December 31st – Japan 
 
Sakura is strolling around the streets of Tokyo that cold morning, a coffee in one hand. Her dad is busy with a client meeting--which she wondered why it happened on the 31st--so she made up excuses to go out.
 
It has been two days now since she last saw Minju. Waiting for another two more days before she could see the woman's beautiful face again feels like hell.
 
Although she feels she has some importance in Minju too, Sakura doesn't want to keep her hopes up. She truly knows that Minju's affection for her is pent within the barriers of friendship. The best Sakura could hope for is for Minju to stay single while she's being a hopeless romantic, or until she finds someone to channel the love she's feeling now. Hopefully, Minju will not meet her Mr. Right yet so Sakura wouldn't have to endure the pain of seeing the woman with somebody else.
 
Sakura sat on a bench near a lamppost where she's got the view of Tokyo Tower ahead of her.
 
She smiled when she thought of Minju again. After admitting to herself that she had completely fallen in love with the beautiful goddess, her thoughts have been in auto-pilot mode. Minju is consistently on her mind, literally like every single minute of the day, even when asleep.
 
She wonders if the other woman is thinking of her now.
 
The idea made Sakura giggle. It seems impossible but if ever that's the case, even just a tiny chance, then she'll be on cloud nine.
 
"Well, hello there, stranger. Do you have a company?" a voice said in English.
 
Sakura looked up and saw a person pointing at the vacant space beside her. The woman has long hazelnut hair with wavy ends. She's wearing a suspender skirt strap dress and a white off-shoulder blouse. Sakura shook her head without taking her eyes off the stranger.
 
Who would say no to this beauty?
 
"Thanks!" The woman sat beside Sakura.
 
Sakura gestured a "you're welcome" bow. Although the stranger has a friendly aura, Sakura isn't in the mood for a little talk now. Unfortunately, seeing this woman made Sakura miss Minju even more. That woman and Minju have somehow the same fashion style; the hair, the dress, the shoes, even the height.
 
"Ooh... it's freezing today, huh?" the woman spoke again in English, rubbing her palms against her arms.
 
Since it's just the two of them on that bench, Sakura knew that question was intended for her.
 
"Y-yeah, that's what I love about this season," she said in English too.
 
"You don't seem to be from here." The woman crossed her legs. "Where are you from?"
 
"Korea. You?"
 
"Really? Where in Korea?" asked the woman, switching to Hangul now.
 
Sakura was surprised by the sudden change in the language but felt happy as well that she didn't need to keep on speaking English. "Seoul."
 
"Are you serious?"
 
"Yeah, why?"
 
"I live there too, I own a flower shop there!"
 
Sakura laughed to her surprise. "Is Seoul too big for us we have to meet here in Tokyo instead?"
 
"Maybe Seoul is too crowded for us. Who knows, we might have been passing by each other but never noticed it."
 
Sakura shook her head and shrugged. "Well, it's... it's just something..."
 
"It's not something. It is serendipity." The woman held out her hand to introduce herself. "I'm Eunbi."
 
Sakura had to shift her coffee to her left hand to free her right hand. "I'm Sakura."
 
"It's nice to meet you, Sakura. You're here for vacation?"
 
"Mmm. Sort of. I'm just visiting my dad for New Year's Eve celebration."
 
"Then why are you strolling around here at this hour? You should spend the day with your old man."
 
Although the question may seem to be personal, Eunbi's way of talking made it impossible for Sakura to resist answering.
 
"Unfortunately, my old man is busy with his clients even today."
 
"Oh. What a workaholic daddy you have there."
 
"Yeah. How about you, you're here for vacation too?" Sakura sipped her coffee.
 
"Not sure if you can call it a vacation, but yeah."
 
"You alone?"
 
"Yup. Is this your first time here?" asked Eunbi.
 
"I've been to Japan twice, but this is the first time I went to this area. You?"
 
"Not the first time. For the last six years, I've been going to this exact place every 31st of December."
 
"Wow. Something special here?"
 
"This is the exact place where I met my boyfriend," came the response. "He was on your spot and I was sitting here. It happened on the 31st of December six years ago. We became official the year after. It was our routine to go here every end of the year because this is where it all started."
 
"Oh. That's nice. Is he with you now?"
 
Eunbi shook her head slowly. "Well, this is the second time I went here alone... He can't make it anymore..."
 
"You guys split up?"
 
Eunbi forced a smile. "I wish we did, but it's not that way."
 
The answer just got Sakura more interested. She felt like maybe Eunbi is a lost soul that needs someone to talk to now.<