the train arrives, yongsun steps on it but pretty train lady isn’t here today. why isn’t she here? did she fall sick? maybe she was just late? however, when the train doors close, it seals any hope yongsun had that she would see her again today. she can’t help but feel disappointed. 

as she enters serenity, the cafe she works at, she immediately feels that something is different today. everyone is suddenly rushing around busily, she barely pulls aside one of her coworkers to ask what was happening. 

“did you forget already? there’s going to be a performance here today! we hired a singer, remember?” her coworker replies before rushing off again. how could she have forgotten? today was going to be a long day, she predicted. yongsun walks into the back room to put her bag down, mentally preparing herself for the busy day ahead. she sighs, looking down at the familiar wooden ground. before she realises it, a pair of black sneakers are in her line of sight, and she bumps into someone. 

“oh! i’m so sorry, are you okay? i was-“ yongsun stops short, because when she looks up at the person she’s just nearly knocked over, she’s breathless. “pretty train lady!” she blurts out, before she can catch herself. she can feel her cheeks heating up more than they should, the cliché feeling of butterflies in her stomach. 

“sorry?” pretty train lady looks at yongsun, confused. of course she recognises her, the woman she saw every day on the train. but did the woman just call her pretty train lady? 

“um- i mean- well- i see you on the train every day, and uh- you’re really really pretty- and you’re a lady, so-“ yongsun stutters, embarrassed. stupid mouth! 

“oh. well, that’s cute, and i’m flattered, but you’re really pretty too, you know?” pretty train lady smiles, her face lighting up. “what’s your name? i just realised i’ve been smiling at a stranger every day, because i still don’t know your name,” 

“oh- uh- i-i’m yongsun. kim yongsun,” 

“nice to meet you, yongsun. i’m wheein, by the way. jung wheein," pretty train lady, who yongsun now knows is actually called wheein, beams at her. wheein, such a pretty name...

“so, what brings you here to the place that we finally meet properly?” wheein asks. 

“i um, i work here, actually. what about you? i’m almost a hundred percent sure you don’t work here,” 

“nope, i don’t. i’m just here to perform, i guess your boss or something hired me?” 

“you’re our guest performer?” yongsun’s eyes widen in surprise. who would’ve known the stranger she’s fallen for could get even more perfect?

“well, yeah, if you put it that way. i play the guitar and sing, and i play the drums sometimes.” as if she wasn’t already perfect enough, she had to be talented and sweet too, yongsun sighs dreamily. “i would love to continue talking to you, but i have to go prepare for my set now. i’m so sorry, maybe we could meet for coffee some time?” 

“oh, right! sorry for holding you up, i would love to!” 

“in the meantime, i would really like it if you watched my set,” wheein winks and grins, and then she is out of the door and taking a seat on the small stage set up in the centre of the cafe. yongsun’s heart bursts in sparks, leaving her momentarily dumbfounded at how flirty wheein could be. 

wheein picks up her acoustic guitar, introduces herself and starts to strum. beautiful, melodious chords flow from the tips of her fingers like it was the most natural thing on earth. and then she starts to sing. and yongsun falls in love with her just a little bit more, because her voice brings yongsun to another world. sweet, soothing and honey. that’s what yongsun would describe her voice as. husky yet soft, lifeless lyrics brought to life by just her voice alone. and as she strums and sings, yongsun stares at her, awestruck. 

“i’d follow you into yesterday, then miles away,” 

wheein sings, pure and raw with emotion as she finds yongsun’s eyes in the crowd. with the smile she has gotten so used to, with the smile that makes her day, wheein smiles. and it feels like she is singing to yongsun, to her heart, telling her how she adores her. yongsun feels vulnerable, the way wheein has pierced through her soul effortlessly with her voice. 

all too soon, wheein’s set has ended, and she thanks the crowd. she picks up her guitar and walks off the stage to a smattering round of applause. yongsun busies herself with her job, seeming to repeat the same process of making the same cups of coffee for ages. they had a menu for a reason, yet everyone always ordered the same thing, yongsun inwardly rolls her eyes. she motions to her coworker to switch positions, deciding that she has had enough of pressing buttons on the coffee machine and frothing milk for today. she takes up her place at the cashier. 

“hi, what can i get you?” 

“how about a train ride home together?” a familiar voice replies. 

“wheein!” yongsun looks up and exclaims, delighted. “that would be no problem, but i’m afraid you’ll have to wait for my shift to end,” yongsun’s eyes sparkle as she talks. “now do you really need any coffee or are you just trying to hold up the queue?” she teases, grinning. 

“whoops, sorry! can i have a latte, please?” 

“of course, one latte coming right up!” yongsun picks up a cup and, instead of writing wheein’s name on it, she writes “pretty train lady”, with a smiley face at the end. yongsun personally makes wheein’s cup of coffee, and serves it up with a flourish. 

“a latte for pretty train lady?” she pushes the cup across the counter to wheein, laughing at her own joke as she does so. “if you were serious about the train ride back home, my shift ends in 10 minutes, if you don’t mind waiting.” yongsun says. 

“sure, i’ll just get a table and wait, then,” wheein picks up her drink, smiles at yongsun in appreciation for it, and replies. “see you later, yongsun!” she waves cheerfully and heads off to find a table. cute, yongsun thinks. she reminded yongsun of a puppy, lively and energetic. cute, too. extremely cute and adorable. yongsun continues with the rest of her shift, the only thing motivating her to do her job properly being the adorable lady who was waiting for her at a table not far away. 

ten minutes sure passed slowly when you were looking forward to something, but yongsun could finally leave work. with a coffee of her own, yongsun approaches wheein at the table. 

“i finally finished my work, we can go now!” the younger nods, and they walk to the train station side by side, exchanging details about each other. wheein learns that yongsun is older than her and that she loves animals, especially puppies. yongsun learns that wheein is the sweetest, most thoughtful and cutest person she’s met, not that she’s very surprised about that. she should’ve known since the moment wheein smiled at her on the train when they first met that the younger was an angel. 

for the first time since they met, they sit on the normally empty seats beside each other, and for the first time since they met, they exchange more than just smiles. one could say they were now friends, but even though they know each other now, they’re still strangers. because everyone has their own secrets, and no one really knows another person fully. not even when they’ve known each other for more than a decade, because these secrets everyone keeps, it makes us just a little bit detached from everyone else. and the same could be said for yongsun and wheein. for they did not know how broken the other was, but were healing each other without even knowing, and that was the beauty of what they had. 

innocently, unknowingly, beautifully.