Yuna could not believe her luck that day. Just as she was about to head home after a long day of studying in the library, the rain had to start pouring heavily the moment she stepped out of the door of her favourite getaway.

 

Muttering a soft curse under her breath, she released one strap of her bag from her shoulder to hug it at her front and it, hoping that she had not forgotten to place an umbrella in before she left her house in the morning. Unfortunately, the said item was nowhere to be found in her bag. It was not even buried below all the notes and books she had in there. “How wonderful,” she snorted to herself as she zipped her bag up once more.

 

Although the bus stop was a five minutes run from the library, Yuna could not afford to let all her written notes and textbooks get wet. Not to mention, she had her hard-earned laptop in her bag too. She was sure she would get an earful of nagging if her father finds out that the gadget cannot be of use anymore. They did not come from a well-off family so Yuna had to be careful with all the things she owned and be thrifty with her money as much as she wanted to just carelessly spend them at times.

 

“Excuse me, miss.”

 

Yuna almost missed out hearing the voice when a clap of thunder was suddenly heard, causing her to jump out of shock and her heart rate to increase. She nearly let out a scream and took a step back, both her hands clutching on her chest when she turned to her left and was met with a young-looking female with clear, big eyes, looking at her with curiosity pooling in her eyes.

 

“I’m sorry,” she breathed out an apology. “I didn’t realise you were standing beside me.”

 

“I was eyeing you the moment I left the library. Perhaps you don’t have an umbrella to take you home? I can give my umbrella to you since I’m waiting for my driver to pick me up. You don’t have to return it to me,” the stranger said as she pulled a light blue umbrella out of her bag, stretching her hand out after to pass it over to Yuna.

 

“I—I can't,” Yuna shook her head, declining the kind offer. Her parents told her to never accept anything coming from a stranger. She was turning twenty-one soon but she still stood by their words.

 

“How are you going to get home then?” the stranger frowned. “The rain doesn’t seem like it’s going to subside any sooner.”

 

Yuna glanced at the open space and grimaced at the sight of the still pouring sky. Without having a jacket on, she could feel the cold breeze and tiny droplets of rain hitting her bare arms and legs. If she were to wait inside the library until the rain stopped, she was sure she would be freezing to death inside due to the lack of any warm clothings.

 

“Have it,” Yuna felt someone grab onto her wrist and placed something on her palm. “Really.”

 

Turning her attention back to the stranger, Yuna felt warmth coursing through her veins amidst the cold air that was surrounding both of them. The young-looking female was kind, she thought as she watched her took a step back and got under a translucent umbrella a sturdy man in a black suit was holding. Yuna wanted to thank her for her kindness but the words seemed to choke in , making it hard for her to speak fluently as the stranger disappeared from her sight within two minutes.

 

Unfolding the umbrella given, she wasted no time to walk to the bus stop, her mind never once stopped thinking about the young-looking female who seemed too innocent and childlike.

 

Yuna could safely say the stranger was the highlight of her day.

 

She wrote it down in her diary that night.

 

--

 

Yuna was hoping she would see the stranger again to return the umbrella. She never did like being indebted to anyone. She purposely left the library at five p.m sharp, the same time as the previous day, still holding onto the hope that the female with clear eyes would come out too. It was not raining this time. The sun wasn’t hiding behind any thick clouds and she could feel heat radiating against her skin as she patiently waited for a few minutes more.

 

She gave up and walked down the flight of stairs dejectedly when the stranger did not show up after an hour of waiting.

 

--

 

Instead of heading home, Yuna decided to pay a visit to a café that was a few blocks down the library. It was small, enough to fit at most thirty people, but it was cozy enough for Yuna to visit the place once in a while to have a freshly-brewed cup of coffee. She would usually not spend her daily allowance in the university’s cafeteria if she planned to visit the café after hours of studying in the library.

 

The scent of coffee beans being brewed immediately filled her senses the moment she entered. Yuna noticed that the café had a few touch ups done while she was gone for a good two weeks because she had to cram her studies at the final minute. (It was a habit she found hard to let go.) She was amazed to find out that there was a grand piano placed at the left hand corner of the store, near the clear window pane that was free-to-play by anyone. The café also seemed livelier than before.

 

Yuna placed her usual order at the counter after finding an empty table for her to place her bag. Fishing out her wallet, she paid the cashier the exact amount and took a few steps to her right to wait for her drink to be done. She returned to her reserved seat and pulled her laptop out of her bag once her drink was served.

 

The soft chatterings trapped in the enclosed area made Yuna feel less suffocated as compared to being in the library where silence is very much appreciated. Silence makes her think too much at times and she hated it.

 

“Excuse me, miss.”

 

Yuna halted her research and tilted her head up in an instant upon finding the voice awfully familiar. Her eyes widened in surprise and she could not help but stare into the clear eyes of the baby faced beauty in front of her. What a coincidence, she thought. Who would have expected for the stranger to come to the café?

 

“I’m not trying to sound rude but you're sitting at my usual table.”

 

“Huh?” Yuna looked at the stranger in confusion. Did she not remember her?

 

“If you don't mind, can I share the table with you? I’m not really comfortable sitting elsewhere,” the stranger added, the tips of her fingers mindlessly drumming against the cold drink in her hand.

 

Yuna could not say no, of course. It was the least she could do after the stranger saved her from getting wet the previous day. Taking her bag off the other chair, she let it rest on her lap and motioned for the latter to take a sit. Somehow, Yuna was still not able to find her voice to speak and body language was the only way for her to communicate with her.

 

“Thank you,” she heard the stranger whisper.

 

Yuna flashed her a small smile before continuing her research. The umbrella could wait. She wanted to see how long it would take before the stranger recognised her.

 

--

 

It didn’t happen. Yewon— Yuna saw her name written on the clear plastic cup of her drink by pure luck— did not ask her anything about her umbrella. She chose not to think hard about it. Not everyone had the ability to recognise the people they had met only once on any other days almost immediately. (Yuna was thankful she was one of the many who could.)

 

She would glance at Yewon once in a while, hoping that a tiny piece of  the latter’s memory would spark in her mind, causing her to remember who she— Yuna— was. Yuna was not sure why she was even hoping for a stranger to remember her. Was it because she remembered her so she wanted the other to remember her too? Or was it because it would be awkward for her if she were to suddenly return the umbrella to her only to get a weird look from the stranger?

 

It was a mix of both, Yuna came to a conclusion.

 

Soon, it was seven p.m sharp and Yewon left without sparing a glance at her.

 

Yuna wrote in her diary again that night.

 

--

 

It was another hot and humid day. Yuna envied how toddlers paid no mind to the scorching hot weather and were still able to enjoy themselves at the park, playing catch with one another. She couldn't recall if she was ever that happy when she was around their age. Her parents rarely let her out since they were always gone for half a day to earn money for the family after making breakfast for her and her older sister. She never did dare to sneak out although she was tempted to. Hence, why she was her parents’ favourite child.

 

Tearing her gaze off the window, she let out a soft sigh and gently massaged her temples. The utilities bill arrived in the morning and seeing her parents stress over it, she was stressed too. She could barely focus in class in the morning as her mind was filled with ways of how she could help them with the payment even if it was only a little sum of money. She had once asked her parents if she could take up a part time job but they immediately rejected her suggestion, telling her that she should focus on her studies instead. Yuna would have tried to beg them to allow her to work if only they did not look at her with a disappointed expression.

 

“Excuse me, miss.”

 

Yuna broke out of her thoughts. It was her again.

 

Looking at the clock aligned above the television in the café, it was only a quarter past three in the afternoon.

 

“I’m not trying to sound rude but you’re sitting at my usual table.”

 

Yuna was confused. This wasn’t a dejavu moment. She was sure the same thing happened and the same words were said to her the previous day.

 

“If you don't mind, can I share the table with you? I’m not really comfortable sitting elsewhere.”

 

Yuna nodded her head slowly, eyes still showing signs of confusion as she watched Yewon put her drink down on the table and pulled out a book out of her bag after she settled down across her. ‘Her name really is Yewon,’ she thought to herself as she took a quick glance at the name written on the plastic cup.

 

“Do you not remember me?” she asked curiously. Yuna didn’t know where she got the courage to speak up all of a sudden. All she knew was she wanted an answer from the innocent-like stranger.

 

Lowering her book from her line of sight, Yewon furrowed her brows and looked to her left and right before pointing a thumb to herself. “Are you talking to me?”

 

“So… you really don’t remember who I am?” Yuna asked again.

 

“I’m very sure this is our first time meeting,” Yewon frowned.

 

“I’m sorry,” Yuna quickly apologised before things get awkward between them. “I think I got the wrong person.”

 

--

 

It was hard for Yuna to complete her report. She kept getting out of focus. Various tabs were opened but none of them were on the topic she had to research on. Instead, they were job scopes. At times like this, she wished her sister had not moved abroad after getting married. She wouldn’t be complaining in her diary every day if her sister were to send some money to the family once per month. It pained her knowing that behind the smiles her parents showed her every day, they were silently struggling on the inside. Yuna wasn’t a child anymore. She was an adult. She understood those feelings really well although they try to hide it from her.

 

“Is something the matter? You seem all… jittery.” Yewon was the first to speak after an hour of silence between them. “You’ve been biting on your straw for the last five minutes.”

 

Cheeks tinted a light hue of pink, Yuna placed her empty cup on the table and fixed her gaze on her laptop screen. “I’m fine,” she answered as she pretended to be busy scrolling down the site that was displayed.

 

“If it makes you feel better, you can tell your worries to me. I won’t be able to remember it the next day so technically, your secret will be kept safe deep in my heart.”

 

Yuna stopped what she was doing and lifted her chin up to face Yewon. She couldn’t help but wonder if the latter had said the truth or she was really just trying to make her feel better by saying so. However, seeing the innocent glint in her pair of clear orbs and a smile that barely reached up to her eyes, Yuna doubted Yewon was lying.

 

“Anterograde amnesia,” Yewon said softly. “My brain has lost the ability to create any new memories after a fateful accident two years ago. Whatever happens today will be forgotten the moment my eyes close shut and I drift off to sleep. Therefore, you don’t have to worry about telling me too much.”

 

“You can Google it up if you don’t trust me,” she added with a light chuckle.

 

Yuna wondered how Yewon could still smile so brightly.

 

--

 

The university student didn’t reveal anything except for her name to her new acquaintance that afternoon. She wanted to wait for another day to make sure Yewon was not lying to her. There were obvious symptoms shown by the latter but Yuna was still apprehensive about the whole situation. She knew how sneaky some people could be. Yewon could have possibly lied to her for all she knew.

 

“Dear diary,” Yuna muttered as she penned down the words in her precious moleskine notebook her parents got her for her birthday the previous year. “I met Yewon again. It must be fate that I’ve been seeing her three times in a row. We talked more today. She told me she has anterograde amnesia— I think— that’s what she told me but I’m not sure if I should fully trust her about it. I don’t even know why she told me that either. She said I could tell her anything and everything but I decided to tell her my name only today.  She seems like a genuinely nice person though. Should I try to be friends with her?”

 

--

 

Saturday soon arrived and Yuna woke up at seven a.m sharp as per other days to do her usual morning exercise before her mother wakes up an hour later to prepare breakfast for the family. The sky was slightly foggy and the air was cold, sending chills down Yuna’s spine as she did her warm up. The weather was just perfect for her to go for a half an hour jog at the park nearby the building she lived in.

 

The recreational area was already filled with children having fun at the mini playground while adults took a brisk walk or a jog. There was also a few exercising facilities that can be found right beside the children’s playground being used mostly by the elderly who still wanted to keep in shape. Making sure that her shoelaces are tied properly, Yuna let out a long breath before starting her jog.

 

The day was starting out well for her so far.

 

--

 

Yuna was greeted by the smell of freshly burnt toast and the heavy scent of 3-in-1 coffee when she got home. Her father was seated on the dining table reading the daily newspaper while her mother was still standing behind the stove preparing scrambled eggs for them.

 

“Good morning, Eomma,” she greeted her mother with a kiss on the cheek. “Good morning to you too, Appa!” she smiled cheekily at the well-suited man. “Let me change out of my attire and join you for breakfast soon.”

 

--

 

Although it was the weekend, Yuna never liked staying at home. It was too quiet and empty for her liking. Hence, the library became her second home. It was quiet too but at least there were other people surrounding her while she busied herself by burying her nose in the many notes she had to memorise and understand.

 

“Good afternoon, Yuna. You’re early today,” the librarian, Mdm. Shin, greeted with her usual warm voice and gummy smile.

 

“I have things to do in the evening so I thought it’s best for me to come earlier than usual so that I’ll still get to spend five hours of quality time here,” Yuna smiled sheepishly.

 

“Don’t forget to take breaks in between, alright?” the woman gently patted Yuna’s back before walking off with her trolley of books that needed to be shelved up.

 

Yuna was heading towards her usual table when she caught sight of a familiar person from the corner of her eyes. Stopping in her tracks, she hugged her laptop and notes tightly against her chest and squinted her eyes slightly to make sure it was the correct person. Skin as soft as snow, the innocent beauty. Yuna really couldn’t believe her luck. The coincidence was getting creepier as each day passed by.

 

“Excuse me… miss,” Yuna didn’t know why she approached her. It was weird that she was at the other end of the line this time.

 

“Yes?” Yewon looked up from her book.

 

‘Does she really not remember me?’ Yuna thought as she tried to search for answers in the girl’s eyes, hoping that Yewon was only pulling a trick on her because really, how can someone not remember the person they have met more than once? However, when all she could spot was confusion, the very same look she got from Yewon for the two times they have met in the café, she doubted again that Yewon was lying to her.

 

“Why are you staring at me like that?” Yewon’s voice snapped Yuna from her thoughts. “Do you know me?”

 

“Not at all,” Yuna blatantly lied. “I was just wondering if there’s anyone sitting across you.”

 

“There’s no one,” Yewon flashed her a small smile. Out of courtesy, Yuna guessed. “You can have the seat.”

 

--

 

There were a handful of questions Yuna wanted to ask Yewon but her gut feelings told her to keep them to herself. If Yewon does not remember her, why would she even remember the conversation they shared the previous day? Yuna was starting to understand the situation she was in but she could not fully quite grasp it yet.

 

“That’s a really cute drawing of a dog you have there. It looks like you.”

 

Looking up, Yuna stared at Yewon blankly. Her new acquaintance had a cheeky smile on her face, her eyes glued on the piece of paper she had mindlessly doodled on.

 

“I’m sorry. Was that too random? I couldn’t help but comment on it,” Yewon couldn’t help but snicker too, causing Yuna’s cheeks to redden in embarrassment.

 

“You know…” Yuna’s voice trailed off as she pressed her lips together, eyebrows furrowed while she thought of how to sentence her words properly. Her eyes were not on Yewon but she was sure the latter was looking at her with the usual curious glint in her eyes at that moment. “We met yesterday at the café down the street. The day before that too. And outside the library three days ago. Do you not remember?”

 

Silence engulfed them right after Yuna finished speaking. With her eyes finally fixed on Yewon and fingers nervously drumming against each other, she waited for the young-looking female to say something instead of staying mum.

 

“I’m very sure this is our first time meeting,” Yewon replied firmly after two minutes.

 

“You said the exact same words to me yesterday.”

 

“I really don’t recall meeting you yesterday, miss.”

 

Yuna chose not to say anything else. Leaning against her seat, she hid her face behind her laptop screen and frowned deeply.

 

This wasn’t how she expected her afternoon to be.

 

--

 

As much as Yuna was tempted to follow Yewon out of the library and to wherever she was heading (the café was the most strongest option), she did not want to seem like a stalker and frighten the girl. She decided not to take any further action that day. She continued to stay in the library until six in the evening, an hour more from how long she originally planned to stay before taking her leave. She was surprised that somehow, she was able to focus on her task and not get sidetracked this time. Her parents would not be home until eight so Yuna decided to walk around the park to take a breather before getting home.

 

The bus ride from the library to her neighbour took approximately twenty minutes at most so Yuna roughly had half an hour to spare at the park and an hour to walk home, take a quick shower and prepare something light for the family dinner since it was her turn to cook that night.

 

The park was livelier in the evening as compared to morning. Yuna could hear the voices of children laughing and screaming happily ringing in her ears as she walked past the playground, she had to even keep to the left hand side of the pavement so she would not block the way of those who were jogging. There was a group of adults and elderly performing an exercise on a grass patch— zumba, Yuna thinks— so loud music was blaring through the speaker. Even with all sorts of noises, none of them were enough to stop her from getting lost in her thoughts.

 

‘Anterograde amnesia, huh?’ Yuna said aloud in her mind as she recalled her time with Yewon earlier. ‘She wasn't joking about that.’

 

Maybe, just maybe, she really could trust Yewon with all the problems she had been keeping to herself, the dark and unneeded thoughts that clouded her mind every single night.

 

Because, Yewon would never be able to remember any of them.

 

--

 

Yuna never once opened up about herself to anyone. Not even her own parents. She never told them how she got into a mini fist fight when she was in high school. She didn’t get hit but her hand got badly bruised from punching the student too hard. She received three days of suspension but lied to her parents saying that the school had to close down instead due to unexpected circumstances.

 

If anything, she hated being a burden to her parents. They already had a lot to handle and Yuna did not want to be a nuisance to them. She wanted the semester to quickly end so she could finally find a job to help her family earn money and repay them for everything that they had done for her even if it would be only for a few months.

 

“Excuse me, miss.”

 

Yuna let out a shaky breath before trailing her eyes up to gaze at the all too familiar stranger.

 

“I’m not trying to sound rude but—”

 

“You can have the seat. I won’t disturb you,” Yuna said, her voice cracking slightly halfway. She wasn’t sure why she was feeling nervous.

 

“Thank you,” she heard Yewon whisper ever so softly before settling down across her.

 

--

 

The day was no different than the other days she had met Yewon. Yuna was busy typing away in her laptop while Yewon had her nose buried in the book she was reading. The student wondered how many times the girl with an innocent beauty had read the story. The Little Prince, the cover read. Yuna had heard of it before but she wasn’t really an avid reader.

 

“I see you glancing at my book every once in a while. Have you read it before?”

 

Yuna was caught off-guard by the sudden question, causing her to choke on her drink. Eyes widened, Yewon stood up from her seat and leaned over to firmly give Yuna’s back a few pats.

 

“I’m sorry. Did I startle you?” she apologised, eyes filled with guilt.

 

“I—I’m fine,” Yuna cleared and showed a small, sheepish smile. “I didn’t think you’d actually catch me sparing a glance at you.”

 

A soft giggle escaped Yewon’s lips. “You’re quite a straightforward person, aren't you? I wonder if you say that to every pretty or handsome person you meet.”

 

“Of course not! I'm not that kind of person. I just— I...” Yuna was not sure of how to phrase her words without sounding weird.

 

“I was just messing with you,” Yewon grinned playfully.

 

“My name is Yuna,” the student quickly changed the topic. “Choi Yuna.” 

 

“Choi Yuna,” Yewon repeated. “You have a beautiful name but I'm afraid I won't remember you or your name the next day.”

 

Yuna’s expression fell hearing Yewon’s words. She knew. She knew it well since she had it written in her diary and her memory was superb. However, hearing how Yewon’s tone changed into something sounding so sad, the way her gaze fell to her drink that was resting on the table, Yuna sympathised with her.

 

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