Day 12
I saw him again on the morning of the first snow. I thought, maybe it was a sign. I was once again waiting at the station. It was a Wednesday, and I was headed to school so early in the morning. The maroon scarf fell softly atop my shoulders, obscuring the view of my school emblem on the blazer.

I had been leaning against the wall; the seats had been occupied by the elderly, and he had stepped out of the carriage directly opposite me. His coat was damp at the shoulders, his caramel hair covered in specks of melting snow. He had on the same backpack as the night we had first met.

He looked up and met my eyes, giving me that eyesmile I had caught myself picturing just one too many times in the past week. And I smiled back.

He took his place beside me with a small, “Hi there.”

I had replied with a “Hello,”, before reaching into my backpack and withdrawing a small can of peach tea. As I handed it over, he had noticed, “You must like that scarf I gave you. It's quite warm, is it not?”

And I nodded in response, giving a close-lipped smile. “I suppose you are off to school today?”

Again, I nodded, before questioning, “Where are you off to today....”, I trailed off, realising I had not known his name.

“Sunggyu.” He spoke with a smile.

“Sunggyu...” I let it roll off my tongue, testing the feel, before giving a small nod.

“I'll actually be heading home in a minute. I've just come back from my trip. It was a relaxing few days, and I was able to gather my thoughts a little.”

“Is that so?” I looked down at my shoes, soon hearing the familiar rattling of the train making its way to the platform.

“Yes, that's so. I'm glad you decided not to leave home. It would've been a pity.” And he had turned towards the stairs that led to the street, “Have a lovely day at school.”

I stepped into the carriage, a small smile forming on my face as I fiddled with the wool around my neck.

I had expected to see him at the station when I arrived back from school. He was not there, however. But indeed, why would he be? We had not planned a rendezvous, nor were we more than strangers who happened to chance upon each other a number of two times.

I heaved a sigh as I made my way out onto the street. School had been quite draining, and I decided to make a stop at the small cafe on the main road before heading home. A hot chocolate to go with my homework would be lovely.

The bells had jingled as I stepped into the store, letting the door shut quietly behind me, and as I made my way to the counter, I heard that honey-sweet voice.

“Double Shot Caramel Macchiato for Woohyun.”

He was handing a freshly made paper cup of coffee to, who I supposed was, Woohyun with a bit of chitter chatter, before turning his attention back to the machine to make the next orders.

“Hi, how can I help you today?” A quirky boy with brightly dyed red hair had cheerfully asked. His nametag had read, 'DONGWOO'.

“Hi, could I get a regular hot chocolate to go please?” I pulled out a five thousand and handed it over.

“Sure, that'll be 4,200won. And your name, please?” He quickly handed back the change and squabbled to grab a marker and paper cup.

“Sungjong.”

“It'll just be a minute, would you like to wait at the serving counter? Thank you!”

I took a seat to the side of the counter and watched in mesmerisation as Sunggyu worked away at stirring up the hot chocolate. He was completely focused, tongue peeking out at the corner of my mouth. I smiled at the gesture, it was kind of cute.

“Regular hot chocolate for Sungjong. For Sungjong?”

When he saw me approach, his eyes lit up in recognition.

“Hey there, how was school?”

I told him it was alright, and asked if he worked here. “Yeah, day shifts Monday through to Thursday.”

“I see. Well then, I'll make sure to drop by more often then.” I smiled, and his eyes crinkled at the corners in that endearing way as he grinned back.

“I'd love that. So then I'll see you again, Sungjong.”

I nodded, before turning around and leaving the store, the bells on the door jingling on my exit and the falling snow gently fluttering onto my uniform. As I had taken a sip of the steaming hot chocolate in my hands, I couldn't stop the smile from spreading across my lips. Yes, hot chocolate to go with my homework was indeed lovely.