“AHJUMMA!!! PLEASE! JEBAL! DON’T CLOSE UP JUST YET! I REALLY NEED TO BUY THIS BOOK!!!” A young woman called out as she loudly knocked on the glass doors.

Soaked and shivering because of the rain, the woman inside the bookstore could only sigh and shake her head. 

“Call me “ahjumma” one more time and I promise I’ll tell every random passerby that you’ve got herpes.” The storekeeper glared, though deep inside, she was just pretending to mess around with the other.

“Aww, c’mon Sooyoungie…humor this broken-hearted girl, please?” the younger one said with an aegyo-filled voice that she knew would irritate the other.

“Forget it. You’re hopeless.” Sooyoung sighed as she stepped aside to let the other girl enter.

“Oh and since you didn’t call me “unnie,” I am so not giving you the 25% discount. Mehrong!” The older girl said while sticking her tongue out.

Seohyun could care less if she got the discount or not as she pored through the shelves and squealed in delight over locating that particular book.

“ASSA!!! I FOUND IT! YEAH!” 

“Yah! Tone it down, will you? Appa and omma are asleep, not to mention, my sisters would murder me if you dare interrupt their peaceful slumber!” Sooyoung scolded.

“Puhlease, UNNIE. You know they adore me. Now, can I have that discount?” Seohyun said.

“You wish. That’ll be $24.50. Pay up.” Sooyoung demanded.

“You know you’re lucky I’m suffering from a broken heart.” Seohyun said grudgingly as she brought forth some crumpled bills from her pocket.

“Actually, no. This is the fourth time you’ve said that and so far, the only one that really mattered was the first official and only heartbreak.” 

“Which hasn’t occurred so far…” Seohyun wondered out loud.

“Exactly.”  Sooyoung answered.

“Your point is?” Seohyun asked, half confused, half curious.

“My point is, you’re still young. Don’t stress yourself over people who aren’t worth it…”

“But I honestly thought they were…” Seohyun mumbled.

“And maybe they are, or they were, but does it really matter right now? How much more are you going to do just to win them? It’s always you who put in the effort, and when the time came you trusted them to be on your side, where were they? Right there on the opposite isle. I know this may sound harsh, Hyunnie, but learn from this unnie who has had her unfair share of backstabbing B’s she once mistook as “friends.”

I’m not bitter although that may sound like it, but you have to accept that part of growing up is moving on and letting people go; even the ones you never expect you’d lose. They walk out of your life and leave you behind not because you did something wrong, but perhaps, they were the ones who thought they made some sort of mistake. Now I don’t really get the picture or know the details, but all I want to say is, you have to surround yourself with people who love you. People who want and will bring the best out of you, and not take the best of you but leave you in ruins.

Ya, Seo Joohyun! Are you listening to me? Hey! Wake up! Do you get what I’m saying?” Sooyoung asked while snapping her fingers in front of a stunned Seohyun.

Seohyun tried to let every word sink in until the haze has worn off and she could feel her lips form into a smile.

“Yeah…I get it, unnie. Wow. You should’ve told me sooner…” 

“Actually, I did tell you but you were too busy being all, “boohooo!! My friends left me for lying conniving B’s without defending me and blah blah blah” to pay attention.” 

“HEY!”

“What? It’s true! Now there’s no use denying it, baby girl. Off you go. The rain’s slowing down so you might wanna take advantage of that and run home before you get sick or something. Would you like to change first before going?” Sooyoung offered.

“No thanks unnie. I think I’d rather go. Thanks for the words of wisdom, Spongebob. Catch you later! I love you!” Seohyun called out as she ran towards the exit.

She was too busy thumbing the pages and examining the novel she just bought to realize she was already deeply engrossed with it even if others were complaining.

“Hey! Watch it!” 

“Move!”

“Step aside!”

“She’s crazy.”

“Youngsters these days…”

She ignored every comment and concentrated on the book she read as she walked, not even paying attention to the fact that others were already calling her out. She even found the time to let out a desperate wail over reading a couple of lines which she felt called out to her. 

She could hear the blasting honks of cars, the yells of strangers, but none of it really sunk into her consciousness until she finally lifted her head, turned to her right, and realized the fact that any minute now, she was about to get hit by a car.

Instantly, her fear paralyzed her. Seohyun wanted to scream, run to safety, but due to shock over her impending and possibly speedy death, she just stood there, with a frozen and frightened expression. She closed her eyes and rapped all her prayers and regrets as she waited for the impact that would put an end to her life.

10 seconds….20 heartbeats…and a lifetime must’ve passed, but there was nothing. Absolutely, nothing. Trembling, she dared to open her eyes until it adjusted to the blinding sunlight.

“Am I….Am I, dead?” she asked in a tiny voice.

“YOU COULD’VE BEEN IF I HADN’T PUSH YOU OUT OF THE WAY YOU CRAZY YEOJA!!!! AISH!” 

Seohyun was startled upon hearing a man’s voice scolding her.

“Are there rude people in heaven too?” She wondered. 

“Why does it feel weird?” She asked, not knowing she said it out loud.

“YAH! GET OFF OF ME, WILL YOU?!!! I’M LATE FOR MY INTERVIEW!!! YAH!!!!” 

Seohyun was now fully conscious of the event and the crowd watching as the series of events unfold. She looked down and realized she was on top of a stranger. Immediately, she got up and tried to extend her hand to him, which he refused.

The crowd started to thin out by now, seeing as nothing else heroic or interesting would probably occur based on the man’s hostility towards the wide-eyed and clueless damsel he just rescued from what could’ve been a traumatic and eventful car crash.

“What are you looking at?” He demanded.

“I’m looking at the person who saved my life.” She uttered, her gaze unwavering.

“Yeah well instead of looking, why don’t you just thank me so we could all move on and go our own way?” He snarled.

“You know what? You’re really handsome, but, wow, you’re also too unbelievably freaking rude!” She stated, mentally scolding herself for the earlier part of her sentence.

“You don’t look bad yourself but man, you’re incredibly stupid! I mean, what were you thinking reading a book in the middle of a busy road? You could’ve gotten yourself killed for crying out loud!” He said.

“Well I’m sorry sir, but I never once held you responsible for my “stupidity.” You should’ve let me die then!” She quipped.

By this time, it was he who shut his mouth and just stood there, observing the girl he just saved.

“Wow. She really is so much more beautiful up close. Cheonsa. Aish! Get a grip of yourself! You’re not supposed to stutter! Focus! Be the tough guy in those cliched dramas.” He thought.

“Excuse me? Hello?! You there?” Seohyun waved her hand in front of his face.

“Oh my is this my lucky day? He looks like a guy straight out of those manhwa or webtoons! That face…Seohyun, stop! Please. This is not the time to spazz over a stranger who by the way saved you out there!” She thought.

“Yeah, whatever.” He huffed.

“As I was saying, if it was too much of a burden for you to deal with my craziness, you should’ve just walked away and let me die.” She snapped.

To her surprise, the stranger gave her a long appraising look, tried to keep his beautiful smile but obviously failed, blushed in between his tough stares (what kind of man blushes? They still exist?), cleared his throat, shoved his hands into his pockets, looked at her squarely and said,

“Can’t do that. You’re too cute to die.” He shrugged as he turned his back, whistling while he walked away.

You know that feeling you get when you meet “The One?” It’s the calmness, the security, and the certainty that comes a few moments after the initial giddiness has subsided. Well, this is it. At least for Seohyun, that’s what she believes. 

“I really must be crazy.” She told herself.

Before he could get lost in the crowd, she called out loud enough for him to hear,

“HEY! I DON’T EVEN KNOW YOUR NAME!!!!”

He stopped in his tracks, tried to contain his smile, and when he thought was calm and cool enough, he turned around to face her.

He raised his hands and called out,

“It’s JUNG! YONG! HWA! NICE TO MEET YOU TOO! SEO! JOO! HYUN!” 

He finally resigned to the fact that he could no longer hide his smile, so that’s exactly what he did. He smiled at her shocked expression and winked.

She was too busy blushing and gushing to notice him jumping around and pumping his fists in the air. They were both lost in their own worlds to pay attention to others who looked at them like they’re a bunch of fools in love as if they weren’t almost involved in what could’ve been a fatal accident. Who cares anyway.

This is just the first. The beginning of forever. 

END.

A/N:

Feels weird and rusty writing, editing, and posting this in one go after awhile, but here’s to moving on and becoming a better, improved, person. Lol.

Hi to @bokyo28. If not for that pm, I would still be lurking out there. Thanks for the kind words. Also to the other 2 girls out there I called out of nowhere because I had this unreasonable idea to listen to their accents. Haha! Sorry for having to deal with my randomness but thank you as always. Don’t want to be sentimental or cheesy as usual, so I’m logging off now. 

Lastly, thanks for taking the time to read this piece. much appreciated. It lacks a lot compared to what I'm used to writing but this is the best i can come up with rn. :D

have a blessed and eventful week. <3