Last Night In Seoul

That day was as boring for Yoona as the previous ones had been, and the ones before that, and the ones before those. Everything seemed the same and completely uninteresting. She wanted something new and exciting. She craved the adrenaline rush and thrill of real life. But real life was completely off-limits to her. After all, she was the daughter of the owner of the largest chain of shopping centers in Korea and beyond. Therefore, she had to behave appropriately.

Her mornings began at 10:30 a.m. and ended when she chose an outfit for shopping. She had lunch at expensive restaurants and could have dinner on the ocean shore on the other side of the continent. Her father showered his only daughter with expensive gifts: precious jewelry, designer dresses, shoes, sunglasses, and handbags. Everything a girl could want. She liked that life.

But there was a downside to this sweet life. Security guards and insatiable journalists followed her everywhere, trying to photograph her latest suitor. As soon as she appeared in public with a handsome man, the whole country buzzed with news of the wealthy heiress’s new romance the next day. It was annoying, sometimes even bringing her to tears, but the next day, everything fell back into place—and then it happened again. It had long since become routine.

SeoWoo’s life was completely different from Yoona’s sweet life. Instead of starting her day with a bubble bath, she rushed to work. She worked in one of Yoona’s father’s shopping centers in the expensive designer clothing department. She was always late and received hefty fines.

One morning, while she was once again listening to the administrator complain about her being late, Yoona appeared and saved her. That’s how they burst into each other’s lives, disrupting their worlds and changing them with unforgettable moments of their strong friendship. Yoona even got SeoWoo a promotion, but she declined, explaining that neither her status nor her friend’s was important to her. What mattered to her was their relationship and friendship, not money or recognition among her colleagues.

Yoona’s father did not oppose such a friendship, although he always tried to arrange for her to befriend the daughters of his wealthy friends. However, she refused to go shopping with them. She wasn’t interested in them because they were just like her: rich bitches. SeoWoo, on the other hand, was her complete opposite. She wasn’t born into wealth, but into a family of ordinary workers. She lived with them and her three brothers in a two-room apartment in one of Seoul’s residential areas.

Yoona wandered through the crowded corridors of the shopping center alone. Well, not exactly alone. About five meters behind her, a security guard was watching her. The tall, dark-haired man had been following her around all day, and it was getting annoying. She kept trying to escape the intrusive employee.

Convinced that she had finally gotten away from her “babysitter,” Yoona hurried to the elevator. When she got off on the fifth floor, she walked past a café, the pleasant aroma of fresh pastries wafting from it. She ran through a shoe store where she spotted some new shoes. Now, she was walking past the jewelry department, where everything sparkled with the glitter of diamonds.

She noticed the administrator nervously talking to a man, but that look... A handsome young man with light purple hair stared intently at her with his black eyes, not looking away. The administrator said something and waved his arms, but the handsome guy didn’t seem to notice. He was interested in the person opposite him. But as soon as he noticed the security guard, he averted his gaze. Without listening to the administrator, he quickly disappeared into the store’s crowd.

“Ms. Yoona, how many times do I have to tell you? You shouldn’t wander around the shops alone. Your father hired me to watch you, but you keep trying to run away,” the security guard said, standing in front of the girl.

“Ash, Namjoon. I’m tired of your chatter.” She looked away for just a second and lost sight of the handsome blond man. “There, you ruined everything as usual,” she pouted. “How many times do I have to tell you? I’m not a little girl anymore. I can take care of myself.”

“I’m paid to keep you safe, so let me do my job while you enjoy life,” the guy said as he stood behind her again.“Is this life?” Yoona whispered sadly. She sighed heavily and continued on her way, her eyes searching for the stranger.

The store was quiet today. There were only a few visitors, who were just trying on clothes and taking selfies in the fitting room. SeoWoo sat down wearily on the sofa and looked at her watch. It was five o’clock in the evening. In a little while, she could go home, take a bath, and crawl into a warm bed. But as soon as she saw her friend at the end of the corridor, all her thoughts vanished. After all, Yoona was not the type to stay home on a Friday night. She loved to party so much that her head would ache for two days afterward, and her legs would remind her of the nightclub for over a week. While waiting for her friend, she received a message on her phone from her younger tonsen.

“Hey! I’m spending the night at a friend’s place. Tell Mom not to worry too much.Thanks! Love you :)”

Well, another family dinner is ruined. She had planned to make ramen and get the whole family together around the table. But, as always, the younger one disrupts the family idyll. He has become disobedient. He often disappears at night with guys he calls his friends. SeoWoo knows this won’t lead to anything good. All she can do is watch and wait for life to teach him a lesson.

“Daddy, today is Friday. Remember you said I could do whatever I wanted?” Yoona asked her father on the phone as she approached her friend’s shop.“Yes, my dear. What do you want?”

“I want to stay at the mall and have fun with my friend today. We can, right? We can, can’t we?”

“Yes, sweetheart. Do whatever you want. I’ll warn security and everyone else. But no surprises. Last time, you left a mess, and one of the employees almost had a heart attack. She thought they had been robbed.”

“Okay, Daddy. I’ll be good. I won’t do anything stupid.”

“All right, sweetheart. I have to go. They’re waiting for me.”

“All right, go. I love you, Dad.” There was a beep. The call was disconnected.

But that didn’t ruin her mood. On the contrary, now she was free to do whatever she wanted until midnigh t— or maybe even later. All that remained was to persuade her friend to spend the night with her and order fruit and champagne. After all, a bachelorette party without alcohol isn’t really a bachelorette party. Today, they would party hard.

“Hi, friend,” she said, settling down next to her on the sofa.

“Hi, Yoona,” SeoWoo sighed heavily in response.

“Well, what is it again? Is Jungkook not listening again?”

“I wanted to have a family dinner today, but he...”

“Oh, that little... Forget it, my dear. Today, we just have to let loose. Forget about everything."

“But I can’t...”

“Who told you that? You can do anything. You just have to want it.” She hugged her friend by the shoulders. “Let’s have fun today. Just you, me, champagne, fruit, and designer clothes. Whatever you want...”

“Okay...”

“What?” Yoona was surprised by SeoWoo’s quick decision.

“Let’s have fun. I want to forget everything. Everyone... I want to let loose.” She put her phone in her pocket.

“So, you’re staying with me tonight?” the girl asked, just to be sure.

“Yes, Yoona. Please help me forget everything.”

“I promise, my friend. You won’t regret tonight.”