Two days had gone with the fact that Hyunseung and I had been keeping our distance. Neither one of us would check up on each other. I figured he was trying to give me some space because I was having a hard time, but having time alone didn’t help. My thoughts kept piling over each other and there wasn’t anything that could distract me from them.

“Sorry, I can’t hangout with you today. My relatives from Goyang came over and I’m pretty sure I will be occupied for the rest of the week.” Doojoon sighed between his words and hung up. I was disappointed that I couldn’t think of any other way to relax myself. I scrolled through my contacts and pressed call once more.

“The person you are trying to reach is unavailable at this time. Please leave a message for the receiver.” I started to hear the annoying pitchy voice and ended the call as soon as possible. Hyunseung wasn’t answering his phone and it caused me to worry. There shouldn’t be a reason for him to be busy at this time, right?

I took a stroll during the evening thinking that maybe the fresh air would calm me down. My fingers remained in my pockets while holding onto my phone, eagerly anticipating for Hyunseung’s call. As I walked down the bright city of Seoul, I somehow ended up in a small gift shop that sold small souvenirs and intricate accessories.

“Thank you very much. Have a nice day.” A young lady smiled and reached her hand out to me. I grabbed the floral tote bag from her and bowed politely. When I exited the store, I took a peek inside the bag and my lips painted a smile. A small black box laid at the bottom and was nicely sealed with a white bow tied around it. Just when I was about to take a turn I accidentally bumped into someone. I heard something splatter to the ground and realized that it was coffee.

“I’m so sorry!” I said as I stepped away from the puddles on the ground. There were still some coffee spilling out of the cup, making the cement lose its dryness. When I looked up I saw a thin female staring back at me, possibly around the same age as me. She frowned and grabbed a napkin from her other hand. She knelt down and started dabbing the bag I was holding which was when I finally noticed it spilled onto it.

Crap.

“I’m very sorry.” We both went to the nearest coffee shop to clean up the stains. She grabbed extra napkins from the tin and gave them to me.

“It’s alright.” I replied to her apology apathetically. I kept turning my head in her direction and already felt uncomfortable. Her eyes kept gazing at me like I was someone she knew.

“Here.” She handed me a damp napkin so that it was easier to clean with. I thanked her and dabbed the bag carefully, trying not to smudge the stain to create a bigger one.

After a few minutes of cleaning up she went to buy another cup of coffee. I stayed and waited since I thought leaving after that chaos would be rude or even awkward. The coffee shop was packed and a long line of orders went through. When her coffee was finally ready, we both walked out. My legs kept taking strides, but they immediately stopped when the she wasn’t seen by my sideanymore.

“Junhyung.” My eyes widened at the sudden name. I turned around slowly and stared at her. She was casting an eye on the ground while holding her coffee tightly.

“How do you know my name?” I was beginning to have my suspicions. She didn’t look like anyone I knew. In fact, she was a total stranger to me.

She hesitated for a while and somehow she found a way to avoid my question. “My car is parked on the other side so we’ll split here.” She took a step back and turned away from me. Without any reassurance, my hand zipped towards her and grabbed hold of her wrist harshly. The coffee, for the second time today, splattered to the ground.

“Hara.” I breathed out my words vexedly. “You’re Hara, aren’t you?” I didn’t like saying that name, but I just had to. My instincts were giving off a different vibe than before—it was vulgar.   

“I-I really have to get going now.” Her eyes showed bewilderment as she struggled underneath my grip. Her wrist eased itself out of my hand and she rubbed it lightly. The redness around it grew darker and the traces from my fingers were becoming more visible.

By the time I arrived back home, the first thing I did was place the bag in the corner of the closet. I noted myself to buy a brand new gift bag in replacement for the stained one. I was back in the living room and the image of the her kept appearing at the back of my mind. I swear that she didn’t look like anyone I knew, but at the same time I had a feeling she was someone I could not stop loving—someone I was trying to forget.

The phone slipped out of my pocket and I sighed yet once again. There was still no call from Hyunseung. I felt like I should be the one to initiate the call first instead of waiting helplessly for him. I then remembered that the last time we talked was when he was still sick with a fever.