Namjoon Likes Black Girls • Namjoon Centric •

9

.Zaina.

"Hey mama." I picked up my phone as I walked past some shops. I tried not to trail the busy Seoul streets, and instead found myself in the backroads with the local shops and slums.

"How's everything? You settling alright?" My mom asked. I hummed in response.

"Things have been good over here. You missing me yet?" I chuckled, finding myself becoming attracted by a sweet waffle smell.

"Chile." She smacked her lips, making me chuckle. "Anyway, where you been staying?"

"I've been in a hotel. I'm living and eating well, don't worry." I smiled, slowly gravitating towards the food stand that held that waffle scent. It was ice cream on a hot waffle in a cup. God, that sounds so good right now.

"You better be. It's hard to catch a good time to call you with the time difference. But you better not be talking to nobody. Don't get in anybody's car, don't give anybody your phone number, don't give anybody money or take money from anybody. And you need to call me more often."

"I know, I'll try to call and text more. I know that you were afraid of me traveling so far alone, but I can promise you that I'm good." I tried to assure her the best that I could.

"I trust that you're responsible enough to get yourself out of a dangerous situation. So I'm not too worried."

"You're giving me too much credit." I tsked, walking to stand in line in front of the food stand. "I gotta go, I'm gonna get some lunch."

"Fine fine, I love you."

"I love you too mama, bye bye."

"Bye." I hung up my phone and tucked it into my pocket as I eagerly waited in line. I noticed a sign with prices and prepared money to pay for the treat. I used the best of my broken Korean to order one, happily handing over the money and receiving the snack in return, I excitedly turned around to keep walking down the street, only to almost walk into a man. I bowed out a sorry and walked around him.

"Not going to say hi?" The man spoke fluent English, not even an accent. He sounded Californian, even. I looked over my shoulder at him, I've never seen him before. But whoever he was, I was really uncomfortable with how he looked at me. I just turned back around to keep walking, but of course, he followed behind me. "Are you lost or something?"

"Can you stop following me, please?" I mumbled back at him.

"I don't know." He tsked. "I kinda like my view." I'd never felt so uncomfortable than with this man following me. So I purposely tried to walk to the busy streets of Seoul, hoping that maybe someone would notice, or maybe he'd get discouraged acting like this in public.

I didn't get far before he caught me in a dark patch between some buildings. He pinned me against a wall, a hand beside my head as he hovered over me and pressed his body close to mine.

"Why are you running from me? I just want to talk." He indiscreetly checked me out.

"Dude can you just leave me alone? I'm not interested!" I snapped. I'm not letting this random dude think that he can just control me just because he's tall and creepy. He looked young, he was actually a little cute. He was probably one of those guys that tried trick foreigners into sleeping with them.

"You can't answer a question with a question." He chuckled as I was already walking away from him. I didn't come here to socialize, I came for the waffle snack that I practically lost my appetite for at this point. "Where are you from? America?" He walked after me. I sighed and just decided to put my headphones in and ignore him. I started back to my hotel, hoping that I could lose him on the way.