[Jung Sanghyun]

It's been merely two days since the scene at the bridal dress shop, but I still feel the adrenaline of that moment when the owner, Leanne Betts, approached me in a threatening way, calling me a delinquent. I have to be honest, I made a mess there on purpose just to have Lacey leave without regrets.

Yet, I love listening to the recordings of that crazy Karen's ramblings. I still enjoy the moment when everyone turned against her and realized that they can't and won't let her leech off their hard work ever again. As one of her ex employees said, her reign of terror is over.

I press play for the second time today. I want to hear how much she fears her comeuppance through her screeching and hissing once again. I want her empty threats to be nothing but pointless thoughts, void of any meaning. I rejoice for her defeat.

"What the fuck is going on? This isn't a playground, it's a respectable boutique! Have some respect, you fuckers! Do you want to follow Lacey? Then move your asses! I don't pay you to slack off!"

I can still feel her veins pulse. The shit she spewed at those poor employees is nothing compared to how she treated customers, especially me. I didn't expect to be pampered and all that jazz; after all, I'm not a groom. I just can't accept the fact she made me pass off as some lunatic weirdo who wanted to hijack that stupid shop.

"Hey, you, Mr. Moped! What the fuck are you doing around dresses? Where is your bride? Oh, I forgot, you can't have one of your choice. Your parents must've ordered one for you via mail. I mean, that's what your culture's customs entail." I still fume at those words. They denote ignorance, as well as arrogance and unwillingness to learn.

Arranged marriages have been outdated in South Korea for way long. She could've known better, but probably chose not to. I'm not surprised, though. What I still have trouble understanding is why it took so long for her employees to leave that toxic environment filled with racism and misandry. Yes, I'm not exaggerating. Her attitude with men is despicable.

"By the way, are you even sure you're a man? Look at yourself—you could pass off as a woman! What's your name?" The more I listen, the more I want to puke. Leanne Betts is the full package. Racist, misandrist, elitist and, of course, arrogant and full of herself. She's the kind of woman anyone sane should stay away from.

I recall introducing myself to that psycho. If only I had kept my mouth shut... It's not because she butchered my name. Even my old school teachers used to get it wrong. To them, I became Sangyeon, or, in one extreme case, even Sanghoon.

What set them apart from that obnoxious piece of shit is that, at least, they were either in good faith or able to hide their bad intentions better. Leanne has had it on me since we exchanged glances. Okay, not really "glances." More like "cutthroat daggers."

"Security! Drag this weirdo out! And make sure he's banished from this mall! I don't want to see him again!" These words are the nail in her coffin. I rejoice as they echo in my mind, along with the mocking laughter coming from the security guards, aimed at her, not at me.

One guard did escort me out, but not the way Leanne wanted. Instead, we shook hands and he gave me his number. Maybe I should text him, just to come up with new puns about that witch, but it's not a good idea now. Unlike me, he doesn't have a lot of time to waste.

Since the recording is over and I'm bored as fuck, I decide I want some time outdoors to create even more trouble. I think I'll go to the mall again. I want to confirm that Leanne's request of having me banned from there is pure bullshit; also, I want to have some real fun there.

But, no, I'll steer clear of the bridal dress shop this time. I'll make do with hitting the movies or a bookstore.

***

The elevator is stuffed. I can count at least fourteen people, when it's supposed to carry ten at most. I'm used to large crows at malls, but not in elevators. Maybe I've always been lucky enough to catch it empty. Not that I take the lift that often. Okay, that's a lie. I'm too lazy to go up three floors by stairs, let even thirty.

There's this new pop-up event on the thirty-second floor which is the talk of the place. Dozens of posters announcing an upcoming magic show appear every, like, fifty meters. I don't think I'll be able to find a spot in the entire building where the show isn't advertised.

By the sixteenth floor, only seven people, including myself, are left in the elevator. One of them piques my attention because of her uncanny resemblance to Lacey, the shop assistant at the bridal house of horrors that got disgracefully sacked out just for talking to me.

Same long red hair with no bangs, same reddish complexion, same big eyes. It is indeed a coincidence. Until when I hear her pronounce my name. "S-Sanghyun?" She gasps and her face turns purple out of embarrassment.

"Do we know each other?" I ask, suspecting that the woman is indeed Lacey but at the same time not wanting to jump to conclusions straight away.

She brushes off the mixture of shame and anguish with a gesture of her right hand. "I mean, you are Sanghyun, right? With that hair, who else could be?"

I retort sarcastically. "Sanghyun who? I could be wearing a wig." The other people in the elevator erupt in laughter. Lacey, or whoever she is, on the other hand, isn't in the mood for laughing. She'd rather hide somewhere and never come out.

"Oh, sorry, I should've known better that such puns are not for everyone," I say in a pathetic attempt to save face. Why can't I just admit I recognize Lacey? The truth hurts, but not as much as the aftermath of an apparently sweet lie. At least, this is what I'm learning right now, at the cost of passing off as an idiot.

"By the way, Sanghyun, yes, I am Lacey. I remember you. If you hadn't come, I'd still be there, crying my eyes out over bridal gowns." She shakes her head because she knows she's right. She has sacrificed everything, including her sanity, just to make a living for herself. Can I blame her?

One of the other women on the lift with us clears her throat. She turns at Lacey and me with apparently pleading eyes. "I can't help being intrigued by your story, guys. So, now, you know each other, right? How about the rest of us introduce ourselves?"

The idea in itself seems good, but we'll have to get out within the next minute and we'll separate. That is, until I lean too close to the buttons with my elbows. Suddenly, an alarm rings. I look back and then move forward, realizing I've just fucked up.

While I was leaning against the buttons, my elbow hit one. Not a random one, though. The emergency button. I've just landed Lacey and these other five people, including myself, into trouble.