Bell announcing the end of last period, Jun-yeong packed up his belongings and exited the school with his friends. Chatting with them for the brief period of time their paths home converged with his own, he bid farewell to them once they reached the intersection that marked the end of this shared path.

Jun-yeong continued home, pausing outside a convenience store near his block. While the aisles of snacks and sugary drinks inside the brightly lit building was enticing, he was more interested in the narrow alley between the convenience store and a nearby apartment building. Although he took this road back everyday, it was only recently did he notice wisps of smoke exiting the alleyway.

At first, Jun-yeong told himself to ignore it. Bottling up his desire to investigate the source of the smoke, he deliberately looked across the street each time he passed the convenience store. But, as the days continued to pass, his curiosity only grew.

Each night he went to bed, he would dream of a different reason for the smoke. Perhaps it was a barbecue party, or maybe the alley was used by Dokkaebis as a portal into this world. Unable to handle any more made-up scenarios of the smoke’s source, he finally decided to settle the matter once and for all by investigating himself.

Buzzing with excitement, Jun-yeong took a deep breath. He lifted his left foot, placing it in the direction of the alley. The first step was exhilarating, as if he was crossing a boundary into a world full of mysteries. The second was easier, quicker than the first, and the third and fourth step after became a blur in his memories. Jun-yeong found himself breaking into a run, giddy as he entered the alleyway.

The alley itself was nothing special. Dark and damp, it represented a picturesque definition of what an alley was, a narrow passageway between two buildings. At the end sat a full dumpster, currently visited by a fly and a stray.

What made this particular alley special, as with all the other alleys with their own quirks and features, was your presence.

Jun-yeong glanced over to his left, spotting you.

Perched on a stack of old crates left by a lazy manager promising to get rid of them one day, you held a lit cigarette between your index and ring finger. Smoke escaped your mouth to join what was coming out of the cigarette’s end, drifting up and out of the alley. You were dressed in baggy pants and a school uniform jacket modified to include a bold lettering of your gang’s motto and flashy logo on the back. If that wasn’t enough to discourage anyone from messing with you, the bandages around your knuckles and scars visible on every inch of exposed skin sealed the message.

Jun-yeong tensed, instinctively prepping himself for a fight.

You peered at him through the smoke, uninterested before turning away to take another puff.

Once the initial terror of a potential confrontation faded, Jun-yeong cautiously made his way closer to you. Unlike the violence and anger he’s come to associate with gangsters after listening to his friends’ stories or teachers’ warnings, you seemed much more reserved.

In fact, there was almost a melancholy air to you as you smoked alone in the back alley of a convenience store.

With his fear disappearing, the determination to satisfy his curiosity returned.

Stopping right in front of you, Jun-yeong attempted to catch your eye again. When standing there like an idiot didn’t accomplish anything, he took a deep breath—pushing down the cough that threatened to escape when he accidentally inhaled some of the smoke.

“I heard that smoking is bad for your health.”