True enough to what Bom said, the only guard inside the house was the one by the gate, who can you bribe with money and he will surely shut his trap off. Her stepmother was away to buy her clothes for the party tomorrow and she brought all of the guards—except one—with her shopping.

Sandara continued to walk towards the gate, hiding her face beneath the hood. Several of the housekeepers bows at her presence while some, who don’t even had the time to peer, just passed her by. Of course, she was used to the bowing but then, it’s better to be a stranger or a commoner just like them—completely ignored. It’s much more convenient, to be ignored than to be noticed all the time. At least when you’re ignored, you can act freely.

“I’m going out.” Sandara sternly said to the guard by the gate and quick as sound, he strictly placed his arm across the gate.

He raised a brow at her appearance as if mocking her. “Are you allowed to go out?”

“No.” She answered, reaching for her pocket and before he could withdraw his walkie talkie from his belt, she hastily placed the money inside his uniform, in his right pocket. The guard was bewildered for a moment, looking in his pocket then, back to her and then, back to his pocket. Sandara waited patiently, trying to mask out the nervousness showing up on her face. Maybe this is a bad idea. She thought, inwardly biting her lip.

“Fine.” The guard said, turning his attention back at her and Sandara relaxed, her tensed muscles softening. “Just don’t go too far or the chief will put it up for me with your absence.” He continued, taking the money from his shirt and removed his arm from blocking her way. “Four or nothing.”

“I got it.” Sandara smiled, wistfully and went out of the gate for the first time in twenty years. She felt like a rebel, but most importantly, she felt free and flying. She felt like a free citizen, doing what she wants in her own will. The wind brushing against her bare face; the sun now smiling upon her. It was a fun sight to see herself getting out of the house. No matter how she gets worried for her stepmother’s reaction to her rebellious actions, it quickly dissipates when she passed by the people. And it was so fun she would randomly greet them, which also caused for them to sometimes freak out or raise a brow, but some would return the gesture with a smile.

She did what Bom told her. As soon as she reached the entrance of the subdivision, she turned right that Bom told her that would lead to the district. Sandara felt safer with the people around than she was with her stepmother, which she has no idea why and put her hood down. No one recognized her, much to her relief.

She started to gawk and be bewildered to the improvement Seoul had. She remembered, when she was five back then, the concrete buildings were limited and the stores were just built together with the houses—the ground floor as the commercial part and the second floor as the main house. There were digital signage everywhere, and the people are much too many now. Like a nuclear explosion of genes happened and suddenly, there were too many people.

“What the heck?!”

Sandara turned curiously to the crowd surrounding something—or maybe someone because there were a lot of shouting of the word “Fight!”, and every now and then, the crowd would move away from who they’re surrounded. She decided to see what’s happening, in her own free will, her curiosity from the twenty years of trapped inside the house kicking in. There were many things in the world she wants to try in at this hour but then, if this what God lays upon her, then so shall it be.

The crowd suddenly dissipated, all of them running at once and she saw a very muscular and large man, fuming in anger. He is very angry that his face was very red, red as a tomato as everyone would put but a nice, innocent tomato shouldn’t be used as a metaphor for him, and there were veins evidently popped out of his arms and neck. His knuckles were tightly shut into two fists and behind him were two slightly beaten up men—one with a slender body and one with a muscular body, yet shorter than the former. The slender one had a cut above his eyebrow, and his lips were bleeding, while the other one had a bruise on his right cheek.

Sandara felt scared for the two beaten up men, remembering what her father said why he taught her self-defense after she learned the basics in business management. She didn’t know that she would use her father’s techniques twenty years after he taught them, but then that’s better than not using them at all—that would be a waste.

She reached took a deep breath, and walked towards the large muscular man as he was about to lay a punch on the slender man’s face. Gathering all of her courage, she shouted, “Hey punk! Why don’t you pick someone your own size?”

The large man’s hand stopped in midway, and the slender man’s eyes fluttered open, his friend bewildered upon seeing her. Large man turned to her, dropping slender man on the floor and sneered, “Who do you think is like my size? You?”

She chuckled, shaking her head. “Oh no, not me.”Then, her voice suddenly changed into something as if she’s asking for a fight. “I’m beyond your size.”

“You’re asking for a fight, huh?” The large man walked slowly towards her, cracking his knuckles and stopped, their distance now diminished to a meter. “This is fun.”

The two beaten up men started to smell fear for Sandara, closing in to the tension in front of them but keeping a distance. They were just on their way to their job, and suddenly, a beefy large man came up to them and held a holdup. They refused to give their belongings they might as well give their souls if they did. Their bags contained everything they had taken care and worked hard for, of course they would fight for it. But then they were about to give the living hell to the thief, when a soft, innocent and naïve-looking girl decided to stand up for them. She looked very innocent, her baby face standing up proudly at the center of her glossy, black veil and her body looked fragile, as if only one solid punch will take to knock her out of her senses.

Sandara clenched her fist, gritting her teeth and intentionally laid a punch on the large man’s face. He dodged it with easy grace, stopping her hand with his own and when he thought he already won, she kicked his loin using her knee. As he crumpled on the floor, clutching his stomach, she kicked his face and slammed the heel of her right shoe against his cheek. Large man groaned in pain with the consecutive blows he received from Sandara and he covered his face with his beefy hands.

“Now, you get out of my sight and pick someone your own size.” Sandara sternly commanded, and immediately the large man shuffled from the floor. He bowed apologetically to Sandara, and then to the two men he beat up and ran out of their sight, stumbling as he made his way.

Sandara looked down at the floor, her eyes wide in astonishment and whispered under her breath.“People these days are weirder than my stepmother.”

“Ah, ahjumma!”

Sandara quickly turned to the voice, greatly offended by the name he called her. Anger was written in her face, and she took a step closer to the men she recently saved. She didn’t think people these days are ungrateful to the people who save their lives. If she had known, she wouldn’t have gone out of the house.

He laughed, the one who called her old woman. “I was just joking,” He said, and pointed at her feet—or maybe, shoes. “Because you are wearing shoes what old women wear.”

Sandara looked down at her feet, and inwardly groaned, her face turning sour. She just had forgotten to change her shoes because of too much excitement. The shoes were her mother’s and when she died, Sandara decided to use it as her own slippers for home use only. And since she stayed mostly inside, it was the most frequent shoes she wore.

“Anyway, we don’t really need your help. We were about to kick that guy’s off but you suddenly popped out of nowhere—“

“Come on, Jiyong.” The man who called her ahjumma was cut off by his friend. “You should just thank her because she saved us. You’re so egoistic.”

“Fine, Youngbae.” Jiyong rolled his eyes and turned to Sandara. “I’m sorry for my attitude blah blah.”

Youngbae groaned, smirking to himself and grabbed the bag that the large man tried to steal a while ago. It was an expensive-kind of backpack that looked vintage yet stylish. Sandara stared at him as he rubs the bag and wore it on his back.

“Ah!” Jiyong suddenly said, getting Sandara’s attention abruptly. He grinned widely, placing his hands inside his hoodie’s kangaroo pockets and said, “It would be nice of you not to tell the reporters we didn’t have theft.”

“What if I told them?” Sandara asked in English, taking Jiyong aback. He remained his mouth ajar, and maybe to ease up his embarrassment, he turned to Youngbae. “Yah Youngbae! What did this puny said?” He demanded, pointing at Sandara informally and it caused for her to quirk up a little.

“She said, what if I told them.” Youngbae answered in Korean, smiling widely.

Jiyong turned sharply at Sandara. “Yah! Do you want us both to die in shame? You should be thankful that I didn’t cut your head off your neck.” He snapped.

Sandara didn’t like the attitude of Jiyong, whoever he is or whatever he is. If it weren’t for Youngbae, she could’ve killed Jiyong on the spot, regardless of his importance in South Korea and she doesn’t care if she were to go to jail. At least, the reason was certainly unremarkable.

She was about to punch Jiyong square on his face when Youngbae suddenly bowed. “I’m sorry,” He said, softly. “You must’ve don’t know us.” He straightened up his body and looked around, before barely audibly continuing, “I’m Dong Youngbae, but widely known as Taeyang. My best friend here is Kwon Jiyong, but widely known as G-Dragon. We’re celebrities or idols, whichever you please. Commonly, people know us.”

Youngbae nudged Jiyong on the elbow; Sandara waited patiently for the latter to talk. If he was just so kind and nice, she could’ve had a crush on him. He has all of what her type of guy is, and plus, Bom once told her flower boy types are the best for her. Jiyong was one, she was sure of it.

Jiyong, utterly shamed and swimming in guilt, sighed and finally said, “I’m sorry. I’m just crabby and ashamed that a girl, of all people would save us.”

Sandara would admit, she was moved by Jiyong and he made her heart beat twice as before. She thought the world will now end if jerks like him would live in a beautiful place like this, but then, he still has this soft spot inside his heart. At least, he decided to show it. And she fell for it… a little maybe.

Jiyong smiled, making her heart beat twice as before again and said, “Ah, you must’ve been trapped inside your house for a long time to not know us because everyone knows us, everywhere we go.” He sighed, shaking his head while looking down and suddenly, he perked up.

“I got mad at you and then, apologized but still, I haven’t known your name.” Jiyong said. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Sandara Park.” Sandara answered, smiling equally as Jiyong’s. For her, it felt like his smile was contagious, even more contagious than Youngbae’s charming eye smiles. The last time she felt like this was when every time her father smiles.

“Sandara?” Jiyong asked, turning to Youngbae. “Was there something about that name when we were ten?”

Youngbae shrugged, and answered, “Maybe when we were searching for Gaho’s name on the net.”

“Maybe.” Jiyong nodded, and turned back to Sandara. “Anyway, we should get going.”

They both bowed at her; she returned it, quickly and clumsily.

They moved passed her, and when she was about to venture off, Jiyong suddenly called her name. She turned towards them, twisting her body slightly. “Sandara, it would be nice that this incident will be kept from anyone else.”

Sandara laughed and ordered, “You have to say please.”

Jiyong laughed, and sent her a flying kiss. “Please,” He shouted and continued to walk away.

She grabbed his kiss from the air in a limited movement, and placed her palm against her lips. Then, after a short while she took her palm off her lips and looked at it, giddily. “Am I too flighty to fall in love that fast?”

Somehow her hand didn’t respond, and she ventured off.