Chapter 2: Take a Chance
A three-hour KTX ride and four days later, Ga Eul was on day three of her five-day trip. A slightly warmer Friday afternoon found her at Gukje market, Busan's largest, hoping to pick up something nice for herself, and maybe even for people back home.
Gukje market was a maze; its streets and alleys were sprawling with vendors and crawling with people hoping to get a bargain. It wasn't unlike any of the markets back home (in fact, it was similar to Namdaemun), but the only thing Ga Eul took a while to get used to was trying to understand the Gyeongsang dialect (commonly used in Busan), which she wasn't all too familiar with. Thankfully, many stall-owners were quick to speak in Seoul dialect once they realized she wasn't a Busan local.
She strolled down a random alley, past shops hawking various kinds of wares, some at wholesale prices – clothes, jewelry, accessories, souvenirs – your average tourist trap. But Ga Eul wasn't a tourist (despite not being from there), so she wasn't going to get swept up in any of those things. Unless, of course, it was worth buying. (Like a dress, and two necklaces.)
As she was walking, however, amidst all the sounds that surrounded her, she heard a faint melody that made her ears tingle with familiarity. Looking around and trying to hear where the song was coming from, she brisk walked down the alley.
It turned out to be from a little corner music shop, tucked away at the far end of the alley. The shop personified the word 'little'. It was most probably the size of her bathroom, or even slightly smaller, typical of most stalls at the market. The resourceful owner, however, had made good use of the space given, displaying CDs in floor to ceiling racks hung on opposite sides of the stall.
Ga Eul hung around at the entrance for a moment, surveying the shop. There was only one other person around, aside from a man behind the counter. Which is a good thing, Ga Eul decided, since this place isn't big enough for too many. She took a tentative step in, and reached the counter in another three. She spotted a CD case lying on the counter, and picked it up. Ah, Francesca Battistelli. My Paper Heart. I knew this song sounded familiar.
The presumed owner, a tanned, ponytailed man in his late 20s or early 30s, looked up and greeted her politely.
"Hi," she began, returning the greeting and waving the CD case about, "Can I get this CD you're playing?"
"Actually," a male voice behind her said, before the owner could respond, "That's mine. He's just testing it for me."
Ga Eul put the CD case back on the counter. She acknowledged his response with a soft 'oh' escaping her lips, but did not turn to look at him. Instead, she kept her gaze trained on the shop owner, a hopeful glimmer in her eyes. "You do have an extra copy though, don't you?"
The owner shook his head, his ponytail swishing to the side. "Sorry, that's my last copy. I won't be getting any more new stock till next week."
"Next week!" Ga Eul exclaimed, her hope now extinguished, "But I'm only passing through. I won't be around next week." She sighed and finally turned to acknowledge the new owner of the CD, a preppy looking guy with hair swept across his forehead. "That's too bad. I guess you win, then."
Preppy Guy laughed. "It was never a competition in the first place, but thank you. I graciously accept my prize."
His easygoing manner put Ga Eul somewhat at ease. "Well, you better make sure you take care of it well, and feed it regularly," she joked.
"I think it'll make my CD player extremely happy, actually," the guy replied, playing along. They both paused and smiled at each other. It was then Ga Eul began to notice how, well, somewhat good-looking he was, especially when he smiled. He had the kind of smile that involuntarily made her heart beat a little faster than it really should.
Ga Eul did her best to not reveal how he was making her feel. "It's a good album. You've made a good choice."
"I'm glad I've got your approval," Preppy Guy said good-naturedly, not a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "Have you got any other recommendations? You seem like you know music."
"Not personally, but I could offer my humble opinion on what I think is good."
"Fire away. I like listening to more relaxed, acoustic English songs."
Ga Eul began to scan the album covers on display. One caught her eye.
"How about this? Kings of Convenience? They're a indie folk-pop duo from Norway. Very chilled out stuff. And… oh!" she exclaimed, pointing out a dirty yellow CD with a violet dog painted on the cover. "This album is good too. The Shepherd's Dog, by Iron and Wine. He's an American singer-songwriter."
Preppy Guy peered closer at the CD on display. "Hmm, interesting," he mused, before turning his eyes on her again, "Do you like these two?"
Ga Eul nodded. They were two of her favourite artistes.
"Good," he says, a twinkle in his eye as he held her gaze, "Then I think I'll like them too."
Ga Eul broke his stare a little shyly, and proceeded (to pretend) to look at some other CDs on display. From the corner of her eye, she saw Preppy Guy pick out her two recommendations, and place them on the counter with his previous selection. He stood at the counter for a moment, chatting with the owner, and Ga Eul took the opportunity to sneak a side-glance. She had to admit that he looked good in his outfit, a white shirt under a grey vest, with jeans. Not that she noticed, really.
Preppy Guy turned around, and Ga Eul resumed pretending to look at the same CD, twirling her yellow scarf between her fingers.
"So, I gather you're not from around here either?" Preppy Guy asked her, after a momentary pause.
She nodded, picking another random CD from the rack. "I'm from Seoul. I'm just here for a short break."
"Ah, you're from our capital. I was studying there just recently, actually. I've just finished my study exchange over at Seoul National University. I'm here on a break too, before returning to Ulsan to start work."
"Oh, is that so? Are you from Ulsan?"
Preppy Guy shook his head. "I'm from Incheon. But I got a job offer in Ulsan. Decided to take it up, just to try something new. Like when I took pottery classes at university," he laughed, appearing slightly amused with himself, "That was interesting."
Ga Eul grinned. His laugh was infectious. "Pottery, huh. You don't seem like the kind."
"I'm full of surprises, really," he said, with a wink. "At least that's what my friends tell me. Anyway, how long are you here for?"
"Just another two days, actually. Then I head back to Seoul on Sunday."
"Oh. I'm here for another 4 days. Haven't figured out what to do just yet. Have you got any plans this evening?"
Ga Eul felt her heart race slightly at the question. "Ah- I… haven't thought about it either."
Preppy Guy nodded. "Fair enough. Where are you staying at the moment?" he asked casually.
Ga Eul gave a non-committal answer about staying somewhere in the city. As much as she (kind of) liked Preppy Guy, she didn't really want to reveal much about where she was staying. Blame it on her paranoid father, who used to drum horror stories about kidnappings and other unimaginables into her imaginative mind.
"I'm staying with my aunt," he offered, "She stays somewhere near Haeundae. Nice views from her place."
Ga Eul couldn't help but smile, a little ironically, when he said that.
An odd silence came upon them all of a sudden. It was the kind of silence born from hesitation and expectation; both were hesitating to make the first move, yet each expecting the other to do so. Ga Eul bit her lip somewhat nervously. She was dying to do something, but she didn't want to always be the one to take the initiative. It would've been nice if a guy did it, for once.
But she'd have to give him a little prod, if he wasn't going to do anything.
"I-I actually have to, um, go," she stuttered, finding herself tripping over her words, "It was, ah, nice to meet you." There it was again, that expectancy. Ga Eul secretly willed for something to happen, for him to make the next move on the chessboard.
Preppy Guy smiled and nodded again. That smile, Ga Eul thought then, Probably a smile I could never have. "It was nice to meet you too," he said sincerely, "And thanks again for the recommendations. I might be back here tomorrow, so if you're around, hopefully I'll bump into you."
Ah, he's a believer of chance. Ga Eul smiled mysteriously in return, "I guess we'll have to see about that, hmm?"
Without another word exchanged, the two customers in the shop bowed politely to each other. Then, Ga Eul turned and stepped out onto the alley.
As she blended back into the crowd, however, a pang of regret surged through her body. Though her feet kept walking forward, her mind and her heart were heavy with thoughts of turning back.
Why didn't I do something? So much for leaving it to him, and to chance. Now I may never see him again. I didn't even ask for his name!
Reaching the end of the alley, she decided to settle her aching heart somewhat by naming her loss. Because somehow, 'Min Jae' sounded a whole lot better than Preppy Guy did.