Busan girls scare the shit out of me

Jo Yuri has always been a fan favorite. Her soft voice was like no other, possessing an incredible versatility that showed in her numerous songs: Taxi, Round and Around, Glassy, and more. To go along with her refined skills were her visuals and soft features to match her angelic singing. You started liking her as soon as you discovered the ex-group Iz*one. Her calm yet fun demeanor caught your eye right away. You started by watching her fan cams, covers, and compilations, and when the group disbanded, you had no doubt you’d still follow her no matter what she decided to pursue.

Luckily, Jo Yuri continued her musical path, and her talent did not go to waste. You watched her MVs during the afternoon, when you were done with your classes and study sessions. Occasionally, you’d watch her game streams when she went live. It was relaxing and comforting. 

Thanks to your part-time job at the convenience store, you were able to buy her albums. The CD and the photocards were nice and all, but what really interested you was the raffle for the fan sign. You patiently waited for the message, and then, it came… You got in!

You went to the fan sign during the weekend. It was held in a mall to let a large number of fans in.

The place was filled with people and posters, her face being plastered everywhere. You could feel the anticipation of the fans rubbing on you; everyone was incredibly excited and loud. You were very happy for Yuri. Usually, soloists can’t maintain a good fanbase, but she did.

The crowd erupted into a symphony of cheers and applause when she made her grand entrance. Her smile was bright, radiating enough light to outshine the stage lights themselves. You clapped as well, joining the fans.

The staff gave Yuri the mic, she checked a couple of times, and cleared her throat.

“Hello, everyone! I'm very happy to see all of you here today!” she announced, and the audience erupted once again. She gave her greetings and explained how the fan meet was gonna go, and sat down at her little table while the rest of the audience was patiently waiting in line.

The first girl came to Yuri’s table, holding her album tightly.

“Yuri–ssi, I've been your fan since day one! Can you please sign my album?” she asked, almost jumping from excitement.

“Of course!” Yuri answered, offering a bright smile. “Thank you so much for your support.”

A quick signature and a small message like ‘thank you for your love,’ and the girl was walking away happier than she had ever been.

The next fan walked on. She put the album on the table and fiddled with her dress. “Um, Yuri-ssi, could you do some aegyo for us?”

Yuri looked behind the fan and saw all the cameras pointing at her. She thought for a moment about all the poses she had practiced and chose one. “Okay, here I go,” she announced before throwing five heart signs at her audience.

Everyone went absolutely crazy and screamed at her cuteness.

“You've inspired me in so many ways! Can I have a hug?” a little girl said. Of course, without hesitation, Yuri rose from her seat and enveloped the little fan in a big hug.

“Thank you for your kind words. I’ll cherish them dearly,” Yuri says.

Your turn came as well, and you didn’t bother with anything too crazy. You just told her you appreciated her music and hard work, letting her sign your album and shaking her hand. You couldn’t help but notice the smell of her, probably, expensive hand cream. She was so sweet, and the way she tilted her hand to look at you through the glass was simply adorable. 

The fan meet kept going with fans showering her in compliments, giving her gifts, trying cheesy pickup lines, and asking her to act like their girlfriend. Yuri must have bowed down at least a thousand times throughout the whole event. It took several hours until the line was empty and the event came to an end.

She thanked everyone, bid farewell, and stepped away from the spotlight.

When the fan meet ended, you left the avenue and found a small bench to arrange your things. You wanted to make sure the photocards and the album were neatly put in your backpack so as not to damage anything. By the time you were done, most of the fans had already left the parking lot, which was right in front of the building. 

Before you started walking, you pulled out your phone and started a video. It wasn’t usual for you to attend these kinds of events; you wanted to remember everything. You recorded the building and all the places around it. 

You kept recording behind the building as well, where you were forced to park your car in some hidden corner of the street. You arrived late, and the parking lot was already full. The place didn’t look clean either; there was trash everywhere, and it reeked of smoke. You really hated people who smoked; they contaminated the whole area, and it was impossible to breathe.

The smell got stronger when you turned the corner. You seemed to find the smoker; it was a girl. She was rather attractive; you found yourself staring at her from afar. Your hand followed your eyes, and you intentionally started recording the girl as well. 

“I swear I’m going to quit this job!” you heard her say. Satoori? You heard that accent before on TV, but never really encountered someone like that.

“Unnie, don’t say that. What happened?”

“Those guys fucking stink! And they’re so ugly! Why do I have to deal with these pigs?” she said into the phone. “Fuck! And they keep asking me to call them shit like oppa and honey. They’re really losers!”

Yikes. She’s really mad. She seems kinda violent, too. It’s better not to get too close to her.

Suddenly, she turned around, and her eyes met yours.

Fuck. She noticed you.

Her eyes widened, and so did yours. She stared at the cigarette for a moment before screaming at you, “YAH!” She roared and started sprinting towards you. “Get over here!”

You weren’t left much choice to but to start running in the opposite direction. She looked furious. She could have been a gang member for all you knew. Cute girls don’t smoke, right?

You ran for as long as you could, trying to turn as many corners as possible, to lose her. However, she always found you in one way or another and was fast enough to catch up, trailing 5 or 10 metres behind you. 

“Stop running, you asshole! I swear I’ll kill you!” she screamed with all her might. How was she not out of breath? Her voice was as clear and as piercing as possible. You had no chance of outrunning her. 

There comes a moment when you stop thinking about getting away, and you start to think about how you can keep your limbs intact. First of all, get rid of the evidence. Sloppily, you take the phone out of your pocket. A very difficult task, as you couldn’t afford to slow down at all, and your phone was trying to jump out of your hands. 

You managed to delete the video. At that point, your lungs had burned all the oxygen you had, and your legs gave up. She had the pace of an Olympic sprinter. It was over. You were cooked. This was your last day. 

Your sudden deceleration was enough for the girl to jump on you. She slammed you against the cold bricks. Her hands were twisting into the collar of your shirt. 

She yelled again, “The video! Delete it now!”

At a couple of centimetres away, you could smell her perfume, which wasn’t a Bohem or an Esse; instead, it was a very feminine, flowery scent. The reason revealed itself very soon: she wasn’t a thug at all; instead, she was the very idol you found yourself cheering for a couple of minutes earlier, Jo Yuri. But it couldn’t be her right? The run must have fogged your mind. There was no way this smoker was your loving idol. 

“I’ve deleted it! Look!” you said quickly, and shoved the screen towards her. She snatched your phone away and looked at your gallery. 

Your heart was hammering against your ribcage. This chick was crazy. You might actually die right now.

“Great,” she grunted when she saw all the photos of herself. She scrolled through hundreds of photos and videos of her stage outfits, her aegyo, her singing, her poses. 

You were dumbfounded, embarrassed. She didn’t really seem to pay attention to her own photos, which comforted you a little bit. 

She returned your phone and sighed heavily. “You better not tell a living soul about this,” she said, pointing her finger at you. “Understood?”

You couldn’t answer immediately, still shocked at the sight in front of you. You furrowed your eyebrows. She seemed… familiar?

“Yes or no?” she repeated, raising her voice and getting closer to you.

“Y—yeah!” you mumbled. “But what’s the issue?”

“What did you say?” the girl asked in disbelief. She furrowed her eyebrows, confused at your statement, and pointed at your phone. “That’s the issue.”

“What about it?”

“Are you stupid? You got thousands of pictures.”
“Ah, Yuri? Are you her stuntwoman or something? You two look really alike.”
The girl rolled her eyes. “I’m her, you dumbass. I’m Jo Yuri.” You were taken aback. The singer you liked certainly wasn’t this blunt, aggressive, and foul. Her voice was gentle and sweet. This girl… she was rough.

“Bu—but you were smoking…” You started.

“Yes, so what?”

“And you chased me down like some animal.”

“What else was I supposed to do? You were going to start a huge scandal. I bet you were going to post it on Naver, you asshole.”

“And look at how you’re talking,” you said. “That’s not very idol-like.”

Yuri scoffed. “Oh, sorry if I’m not talking like a 3-year-old baby.”

“Yeah, I’m definitely telling all my friends.”

“I’m really going to kill you now.” Jo Yuri raised her arm, and you flinched. 

Feeling embarrassed at how you reacted to this girl, you cleared your throat and pointed your finger. “I will scream!” you warned her.

“Oh my god, you’re more of a girl than I am. You should become an idol.”

“Yeah, I wish I could, unfortunately, I don’t smoke 10 packs like you.”

“Yah! You prick! I don’t smoke 10 packs! I don’t even smoke that often, I just started recently.”

“Oh, a new hobby,” you commented. “But, sorry if I ask, don’t you like… sing?”

“Yeah, I know it’s bad, I know it already. I just needed something for the stress,” she said, looking down sheepishly at her foot, rubbing the dirt on the ground.

“Can’t really blame you,” you said, but then you saw a flash of light on your right. You were pretty sure you heard a camera shutter, too. You and Yuri turned around at the same time, and behold there was a guy running away with a huge camera in his hand.

“You! You run after him!” Yuri screamed and slapped your arm.

“Why me?”

“It’s your fault! Run after him! I’ll use my company to destroy you if you don’t!”

You clicked your tongue. The things you’d do for your bias. “I’ll make you pay for it!”

Still tired from the previous run, you had no choice but to start chasing the other guy. Even after this discovery, you didn’t want Yuri to get into a huge scandal; you were still her fan. 

The photographer was smart. He must have done this before. He chose all the difficult streets with countless turns. You tried your best to keep up with him, and you could hear Yuri catching up to you. At least you had some backup.

After about one or two kilometres, you ended up in the city centre. The streets were filled with people since it was a Saturday, and you immediately bumped into some folks. You hurried to apologize, launching glances down the streets to see where he was going. Eventually, he blended into the crowd, and you quickly lost sight of him. Yuri grabbed your arm and pulled you behind a shop.

“Quick! Give me your hoodie!” she said.

“Why?” you asked.

“We’re wide in the open, people will recognize me!” she hurried you. “Come on!” 

You quickly took off your hoodie, leaving you in your oversized shirt, shivering at the breeze of the air. Yuri quickly put it on; it engulfed her entirely. It was way bigger than her. Yuri was already small to begin with, and the hoodie completely covered her face. 

“So what is your plan now? There is no way we’ll find him among these people,” you said.

“It’s okay, I saw his face, I recognize him,” she said, taking peeks behind the wall.

“What? Will you call the police?”

“No, you silly. My manager knows all the paparazzi by heart. We’ll use the company to find the guy and take that away from him.”

“Oh, so you’ll extort it with force.”

“What’s up with you?! Why are you putting it that way? It sounds wr—” Yuri couldn’t finish her sentence and immediately hugged you, burying her face between your arms. You tried to ask her what was going on, but she gestured for you to hug her back. You did, of course.

“Jagiya⁓ can you buy me the LV bag?” she said in the sweetest tone possible. You were taken aback by her sudden aegyo, but to be completely honest, you kind of enjoyed it too.

“That’s way too expensive. Don’t you have your money? You’re rich, you’re an idol—oof” Yuri threw a punch right in your stomach. 

“Play. A. Long. Don’t be stupid,” she enunciated in a very clear and stern tone. 

“Okay,” you said with the little voice that remained in you. “Of course, Yu—ehem—dear, which one do you want?”

“That one,” she whispered. 

“That’s not a bag.”

Yuri punched you.

“I’m talking about the guy, you idiot,” she said. “It’s the one with the millennial shirt.”

“The what?”

“The fucking checkered shirt, right there!” she almost screamed. “He’s literally on your left.”

“Oooh, okay,” you said. “So, what now?”

You could see his silhouette slowly getting farther from you, and you raised your head to look for him. Just as you did that, Yuri pulled you down into her. You could smell your hoodie, but immediately got engulfed in the disgusting tobacco smell of earlier. 

“You idiot, they’ll see me,” she whispered. Her nail dug into your arms as she kept you in place. She was strong. Way stronger than you initially thought.

“He’s walking away; we have to follow him.”

“What, didn’t you say you’d let the company sort it out?”

“That would take too long, he’ll post those photos,” she said.

“So we’re stalking that man?”

“I’m going to shove this foot up your ass if you don’t do what I tell you to.” They were just threats, but a part of you thought she might do it for real. There was really no idol left in here; she was more of a thug right now.

“Yes, ma’am,” you told her. You kinda enjoyed it.

You started walking behind the guy, far enough so that he doesn’t notice the two of you, but close enough so you don’t lose him. Yuri was draped over your arm, trying to hide her face in your shoulder. 

“Where do you think he’s going?” you asked her.

“There’s a pc bang down the road, I think he’s going there,” Yuri said.

“To upload the photos?”

“No, to play league, what do you think?” Yuri stares at you. “Of course, you moron.”

“Yo, calm down. I’m helping you out right now. I could sell you out, you know.”
“Do you?” Yuri turns her head, flashing a chilling gaze.

You gulp.

“Just joking, hehe,” you fake laugh and keep walking.

Eventually, just as Yuri predicted, the guy went into the internet café. You reached it a couple of seconds later. There were teenagers going out, and Yuri had to clutch you harder than before. She felt really small in your arms. Maybe it wasn’t so bad after all. You couldn’t forget how she really was, though. One wrong move and she would have broken your ribs.

You shuffled through the café section, making sure Yuri was well hidden, and stopped next to the till’s monitor to scan the room. You could see the guy rushing to a computer in the corner.

“Stay here,” Yuri commanded, pulling the hoodie strings down until only her eyes were visible. 

“What are you doing? You look like an idiot.”

“If he knows it’s me, he’ll run.”

“He’ll run if he sees you dressed like that.”

Yuri seemed to ignore you and start walking. You grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.

“Don’t go. What will you do?” you scolded her. “You can’t tackle him in a public café.”

Yuri stopped and stayed quiet for a couple of seconds. She then gave you one of those looks, suggesting she did in fact consider it. “Right.” Her brain seemed to start working as she pulled out her phone and started typing.

“Give me your number, I’ll need it.”

You quickly tell her your digits.

Yuri nodded. “I’m calling my manager, but we need to stall him before he posts the photos,” she said. “Go spill a drink on him or something. Plug his PC off.”

“What? No.”

“Go! We don’t have time!”

“Fuck, why do I have to do this shit?” you cursed and looked around to see if you could find a drink to spill. Buying it from the café would take too long. Someone should have it on their table. 

There was a girl right there on your right who was playing League. You pulled out your wallet, left a bill on the girl’s table, and grabbed her americano. She turned around, confused, but the money was there, so she didn’t really complain.

You’d make sure Yuri reimbursed you later

You nervously walked to the guys’ station. You blinked rapidly and tried to rehearse in your head what you were going to do. You could feel your heart jumping out of your chest and desperately tried to tone it down. 

Just as he was fumbling the SD card into his adaptor, you accidentally stumbled and knocked the cup of coffee into his keyboard.

“Yah! Are you crazy?” he screamed.

“Oh no, I am so sorry,” you say, trying to sound as realistic as possible. “Here, let me help.” You turned around and grabbed the box of tissues on the table. You take out as many as you could and started smearing the coffee everywhere on his clothes.

“Fuck, this shirt is expensive,” he complained.

“I’m so sorry, sir, it was my mistake,” you responded.

He started insulting you, telling you to leave him alone, but you kept going, blocking his view of the computer, and slowly pushed him away with the rotating chair.

In the chaos, Yuri managed to go behind you and snatch the SD card before disappearing. When you couldn’t see Yuri anymore, you knew it was your time to leave as well. 

“I’m so sorry, sir, truly, truly sorry,” you pleaded.

“Fine, fine, just stop it.”

“Alright, sir, I will get some wet tissues from the café then.”

“No, leave me alone,” he spat back.

“As you wish,” you finally said, and speed walked to the exit of the building. Once you were out, you walked a couple of meters away, just to make sure he wouldn’t see you if he got out. Behind a wall, you made sure you weren’t completely alone and took your phone out.

There was a single message from an unknown number. It must have been Yuri.

I’m in the alleyway behind the pizza restaurant

5:48 PM

Which one?

pizza palace

5:51 PM

You sighed and opened NAVER maps. Fuck, it was two kilometers away, just how much does this girl run?  You didn’t couldn’t rest now. The photographer would have noticed by now that the card was missing. You shook your head and started jogging towards the restaurant.

You reached it a couple of minutes later and went to the alley, and there Yuri was, leaning against the wall.

“There you are,” she sighed. “I can’t believe I did it.”

“I helped you, too.”

“Shut up,” she snapped, but with less force than before. 

She looked so small with her oversized hoodie. Without the makeup she looked as cute as you always thought she was but to see her in a dirty alleyway smoking and disheveled was pretty weird.

“You’re… unbelievable,” you breathed, leaning against the opposite wall. “I thought you were an angel. Your fans did too. If they saw you like that, they’d have a heart attack.”

“Whatever, dude, I don’t care,” she said as she slipped down to the floor. She was exhausted. “I need a fucking cigarette,” she said and pulled out a crumpled pack of cigarettes from her pocket. You could see it wasn’t full at all; there were probably three left. She put one to her mouth and lit it up.

“You’re really gonna smoke right now?” you asked her.

She took a moment to inhale the smoke and let the nicotine hit her. Once she exhaled the cloud of smoke, she turned her head in your direction. “

“Got a problem?” she asked. “You want one? Or are you gonna just stand there?”

“You do you,” you said and raised your hands. “I’m good. I value my lungs.”

You crossed your arm and stared at the wall for a while, letting Yuri enjoy her cigarette. You still couldn’t believe what had just happened. To think you had her poster hanging on your wall. Hell, you have her signed album in your backpack right now.

“Hey,” you started. “Do you hate being an idol?”

Yuri opened one eye. “No, I don’t hate it.” She sighed. “I just got particularly annoyed today.”

“We all have one of those days.”

“You won’t tell anyone about this, you got that clear?” she said.

“Don’t worry, Yuri,” you said. “I told you. I’m a fan. Even if you’re… well, like this.”
She let out a short laugh and coughed. “Like this, heh, and you’re a weirdo.”

A black van pulled up across the sidewalk, illuminating the trash bags with its headlights. Yuri slowly got up. She took one last puff of her cigarette and crushed the butt into the concrete. “It’s my manager,” she said. “I’m keeping the hoodie by the way.”

“You’re just gonna go? Like that?”

She paused at the edge of the alley, the van door sliding open. She turned back and finally looked more like the idol that you knew. She gave you a genuine crooked smile and scoffed.

“The more I stay with you and the more I want to punch you,” she said, almost fondly of you. “Bye.”

She hopped into the van, and the door closed.

As the car drove off, your phone buzzed in your pocket. You pulled it out and saw the same number as before.

thanks for the help

if I see a single video online, i’ll find you

if you behave, I’ll put you ont he vip list for the next show

I’m trying to quit smoking, btw.

there you go

now you can imagine me in your hoodie being your little girlfriend

you’re welcome

7:18 PM

You scoffed. The nerve of this girl. You stood there in the cold, staring at the empty street. You lost your hoodie. Your idol was a chain-smoking thug, and now you had to walk back to your car on the other side of the city.

These Busan girls really are terrifying.