✓LOVER BOY | hwang hyunjin

40. Nightly Errands

The bell rang too quick. Yeseul felt her heart jump in her throat.

To all the commendable suspense, all the feelings of butterflies fell awash. Yeseul pulled the door open, nothing other than thin air meeting her eyes. That was until she looked down, at the child with eyes that were too big for her face.

"Hi."

"Hello...?"

"Can you help me find my uncle?" She blinked at Yeseul, eyes turning glossy with hope.

Yeseul looked around, feeling hesitant. She had heard too many crime podcasts to act on her emotions right now. This could be Korea's next biggest human trafficking tactic. She suspiciously eyed the child in the pigtails. All the thoughts of Hyunjin evaporated off of her scalp. She whispered a 'wait a minute' before shutting the door.

"What the hell was that?" She exclaimed, hands resting on her hips. The coat hanging nearby was a reminder of the pepper spray she had been scammed into owning. There was a misplaced havoc in her parcel from a sketchy site, and in the end of complaints and week long waiting, she received a punctured box with a pepper spray instead of the promised cologne. She could use in on the people behind this awful service if she could, but Yeseul had contained in her rage. She looked at the optimistic side of everything. She could use this for defence. And possibly today was the day. She firmly nodded, pushing the bottle deep into her pocket. Of course this didn't happen before she acted out her stances of attack.

The door was finally opened, and Yeseul was surprised to see the girl in the same position as before. "Wow. Looks like you don't get bored easily."

"I ding dong ditched the whole hallway."

"What the ffff–frick!?" Yeseul grabbed the unruly child and took the fastest run of her life. They were soon in the elevator, Yeseul almost wheezing.

"My uncle and I always do this." She grinned at the reflection of her guardian. Yeseul almost hit her with her fist. "I can see you, eonnie." Yeseul pushed her hand in her pocket reluctantly.

"So, where did you last see your uncle?"

"At the cigarette shop. He had to buy some. He smokes too much, you know. He's a good person, but him smoking really makes me feel embarrassed. I don't want him to do it."

"Wow." Children really gave away the most of family secrets. "Now listen here, child. You don't go around talking bad about your uncle, even if he does smoke too much. I think the best you can do is tell him to not smoke around you. Second hand smoking isn't some joke, okay?"

The child gave her a firm nod. "Okay."

"Okay."

The elevator doors parted open, and the two walked out hand in hand, surprisingly bonded within the minute of their journey. Yeseul realised how her guard was down. She cleared her throat, returning back to professionalism. "Okay child, lead the way."

The girl pulled her along the sidewalk, down towards the iridescence of the night city. Cars rushed by, and bulbs blinked alive along their steps. Yeseul breathed, easing some of the tightness of her chest. She had turned into a hermit these past few days, and now fate had her following a girl of either the devil's place or... something socially admirable. Community service. Yes. Perhaps.

"Here." The girl stopped. "I was waiting for him here, and he suddenly disappeared. Down there." Yeseul choked when she saw the dark alleyway she was being led towards.

Oh hell no. This really was something out of a crime story.

"You- you really don't think I'll go there looking for your smoker uncle, right?"

The girl didn't look very pleased by this response.

Yeseul looked around, hoping someone walks by to be the sacrifice of the night. Of course no one was there. She pulled out her pepper spray, holding it securely in her hand, ready for whatever that could jump out at her. She held the girl's hand firmly, and turned on the flashlight, lighting up the crevice. No one was around. Yeseul took a deep breath, and stepped in.

"You sure you and your uncle aren't going to murder me?"

"No."

"No what?"

"Not sure." The little devil's spawn giggled. Yeseul almost threw her in one of the dumpsters nearby.

They continued, until there was a momentary argument that broke off in a distance. Yeseul slowed down, ready to sprint away from the scene any moment given.

"Hey, I think I hear my uncle."

"Okay. Now your uncle is probably a gangster too. Great— "

Before any other comment came out of Yeseul's mouth, the door beside them flew open, along with the guy who was thrown out. Yeseul gasped, backing off behind a bike that was parked near. "THAT'S MY UNCLE." The little girl shrieked.

"I'm calling the police." Yeseul pulled her phone out. Her heart dropped when another person came out, kicking the fallen guy in her chest. He cursed at him before someone came around to pull him back inside.

"Uncle!" The girl ran towards the guy. He was young looking, and before Yeseul could walk closer, person looked her way, squinting. "Y-Yeseul?"

"Huh?"

Yeseul's shoulders tensed up. It was Jihoon. She couldn't stay there any longer. She turned around, declining the emergency call before it got connected. She could hear him call out for her, but this wasn't something she could do.

Jihoon got up, taking the support of the wall to walk over to the leaving girl. "Please, listen to me."

Yeseul stopped. She didn't turn around. "I won't tell anyone."

"Let me explain myself."

"I don't care about your personal life, Jihoon. All I can ask you is that you stop smoking around your niece. That's it."

And with that she left.

Jihoon glanced down at her niece. "What was that about?" She shrugged. "I don't appreciate second hand smoking."

"Big words for you." He winced, wiping off his blood on his jeans. "Let's go home."

____________

And by the end of it, her head was filled with Hyunjin again. As soon as it happened, her phone rang. It was him.

"Hey, sorry. I had to rush outside for something. Where are you?"

"At your doorstep." Hyunjin felt a smile form on his lips at the sudden rush on the other side.

"Gosh. I'll be there. You can go inside if you want. The code is 1198."

"Didn't your parents teach you stranger danger?" Hyunjin chuckled, brushing back his hair.

Yeseul was at loss of words. "Excuse me?"

"Or Boy Danger, if that's something that exists in the vocabulary."

"I can't hear you. I'll see you there." Yeseul just had to make up the lamest excuse of getting off the call. Her cheeks were burning.

"Adorable."

She sighed at the sweet warmth that filled her heart.