Caramel Macchiato

It was a cool autumn night in Seoul, perfect for a night stroll down the Han River or a short coffee run to your favorite café. A lone figure was spotted behind the counter, busying herself and hustling back and forth preparing coffee orders. Blonde highlights bunned up with a few stray strands splaying across her face, her forehead creased in concentration as she stared at the coffee machine, waiting for the timer to turn to nineteen seconds.

Nineteen. The number of seconds required for a perfect brew of one Macchiato shot. The age that Korean traditions deemed a year of disaster. Lastly, the age Kang Seulgi lost an important part of her.

“Number 23! Your coffee is ready!”

A brunette in a blue coloured checkered plaid came forward towards the counter. Seulgi packed the two warm Caramel Macchiatos into the cardboard holder as she put two cubes of sugar into one of them before looking up at her customer as she opened the lid on the other cup, attempting to do the same.

“It’s okay! You can just leave the other cup!”

Seulgi looked up at the source of the voice as she halted in her actions.

The brunette smiled before speaking.

“The other cup’s for my boyfriend, he doesn’t really like sweet things!”

She has a boyfriend now…Life indeed caught up on us…

Although still somewhat surprised, Seulgi regained her composure as she forced a small smile on her face.

“Still the thoughtful one I see…”

A look of confusion was written all over the brunette’s face.

“It has been awhile hasn’t it, Joohyun Unnie?”

The brunette froze as she heard the blonde call her by her Korean name, which she hasn’t gone by ever since she graduated high school. Even her boyfriend didn’t call her that. Did she know this blonde?

“Uhm…I’m sorry but…do I know you?”

Seulgi looked at the brunette, speechless. She doesn’t remember who I am? Did what we used to have mean nothing to her? Why Joohyun Unnie, why…

Despite the buzzing questions in her head, all Kang Seulgi managed was a small shake of her head as she handed the coffee order over to the brunette.

“Nah, I think I got the wrong person.”

-

Ever since Seulgi met Joohyun at the café that day, she hasn’t been able to properly focus in school. She kept thinking about the brunette and her sudden ignorance of Seulgi’s existence. It irked her to no end. She could not figure out any reason as to why Joohyun would deny her existence. Not only that, meeting the older girl broke down the memory dam Seulgi tried so hard to build to prevent her past memories from coming back to haunt her.

Even though Seulgi was planning to walk straight to the café for her shift, her legs unknowingly took her to somewhere her heart had already memorized.

The sunlight hurts, this street I walked with you hurts

The song that passes my ears hurts

Without knowing, I keep shedding tears as I walk

February 2010

17 Year Old

Seulgi

It was freshman year of High School for Kang Seulgi. Coming from a low-income family, the girl was determined to do well in high school to achieve her dreams so that she could provide her parents with a comfortable life.

No distractions. Just my books and I, together forever.

With her grey backpack slung over her shoulders, she strolled down the hallway of Seoul’s School of the Performing Arts. Yes, Seulgi was enrolled in SOPA. She was on a scholarship as there was no way her parents could have afford to enroll her here, which was all the more why she had to focus.

She scanned the different rooms along the corridor as she struggled to find her way around. SR-101? Where was that anyway? This place is too big for it’s own good tsk…

While she was busy trying to multitask between scanning the area and the map on her phone, she did not notice a girl running in her direction, towards her first class.

As we all know it, clichéd as it is, yes they collided.

“I’m sorry I’m sorry!!! I’m in a hurry!!! Sorry for knocking into you!!!”

An angelic voice snapped Seulgi back to