There. There she is. I squat down beside an unusually bijou looking tteokbokki stand, smiling awkwardly at the people strolling past me who were staring at me as if I had two heads. “Annyeonghaseyo,” I bow ninety degrees at them, but because of my crouched position, it looked like I was a peasant that was on her knees, begging for forgiveness. I couldn’t see any of their faces because I was bowing too quickly, but considering how their shoes began to move more briskly against the pavement, I’d say none of them felt like staring any longer. I bring my attention back to the girl I had been following for the past twenty minutes. Her hair was up in a messy ponytail, exposing the milky, white skin of her swan like neck. Her back was facing me, but I could just make out what she was purchasing by the sweet scent the product produced. ‘She walked all this way for goguma?’ My ears prick up at the sound of her angelic laughter, watching her as she seizes two sacks of the sweet potatoes from the ahjusshi in charge of that food stall. “Damn, that’s a lot of goguma,” Suddenly, I feel a jab at the middle of my back.

“Yah, young lady, what do you think you’re doing, huh?” I swing my head back in surprise to see a saggy, old man armed with a broomstick, pointing it at me menacingly. “Trying to sneak a plate of tteokbokki, weren’t you, huh, you bum?” I surge of anger flares up at the accusation, but I rein it in, opting instead to bring a finger up to my lips.

“Shh, ahjusshi, you see that little kid over there?” I point at a little boy who was wandering around the lantern lit street, while his umma was busy perusing the market vegetables. “I’m playing hide and seek with him. He hates the smell of tteokbokki, so I hid over here,” I explain, but I see his nostrils flare.

“Oh, is that so? What’s wrong with tteokbokki, huh? Everyone should like tteokbokki! Crazy kid, I’ll teach him,” He huffs, setting down his broomstick and furiously scooping up the fish cakes into a plastic bowl.

I stand up slightly from my squatting position. “A-Ahjusshi? What are you—“

“Shut it, bum, I’m busy here.” I recoil at his angry tone. ‘Oh , what did I just do?’ Suddenly, he comes from behind the food stall and stomps his way to the little boy who was now busy picking grass. “Y-Yah, ahjusshi!” I hiss quietly, trying to beckon him back. “Yah!” I watch in horror as the old man reaches the boy and practically shoves the bowl into his face, yelling something that I can’t discern. The little boy looks frightened and calls for his umma, who rushes to him quickly, asking the old man something in a calm manner. I almost crap my pants when the old man points his finger over at me and then again at the little boy. ‘, , ,” I panic; when the trio turns their eyes on me quizzically. In a flash, I’m behind the tteokbokki stand, huddled in between pots and pans, my heart beating erratically in my chest. “I need to get the hell out of here!” I sneak a peak around the corner and see the old man and young woman heading towards me. I count to three in my head then break into a run in the opposite direction.

“Yah, stop there, you bum!” I hear the old man croak.

“Ow, what the hell?!” I turn around when I feel a sharp pain on my back and I see his white and red striped broomstick lying limp on the pavement. “Crazy old man!” I shout loudly so that he can hear me.

“WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY? COME BACK AND SAY THAT TO MY FACE!” I run faster and by now I’m at the last stretch of the local market, where it’s a little busier since there are tented restaurants nearby for adults to enjoy, since they also served soju. I stop and try to catch my breath. Damn that ahjusshi. He ruined everything. I try to stalk my Joohyun in peace and I barely get two minutes to bask in her existence until he comes and craps all over it. She’s probably on her way home by now. I glance into the tent closest to me and then do a double take. “No way, what’s she…” Slumped down on a table in the corner of the tent was no other than Seo Joohyun. Or not.