The sky was dark with no moon or stars to decorate it. But Seoul City's sidewalks were abuzz with activity as the click of high heels, the clatter of leather and the squeaks of rubber shoes bounced off its pavements. People in suits, jeans, skirts, jackets and countless bejeweled tops made their way to the bus stations and the subway. But one girl in her school uniform, white socks and black shoes struggled against the crowd. 

Lee Chaerin was in trouble. A big one.

She ran like the hell hounds were behind her as she made her way through the back alleys of the city. When she stopped, her legs felt like they were on fire. She bent her knees and put her hands above her thighs to steady herself as she took a moment to catch her breath. Her lungs were already burning as she struggled to take oxygen in to slow her racing heart. She could almost taste her salty sweat as they beaded and rolled over her upper lip. She ran her fingers over her hair which was already a messy tangle from the wind that blew earlier. 

She heard footsteps and murmurs approaching and straightened from her position. They were coming fast. Their voices were almost distinct and recognizable from this distance. 

She needed to get out of here. But where to go?

Don’t panic. Panicking will not get you out of this mess, she told herself.

She ran up the alley, guided only by her instinct for self-preservation. The pathway between the houses became narrower and narrower as she moved forward. Her tired feet trudged on until she could see a dead end ahead of her – one lit only by a nearby house’s flickering lights. She turned back, cursing herself for her stupidity. Should she call her dad to pick her up? Then she remembered it was her dad’s fault why she was here in the first place. She didn’t understand why they had to move back to Seoul or why she had to enroll in a school like hers. 

“Oh, so the mighty Lee Chaerin has nowhere to run to.”

She almost jumped out of her skin as she heard Park Soon Bok’s voice. She and her friends have been after Chaerin since she first arrived in school. They claimed they didn’t like her because she was arrogant and always showing off her English in class and trying to get special treatment when she asked if she could wear boy-styled uniform. Chaerin didn’t want trouble so she ignored them and went on as if they didn’t bother her. But this morning, Soon Bok took her Lauryn Hill collection cd which she brought for a classmate who was borrowing it and smashed it. She had saved for months and cleaned their house for weeks to get that CD since her father didn’t believe in giving rewards without hard work. She couldn’t not retaliate. She sneaked out of her class and waited until they were inside the classroom waiting for their next period teacher and put tacks on their shoes. It was a brief moment of satisfaction for the 14 year old Chaerin and she smiled throughout the entire day. But now, it was time for consequences as she faced Soon Bok’s meaty fists. 

“Look, Chaerin is afraid. She can’t even move,” chimed Kim Sun Jung. Sun Jung, was a gangly 16 year old girl, as reed thin as Soon Bok was round. Chaerin affectionately calls them the “yŏl” bffs because when they walked together, they looked like the number ten. The rest of their crew snickered at Sun Jung’s taunt. She didn’t know all their names. She never bothered with them because they were like a pack of hyenas just waiting for their masters to give them fresh meat to play with. 

Unfortunately, that meat is her right now. She looked for a way out. No other way to go but the dead end. So she ran back up the alley. Maybe there was a fence she could scale over there. 

“Hey!” called out Sun Jung as she panted while running after her, “Get back here.” 

Chaerin knocked over a stack of plastic cases with empty bottles of sojus in them as she ran up the alley. She heard an ahjumma coming out of the store curse at her for causing havoc and a mess. When she almost reached the end of the alley, her worst fears materialized. It was a wall of dead end. There was only the back of the house at her right and the shut door of another one that seemed abandoned at her left. She grabbed the handle of the nearby door and tried to open it but it was locked. 


She took a deep breath, wiped her sweaty brow and patted down her unruly hair. Time to face her pursuers. If she was to die today, she’ll go down fighting. And she must at least look composed when she fought. She won’t lose her dignity to them. She faced the red faced Soon Bok and Sun Jung and the rest of the girls from their class. 

“Yah, Chaerin. You are so gonna get it.” Soon Bok looked like she was in going to burst a vessel after running so fast. She would have laughed at how awful they looked panting like dogs if it weren’t for the position she was in. Back in her school in Japan, they called her CL, the baddest female, for her sadistic streak. No, she wasn’t a bully. She just held her own when it came to fights her friends frequently got into, much to the chagrin of her father. But here in Seoul, she was forced to play nice to the kids in class so she could fit in and not cost her father his tenure over at the affiliate university he taught in.

She readied herself for the fight that was coming as the girls began to approach her. Why was she wearing a skirt? It was so hard to move with these things. She placed her back pack on the floor and bunched her fists. 

Oh God, what was she thinking. She was clearly outnumbered and she knew she’ll get beat up. She closed her eyes and muttered a little prayer for strength. She won't be a sissy. That has never been her style.

When she opened them again, she saw that the girls have stepped back and were gawking at two figures that came out from the door that was shut earlier. One was a guy wearing black hoodie and a cap above it coupled with a pair of worn jeans. The other one was shorter. He was wearing baggy shorts, an oversized yellow shirt with matching cap and shoes. The tall one took a cigarette stick and lit it while the other one just stood there using one of those Samsung flip phones she saw from tv. Both looked unaware of the presence of a horde of school girls in their midst. Or if they were, they didn’t care.

The girls observed their movements warily - watching and waiting to see if they’ll make a move. Maybe she can sneak out of here after all. Just as she was formulating her escape plan, the girls came to their senses and looked at her direction realizing that the guys won’t interfere. They walked, no, prowled towards her looking ready to pounce.

Sun Jung was first to reach her. She grabbed Chaerin’s arms and pulled them to her back. Chaerin resisted and stepped in Sun Jung’s foot. The girl yelled and let go of her suddenly to attend to her foot. Chaerin ran forward and dodged Soon Bok’s attack coming from her right. She was successful in evading her but soon, the other girls attacked her too. She parried every punch and slap they gave. But one of them managed to trip her so she went down. As soon as she did, Soon Bok put her weight over her and started slapping her while Sun Jung held her hands so she couldn’t defend herself.

“, this is what you get for acting like an arrogant little snot.” Soon Bok’s voice rang through the quiet alley. 

As she struggled beneath them, she heard the two guys talking to each other faintly.

“Hyung, should I interfere? They might kill her. I don’t want to witness a murder.” 

“Hn,” came the non-committal reply.

“Hyung, are you listening?”

Another grunt.

The younger one came forward and called out the girls. 

“Hey, stop bullying the kid.”

Soon Bok glared at him and shouted back, “None of your business. Stay out of it.”

The boy snorted and then laughed disbelievingly at Soon Bok. Chaerin’s stomach hurt from the weight on top of her but at least the slapping had stopped. She wondered briefly if the two guys will help her.

“Kid, you’re in our turf. Stop acting like spoiled es. Go home to your parents. Take this mess out of here.”

Either Soon Bok and Sun Jung were brave or they were really stupid because both of them stood up and turned to the boy. Chaerin was freed from their grasp so she sat up and got a good look at him. He was thin, a bit tanned unlike the pasty skinned boys she frequently saw here in Seoul. His face was oval but his cheeks were on the chubby side. If Chaerin could venture a guess, she would think that he was around 16 or 17. But the look on his eyes belied the youth of his skin. He seemed far older than that.

“Kae ssiki. Stay out of our business if you know what’s good for you. We outnumber you in case you haven’t noticed.” That was Sun Jung who straightened to her full height. She was taller than the boy. She pushed him at his shoulders.

That was a mistake. The boy's reflexes were fast as he took her hand and twisted it. Sun Jung eyes started to water from the pain. It seemed like the smaller boy was stronger than he looked. Soon Bok tried to help but then she stopped. From the corner of Chaerin’s eye, she spied a movement from the other guy. He’s finished with the cigarette and crushed the beneath his feet. 

“Jiyong,” came the raspy voice of the man in a hoodie.

“Hyung. These kids clearly need a lesson.” He smiled as he twisted the girl’s arms even more. Chaerin could swear she heard bones cracking. 

“Stop.” Just a single word but he dropped the girl’s hands like he got burned. He retreated back to the side of the older guy. 

The older guy adjusted his hoodie and cap and then approached Sun Jung. He took her hand to inspect the damage.

“Put some ice on it. Otherwise it will swell. Take your friends away from here.”

The girls were paralyzed by fear as he scanned over them with those eyes of his. Sun Jung just looked at him, scared out of her wits. As soon as the guy let go of her hand, she stepped back. She, Soon Bok and their gang began their retreat back to the city.

But then he called out, “Stop.” 

They all froze and looked back like a pack of hydras – one body, several heads. “Quit bullying other girls. If you ever come to this place again, I won’t be responsible for what Jiyong does.” 

They nodded in unison and then proceeded to run. A few of them almost tripped in their haste to get away. 

The guy then turned to Chaerin. She was crawling towards her bag since she couldn’t stand up. Her foot hurt because of the trip earlier. She had to get out of here. Suddenly, she felt herself being lifted bodily. Chaerin felt goosebumps formed across her skin as she stared at the older guy eye to eye. The guy was obviously not a boy. The harsh planes of his face spoke volumes of his worldliness.

“Hyung, should we go to the hospital?”

“No, they’ll ask too many questions. She doesn’t seem badly hurt. Let’s just take her at the back room. Jinhwan has a first aid kit there. 

Chaerin was miffed that she was being treated like a 5 year old but was too scared to even say anything. And she was so tired. All she wanted to do was pass out and wake up tomorrow in Japan. They entered the door where they came out earlier. She felt her lids getting heavy. She shouldn’t sleep. She didn’t even know who this old dude was. But maybe she could close her eyes for a moment or two. Yes, that should do it. A little rest would help. As she gave in to impulse, the blackness consumed her vision. Sleep claimed her just as the boy called Jiyong shut the door.