Yongguk’s POV:

The door slowly creaked opened as Natalie emerged—her face enervated and weary from lack of sleep.

“Y-Yongguk, you’re b-back,” she croaked in awe. “Oh my god, your face…”

Although I was masked from nose down, I realized there were bruises and scratches evident from my cheekbones and above as well. Natalie quickly pulled me inside and sat me on the couch before busying herself in the kitchen as she rummaged through the cabinets. She came back with a first aid kit in her hands and sat down beside me.

“Okay let’s see…” she mumbled to herself as she took out a few cotton balls and began dipping them into a bottle of alcohol. Once they were damp enough, she reached up to my face and began gently dabbing at my wounds. It was then that I saw the noticeably long, bloody gash across her neck left behind from the dagger. I looked up at her and watched as she occupied and worried herself over someone as useless as me. If I had been more careful, her life wouldn’t have been at risk. I reached out and grabbed ahold of her wrist.

“Sorry, does it hurt?” she asked—concerned—as she slightly pulled away. “I’ll be more gentle. Here—“

Before she could say anything else, I pulled her into a hug, resting my chin on her shoulder. I closed my eyes and let out an exhale of repose. After a while, she returned the hug—wrapping her arms around my side and nuzzling her face against the side of mine.

Suddenly, all the lights within the house shut off.

“What the hell…?” Natalie muttered under her breath as she made her way over to the kitchen lights and began switching them off and then back on. The lights stubbornly refused to turn back on. Natalie sighed in defeat as she sat back down on the couch. “The electricity’s out. Guess we’re just gonna have to wait until they come back on…”

I felt myself light up like a light bulb as an idea suddenly came to mind when I remembered what I had passed by on the way back to Nat’s house. I smirked to myself as I pulled her off her off the sofa and lead her towards the door.

“Y-Yah, where are you taking me?” she stuttered frantically, struggling to escape from my tight grasp on her arm.

“You’ll see.”

Natalie’s POV:

“YAAAAH! I’M TELLING YOU I CAN’T BOWL!” I insisted as Yongguk stubbornly jerked me towards the shoe counter and requested for two pairs of bowling shoes.

“Here put these on and stop complaining grandma,” he blatantly ignored my comment and threw the shoes at me. I glared at him displeasingly only to have him brush past me. He sat down on one of the benches and began slipping the shoes on. Having no other choice, I groaned in defeat as I began to change out of my old shoes while Yongguk already began bowling himself. I sat there, watching him hoot in victory every time he made a successful strike.

Suddenly, a little girl waddled over to me and asked innocently, “Unnie, why aren’t you playing?”

“Ah, Unnie’s a terrible bowler,” I told her truthfully as I ruffled her hair. The adorable girl nodded understandingly in response. She peaked over and looked at Yongguk, who was getting ready to release the ball.

“Is that your boyfriend?” she questioned a bit louder than I had wished.

“A-Ah,” I began stuttering uncontrollably for some reason, “N-No, he’s just—“

Out of nowhere, Yongguk came up from behind me and placed an arm over my shoulder and pulled me in close to him.

“Chyeah, I’m her boyfriend,” he interrupted.

“No, he’s not, trust me,” I forced a smile through clenched teeth as I pushed his arm off of me. The poor child darted her eyes back and forth—from Yongguk back to me—unsure of whom to trust.

 “Well Unnie, I think you should dump him either way. He seems like a loser. Why is he wearing a mask?” she retorted sassily. I broke out in obnoxious laughter as I began slapping my knee and pointing at Yongguk—who turned away in embarrassment.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” a young boy walked over and began pulling the girl back towards him. “My little sister loves to talk—although not always about the right thing,” he apologized as he scratched his head sheepishly.

I shook my head as a gesture of forgiveness, “Aniyo, it’s fine! She’s hilarious!”

The girl waved goodbye as her brother lead her back to their bowling station; I smiled and waved cheerfully back at her.

Suddenly, I felt myself being pulled up from the bench. I turned around to find Yongguk’s firm grip on my wrist.

“What are you trying to pull now?” I rolled my eyes.

“Come here. I’ll teach you how to bowl,” he offered as he nodded his head towards our bowling station. Before I could resist, he already placed my fingers into the three holes of a ball. Steadily, he placed a hand onto my waist and another on my hand. I gulped nervously at how intimately close we were, but tried my best to keep my composure.

“Alright, now, take a few steps back for momentum while you aim,” he instructed professionally. “And when you step back forward, increase your pace, and lightly release your hold on the ball.”

Following his steps, I released the ball. It hit all the pins but one. A proud smile played on my lips as I turned back around to face Yongguk.

“Great. Try it on your own this time,” he crossed his arms and waited. I grabbed ahold of another ball, and repeated the steps. This time, I missed all of them, sadly watching the ball roll down on the empty side lane.

“Don’t worry. This is your first time. Keep practicing and you’ll get a hang of it,” he encouraged. He sat down on the bench and watched me as I continued.

After a while, I began to get a better understanding of how the game worked. By the end of the night, I made nonstop consecutive strikes. Exhausted and feeling accomplished, Yongguk and I stopped by our local ice cream parlor before leaving back to the port.

“You have work tomorrow right?” Yongguk asked while lapping at his ice cream. I nodded in response, taking out my phone to check the time. Suddenly, I realized that neither of us had each other’s number, meaning that there was no way for us to contact each other if something was to happen in the future.

“Do you have a phone?” I questioned quietly.

“Yeah, why?”

“Just wondering, cause—“

“Are you trying to hit on me? HAHAHAHA,” Yongguk suddenly burst out laughing.

“No, I just—Ugh never mind,” I gave up in frustration in embarrassment as my cheeks began to flush up.

“Just kidding, Nat. Here, gimme your phone,” he held out his hand. Reluctantly, I placed it into his palm. He began typing his number in my contact list under the ID ‘B’. After saving it, he gave me his phone. I typed in my number under ‘N’ and saved it.

“Don’t call me unless it’s an emergency,” he warned. I nodded, completely understanding his given condition. We both retrieved our phones and placed them back into our pockets before continuing to consume our delicious ice cream.

I tucked my duffel bag under my arm and stepped off the boat. We had arrived back in Gangnam.

“Alright, uhm, I’m gonna head off now. I’ll try to come and see you whenever I can,” Yongguk grunted quietly.

“Alright, see you soon,” I chuckled as I began making my way back to the main street to catch a taxicab home.

“Wait,” Yongguk suddenly called out.

“Yeah?”

“I’ll… I’ll text you,” he sputtered awkwardly.

“Alright, good night Yongguk,” I smiled cheekily to myself.

“Good night Nat.”