Hearts in Seoul ✧

xii

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warning: dark themes.

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The day of the opening was fast approaching. Kayleigh wanted to buy something in preparation for her big day. Agreeing to become the J-Alpha's muse in a prestigious league came with a price, and Kayleigh knew it, even before she agreed. Being a good kid that she was, she didn't want the J-Alpha to spend too much money on her. Hence, she decided to go yo a mall and buy a few makeup products for herself to prepare for her, or rather the whole Hangkuk National University's, big day.

So, Kayleigh surmised to go to Starfield COEX Mall to buy a few things she needed. There were a number of problems she had to surmount though. These were how, what, and most importantly, when.

Roisin was a busy woman and had quite a lot on her plate, and asking her to help her with picking out makeup products would just add further stress on her, especially because she had been constantly staying all night studying for the past days. In addition to that, Roisin also loved spending too much money, and she feared that bringing Roisin along would cause a strain on their finances. So, the only time she really had time for herself to purchase her equipment was at night, when Roisin dozed off.

And since the opening was a few days away, she deduced that she had to go tonight. So when Roisin was fast asleep, she slipped into her black hoodie and grey sweatpants and glid into the darkness of the night. Now that she solved one-third of the problem, she had no means of transportation and only had enough cash to buy the makeup so she had no choice but to travel by foot.

She checked her phone for directions to Starfield COEX Mall and it was roughly a twenty-minute walk. Kayleigh didn't mind the walking, but she certainly was terrified of walking at night and in a country so foreign to her. As much as she wanted to contact Jacob, she realised that he was occupied with a project that was due the following week and she realised that doing so may add another burden. On the other hand, He-Jin, at this hour, was probably asleep and waking her up to accompany her was probably a selfish move for her to make.

Deciding it was best to take-off now, before it got too late, she fixed her hoodie and headed to Starfield COEX Mall, using the shortest possible route.

Little did she know, however, that the shortest possible route was actually one that was avoided by many as it was the most dangerous way.

Justin secretly followed Kayleigh as she walked alone to a mall. Judging from the way she jumped at every sound, she was terrified of walking alone. He would have thought that Jacob would accompany her, but to his luck,  she was alone and perhaps, scared.

He didn't expect Kayleigh to take the most dangerous route. He was familiar with the surroundings, not because he lived in Korea, but because he had been coiled in gang fights with rival gangs within the area in the past. Not to brag or anything, but of course, the J-Alpha had won over anyone who challenged them; including the one who apparently reigned the area.

"Hey, pretty chick," Justin heard a man say, which stopped Kayleigh in her tracks. "You lookin' for a good man?"

A filthy mouth that guy had.

"No. I need to go," Kayleigh spoke through gritted teeth, as she excused herself from the man.

Justin witnessed the number of men multiple, who all now encircled Kayleigh. Justin recognised their faces and he remembered punching one of the members' faces to almost-death.

Another member spoke in fluent Korean, to which Kayleigh pulled a puzzled face. "It means no, honey. I don't think it's okay for you to leave without being of use," another member answered, whistling as he eyed her body top to bottom. "I see that you are a foreigner. Where from?"

"None of your business," Kayleigh fumed. "Leave me alone."

Kayleigh proceeded to walk past the barricade the five men built with their bodies, but unfortunately, to no avail. Kayleigh had no choice but to kick two of the men on their shins, temporarily incapacitating them, allowing her to flee. Unfortunately, the other two caught up with her, pulling her by the hair and to the floor. The leader seemed to have pinned her to the floor, clasping her in between his thighs and fastening her hands above her head.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Kayleigh screamed.

"Oi, chaps. Y'all haven't learned your lesson from us back then, yeah? I figured you wouldn't want your faces bruised again. Chicks wouldn't come near yah," Justin walked in, balling his fists.

The gang surrounding Kayleigh froze in surprise, while the man on top covered her mouth. Justin looked at Kayleigh, who was now freely crying below the man. Her eyes were glassy and pleading for help.

"Justin, long time no see. Hope you've been getting enough money for your gang," the leader, who sat on top of her, shot back.

"Hope you're ready to get your asses kicked. You lads lucky I got no backup, but that girl right there is quite fiery if I say so myself."

Two men approached Justin, starting the fistfight and Justin had no problem knocking the two men down. Kayleigh took this chance to kick the man in his sensitive area, which caused him to squeak in pain. Justin took care of the remaining two, bruising their face badly and knocking them unconscious.

Kayleigh shook as she held Justin's arm for support. The two locked eyes for a moment and ran away hand-in-hand before any of the men woke up from their unexpected slumber.

"You okay? Those bastards are wannabees. They try to keep up with the J-Alpha but they're shit at it," Justin growled, as he dusted his shirt.

"Yeah. Thank you," Kayleigh thanked. "You know them?"

"Yes. They're one of the rival gangs in the area. Ghostbusters they call themselves. Shit name, not gonna lie," Justin sarcastically remarked.

Suddenly, droplets of rain started to fall from the sky and thunder became apparent. The two looked at each other. "What? It shouldn't be raining at this hour?"

"Have you checked the weather forecast properly, Kayleigh? There should be a storm right now. Man, what a great day."

"Uhh, no," she blushed, as the rain started to become more violent, soaking both Justin and Kayleigh. "What do we do now?"

"I don't have a car. Unless you wanna walk back to campus in soaking clothes for twenty minutes, we can go."

"How did you get here without a car?"

"Same as you. I was walking. Extra cardio," he explained. "Let's go to that hotel over there for some shelter. The storm should die down early in the morning."

Kayleigh was hesitant at first. She had never been in a serious relationship with a guy, let alone be with a man. "Come on, unless you want to stay out here and catch a cold."

Before Kayleigh could answer, Justin grabbed her hand and led her to the nearest hotel. The hotel staff greeted them warmly and the two made their way to the reception.

Justin spoke to the woman behind the counter in Korean. Both had the look of worry painted in their face, and Kayleigh knew, judging by the strong howls, that the storm wouldn't pass until the next day.

"Are you okay with staying together overnight? They only have one room left for us. I won't do anything, promise."

Kayleigh hesitantly nodded her head, as Justin led her to their hotel room, hands clasped as they walked.

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