It was a beautiful spring day outside in the city of Seoul. The trees in the garden area outside of Jayne’s apartment were starting to blossom beautifully. Tiny buds were blooming and birds were flitting to and fro between branches. Jayne checked the temperature on her iPhone to dress accordingly and prepared for her day of work at the hagwon. She was able to wake up in ample time to go to the coffee shop and grab a cup to go. Grabbing a light jacket, she headed out of her apartment and down the flight of stairs. A small coffee shop was a ten minute walk away. Jayne took this time to take in her surroundings and reminisce.

                Six months had passed since she had arrived in South Korea. Although she was 100% British, she was adopted by Americans at the age of nine and moved to the US a year later. Upon completing high school, she enrolled into college and pursued a teaching degree. Being an ESL (English as a second language) teacher was always her passion. It was at one of her jobs at a school in the US that a co-worker referred her to a teaching position overseas. Upon filling out the application and going thru the interview process, a contract was put into place and Jayne was offered a job in Seoul. She truly loved teaching the kids. Coming to South Korea was a bit of an adjustment. Her 5’7” frame, pale British skin, dirty-blonde hair and blue eyes made her stand out. But, she didn’t mind so much. She had turned 29 before coming over to Korea, but according to Korean age, she was 30. Jayne really enjoyed being in a new country and teaching her students the English language. They were very bright students who were eager to learn.

                Soon she was in front of the coffee shop, pushing open the door as the smell of fresh pastries from the oven and freshly brewed coffee drifted to her nose, tickling her senses. The line to place the orders was moving very swiftly and soon she ordered her flavored coffee. Once she had paid for her drink and sweetened it over where the supplies were in the corner, she was on her way out the door. Just as she stepped over the threshold, the door to the café shop closed a bit too quickly, bumping her into a male and spilling part of her freshly-brewed coffee onto the both of them.

                “Jeongmal joseong haeyo. (I’m so sorry)” Jayne said as she grabbed the few napkins she had in her hand and immediately started to blot the coffee stain on the stranger’s shirt. He looked intensely at her and gently grabbed her hand where she was frantically trying to erase the stain. Jayne stopped and met his gaze.

                “You speak Korean?” He asked. A slight blush overcame her and she nodded silently.

                “You speak English?” Jayne asked nervously. She didn’t want to assume.

                “I know enough to get by. I’m still trying to learn for the most part. I’m Shin Soohyun, but people call me Soohyun. What’s your name?” He asked as they moved away from the door so others could get by.

                “I’m Jayne. Jayne Fleming. Please accept my apology. I didn’t mean to spill my coffee on you. Is there anything I can do? Can I buy you a drink to make up for it?” Jayne looked at her paper coffee cup now soaked and worthless. She found a nearby trashcan and threw it out.

                “It wasn’t your fault at all. I saw the door close a bit too quickly on you. Don’t worry about it. Munjeeopsseoyo. (No problem) Okay?” Soohyun said as he looked down at his shirt. The stain was barely noticeable. Jayne on the other hand would have to go back to her apartment before going to work to change her outfit.

                “So you’re sure I can’t buy you a drink? It’s the least I can do…really.” Jayne said as she reached into her purse and pulled out hand sanitizer to get the stickiness off her hands. She offered some to Soohyun and he held out his hand as she squeezed a small amount into his palm. He rubbed it in and found it to be fragrant and put his hands up to his nose to smell the sweet scent. It smelled like vanilla cupcake. Jayne gasped making Soohyun wonder what was wrong. She forgot that this hand sanitizer had glitter in it and now Soohyun’s hand had sparkly specks to them. “Geez, I’m really making an impression, aren’t I?” Jayne sighed as Soohyun raised his eyebrow wondering what she was referring to. She pointed to the glitter in his hands and he started to laugh. Jayne saw that he wasn’t upset and started giggling along with him.

                “You don’t have to buy me a drink. I appreciate the gesture, though. Tell you what, how about I buy both of our drinks and we can sit down and chat.” Soohyun said as he motioned towards the door.

                “I’d love that, but I need to get changed before I have to go in to work. Luckily I left early enough to come here on the way there.” Jayne checked the time on her phone to see if she would be running late.

                “Well, how far away are you? I might be able to give you a ride back to your place.”

                “My apartment is only a 10 minute walk from here.” Jayne stated.

                “Mind if I walk with you there?” Soohyun said and then immediately wondered if he should have said that out loud. Jayne stared at him for a minute. He seemed like a very nice guy. It was a bit odd of him to ask, but maybe she’d make a new friend.

                “Um…sure.” Jayne smiled and they started walking in the direction of her apartment.

                “So, where do you work?” Soohyun asked her as they walked side by side.

                “I work at the hagwon in town. I love it. I’ve only been here for six months. I did a few years of teaching back in the US before getting this job.”

                “Ah…so you’re from the States? I was going to ask where you were from. Which one did you live in before coming here?” Soohyun asked.

                “Well, I used to live in Maryland for several years. I moved to South Carolina and was there for a year and then moved again to Alabama.”

                “That’s cool. I have a friend who lived in D.C. My other friend lived in California. Do you miss the US?”

                “Wow…D.C. was an hour from where I lived in Maryland. Small world. I do get homesick every now and then, but I really love being here. Everything is so new and fresh and I’m excited about being here.”

                “That’s awesome. I really hope you enjoy your stay here in Korea. How long will you be here for?” Soohyun asked. He really enjoyed being around Jayne. He felt comfortable around her.

                “Two years for now. If I like it, then I’ll renew my contract.” Jayne said as they reached the building to her apartment. “Well, Soohyun…I hate to say this, but this is my apartment. I have to get changed and then head to work before I’m late. It was nice meeting you. Sorry about how it happened.”

                “Like I said earlier, no problem. It was nice meeting you, too. Listen, please don’t take this the wrong way. I normally don’t do this. Do you have an email or do you want to exchange phone numbers?” Soohyun asked nervously.

                “I can give you my phone number.” They exchanged phone numbers and Soohyun sent her a quick text message to make sure she received it. “Awesome. Well, I look forward to hearing from you. Hopefully next time we see each other, I won’t be spilling anything else on you.” Jayne said making Soohyun laugh.

                “Have a good day. Annyeong hi gyeseyo (goodbye).” Soohyun said, bowing slightly.

                “Annyeong hi kaseyo (goodbye).” Jayne said, bowing back and then ran up the stairs to her apartment to quickly change.