Seoul, Hongdae
She had been walking for at least half an hour, but none of the buildings looked like the picture of the University on the web page she had consulted.
On the way, Mi So felt her smartphone vibrate in her bag and carefully took it out. Since she had left the place of the big black car, she had the strong impression that someone was following her from behind. Her mother had always told her to beware of big black cars.
She didn't answer Bo Hwa's message and started walking faster while glancing at her follower.
He wore a mask, sunglasses and a cap. It was impossible to see his face, but at least he was skinny. If she jumped on him first, he would surely pass out. He also stepped up his pace.
- What the fuck does he want from me? She said as she started running, her heart pounding.
The masked man immediately started running and Mi So panicked. She needed a plan of attack, she had always wondered what she would do in such a situation and had been preparing for it all her life.
If I attack him first, he won't have time to attack me, she thought, running faster. She stopped at an intersection and hid in a corridor formed by two buildings. Maybe he hadn't seen her sneak in and that gave her a head start. Mi So waited for the footsteps to come closer and at the moment the man would face her hiding place, she would grab her elephant-patterned portfolio ready for the assault.
- But where did she go? Argh, I should have just let her get lost! Suga thought to himself.
He stopped for a moment and looked out at the street without knowing which direction the girl had gone. The lack of air made him pull his mask down to his chin with his face facing the street. He just wanted to help her and he didn't understand why she had run away like that. A normal person would have stopped and asked him for an autograph. Might as well find her quickly or he would have wasted energy for nothing. "Seriously..." He said with an ugly curse when he suddenly received a violent hit in the back.
- Who are... you and... what do you want from me?! Shouted Mi So as she hit his follower with her portfolio. Don't you know that... Stalking people is punishable by law? HUH? Take this, asshole!
- AAAAH! But...STOP! He braced himself with his arms. That girl was absolutely crazy. I just...wanted to help you! Fuck!
Mi So stopped promptly. Help? What did he mean by helping her? She put her portfolio under her arm and whispered a barely audible "Sorry". Suga immediately put his mask back on so she couldn't see his face. His back was hurting a bit. He was already regretting his decision.
The girl's head was down and he noticed that she was rather embarrassed.
- I was in the car earlier, I heard you...He explained, looking away in case anyone was watching.
Mi So's face turned red. He saw me talking to myself...And he saw my drawing too. After a few seconds of reflection, she looked at him as if he was someone familiar. Even his voice had something her brain recognized, but not all of it. She cleared her throat and asked why he had followed her.
- I heard you. He repeated. Hongik University is not that way. Maybe I should have let you get lost. It would have saved me a lot of energy. He said mumbling, even though the girl could hear him.
Mi So looked at him blackly. She thought he was a bit rude, but the most important thing was that he caught up with her in time. If he had been just a minute late, she would have had a hard time catching up. She thanked him with a little irony and got ready to leave when she realized she had no idea where to go.
- Hmm. she said, clearing her throat again as if it were a mania. Could you indicate me the right directions then?
- Excuse me? Ah yes... You take the E line bus or the subway line 4 and get off at Hongik.
His voice had softened, but Mi So remained suspicious: the fact that he was hiding his face intimidated her a lot. Inside her chest, her heart had been beating furiously from the moment she had hit him. If her vital organ continued to drum so much, she would never be able to maintain it. She really needed to calm down. She thanked the boy sincerely and pretended to know the road ahead. She bowed to him, adjusted her portfolio holder under her arm, and scanned the nearest subway station.
Mi So looked at her watch, a little more and she would completely miss her interview.
Luckily, she was the number 1529 and with a bit of luck there would still be about a hundred people ahead of her.
Once again, Suga watched her hesitantly as she walked away. He had a very bad feeling. She didn't really seem to know where to go. He thought about it for a second and decided that he was going to bring her there himself. And after that, we both disappear on our own side…
- But...That boy...she said out loud as she squinted slightly her eyes. He reminds me of somebody-
- HEY! Screamed Suga running behind. I'll...go with you. Today I had something really important to do but I don't want to have your refusal at the University on my conscience... He gibberished through his mask. But only until the University, then you'll manage. He continued in an annoying tone that Mi So didn't like, so she might as well not get his help.
- Why would you do that? she asked raising an eyebrow. Why would you have that on your conscience anyway... She continued whispering, her head down.
- Oh but if you'd rather keep getting lost and miss your interview then too bad. Forget it. Replied Suga as he caught his breath.
Mi So rolled her eyes, it couldn't have been that important for him, if he would stop for a stranger. The boy's presence irritated her, especially since trying to understand his mumbled words made her even more annoyed. She thought he was really rude, he wanted to help her but was already complaining about having to. She thought for a few seconds before she sent him away: she couldn't manage to go by herself except by taxi, but she didn't have enough money. She sighed. She had absolutely no idea where she had to go.
- Thank you then. She said finally. Which way do we go?
He didn't answer and walked ahead. Mi So made a horrible grimace at him and hoped he hadn’t noticed it. She suddenly felt naive to follow a masked stranger with sunglasses whose name she still didn't know. But she really needed help and considered his presence more as a blessing.
They arrived at a bus stop and Mi So looked around to remember, just in case. They were the only ones at the bus shelter and she noticed that he looked relieved.
Suga wasn't sure if he was doing the right thing by helping her. If anyone found out that he was playing tour guides with a stranger, everyone would be confused. He even forgot his manners...
A blue bus with a big letter E glued to the window arrived and the boy went inside. Mi So hastened to follow him, paying attention to her drawing that kept slipping.
Suga took a 5000 Won bill out of his pocket, handed it to the driver and to Mi So's amazement, he didn't ask for change.
There were no seats left on the bus and even the small aisle was crowded. They had to keep standing. Mi So was struggling to hold all her things, and on top of that, it was so tight that they had to stick on against each other. At least he smelled good.
- Thank you, Said Mi So a little embarrassed. For the bus fare... and for coming with me.
- Give me your phone.
Mi So looked at him incomprehensibly. He had a strange way of saying "You're welcome".
- Give me your phone. I left mine in the car on the way here, I have to warn Se- uh, someone from where I'm from...
She took out her phone grunt, drew the code and gave it to him with an aggressive hand. "A word like “please” wouldn't have been unwelcomed..." she thought. Suga puffed when she saw Mi So's wallpaper: it was him on the stage of their last concert. He thought it was incredible that she didn't recognize him immediately.
From: Mi So
To: Unknown
Don't worry, I'm fine, it's Suga. I'm going to Hongik... I'll be at the dormitory not too late, don't wait for me.
As soon as the message was sent, he deleted it. "Mi So huh..." He gave the phone back to his landlord and blamed himself for not being able to tell her his name.
- You're welcome. She said informally.
If she could see through the lenses of his glasses, she would have noticed that he had big eyes.
- Why are you suddenly using the informal? he asked, shocked and a little angry.
- Because for a stranger, you're really rude. You didn't say thank you or please or anything. You're forgetting your manners, so am I. It's true, I'm grateful for your help, but afterwards you have to show some consideration...
- Are you saying that because I forgot to thank you for using your phone? Really?
- Yes, I am.
- I help you out, and I give you a ride, and you're mad at me because I didn't say "thank you" and "you're welcome"? I even paid your fee! He became indignant, and continued mumbling: "No, but of all the people on earth, I've stumbled upon a kiddo.
- Excuse me? On the other hand, the kid said thank you, more than once.
Suga opened his mouth behind his mask ready to retort but sighed when he realized she was right. She was probably six years younger than him or more, and having to admit that he had been rude gave him a strange feeling of embarrassment that he had never felt before.
But it's going to feel weird if I get more formal but she continues to speak informally… he thought.
- Very well, then. Anyway, I don't mind. He lied with a shrug. It's like talking to children, no need for titles.
Mi So hadn't listened to him for a long time already. They had finally reached their destination and she felt as if her heart had stopped beating. She had spent her senior year in high school imagining Hongik, dreaming about her department and looking at pictures on the Internet. It was so huge, it took her breath away. It looked more like a huge hotel than a university. In the end, the fact that she didn't arrive too early reassured her, she would surely have wanted to explore the place and would have ended up not finding her way back.
A cement path encrusted with yellow pebbles divided a large garden in two. It led to a large building in the shape of a giant U with a glass façade. The bushes were pruned into perfect spheres and all sorts of sculptures could be seen: a steel ballerina, a frog in an ebony lotus, a huge porcelain cup with drawings painted in blue Indian ink.
Mi So was ecstatic, she didn't know she was going to run straight into the art department when she arrived. Even Suga was fascinated by the place and regretted for a moment his college years, he had only taken online courses. As they walked, everyone turned around to see them: her because she stood out from the crowd and him because he was suspicious with his outfit.
- It's gigantic! she enthused as she dropped all her stuff.
Everything was scattered, she managed to take her masterpiece in time, but her application form had almost ended up under the shoes of a passer-by.
- Oh my God... Can't you be careful, yes?! Roared Suga helping her pick up her stuff.
Mi So had a little hiccup of surprise when she heard him using informal speech. She recognized him. That shiny brown hair and scary whitish skin, how could she not recognize him earlier? Her heart began to dance the Macarena and her stomach twisted as if a sailor were tying a knot in it.
Suga followed me, and took me back to the University. Suga from BTS followed me and took me to Hongik...And I'm probably hallucinating.
During the rest of the walk to the main building, she stared at him intensely. Everything was mixing in her brain, it had completely stopped functioning. She felt dizzy and confused but tried to keep her composure.
- Why didn't you frame this one? He asked without hiding his discomfort. It would be better protected, right? And the way you're handling it, your drawing will probably end up in a slab or something...
- Too heavy... She said, always staring at him, she thought a little less about her interview. And I probably would have broken the glass while tripping...
- And you should photocopy your application before your clumsiness takes it away. And find a way to keep your drawing, look, the edges are folded.
Indeed, the edges of her drawing were all folded and the dust had even left some brown marks in places.
- Laminating it wouldn't be a bad idea, it would look like a giant bookmark. She said without taking her eyes off of him.
They arrived at the secretariat and a lady with grey hair greeted them. Suga asked her for a favor and the person invited Mi So to follow her. "Hurry up. " he said to Mi So as he stood in the corridor. She thanked him again and hurried.
The lady took her to the teachers' office where there was a strong smell of ground coffee.
- There you can use the photocopier and also laminate your drawing. She said, handing her two large sheets of plastic she had pulled out of a cupboard. Just put the drawing inside and put it in the machine there ...
- Thank you...! The girl replied as if it was something she could do on her own.
Mi So guessed that she was a simple secretary. She had left the room - without even asking her if she needed help. It must have been the easiest thing to do then.
At least the two sheets of plastic were slightly larger than her drawing. She hoped with all her heart that it looked good and could already hear the judges say "Oh what a beautiful device, so original! ».
She took her drawing, looked at it for a few seconds, then put it in the middle of the two sheets and fed it into the machine as the lady had indicated. She had the impression that she was following a recipe. Mi So pressed the button and then took her application form out.
- Which one's the copier? She wondered as she watched two machines side by side. The big grey one or the big black one? Maybe I should call the other one and ask him? No! she said, shaking her head sharply. He'll probably call me a kid who can't do anything right or something. Eenie, meenie, miney …She sang as she pointed to the black machine at the end. Good! Mi So put the paper inside the machine and pressed the only button there was. She cracked her fingers one by one and moved towards her drawing, it must have been finished already. The sound the photocopier made was like ripping a page out of a notebook and she was surprised. She decided to get her drawing back first, the machine might have broken down and then she didn't really need a copy of her application form.
- AAAAAAH! she shouted as she saw the horror. What the heck is...
Her drawing had totally disappeared. Now it looked like a Plexiglas mini-aquarium with no fishes. You could see the scratch marks, but it had become a big blue abstract thingy. All the pastel had melted and fallen to the bottom of the paper. Mi So was on the verge of tears, she had forgotten that they were oil pastels. Behind her, the photocopier had been humming like a cat for a few seconds and worried her even more.
In the hallway, Suga was getting impatient. He thought she was taking too much time and decided to go and see what she was doing. When he found this girl, a little taller than average, with a tanned complexion and long curly hair next to the black thing, he prayed that it wasn't what he thought it was.
- Can I ask what you're doing next to the shredder?