Chorong couldn’t put a finger on that stranger named Woohyun who introduced himself as the one who saved her life. Not his beguiling smile that appeared to her to be hiding so much more than just a friendly smile, not his gaze that seemed emptier than her apartment was, and definitely not the way he disappeared before she could say a word in reply.

She found herself lying in the bed that night with a thousand thoughts running through her mind. And strangely, every single one was concerning him.

Therefore, she decided to head to Han River again the next day in the hopes of catching the sight of him.

: :

She did not, however, see him anywhere near the river.

But when she came to realize that the idea of finding him right at the same spot every time was ridiculous, that nobody would go to the same place every day, he appeared practically out of nowhere and joined her table at a nearly packed café which she decided to drop in to rest her feet and warm her body up.

“Hello there,” he greeted with that signature smile of his as if they have known each other since forever. When he saw her staring at him flabbergasted, his smile grew even wider. “What? Did you see a ghost or something?”

Chorong placed her cup down and cleared . “If there was a ghost around here that would be you.”

Woohyun chuckled. “And if there was a stalker around here that would be you.”

Her eyes widened and cheeks instantly reddened. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t pretend like you haven’t been walking around Han River looking for me.”

She opened to protest, but was interrupted by a tired looking waitress whose hair was tied up in a high bun, beads of perspiration clear on the roots. “Your coffee, sir,” she said, giving him a practiced smile.

He muttered a word of thanks and proceeded to sip on his drink, downing half the cup in one go. “So why do you want to see me?”

“I never said I want to see you.”

“You don’t want to see the person that saved your life?” he asked, faking a shocked face. “I didn’t think you’re the ungrateful kind.”

Chorong was close to leaving him right then and there, but decided to put up with him since after all, she did want to see him. She darted her eyes outside, and out of habit started to count the number of red cars she could see passing by ― a habit she developed alongside Minhyuk who would count the black cars instead. She sighed, and returned her gaze at the person in front of her. She noticed that he, too, was lost in thoughts of his own. “Thanks for the flower.”

He smiled again, this time more genuinely than his previous playful ones. “You’re welcome. You like it?”

“I do,” she nodded. “And thanks for, um, saving rescuing me.”

“Although I’d appreciate something else in return, you’re most welcome,” he replied. “The water’s cold, you know.”

She laughed then. “We’ll see.”

He raised an eyebrow. “That’s not a no.”

“Not a yes either,” she countered matter-of-factly.

“I’ll take that as a maybe.”

“As you wish.”

There was this long silence between them once their banter died down. Woohyun emptied his cup and called the same waitress for another while Chorong sipped on her tea slowly. When they realized it, the café was no longer crammed with students and people in suits. She offered to pay, but he simply shook his head and turned her down. “Buy me lunch instead the next time we meet.”

She laughed again. “We’ll see,” she repeated.

“Just so you know I like pasta,” he grinned.

She looked at him as he fished a pack of cigarettes and a zippo from his pocket once they exited the café, taking out a stub and placing it in between his lips, before nursing the flame onto the joint. “You just drank two cups of iced coffee on a winter day,” she pointed out.

“So?”

“So I don’t think it’s healthy.”

He snorted a bit, flicking his eyes at her. “Thanks for your concern, eh, what’s your name?”

“Chorong.”

He nodded, ashes from the cigarette swirling down to the pavement. He stared somewhere into the distance, then turned to her again with a smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling up. “See you around, Chorong,” he said, before walking away, leaving her once again.