[CONTENTID3]     

   Seoul in the midst of its summer months was one of exhausting heat. Particularly, in the way of humidity; gravity weighed heavy on the skin and choked the lungs of any that dared step foot into the sun. Myla felt a stream glide down the length of her spine, she felt like soggy toast left to soak in a pool of salty water. She had walked no more than three blocks and had already needed to take shelter under the tall branches of the planted trees. She had always guessed that the timbers had been planted for scenic purposes but against this heat, she started to wonder if it was a way of protection for the general public. Even under the wide leaves of an Asian maple, she found that the moisture of the warm air clung to her skin until it squeezed from her arms more liquid.

    'Why had she come out in this,' she gave her head a scratch. Shifting the leather bound journal from one hand to the next she observed the address once more. It was a simple enough task, in fact, she didn't live too far from the location indicated in burned black lettering. However, in such weather, it had turned into a 5k marathon run which she hadn't bothered to train for. Gathering her dying resolve she pushed forward, gathering momentum as she went by the light flirting of her music to her ears. Escape, it was what her earbuds offered her. Escape from the sounds of a lively city and the whispered voices of its on-looking locals gawking at the difference in her face, eyes, body. It allowed her to melt into her own reality without losing sight of the surrounding world she desperately tried to grab ahold of. Such success had yet to be obtained for Myla, but every day she felt closer to accepting her inevitable loneliness. For even in the country that gave birth to her nationality seemed to disapprove of her tall curving body and doormat quality. Myla was started to suspect that she was not of the normal womanly character that was written about in her precious books and movies. No, in truth, she was the side character spoken about once in pity before passing on to bigger, more important, concerns. She should just accept this to be her life, but something inside her wouldn't allow it, not just yet. 

'In time,' she thought. Stepping through the subway gate she ran her card against the scanner receiving a shirl beep of rejection from entry into the platform. Trying it again she was displeased with a similar result. The grumbles of fellow passengers behind her started to cause her heart to become louder in her ear, she hated tension. Fumbling with the plastic again she rushed to resolve the issue or she'd be beaten by an old woman for taking too long. When the card sounded a third time she stepped back in a hurry, dropping her puppy transit card in the process leaving her feeling helpless. She had pressed herself against the farthest wall for fear of bothering any more people, her soft honey eyes glued ahead of her staring at her card. Willing it to float over to her before any more high heels threatened to break it in half. She barely noticed the pair of strong hands grabbing for her card. Watching in a daze as he seemed to float over to her arm extended resting her card in her hand. He was smiling in understanding, "it's alright. Happens to the best of us," his voice was soft and clear. "Come now, all you need to do is rub it against your clothes. I don't know why exactly, but it seems to work," Myla looked up into his gray eyes. She felt drawn to those eyes as a moth to light, but she didn't feel threatened by the handsome stranger. He gave off a gentle warmth that settled her nerves a bit. Rubbing the card against the skirt of her dress she gave it another try, hesitating for a moment before passing through to the other side. 

   "Hey! It worked. Thanks," Myla turned to smile at the stranger but was met with an empty space where he'd once stood. 'Strange, I didn't hear him go' she wondered how a man so noticeable could move so unnoticed so quickly. Running her fingers absently along the spine she swayed with the rhythm of the train car. Luckily enough she had managed to find a seat in the car and had been even luckier when the man sitting next to her moved at the next stop. She preferred distance to closeness when it came to the opposite . A young lady couldn't trust the lust of a man in her fair opinion and to put herself in a situation that might lead to a rise in such feelings would only serve to make her life more miserable than it already proven to be. She was even more pleased when a young woman no more than thirteen sat beside her in his place, the girl had died blonde hair and a wide set nose that covered most of her face. Myla noticed she was reading web cartoons on her phone and took delight in observing the drawings for most of the train ride. If her eyes were occupied then she wouldn't notice the stares. 

  At the top of the subway exit, she felt a rush of hot air hitting her face, like a loaf of r