It was hilarious how I suddenly became so impatient the moment the bus arrived. The mundane afternoon traffic started to irritate me and I had this strange sensation in my chest, paired up with even stranger thoughts in my head.

I distracted myself by looking at the crystal buildings of my city, its numerous windows reflecting the amber glow of the setting sun. I wasn’t prepared. I didn’t even know what Clover looked liked. I had no idea if he knew my face.

To put my hyperactive mind to rest, I consoled it by rereading the conversations I had with Clover. It was interesting how I could pull out these random descriptions about him all because of the mails we exchanged. Through the past few months I noticed he was someone I never regretted ‘idealizing’.

Sunggyu once told me I was an idealist. I think he was telling the truth, considering I tend to get disappointed with people most of the time because I expect more things from them. He told me I should stop doing it, and I’d love to heed his advice—but I simply couldn’t. Being disappointed was already a part of the routine for me, after all.

I was never the kind of person to keep track of the time, but I realized, on that day, going to town took me an hour longer. I wondered if Clover was still waiting, so I unlocked my phone to send him a quick message. I stared at the plastic screen for a moment longer, and finally decided to not do it. I had no idea why, but I figured I didn’t want to sound too eager.

I took my time walking to the said café—the very one where Woohyun and I went back then. I figured if I walked slowly then my disappointment wouldn’t show if Clover wasn’t around at all; it wouldn’t show because I didn’t run to wherever he was with such anticipation. The amber sky turned crimson and the aroma of brewing coffee grew stronger with each step I took. My heart started to thud against my ribcage loudly and my breathing became shallow.

My legs froze the moment I saw the café in front of me. I stared at the main door, pondering if I should just ditch Clover or not. I could always say I didn’t make it, anyway. I swallowed, and decided to be more honest with myself. With a faltering sigh, I entered the shop, and I could’ve sworn my heart fell upon realizing no one was there aside from the barista. Much to my surprise, he wasn’t Sungyeol.

The new barista’s features were sharp and well-defined, as if he was a chiseled sculpture. His dark, glossy hair shimmered beneath the fluorescent lights and his cheeks, together with his pursed lips, were pinkish. Like Sungyeol from the last time, he stood behind the counter, too absorbed with his task to even notice me. I looked around, trying to make sure I didn’t miss any corners when the barista’s voice startled me.

“How may I help you?” he asked in that raspy voice of his.

I looked at him, and took a quick glance at his tag: Myungsoo.

“Oh,” I muttered. “May I have a medium iced coffee please?”

He beamed at me and punched some buttons on the cash register in front of him. After a moment, he looked at me and said, “That will be ₩6,274.00.”

I fished my wallet out of my bag and gave him the exact amount of money.

“Thank you,” he said again. “If you could wait for your order in one of the tables then that would be grand.”

I nodded away, and proceeded to the spot where Woohyun and I stayed that one rainy afternoon. It felt weird having the café all to myself. From where I sat I could hear the burbling of the water from one of the kettles. I sighed, and stared at the scratches on the table to kill some time. I could make out some names with tiny hearts filling the gap between them and several sentences, as well.

Lee Jinki is a bad teacher.

This is the best spot ever.

He finally confessed to me.

John 3:17

This might be my last cup of coffee.

I wondered who Lee Jinki was, and why he was a bad teacher.

I could agree with what that person said.

I wondered if they were still together.

I was more than tempted to search for the verse on my phone, but I was afraid I might end up sending Clover another message, so I refrained. I, however, copied it down on a piece of tissue paper.

I wondered if that person was dying.

Myungsoo retreated to the kitchen, and I stared at the pen I was still holding. Without thinking, I started to write on the table, as well. Like them, I sort of wanted to leave a trace.

I’m searching for Clover.

I stared at the sentence I wrote for a while. I only looked at it and stopped when I sensed Myungsoo’s footsteps. I looked at him in a snap and he melted away my tension with that warm smile of his.

“Sorry for the wait,” he said.

“It’s all right,” I replied. “Thank you.”

He skillfully placed the cup in front of me, together with a piece of folded paper.

I looked at him, and asked, while pointing at the paper, “What’s this?”

“I believe it’s for you,” he answered.

“For…me?” I echoed.

He grinned, and nodded. “Please enjoy your coffee.”

Myungsoo gave a polite bow, and headed back to the counter to arrange the cakes in the glass case. I took a quick sip from my cup before proceeding to unfold the paper. I traced the sentences with my eyes, carefully registering each character in my mind to make sure I didn’t misunderstand anything.

Thunder,

                I’m sorry if I can’t meet you there. Why don’t we play a game, instead? I believe I mentioned to you about my love for taking long walks. If you go to the tenth district nearby, you would be able to find the next clue. Most probably.

                Let the searching for Clover begin.

I read the short letter over and over again. I read it until I almost memorized its contents. Without saying a word, I stood up from my seat and ran out of the café. The sky was notably getting darker, but inside of me, it felt like a brand new sunrise was about to occur.

And for once in my life, knowing a person would finally unmask himself in front of me didn’t bother me. Not one bit.

A/N: As much as possible, in the future chapters, please don't spoil the story by including the events which just took place in your comments ^^;
However, I do appreciate you for participating and actually guessing Clover's true identity! God bless.

I'm sorry if I can't return to you guys individually, as well. ;~; After the stress is over I can finally chill with you guys. And I'm curious! What do you think about the characters? Who do you like the most? The least? Why? I seriously want to know what you guys think, considering that they are based from real people. Haha.