It was a chilly, rightfully gloomy and cloudy afternoon. A misty veil of wetness surrounded the almost empty street as soft droplets of rain drizzled down. A young man with charming eyes, sharp features and a beautiful face snuggled under his black leather jacket, swiftly walking down the autumn leaves filled pavement, holding a double sized umbrella firmly in his hand.

He shoved his other hand into the side pocket of his jacket as he felt another wind rushing by. The cold crisp wind rushed against the many leaves on the ground, cascading into one another.  An orange and red mixed leaf fell off a tree and was lifted up by the gust of wind, making it float further away into the distance before it finally touched the ground.

His steps gradually slowed down and eventually stopped in front of a warm and cozy looking café. The place was quiet and serene as usual, his sanctuary.  He closed his umbrella and gave it a shake before putting it in the stand beside the door. He then finally stepped into the café, greeted by the warmth and the aroma of fresh brewed coffee. He gave a slight smile and a nod towards the waiter before heading towards his usual place, the single table beside the window.

He comfortably sat down on the chair and looked out on the grayish world outside. He leaned back on his chair, crossing his arms and legs before giving out deep sigh. His trail of thoughts was broken by the sound of glass gently made in contact with the wooden table. The waiter just had brought him his favorite mug of hot chocolate. “Thank you.” The young man slightly bowed as he thanked the waiter.

Staring at the steam swirling and rising up from the mug, he pulled his worn out wallet out of his black jeans back pocket. Leaning forward over the table, he flipped open his wallet and drew out a piece of photograph that had been slightly faded with time. The picture showed a beautiful landscape, the combination of the sea and lighthouse that he captured on Jeju Island a few years back. His thumb caressed the small figure of a petite girl wearing a white one piece, knee length dress skipping along the pavement leading towards the lighthouse with a pastel pink guitar case strapped on her right shoulder, her long, wavy and reddish brown hair trailing behind her .

“I kept on wondering who you are. Somehow I want to meet you again…” he softly mumbled. The handsome young man sighed as he gently pushed the photograph back into his wallet. Leaning back on his chair, he grabbed hold of his mug and took a small sip out of his hot chocolate. The warmth engulfed him as the sweet liquid flowed down his throat.

A group of seven boys stepped out of the light blue Volkswagen van and was welcomed by the fresh cool breeze, seagulls flying freely in the sky, and the sound of the waves splashing against the rocks. “Guys! Let’s have fun and take as many pictures on our last few hours here in Jeju Island!” A boy who had small eyes, and looked older than the rest called out to them. The rest of them cheered and followed him up towards the cliff that was a few meters away from the lighthouse.  

“Myungsoo-ah! Get the camera ready since you’re our photographer!” A lad with thick lips, who looked slightly younger than the first pulled Myungsoo’s hand, giving out cheerful laugh.

“Yah! Being the only one with the camera doesn’t make me your photographer.” Myungsoo laughed along as he playfully nudged the other. “I want to capture the beautiful scenery of the sea today not pictures of a bunch of dorks. You guys already filled three quarters of my camera’s memory since yesterday.”

Myungsoo then decided to separate from the others and headed towards the railings. He leaned forward and closed his eyes, breathing in the sweet, salty scent of the sea. The gentle breeze entangled itself in his dark brown hair and the light sound of the waves washing on the shore was like a smooth melody to him.

He slowly opened his eyes and seeing the shimmering reflection of the sun on the sapphire blue sea water, he knew he had to capture it. Grabbing hold of his camera, Myungsoo started to snap pictures like that of a professional photographer. While he was concentrating in taking pictures of the old, white lighthouse, something caught his eyes. Someone was happily skipping along the pavement that leads towards the lighthouse.

Myungsoo zoomed in on the figure and the back view of a girl with a guitar case strapped on her shoulder came into focus. In that moment somehow he was drawn to her and decided to use the last bit of his camera’s memory on her. The disappointing part was that she never turned around so he couldn’t take a glimpse of her face.

After a few split seconds, someone tapped on his shoulder, startling him a little. “Myungsoo-ah, it’s time to go.”

“Alright, I’ll be over in a minute,” He replied before looking back at the direction at the lighthouse. The girl had somehow vanished and was nowhere in sight. Slightly feeling confused, he then headed back towards the van where his friends were already waiting for him, wondering if he would ever get the chance to see her again.

Myungsoo drank the last drop of his hot chocolate before placing the mug back onto the table. He thought that the rain would died down by know but instead, it started to pour down heavily. He then checked his watch and saw that it was five minutes passed two.

“Will she come today?” he thought to himself. But then he knew that this particular friend would never miss out on a performance. He met her just a couple of weeks ago, street performing on the area. He was drawn to her strong, sweet vocals and decided to come up to her. Somehow in that short period of time, they had become so close as if they actually knew each other for years.

He then took out a few bills and placed it on the table before putting his wallet back into his back pocket. He stood up and headed for the exit, grabbed his umbrella and opened it before stepping out into the pouring rain. He made his way towards the location where street performers usually performed, his black boots occasionally splashed into the small puddles of water.

Upon arriving at the destined location, he noticed that no one was there. He was about to turn back when he noticed a familiar figure wearing a pastel pink coat standing under the roof of a flower shop a few meters away from him. Her worn out guitar case was firmly strapped on her shoulder and she was reaching out her hand to feel the rain, looking up at the dark grey sky. A smile gradually drew on Myungsoo’s face as he swiftly approached her.

“Jieun-ah!”

The petite girl with pink lips, slightly chubby rosy cheeks and whose shoulder length, dark brown hair that had been tied into a side ponytail, turned towards the direction of the voice that was calling out to her.

“Oppa!” A bright smile formed on her pretty face as she finally realized who it was. She gave a wave which Myungsoo returned back, chuckling lightly.

“What are you doing here?” he teasingly asked.

Jieun pouted upon hearing his question. “You already know the answer to that Oppa, I didn’t know that it will rain this heavily today and foolishly, I forgot to bring my umbrella…”

Myungsoo warmly smiled at her, slightly showing his dimple. “I brought mine. Want me to take you home?”

“Sure, I don’t want to wait forever for the rain to die down anyway. Thanks, I didn’t know you’ll be coming today Oppa.” Jieun grins as she glanced over at Myungsoo who was already at her side holding up the umbrella, sheltering her from the rain.

Myungsoo softly laughed. “You know very well that I would never miss your performance Jieun-ah, I just love hearing your voice.”

Jieun playfully nudged his ribs as she looked down at her feet, hiding her slightly red face. Myungsoo then reached out his hand for her guitar case. “Here, let me hold it for you.”

“Ah, thank you oppa,” Jieun sincerely thanked him once again before handing over the guitar case. Myungsoo then securely strapped it on his left shoulder before they finally stepped out into the heavy rain. For a moment he thought that his eyes were playing tricks on him because just a few seconds ago, he saw a fading small patch of pastel pink on her worn out guitar case.