Today is the day. The day I have been dreaming of since I was a little girl. I, Lilly Kim, have finally succeeded in entering Seoul University! I can’t wipe the stupid grin off my face. My heart beats fast as I look at the door to the dorm I will be living in for the next few years.  With the dorm card in one hand and my luggage in the other I can’t help thinking of all I had to go through to get to this point. All that staying up all night to study and meeting after school with teachers really did pay off.

I insert my card into the slide. “One small step for Kim, one great leap for the future of Korea”, I say as I twist the key and the door beeps and pops open.

I step in and my breath is knocked from my lungs. The dorm is perfect. The walls are artfully printed with light blue wallpaper with some intricate designs lined along the bottom and the top. I step into the little hall and on the right there are two doors. I open them. The first one is a bathroom and the second a walk in closet, definitely large enough for my wardrobe. Across from it on the left side there is one door, also a closet I assume. I close the two doors and walk a few steps forward where the actual room is. It was pretty big. Both sides of the room were identical: the bed in one corner, in the other corner is a little desk connected to shelves where books can be put and a spinny chair stands in front of it. Separating the two sides of the room was the little table in the center of the back wall. If it weren’t for the fact that the lamp had a cord that stuck out on the left side, I would have thought there was a mirror between the two sides.

“Hey there!” I hear someone say behind me.

I turn around and see cute short girl with sweats and a sweatshirt on. Her hair was falling out of its braid and her face was red from the journey. She looked exasperated.

“Hey” I giggle. “I’m Lilly.”

“I’m *pant pant* Eun Mi”, she shakes my outreached hand.

She smiled at me. It was so cute I couldn’t hold it in anymore and ran over and gave her a great big bear hug.

“I’m so happy to meet you!” I exclaimed.

She laughed, “I have a feeling we’re going to be great friends.”

We arrived at a rather shady place. The sign was almost falling off and the door and windows needed a good scrubbing. Being from a rich family, I’ve never been to such a rundown place in my life. I tried to hide my hesitation as best as I could. Unfortunately, Eun Mi saw right through me. She smiled, “I know this place looks strange but once you taste the food, you’re opinions gonna take a 180!” We went in and sat down. A middle aged waiter came to take our orders. His eyes brightened when he saw Eun Mi.

“Eun Mi! Ahaha, I was scared you would stop coming after getting into college.”

“NOPE. Nothing will ever keep me from eating Ajeossi’s cooking!”

“Yah! That’s the spirit!” He ruffled her hair. “So what can I get you and your pretty friend here?”

I blushed and looked down. I've always been on the shy side.

“Ajeossi, this is Lilly Kim, my new roommate. Lilly, this is my aunt’s husband, you can just call him Ajeossi  like I do” I smiled in greeting which he returned. “and just get us the ususal.”

Ajeossi raised his eye brow and glanced at me. “Minnie, you sure your friend here can handle it? You’re one of the only people who can stomach that kind of stuff”

Eun mi waved him off, “I have confidence in her. She’s tougher than she looks”. Ajeossi nodded slowly before retreating to the kitchen.

I gave her a questioning look. She laughed, “oh don’t listen to him, you’re gonna be fine! I guarantee it!”

Within ten minutes Ajeossi came back with two giant bowls and placed them in front of us. I looked down and I could feel my face drain of color. Before me was a bowl of red noodles basically screaming, “I’m “send you to the hospital the moment you taste me” spicy”! I had to admit, it looked beautiful. The noodles were neatly arranged in the middle of the bowl with bits of vegetable decorating the top. A giant glass of water was placed in front of me. I look up to see Ajeossi’s worried eyes.

“You’re going to need it” he said before leaving to take orders from other tables.  I look at Eun Mi and she’s already digging in. Her face was pure ecstasy as she scooped another bite into and closed her eyes, humming with happiness. She looked at me.

“What’s wrong? Try it, it’s real good. But I’m warning you, it’s a little spicy, just a little”

I nod and timidly gather a mouthful and place it in my mouth, Eun Mi stares at me the entire time. At first it was fine. No, more than fine, the noodles were better than anything I’ve ever tasted! Happiness overwhelmed my heart. But then, the fire kicked in, my mouth was engulfed with flames. My eyes started watering and I grabbed the glass of water in front of me, chugging it all in one go, silently thanking Ajeossi for his consideration. The burning I felt earlier subsided but my mouth still felt hot.

“See, it wasn’t that bad was it? Ajeossi’s such a worrier” She continued attacking her noodles hungrily. I nod carefully, but I most definitely did not agree. Who knew a girl as small as Eun Mi could eat such a spicy dish? I look down at my bowl. Even though it hurt….the noodles were undeniably delicious. I grab my chopsticks. Seeing this, Ajeossi immediately comes over and refills my glass, the same worry is in his eyes. I smile in gratitude and reassurance. The moment he turns his back, I slurp the noodles. The same hotness hits me but this time, it’s not as bad. I only needed half the glass to regain my composure. After that, my spiciness capacity grew. By the end of the meal I no longer needed the water.

We walked out of the restaurant utterly satisfied. I don’t think I’ve ever had a meal as good as that. My parents have brought me to numerous restaurants, some with five star ratings but never have I ever felt as completed as this. There was something about the simplicity of it all, the overcoming of the spiciness and reaching the highpoint. I loved it.

Eun Mi’s cell phone started vibrating. I look over and see the word “mom” on the cover. She hits the answer button. After exchanging a few words with her mother her smile turns into a frown.

“What’s wrong?” I ask. This is the first time I’ve seen her so upset.

She sighed. “My puppy at home isn’t eating right. Mom says that ever since I left, Cookie has been in the corner whimpering and refused to eat all day. I have to go home to check on him.” My brows come together and I understand her change in mood.

“Then go, I don’t mind. Besides, the dorms aren’t far from here, I wouldn’t get lost. It’s important for a dog to get his nutrients, especially a puppy. It would be horrible if this turns into something bigger. Go, I’ll see you later!”

The corners of lifts and she hugs me. “Thanks!” and runs off.

“No need”. I smile.

After standing there for a while pondering on which direction I should go to get to the dorms I hear coughing. I turn my head towards the sound and see a pale figure making its way painfully slowly down the alley towards me. Its head was down and it was clutching its side. Loud wheezes and coughs filled the air. My heart stops and my face drains of color. I immediately began thinking of the most recent horror movie I’d seen, Insidious. My feet were glued to the floor. My breathing started coming out rapid. My wide eyes would not leave the figure. My brain was screaming, begging the lord to let me go on this happy night.  It continued wheezing and grunting sending shivers down my spine. It was now close enough for me to make out some of its appearance. The thing was wearing a black t-shirt with some words I couldn’t make out in the dark and black pants held up by a chunky silver belt. On its neck hung a cross and its arms were full of dangling punk wristbands. I could tell it was a man by his broad shoulders and muscular arms. His hair was a messy array of straight black strands which had a brown tint. I loudly released the breath that I had been holding, calmed down that it was indeed human and not a demon.

He looked up. He opened his mouth but words failed to form. “Help…me…” he eventually said. It was barely above a whisper. That’s when I noticed his right side was bleeding, blood seeping through his clothes and between his fingers. My legs instantly snapped into action and I found myself running over to him and swung his arm around my shoulders for support. Being foreign to Seoul, I had no idea where the nearest hospital was.

As if he heard my thoughts, he wheezed into my ear, “don’t...go….to the hospital”.

I nodded and suddenly the way back to the dorm became clear to me. I led him across two intersections, made a right turn and we were at the dorm.  I led him to my room, setting him down on my bed. I ran to my closet where I kept my first aid kit and other emergency appliances. You see, I want to major in the medical department when I grow up. My father is a somewhat well known doctor in the States and he taught me the basics of emergency treatment along with other things. This guy  definitely came across the right gal. I quickly went to work, first stripping him of his shirt. I gasped; it looked as if he had been stabbed in the side. The wound was still bleeding so I applied pressure to it in attempts to stop the blood flow. “Can you move your stomach up a bit?” I said gently. He grunted painfully but followed my commands, lifting his upper body with great difficulty but giving me enough room to gently slide a pillow underneath his wound.  His face cringed in pain. “Now, stay still, ok?” his head gave a tiny nod. Next I took out my kit and got out a roll of sterile dressing and wrapped it around his injury, which I found had stopped bleeding. I guess the wound wasn’t as deep as I thought. I relaxed knowing that my patient was going to be ok. I looked at the man before me and saw that his once pained face had relaxed a great deal. His breathing became long and deep,he fell asleep.

His forehead was covered with sweat so I took a wet cloth and wiped it off, also wiping his bloody hands in the process. While doing so I couldn’t help but notice how beautiful he was in the light. Now that I’m closer I can see that his face clearer. He was gorgeous. His eyes were large and deep set. His lashes were long and dark. He had a beautiful prominent nose and smooth pink lips. There was a small piercing below his lower lip on the left which made me feel scared yet excited at the same time. He looked like he was about 20, so around my age. I couldn't stop staring at him.

A buzzing in my pocket brought me back to reality.

“Hello?” I asked

“Hey, Lilly, I don’t think I’ll be able to make it in tonight. It’s pouring outside and my puppy’s not letting me go” I heard a small bark in the background.

I look out the window. Pouring seemed like an understatement. The endless drops of rain pounded loudly against the window. Funny how I didn't notice until now.

“It’s ok, I understand. And you won’t believe what happened to me-“

“I’m … sorry…..I can’t hear you. My phone’s breaking up. I’ll call you later, k? See you tomorrow!” then she hung up.

I sighed and looked over on my bed where the man was sleeping. He still had his shoes on so I took them off for him. Sleeping with shoes is never comfortable. I also noticed his arms had goosebumps so I pulled the covers over his body.  I looked at his face one last time, my cheeks pinkening in the process. His words earlier came back to me. "don't....go.....to the hospital". I wonder why he said that? Eh, none of my business, as long as he's safe now. After tucking him in it hit me. I was all alone with a man that I didn’t know, he was sleeping in my bed. I’ve never been alone with a guy before. Oh god.....Mother, Father, I am sorry. But it was for a good cause! After a moment of panic I finally calmed down.  I mean, he’s injured, I doubt he can do anything in the state he’s in right now. Besides, I had to help him. Who in their right mind wouldn't?  I nodded in agreement to myself and walked over to Eun Mi’s bed, thank god there was more than two in this room. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if I slept here for a night, she's such a nice girl. My eye lids felt heavy and I immediately fell into dreamland.