Wick | 민윤기

One

3 September 2016

Seoul wasn't normally so cold in the fall. It was usually accompanied by thick humidity that drenched anyone as soon as they stepped out the door. But that was quickly fixed by the oncoming winter that would freeze everyone into a block of ice.

Still, she was surprised by the temperature. She was inside, but an ominous breeze wafted through the beads hanging in the door threshold. It carried with it not only the cold but also the mingled scents of wax and other things she had worked hours on. The store was empty at that time of night, but she found that she couldn't sleep most of the time so she stayed open.

Sometimes drunken college kids ventured in to buy some candles for absolutely no reason other than they were hammered. She felt safer with the door open and rarely closed or locked it, even when she retreated into the back where she lived in a small room.

Her life was quiet and comfortable. That is, until a handsome stranger darted into her shop and ruined everything. His breathing was heavy, blonde hair flopping all over the place as he ran inside, momentarily checking behind his back.

This alarmed her, but she had no time to react as he slid around the counter and fell to his ass, pressing his back against the shelves below. She looked down at the man sitting by her legs with wide-eyes and stumbled back.

"What are you—"

"Shh!" He pressed a desperate finger to his lips and gestured for her to act as if he wasn't there. Moments later, a large and intimidating man sauntered into her store. His muscles were bulging to the point where it looks like he was on steroids. His eyes were cold as they examined the candles and scented products around him.

She stared up at him in fear, trying not to shake so much as to give away the man at her feet. He would definitely die if she screwed up. The large man peered down at her and leaned forward to check behind the counter. He heart pounded faster with each inch he came closer, but it seemed the other man was too pressed against the back for him to see because he pulled back.

"You seen a skinny little blonde around here?" he asked gruffly.

She shook her head quickly, hands nervously playing with each other. "No—no, sir."

He only stared at her for a moment longer, but it felt like years. His eyes seemed to burn with the flames of hell, such a contrast to the peaceful scents that she lit in her store. His face was clean-shaven but riddled with tattoos.

Finally, he turned around. "Have a nice night, miss."

She let out the breath she'd been holding and used one hand to steady herself on the wooden counter. One hand was pressed to her heart as if that would calm it faster. Her bright eyes met the blonde man's dark ones, who was still on the ground.

"Is he gone?" he mouthed, the only sound being his tongue and lips moving.

She nodded, still wary of the newcomer. He sighed and stood up before brushing his jacket and jeans with his hands as if her floor was dusty. In reality, she cleaned it more than three times a day. He reached into his pocket and fished out a pack of cigarettes while nodding at her. "That was some good teamwork back there."

He placed the end of one into his mouth, only then noticing the bewildered look on her face. "Oh, right. I'm Yoongi. There. Now we ain't strangers no more," he said, the last part being a lewd allusion to Forrest Gump.

The girl pressed her lips together and he couldn't tell if she was suppressing a laugh or if his presence just scared her. Maybe it was the huge gangster he'd attracted to her shop. "Don't mind that guy," he advised with nonchalance and scanned the store. He was just now actually looking at it. Outside, he just needed a place to hide, but this actually had a nice atmosphere. "I kinda owe him some money."

Yoongi realized he was still standing behind the counter and it wasn't his shop, nor did he work there. With a tiny dip of his head, he walked around to stand by the wall where rows of scented candles hung on sconces that he noticed were also for sale upon further inspection.

He turned back to the girl to find her just staring at him with a worried expression. One would think he was part of circus freak show. And she hadn't said one word to him. How rude, he thought. "Want one?" he offered, holding up his pack.

She quickly shook her head. "I'm good, thanks."

"Smart girl," he rasped and pulled a lighter out of his pocket. "Smoking is bad for you."

Her pulse quickened hearing that—she recalled saying the exact same thing once when she was younger. She stood a bit straighter after this thought. She had changed a lot since then.

By her short height and quiet demeanor, he would have guessed that she was still in high school, but her slightly foreign features were clearly not that of such a young person. He thought she might be around his age or a bit younger.

He saw her eyes narrow at his comment and only kept his gaze trained on hers as he brought the lighter to the end of the cigarette and was about to flick the flame on.

She reached a hand out, though they were too far for her to actually touch him. "Oh, um—no smoking in the store."

Yoongi let out an exasperated sigh and let his hand fall away, though the tone of authority in her voice piqued his interest some. "Fine," he muttered around the butt in his mouth. "Thanks for letting me hide here. Dueces."

He turned and walked to the door of the shop, but stopped there before the beads. He pondered the possibility that the gangster was hiding outside somewhere waiting for him to come out. "You wouldn't happen to sell invisibility cloaks, would you?" he called over his shoulder, having to take the cigarette out of his mouth.

She was still watching him closely but only shrugged. "Nope. Just candles." A small apologetic smile tugged at her lips and he had to purse his to keep from grinning.

"Thanks anyway." Yoongi pulled his hood over his head and kept his head down as he ventured into the night once again.

He left her with many questions, among them being: why am I attracted to this loser?