It was past midnight, but the streets were not as dark as she had imagined.
It had been a while since she had last snuck out, although 'sneaking out' was not the term she would use. All she did was walk out the door. There was no one to sneak away from except her brother, and Dongmin could sleep through an earthquake.
Something just told her to go outside. She wasn't afraid of any old ghost story that the ajhummas and ajhussis drinking across the street would tell. Her own life was enough of a nightmare to keep her awake at night.
"Hey kid!" a voice called as she stepped outside of the apartment building, "What are you doing outside?" She ignored the old man and went on her way.
She headed to the nearest convenience store, which wasn't too far from where she lived. It was nearly empty, save for a young couple and the employee. The latter greeted her as she entered, and the couple only glanced her way before deciding she was of no importance. Dohee headed over to the drinks, deciding between the alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. In the end she grabbed a bottle of water before heading over to the counter.
The cashier didn't look friendly, his grin obviously forced. He muttered a "Thank you," and "Come again soon," which she returned with her own plastic grin before heading towards to the door.
The door swung open before she could touch it, almost hitting her in the process. Scowling, she cursed at the guy who walked in. To her surprise, she recognized him.
"Dohee," he greeted, also surprised but looking pleased. "Is it a coincidence that we're always seeing each other now?" He laughed lightly.
She rolled her eyes, stepping outside into the cool midnight breeze. "I'm really starting to believe you're stalking me," she said before walking off. She didn't hear the door shut until she was a bit further away and she turned around to see that Namjoon had gone inside already.
She wondered a bit about why he even bothered to speak to her, but then shook her head and decided she didn't care. She shouldn't care.
Instead of walking back to the place she called her home, she went the opposite way. She was not one to wander the streets at night, only having done it maybe two times before, but she felt no desire to lock herself up in her room for a while. It didn't bother her that she would have morning classes the day after. She just didn't want to go back.
It was not too long when she saw another convenience store around the corner. That's where she bought a new pack of cigarettes. It was outside, in front of the small store, where she stayed, chain-smoking until she grew tired and decided she needed to return.
