Hands in pocket, head bowed low, and feet kicking random rocks. She walked down the dimmed light road without knowing where she's going. It's been like that for days. The emptiness in her soul, the lose of purpose and the will to move on. 

No one knows what happened to Chaeyoung, neither did herself. Maybe it started when her parents died, when she lose her home? Or maybe when her own friends pushed her away because she lost everything in her life.

Everything including herself. 

She got used to being alone. Alone in the streets, waiting for the sun to go down, so she can walked around in the dark without people looking at her. Without eyes throwing her emphatetic looks that she doesn't need. 

Her feet brought her this time to Han River. The infamous place where people feel happiest the most. With their family during the weekends and holidays. With friends after long tiring day at school or even lovers linking arms as they whisper sweet words into each other's ears. 

You would probably expect anyone mention this place as their favorite place at all time.

But for Chaeyoung? It's just another place for her to feel the most alone.

Especially with the river being this dark at night. She doesn't know how people can find this so calming. How can they laugh around when the dark river screams sorrow and despair in the middle of their happiness? How can they not feel the the same?

Because as for Chaeyoung, she can feel the river. She relates to it so much that she wanted to touch and hold it forever.

"Beautiful, right?"

Said the unfamiliar voice behind her. She sweep her head immediately to see who dares to interrupts her personal space.

A girl.

A beautiful girl rather.

Black hair and pointed nose. Obviously much taller than Chaeyoung as they are close enough to each other right now for her to compare their height.

Chaeyoung was startled. She's not used this.

She's not used getting in contact with people anymore. Especially with strangers who called Han River beautiful at night.

"Did you came here to calm yourself too? Because I did."

Chaeyoung doesn't how and what to answer that question. Because out of all people, she hates calling the river beautiful.

This girl beside here is one of the reason why the river looks so lonely. She's one of the reason why Chaeyoung feel the same too. People finding happiness in someone else's misery. Chaeyoung hate those people. She hates them the most.

"I did not. And I do not find it beautiful." She answered. Stern voice and without looking at the woman beside her.

The girl was taken back a little, but she did not make it that obvious. With blinking eyes, she scoffed silently at how Chaeyoung said that the Han River is not beautiful because she admired it a lot.

She admired it a lot that she wanted to feel it too.

"How can you say that? You're the only person in my life who said this river is NOT beautiful!"

"Well consider me different then."

A moment of silence passed after that. Just wind blowing and both of their hands finding warm inside of their sweaters.

Still directly looking at the water, the girl just follow Chaeyoung's gaze and admire it's beauty. She sighs before speaking again.

"It's the most alluring thing for me. Specially at night? When those city lights reflects into the water? It's amazing how the river only reflects the beautiful things visible at the night. It filters the bad side, you know?"

She put up a tiny smile before continuing.

"Just like when you see yourself in the water. You can see your smile, your eyes twinkling, or even the smallest details in your face. But did you think of how your reflection doesn't have your same emotions?"

This time, Chaeyoung finally looked at the girl beside her, a little intrigued to what she's about to say. 

She's staring somewhere far away and looks like she's thinking very deeply, but her face stays calm. It stays calm just like how she said the Han River make her feel like.

"Emotion is human's only flaw. We fell in love, we fell apart. We feel happy, and then the next thing we're not. It's so complicated and confusing don't you think? And our reflection cannot feel the same way we does. It stays beautiful, perfect and not flawed. Not like our real selves."

Chaeyoung felt agape a little. She was out of words, left speechless. Not just by the fact that a stranger is really talking to her, but also by the fact that she can't defend her stance and agreed with her in some ways. Not in the same way she think the river is, but in a new perspective of how she would think the river can become.

Of course, it can be beautiful for other people, and not for some. But Chaeyoung knows for sure it's how the river attract someone's soul. Like how her's was attracted to it, but for a different reason. 

It's not about what it really means. It's how you portrays yourself while looking down at your own reflection. 

"I'm sorry I'm talking a lot. I-ah should be going."

Chaeyoung doesn't know why she doesn't wants the girl to leave. She's just some stranger. Another passerby at her life. But It felt like she needed to do something. Like something inside telling her to at least  try.

So she tried.

"W-Wait..."

The girl looked at her. With a questioning look, but still with smile evident in her face. A calm one she's showing since the first time she saw her. She waits for Chaeyoung to say something. A bit hesitant, but still she decided to put her words out.

"T-Thank you.."

Chaeyoung bowed her head from embarrassment. She have no idea what she's thanking her for. She doesn't know either why she's stuttering. It just felt like she needed to say, so she did.

But one thing for sure is that Chaeyoung gained some light in her life full of darkness.

The girl just smiled again to her before walking away.

Chaeyoung did the same.

They parted ways just like how their views in life are far away from each other. So different, but they still met in one point. Just like how the two met in the middle of the night in Han River.

--

Chaeyoung doesn't know why her feet brought her to the river the next thing in the morning. It was unusual for her to walk around without her head bowed down. Not kicking some rocks on the road, but bustling together with the busy persons on a Monday morning.

She's walking.

Walking and running in some point. Not familiar on how the road looks at daylight, but she doesn't care as long as she reached her destination.

People were scattered around the shore that day. Not at the same reason they were here last night, but for something completely different than that. 

Ambulance and patrols filled the Han River. The used to be the city light reflecting the water, was replaced with flashes and red-blue sirens.

Chaeyoung felt scared after a long time. Her heart was thumping without any reason at all. Memories of last night flashing through her mind as she steps closer pushing lightly on some people blocking her way just to be near and see whatever commotion is happening.

And there she saw it.

The calmness the girl is talking about.

She finally saw what she meant when she said the river filtered the beauty of everything. 

Because she herself never noticed the broken soul inside the calm face of the beautiful girl last night.

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