Magic Shop

It never made me nervous to run through the park in Seoul on brisk, cool mornings like today. Something I would have never said back home when I was living in the US. Despite the fact that I lived in a nice neighborhood, I would never venture out alone when it was dark. Today, it was nice to have some alone time where I could think. The sun hadn’t quite come up yet but the sky had started turning a bright orange and pink color just on the horizon. I loved watching the sunrise. It was almost as enjoyable as watching it set, knowing my day was winding down and I could go home to relax.

I worked as a WebToon English proofreader. I loved comics and everything about them. When I heard about the job, I immediately applied. I had savings built up that allowed me to travel here, find a comfortable apartment, and live on somewhat of a budget. My apartment was spacious and in a nice neighborhood. Luckily, or maybe unlucky, I mostly worked from home. I rarely went into the office and when I did the only people I had any conversations with were my supervisors who all needed translators except one. His name was Henry. He was Australian and extremely young. He was friendly and welcomed me warmly but I hadn’t made any friends in the two months that I’d been here.

There were already several people out for walks, runs, on bikes, and just out with their families in the park. I enjoyed running next to the river, although there was rarely anyone out there this time of day. All of the water and water sports enthusiasts wouldn’t be showing up for another few hours. Some days I would come back at later hours just to watch. Sometimes they had light shows and other special events along the water. I enjoyed everything about living here. Even in close quarters with other people. It made me feel safe. Cocooned into a web full of people who may be able to help at any given moment. However, I was a foreigner and I did not speak Korean so it made it a bit harder to make friends. Most people were friendly enough and some even spoke English but there were no offers of friendship so far.

I had the day off today. I had a normal routine for my days off but decided maybe today should be a little different. Instead of getting my coffee and heading home, I wanted to explore the city a little. I had heard a lot of good things about the Starfield Coex Mall and it was so large that I could probably spend most of my day shopping. When I arrived, I wasn’t expecting the massive structure before me but it was even more impressive on the inside. There were two extremely massive bookshelves full of books and several more lining the aisles. One of my favorite pastimes is reading so this felt like heaven.

There were tons of shops but I was so mesmerized by all the books that I approached one of the bookshelves and just started scanning through all the titles one by one, starting from the bottom and going up until my eyes could no longer see the rest before moving to the next row. I had probably already spent twenty minutes being lost in all of the books before I heard someone next to me clear their throat.

I looked over to see a handsome young man, probably a bit younger than me, with perfect teeth and a cute set of dimples. He was wearing a black ball cap, an overly large black shirt, and a pair of black sweats. He looked extremely familiar.

With an Australian accent the man spoke, “You know you’ll be here all day if you’re going to look at every single one, right?”

Cheeks flushed from embarrassment, I replied, “Oh, I was just checking out some that were on the bottom. I was about to go.”

He chuckled. “Don’t go on my account. I’m Chris, by the way. You sound American. What brings you to Seoul?”

“Oh, sorry, I’m Emily. I’m here for work. I help with English translations on WebToons.” I felt like I should keep making conversation with him. He was so friendly and the first person to really show any interest in my life at all since I’d been here. “What do you do for work, Chris?”

I didn’t expect him to burst out laughing like he did. Maybe I offended him? I really didn’t mean to. Maybe I’d just lost my chance at my only potential friend.

He saw my frown and his face immediately straightened, “Oh, it’s okay. Just refreshing. I’m an idol. Have you heard of the K-pop band Stray Kids?”

My eyes went wide, realizing that he was the leader of the international sensation. “Oh my, I’m so sorry that I didn’t recognize you. I’ve heard your music. It’s really good but I’m sorry, I don’t really follow K-pop groups regularly.”

He smiled the brightest smile. “That’s okay. I’m glad you at least like it. I know you said you’re working here. Do you plan to stay for long? And have you made any friends?”

“I’m hoping to stay as long as they’ll have me. Even then, I may just look for another job here. I love this city. But no, I’ve been here for two months and I haven’t made any friends. I don’t speak Korean so I think that’s part of the problem. You’re one of the few people I’ve talked to.”

“Well, Emily, you’re in luck. I have the day off today and I have no plans. Have you eaten yet? I know a good ramen place. After that, we can go to a shop that other idol friends of mine own. I bet they would really like you.”

“Okay,” I said, a bit nervous. I was prepared to make one new friend but multiple in one day. And from the way he said it, I didn’t think he meant girls. I’d like at least one girl to have as a friend while here.

To my surprise, he took my hand with a smile and pulled me away from the books. He laughed at my perplexed look.

“Cute” he muttered under his breath.

Nobody really paid attention to the two of us walking down the street hand in hand. It felt strange to be holding a stranger’s hand to a new destination. If I didn’t have some idea of who he was, I may not have agreed to it. I still wasn’t sure if I should. Just because he’s an idol, does that really make him less dangerous? Would I just follow any guy who was good-looking, paid attention to me, and wanted to be friends? Maybe I needed therapy but I felt like I should take a chance.

As Chris sat down across from me at the ramen place, he told me to order anything I wanted, his treat, and that he was sorry that I hadn’t really gotten a proper introduction into the country.

The entire restaurant smelled divine. I had to admit, I really was hungry. I hadn’t thought about how awkward it was going to be sipping noodles in front of this handsome man before I agreed to it but at least he’d be doing the same.

When the waiter came, Chris ordered one of the spicier items on the menu but told me there was no pressure to do the same. He pointed out that there was a dry garlic ramen on the menu that wasn’t spicy at all that he really enjoyed. I decided to take his recommendation and I was glad that I did. It was extremely delicious and I didn’t have to worry about any juice getting all over me. Chris wasn’t so lucky. In fact, he made a little bit of a mess but instead of being self-conscious, he just laughed along with me. Part of me wished he wasn’t an idol so we could truly be friends and spend some time together. He showed so much kindness to me and seemed like a genuinely good person.

“So,” he asked once he was done with his ramen, “have you enjoyed our time out so far? I know you said you liked it in the country but you need friends to really enjoy it.”

“I definitely have. I know we just met but are we friends? Or did you feel sad for me that I had none?”

He thought for a moment. “Hmm, well, I didn’t know you didn’t have friends when I approached you so it can’t be that, right? I have to admit, I was watching you for a while. I thought about seeing how long you’d stand there looking at all those books but then I thought by how long I’d been watching that you’d be there all day if I didn’t intervene.”

I chuckled. “I probably would have been. I really love books.”

“That’s good to know. Maybe I’ll get you one for Christmas. And yes, we are friends. I do have a busy schedule but I can make some time for you. Is that okay?”

My heart was bursting at the seams. Christmas was still two months away so he planned on having me in his life for a while. I really wanted to get up, do a happy dance and give him a giant hug but instead, I settled on replying with, “I would love that!”

“Good,” he smiled, “and as your, well, best friend now I expect you to tell me everything. All your secrets from now on and I’ll keep them. And I’ll do the same. I need a friend outside of the music industry. I love the other members like family but we do need breaks.”

“I completely understand,” I said, although I really didn’t have that issue with my family. I loved being with them but we had always had our time away from each other where we came back together as a whole unit. “That may have been a little selfish of me. I just wanted to clear up that I was your best friend before you made a new one. Especially once you meet my friends next door. They have a tendency to reel everyone in no matter who it is. I guess that’s part of their charm.” He sighed.

“You’re charming,” I said and instantly regretted it. I could feel my cheeks warm. I wasn’t trying to flirt. I truly just wanted a friend but he really was charming.

“Thanks,” he replied, unphased. He didn’t seem to take it in any other way than I meant it. “Just wait though. You’ll understand when you meet them. I would tell you about them but that’ll ruin the surprise. Do you want dessert? They have excellent cheesecake.”

I agreed even though I probably shouldn’t have. I had a full enough figure. I wouldn’t be considered fat by American standards but in Korea, I definitely would. Chris didn’t seem to mind at all. He seemed genuinely interested in getting to know me and forming a friendship.

I settled on strawberry cheesecake while Chris ordered a caramel cheesecake. We both shared a bite each and they were both divine. I’d have to make a mental note to return to this place when my family visited.

Chris paid the bill and led me outside, once again hand in hand. I didn’t think he meant anything by it. He just seemed like he was more open to affection in friendship than most American guys would have been.

As we walked toward the shop, I noticed the large pink neon sign that read Magic Shop. I scoffed at the name, wondering what that could possibly entail from a group of idols. There was no way they were running an actual magic shop.

“Are you ready?” Chris asked as he told me to close my eyes and led me by the hand into the shop.

Once inside, I opened my eyes and gasped.