Made In Chiang Mai

First Part

He followed again.

Chae Yoon clutched her bag tight and leaned against the rail, willing herself to be distracted by the beautiful view of the beach but also still being wary of the man she thinks is following her.

That man right now just pulled out a cigarette, leaning against the same railing.

She grimaced at the smell of the smoke.

Slowly turning her head to glance at him, she watches his side profile as he tilts his head upward, puffing a smoke into the air. He's good looking, long hair perfectly framing his perfect face, that small stubble on his jaw, that scar on his neck...

A squeak of a seagull begrudgingly pulled her out of that thought.

Sighing, she decides she had enough and thought of indulging herself in a nice, warm cup of coffee. It was the first time in a while she allowed herself to have a vacation. She didn't know what came over her when she decided to choose Thailand of all the places her colleagues suggested.

For one, she wasn't familiar with the place. The country and the culture intrigued her. It seemed like the best place to unwind and actually try out new things. For two, well, she was bold enough to go alone.

She can always figure things out. That was her job and talent. Travelling in an unfamiliar country would just be the same.

My ass, she scoffed.

She couldn't find the cafe.

Add to that the letters and words she could not read at all, let alone anything that comes out from the locals' lips here.

She's lost.

"I should've went for that group tour package," she laments to herself, standing in the middle of the road congested with people walking and selling and driving bikes and tricycles.

Just then.

"Oh!" She shrieked, feeling a scratching pain in her arm as her bag got brutally snatched from her hold, the figure running out of the view and dissolving into the crowd.

A few people who never bothered to help her out simply looked at her, panicking and crying out. She then pushed people out of her way in an attempt to trail the snatcher.

He was wearing a Hawaiian shirt.

She was sure of it.

It was maroon.

Everything went in a blur, every blood in her veins rushing, mind blank, own eyes looking everywhere. To her rapid disappointment, she lost sight of him.

Chae Yoon begins to walk weakly, pulling her hair and thinking how much that bag actually cost. She used half of her paycheck to gift herself that on her birthday — a lonely, winter night in her apartment.

She spots a place that looked like it catered food. She still has her phone and a few bills on her pocket so she decided to walk towards it, feeling her stomach softly rumble in hunger.

But..

She spots a familiar one again. Same shirt, similar build.

Smoking at one of the stalls, seemingly conversing with the vendor in a casual manner.

It was him!

Her legs ran towards the man himself, hands flying and grabbing him by his back to turn him to her. Chae Yoon's eyes that held fury met his surprised ones and she didn't waste time to pay another second to look at him.

Skip the pleasantries.

"Give me my bag back you bastard," she speaks in an angered tone in Korean.

Min Tae Gu sputters, almost chuckling in an attempt to elevate the mood but ended up futile. "Ma'am I—"