“Do you believe in second chances?”

There’s a sound of bells tinkling behind her and a chorus of welcomes by the staffs to greet their new customer. Jinri stares at the steam arising from her mug of chocolate, still piping hot, before throwing her glance outside the quiet café. She sees a young couple standing facing each other by the street who seems to be in an argument, the girl wearing a scarf that is far too big for her and doesn’t match the colour of her jacket. Noticing the boyfriend’s bare neck, Jinri wonders if the scarf belongs to him and smiles at that thought.

That is one of the things Taemin does for her. Sharing gloves when she left hers at home, buying her favourite ice-cream when he is late for their date (again), late night phone calls that always end up with him laughing at her snores over the line. Used to. When did those things grow less and less and eventually cease? Was it when she let his finger slip away from hers right after he led her past a crowd at the streets and train stations?

She likes him, she truly does. He may not be the most romantic man on earth. Sometimes they banter over small things like when neither of them wants to sit next to the man who keeps on telling what’s going to happen in the movie when they are at the cinema, and usually those small, silly things are the ones that lead to arguments that would drag on for weeks until someone steps in and forces them to sit and talk about it.

She thinks about his question, the one he asked over the phone last night. It was the first conversation they had in months, and although she was surprised that he still keeps her number, she was truly happy to hear his voice. She has missed him during the time they were apart, even those silly banters they had that led to their breakup.

“Can you give me a second chance?”

“Absolutely no!”

She stares at him in disbelief as if he has just said the most absurd things ever. Almost half her face is covered behind the scarf he lent her, but the frown she’s wearing is still too visible to ignore.

“I told you, millions and millions of time before, that we’re going for a small wedding! I told you I just wanted a very small one at the backyard of my parents’ house with only our close friends, but you said it would be a bother for them to travel, so I said okay let’s find a nice park around Seoul and hold it there instead. And you agreed to that! So why did you book such a massive hall?”

“First of all, it’s not that massive of a hall. Second of all, you’re the one who invited half the population of this nation! How are we going to fit them all? And what if it rains?”

“Half of them are your guests! I’m not the one with many friends, remember? And it won’t rain! Even if it does there’ll be tents.”

Hoya lets out a sigh and looks away. A taxi drives pass them and then the light turns green. He grabs her hand and leads her across the street along with a throng of other strangers, each and every one of them in a rush for their next destination.

“What I’m saying is,” he begins once they have crossed the road, his hand still holding hers protectively. “I just wanted this to be perfect for you. I don’t want you to look back later and think “I should’ve done this” and have regrets.”

“You know how much I love you for that,” replies Bomi in a tone much softer than before. Her face relaxes into a smile as she takes his other hand and squeezes them gently. “And you also know that if you want to give me the perfect wedding and don’t want me to have regrets later all you need to do is follow what I say,” she adds with a grin.

“I knew it.” He chuckles and shakes his head while pinching the tip of her nose playfully. “But can’t we keep the hall, at least? I already paid the deposit.”

“Ugh, of course!”

Why didn’t she expect this earlier? Nana mutters almost every swear word she knows under her breath as the car gets stuck in another traffic. She glances at the meter and then at her watch. Can she make it in time?

“Ahjussi, is there another way I can reach the airport fast?”

“The nearest train station is about five blocks from here. Even if you’re willing to walk I think it would take about half an hour, and it’s peak hour now, so it’d be terribly crowded,” the driver explains with a shrug. “All you can do now is pray for some miracle to happen.”

And by some design of heaven, miracle does occur. She arrives at the airport about twenty minutes later, and once she steps out of the taxi (accidentally bumping into someone while doing so and manages to mumble a word of apology) she instantly hurries inside and rushes to check the flights’ schedule in case she has missed it. When she learns that she still has time, she scrambles all over the place to search for that one face she longs to see.

That jerk, she thinks, clicking her tongue. Did he really think he can leave without a word for her?

At last, she spots him at the level below, dragging his feet towards the custom check-in counter with his trusty bag which he has used for years on his back. Nana stops on her track and runs towards the metal railing, leaning slightly so that she can be easily seen.

“Luhan!”

It is apparent how surprised he is by the way he nearly jumps and glances back and forth in a haste to find the person who just yelled out his name. He searches every crook and cranny for the origin of the voice, but fails to remember to glance back.

“I’m here!” she yells again with a laugh while waving her hand. When he finally spots her, she immediately turns her smile upside down and fakes a pout. “You silly! You don’t tell your friend you love her and then disappear the next day.”

Luhan blushes slightly and looks around. “People are watching!”

“So?”

He should’ve known earlier that he would face something like this. It’s Nana, after all. They’ve been friends not for four days or four weeks, but four years. He knows better than to mess with her, especially her heart. But confessing his bottled-up feelings for her doesn’t really count as messing with her, does it?

“Are you going to keep silent now?” she probes him when he says nothing.

“I’m not going back to Beijing for good.”

“Then?”

“I’m going to tell my parents about this girl I met here―how stubborn she is, how insane she can be, how kind she has been to me, how pretty she is―and then…”

“And then?”

He pauses for a moment before rummaging through his bag, and fishes something out from it. He glances around again, and with a deep breath and a determined yet slightly abashed look, he returns his gaze at her. “And then I thought of making you accept this,” he answers, revealing a small square box in his hand.

Nana lets out a gasp. Even from the distance she knows exactly what is in the box. Tears are b in her eyes but she tries hard to keep her cool.

“Will you accept it?”

“You’re not giving me options here, Luhan.”

“Oh, do you not know me?”

“I know you!”

Surprised, she glances to her side, thinking it’s the same girl who bumped into her earlier, but finds a young man in jeans and black jacket with a pair of sunglasses resting on the bridge of his nose. There’s a smile on his face and it seems familiar. It takes her a good few seconds before she can finally recall who he is. “Ah, I know you too!” she exclaims. “I thought your bag was mine and we fought over it until I realized I waited at the wrong aisle.”

The man chuckles a bit and shrugs. “I wasn’t intending on reminding you of an embarrassing episode of your life but since you mentioned it yourself…”

She joins in and giggles until she notices his luggage behind him and the taxi driver calls for her attention. “Are you here to fight over this taxi with me?” she raises a brow.

Taking off his shades, he chuckles again. “Actually I was going to ask nicely if you want to share. Plus we can save some money. That is, if we’re heading the same way and if you’re willing to share.”

“I don’t mind, to be honest. Where are you going, anyway?”

“Itaewon. I’m meeting my brother. Is that okay with you? Or you can just drop me off somewhere along the way.”

“I see, although I didn’t ask for details,” she grins, fingers tapping on the roof of the vehicle. “That’s totally fine.”

Agreeing on sharing the transportation, she offers him to help with his luggage which he kindly declines. “Just don’t get mixed up later,” he tells her in a joking manner, revealing his pair of bunny teeth.

They introduce themselves to each other later somewhere in between their conversation. Her name is Ashley, just landed from New York (or more accurately Dubai where she made her transit), where she spent most of her childhood. He is Barom, from Sydney where he, just like her, grew up. When she asks which feels more like home to him, he gives her another shrug and thinks about her question for a while before telling her he’s stuck in between. She nods and says she feels the same.

Time passes when you’re having a good time, people say. That is why neither of them realizes when they reached Seoul, let alone Itaewon. He steps out of the taxi, holds the door for her and helps her with her bags like the gentleman that his mother raised him to be, and she keeps a smile on her face while murmuring a quiet ‘thank you’.

“You know, we ran into each other twice today. They say the third time is fate,” he grins his lopsided grin that she has grown to like.

She laughs at his attempt and her head to the side. “What are you trying to imply here?”

“Do you think we’ll run into each other again someday?”

“I think it’s impossible!”

“It’s only impossible if you think it is. Remember the Nike ad? ‘Impossible is nothing’.”

“It’s Adidas, you idiot,” Hyunsik shakes his head in defeat at his friend while picking up another cup to clean. “And keep your voice low, you’ll disturb the customers,” he adds, nodding his head at the couple sitting by the window.

“I’m just trying to help, man,” Minhwan says with a grin, taking a seat behind the counter. “I mean, she’s pretty. And smart, too. If you don’t act fast sooner or later someone’s going to cut in line and steal her away.”

A heavy sigh escapes Hyunsik’s mouth as he keeps his stare outside. Watching the crowd of people, he wonders for a moment what is going on with their life, if they have something troubling their mind or something they’re looking forward for. He thinks of Ara, the girl in his class whom he has had a crush on since their high school days. Of course, like his friend mentioned, she’s pretty and smart. But he likes other qualities of hers as well, like how kind she is and how she can spend her lunchtime in the library getting lost in a book. It’s not like she doesn’t have friends, but she enjoys solitude. And he admires her for that. “Do you really think she’d say yes if I ask her out?”

Minhwan ponders for a minute before walking towards him. He places a hand on Hyunsik’s shoulder and gives him an encouraging look. “You see, Hyunsik, miracles happen.”

The older boy throws the towel he’s holding at his friend’s face while the other burst out laughing.

All of a sudden, the bells chime, signalling someone coming in. Both heads turn almost in sync to the direction of the entrance. Minhwan’s laughter dies down in an instance while Hyunsik’s jaw dropped when they see her at the door.

“Jinri?”

She looks up and meets the gaze of the man sitting opposite her. There’s a smile on his face and it looks both concerned and hopeful. His pair of brown eyes is the kindest and most warm pair of orbs she has ever laid her eyes on, and to her getting lost in them makes her feel like she’s home.

Feeling as if they both have travelled back in time and nothing has ever changed, that they never went separate ways, she smiles back.