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1. Life is hard. That's what Jiwoo thought that Thursday afternoon. After a long day at the university, the only thought in her mind was to get to her apartment with the hope that her two roommates were not there so she could prepare herself warm cup of tea and then have the longest and most pleasant bath in history.
Jiwoo was a college student getting a teaching degree and was already in the last year. If there was something she liked, that was children. But the process to become a teacher was complicated, long and hard. After four years she was very close to her goal, but it seemed as if every passing moment everything became more and more complicated.
Long hours sitting and receiving endless theorical classes only made her desire to start practical classes at a school grow and grow endlessly. The worst thing is that these classes were taught by a couple of boring teachers who did nothing but take away the excitement that the great adventure that teaching children was.
Jiwoo sighed loudly and took one of her hands to her forehead, rubbing it gently, as if she was trying to make the headache that had settled behind her eyes throughout the morning go away.
She had too much to do and to think about. Too many projects to finish. And Jiwoo just wanted her tea and a relaxing bath.
Jiwoo walked next to the bus stop where every day she started her way back home. She was about to sit on the bench to wait for the bus when a small commotion caught her attention. Jiwoo turned her head toward the sound and saw a considerable number of people entering and leaving a cafeteria. Had that coffee shop always been there? Because it was the first time Jiwoo noticed it. Her fingers gave little pats on the folder she was holding against her legs, alternating her gaze between the cafeteria and the road on which the bus might appear at any time. With slightly pursed lips, Jiwoo pulled out her phone and checked the time.
16:55 PM. It was missing fifteen minutes before the next bus, at 17:10 PM. In fifteen minutes she could enter the cafeteria, order a coffee, sit and drink it.
Jiwoo walked away from the bench and, with resolute strides, she headed toward the cafeteria.
The warm smell of cinnamon slammed into her nostrils and her chest swelled into the bitter aroma of coffee floating in the big cafeteria. Almost all the tables were occupied, but luckily the line of people waiting to order was not very long. After a couple of minutes waiting, Jiwoo approached one of the free tables with a caramel latte in hand. Once she was comfortably seated, she took the first sip of her coffee and closed her eyes with a soft sound of satisfaction.
Licking her lips, Jiwoo pulled her phone out to check the time. 16:59 PM. Just at the time when the clock changed to 17:00 PM, the soft tinkling of the bell of the door opening filled the room. Not much later, the sound of a chair crawling on the floor soaked Jiwoo’s ears.
Brows furrowing slightly, Jiwoo turned her head toward the noise. Next to one of the large windows of the cafeteria, someone was sitting. Who, Jiwoo could not tell for sure, since one of the waitresses was placing a steaming cup of black coffee on the table. Jiwoo could only see long thin legs covered by black and tight jeans. She could also see that some black shoes adorned the person's feet. Their hands, long and with slender fingers were holding a white book and the tips of a long brown mane were camouflaged on the dark fabric of a button shirt of the same color.
Then the waitress left the table and Jiwoo felt like her breath was cut in her throat. Before her eyes appeared the brightest smile she had ever seen and such an attractive face she could feel her head starting to spin. The mysterious girl's nose was wrinkled because of her smile. And her eyes, dark and deep... glittered and tinkled like two little stars.
Helplessly, blush climbed up to Jiwoo’s neck to take over her entire face, her lips parted and eyes fixed on the girl. Suddenly, those brown and bright eyes moved and set on Jiwoo’s pupils, who just turned her head quickly to pierce her caramel latte cup with her own brown, panicking eyes.
With her heart beating at full speed, Jiwoo raised her hands and placed her palms on her cheeks, feeling the burning flush on her skin.
"My God... What the hell happened to me..." Jiwoo said to herself, slyly turning her head to watch the girl out of the corner of her eye.
The girl was reading quietly, her coffee still smoking hot and the sunlight making some golden highlights shine on her long brown hair. Jiwoo felt how her throat dried right at that moment.
Clearing her throat softly, Jiwoo pulled out her phone and not paying attention at the time, opened the camera app. Jiwoo tilted her body and posed for a selfie. On one side of the photo, the young brown haired lady appeared reading with a little smile on her lips. Jiwoo smiled as well.
Trying to dissimulate, Jiwoo zoomed in and set the image on the girl who was still reading by the window, watching each of her small movements.
Twenty minutes later, the brown haired girl left the cafe accompanied with the tinkling bell of the door. Twenty one minutes later, Jiwoo left the cafeteria. She had missed the bus.
2. The next day, Jiwoo returned to the same cafeteria, at the same time. That day, the brown haired girl did not appear and Jiwoo’s caramel latte cooled down in its cup. When the clock struck 18:00 PM, Jiwoo rose from her table and left, leaving behind her intact coffee on the table and feeling a weight on her shoulders.
Day after day, Jiwoo continued to go to the same coffee shop at the same time, but the brown haired girl did not appear even once. A week later since the first time she saw her sitting by the window, bathed in the afternoon sun with the brightness of thousands of stars in her eyes; Jiwoo returned to the cafeteria.
"If she is not coming today, I will not come back as well." Jiwoo said to herself, sitting at her usual table, with her caramel latte in her hands.
With a sigh, Jiwoo rested her forehead on the table, closing her eyes tightly. "What's wrong with me..." Jiwoo whispered. "Why you don't go out of my head..." Jiwoo squeezed her eyes shut, the image of the lovely face of the girl appearing as a flash in her mind, her smile, her eyes, her hair, her long fingers holding her white book... Everything seemed to shout " Remember me!" to Jiwoo, and the young woman felt that she was going crazy.
Then, once the clock hit at 17:00 PM, the bells of the cafeteria door sounded again and, a few seconds later, the same sound of a chair crawling made Jiwoo to stiffen on her chair and incorporate her back so stiffly that she thought she was going to break in half.
Carefully Jiwoo turned her head, her gaze searching the face that she had been waiting a whole week to see. And there she was, smiling at the same waitress again, her cup of black coffee steaming on the table.
A flash of jealousy surfaced in her chest and her breath hitched for a moment. What was going on between this delicious girl and the damn waitress? Unconsciously, her fingers pressed together with a little more force around the glass of her caramel latte mug, which she took to her lips to take a long sip.
Her eyes snapped wide open when the scorching liquid burned her mouth and her throat, a loud groan escaping from the depths of her being. She stuck out her tongue and did everything possible so that the burning disappeared from her mouth, even fanning herself with her hands. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as the girl looked at her curiously.
Earth, swallow me... Jiwoo thought, closing her eyes tightly, feeling again how the blush came over her face.
Breathing deeply, in an attempt to calm the roar of nerves that swirled in her chest, and poking out a little her lower lip, which hurt due to the burning of the coffee, Jiwoo pulled out her phone again and opened the camera app.
Cocking a little her body, Jiwoo drew a small, shy smile, seeing perfectly how the blush seemed to settle automatically on her cheeks in presence of the girl. Quickly, Jiwoo took the picture, watching in delight as the silhouette of the mysterious girl shone in the sun on one side, next to the window.
Jiwoo nibbled her lower lip and zoomed into the picture, taking in the details of the girl, not daring to turn to look at her face to face. She was sure she would embarrass herself again.
The image she took in the photo showed the brown haired girl sitting as the previous week, by the window, under a beam of orange light that certainly played to dance on her long and, Jiwoo was willing to swear, silky strands. A white cap adorned her head, pulled backwards and Jiwoo sighed loudly. As if this girl was not attractive enough, that snapback had to fit her damn fucking fine as well.
"Being so attractive has to be a bloody crime..." Jiwoo muttered softly, frowning.
Jiwoo looked at the girl again on the corner of her eye, her face flushing again when she could see perfectly as the girl removed the red jacket she had been wearing since she had entered the cafeteria. Under the jacket the girl was wearing a very loose muscle tee shirt that showed off her arms and part of her sides. The flash of a black colored sports bra made Jiwoo to turn her head quickly again, looking right to her caramel latte, her eyes open wide and and her mouth feeling completely dry.
"Damn... Fuck..." Muttered a very flustered Jiwoo. "I look like a pervert, shit... And a crazy one, too." Jiwoo let out a loud sigh and took her phone up again, this time zooming in to observe in detail the movements of the girl, as she had done the previous week.
Every time the girl flexed her arms to lift the same white covered book or the cup of black coffee, the muscles in her arms tightened and contracted and Jiwoo thought she would faint on the spot. She was thin, maybe too thin, but Jiwoo was sure that she was strong enough to lift her and push her against a wall and- Wait, what... Jiwoo’s jaw fell slack as that thought crossed her mind and, with her free hand, she slapped her forehead. Hard and loudly. Kim Jiwoo, get a grip!
Cheeks burning, Jiwoo set again her eyes in the image of the girl, who was reading quietly, oblivious to the train of thoughts that crossed at that time her mind.
A few minutes later, the girl got up from her chair and, after packing up and leaving money on the table for the coffee, she left the cafeteria. Jiwoo stayed on her chair, breathing uneven, trying to calm down somehow.
After taking a sharp breath, Jiwoo stood up and, taking off her wallet to put some money on the table, she left the cafeteria a few minutes later.
3. With the lesson already learned, the next time Jiwoo went to the cafe near the bus stop was on Thursday, the next week. The red skirt she was wearing was flowing around her legs and soft laughter escaped her lips.
That time she was not alone. One of her roommates was beside her.
"This is the cafeteria you keep on telling me about, Jiwooming?" Jungeun said, looking at her with a curious smile. Jiwoo nodded, looking again and again the time on her phone. The clock was about to strike five.
Jiwoo and Jungeun sat at Jiwoo’s usual table, and she didn't stop fiddling with her fingers, stealing furtive glances at the door once and again. Jungeun looked at her with a slightly raised eyebrow and a question mark swimming in her eyes.
"Jiwoo, relax or you will have a fit." Jungeun said with an amused smile. Jiwoo snorted loudly.
"It's five..." Jiwoo said, as if that explained everything.
"And let me guess... Is it at five when that girl of the silky brown hair you are crushing on so much will be coming here?" Jungeun raised an eyebrow again. Jiwoo just nodded her head, nibbling her lower lip.
At that time, the ringing bells of the door filled the room and Jiwoo gave a little jump in her chair, completely tense. Her phone clock marked 17:01 AM.
"It's her, she is here..." Jiwoo muttered again and again, softly, not daring to turn her head to look at the door. Jungeun, confused, blinked a couple of times, staring at the person who had just entered the cafeteria.
"No, Jiwooming, she is not. This girl’s hair is black." Jungeun said, and when the characteristic sound of the chair crawling next to the windown reached Jiwoo’s ears, she frowned.
"What are you saying, what do you mean black..." Jiwoo muttered and quickly turned her head toward the table.
Jungeun was right. There was someone sitting at the table next to the window, being bathed in the warm sunlight. But again, because of the same damn waitress she could not see more than her body and some strands of long and silky black hair.
"Damn waitress from hell..." Jiwoo muttered, and Jungeun could not help but laugh softly. Jiwoo was always so positive and cheerful that to see her so nervous and grumpy was a complete entertainment.
When the waitress pulled away, she left behind a steaming cup of black coffee and a bright smile that put into action the deep dark eyes of the now black haired girl. Jiwoo’s jaw fell slack to see how well her long black locks complemented her face. It was not fair. It certainly was not fair that everything looked so well in that damn girl. Not to mention that pastel blue button shirt that highlighted the darker color of her locks and illuminated her more than bright face and smile.
Jiwoo turned her head to Jungeun, ducking her chin slightly so that her long reddish hair could hide her face. Jungeun let out a pretty loud laugh.
"Wow, Jiwooming... Are you blushing?" Jungeun said with her singsong voice, stretching one hand to remove Jiwoo’s hair from her face, exposing her red cheeks. Jungeun laughed again, loudly. "Hey, you really look like a teenager with a crush... I have to assume that that girl is your mysterious brown haired beauty, right?" Jiwoo looked up suddenly and grabbed Jungeun’s shoulders tightly, digging her fingers on her sweater and pulling her friend near to her face until their foreheads almost touched.
"Jungeun, I'm going crazy... Why everything look good on her? Snapbacks, dark clothes, black hair, brown hair and even that damn blue button-down shirt. Why? The purpose of this girl is ruining my life and make me lose my mind." Jiwoo’s eyes were open wide, her face red as if it were a ripe tomato and her fists clenched around Jungeun’s sweater, who looked at her with an amused smile.
Jungeun shifted her gaze to the mentioned girl and she saw how she threw a curious look in their direction and wrinkled her brows slightly. Jungeun outlined a new smile, bringing her hands to Jiwoo’s and making her to loosen the grip on her sweater.
"Why do not you go to talk to her, Jiwoo? If you like her that much..." Jungeun said, raising an eyebrow slightly. Jiwoo quickly shook her head, holding her hands to her cheeks again.
"Are you crazy? I can not do that, no, no..." Jiwoo shook her head again, nibbling her lip.
"Why not? I doubt that after three weeks she has not noticed that you exist and that you're an adorable mess."
"No, I do not have enough courage, she is... so... ethereal... No, I can't, she can not be real, she has to be a product of my imagination."
"Girl, I can see her too, you know." Jungeun deadpanned.
"Shhh!" Jiwoo hissed to Jungeun with a wave of her hand and the other girl could only roll her eyes and take a long sip of her cappuccino.
Jiwoo raised her phone again, marveling at the view through the camera screen as the sun played with the wide range of shades of gold on the long now-black hair of the girl. Placing her free hand under her chin, her index finger and thumb outstretched, Jiwoo flashed a beaming smile, the tip of her index finger pointing toward the girl, who reappeared on one side of the picture.
"You are such a creep." Jungeun muttered under her breath, drinking again. Jiwoo glared at her.
“Shut up.”
“You should go and talk to her instead of being a creepy stalker.”
“Jungeun...”
“Just saying.”
“Just shut up.”
“Oh… She is leaving. Why don’t you go to the door as well and run into her? You could also tell her: “Hey, I’m Kim Jiwoo and I’m your personal stalker. I think you are pretty attractive, want to make out with me?”
“Jungeun, I swear to God…”
“Hey, Jiwooming, where are you going? Jiwoo! Wait for me!”
“I’m not asking you to come with me again!”
“Come on, Jiwooming, don’t be like that!”
“Never again!”
The sound of tinkling bells took away the voices of the two friends when, minutes later than the mysterious girl, they left the cafeteria.
4. A week later, Jiwoo thought she would not take much longer to get a gun and shoot herself right between her eyes. With a grunt, she entered the cafeteria, already more than familiar with the environment and, shuffling, she headed toward the counter.
Before she had time to order her caramel latte, as every Thursday, the waitress who was behind the counter placed a mug with her favorite drink just in front of her face.
"The usual, right?" Asked the waitress with a friendly smile, her brown eyes sparkling. Jiwoo smiled back and nodded before taking her cup of caramel latte to go to her usual table.
With a heavy sigh, Jiwoo slumped in her chair, leaning on the back of the chair, dropping her head back in a gesture of weariness. That week had been a horror, the amount of work and projects she had done and that she still had to do was devastating and all she wanted to do was to lie on her bed and sleep forever.
"What the hell am I even doing here..." Jiwoo said, getting up a little to take a little sip of her caramel latte. "I should be at home working on my projects."
It was at that moment when the tinkling filled the room and a wide natural smile crossed Jiwoo’s face. Suddenly fatigue was no longer a problem, suddenly the stress and her projects ceased to be important and she simply felt the expectation to see how the girl surprised her that week.
After hearing the sound of the chair crawling on the floor, Jiwoo bit her lip nervously, turning her face a little to look toward the large window.
That day the sun did not shine in the spectacular way it had done these past weeks, but the faint glow that filtered through the clouds of the sunset made a soft golden halo to surround the girl's figure.
The young woman was wearing a light brown wool sweater that seemed to be as warm as Jiwoo's own fluffy bed sheet, which she was pretty proud of because it was the warmest thing in the whole world, or so she used to say to brag about it. Her hair was tied in a ponytail that fell by one of her shoulders and stroked just under of her ribcage. Her long fingers played with her phone and a small smile danced on her lips. For a moment Jiwoo wondered if this girl would have a boyfriend. Or a girlfriend. Well, yes, of course, considering how attractive she was and how peaceful she seemed, Jiwoo did not have any doubt.
A heavy weight settled in the depths of her chest, turning her face to her caramel latte, a small frown appearing between her eyebrows. She felt she was falling for this girl more and more each passing week, and without the courage to approach her and introduce herself, without knowing her name and with the certainty that she would be already taken by someone, she was beginning to wonder whether it was worth to keep coming every week to the cafeteria to look at her for a few minutes.
Jiwoo let out a loud sigh, resting a hand on the table and letting her fingers to play on the wood surface. Then a musical laugh was heard from the table next to the window and Jiwoo’s heart sank. Rushing to get her phone, Jiwoo posed for a picture, the background was the laughing brunette girl.
Jiwoo turned her face slightly, watching on the corner of her eye in an attempt to know what was she laughing about. It is probably something that her boyfriend or girlfriend has texted her... Jiwoo thought, but when she turned around and saw that what the girl was laughing at was her book, the same white covered book, a small smile crossed her lips, a mixture of relief and a warm feeling that she was not able to name spread through her body.
That's when the girl looked up from the book, her alluring dark eyes meeting Jiwoo’s own brown gaze. Jiwoo’s eyes widened, quickly turning her head to hide her face and turn her back to the girl, hiding her obvious blush.
"Jesus..." Jiwoo hissed, wrinkling her nose. "Do you want to be a little more obvious, Jiwoo? She will think you're a creepy stalker, as Jungeun said..." A heavy sigh escaped again Jiwoo’s lips. "And is not that what I am, exactly? Why if not I keep on coming here every Thursday? Kim Jiwoo, you're screwed..." Jiwoo picked up her cup of caramel latte and brought it to her lips, taking a big gulp until she almost drank the full content.
A couple of minutes later, the jingle of the door announced the departure of the girl. Jiwoo let out a little frustrated growl and after a couple of minutes, she got up and, after leaving the money on the table, left the cafeteria as well.
"You're screwed, Jiwoo. So fucking screwed..."
5. On Thursday next week Jiwoo was in such a bad mood that she thought she was going to catch on fire at any time. After several days working on a project, the damn professor of that subject had grade it with a simple B. A fucking B! To Jiwoo was an insult knowing that this project deserved top marks.
And Jiwoo was sure of it, because if something she was serious about, was in school and she rarely got less than A+.
"I'll put such a big claim on him that his ass will be sweating." Jiwoo grunted, opening the door of the cafeteria.
She had not looked at the time on the clock before entering and once the familiar scent of cinnamon and coffee hit her nostrils, she stopped in the middle of the room.
There was something odd that afternoon.
For starters, a cup of what she was sure it was caramel latte was waiting, steaming and appetizing, on her usual table. But that was not what caught her attention. With her back to her, and terribly close because the window table was the closest to the door, the mysterious girl was still reading her white covered book, her cup of black coffee on the table waiting to be consumed.
Oh my God... To get to her table, Jiwoo had to go near her and she didn't want to. She did not want to because she was sure that if she approached her the slightest, the girl could hear the loud sound of the beating of her heart. It felt as if an incessant and loud thunder was rambling in her ears, her face burning with heat, a blush that was descending to her neck and trailed down her collarbones.
Because also, as if she were not the height of beauty and attractiveness already, that day she was wearing a varsity jacket. A damn varsity jacket. Her long black hair fell in waves and some loose tiny braids down her shoulders and her back and between her locks she could read a word on her jacket.
Yves... What does that even mean...
Jiwoo wondered, taking a sharp breath and, raising her chin in a gesture of fake security, she walked to her own usual table. But gradually, as she got closer to the girl, her steps became increasingly slower, in an attempt to see any detail up close.
The way her fingers (her long, slender fingers that seemed to be the smoothest fingers in the world) caressed the pages of her book, almost reverently, or as her plump lips pursed when she was reading, or how the sunlight was still plucking out golden flashes out of her braided hair, she could also denote from that short distance some soft brownish tufts between both gold and black.
Jiwoo was speechless. And before she knew it, she had already reached her table. She sat on her chair and, after observing the caramel latte that was there already waiting for her, she turned her face to the counter, giving a smile to the waitress who always served her coffee.
"Thank you, Jinsol." Jiwoo gestured with her lips, pointing to the cup of coffee. Jinsol raised her thumbs and sent her a wide smile.
Then, the other waitress, Vivi (or the damn waitress from hell, according to Jiwoo), approached the girl with a plate with a small piece of chocolate cake. With a smile, the girl nodded her thanks and spoke for a few minutes with the damn waitress from hell. Jiwoo groaned loudly, crossing her arms over her chest.
Jiwoo was jealous. She was jealous of that damn waitress from hell and she knew it. Jealous because she wanted to talk to the girl. She wanted her to smile like that to her. Jiwoo’s lips were hovering slightly outward in a somewhat childlike pout before a heavy sigh escaped her lips, raising one hand to gently scratch her head.
"Yes, you're screwed, Jiwoo."
With a new sigh, Jiwoo pulled out her phone again and, before opening the camera, she opened the photo album, watching the four selfies where she got the brunette girl in the background. Jiwoo drew a small smirk before switching to the camera. Jiwoo nibbled her lower lip, enlarging her brown eyes slightly to make what she thought was an adorable expression. Beside her, in the background, the girl continued reading, an expression of concentration on her face and her little pink tongue sticking out between her lips.
Looking at the photo, Jiwoo let out a soft laugh, taking in every detail of the adorable expression of the face of the girl. Inadvertently, all her bad mood had evaporated from her body and a strange tranquility was traveling to every corner of her soul.
This girl seemed to channel all her bad emotions and replace them with smiles and blushes and chills direct to her heart. And even though she was a coward for not approach her (because, why, surely this girl would have someone waiting for her at home) simply to see her a couple of minutes every week was the most comforting thing.
Jiwoo took a small sip of her caramel latte and when minutes later the girl left the cafeteria, Jiwoo leaned back on her chair and closed her eyes, with a permanent smile on her lips.
6. That day, the next Thursday, Jiwoo was, unlike the previous week, in a very good mood. After claiming the grades of her last week's project and get another teacher to correct it again, she finally got the grade she deserved, a huge A+. That night she thought about going out to celebrate with Jungeun and Heejin, her roommates. Perhaps she could even tell Jinsol, the waitress of the cafeteria, to join them for a few beers at the end of her shift.
With a smile from ear to ear, Jiwoo pulled her long brown hair away from her face and went into the cafe under the ringing bells of the door. Without losing her smile, she looked at her table, where waiting for her was her caramel latte. With a soft laugh, she approached the counter, where Jinsol watched her with a smile.
"I like this new service, Jinsol."
"As usual, Jiwoo. If you'll always ask the same you are not even needed to come to the counter."
"Hey, Jinsol. Would you like to go out tonight to get some drinks with my roommates and I? You'll love to meet Jungeun, you two will surely click." Jinsol grinned, nodding.
"Sure, Jiwoo. As long as I have finished my shift I'm free to do whatever you want!"
"Great, then I will text you and tell you what are we gonna do, is that okay?" Jinsol nodded again, still smiling. "Cool. I leave for you to work, okay? See you later." Jiwoo said goodbye to Jinsol with a smile and turned away from the counter.
Out of the corner of her eye she watched as Vivi (the damn waitress from hell) outlined a broad smile, with her eyes fixed on the door, pink hair tied in a cute bun. Her heart contracted, her chest began to burn and her throat dried in anticipation. Before taking the first step toward her table, the front door opened with the familiar jingle and, unavoidably, she turned her head toward the door, knowing that it would be her girl who just came into the cafeteria.
But despite knowing it for sure, the image that she found was what made her brain to go into a short circuit and that any possible thought was erased at a stroke.
The sleek and slim body of the girl was wrapped in an elegant set of pants and black jacket and a pristine white button shirt. Jiwoo had seen many men dressed up in tuxedos and stuff like that, but she had never, and she was sure of that, she had never seen anyone to whom a suit like that would fit so tremendously fine as that girl.
Jiwoo was frozen in place, unable to do anything but to watch as the girl greeted the cafe staff with a lovely smile. The damn waitress from hell wasted no time in approaching her table with a cup of black coffee, which made Jiwoo frown and clench her fists. How dare she...
"Wow, Sooyoung, you look fine as hell today." Said the damn waitress from hell and Jiwoo’s ears quivered when receiving that small information, her feet moving toward her table, where her caramel latte waiting impatiently.
The girl laughed softly, shaking her head, talking in a low voice, so low that Jiwoo could not appreciate the sound. Sooyoung... I already love how it sounds... Jiwoo thought, a small smile on her lips as she took a sip of her drink.
Jiwoo looked out the corner of her eye as the girl opened her book again, realizing she was about to finish it. God, those suits should not look so good in someone, it is not fair. What's more, I'm sure it's illegal to look that hot... Jiwoo furrowed her brow a bit, nodding, as if she was confirming quietly her own thoughts.
It didn't take much longer for Jiwoo to take another sip of her caramel latte and raise her phone, quickly opening the camera app to take her weekly selfie with the oblivious girl. Jiwoo posed for the picture and, just before she could press the shutter, the phone began to vibrate. Jungeun was calling.
"Jungeun, this is no time for you to call me." Jiwoo muttered softly and quickly rushed to hang up the call, a new smile on her lips while she was waiting for the camera to turn on again.
When the camera app opened again, Jiwoo was stunned.
The girl was not in her table. Her coffee and her book were on the table, but she was not. Then the sound of a camera shooting filled her right ear and Jiwoo quickly turned her face in that direction, being suddenly face to face with her.
Jiwoo’s eyes opened wide, her lips parting and an intense blush dyeing her cheeks. Her brain was disconnected and she could not utter a single word, she just could stare at the two brown irises, that deep galaxy the girl had inside her eyes; their faces just inches away.
"Hmm..." The girl hummed, satisfied, showing Jiwoo the photo before outlining a broad and bright smile. "We came out pretty well, don't you think?" Jiwoo could simply nod without looking away from the Sooyoung girl’s eyes. "After five weeks stealthily taking candids of me I think it was time to be my turn." The girl raised an eyebrow, one of the corners of her mouth rising to turn in a somewhat mocking smirk. I want to die…
"I... T-This..." Jiwoo tried to speak, but her voice broke into a thousand pieces. It was not fair. It was not fair that this girl had decided just that day, when she was dressed in a suit, to approach her. Nor is it fair that she smells so good... As if the scent of apple and coconut floated around her body...
"What is your name?" Asked the girl, sitting comfortably and with all the familiarity of the world next to Jiwoo. Jiwoo was sure her hands were sweating so much, like she had an ocean on her palms.
"You're very pretty." Jiwoo blurted. And as soon as those words left her lips, Jiwoo clamped her hands on her mouth, closing her eyes.
Jiwoo you dumb bitch...
A soft laugh escaped the girl’s lips and her next words made Jiwoo’s face to catch fire. "You're very pretty, I see... Nice name, and pretty accurate. Because you are indeed very beautiful. I am Sooyoung and, since apparently you have made me a photobook for free these past weeks, I hope you'd let me invite you to this coffee. Or maybe invite you to have a drink with me one of these days?"
Jiwoo could only nod her head and, when Sooyoung rose form her seat, she followed her with her eyes. "I'm going to grab my things, I’ll be right back... Kim Jiwoo." And with a wink, Sooyoung went to her table to grab her book and her mug of black coffee.
Jiwoo stood there, sitting at her table, her gaze lost in the brown liquid of her caramel latte. She was just dazed, like in a trance. Then a faint whistle reached her ears and she looked up to the counter, watching as Jinsol and Vivi showed her some thumbs up. Jiwoo could only smile in return. I'm so gonna invite Jinsol and the damn waitress from hell a fucking drink soon...
"So, Jiwoo..." Sooyoung said once she came back, her white covered book placed in the table and one of her hands of thin and long fingers (hands that had to be the smoothest thing in the whole world) terribly close to Jiwoo’s. Sooyoung smiled. "Tell me about yourself."
Jiwoo cleared her throat and smiled brightly, offering one of her hands for Sooyoung to shake. "Well, I’m Kim Jiwoo and I’m your personal stalker. I think you are pretty attractive, want to go out with me someday?" Sooyoung smiled in return and took Jiwoo’s hand with her own. And yes, they were the smoothest thing in the whole world. "Well, Kim Jiwoo. I'm Ha Sooyoung and I would love to go out with you."