Alas that was not the last time the two would run into one another. Now there is no need to relay the mundane details of both parties lives-- their daily routine, their work, their remembrances of the past, their small tensions like running out of coffee or having to go buy toothpaste and such. What is interesting, and important, is skipping to the next fated meeting-- it all began with a cafe.

On a busy afternoon, Hanbin was paying for an Iced Americano. Feeling groggy at this time after skipping breakfast at 6 a.m. his eyes were slowly gluing together. This was not the right time to confront anyone. Yet what happened was some swindler stole away the coffee meant for him. He prepared to snap at someone for lack of manners, but instantly lost tongue.

“I need this,” stated the coffee stealer without looking up. Unceremoniously the lid was yanked, tossed and the coffee bandit swallowed it without a breath. It was only afterwards that she realised this was not her coffee. Yowon twisted her lips in disgust and glared at the cup as if it were venom. “You drink this stuff?”

The doctor raised a critical brow with lips pursed. “Why?”

She gave a little shudder to describe it adding, “It tastes awful.”

Soon enough her real order arrived and she had the pleasure of watching Hanbin repeat her actions with exaggerated detail. “I’ll buy you a new one,” she suggested after the act.

“I’ll do the same.”

What was intentionally meant to be a take away became a formality. They sat opposite each other as awkward teenagers, staring everywhere but each other. Yowon was suddenly interested in her nails and Hanbin watched his shoes closely.

When she was sure he wasn’t looking, she stole a glance at him. He had always guzzled black coffee, calling all other drinks ‘sissy.'

Hanbin couldn’t understand her appeal for anything other than Americano. What was she doing gulping that bitter, rancid, diarrhea soup?

Coffee arrived in the usual manner. Mirroring one another, they stared at the styrofoam cup deciding that the vicinity was no longer safe for them to visit in fear of running into each other. Neither wanted to wallow in the habit of dressing up and pretending that one was better being single than attached.

“You went to study abroad, what happened?”

“How do you know that?”

“Just guessed.” Hanbin shrugged. Never in his life did he ever want to tell her how he’d found out. She would judge him.

How could he tell her that he’d sent his family’s thugs to search high and low for her until he’d discovered she was unreachable?

It was out of the question.

“I didn’t like it there.” Yowon made a grab for her coffee. How could she tell him? He was a doctor! He’d laugh at her if he knew she’d been a mess. With their tattered relationship, her sick brother and her angry mother she had been unable to adapt in a new place. She’d never reached the grades intended for a fancy college degree and because of that rebelled and on whim changed direction.

“I found it, the treasure.”

Yowon coughed a laugh. “That silly old thing. You should have trashed it.”

“I did.” Hanbin left out the rest. She didn’t need to know how much it bothered him to do that, that he’d gone back and searched garbage bags until he found his treasure. Crumpled and ruffled as it was, it was still his.

Yowon was crestfallen. “You could’ve kept the present. That was expensive.”

“I know it was. This thing got me here.” He rummaged his pocket and placed the Swiss Army knife on the table.

“I’m impressed. I worried you’d hurt yourself with it.”

Hanbin grinned. Of course she would be awed. He’d allow her to imagine being the girlfriend of a doctor. She was entitled to think it. Yowon didn’t know how long it took him to come to such a conclusion. Hanbin had thought long and hard on her advice, which was a difficult thing to do when intoxicated (he’d been a heavy drinker then, a crier too). Somehow he’d known if he aimed to be a surgeon, he would run into her one day.

“How have you been?” She asked quietly, still clutching her coffee.

“Why? Don’t tell me you’re crushing?” It was shameless to flirt. They both cringed.

“I’m thinking, if you drop a line like that I might crush this cup over your head.”

“Only because you like me. Ha! ‘Kidding. Honestly,” he traced the rim of his cup, “I was better before I met you.”

“I make you sick, is that it? Figures. I don’t feel good seeing you either. I feel worse knowing I owe you a favor.”

“If it’s a favor, then grant it. Let’s start over.”

Yowon smirked bitterly. “I don’t think I’ve the ability to do that. I’m still healing from the last time we were together.” She motioned towards the injury she’d received and gave a quiet smile. “Bad joke,” she acknowledged.

“Fine with me,” replied Hanbin. “I wasn’t interested anyway.”

Leaving his beverage untouched, he tugged at the collar of his coat roughly. Taking his things he headed out, making the excuse that he was ‘busy.’ For Yowon it felt like an all-too-familiar scene. Wasn’t it her who always dropped that line? Being on the receiving end was guttering.

Hanbin felt as if Autumn had hit, around him golden memories shriveled, curled and leafed around him. How could she?

That confession wasn’t easy. He wasn’t as nonchalant as he’d sounded. He was still that annoying kid, the one who sulked when he didn’t get his way.

What he wanted was to start dating again. He saw her face everywhere he went. There was a reason he was on bad terms with his boss. Hanbin was not the type to do that. But for her he’d abandoned the camping trip. It must’ve been a minor thing to her. Shrugging his shoulders, he jostled the thought.

He crossed the street and headed for the subway, down the escalator, scanning his travel card at the machine, passing that and headed for his usual platform. The subway was cramped as normal. Never had a day gone by when Hanbin had discovered it quiet. He allowed himself to eavesdrop, collecting conversations and witty remarks for a snarky day. It was here that he felt most peaceful. A crowd told him he wasn’t the centre of the universe. There were others with issues too. He was just a mere mortal living his life. Bleak and grey or lively and colorful -- it all depended on how he viewed the world.

Talking himself into this philosophy, he was able to redeem himself. He wouldn’t throw a tantrum over a girl who didn’t care for him. Who cared? His life was chapters ahead of where he’d left her.

His good-will ideas dramatically came to a close when he felt a thick arm rope around his neck. Something tapped at his head. Faces stricken with horror peered at him, there were shrieks and people ran.

A loud bang went off near his ear. Hanbin was momentarily deafened. The world slowed down. He knew there was shouting and screaming from the shapes of mouths, but he didn’t understand why people dropped on their knees raising their arms as guards. Heated air drifted past his nape and his ear. With time he realised someone was shouting from behind and it all fell into place.

Hanbin was shocked to see himself being held hostage.

Why him, he couldn’t understand. He’d lived his life the right way all this time. He didn’t know why karma was playing him. He was a good citizen, working to keep the health system going, paying taxes to keep the country running, a filial son living with his parents, he even acknowledged the family