Summer In Seoul Chapter 1 Part1

Sorry for the late update!

ONE Part 1/2

“NOW, I'm still on the way … Um, I just got home from work … I know it's already ten o'clock … Yes, eighteen minutes past ten. Up to you.”

Sandy stepped slowly. One hand held a cellphone tacked to the ear, and the other hand waved a small red handbag. She exhaled exaggeratedly and frowned. Right now, the last person she wants to talk to is Lee Jeong-Su, but the man instead called her and acted like a protective lover.

“Jeong-Su, just end it here, ok? I'm very tired…” Sandy interrupted Lee Jeong-Su's talks and hung up immediately. Once again, she let out a long breath, then looked at her cellphone irritably.

Why were there many unpleasant problems today? This morning she had a problem with one of the company's clients, her boss scolded her, and finally had to work overtime till this late.

Sandy was getting annoyed when she remembered what she had experienced all day. But she was too tired to get angry. All the bones in her body hurt and her brain couldn't to think. Again, she exhaled deeply.

This is not the first time Sandy had had to work late at night, but today she had decided to stop working for that fashion designer. Her work really took time and effort, so there was no more energy left to concentrate on her lecture in the morning.

She stopped and sighed. “I'm gonna be crazy!” She murmured to herself.

Sandy looked around her. The city of Seoul still hadn't shown signs of drowsiness. Buildings along the road seemed to be competing to illuminate the entire city, persuading people to enjoy the beauty of summer night atmosphere in the amazing capital of South Korea. Even though she had lived in Seoul for years, Sandy was still amazed at the atmosphere of this city. The clock had already shown ten o'clock, but the streets were still filled with pedestrians and pa.s.sing cars. The smell of food smelled from the j.a.panese restaurant in front of it, the disco song was heard vaguely from the music shop beside it, the voices of people talking, shouting and laughing.

Suddenly Sandy felt a headache. Then her gaze stopped at the snack shop across the street. After pondering for a moment, she nodded and murmured, “Alright,” as if giving up on the debate she was doing alone.

Sandy crossed the road at a fast pace, as fast as possible a pair of legs that hadn't been resting for the past eight hours, and entered the store. After greeting the shop owner's aunty she had known for a long time, Sandy walked straight to the crisper shelf.

“Now, Soon-Hee, there was a problem in the office?” Asked the shop owner's aunty after seeing five large packs of potato chips Sandy had put on the counter.

Sandy smiled shyly. “Ah, it's nothing. I'm just feeling a little stressed.” She opened her handbag and looked for the wallet. Where is the wallet?

“Wait a minute, Auntie. I am very sure I have put the wallet in…” Sandy rummaged through the contents of her handbag, then spilled all the contents into the cashier's desk. Now, in addition to five packs of potato chips, there were a small comb, a rather shabby little book, a ballpoint pen with a missing cover, solid powder, lipgloss, key, folding umbrella, three coins, red handkerchief, cellphone, two shopping receipt sheets that already dull, empty candy wrap, and hair clips.

“Why isn't here?” Sandy muttered as continuing to search. Left at home? This means that all day she didn't realize she wasn't carrying a wallet?

Suddenly she heard a cellphone ring. Sandy glanced at her cellphone lying on the counter. Oh, it's not her cellphone that rings.

“Have you arrived home? … Yes, I'll be there soon.”

Sandy turned her head towards that low-pitched sound. The voice belonged to the white-chlothes man who stood behind her. Apparently the cellphone's sound before was the sound of the man's. Now, Sandy saw the man closes the cellphone and put it in the pocket of his trousers. One hand held a small basket of five bottles of soju*.

(TN: Korean's special alcohol)

That man with gla.s.ses was young, maybe he was around the late twenties or early thirties, his face was handsome and his appearance was as neat as someone who had an important position in a large company.

The man looked at Sandy, then smiled pleasantly. O-oh. It was the first time Sandy had seen such a charming smile. The smile made her fatigue seems to evaporate without a trace. The smile was very charming, very …

Sandy shook her head to clear her mind and returned to focusing on the items scattered on the counter.

Suddenly Sandy felt her hands patted. She lifted her face and saw the shop owner's aunty smiling at her and said, “Soon-Hee, what if the master pays for his purchases first?”

Sandy looked at the shop owner's aunty, then turned towards the man standing behind her. “Oh, yes. Sorry.” Sandy stepped aside and the man stepped forward.

“How much?” The man asked as placing the basket he was holding on the table. Suddenly a cellphone sounded again.

Sandy's head began to hurt like being stabbed. She was very tired and now the sound of that man's cellphone almost made her lose control.

The man pulled the cellphone out of his pant's pocket and glanced at it briefly. Then he put the cellphone on the counter and reached into the other pocket again. He took out a different cellphone, it turned out that the second cellphone was ringing loudly.

Gosh, answer the phone quickly! One cellphone had made a headache, why do you have to have two? Sandy thought as she ma.s.saged her temple.

The man paid the groceries while still talking on the cellphone, then walked to the door. Suddenly he turned and took the other cellphone that he had been placed at the counter before. “Sorry,” he murmured with a smile to the aunty and Sandy.

That smile again…, a smile that can warm even a frozen heart.

Wait, what were those words? Sandy closed her eyes and when she opened her eyes again, the man had walked outside and entered the white sedan parked in front of the shop.

Because Sandy still couldn't find her wallet, the shop owner's aunty allowed her to pay tomorrow. Sandy rea.s.sembled the items scattered on the counter while repeatedly bending deeply as a sign of grat.i.tude and apology.

Once out of the shop, Sandy immediately opened a packet of chips and began to eat. “Now go home,” she said to herself.

Finished saying that, her cellphone rang. At that moment she condemned the day the cellphone was created. Actually she didn't want to answer it because she felt she had to save her energy for the trip home, but that d.a.m.n object kept screaming for appointment. Finally Sandy gave up and furiously rummaged through her bag to find it before herself would scream hysterically in the middle of the road.

“h.e.l.lloo!” Sandy wanted to be angry, but on the contrary her voice sounded desperate.

There was no answer from the other end. Is that person mute or what?

“h.e.l.lo? Who is this? Please talk … h.e.l.lo? h.e.l.lOO?”

Sandy was just about to close the call when there was a sound of a doubtful man on the other side.

“Sorry … isn't this Tae-Woo's cellphone?”

And, who was that person?

“You've dialed the wrong number. This is Han Soon-Hee's cellphone…” Sandy said curtly and immediately closed the cellphone flap loudly.

(TN: Fyi, the cellphones that all characters use in this novel are a flap cellphone because when this novel created, there wasn't an android yet, maybe still in depelopment.)

Sandy looked at her cellphone while biting her lip full of resentment. “Can't you let me calm down a little bit?” She was about to pull out the cellphone's battery when she felt she had to call her mother to tell her that she would be home soon. Even though Sandy lives in Seoul and her parents are in Jakarta, they often call and check her whereabouts. Earlier her mother had already called to ask why Sandy had not arrived home yet.

She opened her cellphone again and pressed the number one which would be directly connected to her parents's house in Jakarta, but she was surprised to see the writing on her cellphone screen after she pressed the number. Not the words “Jakarta House” which was listed as usual, but the name “Park Hyun-Shik” instead. Sandy quickly cut the call and was stunned.

Sandy looked at the cellphone she was holding. Indeed it was her cellphone, at least the shape and color were exactly the same as her cellphone. She opened the telephone list on her cellphone and gawked at names she did not recognize. Her tired brain is forced to think.

Earlier in the aunty's shop, all her items were scattered on the cashier's desk, including the cellphone. When the man's cellphone who was standing behind her rang for the first time, she thought her own cellphone that ringing because their cellphone ringtones were the same.

Then the man's second cellphone rang. He put his first cellphone on the counter and took out the second cellphone. So, on the cashier's desk there were his cellphone and Sandy's cellphone.

Sandy remembered the cellphone's shape that was placed on the table has the same design like her's. Before leaving the shop, the man turned to take his first cellphone left on the counter. And now, Sandy holds the cellphone with a list of names she doesn't know.

Her brain began to digest what was happening. It means … means … that person had taken the wrong cellphone! That man took Sandy's cellphone.

Sandy beat her chest and groaned desperately. “How can it be? Ouch, I'm gonna be crazy. Crazy!” She looked right and left. His car was out of sight. Sandy felt her body almost collapse to the ground. She feels like crying. Where should she look for that person?

Suddenly an idea appeared in her brain that was almost paralyzed. Her cellphone is on his hand, right? That means Sandy can call him to her cellphone and he will answer. A handful of energy reappeared. She called him with his cellphone that she was holding.

Sandy walked back and forth on the edge of the road nervously as waiting for her call to be connected. “Answer quickly, please … ans-? h.e.l.lo?”