Ugh, for a girl, you sure hated shopping. It was probably your least favorite thing in the world; well, besides spiders. Your mother adored it; your sisters considered it fun, your relatives had no problem. You, however, had trouble even leaving the house without a grumpy attitude. You sigh as you lug the shopping bags on your tired arms. A day in the city searching for a dress was absolute torture.

You start the walk home, weaving through crowds of people as you search for a time to cross the street. With the weight of the bags on your arms, you soon grew impatient. If only the streets of Seoul weren’t so busy all the time, you could’ve been on your way already.

You hurry across the street and shift the bags on your arms. “Watch out!” You look up in surprise as a loud squealing sound screeches in your ears. You gasp as you feel yourself thrown to the ground, a protective pair of arms encircling your waist. You look up and see a car barely inches from your face. Your eyes travel own to the hands locked securely around your stomach as your savior quickly stands.

He pulls you to your feet and drags you to the other side of the road, looking slightly embarrassed. “Are you okay?” His voice is soft as he scratches his head. “You should pay more attention when you cross the street.”

You glance back at the car driving away angrily and the realization hits you hard. I almost died, you think. I was careless. Yet another reason you hate shopping.

“I…I’m…” You try to answer him but suddenly you feel woozy. You drop the bags and he catches you quickly, those protective arms catching you like you weighed nothing. You try to steady yourself. “I need to sit down.”

He gathers your bags and leads you to a bench beside the sidewalk. You sigh as you sit down and he sits beside you, looking unsure about what he should do. You give him a weak smile. “I’m fine, really. I guess just a little shocked.” He nods, understanding. “I am too. I sure wasn’t expecting you to walk straight out in front of that car like you did.”

You smile sheepishly. “I’m sorry for being clumsy.” He quickly shakes his head. “No, I’m glad I got the chance to help you. It was no problem at all.” You’re surprised by his words and you find yourself smiling giddily. Your voice gets a little quieter and more thoughtful.  “Thank you. You saved my life.” He shrugs. “It was nothing.”

You roll your eyes. “It was much more than nothing, it was my life. You’re a hero.” He smiles bashfully.  You suddenly realize you don’t even have an actual name to call him. “Oh yeah, what’s my hero’s name?” He meets your eyes. “My name is JunQ.” His dark eyes seem to look straight through you and you suddenly realize how handsome he is. You feel a pale blush spreading across your face as you quickly look away. “That’s a nice name. Mine’s _______.”

He wrings his hands back and forth as he thinks. “I like that name. It fits you; pretty and sweet.” You blush and look down, trying to hide the crimson hue on your cheeks. Why did this guy have to do things that made you blush so often? It was like he enjoyed seeing you flustered.

“I have to get going _____. It was very nice to meet you!” JunQ stands suddenly and gives you a tiny bow. You try to stutter out a response but he simply shakes your hand lightly before he’s gone. You could've sworn you saw his ears turn red as he dashed in the opposite direction You call after him but he’s disappeared into the throngs of people spending the day among the shops, much like you had been earlier. You look down at your hands, confused, and find a tiny slip of paper threatening to blow away in the blustery wind.

Call me sometime? –JunQ, your hero.

You grin at the digits scrawled messily on the slip of paper. Maybe shopping wasn’t so bad after all.