The convenience store was quiet and empty that night, when Jiyong came in the shopkeeper was still sleeping peacefully behind the cashier. Taking his time, he moved to the canned beverages aisle and took a pack of cola from the fridge. A slow song was playing in the back, filling the silence in this late hour. Jiyong picked a couple of energy drinks and was heading straight to the cashier, when suddenly he heard sounds somewhere behind the instant noodle aisle- he thought he was the only customer that night. From the corner of his eyes, he spotted a guy dropping cups of noodles into his basket clumsily. Found nothing interesting, he turned back to the slow cashier, who was trying to keep himself awake while scanning the barcode on his cola.

"Just this once, ok? You shouldn't eat so many instan ramen, noona. You'll kill yourself." Jiyong heard the noodle-guy talking on his phone- pinned between his shoulder and his cheek. 

"Mmm. Mmm, do you need anything else?" said the guy again as he picked his basket and headed toward the cashier. He was now standing behind Jiyong, waiting for his turn while still talking through the phone.

Jiyong couldn't help but listening to his conversation, since there was no one but the three of them, minus the absent-minded cashier in front of him- who was still struggling to get the code right. The guy behind him was finally done on the phone and he smiled politely to Jiyong who was staring at him. Jiyong gave him a hand, signing that he was sorry for staring at him like that. The noodle guy simply brushed it off with another smile, a smile that left Jiyong frozen for a couple of seconds there. It was somehow a familiar smile.

“Have we met before?” asked Jiyong blatantly.

The friendly-looking guy responded with raised eyebrows, “Hmm.. I don’t think so. Similar faces maybe?”

“Ah. Of course. Sorry.” Jiyong nodded to him, though that tingly familiar feeling was still there.

He took his cola when the cashier had finally done scanning it, and gave a little nod to the noodle-guy before making his way out of the store.

As the noodle-guy stepped and put his basket for the scanning, his phone vibrated and his sister was on the screen again. “I’m paying your ramen now, noona. Hmm? Can you wait for me a little, I can walk you there. It’s pretty late now. Hmm? But be careful! Leave me the address so I can pick you up. Neh. Be careful!”

***

Her steps were loud between the cold walls, eyes were staring, random singing was heard somewhere within the walls. Dara fixed her winter cap, wanted to keep her shaved side warm. She was wearing a casual checkered shirt and jeans that night, fresh from the campus where her club activity just ended 2 hours ago. From time to time she would check the brown umbrella she was holding, making sure it was dry and clean all the way back to its owner. It had been two days since she borrowed that umbrella, and she hadn’t got the time to return it properly. That was why that night she went straight to the guy’s address before her hectic schedule ban her from doing so.

“Hey beautiful, wanna have some drink with me?” a drunken man murmured and Dara sped up her pace. She wondered what kind of man living in this kind of neighborhood. She thought of going back and to simply leave the umbrella on the cafe, but it would be rude since that guy helped her out on that rainy day. This is the least she could do, if she could survive this alley.

A touch on her shoulder managed to shock her, she instinctively gripped the umbrella tighter when she turned around, and found three drunken men staring at her with such intensity. She stepped back, arming herself with the umbrella, wielding it like a sword, trembling. Dara knew nothing about self-defense, and she didn’t want to end up on the news tomorrow morning with her photo side to side with these random hobos.

“Oh look, she has a cute umbrella with her!” one of them started laughing.

Dara didn’t need to wait 5 more seconds to run away from them. She heard them running after her, and all she could think about was just run, away from this alley of circus. She panted hard as she hid behind one of the wall, far enough from those assaulters. It was a brighter area where she was squatting now, and she could spot cars passing by on the street- a sign of life. At least if they got here now, people would notice and Dara was sure one of them would call the police.

“What are you doing here..?” she heard another voice and started running again, but an arm caught her. Dara jolted in shock as she yanked her arm from the man and continued to run.

“Yah, at least give me back my umbrella first!”

Dara didn’t stop running, until about seconds later when she realized that the guy wasn’t one of the hobos. Still wielding the umbrella she turned around and was speechless when she saw that guy, the owner of the brown umbrella, the reason of why she had to meet those hobos that night.

“Oooh myy goood... it’s YOU! IT’S YOU!” Dara ran back to him, shoving the umbrella fast to him, smiling, half-pouting uncontrollably, while trying to control her breath. She sighed and waved and sighed again, “I came to return your umbrella! Kamsahamnida!” she then bowed 90’ degrees toward him, and as soon as that her cap fell off her head, she cursed and picked it up fast, feeling awkward all over. It was all happening too fast, and the Kwon Jiyong guy in front of her was just standing there, staring at her with a smile hanging at the corner of his face. As if he was enjoying a good comedy on TV.

“That’s a cool hair.” the guy said, and all Dara said was, “Huh?”

“Eeeh.. actually this haircut happened because I lost a bet, and my friends told me to do this.” she pointed to the shaved head, before covering it with the cap again.  “It would be freezing without a cap.” she explained further, not sure of why she told him this random fact.

The guy held the umbrella firmly in his hand, still looked rather surprised to see her. Dara didn’t know what to say either, since she had returned the umbrella and the assaulters seemed to give up on chasing her. Basically, she got nothing to do here anymore.

“Aiiish come on, I’ll walk you home.” he said all of a sudden, and Dara nodded right away. She didn’t want to take any risk of meeting those drunken monsters twice, so to at least have someone walking with her was better.

“But where’s your home? On my way I met some crazy guys! I- -“

The guy handed her a can of cola, “That’s why I’m walking you home. I live nearby, and yeah I know. This isn’t the safest place for a girl to wander alone at night.”

Dara smiled in embarrassment, “So you’ve met guys like that before?”

“Pretty much every night.” he said, “and just to make sure, are you alright?”

She nodded, “Oh. I’m okay. I’m quite a fast runner!” she grinned proudly.

[try play this song during the ending]

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The guy couldn’t help but smiled at her answer, and they spent the rest of the trip talking, sipping their sodas to avoid awkward eye contacts, and constantly joking on the brown umbrella. How Jiyong believed the umbrella must have killed some of the hobos, or how Dara told him how she had been taking that umbrella to the campus like an old ahjumma. It was odd, and maybe cliche, but Dara felt comfortable around him, almost forgot that they had just met two days ago as strangers in a cafe.

“Sandara?”

“Hmm! But you can call me Dara!”

“That’s an ugly name.”

***

Cheondung quickly typed on his phone, when he saw a couple walking down the street.

“Noona! Is that you? I was about to pick you up. Why are you with a stranger like that? Do you know him? How do you know him? I’m keeping an eye on you two tonight.”

Sent.

Her sister didn’t even check her phone as she kept talking and smiling like a fool next to the guy. The guy he met earlier at the convinience store. A realization came to Cheondung. ‘Is that why that guy thought I looked familiar?’ He turned to the glass display of a clothing store next to him and saw his own reflection. ‘I guess I really looked like my sister.’

He would be surprised if he knew that the two of them only met two days ago, because they looked like they’ve known each other forever. Which worried him, since her sister was quite sociable, and even this stranger could soon be her new best friend. Or boyfriend.

‘Nah. Noona is too much of a dork to have a boyfriend.’

***

THE END

***

Author's note: This was originally meant to be a one-shot, but since I made a cliffy end and many of you guys requested for a sequel, there you have it :D

It was a two-shot and I hope I wrapped it up nicely. There won't be any continuation of this short story, I just wanted to make a cute and quick Daragon <3

Thanks for reading and subscribing^^ Please look forward for my next Daragon in the future~

Comments and critics are very welcomed!