“Why do you hate me?" she finally dared to ask, leaving it up to her to share or not.

“I don’t,” she paused, “I also dislike you.”

==========

Kim Taeyeon heaved a sigh and glanced nervously at the clock on the dashboard. It was late. Damn, she thought as she stepped on the accelerator. She was slightly beyond the speed limit, but considering her current situation, it was not reasonable for anyone to expect her to pay attention to a posted speed.

As the seconds passed, she found herself wishing that she had the power to slow time down. Had she known the meeting would have lasted that long, she would just have skipped it. Sure, that would have gotten her fired. Then again, she would not have found herself in such a precarious position.

At the very least, it was a quiet and peaceful night. The road was clear and wide. Apart from her, there was no other soul on the streets; no witness of her speeding exploits and thus no risks of getting a speeding ticket. Not that she would have expected otherwise. Eleven was generally not a time for heavy traffic. In any case, that small town was usually dull and lifeless; so much that she could almost hear the constant crunch of small rocks beneath her tires as she hurried towards her destination.

For a city woman like herself, living there was kind of a curse. A curse which, she was ashamed to confess, she had somehow cast upon herself.

It had been six months now, since she'd decided to accept that promotion. Easily convinced by a considerable pay rise, she had foolishly agreed to be relocated to that hole of a town. She had arrived there with her girlfriend, full of hope and anticipation about her new position in the company. Manager of her own branch. That had been an opportunity she couldn't have missed. But now six months later, her girl had left her; the town had been too rustic for her taste.

And she had found herself, at twenty five, single again in that little town where she was considered as nothing but an outsider.

But then, now was no time for self-pity, she reminded herself. She had other things to think about – principally what she'd do in case she didn't make it in time. Her palms became sweaty at that horrible thought. No, that's not an option. She had to get there. She was now only two blocks away, and from the distance, could make out a faint glow emanating from the building. Another glance at the clock brought the thought that she could probably still make it to her head. But she still had a bad feeling and didn't want to get her hopes too high.

Still, when a few seconds later, she found herself hitting her brakes, leaving a thin line of rubber as her tires screeched to a halt on the other side of the still illuminated edifice, she couldn't help herself from grinning in relief. She had made it.

Without losing a second, she got out of her car, leaving her keys in ignition. The car door slammed behind her, but she didn't have the time to care. In a rush, she started crossing the road, but stopped dead in her tracks at the dreadful sight.

Some girl was putting up the 'closed' sign before turning off the lights.

You've got to be kidding me.

==========

In a daze, she was unable to do anything but stare while the girl got out, locked the main door and started to walk away.

'Soshi Lane' was now officially closed for the night, and there she was, standing in the middle of the street gaping like a fish at the closed coffee shop.

No, this can't be happening.

God knew she couldn't survive without her daily cup of coffee. Call it a craving or even an addiction but she needed her coffee like a heroine-addict needed her daily dose of heroine. She wouldn't be able to go to sleep without it. She wouldn't be able to concentrate on her work the next day. She would be a complete wreck, a zombie.

She wanted to curse her secretary. She had been the one who had gotten her addicted. While she had been a happy soda drinker, she had insisted for her to taste that delicious liquid. And sure enough, the cinnamon coffee from ‘Soshi Lane’ had been so devilishly exquisite that she had quit her soda habits. But today her secretary had called in sick, and hadn't been able to go and fetch her favorite beverage. Damn. Couldn't she have cho