I gasped and whipped around.

            “Tae Il,” I laughed surprised.  “That was fast.”

            “Somehow I knew you’d be outside,” he grumbled.  Then brightening a little, he said, “Let’s go.”

            I bought him ice cream this time around.  We walked and talked, the usual for our late night meetings.

            “You like to club a lot?” he asked, tossing his popsicle stick into one of the rare outdoor trash cans.  Seoul was a shockingly clean city for one that had virtually no garbage cans on the street.

            I shrugged, mimicking his action.  “I guess so.  It’s fun.  Something to do.”

            “Do you dance like the girls in the movies?” he laughed.

            “Do you mean do I bump and grind?”

            His entire face turned red.  “Is that how you say it in English?” he mumbled.

            “Yes, I do.  What else is there to do at those clubs?”  I glanced sideways at him and smirked.  “I could show you how to, since I bet you never did it before.”

            His face was now completely white.  “N-no, I…never…”

            I giggled.  “Come on, we’re almost there.”

            A minute later, we found ourselves at the beginning one of the smaller bridges that hovered over the Han River.  I leaned on the railing and looked over the edge into the black water.  I asked him about his day.  He told me about the interview the group had earlier.

            “It’s kind of warm out,” he mentioned, stretching his arms over his head.  “It’s making me tired.”

            Peeking over the railing again, I tugged on one of the tails of his button down shirt.  “Let’s go swimming.”

            “Swimming?” he repeated, his voice higher with surprise.  Even in the dark, I could see how horrified he looked.

            “Yeah,” I chuckled.  “You know how to swim, don’t you?”

            “Well, yes, but how will we get down there?  Plus, I’m not wearing the right clothes to go swimming…” he trailed off as he laughed nervously when I gave him a smirk as I stepped out of my shoes.

            I pulled my shirt up over my head and dropped it into the crook between the wall below the railing and the ground.  I thought he was going to pass out.

            “You’re wearing boxers, aren’t you?  Let’s jump,” I suggested, ing my jeans.  He anxiously smoothed his hands over his hat.

            “I-I-I-“  He blinked, gawking at me as I wriggled out of my jeans.  “I forgot what I was going to say.”

            I giggled and began ing his shirt.  He in a sharp breath and clutched at his shirt, swatting my hands away.  “Come on, come on.  It’s the middle of the night.  No one is around.  This is a pedestrian bridge and there are no pedestrians.  Now, strip.”  I touched his cheek lightly to see if it was as warm as I thought it might be from how red it had turned yet again.  He jumped and then laughed.

            He peered over the railing.  “It’s kind of a long way down.”  When he looked back to me, his eyes bounced from my face to my feet to the railing to the ground to a spot far in the distance behind me.  Anywhere but on me.

            “It’s not too far.  We’ll go feet first.  We’ll be ok,” I assured him.

            He finally allowed his eyes to settle on me.  Rolling down the length of my body, he swallowed hard.

            I popped a hip out and put a hand on it.  “Don’t tell me you’ve never seen a girl in her underwear before.”

            He laughed or coughed, I wasn’t sure.  “No, I h-have.  It’s just...not like this.  Outside.  With a girl I just met a week ago.”  He looked away quickly.  “You wear shorts as underwear and they don’t match your bra.”

            I laughed so hard, I had to cover my mouth.  I hopped up onto the railing and sat on it, my feet hanging over the side facing the ground.

            “They’re called boy shorts.  I think they’re cute.  I like colors and it’s cheaper to buy bras and underwear that aren’t a set,” I answered hastily.  “Now strip.”  I swung around so that my legs dangled over the side facing the water.  It was kind of high up.

            Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him struggle with the buttons of his shirt.  He took his time rolling up his shirt and his jeans together, hiding his wallet and his cell phone between the layers.

            “Not getting any younger up here,” I teased.

            He huffed something in Korean that I couldn’t hear well enough to understand as he hoisted himself up onto the railing.  Sitting next to me, he stared up at the sky.

            “I can just see the internet articles about the singer from Block b jumping off a bridge in his underwear,” he sighed.

            I giggled.  “I hope they describe your underwear.  Cute blue boxers with clouds on them.”

            “I’m sorry, next time I’ll wear black ones with polka dots so my shorts can match yours.”  It took me a second to realize he’d made a joke.  Giggling, I elbowed him.  Lightly, but he still stiffened and gripped the railing tighter.

            “Let’s jump before someone comes by.”  I stood on the ledge and leaned back against the railing.

            His eyes turned into the size of softballs.  “Y-you think someone will-”

            “No, no.  I’m sorry.  I won’t tease you anymore.  No one will see us.  No one is here,” I said, trying not to laugh.  I linked my arm with his.  He stared at the spot where our arms met before he looked back down at the water.  “Want to go together or should I push you?”

            He closed his eyes and hung his head a second before looking right at me.  He pulled his arm away, grasping my hand tightly.

            “I might have a heart attack if you push me.  Let’s go together then, ok?”

            I stared at our hands, unable to speak.  The way his fingers interlocked with mine.  No guy had ever held my hand before.  I looked up to catch him watching me look at our hands.  He smiled, he was still scared, but it was a cute smile.  I tightened my hold on his hand, even though I knew I shouldn’t.

            “On the count of three, we’ll jump.  Feet first.  Don’t want the impact of the water to do any damage to that pretty face of yours.”

            “Ok.”  He inhaled deep and squeezed my hand.

            “One…two…”

            “Wait, wait!” he interrupted.  “Can we count to five?”

            Glancing at him, I said, “No.  Three.”

            I felt his hesitation tug on my arm as I jumped, but it only lasted a second as he allowed himself to be pulled over the edge with me.

            His hand slipped out of mine just after we sliced through the water.  Blackness surrounded me and the sudden change from warm to icy was like a shock to my system.  I panted as I bobbed to the surface, spitting water and pushing my hair back.

            “Tae Il?”  I spun in a circle, searching for him.  All I saw was black, empty water.  Tiny ripping waves spreading from my body bobbing, but no Tae Il.