(Listen to 오! 나의 여신님 (Oh! My Goddess) by TRAX : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeP29CCNkNo)

Running isn’t new to me. Every now and then, I would feel like going for a jog, maybe a little bit of cardio. But that night was different. For one, I was running away for play. Two, I was running in the middle of a street fair in Seoul, which is worse than sardines in a can. There is a third reason too but I wasn’t aware of it then.

“Saya!” I heard Woohyun shout out and I turned to stick out my tongue. Shocked at my impulsive action, he could do nothing but watch me disappear . I slowed down when I reached the end of the street and realized how foolish I might have seemed to him. Once I caught my breath, I understood that my running away had no meaning at all. Embarrassed, I took a right turn and walked along an extension of the fair.

Blue fairy lights had been strung across the trees and poles and I smiled as I thought of the English poem ‘A Thing Of Beauty’. John Keats was right. Sometimes, it was important for something to exist, even it was nothing but beautiful. Holding my hands behind my back, I strolled passed the stalls, pausing now and then. My mind wandered off as I passed a large group of couples sitting together.

I thought if any of those girls were having the same thoughts as me. Woohyun was so good to me, yet for some reason it felt like he was holding something back. Three months weren’t enough for us to make an important decision, but it was enough for us to know that our commitment to each other was serious. My lips stretched into a grin as I gloated at my luck. How lucky I was, to have someone so thoughtful, mature, understanding, perceptive… And most important of all, all these qualities had existed in him even before I had met him. His generosity was like a cherry on top.

I took another turn, ignoring the end of the blue lights. I was simply following my footsteps and blushed when I realized that we hadn’t kissed yet. Was it okay? Three months and no kiss on the lips? Many a times, Woohyun would kiss me on the forehead without any hesitation and I wondered if it was a sign for me to make the first move.

“Urgh…Saya! Stop it!” I shook my head and looked up. Wait. Where was I? I looked around, searching for signs, familiar buildings… Nil. My stomach lurched and I turned around. Just trace back your steps, I told myself. But after a few steps forward, I stopped myself, deciding to only move when I was sure of where I was going.

It was a ghost town. The neighbourhood was empty, save the faint sounds of some guys who I wasn’t curious to meet. They sounded rowdy and unpleasant and my stress level went up a notch.

I looked at my watch. Alright, I told myself. “Fifteen minutes Saya,” I murmured. “Then move, no matter what.” However, five minutes later, I found myself shivering with fear as the wild cackle of the men grew closer. Seoul was known to be safe, but I was a lonely girl in the middle of nowhere and suddenly, my mother’s words echoed in my head.

“Men will always be men.”

I sniffled and tried to stop myself from crying. Instantly, my phone rang. I jumped and took it out, relieved to see the familiar name.

“Saya, this isn’t funny,” Woohyun said. I could hear his voice panting, the noise of the fair no longer behind him. “Where are you?”

The minute I let out a small cry, Woohyun spoke again.

“Calm down,” he said, like a father would caress his daughter after a scary movie. “Just take a deep breath in. Okay, that’s right. Now tell me… Where are you?”

My voice broke. “Woohyun… I… There are some.. I don’t know…” and I burst out crying. The men were coming closer and as I looked up, I saw them frozen in their tracks, staring at me.

“Woohyun.” My breathing was growing heavy and I faked a blank face. Biting my lip, I continued. “There are some men out here and they don’t look very nice.”

Silence. I could still hear the footsteps and realized that he was running. “Tell me what’s around you.”

I described the red brick buildings and Woohyun seemed to have immediately understood where I was.  Suddenly, one of the men yelled.

“Hey! You want some company?” His friends snickered and put on a serious face when I glared at them.

“Don’t reply,” Woohyun hissed. “Just stay calm, stay put and pretend that you’re busy.” I nodded and took out a diary from my bag.

“What are you doing right now?” Woohyun stopped running and after a momentary pause, took off again.

“Writing ‘please hurry up’ repeatedly,” I whispered. I did not want to cry out again, especially now that the men were only about twenty feet away from me. “They’re getting closer, Woohyun please…”

Suddenly, my boyfriend started singing. It was amazing how I had never known that, but Woohyun had a heart-breaking voice. I didn’t know which song he was singing but it had worked its magic. His breathlessness was a subtle reminder of the situation but I reassured myself that Woohyun would be here for me. Listening to him sing, I closed my eyes and rested my head against the wall. The fear vanished and I let a lone tear trickle down my face.

The singing stopped. I felt a presence, very close to me and stiffened. Warm breath tickled my ear.

“Its okay. I’m here now.”

I hugged him and refused to open my eyes. “I just want to go home,” my voice muffled by his jacket.

“As you wish,” he said and a second later, I could feel myself mounted on his back. “Hold on tight,” he said and after making sure I was comfortable, Woohyun started walking.

“I’m sorry,” I said. Woohyun sighed and I rested my head on his shoulder. “I was stupid.”

“Only you could find a place like this, that also with those kind of men.” Woohyun shook my head off his shoulder and I pouted.

“Are your eyes still closed?” When I replied back with a ‘yes’,  he said, “Sleep. I’ll wake you up when we reach your place.”

“You don’t need to,” I mumbled and kissed him on his cheek. “I know you’ll keep me safe.”

That's when I realized the third reason. Running away from Woohyun was futile. He would never let me go.