Seoul nights • Woosan

Twenty-three.

The sound of the wheels of the suitcase being dragged onto the airport floor was the only noise I could concentrate on. All I could think about was Wooyoung. I hadn't seen him for couple of weeks and thanks to all the meetings Mr Davis had set me up with I couldn't hear from him much. The different time zone didn't help either. We couldn't even say goodbye properly because after the phonecall I started packing and left the morning after. I had left Wooyoung at the airport, stealing one last kiss hidden behind the tinted windows of his car. I told him I'd be back in a week or ten days, but it actually took longer than I thought. Problems with a shipment of a batch ordered by Mr Davis required my presence in New York. The businessman had well thought to seize the opportunity to introduce me to some of his associates, a perspective to which I couldn't say no. So I spent two weeks bouncing between office meetings and private parties: I could hardly recognize myself because instead of enjoying the new atmosphere the only thing I could think about was how much I missed the Scandinavian house and having Wooyoung around with his annoying laugh and his teasing. But I was finally going back home.

Once on the plane I got rid of my coat and luggage and I sank into my seat roughly tuckered out. I hoped that nobody would occupy the vacant spot next to me, too exhausted to face a conversation with a stranger for the whole flight, I just wanted to sleep so that the jetlag wouldn't hit me too hard once I was back in Korea. I closed my eyes being lulled by the surrounding sounds but after a few minutes I felt a presence sitting next to me. I opened my eyes slowly to peek at the person with whom I would have shared the long flight.

"It's already the second time we meet by chance. Are you stalking me, oppa?"

I was lost for words when my eyes met Lisa's smiling ones "I could ask you the same!" I chuckled, "What are you doing here?"

"Going back to Seoul, duh!" she mocked me.

"What I mean is: why?"

"Well... Actually... Mister Davis asked me to keep an eye on you, he really likes you and wants to make sure that everything goes for the best. I'll be in Seoul for the next few months, maybe more, so if problems come - and I hope they don't - you can come to me instead of flying back to New York"

"That's actually cheaper and faster! Thank you!"

She nodded smiling. The flight was long, but nice. Lisa and I talked a lot and I realized that she wasn't a bad person, sure she could be teasing, but I didn't mind her presence. She was very smart and the conversation never bored me.

I was very tired though and after a while I felt my eyes closing, lulled by the plane soft movement. When I opened them again we were landing. I fell asleep without even noticing. The early morning sunlight forced me to squint my eyes when I opened the blackout window. Seoul looked so small from that height. I felt my heart jump at the thought of seeing Wooyoung again: I had texted him the flight time and he said he would come pick me up at the airport. When I heard the plane engine go out I fished my phone from my pockets and switched it on. The direct flight took long but I was very surprised when I found my phone ringing non stop, reporting dozens and dozens of incoming notifications. Most of the messages and missed calls where from Jongho. I was going to call him back when his name appeared on my screen again. I picked up, my voice was still hoarse.

"Jongho, what's up?"

"You're finally fucking back! I'm outside of the airport, hurry up! One of the warehouses burned down in a fire last night, I tried to..."

"Ya! Slow down! What warehouse? How could this happen?"

"The fire department said one of the electrical cables was probably in bad conditions, the warehouse was too full and something ignite the fire. Fortunately no one was inside, nobody got hurt"