"Wait! Stop!" A girl screamed as she ran after a departing bus. Her hair was flying around wildly and her skirt nearly rode up as she pumped her legs. Luckily the bus came to a stop and its doors opened with a hiss.

The girl quickly hopped on the bus and gave the driver a breathy thank you as she paid the bus fare. The bus quickly started, making her stagger back. She grabbed on to a pole and secretly shot the driver a glare before slowly making her way inside. She scanned the seats and sighed when she saw that all of them were taken.

She stood by a one seater and held on to the pole tightly. She looked out the windows and gasped when she saw her reflection. She leaned closer to get a good look but got a bit too close for one of the passengers' liking. She sheepishly smiled and dipped her head. The passenger scowled and shifted closer to the window, side eyeing the girl. She scowled as well but turned her attention back to her reflection. Her hair was all messed up, her necklace was backwards, and the collar of her blouse was flipped up. She hastily fixed her appearance and checked herself once more before relaxing.

As the bus continued down the road, more and more people got on, causing the bus to become packed. The girl was trapped between a large sweaty man with B.O and a teenager listening to his casettes too loudly. She internally cursed the bus driver for not turning on the fan on such a hot summer day.

At long last, the girl's stop came into sight and she had to squeeze through all the people on the bus to get to the back door. She jumped off the vehicle and let out a sigh of relief. She looked at the leaving bus and shuddered at the thought of how it was packed and humid inside. She heard a car honk and she jumped in shock. She realized that she was standing in the middle of the road and she sheepishly apologized to the driver as she stepped on to sidewalk.

She looked around and saw a mirror leaning against a tree nearby. She ran over and inspected hersef. She straightened out her black and white polka dot skirt and fixed the collar of her cream blouse. She ran a hand through her long locks and turned the little charm on her necklace around so that it would show the little flower with diamond center. She took in a deep breath and nodded. "You can do this!" She whispered encouragingly to herself. She spun around on her oxford clad feet and started down the street.

The girl later emerged from a tall building with her shoulders hunched over and a dejected look on her face.

"Your resume was impressive and you have a strong will to work as well. But you're just not the type that we're looking for. We're sorry."

Tears started to well up in the girl's eyes and she sniffled. She turned around and looked at the building bregrudgingly. "Fine, if they don't want me, I'll find some place better to work," she grumbled to herself, making a few passersby look at her weirdly. She straightened up, lifted her chin up, and started down the street once again.

The door to a small restaurant opened and the girl entered. A waiter smiled and led her to a table with a menu tucked under his armpit. "Here is the menu. Would you like anything to drink?" The man asked.

"Just water, thank you," the girl said with a small grin. He nodded and went to get her drink. When he came back, she thanked him and placed an order for cold noodles. Her food quickly arrived and she started to eat.

"Stupid company," the girl grumbled as she angrily chewed the buckwheat noodles. "Stupid standards, stupid employees, stupid everything."

Earlier, the girl had gone to an editing company for an interview. They showed quite a bit of interest in her at first but then they started to show disinterest the further they questioned her.

"Shin Sunhwa, age 22, a fresh graduate from Ehwa Women's University with a degree in literature. Interesting. Miss Sunhwa, please do enlighten us. Why did you choose Taejin Editing?"

"Well, as a child, my hobby was writing poems and fictional stories. As I grew older, I fell in love with writing and even joined my high school's newspaper as one of the head editors. Then when I considered a career before entering university, I thought about my passion for writing and chose to be a literature major. Writing is the love of my life and I want to learn more. When I heard about how Taejin Editing was hiring, I was ecstatic because some of my favorite works have been published from this company. I thought if I was able to become an employee here, I would be able to learn even more so that it could lead me to maybe publishing my own works one day."

"Is that so? Miss Sunhwa, Taejin Editing is a tough place to work. Are you sure you will be able to handle the workload? You may not even be a regular employee for a while."

"I will do my absolute best to complete all the work assigned to me. And even if I start off as a lackey, constantly running errands for the higher ups, I would be okay with that."

"You also mentioned that you would like to publish your own works one day. If that is the case, then why don't you just submit one of your manuscripts instead of wanting to work with us?"

"I want to learn as much as possible so that when I get started on my manuscript, I'll be able to take everything I learned and put them to good use."

The people interviewing her paused for a moment to whisper amongst themselves and when they turned their attention back to the girl, they started off with the same "Miss Sunhwa" in a more bored tone. That was when she realized that something was wrong and grew nervous.

As the interview continued, Sunhwa could tell that they weren't interested in her any more and when they gave her their final verdict, she felt her world crashing.

"Not the type that they're looking for? I'll make them regret not hiring me!" Sunhwa shouted, banging her fist on the table.

The waiter from before rushed over and looked at her worriedly. "Is something wrong, miss?"

Her face grew red and she awkwardly laughed. "N-No, everything's fine. Just thought I say a fly." She lifted her fist up and she meekly smiled. "No fly. Guess it was my imagination. I'm sorry."

He gave her a weird look and then went back to his station. The girl slapped a hand over her face and quickly went back to finishing her food before she ended up embarrassing herself in the restaurant again. She paid for her meal, apologized once again to the waiter, and scurried out of the establishment.

Sunhwa sighed and looked around with her hand over her eyes, shielding them from the blinding sun. She checked her watch and saw that she had a lot of time before she had to return back home for dinner and decided to wander around.

She fanned herself as she walked down the street, softly panting and small beads of sweat forming on her forehead. She stopped by a vending machine and bought herself a cold can of coffee before continuing. She walked around the area when she found a park with an abundant amount of shade and decided to relax there for a moment. She settled down on a bench beneath a large tree and breathed out in relief, feeling much more cooler than before. She opened her purse and took out a handkerchief, using it to gently dab the sweat on her face so that she didn't mess up her make up.

She looked around the park, watching the children run around while their parents watch after them, couples lounging under large trees to stay cool, and others just leisurely walking around. She looked down at the coffee she had bought and lifted the tab. She took a sip of the refreshing drink and then sighed. She still felt down about from being rejected from Taejin Editing.

"Stupid Taejin Editing. What did I even say wrong? I just expressed my ambition to work for them and maybe even publish my own book later on in life," she grumbled, her grip on the can of coffee growing tighter. She then downed the rest of the liquid in one shot and then wiped with the back of her hand roughly. She crushed the can in her hands and then tossed it out into the open angrily. She crossed her arms over her chest and huffed, complaining about the editing company under her breath.

She heard a yelp in the distance and slowly sat up. "What was that?" She asked herself.

She saw a boy slowly approach her with a hand pressed against his forehead and the other holding the can she had thrown. Her eyes widened and she gasped. The boy soon stood in front of her and held the can out. "Did you throw this?" He asked, a frown on his face and a small red welt slowly growing on his forehead.

Sunhwa got off the bench and bowed. "I'm so sorry. I didn't think it would hit anyone."

The boy huffed and then tossed it into her hands. "Well it did. And if didn't, it would've been considered as litter so why don't you throw that out before you hit anyone else or dirty this park?"

She nodded and scurried over to the trash can near her bench to throw out the aluminium can. She dusted her hands and then stopped. "Wait, why is that kid lecturing me?"

She made her way back to the bench and saw the boy standing there with his arms crossed over his chest. She frowned and then looked at him. "Hey kid, I'm sorry about throwing that can at you but shouldn't you respect your elders? What are you? Eighteen?"

"I'm actually twenty three," he retorted.

Her jaw grew slack. "What? You're twenty three? There's no way you're older than me."

He snorted and then dug threw his pockets for his wallet. He pulled out his ID and ed it in front of her face. "But I am."

She quickly scanned the card. Do Kyungsoo. DOB is January 12, 1934.

She gasped and then dipped her head. "I am so sorry. Y-You just look really young for your age."

Kyungsoo chuckled and put the card back. "I get that a lot."

Sunhwa looked up and felt a weird sensation at the sight of his heart shaped smile. She cleared and apologized once more. "I'm really sorry about throwing that can at you, Kyungsoo-ssi. I was just upset, that's all."

He cocked an eyebrow. "I was going to comment on the arm that you have but now I'm suddenly curious about what could have possibly gotten you upset to the point where you would throw a can and hit someone."

"Like I said, that was an accident!" She exclaimed, cheeks burning. "And it's nothing really."

He took a seat on the bench and crossed his legs. "Come on, tell me. It's not healthy to keep all that anger bottled up."

"I am not angry!" She shouted.

He held his hands up. "Okay then, if you say so."

She exhaled loudly and plopped down next to him. "I was rejected from a job I really wanted. Happy?"

Kyungsoo blinked. "That's it?"

The girl looked at him with wide eyes. "What do you mean 'That's it?'. That's the whole problem! I really wanted the job and it could've been a huge step to achieving my dream but I was rejected because I'm 'not the type they're looking for.'" She mocked the interviewers with a scowl.

He laughed and she looked at him in disbelief. "What are you laughing at?! This is a big deal for me and if this is your way of cheering me up, then you're doing an extremely lousy job."

His lips stretched into a smirk before he broke out into a full smile. "That's nothing. This is life. Things aren't that simple. There are going to be plenty of obstacles ahead of you. That's when you find a way to get over them. You getting rejected is just one obstacle. You'll have to figure out what to do next in order to jump over it."

Sunhwa looked at him incredulously and he shrugged. "That's just how things are. There might be times where you fall over or find yourself faced with a situation that's way out of your hands. But that's when you have to get the gears grinding in order to come up with a solution. And for this one, just give yourself a few days to get over it or find a different place to apply to. Who knows? You might actually get accepted this time."

He then turned to her and gave her a smile. She froze for a moment before giving him a lopsided grin. "You know, Kyungsoo-ssi, you sure do know what you're talking about. Thanks, I kind of needed that."

He waved it off. "It's okay. I mean, my forehead kind of hurts from the can and I'm still a bit angry but I'm glad that I helped... um, what's your name?"

She laughed and replied, "Shin Sunhwa. And I'm only a year younger than you."

He smirked. "Well then I guess you're the kid now."

Her face burned and she sputtered, "A-Am not! It's just a one year difference!"

Kyungsoo nodded and then pinched her cheek. "Oh you're such a cute child," he cooed.

She slapped his hand off her face and scowled. "Stop it!"

He chuckled and leaned back against the wooden bench. "I'll stop."

He took in a deep breath and then exhaled through his mouth with a smile. "It sure is nice outside today."

Sunhwa looked at him weirdly. "It's nice? It's blazing hot today!"

"It is but the sky's nice and clear. Don't you have those moments where you're outside on a nice day like this and you just stop what you're doing to stare at the sky and think about how amazing the weather is?" He said as he looked at the azure.

The girl blinked and then followed his line of vision to stare at the cloudless sky. Her eyebrows furrowed and she looked at the man. "You're weird," she said deadpan.

He laughed loudly and then smiled. "Everyone's weird in their own way."

She found herself smiling along and leaned back against the bench. "You're right about that," she said softly.

The two sat in the shade in silence while staring at the endless sky, smiles on their faces. Sunhwa then sat up with a gasp, causing Kyungsoo to jump in shock. "What's wrong?"

She checked her watch and groaned. "Oh man, my parents are going to kill me."

She got up from the bench and grabbed her purse. She gave the man a smile. "It was really nice meeting you today, Kyungsoo-ssi. I'm really sorry about hitting you on the forehead with my can. You might want to put some ice on it when you get home. And thank you for the advice. I would love to stay longer but I have to get home now."

She bowed and ran off while waving to him. He stared at her with wide eyes and then chuckled to himself. "It was nice meeting you too!" He shouted before she left the park. She jumped up and waved fervently before dashing down the road. He then sat back down on the bench and rested his arms on the back. "Shin Sunhwa," he muttered to himself. He snorted and then returned his gaze back to the sky.

 

 

"Thank you very much! Thank you so much!" Sunhwa repeatedly said, bowing to the man in front of her. He laughed heartily and patted her back. "No need to thank me. In return, just work hard and don't slack off!" He warned with a smile.

She nodded and bowed once again. "Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me."

He grinned and handed her a pass. "You can show me how much it means by doing your job diligently. Here, use this to get into the building tomorrow. We'll be taking your picture for your employee ID once you get here."

She bowed again and he opened the door to the room they were in. "Now off you go. I have other people to interview."

"Thank you! I won't let you down!" She exclaimed as she made her way down the hallway. The man chuckled and then turned to the person sitting against the wall. "Come in, son."

Sunhwa skipped out of the building and shouted in joy, making passersby look at her weirdly. She looked at the entrance pass she was given and held it close to her chest. She then looked at the building sign, three fireworks exploding in the colors of red, blue, and green with the words 'Fireworks Publishing' written in block letters, and smiled to herself. "This is my beginning," she whispered to herself.

She walked down the street with a hop to her step, greeting people that walked past her. She saw a familiar figure in the crowd and she raced towards it. "Kyungsoo-ssi!" She screamed.

Kyungsoo turned around at the sound of his name and his eyes grew wide when he saw Sunhwa charging towards him. He held his hands up and shook his head. "No no no, Sunhwa-ssi, no-"

Before he could say anything else, she slammed into him and hugged him tightly. He grunted at the force and staggered back a bit, a hand on the top of his head to keep his paper boy hat from falling. "Sunhwa-ssi, what are you doing?" He hissed, his face turning red as people stared at them.

"You were right! All I had to do was just apply to a different place. I got acccepted! My interview went great and I was hired immediately! Oh my god, Kyungsoo-ssi, you were right!" She replied while jumping up and down.

"That's really nice but can you let go of me?" He shouted over her screams.

She let go and he huffed while straightening out his white short sleeve button up. "Seriously, what is with you and hurting people? First it was the can and now it's a body slam. What are you?"

She scowled and crossed her arms over her chest. "The first one was an accident. And the second one was me expressing how ecstatic I am over getting accepted at Fireworks Publishing. Lighten up, will ya? You know what? I'm gonna take you out for dinner."

He stared at her with his mouth slightly agape. "Take me out for dinner? What is this? A date or something?"

"If you want it to be." She winked.

He gave her a disgusted look and she rolled her eyes. "Come on, don't be such a party pooper! Think of it as an apology dinner for the things I've done to you. Meet me at the park we met in last week at six, okay? I'll be waiting!"

"But-"

"See you later, Kyungsoo-ssi!" Sunhwa waved as she ran down the street.

He watched her slowly disappear from his sight and then snorted. "Shin Sunhwa, you sure are something." He shook his head and then looked down at his wrist watch. He gasped when he saw that it was a quarter to three.

"Oh gosh, I better hurry up," he muttered to himself as he sped across the road.

When it was six on the dot, Sunhwa sat on the bench where she and Kyungsoo met, looking around the park with her cheeks puffed out and legs swinging back and forth.

"And I thought you said you weren't a kid."

She got up from her seat and saw Kyungsoo giving her a judging look. She frowned and stomped her foot on the sidewalk. "I am not! I was just bored from waiting!"

He then looked at her with wide worried eyes. "Did I make you wait long? If I did, I'm really sorry. The doctors took a bit too long and-"

"No Kyungsoo-ssi, I didn't wait long. I'm a bit of an impatient person so a minute can feel like an hour to me. But now that you're here, let's go get some dinner!" She grabbed him by the shoulders, whirled him around, and pushed him forward as she walked behind.

"What- Where are we going?" He asked, trying to get her to stop pushing him.

"You'll see," she sang. Once they were out of the park, she held her arm out and he looked at her weirdly. She gestured to her arm and he cocked an eyebrow. "Isn't the guy supposed to be the one offering the arm?"

She shrugged. "If you want to, go ahead."

He blew out from between his lips and held out his arm. She happily wrapped her arm around his and then pulled him down the street. "Let's go!"

"Wait! Sunhwa-ssi, can you please stop running!" He shouted exasperatedly.

Minutes later, there was standing outside a samgyeopsal restaurant, the two of them bent over to catch their breaths.

"Why are you always running around?" Kyungsoo wheezed.

Sunhwa straightened up with a smile and panted, "Not always, just when I'm really excited. Come on, let's go in!"

She grabbed his arm and pulled him inside while he was still trying to stabilize his breathing.

The two sat right next to a window, watching people pass by as they waited for their meat to arrive. The girl hummed and tapped her fingers against the edge of the table while looking around the restaurant. Kyungsoo's eyebrow twitched in annoyance and he snapped, "Can you stop that? It's really annoying?"

Her fingers were mid-tap when she put her hands on her lap and meekly apologized. "Sorry. Like I said before, I'm an impatient person. And since I really hate being bored while waiting, let's talk. What's your favorite color, Kyungsoo-ssi?"

He scrunched his eyebrows together. "How are you able to switch topics so quickly? And black."

She shrugged. "It's just a thing. And really? I like white."

"I guess you could say we're opposites then." He smirked.

"You can't really base it off of that one difference. Who knows? Maybe we actually have a lot in common but just don't know it because we haven't asked each other yet." She pursed her lips.

He leaned back against his seat with his arms crossed over his chest. "Well based off of what I've seen so far, I don't think that's likely."

Sunhwa frowned and leaned forward. "That's not true! Come on, ask me anything you want to know about me."

"But I don't have anything I want to know about you. You're just a stranger that accidentally hit me with a can, body slammed into me, and invited me out to dinner." He blinked.

"But I don't feel that way about you," she retorted. "The fact that you actually sat down to ask me about what had me down in the dumps last week was enough for me to consider you a friend. If you don't want to know anything about me, that's fine. But in return, I'll be asking a dozen questions and you have to answer them. Okay?"

He scowled but agreed anyways. "Fine. And what happened to the whole 'respect your elders' thing yesterday? Where's my respect?"

"We're only a year apart and I told you that I consider you a friend. Favorite food?"

"Anything that tastes good. Stop changing the topic so quickly!"

"Too bad. Any siblings?"

"An older brother."

"That's pretty cool, I have an older brother too! He's just an sometimes."

He snorted and she asked, "What were you doing in the park last week?"

He cocked an eyebrow. "Why is that important?"

"Why not! I also forgot to mention that I'm a very curious person." She smiled.

He sighed, "You're a handful. And I was just walking through the park, nothing more, nothing less."

"I see, I see." She nodded. "Where do you live?"

He looked at her with wide eyes. "Why do you want to know that?"

She shrugged. "Like I said, curious person. And I'm not asking for exact address, just neighborhood or something."

"I'm going to go with the second choice then. I live pretty close by, actually. It only takes a fifteen minute walk for me to get out here."

She looked at him in awe. "Really? You're so lucky. I have to take two buses to get out here. Ugh, it's going to be such a pain when I start working."

Their food soon arrived and they got to grilling the meat. "Speaking of which, you said earlier that you got hired at Fireworks Publishing. Are you into editing or something?" Kyungsoo asked as he flipped the pork.

Sunhwa set down the cup of water she was drinking and nodded with a huge grin. "I am but I'm more interested in writing. To be more specific, I want to publish my own novel. I loved writing ever since I was child and I always dreamed of becoming an author so here I am, trying to work at a publishing company."

"If you want to publish your own work, then why don't you just hand them a manuscript or whatever? You don't have to work at a publishing company to get your own stuff out there," he said as he cut the meat into smaller pieces.

The girl pointed to a piece of meat with her chopsticks. "Is this cooked?"

He nodded and she grabbed it off the grill with a smile. "Awesome. And I know that but I want to learn more and maybe pick up a few tips from other authors so that when I do hand a manuscript to the main editor, they'll tell me, 'Wow, this is amazing! There are hardly any mistakes! I think we'll be able to publish this very quickly.'"

He shook his head and started to eat. "You know that will never happen, right? There's no way your writing can be that amazing off the bat. I have a sunbae who also works at a publishing company and has seen authors work on their books for years before even being to publish them," he said through a mouthful.

She scrunched her nose up in distaste. "Ew, can you not talk with your mouth full?"

His cheeks grew pink and he swallowed. "Sorry, it's a bad habit I picked up from my housemate."

"I see." She nodded. "And I know that. Just let a girl dream."

He nodded absentmindedly as he made a wrap. He held it out and she looked at him weirdly. "I thought you said we weren't friends."

"We aren't, just acquaintances. And do you not want it?" He asked as he waved it up and down.

She took it from his hands and dipped her head. "Thanks. Did you pick this up from your housemate too?"

He snorted. "It'll take a thousand years for him to ever do something like that. He's such a huge slob and acts like a child. And I have a lot of younger cousins so it's just a habit that I've acquired. Why? Is it weird?"

"Sorta," she answered before putting it in .

The skies were starting to grow dark when Sunhwa and Kyungsoo emerged from the restaurant with full stomachs.

"Ugh, I'm really full," she groaned.

"Same here. Hey, thanks for dinner. And I'm sorry if I ever said or did anything rude inside. My friends tell me I'm a bit rough sometimes," he said.

She smiled and shook her head. "No problem and you didn't do anything rude so don't worry. However, I must ask you this: Friends?"

She stuck a hand out and he stared at it. He thought for a moment before his lips tugged into a smile and he slipped his hand into hers. "Friends."

The girl was overwhelmed with joy so she pulled him in for a hug. "Thank you, Kyungsoo-ssi," she said softly.

His cheeks grew warm and he awkwardly patted her back. "There's nothing to thank me for. Just doing what friends do."

Sunhwa straightened up and looked at him. "This really means a lot to me. Hey, if you ever see me around, don't be afraid to shout a 'hello' or something."

He nodded and chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind. Also, please don't throw cans at me or run into me. It's pretty painful."

She saluted him with a cheeky grin and he laughed. His laughter soon died down and the two of them stood there in an awkward silence.

"What do we do now?" He asked after thinking about what he should say.

The girl checked her watch and sighed. "I think I should head home. It's getting a bit late and I want to get a good night's rest before my first day of work."

He gave her a small smile. "That sounds like a good idea. What bus do you take?"

"It's just a few blocks from here. Why?" She blinked.

"Which way is it?"

She pointed to the left and he nodded to it. "Well, let's go."

She raised her eyebrows and he rolled his eyes. "Oh my god, I'm walking you to the bus stop."

She put a hand over her heart and batted her eyelashes. "You're such a sweetheart," she pretended to swoon.

He scowled. "Shut up and let's go."

She snorted and followed after him. "Well then."

They walked to the bus stop while asking each other random questions and even arguing about some of their anwers.

"What? Strawberry is the best ice cream!" Sunhwa argued.

"No it's not. It has to be vanilla," Kyungsoo shot back.

"I admit it's a classic but it's so plain sometimes. Strawberry has so much flavor to it."

"It just tastes like strawberries!"

"Exactly!"

The boy groaned and threw his hands up. "I give up. You're impossible."

She grinned and shrugged. "What can I say? I'm very good at arguing. Oh, there's my bus!"

He watched the bus slowly come to a stop and he stuck his hands into his pockets. "Well, I guess I'll see you some other time, Sunhwa-ssi."

"Yeah. And no need to be formal. We're friends! Just call me Sunhwa. Are you okay with me calling you Kyungsoo?"

He laughed and nodded. "It's fine. You should hurry up and get on before it gets crowded."

She waved goodbye and hopped on to the bus. Once she took a seat, she slid open the window and stuck her head out. "Bye Kyungsoo!" She shouted, making him jump in shock.

He put a hand over his racing heart and exhaled shakily. "Seriously, can you stop doing that?!"

She cheekily smiled and waved as the bus pulled away from the stop. "Probably not. See you next time!"

He snorted and waved to her. Once the bus was out of sight, he let out a breath and shook his head with a smile. "She sure is special," he said to himself as he started on his way back home.

 

 

A/N
After working on this for nearly two weeks, it's finally up! It took a little while because I deleted wheat I had written first so that I could rewrite it. Sorry for the long wait!
Also, thank you to those who subscriber to this short story! I LOVE YOU ♥
Another thing, sorry if anything's historically inaccurate. I know that I set this story a little after the Korean War ended and I also know that Korea was busy building itself back up but I wanted to make it a lighthearted story so I hope you can overlook this little fact.
Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you thought of it in the comments and I'll see you next time ^^