by Leigh Ban
“Stella!” Taehyun called out as he walked over in a linen shirt with the sleeves rolled up.
“Taehyun! How was your weekend?”
“I was stuck in my room, writing. The good news is I finally finished the papers I’ve been working on. How about you? What have you been up to lately?”
For a second, I wondered if I should ask if he’d given me the envelopes with the sonnets, but the uncertainty of how he might react made me anxious. I’d already made a fool of myself to him by waving my thong in his face.
I cleared my throat and croaked, “Have you heard of Sonnet 87 by any chance?”
He said in a confused voice, “Sonnet what?”
“A sonnet by Shakespeare. There’s one titled Sonnet 87.”
“I don’t think I’m familiar with the poem. Are you studying Shakespeare for a class?”
“Not exactly.” I shrugged, then added, “Forget about what I just brought up. It’s not important. Well then, where are we headed today?”
“What should we have for lunch?” Taehyun asked.
“Whatever you want. I don’t mind as long as it’s not lamb.”
“Not lamb, fair enough. Do you want to go to a brunch restaurant close by? Or if you’d prefer a hearty meal with warm broth, how about soft tofu stew?”
“Brunch sounds good. I’d love to have some French toast or pancakes.”
Taehyun grinned. “Stella, you’re in for a treat. Let me introduce you to the best blueberry pancakes I’ve ever had. Blueberries are fine, right?”
I laughed. “I like blueberries.”
While I followed Taehyun to the restaurant, he asked, “By the way, is there a reason you dislike lamb in particular?”
“I can’t stand the smell. Otherwise, I wouldn’t say it’s the food I hate most or anything. I don’t eat any type of organ meat or cilantro or onion either. Plus, I’m lactose intolerant.”
Taehyun chuckled as he stopped and opened the door for me. We’d already arrived at the restaurant, a place called Three Pancakes.
As I entered and looked around at the rustic interior, I confessed, “I’m not good at being assertive. I briefly dated a guy who always decided what we should eat on our dates. So I couldn’t tell him I didn’t like lamb because he’d already made reservations.”
“Well, you don’t have to do that when we’re going out to eat,” Taehyun replied. “Also, I promise if I ever make reservations, I’ll make sure to have checked that the menu is something you’d like. Come on, let’s go sit down.”
When our eyes met, I smiled. A second later, I remembered I was secretly skipping class to accommodate his timetable.
“Who do you usually have lunch with?” I asked Taehyun after we finished eating our blueberry pancakes.
“Let me think. Half of the time I meet up with my friend Minjae, since he takes three classes with me this semester. Otherwise, I tend to eat alone. Even before I took two years off for my conscription, I didn’t have many friends. I haven’t ever attended any campus events, and I might be the only senior at West Seoul University who’s never set foot in Bubble Bomb.”
“Really? You’ve never gone to Bubble Bomb? I kind of assumed you were the type of guy that’s often the center of attention and is friends with everyone.”
Taehyun joked, “Because I’m Professor Hwang’s favorite in Latin Dance?”
We laughed. Everybody in our class knew Professor Hwang adored Taehyun. Whenever she needed a partner to demonstrate different types of turns for a dance routine, she called him over.
I took a sip of freshly squeezed orange juice and said, “No, I mean people are drawn to you. Plus, you were so friendly to me when we met.”
“Thanks.” He rubbed his plush lips with a napkin. “I guess I don’t try to find someone to eat with unless I specifically want to spend time with them.”
“I’m like that too. Once I met my roommate, I didn’t even go to the events the university has for exchange students. Are you just as selective when it comes to relationships?”
Taehyun replied, “Well, I’m not the type of person who would be comfortable dating someone I just met.”
“You’re reminding me of my friend Yumi. She’s always telling me I shouldn’t trust people too easily when it comes to relationships. Both of you are wise,” I said.
“Stella, I’m not trying to be wise. I’m cautious about… personal stuff, family issues, you know. Should we head back to campus?”
As we walked out, I told Taehyun, “Those pancakes were delicious. Thanks for bringing me here.”
His dark eyes shone brilliantly under the sunlight as he turned to me and said, “Hey, we should make this a regular arrangement. We can create a Monday luncheon group.”
“Luncheon group? Who else do you want to invite?” I furrowed my brow.
“Yeah, an exclusive luncheon group. With only one membership criteria: have the name Stella Hart or Taehyun Seo.”
I blushed and replied, “I thought you were going to say the membership criteria was to be available at one o’clock on Mondays. Taehyun, I’ve got to be honest with you, I have International Political Thought from one to four on Monday. I skipped class today.”
Chapter Twelve
“I want you, Stella.”
“Hongsik?” I squeaked. “Why are you calling me?”
He said, “I’m not going to take no for an answer tonight. I’m going to be with you. I need to be with you. Let me—”
“Why are you saying this? Are you drunk?”
I emitted an exasperated sigh and hung up. When Hongsik called again, I put my phone down and waited for him to give up. As he didn’t stop, I turned off my phone. Although I saw him earlier at Latin Dance, we hadn’t even exchanged greetings. Ever since the arm-pulling incident involving Taehyun, Hongsik became more cautious around me. In Topics in Political Philosophy and Introduction to Commercial Law, Hongsik usually arrived after me and took the farthest seat away. I assumed that he finally knew not to bother me, and I felt relieved by his improved behavior.
As I lay in bed alone, I thought of Dana. Although we didn’t have any arguments and continued to sit next to each other in Introduction to Commercial Law, our relationship had changed. She didn’t invite me to go out with her anymore. Though Dana didn’t appear to be a particularly conservative person, I wondered if she was disappointed in me for being carried back to our dorm by Taehyun only a week after she’d walked in on me with Phil.
Then I heard a knock and went over to the door.
“Dana? Did you forget your room card?”
Though there was only one card in the slot on the wall, I presumed she’d left her card somewhere else in our room and opened the door.
“Room 901 Kid!”
I froze as Hongsik barged in and reached his arms out toward me.
“What are you doing here?” I hissed.
“Give me a hug, Stella.”
Hongsik pressed his body against mine. He reeked of blood sausage, alcohol, and sweat. I felt sick to my stomach as he squeezed my back. When he wobbled backward to let out a large burp, I pushed him as hard as I could. While he stumbled, I ran into the bathroom and locked the door.
Sitting on the toilet seat, I reached into my pocket, pulled out my phone, and sighed with relief once I turned it on. My hands felt numb and clumsy as I dialed the number of the dorm administration office. Nobody picked up, even though I tried calling them over and over.
Hongsik shouted at me, “Room 901! Room 901! Open the door, Room 901 Kid!”
I thought of Dana straight away and dialed her number.
“Dana!” I screeched out. “Dana, help me.”
“Stella, what’s going on? I can’t hear you very well.”
“Listen to me: Hongsik is here! He snuck into the building and I opened the door and… Dana, he remembered the Room 901 thing. What do I do? The dorm office won’t pick up. Help me, please.”
“Hongsik Ham? Are you serious?”
“Yes, help m
e! Please, he’s still here. I’m in the bathroom.”
Dana gasped. “Oh my goodness! Stella, I’m at Bubble Bomb. I’m leaving now. Should I call the police? Please try to stay safe. Don’t open the door. I’ll take care of everything.”
After she hung up, I stood against the door and clutched the handle to stop it from turning in case he picked the lock. Hongsik had been screaming at me while banging on the door.
“Stella Hart! Do you think you’re a princess? That you can go around campus with all your different boyfriends but not me? Stella, I saw you making out with someone on the stairs. I know he wasn’t your precious dance partner.”
What he said sent a cold chill down my spine. Had Hongsik been following me? Although I’d kissed Phil on the stairs during our dates on campus, we’d gone to the most deserted places like Yoon Library, a small rare book library near the back of the campus.
“Do you like sleeping around? I bet you do! I’m going to make everyone in our classes find out about you being a tease. I’ll do that unless you stop acting stuck up. Stella, give me a chance.”
He started swearing at me when I didn’t respond. I wanted to shut his voice out, like when he would ramble on after Latin Dance, but every word he shouted made me tremble.
“Are you going to keep ignoring me? Stella, you’re a dog, you know that? You’re an ugly mutt!” he barked.
Rage welled up inside me. I screamed out, “Hongsik, if you think I’m an ugly mutt, why don’t you get out of my room? Get out of here. Go away!”
Though I expected Hongsik to be so enraged he’d try to kick or smash the bathroom door open, I heard nothing. The suspense made me nauseous. When I mustered up the courage to walk out, I saw him sitting on the floor with his hands covering his face.
“Hongsik, why are you still here? I never wanted you around. I felt disgusted every time you tried to get touchy with me and I feel disgusted right now. How could you break into my room? Do you know what that means? You’re not just being a weirdo or a creep—you’re a stalker and a criminal. I find you repulsive. I hate you. If I had a cannon, I would shoot you away to the middle of the Pacific.”
My legs were shaking as I panted. After a few minutes of silence, Hongsik looked up at me. Big, fat tears rolled down his face and his nose ran profusely. He was bawling.
“Please, Stella, give me a hug,” Hongsik blubbered as he clasped his hands. “Not even a kiss, just a hug. I won’t hurt you. I’m sorry if I scared you. I like you so much.”
While he lifted himself, I stood and watched. Though I was afraid of what was about to happen, I was too exhausted to run into the bathroom again. Instead of moving toward me, he got up on one knee as if he were going to propose to me.
Hongsik called out in English, “Stella, my love is a fever, longing still.”
I stared at him, baffled by the abrupt change in his behavior.
“For that which no longer nurseth the disease, feeding on that which doth… doth…”
Once I understood what was going on, I took a step away from him, shivering. I couldn’t hold back my tears. Although I wasn’t sure how he managed to put the pink envelopes in my pocket and backpack, I realized I was naïve to have thought Hongsik lost interest in me after Taehyun told him to stop grabbing me. As Hongsik recited the sonnet, the uncertainty of what he was going to do next petrified me.
“Stella!”
The door crashed open and Dana ran toward me. There were two dorm security guards behind her. While Dana cuddled me, sobbing as she stroked my hair, the two guards grabbed Hongsik and dragged him out of our room.
“I’m really sorry,” Dana said, sniffling.
“No, Dana, you saved me.”
“Stella, I feel terrible for having introduced you to Hongsik. I wish I’d known who he really was earlier. Even though he’s insane, I was an idiot for broadcasting our room number for everybody to hear. Why couldn’t I have been more careful? I’m never saying that stupid nickname again. Also, I’m sorry for leaving you alone tonight. I should’ve invited you out with me.”
“You don’t need to be sorry,” I cried out.
We linked our arms as we made our way down to the first floor of International House. When the policemen arrived, they talked to me, then went to check the footage from the security cameras. While the dorm employees made phone calls, I remembered the sonnets from Hongsik. Dana and I went to our room and I rummaged through my desk drawer to find the pink envelopes.
After she read what he’d written, she shook her head. “Stella, Hongsik is absolutely nuts. I can’t believe he’s been secretly giving you this. I wish I could have been more helpful.”
I said, “I wasn’t sure whether these creepy love letters were a joke or a mistake. Although I wanted to tell you, things have been kind of awkward between us.”
“I know. I’m sorry for everything. Stella, I should’ve been there for you.”
Dana and I had so much to catch up on, but we didn’t have the time right then. I handed the letters to the policemen, and Hongsik was taken to the police station shortly after. Though I wasn’t sure what would happen to Hongsik, there seemed to be nothing else I could do for now.
Once we were back in our room, I said, “Dana, I don’t think I can stay here tonight. I’ll go to my grandparents’ house or something.”
Dana nodded. “Should we catch a taxi together? I’ll take you there. I don’t want you to go alone.”
“No, you don’t have to do that. I’ll call my grandmother. She’ll come and pick me up.”
Once I packed my toiletries and a spare change of clothes into a duffel bag, I gave her one last hug and left. As I went down the elevator alone, I took out my phone to dial Grandma’s number. Suddenly, I remembered how worried she’d been when I was crying over the phone after the second Latin Dance class of the semester. At least that had been over nothing. If I called her now, late at night, to tell her what happened, she would be devastated. I thought of how Grandpa told me Grandma used to hit her chest with her fist when she panicked.
The next person to come to mind was Taehyun. I’d never called him before and I wasn’t sure if he was busy, but I didn’t hesitate to dial his number since I was desperate to have him next to me. I wanted to be comforted by his low, gentle voice and feel protected as I leaned against his broad shoulders.
“Hello? Stella?”
“Taehyun, are you busy?”
“Not at all. I’m reading a book.” Taehyun yawned. “How about you?”
“Taehyun,” I paused, not knowing where to begin. “I wanted to ask you if you could come out to see me. Maybe we could have a drink together. I’m not trying to get drunk though. Are you free? I understand if you’re not. It’s already kind of late.”
“Sure, I could come out for a bit. Are you okay though? Is something going on?”
“Yeah, I’m fine, why?”
“Stella, your voice is quavering. Where should we meet?”
When I met Taehyun at Tree, he acted as if we had a date planned all along. We took a sip of each other’s drinks and chatted about whiskey-based cocktails. There were no prodding questions from him. However, I could see the concern in his eyes. Halfway through drinking my Piña Colada, I ended up breaking down and telling Taehyun what happened with Hongsik.
“Even though I felt relieved when I came out of the bathroom and shouted back at Hongsik, I was still terrified. I didn’t know what he was going to do next. Honestly, I hated how helpless I was. Hongsik is not much bigger than me and perhaps I could’ve punched him in the face, but I was so scared.”
Once I told Taehyun everything, the tears poured out. I muffled my sobs with the palm of my hand.
“Taehyun, thank you for being with me tonight. I’m sorry for asking you to come out unexpectedly.”
“What do you mean? You have nothing to be sorry about. You were brave tonight and I’m proud of you. In fact, I should thank you for confiding in me. Stella, thank you for trusting me.”
I cr
ied harder as I was so moved by how supportive Taehyun was. Although Tree was the sophisticated type of bar to come on a first date or to celebrate an anniversary, I was bawling like a child at a grocery store.
“I can’t imagine how it must’ve been for you,” Taehyun said as he stroked my back. “There should’ve been better security to stop him from barging into your residence. He shouldn’t have been able to get through the entrance without being asked for his ID or room card. Why didn’t anyone pick up when you called the dorm administration? I’m going to make sure this goes through to Dr. Sul.”
I blotted my face with a paper napkin and said, “Dr. Sul as in the university president? Taehyun, wouldn’t he be busy dealing with more important problems? How would you—”
“Stella, your safety is an important problem.”
The waterworks continued. I didn’t want to spend the entire night sobbing, but I couldn’t contain my emotions as I felt at ease with Taehyun. His eyes were full of tenderness. After we finished two drinks each, we got into a taxi, and he took me to Ariari Hotel Seoul. Although he’d just made one brief call on our way to the hotel, we immediately went up to the penthouse suite when we arrived.
Once we stepped into our suite with our arms around one another, Taehyun said, “Stella, you should go to the master bedroom. I’ll sleep on the bed here, by the entrance.”
“You’re the best, Taehyun,” I said as I leaned up on my tiptoes to give him a peck on the cheek.
A second later, he bent down to kiss me. He wrapped his arms around me while we began exploring each other’s mouths, our breaths mingling. I realized I’d been waiting for this moment for weeks. The kiss was even better than I could’ve imagined, his lips felt so plush and welcoming. I knew there was something about him, a spark created when we came together, which I wouldn’t find in anyone else.
