Fei knows walking alone at night is one of the worst situations you can find yourself in – especially if you’re a woman - and yet here she is, doing exactly that. She dreads it from the bottom of her heart, and she always makes sure she gets home before midnight because of all the possible dangers. Tonight she is not so lucky; it was her best friend’s birthday, and they partied in a club until 2AM. She should’ve taken a taxi home, but she somehow convinced herself the overpriced cabs are not worth the 40 minutes walk she has to make.

She regretted the stupid decision as soon as she turned a corner, leaving the club behind and out of immediate reach. A suspicious man appeared out of nowhere behind her; not close enough to reach her, but it still made her uncomfortable. The streets were deserted and eerie, making the anxiety inside her grow to actual fear.

Calm down, Feifei, she said to herself, he’s only a man going in the same direction as you. Be cautious, but don’t freak out.

Now, ten minutes later, the man is still behind her, matching his pace with her’s – even though she hurried her steps, he was still there. She turns her head warily, and gasps when the man gives her a disgusting smirk.

Okay, now is a good time to panic!

She hastily takes her phone out of her purse and dials her brother’s number without wasting time searching through the contacts. It takes some time until he picks up, but when he finally does Fei doesn’t let him say anything.

“Oppa, I’m walking alone and there’s a creepy dude following me, making faces at me! Oh my God, what do I do?! Oppa, you must come after me!”

There’s a tense silence until the man on the phone answers. However, it’s not her brother’s voice.

“Who is this?”

It doesn’t take long for her to realize she got the wrong number. It takes even less for her to freak out.

“HOLY ! I’M GONNA DIE! I’m so gonna die! There’s no way I’m getting back home tonight!”

She’s so terrified she doesn’t even care she’s yelling her last words to a complete stranger.

“Miss, calm down,” the man says, surprising her. “Walk fast, but don’t start running! You’ll have no chance if he’s faster than you, trust me. Keep talking to me. Most of these disgusting pigs don’t dare attack people who are in touch with someone at that moment. He won’t leave you alone, but at least he won’t come up to you. Hey, are you still there?”

“Y-yes,” Fei stutters, out of breath. “Jesus, I’m so ing scared!”

“I know you are, but you must not lose your head.” The man’s voice is deep and composed, and it gives her strength. Maybe she’s not going to die after all. “Is there any still open shop around you? Or a bar, a hospital – anything you can take shelter in?”

She looks around frantically, but she can’t find anything open so late at night.

“There’s nothing!” she cries.

“It’s okay, keep moving and looking around. Can you tell me the name of the street you’re on? I’ll take a taxi and come after you right now.”

“Yes, please don’t leave me alone!”

“I won’t! I’m coming, I promise! But you must tell me where you are first.”

She mumbles the street’s name after spotting a sign, and another name as she turns around a corner. The man keeps talking to her, asking about her condition and encouraging her.

“I’m getting in the taxi now,” he says after a few minutes, and Fei can hear him telling the driver the address.

“I t-think there’s an open supermarket ahead.”

“That’s great!” the man exclaims, sounding relieved. “Get inside and stick by the cashier’s side. Explain the situation to them, and buy some water, or something to calm you down. The creep won’t go in after you if he sees you talking to the cashier.”

Fei enters the supermarket almost running. Her heart is beating so hard she fears it might stop, but she lets out a heavy sigh of relief, feeling safe. As the kind stranger said, the stalker stops outside; he looks furious, but he doesn’t leave from his spot, looking at her as if saying “you can’t hide there forever”.

“I’m in!”

“Perfect! You’re doing wonderful, miss!” the man says, making Fei relax and even smile a bit. “Now go talk to the cashier. I’m going to hang up.”

“No, don’t go!” she panics again, and starts walking around the shelves instead of going to the cash desk.

“Don’t worry, I’m going to be there in a few minutes. Don’t you want to call the person you wanted to reach in the first place?”

“I-I … I’ll call him after you get here.”

“Okay then. I’m almost there. My name is Donghae, by the way.”

Soon enough, a taxi stops in front of the supermarket. A young man steps out of the car and hurries inside. He’s wearing a pair of worn out track pants and a Mickey Mouse T-shirt, his hair is disheveled and his face looks sleepy; even so, he’s very handsome. Fei realizes he was probably asleep when she called and that he didn’t even change his clothes before coming to her. She would feel guilty if she wasn’t so scared.

“Donghae?” she asks, just to be sure.

“Yes, it’s me,” he says and approaches her slowly, as if trying to not startle her more.

Forgetting that he’s a complete stranger and that she only meets him now for the first time, Fei runs to him and starts crying into his chest. The almost-tragedy she experienced has taken a toll on her, and now that she doesn’t have to fight to keep calm, her emotions burst like the Big Bang.

Donghae puts an arm around her shoulders and her head with the other one, making her feel as safe as in her brother’s arms.

“It’s okay. You’re alright,” he murmurs to her.

She sobs some more, and then she steps away from him and takes out a handkerchief to wipe her face.

“Better?” Donghae asks with a gentle smile. The sight of it almost makes her forget what happened – it’s that gorgeous!

“Yes. Thank you for helping me! And forgive me for troubling you …”

“You don’t have to apologize. I couldn’t just live you like that. I saw the man outside. He was still lurking around, but he left the moment I arrived. I think it’s safe to go outside.”

“Okay. I’ll call my brother.”

Donghae walks away, giving her privacy, and wanders around the shelves. As she waits for her brother to answer and watches Donghae stop in front of the chocolate section, Fei wonders what she had done in a previous life for God to send her such a good guy.

When Hyukjae picks up, Fei tries her best to sound calm and not alarm her brother as she tells him what happened. Her voice is still shaky though, and Hyukjae reacts as bad as she expected him to. She assures him a last time she’s safe and unharmed, and her brother promises to be there as soon as possible and hangs up.

Donghae is taking out a Heidi chocolate from the shelf when Fei returns to his side.

“My brother said he’s going to be here soon. He’s probably running as we speak.”

“He must be worried,” Donghae says as they walk towards the cash desk. He pays for the chocolate and they get out.

“I’m Fei, by the way. I completely forgot to introduce myself.”

Donghae gives her a breathtaking smile and says “Nice to meet you.” He then opens the chocolate’s wrapping and offers her some. She gladly accepts, taking almost half of it. She guesses Donghae bought it more for her than himself anyway.

“You’re not Korean, are you?” he asks. “At least, not entirely.”

“Not at all. I’m Chinese,” she replies. “I moved here with my father when I was around 10. He fell in love with a Korean woman who was on holiday in our home town, and she fell for him as well. She kept coming back every holiday – just to see him, I’m sure. She took her son with her once, and we clicked right away, him and I. Later, we found out they introduced us to each other because they were planning to get married, but wanted to make sure we get along before that. So they did, and we moved here.”

Donghae nods thoughtfully. “It must have been hard.”

“It was, at first. But I’m glad we did, because we’re a wonderful family now. I can’t even remember how my life had been before meeting Hyukjae or having him as a brother.”

Fei has never felt so comfortable in a stranger’s presence before Donghae. It’s so easy to talk to him, she thinks as she finishes the chocolate. I’m really lucky it was his number I dialed.

The heavy steps of a running man reach her ear, and she turns to see Hyukjae hurrying towards her like a madman.

“Hyukjae!” she exclaims and runs towards him as well. They meet halfway and Hyukjae hugs her so tight she can barely breathe.

“Are you alright?” he asks, examining her from head to toe. A deep frown is denting his forehead and anxiousness paints his face, and his hands shake when he cups her face.

“Yes, I already told you I’m fine,” she smiles reassuringly. He doesn’t look at all convinced though. “Really, Hyukjae! Donghae took good care of me.”

At the mention of her savior, Hyukjae’s eyes leave hers and fix upon the man behind them.

“Is that him?”

“Yes. Let me introduce you.”

She takes his brother’s hand and leads him to Donghae, who has been patiently watching them.

“Donghae, this is my brother – Hyukjae,” she says, and the two men shake hands.

Something flickers in Donghae’s eyes as he looks at her brother, and he’s not as talkative and outgoing as before all of a sudden. Fei believes she can even see a blush creeping onto his face when Hyukjae shakes his hand.

No, it can’t be. It’s just my imagination.

“Nice to meet you,” Hyukjae says. “Thank you so much for helping my sister! I’ll be forever grateful!”

“N-no problem,” Donghae stutters, his voice higher than before.

Holy mother of- He’s totally into my brother!

Hyukjae remains oblivious, and it takes Fei all the restraint she possesses not to groan at how silly the men are.

“If there’s anything we can do to repay you-“

Donghae is quick to protest. “Oh no! There’s no need for that! It was the normal thing to do!”

“Still, not everyone would’ve done it.”

“Isn’t he very kind, Hyukjae?” Fei chimes in, grabbing Donghae’s arm and bringing him closer in an attempt to start something between the two guys.

Unfortunately, her brother gets the wrong impression.

“Yes! Maybe you two should go on a date!”

God, you’re so stupid, Hyukjae! Moments like this make me glad we’re not blood related, Fei thinks as she watches Donghae’s face twist into a horrified expression.

She tries to signal Donghae to ask Hyukjae out on a date instead of her, glaring at him and subtly nodding towards her brother. Donghae notices, but he only bites his lip without saying anything. Do it! she mouths at him. Donghae flinches at the command, but finally opens his mouth to talk.

“Actually … Um, I w-would rather take you on a … d-date.”

“Me?” Hyukjae asks, taken aback. His cheeks turn a little pink – it’s about time he caught on - but it’s nothing compared to Donghae’s embarrassed, blushing features.

“Oh, my! How romantic!” Fei exclaims. Her reaction is dramatic and exaggerated, but it seems these two idiots won’t get anywhere without her help. “Hyukjae, weren’t you complaining about being single just the other day?”

“I was?”

“Yes, silly, you were! Donghae is a wonderful guy, trust me! I think you two would fit perfectly together! Don’t you think?” She backs up the statement with a pinch on her brother’s arm, hoping he will get the message. Usually, Hyukjae acts smooth and flirty when someone shows interest in him, wasting no time to make a move. She guesses he’s a bit overwhelmed by the situation this time.

Hyukjae winces in pain and turns to her with an exasperated face. Okay, I got it! his eyes say.

“Donghae?” he calls for the other’s attention, taking one of the guy’s hands in his; once he starts, he goes all out.

Donghae looks like he might faint any second. “Y-yes!”

“I’d love to go on a date with you,” Hyukjae says with a charming smile.

That’s my brother!

Donghae beams back at him, so bright that it seems the Sun has risen (even if it’s around 3 in the morning). They smile at each other like fools and Fei watches them with dreamy eyes.

At least something good came out of this.