22. maχ 2117, Aita

They say you meet your true love when you least expect it. They say it’s going to be a magical moment and that fireworks will spark.

I don’t believe that.

Those of my friends who found what they believe is their love talks loudly about the magic they experienced, how their soul found peace with their significant other and how everything is pure bliss.

I doubt that too.

I’ve heard them fight and scream. I’ve seen them cry in frustration and hurt. I’ve seen them break down and hold onto the most fragile of hopes, only for it to be shattered.

There are no such thing as magical moments and sparkling fireworks. There are no such thing as significant others, pure bliss and true love.

Junghee doesn’t believe in true love. She’s seen enough of her friends break down when they realized their supposed significant other was nothing but a selfish man and not the rare one who wanted them to be more than a servant. She sees it every time she steps onto the street on her way to work, men who order their wives around, men who push them around and scold them for taking a step wrong. Junghee has heard the same tale over and over again. They always try to tell her that it’s worth it, that she’s 27 and that she should be happily married by now. There should have been that magic moment for her too. But Junghee doesn’t believe in happy marriages. There is nothing in this city to prove such thing.

She sighs and taps her watch so she can read her holographic schedule for today. The woman next to her in the subway looks at her with a jealous sigh before she gets smacked in the back of the head by the man Junghee supposes is her spouse. There aren’t many free women anymore, they’ve all been lured by the legends of the magic moments that will bind two people forever. Junghee hopes it will never happen to her. She closes her schedules and turns to look at the time. She has to be at work in 10 minutes. The subway approaches her station, calls out Crisitha Hall Station for the passengers and Junghee taps her watch and closes down all holographic notifications and then gathers her bag before she walks towards the doors, ready to leave as soon as the train is holding still. Her heels clack against the floor and the noise has a few people look up in annoyance. She doesn’t bother sending them a glance. Her pink hair reaches her tailbone and she reaches into her blazer pocket to grab a hair elastic. As the train stops, Junghee pulls her hair into a high ponytail and exits, heels clacking on the steel floor as she turns towards the exit. There are plenty of men dressed in business suits but only a few women dressed in pencil skirts and blazers like Junghee. It takes her 3 minutes to walk the distance from the station to the 30-floor building where she works and as she enters, the young girl at the reception desk stands and bows.

“Ma’am,” she says in a low voice and Junghee taps her manicured nails on the white marble.

“Lift your head, Taeyeon.” The girl hesitantly turns to look at Junghee and the young executive director sends her a smile. “Good.” With those words, she leaves the girl and walks towards the lifts. She hears the two men gossip when the lift stops at floor 4 and they bow their heads in shame when they notice her. Junghee doesn’t say anything. She knows there are rumors in the company, questions about her position and why she holds it when she’s a woman – a single one at that. Junghee wouldn’t have had her position if she had been a married woman and everybody knows that. She’s certain that her male employees dislike her solely for her gender, but Junghee enjoys her job and she’s still here to prove that she doesn’t need the man everybody tries to convince her that she needs.

She doesn’t get off of work until 10 in the evening and most of her employees have left for the night. When she reaches ground level, she pulls at the hair elastic that keeps her hair together and releases her ponytail. Her hair flows down her back and she hears a small gasp from the reception. Behind the marble reception is Taeyeon; she’s staring embarrassed at Junghee before she lowers her gaze. Junghee can’t help but smile and walks towards her. Taeyeon looks down and fiddles with some papers to disguise herself.

“Why are you still here?” Junghee asks in a soft voice and Taeyeon shyly looks up and slowly puts the papers in her hands down.

“I can’t leave before the last person has left the building,” she says in a small whisper. Junghee softens her gaze and reaches into her bag so she can find a small hard candy and hand it to the girl.

“Go home, Taeyeon. You’re the first to arrive in the morning as well. You’ve had a long day.” The girl stares confused at the hard candy she’s given and then she reaches to hand it back. Junghee takes a step back and lifts her hand in a greeting before she leaves. She looks over her shoulder to find the girl staring amazed at the hard candy in her hand with a small smile on her lips as she leaves the building.

Junghee walks down the main street of the Crisitha area. There are neon lights on all buildings, advertising love therapists, restaurants for significant others and speed dating meet-ups. The romance is a business but Junghee doesn’t care because she isn’t on the look-out for a love that doesn’t exist. She’s walking through the bland street, her pink hair a bright spot in the crowd of black-haired men and women when she locks eyes with the person at the end of the street. Time stands still and Junghee in a sharp breath. She turns around instantly and walks in the opposite direction and hopes that the other person hasn’t felt the gut wrenching feeling of affection. Junghee hurries on her heels until she starts running. She waves down a taxi and asks him to drive her home. There are no sparkling fireworks, no magical moments – only a feeling of drea