As I stumble over a hidden dink on the sidewalk, little clouds puff out of my mouth. The October air should have left me shivering, but the warm tingling from the last few shots of tequila still lingered. My hazy eyes glaze over the blinding billboards and signs in Hongdae. The mass of bodies swarming the streets and the American pop music blasting out of every building in sight did nothing to excite me. More foreigners out in these streets than in most other parts of Seoul, but what should have felt closer to home seemed more alienating than ever.
I had just gotten out of a club I had gone to with a few acquaintances I had met in this solo trip to South Korea. Not friends yet, maybe not ever, but both close and distant enough for me to share some of the stories that brought me. Something that I was finding it hard to do with my friends back home. Sometimes it's hard to share the things that hurt you the most. I'd never had that issue until recently. Some wounds are too deep for you to do anything by yourself.
One club board stands out to me amidst the background of a bustling street: "Alone." A bittersweet chuckle escapes my lips as I start walking away into a more quiet part of town. Maybe it's time to grab something to eat. I fumble for my phone in my pocket and check the time. It's only 11:55 A.M., though I almost feel like I should see the sunrise peaking through the horizon at any moment. I guess that's what happens when you start drinking at noon and barhopping before you even eat dinner.
As I go to put my phone away, I see a familiar silhouette in the distance. I blink my eyes furiously to wash away the drunken stupor I've led myself to and barely catch a shadow round the corner. I stumble at first, but quickly pick up pace as I bolt forward. I sidestep the few people I see on the street and speed past the corner when I see a party of four too late. I barely dodge them of all before one of them flinches and trips backward. I quickly drop to a knee and catch her before she lands on the floor. I smell the distinct breath of whiskey through a stifled gasp. Seems like I'm not the only one who's had too much to drink. Makes sense considering where I'm at. I glimpse at an astonishing pair of cloudy, honey-coloured eyes before I remember what I was chasing.
By the time I stabilize the passerby I almost hurt in my frantic dash and murmur a quick apology, the silhouette is nowhere in sight. I sigh in exasperation and scurry forward, barely catching the already-fading voices of the people behind me. The lucidity I gained from the adrenaline starts fading away as my thoughts stray toward the person I thought—wished?—I saw. I recall the date I saw on the screen just moments before and wonder if maybe the shadow I thought I saw was just a trick of the mind. Tomorrow's her birthday, after all. It's the reason I'm out here to begin with.
My thoughts slow, wistfully stuck on a distant memory before melting away into another. Legs that were furiously pumping blood a few seconds ago are now caught in a sea of quicksand, every step more difficult than the one before. I stumble again, catching myself on the corner of a building settled next to an alley. I give my body another push before I quickly give into its demands to rest. I twist my body and let my body fall into a sitting position. I nestle myself into the cold alley buried in darkness, propped up next to a large radiator of sorts letting out spurts of warm fumes. At least one comfort in this otherwise suffocating night. My back is cold and damp from the sweat. One of my legs listens to one last command and grants its support to my weary arms. Drifting into the sweet release of unconsciousness, my arms cushion the fall of my head as I hunch forward. I can feel the warmth of the radiator next to me as the spirals in my vision finally slumber for the night.
Warmth breathed into my body. A second was all that passed before an array of colors flared into my vision. Suddenly, my instincts screamed at me, making me push hard on the floor and forcing myself into a roll. A shockwave sent me flying from my roll, barely granting me enough time to shield my head from the cold, hard wall behind me. Flitters dance across my vision as I process the smoldering boulder that would have ended my life. Tilting my head up to see where in hell it would have came from, my body freezes in shock.
The heavens themselves were raining down onto Earth.
Dark clouds obscured the entire sky. Lightning and thunder of all different colors tangled in the air, painting a breathtaking, psychedelic landscape reminiscent of the northern lights. Thick raindrops plunged into the Earth, accentuating the existing hues from the massive bolts in the sky. Blasting the raindrops apart, however, were enormous, smoldering boulders with a sweltering flame that instantly swallowed any drop of water that came near them. They were splotches of ink, marring the captivating scene behind them. Some were the size of people, while others shrouded the world in darkness as they flew by. Somehow, it seemed as if even the lightning respected their presence and kept a distance. How the city was still standing in the face of what very well must have been cataclysmic impacts was baffling.
My awe at the scene unfolding before me was cut short as I was sent scampering back from another boulder that landed where I was. I tasted blood in my mouth, probably having bit myself after the initial impact. I could also feel the trembling of my muscles as I moved them around. After making sure nothing was broken, my eyes wandered back towards the two boulders. For some reason, it felt unnatural to see that they landed so close to one another. The flames dancing across their surfaces seemed agitated, though the first one that fell felt proud. Aloof—as if above all else. The other was like a cornered mouse, if a mouse was also a terrifying predator that was ready to prey on whichever unlucky creature met it.
Before I could start questioning my sanity in attributing natures and feelings to these inanimate rocks, my ears twitched, finally catching up with my eyes. Screams resounded throughout the neighborhood. Each one echoed the last, creating a cacophony of terror. Desperation and fear colored every voice I could possibly hear. If just the imagery before was sensory overload, I fully blanked for a few minutes, my brain struggling to process all of the information. Before I could finishing doing so, a massive shadow loomed over me.
I heard the thump of my body hitting a warm, uneven surface and the little gasp of air being knocked out of me before I felt the searing pain vibrate throughout my body. A low, rumbling growl shook the air itself nearby. The vibration of thudding footsteps sent the small pebbles in front of my face flying in different directions. Gradually, they faded into the distance. I could barely lift my head in time to catch the sight of an enormous hulk lumbering away. The painful chuckle that came out sent me reeling, making me realize that the alcohol from most of the day and night must have already worn off.
I regret not having drunk another shot or two. This hurts like hell.
My thoughts scatter away in response to the waves of pain racking my body. I lean back lightly, relishing the warmth behind me. Light flickers under my lidded eyes, coaxing them open. The previously dark alley is illuminated by the bewitching spectacle in the sky. It wasn't an alley to begin with, but just another street with a broken streetlight that marked the entrance to a large construction site. Mounds of dirt and rubble and coat the floors beside machinery the names of I don't even know. I see the large rectangular piece of steel that I must have been leaning on before. I can even see the little puffs of smoke pop out that kept me warm before.
I blink.
I blink again furiously, my brain racing to catch up with this new information. If I'm not leaning on that now, what the hell is warming up my whole body right now? I gently tilt my head enough to barely spot the wisps of fire gently swaying in the corner of my eye.
"Oh shit."