Once I got past the feeling of being starstruck, my attention turned to the art, which was truly experimental and cool. There was a portrait of a girl in a café of some sort, except you could see through the window that it was dark and there was a field of flowers right outside the café. The colors were muted and one had the sense that the girl had been there for a while, waiting for someone. I really liked it and how it made me felt, but I gawked when I saw the price tag. $1000 for the painting, and it was already considered cheap compared to many others that were exhibited. The celebrities mingled and chatted with each another: a cozy group of singers, actors and showbiz people. I was too shy to talk to anyone yet, and didn’t feel the need to with Joong Ki by my side. Until that is, he had to go to the washroom. “Are you sure I can leave you alone for a few moments?” He asked, concerned. “Yeah I’m a big girl, I can take care of myself.” I smiled slightly, trying to sound more convincing than I felt. “Okay I’ll be quick.” He strode away and I was alone by the bar.

I averted my eyes to the ceiling to avoid catching people staring at me, then felt awkward and got myself another glass of sparkling wine to have something to do with my hands. Instead of sitting at the bar awkwardly, I decided to wander around and check out the art. I was looking at a minimalist piece by an up-and-coming artist when someone touched my shoulder. “Hey, are you Mina? You’re new here right?” I turned and saw a pretty girl talking to me. She wore a glittery midnight blue toga midi dress that hugged her slender body. “Yeah I am, I guess it’s a funny feeling being gawked at by celebrities and being the new face somewhere.” I responded, feeling self-conscious. “Well I’ve been there before too, my name is Ji Won. I’m happy to keep you company until your boyfriend comes back.” She smiled warmly. I blushed, shaking my head and said, “Oh we’re just dating, we’re not officially a couple yet. But I’m very happy to meet you.” She told me that she works as the event manager in the plaza and is the person in charge of these private bookings. We chatted a little and gave each other our numbers before Joong Ki came back. They smiled and exchanged pleasantries, and Ji Won excused herself to take care of a customer. Joong Ki gave me one of his warm smiles that made me feel all fuzzy inside and said, “Thanks for humoring me today, I’ve bought an art piece for my home and one for you too, but now it’s probably time for the highlight of the evening for you.” He motioned for Ji Won, who was done with her customer and standing some distance away, and she led us away from the exhibition, and towards the main entrance of the plaza.

“Are we ready to start the private tour?” Ji Won asked. “What private tour?” I said, agape. “I told you there’ll be a nice surprise for you at the end of the evening.” Joong Ki laughed, and nodded at Ji Won to go ahead. He took my hand in his, my small hand wrapped in his large one, and I felt butterflies swirling in my stomach. It was a beautiful night as we made our way outside, and stars could be seen on the clear skies. “Oh, you can even see Ursa Major tonight.” Joong Ki remarked, to which I replied, “Stop showing off! That’s the only one you know.” We laughed and Ji Won stopped, looking at us both a little sternly. “Okay kids, time to stop kidding around and listen up. The tour will start now, and I’ll be your guide. I may look young, but I’ve worked here since its opening, and even met the famous architect Zaha Hadid.” Impressed, I looked at Joong Ki, who winked at me, while Ji Won explained the architectural highlights of the plaza. We walked along the façade, and made our way to the basements, with Ji Won explaining the purpose and structure of each floor. We made our way through the upper levels, and were at the rooftop deck when the lights went off. “I’m sorry, it must be a technical fault. This rarely happens.” Ji Won was flustered. She tried contacting the technical team on her device, but it was not working. “I will quickly check what’s going on and come back shortly.” She apologized again and went downstairs to look for the technical team.  

Joong Ki and I were left on our own, with the soft bustle of Dongdaemun as the background to the dark night sky. He drew me close, and held me towards his chest. I breathed in his smell, a mix of cologne and his unique scent, soft citrus and woody musk. We said nothing, and he my hair as we waited. There was a sound far away that was coming closer, like someone dragging their feet, and we both stiffened. “Do you also hear that?” I whispered. Joong Ki nodded, and we pulled apart. There was a middle aged man holding a bottle of soju, and he was obviously drunk and muttering to himself. “Rich young bastards, why the heck you being so exclusive for? When I was famous you were not even born yet!” Joong Ki pulled me behind him as the man lumbered closer. “Hey you two, what are you doing here? Are you gonna kick me out too?” The man spat aggressively at Joong Ki’s shoes. “Sir, you are drunk, we are just minding our own business here.” Joong Ki said in a calming manner. Enraged, the man broke his soju bottle on a rock and held the sharp end towards us. “Who do you think you are?! All you youngsters look down on me, I got thrown out of this stupid exhibition just earlier. It must be you and your !” He lunged towards us, and Joong Ki tried to push me out of the way, but the man was surprisingly fast and grabbed my hair. I screamed and clawed at the man, trying to get away. “Hey you wench, you better stop struggling or I’ll cut up that pretty face of yours.” He leered at me, holding the glass shards menacingly close to my face. I whimpered, trying to look for Joong Ki to help me. Joong Ki was very worried, but tried to maintain a calm composure while trying to talk sense into the man. “I’m sorry, Mr. Kim, the people downstairs must have made a mistake. I’ll make sure that they fix this and never do this again. Please let the girl go, she’s innocent.” He pleaded. The man laughed. “I’ve heard this before, all sweet lies and in the end, I’m always outcast again. Maybe this time I’ll make sure you kids have something to remember me by.” He laughed maniacally and brought the glass near my face. I felt the cold glass on my cheek and closed my eyes, screaming and trying to get away.

There was a violent motion and when I opened my eyes, the man was on the ground and Joong Ki was punching the living daylights out of him. My cheek felt wet, there was a small cut that was bleeding. The man was already unconscious but Joong Ki kept going at him. “You ing bastard, no man does that to a girl.” He hissed as he went at him. There was so much blood everywhere and the man’s face was a bloody mess. “Stop it Joong Ki, you’re gonna kill him!” I tried to pull Joong Ki away, but it took several tries before I managed. He let me do it but took a few steps away from me and cursed before he calmed down. The lights came on and I could see everything much clearer. Joong Ki’s hands and suit were a mess, there were blood splatters on them. The man was in worse shape than I thought, his face just a bloody meaty pulp. It was difficult to look at him. Ji Won hurried over, and stifled a gasp when she saw the man. “I’ll call 911.” She said and turned away. Shaken, I looked at Joong Ki, who had his head in his hands and was running his hands through his hair. I thought I saw something in the dark before. Joong Ki looked up and saw the cut on my face. His expression twisted. There, I saw it again, just for the briefest flash. Pure white anger, cruel and vindictive. It scared me to see this expression on him. His expression softened into concern, and he cupped my face with his hands, his thumb grazing the cut gently. “I’m so sorry I let this happened to you, Mina. It’s all my fault.” He said softly, pushing the hair out of my eyes.

The wail of the ambulance pulsated through the night and my lingering thoughts were pushed to the back of my mind as Joong Ki enveloped me in a comforting hug.