“THIS IS ANNOYING,” HAE SOO MUTTERED AND LASHED to the island counter where Wesley is mixing some sort of liquor. “Hey!”

He looked at her and she could see the blue oceans in his eyes glistened. Even if he’s in his mid 40s, she could say that he’s a charming guy. “Hey, Hae Soo! Howdy?”

“I’m not fine thank you very much,” she responded with a huff. “You know it’s my jamming schedule during 8p.m.,” she, then, pointed the guy sitting in front of the piano using her thumb. “So why the hell is that guy performing during my own damn schedule?”

“Oh, sorry about that, Hae Soo. Janette introduced that fella to me and she allowed him to sing. I know you’re coming and once you’ll come here, you’ll perform directly because I know you have your early business tomorrow. It’s just that I can’t turn down my wife and he’s performing for free,” the owner defended.

'I am performing for free!' She want to say it but it’s no use. It’s not Wesley’s fault either. He just granted his wife’s request of letting the orange-haired fella sing.

Hae Soo helplessly crossed her arms and decided to wait for the guy to finish his performance, throwing invisible daggers on his head with her glares. She thought he would only perform one song—but she’s wrong. He performed several songs for an hour.

Hae Soo is so pissed to the core.

The guy just consumed her one-hour schedule.

“I wasted my time here for nothing just because of this guy,” she hissed. “*Gaessaekki.” (*bastard)

When he finished the last song, the audience gave him loud applauses and cheers. Hae Soo couldn’t help but roll her eyes when she saw a random girl giving a bottled water to him. He smiled and accepted it before standing up. He, then, walked outside the restobar.

With a fuming face, Hae Soo followed him.

“Hey, orange-haired nerd!” she shouted at him when they finally got out of the restobar. She knew she’s shallow to fight over this thing but that’s her schedule! What she hates the most is someone stealing what is hers.

He halted and looked at her in straight face. “What is it?”

“Did you know what you just did?” she asked him.

It took him few seconds to answer. “I sung and played the piano for free performance.”

She scoffed scoffed. “That’s it?”

“What’s the fuss, miss?” he frowned, slipping his hands on his jean’s pockets. He slightly tilted his head while staring at her.

Hae Soo didn’t responded directly. She couldn’t help but stare on his face, creasing her brows.

'Is it me or this guy looked like an Asian? I just couldn’t tell if he’s a Chinese or a Japanese.'

“You asked me what’s the fuss?” she huffed and pointed him, making him blink in the process. “You just stole my schedule!”

“What? Your schedule?” he looked puzzled.

“Yes! I should be the one performing earlier and not you because that’s my schedule! You’ve wasted my precious time for nothing! If you wanna perform, you can set your own schedule and not stealing someone’s schedule!” she yelled at him.

“That’s it?”

Her eyes squinted in annoyance when she noticed that he’s mimicking her. “What?”

“That’s what you’re fussing all about?” he asked and Hae Soo is really having the urge to punch the shit out of him right now. “Look, I don’t really know that you’re setting up some schedule whatsoever in that restobar. I just granted the owner’s wife’s request because she wants me to sing so, I did. Don’t blame me for that and besides, it’s your fault because that’s your schedule but you’re late.”

Her jaw dropped after hearing what he said. This is one of the reasons why she hated men so much. They’re arrogant bastard. “So, it’s really my damn fault that I arrived here on time? *Jenjang, i gaejasik-ah!” (*damn you, you bastard!)

He frowned. “What?”

Hae Soo smirked, felt triumphant gaining his puzzled reaction.

'He may look like an Asian but one thing is for sure—he’s not Korean.'

“You’re so full of yourself. You have the audacity of acting so high and mighty when in the first place, you’re the one at fault,” she said once again in Korean.

But instead of making him annoyed by talking to a language he didn’t know, she was the one who got annoyed.

'He’s not freaking listening to me!'

“Hey! Are you listening to me?”

“Oh, what do we have here?” Hae Soo turned her head and saw four guys looking like hypebeasts and frustrated hiphoppers walking towards them. “It’s the Chingchong nerd!” (*Chingchong is a racial term/racial slur or pejorative term sometimes employed by speakers of English to mock Chinese or East Asian people or Southeast Asians perceived to be Chinese. It’s really offensive)

The other guy’s eyes settled on her and she couldn’t help but feel goosebumps the way the other guy looked at her—he was literally eye-stripping her. “And oh! He’s with some chic. I didn’t know you had that in you, Chingchong nerd. Mind sharing her for a night?”

One of the reasons why Hae Soo hated men—they’re undeniably perverts.

Hae Soo took several lessons on Taekwondo when she’s in her 10th grade but she didn’t have the guts on fighting some hypebeasted thugs with pocket knives on their back pockets.

Her breath hitched when one of the thugs was about to touch her but she was pulled by the orange-haired nerdy guy. “If you want your hand remained attached on your body, stay away from her.”

She looked at him in disbelief. She couldn’t believe he’ll respond to them like that. She never saw that coming.

The thugs laughed at him. “You know kiddo, stop acting so brave. It’s no use. You can’t defeat us so just shut the fuck up and give us your money and hand the girl over then off you go.”

Hae Soo wants to act strong and brave in front of everyone like the usual Ice Queen she is but right now… she can’t.

She helplessly gripped on the orange-haired nerdy guy’s sleeve. She also expected that he’s going to swat her hand away when he removed it from his sleeve but she didn’t expect that he’s going to hold her hand tight, making her breath hitch and look at him in utter shock. “I won’t. I will never hand her over the likes of you.”

“You really wanna have broken limbs and bones, huh, kid?”

“I didn’t really expect there are thugs here in Brooklyn,” Hae Soo murmured. “Aish, *i ggangpaedeul.” (*these thugs)

“There’s so many of them here,” the nerd responded. “*Jinjja manhda.” (*so many)

Hae Soo looked at him again, shock is written on his face after hearing him responding in Korean. “*Ha-Hanguk saramieyo?” (*are you a Korean?)

He took a glance on her before looking at the thugs once again, “*Duleobwa,” his hand travelled on her arm. “Step back and hide.” (*listen)

“M-Mwo?” before she could ask again, he already pushed her backwards, almost stumbling herself in the process. Her eyes widen when she saw the orange-haired nerdy guy fighting the thugs.

Seeing the way how he fought against the thugs, she didn’t expect that the guy knows freaking Hapkido.

“*Ah, ssibal,” she flinched, going back to reality when she heard the orange-haired nerdy guy groaned as one of the thugs slightly slits his arm, blood started to spread on his sleeve and flow on his hand. The other thug punched him on the face, making his specs fall on the ground. (*ah, fuck)

Trying her best not to make her hands tremble, she fished out her phone from her bag and called her cousin for help. It took her three rings for her cousin to pick up.

“Oh, Hae Soo-yah! What’s up?” Min Ah answered on the other line.

“Min Ah, I need your freaking help here! Tell this to Wesley!” Hae Soo kept on panting, still trembling. “*Gyeongchareul bulleo! Ppali!” (*Call a police! Hurry up!)

One of the thugs showed his pocket knife with orange-haired nerdy guy’s blood on it. The latter glared at the thug as the former kept on sticking his pierced tongue on him.

“What are you going to do now, Chingchong boy?” the thugs laughed maniacally and attacked the orange-haired guy. Bearing his wound, the guy managed to punch the three thugs and kick them. He turned his head on the other thug who’s now ready to stab him but they suddenly stopped when they heard the siren from the police car as well as the whistling.

“Fuck! The cops! Scram!” the four thugs ran away as the cops started to chase them.

Hae Soo finally came out from post she’s hiding and ran towards the orange-haired guy who’s now sitting on the ground and nursing his own wounded arm. “*Gwaenchanayo?” (*are you okay?)

He hissed but he managed to nod and gave her a tiny smile. “Yes. I just can’t see you.”

“Ah!” she muttered and hurriedly pick his spectacles up. She gently wiped the dust away using the hem of her white midi dress before giving it to the orange-haired guy. She’s the one who put the glasses on him since he’s still nursing his wounded arm. “The left side of your glasses got broken…”

“Don’t worry. I can buy a new one,” he responded as he looked at her again. “You okay?”

“Y-Yes,” Hae Soo nodded dumbly. Her eyes settled on his wounded arm. “Yah! Your wound! It’s still bleeding!”

“Don’t worry about this, this is not that deep—”

He heard a ripping sound and saw Hae Soo ripping the hem of her midi dress and wrapped it on his wounded arm. “There, so it’ll not gonna get infected.”

“Hae Soo-yah!” she heard Min Ah’s piercing voice as soon as they stood up. She felt her cousin’s hug on her but her eyes settled on the orange-haired nerdy guy who’s now talking to Wesley’s wife. “God, you scared me! Are you okay?! Are you hurt?!”

“Yes, I’m okay…” she responded, her eyes still on the orange-haired guy.

“Thank God, you’re okay…”

“Let’s go…” she could hear Wesley’s wife’s faint voice, gesturing the car beside her as the guy nodded in response.

She gulped as she break free from Min Ah’s hold and called him. “H-Hey!”

The guy stopped on his tracks and looked at her, his eyes questioning her.

“*I-Ireumi…” she took a deep breath as she asked. “*Ireumi mweoya?” (*your name… what is your name?)

The orange-haired guy gave her a tiny smile. “Kyoong. Cheonun Kyoong yeyo.”