Taewon-She Was Crying

'Debt?' I asked. 'What did you owe us?'

'And Mr. Heo Jan,' she continued, ignoring me. What a spiteful woman.

'I'll bring out some ointment for the bruise. I am truly sorry for hurting you unintentionally.'

She knelt in apology. Jan looked flabbergasted.

'Oh no please don't,' he replied politely. 'It was my fault. I didn't know people moved in here.'

'Just a minute please,' she said and went in. She returned with some cotton, alcohol packs and ointment.

'Here,' she said, handing those to Jan. 'I am sorry for this. If you need to go to the doctor, I'll pay for it.'

'We can afford our own doctors,' I shot at her. 'You should watch you back.'

She ignored me again. Joonjae tugged at me.

'Don't lose your cool,' he muttered. He turned to the girl. 'Miss...' he started. 'What is your name?'

'Mia,' she replied.

'Miss Mia,' he said. 'Another thing. We would appreciate it if you don't say anything about our encounter to any fans nor put it up on any public platforms. In fact, please pretend you never met us. It can turn into an unnecessary scandal and will affect you as well.'

The girl nodded.

'I know,' she said. 'Don't worry. We won't say anything.'

Joonjae knelt down and faced the kid. He smiled and held out a hand.

'And may I know your name?' he asked.

The kid hesitated.

'Kid,' I said. 'He asked you something. Didn't your mother teach you how to reply to elders?'

He shot me a dirty look and turned to Joonjae.

'Deen,' he replied.

'Deen,' Joonjae said, smiling warmly at the kid. 'Is it okay if you don't tell your friends or anyone else about tonight's incident? Ahjusshi and your mother only had a misunderstanding. But if this goes out, people might say bad things to you guys. You don't want that, right?'

The kid shook his head.

'Pinky promise?' Joonjae asked, holding up his little finger. The kid smiled and wrapped his pinky around Joonjae's.

'Pinky promise,' he whimpered.

As if he will ever keep it in his puny stomach, I thought bitterly. I glared at the girl. I was sure she would be blabbing the whole thing to the world by tomorrow. I mean, who wouldn't say that they met D3?

Joonjae got up.

'We should go,' he said, tugging my arm. The girl and her 'kid' were heading back in.

'If you say one word to anyone,' I said to her retreating figure. 'I'll make sure your stay in Korea becomes very difficult.'

She turned.

'Who are you mister?' she asked in a mocked sweetness. 'I don't remember ever meeting you.'

I gritted my teeth. I knew she would be bragging about it. I wasn't deceived.

'Let's go,' I ordered the others. We all turned to leave.

'That kid is probably the spawn of Satan himself,' Jan said as we walked down the alleyway. 'Scared the daylights out of me.'

'You were the one stupid enough to believe that he was a ghost,' Joonjae said. Jan filled us in on the whole incident.

'Don't blame him,' I said, feeling irritated. 'That sasaeng moved in that house only to stalk us. I'm telling you, they aren't mother-son.'

'Uhh, hyung,' Jan said. 'I think you're being paranoid. She didn't look like a sasaeng. Besides, it's not uncommon for many women to have children at a young age.'

'Well, where's her husband then?' I countered. 'A foreigner, living as a single mother in Korea? Oh please. I don't buy her nonsense.'

'I still think it was all just a misunderstanding,' Jan implored.

'You're saying that coz you think she's pretty,' I snapped.

'Can't deny she is,' Jan teased. 'You think I have a chance with her? She's our fan anyway.'

Ugh. There was no stopping to his lovesickness.

'Well,' Joonjae said. 'I don't think she'll say anything. But we can't totally rule out the fact that she might be a stalker. Given that she readily settled. Either that or she has a lot of pride.'

'Pride my ass,' I snorted. 'She was just trying to make herself look righteous. Bloody two-face.'

'We'll know that in a few days,' Joonjae said thoughtfully. 'We'll have to keep an eye on all known fandom forums. In case any rumors spread.'

I nodded. I just couldn't trust that woman. We walked home, debating our next move. It wasn't until I was ready to go to bed that I recalled something.

In that alleyway, the girl wasn't shaking against the wall. She was crying.