CHAPTER TWO

Reconnecting

“As strange as this might sound, I kind of miss seeing you here,” Wonwoo confessed sincerely, eyes gradually returning to its original size behind his glasses. He senses quietness from the girl as they continue to gaze on each other. Their minds are thinking of multiple different scenes. One stands out most and as if their brain cells click together. He immediately takes a seat across her.

“I have to admit, I never thought I’ll see you randomly like this. How are you doing?” It is her turn to break the silence. He nods, purses his lips before resting his chin on top of his palm. “Nothing much. It is rather uneventful around here.”

“You’re still sticking around here? Aren’t you supposed to do your internship this semester?” Shinyoung questioned, puzzled by Wonwoo’s statement. It is strange to meet him yet it is stranger to meet him in SIA. Is he even supposed to be here? “I am.” He shortly cuts her train of thought and adds.

“I’m interning at South Skyline Publication. It’s like thirty minutes from here by bus. I bet you’re wondering why I am even here on a Friday evening, right?” A simple nod is given to answer his question. He is not planning to keep her questioning anyway. “I purposely make myself busy from morning to night. I took a part-time job as an SIA’s librarian. I work at our faculty’s library to be exact. It’s where most of the novels are anyway so there’s nothing to lose.”

“Okay…” She delays. “I know you’re a nerd and bookworm and such but why, exactly? Aren’t you overworking yourself that way? From what I remember, you’re not that-”

“Not that mentally stable? Yeah, sure. You can say that. It’s the only way to keep me distracted. Being busy. It’s like my brain will only have to function for a single reason.” Wonwoo frankly said and shrugs it off. That does not sound so good if Shinyoung is able to tell him that. Sighing, she simply keeps the conversation on hold. When it is prolonged for a good minute, the male smiles.

“You’re worried about me, aren’t you? That’s the first.”

“I can’t help it. But I get what you mean. Things aren’t really the same after…that.” She unconsciously taps on the file underneath her hold which switches his view from her concerned expression to the turned page. The previous smile washes away almost instantly upon seeing where she had conveniently stopped at. A glimpse of it is enough to quicken his heart’s pace.

“He appeared in my dreams for quite a while. Myungho.” The single line flashes by Shinyoung’s mind like a lightning. It is there but it is too quick to grasp. So she asks him to repeat which he does and continues on.

“It was mostly nightmares. Images of him from that night. It was so fresh that I always woke up in cold sweat. There was not a night where I was able to catch a wink of sleep. I kept on wondering what I could’ve done and-”

“Alright, you can stop there, Wonwoo. I ran away for this reason.” She cups her ears, wishing for nothing more to come out of the lad’s mouth. Honestly, she feels bad simply by hearing him talk about the topic yet his face does not show much aside from a very noticeable frown. “You did? You ran away just to forget about it?”

Not really, Shinyoung answered dejectedly. She ran away because the feeling she had back then was overwhelming. She was beyond confused, miserable, and more confused. There was no real intention on why she went away, ditching everything. It was on impulse. An impromptu action.

“Do you still get those nightmares?” The girl finally spoke, whispered if one wanted to be straightforward. Her eyes waver. Probably the hint of emotion decides to knock on her door. The constant drumming distracts the boy’s attention to pick up where they make their last stop. So he takes them in his. Surprisingly, she does not push him away like he expected her to do. “I still do but not as much. I scheduled some sessions with a psychiatrist lately so it is slowly going away.” He shared in the same hushed tone. 

When there is another minute too long of emptiness in the conversation, Wonwoo retracts his hand which finally makes Shinyoung’s head cranes upwards to meet him in the eyes once again. After gently patting on his pants to rub away the strange vibe, he puts up a small smile.

“So…” She rebooted the talk and closes the portfolio in front of her. Putting it in her bag, she returns her attention fully on something else to converse about. “How is everyone?”

“Who, exactly?” The boy’s brows furrow since he is a bit off track when she suddenly steers the topic away from its original lane. “The guys from Rose Quartz. Some of them tried to contact me but I reset my phone by accident so I don’t really know who is who aside from Soonyoung.”

“Ah, well I’m not the kind to keep in contact with people once I’m done working with them. Since you already knew Soonyoung’s whereabouts, you’ll know Jihoon’s. The only person I truly keep in contact is Seungcheol and mainly because we’re living in the same apartment.” He explains and sees her nodding, a signal for him to add on.

“Seungcheol works at that one café down the street. Full-time because he can’t be bothered returning to anything related to performing arts. Though honestly, that sounds illegitimate seeing where his workplace is.”

Hana Hangout Café.

Shinyoung remembers this place. It is one of SIA students’ favourite café to relax and chill after a hectic day on campus. The warmth provides as soon as they enter the café engulfs them with coffee scents linger in the air. Seeing that Wonwoo already claims a seat on the barstool of the island counter, she knows he is a regular.

“Hey! You’re late today.” She overheard a familiar surprised voice when she is distracted on the TV, displaying the latest epi