Chapter 1: The Bus Ride

Ji Yong looked at his wristwatch for the third time. 8:38 PM. 

He’s been waiting in this bus stop for two straight hours already. Every single one of the buses that passed by was either chock full of passengers or was over speeding that the driver can’t see his hand signal. Seriously, are people supposed to be this excited to get home during paydays?

Of course, he was excited to go home, as well. He had just received his first paycheck and he promised his housemates, Young Bae and Seung Ri, that he would treat them to some bulgogi and soju once he gets home. It had only been a month since he started working part-time as a clerk at the most popular record store at their district, Sound Check. Ji Yong, being a music lover, gets to enjoy his shift by freely listening to songs, plus, he gets a pretty decent salary to go with it.

At last, after what seemed like years of waiting, a bus finally stopped in front of him.

“Kamsahamnida.” Ji Yong said to the driver as he climbed up the bus. The driver greeted him back with a nod.

The bus hasn’t gone far enough when they were suddenly caught in a traffic jam.

“Great, just great. The restaurants would all be closed by the time I get home.” Ji Yong thought to himself as he was peeking through the top of the seat in front of him.

A good thirty minutes have passed before they finally got through the congestion. What should have been a 30-minute ride, up to where their apartment was located, had now become a one-hour-and-counting one.

Ji Yong was looking through the bus window absent-mindedly when the bus stopped to pick up a passenger.

Ji Yong shifted his gaze swiftly to the front of the bus and then back to the window on his side. But then something, or rather someone, made him look to the front of the bus, once again.

A girl wearing a blue and white striped polo shirt, a short, flowing, red skirt and brown leather boots climbed up the bus. She donned a red woolen beret on her head and she was holding a small black handbag in her hands. She gave the driver a smile and a courteous bow before going inside the bus.

Kwon Ji Yong swore he has never seen a girl as beautiful as her. Her beauty was simply breath-taking. She had a very petite figure but her clothes complemented her small frame. She had a pearly-white complexion that was undeniably radiant even at this late in the night. She had long, wavy locks of dark brown hair that came down a few inches below her shoulders. Her heart-shaped face looked pure and innocent. And she had this definitely irresistible, sweet smile. Ji Yong was sure any guy would fall for her just because of it. 

Ji Yong just fixed his gaze on the approaching girl, not even caring what she would think if she ever notices him gawking at her. As the girl passed by, her sweet fragrance filled Ji Yong’s nostrils. His gaze still followed her until she found a seat at the very back of the bus.

In no time, the bus stopped again and Ji Yong realized that they were already on the street where his apartment building was located. Ji Yong let out a sigh as he got up from his seat. He looked back to cast a final glance at the beautiful girl before finally going out of the bus.

Ji Yong rushed to the second floor as he fished out his keys from his pocket. When he got to their small living room, Young Bae and Seung Ri were already waiting for him.

“Hyung! There you are! For a moment, we thought you forgot about us and just celebrated by yourself.” Seung Ri blurted out when he saw Ji Yong.

“We were actually thinking of bolting down the front door if you didn’t come in five minutes.” Young Bae added.

“Mianhe, guys. I couldn’t get a bus for two hours. And the traffic was terrible. So, are y’all ready to go?” Ji Yong said while trying to catch his breath.

“Yeah, since three hours ago, dude. Let’s get going.” Young Bae replied, standing up from the couch.

“I can already hear the bulgogi calling out my name.” Seung Ri said, also standing up as he put on his jacket.

“Yah, Ji Yong, since you kept us waiting for a long time, you should also shoulder the bus fare for all three of us.” Young Bae said to Ji Yong, snickering as they went out the front door.

“You wish, Young Bae.” Ji Yong replied with an annoyed look.

-

As the boys helped themselves to their delicious, late-night dinner, Ji Yong couldn’t keep his mind off the girl he saw in the bus, earlier. Her dazzling eyes and beautiful smile were still clearly imprinted on his mind. He couldn’t keep himself from smiling and feeling all giddy as he ate his food.

“Yah, Ji Yong-hyung, you have that smile on your face since we were on the bus. Did something remarkable happen today?” Seung Ri asked.

“Well, sort of.” Ji Yong said, his smile getting even wider.

Ji Yong then told the two guys about the girl he saw on the bus. Just as he expected, they just laughed at his so-called “fateful encounter with destiny”.

“So, are you planning to go after this girl?” Young Bae asked.

“I guess you can call it that. I mean, I would like to know more about her. I know there’s more to her than meets the eye.” Ji Yong said, his lips forming into a smile, right after.

“Well, then, good luck with that, bro. But, tell me, how are you going to find this girl when you don’t know where she lives? Oh, and you don’t even know her name yet.” Young Bae asked, looking a bit puzzled.

“That’s where you come in, my two best buds. You two are going to help me find her.” Ji Yong said with a smirk.

“What? Are you crazy, hyung? No freakin’ way! Where in the world are we supposed to look for her? She could be anywhere!” Seung Ri said in a surprised tone.

“I’m sure she’s also working here in Hongdae. We can find her easily.” Ji Yong said confidently.

“Really now? Have you noticed how many restaurants, bars and shops are here? It’ll be hard enough to find her even in a small district like this.” Young Bae said.

“Well, when she passed by me in the bus, earlier, her scent kinda gave away where she was working.” Ji Yong said, smirking again, as he played with the food on his plate using his chopsticks.

“Wow, I didn’t know you had such animal-like senses when it comes to girls, Ji Yong-hyung. What did she smell like then?” Seung Ri said in an amused tone.

“Coffee. Her scent had a hint of coffee in it.” Ji Yong said, letting out a soft chuckle.

“So, you’re saying that maybe she's working in a cafe? How many coffee shops are here in Hongdae, anyway?” Young Bae asked.

“As far as I know, there are only five. We could start looking for her on Friday since we all don’t have work on that day.” Ji Yong replied.

“Okay then. We got your back on this, dude. But you owe us another meal for this, you got that?” Young Bae demanded.

“Okay, okay. Fine, then. I’ll treat you two to another meal when we’re done.” Ji Yong replied.

“Alright! Sweet!” Seung Ri exclaimed, giving Young Bae a high five.

Ji Yong just ignored the two as they continued to celebrate and jeer on Ji Yong.

“I can’t wait to see you again.” Ji Yong thought to himself, his mind still on "his special girl", as he chewed on the last piece of meat on his plate.