up the stairs where she thought Jinnie had disappeared to.  She barely made it over the first step before tipping over a cup of something and spilling it over her feet. 

“Ugh!” she yelped but continued walking, and walking, and walking.  The second floor was oddly silent, except for the occasional moans and groans.  The noise from downstairs did not penetrate onto the floor.  It definitely gave her the chills.  She pulled out her cell phone and dialed Jinnie’s number, but in none of the rooms was G-Dragon telling her he couldn’t “breathe no more.”

Trying a second time, Jinnie finally picked up.

“J, I met this really hot guy.  He just went to go get me something to eat, so I can only talk for minute.” 

There was no music coming from the background, and Ji-won was beginning to suspect Jinnie was no longer where she was supposed to be.

“Where the hell are you?”

“Oh, um, well…”

“JINNIE!!!” 

“Okay, don’t be mad.  That hot guy wanted to leave the party so we sort of leftandyouhavetofindyourownridehomeandi’mreallysorrybye.”

“YAH!!!!!”  Ji-won screamed into the phone. 

“YES!!!!” someone answered from the bedroom. “YES!!!”

Ji-won wanted to pull her hair out.  Jinnie was always so thoughtless, leaving her for any guy.  It was just like that one time they had gone to the beach.  While Ji-won was still getting Jinnie some ice cream, she phoned that she was already home.  Ji-won had to walk two miles back to her apartment because Jinnie had taken her wallet.  She was lucky she hadn’t stripped down to her one piece or she would have been walking around town practically .  To make it even worse, Ji-won had gotten sun burned from the walk since Jinnie had taken the sun block too.  Her face was red for weeks and her skin peeled for days! 

Walking down the stairs, she caught a glimpse of someone who looked familiar.  With all the smoke, he was still noticeable.  He still had the frozen messed up hair but this time he was wearing a white t-shirt that kept glowing because of the motion lights. 

It was strange.  The girl sitting at the bar looked so familiar but he couldn’t pinpoint who it was.  He was a little buzzed so he wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol controlling his vision or not.  She didn’t look too comfortable or like she knew anyone, so he concluded she was a new girl to be conquered, and she was walking his way.  It even looked like she was going to talk to him until she headed up the staircase instead.  Burn! 

“Seung-ri, let’s go back to your place.  I’m so tired of this party,” some girl he had just met pouted.    He couldn’t remember her name but she was starting to annoy him.

An instant later, the new girl from the bar was right beside him.  She appeared out of the smoke like the maid of the mist.  Her dress didn’t quite suit her very well.  She looked uncomfortable in it, like she was out of place.

“Excuse me.  Hi.  We’ve never been formally introduced.  I’m Kim Ji-won.  It’s really nice to meet you.” 

“What?”  Obviously he couldn’t hear her with the music blasting.  He probably couldn’t even see her clearly with the motion lights and smoke floating up, so she decided skinship would get his attention.

“I’m Kim Ji-Won!” she yelled pressed against his cheek.  She could feel his breath roll down her neck, and they were giving her goose bumps.

“Seung-ri!”

“Seung-ri, this is kind of awkward but my sister drove me here and she sort of just took off.  Seeing that it’s about one in the morning, I was wondering if you were going to go home?”

“I’m sorry, what?” 

“Can you take me—”

She stopped mid-question and a look of disgust appeared on Ji-won’s face as a girl holding two beers immediately pushed her aside and locked lips with Seung-ri.  Obviously this was a lost cause. 

Turning around, she headed for the door determined to find some way back. 

“Yes, I’ll take you!” he yelled.  She turned around to see him push the girl aside and rise up after her. 

Walking next to each other, he slipped his arms around her waist. 

“So, how do you want to do this?” he said.

“Um, just take me home?”  she replied and brushed his arm away from her.  He was kind of a creep.

They walked in silence until they reached his…bicycle.  His bicycle?

“So you want me to pump you?  Handle bars?”  he asked with a mischievous grin.

She gasped, horrified that he only had a bicycle.  How were they going to get home?

“I’m kidding.  I’m parked around the corner.”  

She followed him silently to find a motorcycle waiting and began to worry just as much as when she saw the bicycle.  Her dress was short enough already, to her mid-thigh, that if she sat behind him it would likely ride all the way up and show more than she already wanted. 

Seeing her hesitation, Seung-ri took his jacket off his motorcycle and tied it around her waist.  It was almost as though he knew what she was thinking.

He’s a drunkard but maybe he isn’t such a creep after all, she thought.

“Are you okay to drive?”  she asked, “Have you been drinking?”

“No, I mean yeah.  Well, I can drive and I just had one beer so I’m okay.”

She wasn’t sure about that but she was sure she wanted to get home.  Buzzed driving is the same as drunk driving, but the urge to get home won out.  She held on to his shoulders, pulled her dress up, and slid down next to him.  She pulled the jacket tighter around her waist and adjusted it around her legs and her lap.   

She let out a sigh and said, “Okay, I’m ready.”

He the ignition, walked forward a little, and like a speeding bullet they were off.  With just about a mile to go, the jacket began to loosen itself but Ji-won was too scared to let go of the back handle to secure it.  She could feel the knot, almost as if it was beginning to untie itself because they were going too fast.  It was starting to slip away.  Just as she found the nerve to pry one hand away from the handle bar to try to hang on to the jacket, Seung-ri began to lean to the left because the road began to curve.  Ji-won let out a yelp, partly out of fear she might die and the other out of anger because the jacket was slipping away.  With assistance from the wind, the jacket twisted itself free and quickly disappeared into the night.

Seung-ri turned his head only to glimpse and find his jacket snatched away and a lot of skin from his female passenger.  Under his helmet, he grinned that devilish grin of his and stepped on the accelerator.  Ji-won yelped again, and held on even tighter to the handle bar.  Seung-ri’s attempt to force her to grab on to him had failed miserably.  He didn’t have another chance to try again because they had already arrived in front of his apartment complex.

Before he had a chance to get up, she firmly grasped both his shoulders making sure he would stay put.  Uncomfortably, she rose off the motorcycle and pulled the hem of her dress down.  He took his helmet off and followed close behind.

Seung-ri held the door open for her, hoping he would be able to walk behind her but she refused to go in.  It was almost as though she was reading his mind.  He shuddered thinking about what she might see and stifled a laugh.

Ji-won had been in many embarrassing situations before but none quite like this one.  Usually her friends were with her and it never involved drinking and driving.   Maybe it was karma?  It was her fault Seung-ri received a beating from the ahjumma.  Not all her fault, just partly her fault. 

They walked up the stairs and Seung-ri walked side by side along with her.  At the top, she turned around to thank him and left him quite confused.  How did she know where his room was?  Why did she thank him if they hadn’t done anything yet?  He rushed after her and put his key in the lock but she didn’t follow him.  Strange.

 “This is my apartment,” he said leaving the door wide open.

 “Okaaay.  This is MY apartment.”  Ji-won pulled a key out of her secret hiding place, her bra, and put the key in the lock, “Bye.”

 She shut the door while his mouth hung open quite wide. 

"Oh, man!” he thought, “when she asked him to take her home, she really did mean home!  No wonder she looked so familiar.”  He walked into his apartment, not nearly as buzzed as he would have liked and not with the company he had expected.