And All That Could Have Been [HIATUS]

009

This is weird. Like super weird. It is literally written on my face that I am a tourist, so why is this guy asking me for directions ? Seriously I am tired, I walked so much today that my body is starting to hurt everywhere and I can not wait to get back home for a hot shower. So if he does not stop bothering me in the next thirty seconds, Mr Do-You-Want-to-Know-More-About-Korean-Culture is going to get a healthy dose of my European charm. Why would I even want to follow him off the street ? I almost feel insulted that I look like someone who would go with a stranger. Helloooo.

Desperate situations call for drastic measures because I am not sure I can shake this guy loose. Plus he is starting to creep me out, so I take my phone out to call Ethan, pretending he is my boyfriend (definitely never going to hear the end of this). He answers on the first ring and I speak very loudly when I exclaim I am almost at the place we said we would meet. Mr Creepy apparently gets the hint and gives up on pestering me, but I stay on the phone with Ethan just to be safe.

"Maybe I overreacted, after all, he could be just a lost college student, but my instinct was screaming at me to go as far as possible from him, and you know I have this weird sixth sense about people, so when I feel someone's wrong I just can't ignore it, but maybe I went too far —"

"It is ok girl, you're fine ! Breeaaathe." I listen to him exhale and do the same on my end of the phone, calming a bit. "You with me now ?"

Obviously, this encounter has shaken me a lot more than I realised. Thank God for Ethan, at this moment he is the only thing helping me retain my sanity in the midst of all this mess.

"Take my mind off things, Ethan, tell me anything... Say, what are you doing ?"

"Well, funny you would ask ! Remember Young-Jae, who took us to the night club party on Tuesday ? I may be having an early evening drink in Incheon with him, right now."

The next few moments are a jumble of scratchy noises and indistinguishable words, as if Ethan is covering his phone. Considering the muffled sounds, he is definitely bringing Young-Jae up to speed on my latest encounter.

"Hello ? You still there ? So Young-Jae says that the person you met definitely wasn't lost, apparently, there are these cults here that use this pretence to scam people. Count yourself lucky you didn't fall into their grip !"

"Hmm, I never realized Young-Jae was this fluent in English."

"You music people always are using English words ! Is it that much of a surprise we can converse easily? Though I am hurt you don't acknowledge my mad Korean skills... What do we go to class for every morning, if not this ?" He scoffs on the phone, but it does not take more than a few reassuring words to win him back. "Anyway, he says that next time you meet this kind of person, be extra careful and move away fast, sometimes they tend to follow their prey."

"Wow okay, this is super scary. I am sorry I interrupted your date, but thank you for being there for me Ethan."

"Of course, us foreigners have to stick together ! Take care babe, see you tomorrow !"

By the end of our conversation, I am only a few streets away from home with no sign of M. Creepy having followed me. Still a bit spooked by what happened, mad at being preyed on and on top of that, hating to feel this vulnerable on the street, I retrieve from my backpack a face mask I bought a few days ago. With my sunglasses on and the mask, plus headphones blaring in my ears, I am basically wearing my fuck-off uniform. If this does not keep unwelcome entreaties away, nothing else will. Damn cult weirdo, completely ruined my day...

A day that had started so well actually, as this morning I woke up in a grand mood, wanting to explore a bit further than downtown Seoul. It may have been a grey Sunday morning, but I would not let a handful of clouds ruin my mood. So as I enjoyed a cup of tea with my breakfast, muscles still a bit sore from my out-of-bed-and-onto-the-mat daily yoga practice, I looked for ideas or new discovery itineraries on various travel blogs.