“A date? What’s-” I respond in slower voice of bewilderment that should be expressed as yell. But, I’m not the type who likes to attract every pair of eyes in the open air.   

        “You don’t know about date too?” He instantly cuts in and gawks at me, making his eyes fully opened than half-lidded.

        “It’s not like that!” I quickly snap at him in repudiation. He is just so blunt that needs a blunt respond as well. “Er…I just don’t understand about now, here, us…why?” Curiously, I ask him, but looking more desperate of explanation. He simply turns his eyes away from me, and continues to look forward. Just for a second, he holds up his hands and starts counting on his fingers.

        “First, diary,” he folds one of his fingers. “Second, about date,” he glances at me in his serious brows but with playful action, “...and third, hey, you’re really that alone and-”

        “Stop it.” I glare to the side of his body, eating and vomiting back the lame assumption that he easily makes a way through me. “I know about date. But the actual thing is I don’t know what the purpose of us to do so? What it has to do with me?”

         “Long words you have on, Master Hi.” He gingerly pipes down and eventually stay silent in our track. 

        With that, we simply walk side by side, in the cold of snow and at the same time, in the warm of our sweaters and coats. We are in the city right now. As for me, the purpose is completely blur. I can’t believe I come along with him? It makes me ponder back that I don’t really understand myself too well, as if everything is blur and not to be mention, unrevealed. While for him, I’m sure that everything is clearer.

        After almost a half of the two minutes long, where we are unintentionally trudging in front of a building, he abruptly grinds to a halt. While I’m forcing myself not to bump on his back, he remarks. “Here. Let’s go inside.” But, I did knock my head on his shoulder anyway. He seems not to realize that. 

        Tilting upwards, I stare—amazed--at the small, architectural European building from outside. It is a library-cafe, a place that I have never step into apart from growing interest with it. It is quite wonderful to have this place in the middle of the busy city. Taking a good spot, it is slightly hidden from the rat race streets and away from malls. This place is pretty calm here—the silence power of library.

        “Master Hi, come on.” His voice, again, breaks the trance inside my mind.

        With a curt nod, I follow his way into the old-wooden door. Once I’m inside, there is no one to be seen or in particular. A few sets of coffee table scatter around inside this building. Meanwhile, it is dim like the outside is dusk right now. Also, I haven’t seen bookshelves are put together with the wall. But, they are entirely here. Le magnificent.

        “Waiters aren’t available here. So we’ve to get our coffee over there.” He instructs out while points to a high long table or called bar. Oh, there is a young man or seems like a boy, looked adorably there with an opened book buries his whole face. I make a way, following Hyun Seung who is definitely approaching the bar. 

        “I don’t drink caffeine.”

        “You still can have tea.” He renders, somehow suggesting.

        “Just a cup.”

        “Alright.”

        The boy slowly releases his book off his face, stands up from the stool the he is sitting by then, and starts to brew the coffee as Hyun Seung orders right away. When he catches me staring, he just looks away with his somewhat broken expression, silently drops flat the photo frame to the counter surface.

        “Let’s take our seats over there.” Hyun Seung steps again across the dusty wooden floor. It is only us can be heard, for real—the brewing machine and gliding of cups from the boy, also our pit-a-pat steps. If I can hear the heart rate of every human, I wonder how is the boy could be?

We take a place at a quiet dark side with the bright lantern makes our living souls in relief.

         “If you’re wondering why everything is so glum here, just claim this place like that.” I slowly gaze at him, listening. “There’s no need to explain. Don’t ask me why I brought you here, it just happen like that.” He adds, taking in air to heave a sigh later on.

          “Even that young man too?”

          “So you’re eyeing him.”

         I avert my gaze downwards, or in simple action, bow a curt nod. I can’t help wondering about people, deviant people. I don’t mind about random, random means continuous and commit no change. There is no need to make a mess on the same thing.

          “You see him of what he is, that is how he has been. Like I said, there’s no need to explain.” He stops to allow our drinks land on the centre of the coffee table between our seats. “Thanks.” The boy simply presses a thin line across his lips and back to his drone-like eyes, he strides away.

         “I’ve been eyeing you since I met you, long days ago.” I shot a considering look to his already serious face. “At that time, I was thinking that you’ll be a good friend of mine, despite your unapproachable state.” Shutting to a stop, he is just taking a long sip of his blackened brownish coffee. When the contact sound of the cup with the saucer formed, he straightens his body to continue.

         "And, I dare to assume you as my last friend. After that, I won’t have any, anymore. Although you look so unpleasant and unfriendly, I tried to understand you, until I’d found this thing in your hard soul...”

I cast a look downwards, staring blankly on the moving steam of my cup of tea. I haven’t touched that.

        “...that you dislike me and Ren because of our looks. Also, you attempted to get rid of us, but it’s against your intention towards Grandpa. All this time, I haven’t got any sincerity from you, my master.” He sighs again.

        “Then, what are you going to do about it?”

        “No, Master Hi. I can’t do anything about it. It’s like I don’t respect your impression. I resigned.” He halts again, but this time he is taking a long breath.

        “However, I just want to tell you this one thing. Please, don’t judge us simply by looks. Interior is more important than exterior. It’s just how you try to understand people. For some reason, you’ll end up underestimating certain bodies and continue your journey with the offensive view of yours.”

        Stunned –He easily describes what I have been hiding. Whether they are revealed in my heart or hidden, like this place. Again this time, we sigh in union. “Huh...”

        “Am I that lonely?” I finally break the seal on my lips that provides a long sought question. It’s just because I don’t have any friend he simply declares me as that?

        “ No. You were lonely,” he presses. What is that supposed to mean? “Almost, the loneliness of you makes you look like a lost child.” It is supposed to be a jeer but with his firm tone, I take it as a comparison then.

        “The lost child that impersonates you is quiet innocent. She doesn’t know certain things, yet makes her ignorant.” I silently scoff at his between straightforward derision. “So here, I’m looking forward to keep learning from you in this opening fall, but this time, with your sincerity to me as your student and...a someone.”

        I stay quiet, sealing my lips again. I know, it makes him sick of me and he will think that I don’t care. In fact, I do.

        “It’s hard huh?” He utters again, limply leaning his head on his shoulder and keep gazing at me.

        Gently, I put the cup against my lips. The soft liquid with sweet taste slides down my tongue and into the throat. A sip is enough.

        “Let’s go.” I rise up after tuck an extra tip under the saucer for the waste. He merely trails my way off the place to the door. While on the way, I quietly steal a glance upon the boy, who in return doing the same towards us. With the almost invisible glints in his eyes, he dips back his nose to the same book like before.  

        Outside, we walk on the same street side, only the direction is different. Walking with the same person, only now, we think differently on each other and also, breathing the same air, only the temperature is colder.

        “I like this moment.” He unexpectedly states. I watch him getting his hand inside his coat and it seems like he is fumbling over something. “Gotcha.” A black silvered camera is withdrawn from there into his palm. He stretches out his arm, forward. Smiling, he tilts his head towards me until our heads are sticking. Animatedly, he counts, “Ichi, ni, san...”

Click!

        He grins while checks over the picture on his camera’s screen. It looks like he is satisfied with the new-captured thing. “Did you bring along the diary that I got you?” He suddenly puts forth a question.

        “Hm.” I search inside my coat, and hand the book to him. Does he planning on something?

        “Oh, you really bring it.” He gapes at me in admiration. “I appreciate that.” With the comment, I look away, abashed.

        “I’ll return this to you once I get our picture, okay?” He taps the cover continuously while reminding. 

        “Yeah.”

        I feel like no banal thing in me at this moment. No banality, no normality. I feel suddenly used to the different surrounding, situation and him. No more doubt from the offensive view of mine. It seems not like me.

        He keeps the stuff inside his coat, safely sitting there. But then, a slow whimper which is more like a whine left his mouth.

        “Ah, it’s cold...” He turns back at me, frowning with a funny expression of him that suddenly makes his cheeks looked puffier. “...like you.” From his snout mouth, it gently changes to one soft, gentle smile.  

            I scoff as a laugh which is slowly faded into a curl on the sides of my lips. “Thanks.”