CHAPTER 2: Crossing paths

How would you know if you’ve already found the one?

Joohyun was in a hurry when she accidentally bumped into someone, a man whose long hair parted in the middle, droopy eyebrows and a white complexion. Joohyun was stunned, how can a guy like him can be so pretty? The man squirmed under Joohyun’s gaze and she found herself blushing. She said a quick sorry and went brisk walking on the way to the café.

Joohyun works on her Aunt’s café every summer, she does it not just for the extra money but also to be able to do something productive. When she came inside the café she was welcomed by the aroma of coffee and bread and her co-workers greeting her while she put her stuffs in her locker. Even though Joohyun’s Aunt owns the café, she never had a special treatment which was good because she doesn’t have to deal with y co-workers and instead, she’s close to all of them.

“Good morning Auntie Jeon!” Joohyun greeted as she walked past her Auntie Jeon, who was checking the receipts. Her Auntie Jeon replied with a quick ‘good morning’ before resuming to what she was doing, Joohyun then went on to arranging the tables. It was only 6 am and usually people would just drop by to order take outs.

The bell dinged signalling that a customer had arrived. Joohyun went back to the cashier since it was her turn to be one, she greeted the customer only to come face to face to the man she bumped in earlier. The man must’ve remembered her seeing as he had a shocked look on his face, Joohyun was quick to hide her shocked face and greeted the man with a smile.

“Good morning sir, what would you like to order?” She asked. The man cleared and went on to tell Joohyun his order. After ordering, the man sat at one of the tables near the window.

“Yah, why are you staring at him?” Joohyun looked at her right to see Sojin, one of her co-workers, looking at the man.

“Oh I bumped into him earlier, didn’t know he goes here.” Joohyun replied, nonchalantly.

“Yeah, didn’t either. I think it’s his first time.”

“But how come he knows what his order is? I mean, he looks like he actually knows what’s good and what’s not so good in the menu.” Joohyun asked and Sojin shrugged.

“Maybe because of a friend, I don’t know. Well, I got to give this to the mystery man.” Sojin said and went to give the man his order.

Joohyun went back to her locker and grabbed the old notebook she found in the library, she still hasn’t seen her mythology book and it’s actually making her sad. She likes that mythology book and she wouldn’t get tired re-reading it but since she misplaced it in the library, she’s hoping the person who got it would take care of it.

When Joohyun went back to the counter, the man already left and Joohyun suddenly felt a twinge of sadness. She felt like she wanted to know the man or maybe just know his name. Joohyun then decided to hide behind the counter and read. It was now 7 am and usually, customers would arrive at 9am so Joohyun could still do things. She opened the second page of the notebook and saw withered rose petals.

“May 15, 1954

Kang Joohyun, the love of my life.

I remember when we first met, she was in the library reading her favorite mythology book. I never understood why she loves reading stories about gods and goddesses but I never really asked. Every afternoon I would always see her in the back part of the library, reading. My friends would tell me to just go and talk to her but it’s easier said than done, I’ve found myself attempting to approach her countless of times and then backing out at the last minute.

When I met her, I realized how different she is from all the girls I’ve met. She’s simple and nice but she never really put her guard down. Joohyun is my epitome of beauty. She’s like a rose, she may have her flaws but her true beauty stands out.

I never really saw myself as someone who’ll go head over heels just for a girl but knowing her, it’s different. She gave me the butterflies I didn’t thought I would feel, the loud pounding of my beating heart, daydreaming, and the things I didn’t know I would feel. I felt them, all of them and it’s all because of her.

When I finally got the guts to talk to her, she was so pretty I could stare at her all day without actually getting bored. Then realization hit me and I found myself laughing because I’m a love sick fool.

-Nam Taehyun

By the time Joohyun finished reading, her Aunt Jeon told her to start working as customers would arrive any minute. Joohyun doesn’t know what would come out by reading the old notebook but right now, she wishes it would give her a lesson.

A lesson that would teach her maybe, how to love. To be able to find that one person she’ll gladly say ‘yes’ to a proposal. Call her a hopeless romantic, she doesn’t care and isn’t everyone a hopeless romantic? Wanting to be swept off of their feet, those cheesy lines, the butterflies you feel in your stomach when a guy does the simplest yet sweet things.

Joohyun often asks herself, how would she know if she had already found the one? How can she be so sure that he’s the soulmate she had been waiting for all these years? No one can tell because Joohyun had been asking that same question to almost everyone yet no one can give her a definite answer.

Because love is inevitable, the right love can come at the wrong time or the right time comes with the wrong love. Love gives you pain but it also gives you the most wonderful feeling, a feeling that you wouldn’t want to lose. Joohyun hopes that when the time comes, she’ll be able to tell if he’s the one she’s willing to spend forever with and what the true meaning of love is.

The rest of the day went by well for Joohyun, it was the usual. People come and go to order food and then proceeding to their daily lives. By the night Joohyun ended her shift, she walked home alone passing by a dark alley. It was normal for Joohyun to pass that alley, it was dark but she was used to it. This time though, it felt different, like someone was following her. She turned around but she saw no one was around so she quickened her pace, wanting to get out of the dark alley and Joohyun thinks she should’ve taken the long route at least it’s safer.

When Joohyun heard rustling, she almost had a heart attack. Thinking that it was someone who plans on doing something bad to her, Joohyun made a run out of the alley. Saying she was scared was an understatement. Joohyun was never good at things like this, she isn’t one to be violent, yes, she stands up for herself but not like this. This are the times where Joohyun would feel helpless, wanting someone to save her from anything that could harm her and she thinks maybe she had listened to her father’s advices of enrolling herself to martial arts class, since she lives by herself, it would be helpful.

Joohyun can be clumsy so it would often result her, getting hurt and this isn’t any different. Joohyun accidentally trips on herself and Joohyun thought of how it happens in the movies. Someone would trip and then it’s the end of their lives and Joohyun’s praying it isn’t for her because she still wants to graduate, still wants to work more.

Someone grabbed her from the shoulders, attempting to pull her up so she could stand but Joohyun isn’t registering anything in her brain so she tried to run, away from the person pulling her.

“Hey… hey, Joohyun, it’s me.” Joohyun turned around to find Mark looking at her worriedly and Joohyun wanted to be mad because she did not just run only to find out that it was just Mark who wanted to return her mythology book.

“Are you alright?” Mark asked, he was panting too. He was chasing Joohyun, who ran out of fear.

“I thought… god, I thought you were someone who’s going to kill me.” Joohyun said, out of breath and Mark snorted.

“Well, if only you didn’t run.” Mark said and Joohyun playfully punched him on the shoulder.

“It’s dark and you know how I get easily scared.”

“Okay, now here is your mythology book. I found it at one of the tables near the window, it has your name.” Mark said. Joohyun grabbed the book from Mark’s hands and it is her mythology book but she doesn’t know how it ended up at the table near the window.

“Thanks.” Joohyun said, smiling.

“Do you want me to take you home?” Mark offered.

“No, it’s fine. I’m good and it’s getting late you should probably head home too.” Joohyun said and Mark nodded, he waved good bye before leaving Joohyun to stand at the end of the alley. Joohyun heaved out a sigh of relief, she thought something bad would happen to her but thankfully it was just Mark, one of her co-workers, and she also got her mythology book.

When Joohyun got home, she immediately lied down on her bed. It was an exhausting day, she looked at her bed side table and she found out that she had 10 missed calls, 5 from her mom the other 5 from her grandmother and 2 voice mails form again, her mother and grandmother.

“Joohyun-ah, come visit me to Busan when you’re free, arrasso?” Her grandmother said, sweetly. She’d been wanting to see Joohyun for a while now but Joohyun’s too busy with work and studying and even if it’s still summer break, she’s too lazy to travel by herself.

Joohyun thinks of the last time she visited her grandmother, it was last year, when her grandmother pretended to be sick just so she could see them. Joohyun’s parents immediately called her saying that they’ll go to Busan and she remembers her mother getting pissed because they have been tricked by her grandmother who was talking and walking as if she wasn’t sick and really, she wasn’t.

“Yah Kang Joohyun, you’re grandmother has been nagging me to make you visit her. You better go this weekend, you’re dad and I would visit too.” Her mother said, voice clearly annoyed and Joohyun made a mental note to call her first thing in the morning.

Joohyun got up and decided to organize her things before going to bed, she opened her mythology book to check if anything bad happened to it and Joohyun swears she had a mini heart attack because on the first page of her mythology book, placed a note with a neat handwriting.

Saw you’re book lying around in the town library.

Had to ask a few friends if they know you and

They told me you work on a café so I left it there.

Don’t worry, I didn’t do anything to your book.

-Nam Taehyun :)

Joohyun doesn’t know if she should be crept out because one, the guy asked his friends where she works like a stalker would even though Joohyun’s pretty sure it’s just for the sake of returning her book but still. And second, he’s name is Nam Taehyun, the same name written on the old notebook. Joohyun could think that it’s just a coincidence because a lot of people could be named Nam Taehyun but she can’t help but feel a shiver run down her spine knowing that there isn’t just a single Nam Taehyun living in the world and Joohyun doesn’t know if that's a good thing.

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