In Vancouver, for every Tuesdays or Fridays, I’d be sitting inside a VIP room of a luxurious restaurant, order food while I wait for Catherine to show up. She’d arrive after ten minutes and by that time I’d have finished my tea. Catherine would always give me a peck on the cheek, say her apologies for keeping me waiting, ask what food I ordered, get pissed if it’s something on her supposed diet list, and order something else. Through dinner we’d talk about our hectic campus schedule, stuff we need to finish, family matters—mostly on her side, as I had no plans blurting the entire family drama in one sitting. After the date we’d head off to either my place or hers and we’d hang out if time allows, but we barely had any of that.

Now in New Zealand, sitting across this angel in a red dress as she animatedly talks about this short film they produced and she wrote a script for, it’s so refreshing and new. I’m so entertained by how she’s almost performing a monologue of the entire film, she’s so into details and so much explanation for one scene, but instead of finding it annoying, I find it rather amusing and interesting. Haerin continues to blab about the funny experiences from their filming and how she had so much fun editing the film. I’ve never sat across a girl this talkative before. Too much talking usually annoys me, but with Haerin, I can just sit here all day and hear her voice, her small giggles, and her laughter before the punch line.

“I remember when my brother got me my first camera,” She says and I try to focus on the story this time and not on her smile, “I couldn’t stop taking pictures of everything!” She chuckles.

“You actually looked passionate about taking pictures yesterday for the test shot,”

“Just doing what I was told to do,” She sheepishly chuckles.

“And you did a very good job. I’m proud of you,” I smile warmly at her and she reciprocates the action by beaming me that sweet smile of hers, “So tell me, what will Kim Haerin do after she graduates?” I ask her.

“After I graduate, I will take a shot on productions, and then get into directing—but of course I’ll start somewhere with that, like music videos and VTR’s. I want to make a name in the media industry, and start doing films, ones with depth and real meaning, films that would hit people right in the heart,” She says, her eyes filled of passion and determination. She keeps on going on about what she dreams of doing after graduation and I’m just sitting across her, impressed, taken aback, flustered, nonplussed with how much this girl got so much dreams. She’s even more beautiful when she talks.

She suddenly grows conscious and stops talking, “Sorry. I’m talking too much, aren’t I?”

“It’s fine. I like hearing you talk,” I tell her honestly and she seems taken aback. Haerin keeps talking through dessert; she tells me about how her parents met and how romantic it was, how her brother met his girlfriend, how she’s always the dateless one in important occasions and how she’s actually fine with being single since she has accepted the fact that she’s not cut out for the good guys left on earth. And I can’t help but interrupt her with that, “Aren’t you selling yourself too shortly, now?”

“What?”

“What makes you think you’re not cut out for any great guy on the planet?”

“Well,” She furrows her brows, “I just don’t think I’m any guy’s certain type. Something about the male specie makes me think I can never fit their standards,”

“That’s weird,” I tell her and she gives me a look as she swallows the cold dessert in , “You own admirable traits, what kind of guys have you come across with that none of them took you for that?” Haerin keeps her eyes on me with that same shocked expression from before.

I let out a breath, “Have you ever thought maybe it’s not you who can’t fit their standards; it’s them who can’t fit yours. That maybe the reason why no guy would go for you is because they find you too exceptional for them, you’re too awesome and they don’t feel good enough to have someone like you?” She’s staring at me like I’ve said the most pathetic words on earth. But she needs to hear this. She can’t walk around all insecure without knowing what she’s worth and how beautiful she actually is and I mean inside and out.

“Never sell yourself short,” I tell her and she just blinks at me, “You’d be surprised to know you’re so much more than you think you are,” I say nonchalantly as I shove a spoonful of ice cream in my mouth as to distract myself from her flustered face.

She turns redder than a tomato across me and manages to clear , “I- thank- thanks I guess,”

“Am I being to honest now?”

“Hmm, a little too much for forty-five percent,” She answers.

“Who says this is forty-five? It’s on a hundred tonight,” And yet again, she blushes across me, “Calm down with the blushing. You’re going to turn redder than your own dress,” I chuckle and I see a sense of ease and relief from her after seeing me chuckle. I let her eat dessert without too much of an honest mouth from me considering that she actually might turn redder than her clothes. Something about me complimenting her makes her shift and blush on her space. I don’t plan on making her way too uncomfortable. A little fluster is alright. It’s cute when she’s nonplussed. A little cuteness will suffice.

I observe her, comment on her stories once in a while, react when I need to, but I don’t just hear her out. I really listen. I listen to her endless list of hobbies and what she wants to do in the near future—like how she wants to go to a place overlooking an ocean, wake-up to a beautiful view of the beach, time lapse the sunrise to sunset, take a photo of a silhouette with the sunset and the ocean in the background—and they’re all simple yet sincere. Just from the way she talks, I know she wants and she will do this in the near future. Haerin speaks with a heart. Everything that’s coming out of , all her share of stories is filled of enthusiasm and they’re not just stories told for the sake of it. They’re genuinely stories told for the fun of it, for what they really are and they somehow sound happy and inspiring. It makes me want to see her in he