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Wonwoo insisted that we go there before sunrise. Even though I was groggy and grumpy, I dragged my feet across the ground and freshened up before driving.
By instinct, I reached out for the coffee packets ready for me in the kitchen, but Wonwoo was quick to stop my hands. “Don’t. Wait for later.”
He slammed the car door so hard that it almost scared all of my sleepiness away.
“I’ll be in charge of the music,” He took the aux and didn’t waste time in shuffling through playlists. He had the perfect set of songs ready for this exact moment.
For reasons I can’t explain, I never understood the words of the songs playing that morning. All I remember was this whimsical feeling of anticipation for coffee that I was about to be mind-blown by.
“Turn left and then left again after three blocks.”
The road was starting to get more narrow. I started to doubt if there was even a coffee shop hidden within these streets. The farther I drove, the lower my expectations went.
“Stop here.” I slowed down in a residential area that still basked in the early hours of midnight. Very faintly I could hear soft snores seeping through some of the windows.
Wonwoo took my hand and led me to an alley I swear I’ve walked through before. For every step we took the sense of nostalgia only grew stronger and there we were.
Tucked inside the quiet city stood a shop that emitted a faint smell of coffee. The chimes rang as Wonwoo pushed the door open, his eyes turning to crescents when he greeted the barista.
Despite the small nature of the shop, the walls seemed much taller when you stepped inside. The ceiling was wide and so were the windows, ready to welcome the sunrise. It’s as if there will always be enough space for the people that come by.
“The early bird brought a friend, I see.” The barista was an old man whose smile brought wrinkles around his lips. His hair was graying and his hands carefully wiped the mugs clean.
Wonwoo uttered a quick response, “Just wanted to do something special today. You know I don’t bring just anyone here.”
There was no one in the shop except for us and the barista. It seemed like we caught up before the hustle and bustle began. We sat at the far back, near the huge window, and scanned the menu spread across the small table.
“I’ll have a normal coffee.” I was never a coffee guy so I never knew the difference between the different kinds.
“Nothing’s ever normal in here,” Wonwoo grinned. “Stay here. I’ll order.”
I watched Wonwoo’s back before looking around. The walls were lined with pictures of nature and cats, but one picture really stood out.
It was a portrait of what looked like the barista when he was young, a little boy sat on his lap. As the barista smiled in the picture, the little boy only gazed at the camera with his soulless eyes.
The strong smell of coffee stopped my train of thought. Wonwoo came back holding a tray, but it only had one cup on it.
“Where’s yours?” I asked.
“I don’t feel like drinking right now. Here, take this.” He carefully placed the saucer in front of me and sat down again.
As soon as I had a whiff of the coffee, I knew I had to get a taste. A worried look started to spread on his face.
“What’s the matter?” I looked at him over the mug as I drank. A bitter smile appears on his lips.
“I want you to remember a few things, Mingyu. Can you still hear me?”
For a second I thought he was going insane.
“Of course I hear you,” I put the cup down on the saucer and looked at him intently. “You said you want me to remember a few things?”
He took my palm and faced it upward, using his index finger to trace letters as he spoke.
“J…” The feeling of his nails on my palm tickled at first.
“W…” A burning sensation started to grow on my palm as if he was embedding the letters on my skin.
“W.” He slowly traced the letter on my palm and I was certain that my hand was on fire. In a quick second, so much pain gathered in my hand that I almost started crying. He took all the time in the world to carve that W into my palm it felt like hours had passed.
The pain immediately stopped when he lifted his finger from my hand. Like it would bring me any comfort, I took a sip of the coffee again, but I noticed that it had become cold. I decided to drink all of it before leaving.
I felt a warm beam of light hit my cheek, and the golden rays entered to reveal the true magic lying in the shop. The light beamed off the walls and the dust that was illuminated danced around.
“Beautiful,” There was nothing else to say but that. I tried coming up with more words but he put his hand over mine, still stuck on the table, and whispered.
“Remember the letters that I just said earlier, Mingyu?”
I nodded.
“Say it back to me.”
“J, W, W.” His grip tightened on my hand and his eyes started to glisten.
“Where are you right now?”
I started hearing footsteps and chatter from different people outside. The shop’s bustling day was about to begin.
“The coffee shop. In the city.”
“That’s good,” He sighed in relief before slowly pulling his hand away from mine. “Now, Mingyu…”
“Yes?”
From my peripheral vision, I could see the door about to open, almost hitting the chime hung above it.
“Do you remember my name?”
“Your name?” My thoughts scrambled for a name. His name? I can see his face now but I don’t remember him telling me his name. Time moved slower compared to when he traced my palms. The newcomer already set foot inside the shop and suddenly, he stood and moved his face closer to mine, only a few inches away.
He looked at me with much hope and belief, “You don’t have to remember now, Mingyu. Just trust that you will.”
The door hit the wind chime and as soon as it made the sound, the shop turned pitch black. The next thing I knew, I was falling into nothingness, screaming into a void.
When I hit the ground, I sat up, catching my breath. Sweat dripped from my forehead and the blanket that covered me last night was thrown to the floor.
The sun tried to peek behind the blinds, and I pulled it up to wake me. I squinted as soon as my eyes caught some brightness, and I retreated to the bathroom.
Although I was still dazed from waking up, I forced myself to get ready for another day of work, rushing so I could have ample time to drink my morning coffee.
I reached out for the box of instant coffee but frowned when I realized it was already empty. I swiftly took my keys and rushed to the coffee shop down the street.
Fortunately, the shop was vacant and I was already the next in line the moment I came in.
“Your order?”
I looked up at the menu and pretended to know the differences between the drinks. “Regular coffee. Hot.”
The man slowly wrote my name and took a cup from below the counter.
“Please wait over there.” He pointed to the side and I followed.
The smell of coffee wafted through the air, and as I inhaled, my hand started to itch. To soothe it temporarily I put it in my pocket, but when it became unbearable, I took it out and scratched it using my other hand.
I heard someone from behind me laugh.
“You have a problem?”
“Do you ?” They snickered before taking off with their drink.
I looked at my hands and noticed that I wasn’t scratching it, but instead traced it with random letters over and over again.
“Regular coffee for Mingyu.” The barista called out.
“Thank you…” My voice quieted down towards the end when I realized that I never gave them my name. More so, I never even paid for my drink. “Sir?”
The barista laughed at me, the wrinkles around his lips rising. “Don’t thank me,” He pointed to a boy sitting in the corner whose nose was stuck in a book. “Thank him.”
The warmth of the coffee helped soothe my itching hand. The boy looked up from his book and turned to me, revealing his hopeful eyes.
That look rang a bell, but I couldn’t quite place my finger on it. Although he stared, I didn’t feel uncomfortable, I just felt like he was talking to me,
“Thank you.” I raised my cup and he smiled before returning to his book.
I didn’t bother asking for his name, but he didn’t bother telling me either. I have this weird feeling that I’ll find out soon, this weird feeling that I might even know it already.
I stepped out of the shop and heard a chime ring, and then I wondered: What was I just doing?