03.57am KST

Author POV

Joohyun is in the middle solving geometry in her daily math test, when teacher Lee, the principal coming to her class and called her to talk a moment. That time when Joohyun walked to the door of her class, she worried that she will forget the solution of problem number 5 she was solved before and afraid that she couldn’t pass the test. Hell, even the smartest one in school can worry something like that.

But her worry instantly disappeared when the principal, after apologizing, said,

“Joohyun, your grandmother just called,  she informing that your parents occurred in an accident and now is in a state of coma.”

Her worries about geomerty quickly turned into a dizzy feeling in her head and the last thing she saw that time in front of her class was the principal worried face and then the ceiling of the hallway before all of it turn into a pitch black.

Joohyun fainted. When she opened her eyes again, she saw the bird origami which made by her little sister that tied by a string and hanging on the ceiling.

‘Ah.. I already been brought home from school’, she thought.

She felt warm on her right palm. Someone was holding her hand. She turn to looked at her right side and saw her another, Seo Joohyun. The private assistant of her parents that sometimes came along to Daegu when they visited Joohyun and her little sister who lived with their grandmother.

 Seohyun, people called her, doesn’t realize that Joohyun already awake. She was looking at Joohyun’s blanket with an empty gaze and there was a trance of dried tears on her cheek.

“Seohyun unnie..”, called Joohyun while squeezing Seohyun hand.

Seohyun snap out and looked at Joohyun with a surprise face, “Jo-joohyun, you’re already awake..”. Her surprise face quickly turned into a nervous one, “D-do you need something? Water maybe?”

Joohyun contemplated and then nodded. She felt a little thirsty too. Seohyun immediately poured water from pitcher into glass that always prepared beside Joohyun bed. Joohyun sat up and received the glass, gulped in one go, then gave the glass back to Seohyun.

Joohyun remembered that she fainted but didn’t remember how or why. She looked at Seohyun who still tidying the glass and the pitcher, she wanted to ask why she fainted, also ask why she is here, why she looked like someone who just cried, why she –

 then it hit her like a truck when their eyes met.

 They held gaze for a while, Seohyun got more nervous with Joohyun stare and decide to break the silence,

“D-do you need some – “

“How are they?”, Joohyun cut.

“T-they..”, Seohyun gulped. It seems she was the one who need water before, she couldn’t complete her sentence.

“What? They what?How? How is mother and father?”, Joohyun asked impatiently, urged her. Her eyes already b and she felt dizzy again.

Seohyun choked and crying, Joohyun who saw that let out a shriek and crying out loud. She grabbed her head hard, didn’t want to believe it. Seohyun immediately hugged her trying to comfort Joohyun. She couldn’t do anything beside Joohyun hair and hugged her tight. Let her crying her heart out loud.

Because Joohyun couldn’t feel the warm body of her parents anymore.

Because Joohyun couldn’t see the loving eyes of her parents anymore.

They already gone.

She already an orphan.

--

A lone tear dropped right on to Joohyun laps. She shook her head to clear her mind from the memory on the day her parents died. This past day she often reminisce it after she comeback from Daegu last holiday.

‘tack’

sound of cup placed on the table in front of her could be heard.

“You look burdened. Are you okay?”, asked the barista who placed the hot chocolate cup which Joohyun always order. Then made way to sat in front of her.

Joohyun snap out and smile to him, “Ah, it’s nothing. Just.. remembering the past.”

The barista didn’t seem convince and continue staring with a worry frown to Joohyun, need more explanation. Because he knew for sure that Joohyun past couldn’t be consider as ‘nothing‘ like what she just said.

“I swear it’s okay. Don’t worry, maybe it’s because I still miss Daegu after last holiday. It’s okay, Seul.”, Joohyun continued with showing a reassuring smile to Seulgi who sat in front of her.

Seulgi looking at her for a while, then sigh, “Okay, if you say so.”, then put his text book and notebook on the table ready to do homework.

“Are you already done with your shift?”, Joohyun asked while looked at Seulgi who flipped the book.

“Yes, as always, one hour before the closing time.

Manager-nim let me to do my homework first before prepare for closing.

He take my part while I’m doing it.

There’s not much customer anyways.

It’s almost midnight.”

Seulgi answered slowly sentence by sentence as usual like how he always talked to Joohyun. After he reached the right page of his homework in text book, he immediately work the task that needed to be done. It’s just four days after the school started but the teacher already gave the student a bunch of homework.

They now at The 20hours, café where Seulgi worked as barista. No, he didn’t work as a part timer. This café is owned by Seulgi father, the one who will he gave to Seulgi after Seulgi graduate. But Seulgi insisted to work here first before he take over, the manager also knew about it. She always let Seulgi finished his shift one hour before the closing if he got some homework that had to be done, because Seulgi always come here right after school or his activity club ended, he couldn't make a time to do his homework.  Actually he could come whenever he wanted, but he didn’t want to do that.

Joohyun sipped her hot chocolate and closed her eyes savoring the warm, sweet and a little bitter sensation through her body. She liked that it’s not too sweet. The sensation always made her relax after boring and annoying day at school also hard and tiring day at her office.

She always come to this 20hours after work since last year when she found it accidentally. That time in the car, she suddenly asked Seohyun to stopped at random café to relieve her stress from bunch of work she had to do before going home. She didn’t expect to meet Seulgi there, who received her order that time.

Seulgi felt a little nervous because the customer who he familiar with just stood up like a statue and looked at him with gaped mouth and wide eyes.

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