He was just strolling along the unfamiliar street in this unfamiliar country, he was on vacation here and enjoying the sightseeing, being able to walk around not caring about a thing. It was still early in the morning, the people who lived here were all heading towards their jobs and their schools. He liked to watch people, it was interesting to watch their expressions and get an impression of what their daily life was like.
He spotted a young woman across the street, she was walking in the same direction and in the same pace as him. Unlike everyone else she wasn't rushing towards her job, instead she was leisurely walking with a big dog on a leash. The dog was being playful and bouncing around, Eric thought it was pretty funny because at first glance the dog looked impressive. It seemed to be a German Sheppard, but it had more black and broader shoulders, while he looked at it more he noticed it had actually pretty cute floppy ears and a happy appearance with it's tail wagging in a big curl on his back.
Because the dog was pretty big and literally bouncing around on the end of the leash the young woman got pulled from left to right stumbling after the dog, but she didn't seem to mind, instead she was laughing out loud. She was playing along by poked the dogs side and pretending to catch his tail, making the dog even crazier. When the dog suddenly turned around to jump up against her Eric got shocked, it attacked her by biting in her arm which made the woman yelp in pain. But just before he could act and run towards her he saw her laughing again and heard her talking to the dog in a happy voice. "Apparently it was just play, just like when I'm playing with my dog it sometimes takes my fingers or hand in it's mouth...., but of course that dog is much bigger so the play is rougher as well" he mused.
She didn't seem to care about the weird looks she got from the people passing by, it was like she didn't notice a thing from the world around her except for the necessary to avoid bumping into people and things. The thought struck him that she looked very pretty and happy while she was in her own little world laughing like that.
But then the play between her and her dog ended when the dog suddenly got distracted by a smell. Eric saw her sighing and giving a sad smile to the dog, apparently a bit sorry that the fun had ended, even though she was rubbing her arm where the dog had 'attacked' her. She focused her attention to her surroundings again by looking around, but her eyes still seemed distant like she was still partly in another world. It caused a pang in his heart, unlike only a few seconds ago when she was laughing out loud she now seemed really lonely and sad.
He realized that he really wanted to hold her in his arms to comfort her and tell her she wasn't alone. That surprised him, "Why would i feel like that for a woman i don't even know? This has never happened to me before while I'm watching people, and i have seen plenty of sad looking people." he thought. But he couldn't take his eyes off of her, "I want to meet her, but how? How will i be able to start a conversation with a complete stranger on the streets? Especially her,... she doesn't seem like a talkative type either...". When they reached the intersection almost at the same time his mind started racing, this was it, he had to act now, she was about to cross the street to his side. "I have to think of something to say to her...NOW!" he thought while watching her walk towards him, while his mind was still trying to come up with an idea she was already in front of him and he blurted out "Excuse me?". The moment he said it he realized she might not even be able to understand him because they spoke a different language in this country.
Her dog, who was walking next to her, suddenly darted in his direction wagging his tail happily. She apparently didn't see it coming and got surprised by her dogs sudden change in direction, making her unable to pull him back before he reached Eric. Automatically he extended his hand to let the dog sniff it and greet him, she said something in a stern voice in her own language to the dog. Seeing Eric's reaction towards the dog she let them be though and the dog pushed himself against Eric's legs for more attention. While still watching her dog she said, "I'm sorry, but he's just that crazy about people and being cuddled, i try to tell him that not everyone wants to pet him...", Eric was happily surprised and glad she immediately spoke in English to him. He shifted his gaze from the dog towards her face while answering "It's alright, he seems really nice.", she also looked up at him and her eyes grew big, she seemed to be startled for a second. She blinked a few times, shook her head and cleared , her cheeks did seem slightly flushed, they weren't that pinkish a few minutes ago, but her eyes didn't betray anything of her being startled anymore, Eric wasn't even sure he really saw it correctly.
"Oh" she said "did you want to ask something just now?" her voice seemed to tremble a bit, Eric nodded his head while thinking "Maybe i only thought her voice trembled..". Out loud he said "Yes..uhm.." he started to look around to come up with something to ask, because he hadn't gotten the chance to think so far ahead yet, then it suddenly hit him "uh..I seem to have gotten lost.". When he didn't say anything after that the woman said "Oohh... yes, that's a problem. Where do you need to go?", he shrugged "Of course it wasn't enough to only say i was lost." he could hit himself for being so stupid, to answer her question he said "The hotel..my hotel, uhm, .....wait let me start over again..." he said getting more flustered and making less and less sense by the second.
The young woman giggled at that and Eric could feel his own cheeks also turning slightly red now. He took a deep breath and decided to just start the whole conversation from scratch "Excuse me, can i ask you something?" he said to the woman. She laughed while answering "Of course, how can i help you?", he was really glad that she just played along and gave her a thankful smile. "I seem to have gotten lost, do you maybe know where the NH Hotel is?", she looked thoughtful for a second and then inquired "Is that the hotel close to the train station?". Eric nodded "It indeed is. Could you tell me how to get there?", "Alright, then I'm thinking of the correct one." she smiled and went on "It's actually very simple from here, it is a decent walk, but mostly just strait ahead that way.." she explained him where to go.
He thanked her for the directions and then an idea just popped into his head, but when he wanted to say something, she had already bid him good luck and farewell and had turned around to continue on her way. While letting out a sigh he watched her walk away, he smiled when he saw her shake her head and wondered what was going on in that brain of hers. Just when he was about to leave she turned her head and looked at him, she stumbled almost against a lamppost when she saw that he was still looking at her, he couldn't hold back his laugh. When she looked at him again her face was bright red, he could even see it from this distance and he waved, she turned around again and quickly walked away. He was still smiling because of her, even though she was quickly disappearing out of his life again after only the short time she was in it.

---------------------------------------------------------------

While walking back to the hotel he decided to not just give up like that, she probably walked with her dog several times a day, and even more likely everyday around the same time and same place. He just had to be there tomorrow again and pray really hard she would be there as well.

So just like that he headed the next morning to the same place where he saw her the day before. He was twenty minutes earlier, just in case she would be a bit earlier as well. He looked around and decided to lean against the railing of the bridge that lead over the small canal only a few meters from where he saw her first. As the minutes slowly crawled by he got more and more nervous, once in awhile wondering what had gotten into him that made him do this, also worrying if it was the right thing to do. "What if she thought he was stalking her now? What if she laughed at him? What if she didn't, and said yes...?". When the long twenty minutes had past he straitened and looked up and down the path he expected her to come from, he could see along the path pretty far, but he didn't see her yet. 
The wait seemed to last like eternity, and the minutes seemed like hours, he started to worry again "Maybe she has different routes she walks or maybe she had to go on a different time today. Oh no, what if she was walking at an unusual time or route yesterday...then he would never be able to find her again" Like that one and a half hour passed, and she never showed up, at the end he had to give up and he didn't have any idea how to find her in another way. He would just try again tomorrow, hoping she was delayed today for some reason, and otherwise he would try the day after tomorrow. "The day after tomorrow," he mused "that was his last chance....because that same evening he would be leaving and heading back home to Seoul.".

The second day he arrived thirty minutes before the original time, during the long wait and anxious stares his heart sunk deeper and deeper, he ended up waiting there for two hours without any results. In the end he was desperate, thirsty and tired...even though he didn't want to, he had to leave.

While walking the same route he had for the past few days early in the morning he encouraged himself "Three times the charm, they say right?...well this has to be it! It's my last chance...she has to show up...i'll find her today no matter what it takes!". He arrived there at the same time he had arrived yesterday, he leaned against the railing where he had been standing the past two days. He thought he could even see an imprint at the place he had been leaning against the railing, it seemed slightly less dirty there.
After the first thirty minutes past he got nervous again, just like he had the last two days. Just when he finally decided he would just try and ask other people with dogs if they knew her he saw her approaching. Or at least he thought he saw her dog, he wasn't sure yet though, it was on the other side of the street and he couldn't clearly see her yet because she, or at least the owner of the dog that seemed allot like hers, was standing behind a tree....
When the owner finally emerged from behind the tree his heart made a tiny leap, it was indeed her! Suddenly he also got hesitant, up until now his plan was only an idea in his head, but now he had to actually carry out the plan. He had to walk up to her and ask her, ....after that he had to wait for her answer, ...he wasn't sure he could do it anymore. But somehow his feet started to move and he was walking toward her while he watched her crossing the street.

When suddenly her dog started to pull on the leash, because he saw a familiar person, she woke up from her deep thoughts. She lifted her gaze from the ground in front of her to look up and looked directly into Eric's eyes. It startled both of them, and she let out a muffled curse because she got surprised by the person blocking her way suddenly. For a few seconds they only stared at each other, then she blinked her eyes a few times and Eric cleared his throat. "Sorry to startle you." he said, and after a short hesitation he added "...again.". The young woman seemed to quickly recover just like the first time "Oh, it's alright, i wasn't paying attention." she said apologetically, "Did you find your way back to the hotel the other day?" she asked.
That was the perfect opening to what he wanted to ask her, "Yes, i did." he answered, and this time before she could say or do anything else he quickly added "Uhm...as a thank you i wanted to buy you a cup of coffee.". Her eyes went wide and she started to stutter "oh..n-no, that's n-not necessary." and she let out a nervous laugh. Eric decided not to back down on this unless he got an unmistakable rejection from her, "I know, but i still wish you would let me buy you coffee." he said. "U-uhm...well.." she stuttered while looking at her watch "I-I don't k-know...", he decided to give it his all, and while giving her his famous puppy look he said "pplleeaaassseee". At first her eyes went wide and her cheeks turned scarlet, but then she held her hand in front of to try to hide her laughter "A-Alright, if it's that important." she finally gave in. "Good" he happily said, he looked around "Is there a coffee shop nearby?", she pointed across the bridge "There's one over there, it's not far.". "Can you take your dog there? Or do you have to bring him home first?" he inquired, "He can come with us." she answered. "Ok, then let's go." Eric said, while he started walking in the direction she just pointed in. 

"Oh by the way, my name is Eric Mun." he said, it was silent for a few second and then she softly said "I know." and right after, as if trying to cover up her first words, she added "My name is Vanessa.". But Eric heard her first words, and they made him almost stumble "What?" he said surprised while he stopped walking and turned towards her. She looked apologetic "Uhm..i know who you are..." she said and then added "Shinhwa's Eric Mun." so it would be clear. His eyes grew big "You know me..us?" he was startled, but also intrigued, "How did someone all the way over here know Shinhwa, that was the last thing he would expect.". She nodded and almost inaudible she answered "Yeah", "Wah, amazing!" he said still a bit confused.
"Sorry i didn't say anything before. I just didn't want to bother you and didn't think it would matter...up until now.." she explained. He smiled at her explanation "Thanks...i guess." and he started walking again, but after a few steps he noticed she wasn't following anymore. When he looked back he saw her still standing at the same spot and looked at her questioningly "Aren't you coming?" he asked. She cleared "Do you still want to drink coffee with me then?" she asked genuinely surprised, Eric smiled again "Of course, i want to know how a girl...i mean woman... almost on the other side of the world got to know Shinhwa." he stated. "Ooh...o-ok." she said a bit uncertain while she started walking towards him again.
On the way to the coffee shop Eric still couldn't get over the fact that he had bumped into someone who knew him, she was even a fan, a Shinhwa Changjo, he quickly found out. When they reached the coffee shop and sat down on a table outside he suddenly realized something, "You know," he said to her "I am a bit upset though now.". "W-Why?" she asked, he could see the sudden shock in her eyes and couldn't hold back his smile at the sight of her. "Well," he explained "You probably know almost everything about me..." she nodded slightly "..but i know nothing about you." he said while ending with a pout on his face. "A-Aah...right," her lips curled into a tiny smile "Well, that's easily fixed...what do you want to know? I'll answer almost anything.", that made Eric smile wide "Nice," he thought "Now i can ask her anything i want".
He started with the routine questions like her age, her hobby's and of course how she got to know Shinhwa. When he asked almost everything he could think of and they where about to finish their second cup of coffee, he finally dared to ask one of the most important question...atleast as far as he was concerned. "And...uhm.. do you have a husband or a boyfriend...or a girl?", she smiled but her cheeks turned slightly red "Nope, it's just me and my little guy here." she answered while indicating her dog. Then she looked at her watch "But..uhm..i have to go now, it's time for me to get ready for work." she then said, "Ah..right, you told me you start work after lunch." he also looked at the clock "Ohw, time has gone by so quickly." he said. He felt sorry that it was already time to leave, he somehow felt very comfortable with her.
After he had paid the waiter they got up and walked towards the street, "Well then.." they said almost at the same time which made them laugh. "I guess you'll be going in that direction?" Eric asked, while pointing in the direction they originally came from, she nodded "Yes, and you'll be going that way?" she said while pointing in the opposite direction, he nodded sadly. "Oohh.. ok," she said a bit uncomfortable now "thanks for the coffee...and uhm...goodbye.", "You're welcome." he said, also not being very good in saying goodbyes. She bowed her head slightly "Bye", and then she turned around and walked away, Eric also turned away and walked in the opposite direction back towards the hotel

He only realize far to late that he had forgotten to ask her for the most important thing of all....a way to contact her.