"I'll be going out now!" Dahyun shouted on their dorm's empty living room, since her roommate is on her own room. "Text me if you need anything" she added before turning the knob of their door and heading out.

 

Class finished about half an hour ago. A part of Dahyun's daily routine is going to a specific café after class. She usually goes home first to change clothes and wash up before going out again. She spends the rest of her afternoon on that café.

 

She sometimes go there to study or continue some school works, but there are also times when she really just go there to hang out. In short, she goes there everyday.

 

She doesn't really invite her friends or classmates with her since she likes spending time alone. She even takes her alone time to write some stuff such as poems—and even songs. There are times when she has no choice but to ask someone to go with her if she has a task in pairs. Even after working on their said task, she stays there longer.

 

Dahyun has a favorite spot on the café which is located on the right side of the cafe. There are three human-sized bean bags; one is blue, one is green, and one is red. On that specific place, there is a fireplace with a bookshelf right above it. She eventually grew attached on the green bean bag which is right on the corner of the said area. That area is her comfort-zone. She feels at peace whenever she sits on that green bean bag with a cup of hot choco. Her favorite days are the ones when the weather is cold, and the café staff lights up the fire place. It makes Dahyun very happy.

 

But today isn't her lucky day. 

 

The corner with bean bags were all occupied with a group students from their university. Some of them are even sitting on the floor carpet. they must be working on something.

 

Dahyun's eyebrows furrowed in disappointment with what she saw. Her mood also went downhill when she noticed that the café is busier than usual—it is filled with people today.

 

With heavy footsteps, Dahyun walked towards the counter with her hands inside the pocket of her brown cotton coat. She's dressed very comfy today since it's a cold weather—a perfect day to spend time on her comfort–zone. But luck wasn't on her side.

 

Dahyun walked on the front of a glass display that is filled with pastry. Various types of breads can be seen, and Dahyun couldn't pick one. 

 

"Hey" the cashier said, catching Dahyun's attention. Dahyun smiled to the familiar face. "you don't want the usual today?" the cashier asked. 

 

Dahyun put her index finger on the bottom of her chin as she pouted her lips, thinking hard of what she should get. She looked around more before finally speaking. "Yeah let me just get the usual" she said in defeat.

 

The cashier let out a soft giggle as she slid the glass door of the display to get Dahyun's favorite chocolate cake before putting it on a plate. "Drinks?" the cashier asked as she slid the glass door close. Dahyun nodded in response. 

 

"Oh," Dahyun suddenly said, as if she suddenly remembered something. "for take out, please." she said. The cashier raised her eyebrows. 

 

"Why?" the cashier asked.

 

"Someone's in my spot" Dahyun pointed over her favorite area, earning an "ohh" from the cashier. 

 

"It's okay, there's a vacant chair there by the window" the cashier pointed right behind Dahyun. It was a few meters away and there is indeed one vacant chair. It was the spot where the tables and chairs are high and it's facing outside the window. "...if you can reach it" the cashier teased. 

 

"Of course I can!!" Dahyun whined cutely which made the latter mess up her hair as if she was a puppy.

 

"Come on, stay for a little while. The café doesn't feel right when you're not around" the cashier said, finally convincing the small blonde-haired girl. 

 

With a sigh, Dahyun answered: "Fine" she said before placing her exact payment on the counter and grabbing her drink that was just served together with her cake. "Thanks, Jeong" she said before turning around and started walking towards the spot that the cashier pointed. 

 

"Anytime!" Jeongyeon shouted softly with her right hand waving in the air.

 

~

 

Dahyun placed her orders, together with her mint green notebook, on the tall table before pushing herself up on the tall wooden chair. She turned around to the counter to look at her friend behind the register who was just watching her help herself up on the tall chair. Jeongyeon laughed at what she witnessed and Dahyun just let her tongue out playfully.

 

Dahyun finally sat properly and grabbed her notebook as she took a sip on her favorite hot drink. The presence of the person sitting on her right made Dahyun unknowingly steal a glance on the stranger. She noticed that the person was typing something on her laptop and there's a book opened on the right side of the laptop. What captured Dahyun's attention is the cold drink that the stranger has ordered. She wondered: why would someone order a cold drink on a cold day? 

 

She shrugged her thoughts away and decided not to focus on that problem. Instead, she put her attention on her mint green notebook and started to write stuff there. She spent her afternoon writing and scribbling on her notebook.

 

~

 

The next day came and it wasn't really different from yesterday. Dahyun went to the same café (as usual) and was disappointed to see that her favorite spot was occupied AGAIN. Jeongyeon insisted Dahyun to stay since there was a vacant spot on the area where Dahyun sat yesterday. In defeat, Dahyun walked to that same spot again.

 

Dahyun noticed the stranger on the right again, it was the same person from yesterday. She remembered the features of the laptop that she saw yesterday. To her surprise, the stranger ordered a cold drink on a cold day again

 

Due to curiosity, Dahyun secretly examined the strangers face. She noticed that the stranger has moles on her face. There's one near her nose, one right above her lip and another one under the lip. She finds it amazing, for someone to have such wonderful features. She observed the stranger's eyes, and she was silently hoping that the stranger doesn't feel awkward. 

 

It didn't last long, though. Dahyun realized that it is indeed awkward and weird to stare at a stranger. It sounded like something that a creep would do. 

 

With that, Dahyun drifted her attention to her mint green notebook again.

 

~

 

Another day passed and Dahyun finally saw that the area wasn't occupied. A smile was automatically painted on her face. But before she entered the café, she took a glance on a specific area, right where she sat for the past two days. The same stranger was there again, still busy with her laptop. The chair beside her was vacant again.

 

Once Dahyun finally entered the café, she went straight to the counted and got her order quicker than usual. "In a hurry?" Jeongyeon asked as she handed over Dahyun's orders. Dahyun looked behind her before shaking her head as she grab the small tray that contains her orders. "Oh, I see. You have a little crush" her friend teased.

 

Dahyun rolled her eyes on the remark. "No." She said quickly before turning around and walking on the spot right by the window.

 

She placed the tray and her stuff on the table before helping herself up again. And to her surprise, the stranger looked at her. 

 

Dahyun's eyes widened on the sudden eye contact and she felt her hand sweat. She sat properly once she finally got up on the high chair, but she was frozen in place.

 

On her peripheral view, Dahyun noticed that the stranger removed her left earphone. "Are you okay?" a lovely voice was heard. Dahyun wasn't expecting that the stranger's voice to be this soft. Actually, she didn't really know what she was expecting. 

 

"I..." Dahyun stuttered. She slapped herself mentally for acting flustered in all of a sudden. "Yes" she answer shortly before grabbing her drink and taking a quick sip. She then let out a groan after remembering that her drink is a hot drink, and she forgot to blow it before drinking.

 

The girl on her right let out a soft giggle as she shake her head. She offered her cold drink over to Dahyun, but Dahyun politely refused. "Oh no, I'm fine. I have water on my bag" she said straight before grabbing a small water bottle on her bag and drank from it. After doing so, she wiped her lips with the back of her coat's sleeve.

 

"Are you okay?" the girl asked softly again. Dahyun looked at her rather innocently.

 

"Are YOU okay?" she asked back, the girl looked at her with the sudden question. Dahyun felt like time stopped for a moment.

 

The girl has a face of a goddess. She has a perfect skin. Her moles complimented her face perfectly. Her eyes were like the galaxy. Her brown hair (which is currently in a bun) looks so soft and her fringe suits her a lot. 

 

She gulped nervously because a beautiful pair of eyes were starting at her for a while now. She was stunned by the girl's beauty. She was breathless. She was astonished. She was starstruck. "I mean, who would order a cold drink on a cold day?" Dahyun diverted her gaze on the drink of the stranger.

 

The girl grabbed her cold drink and took a quick sip. Dahyun finds it amusing when the beautiful girl's lips touched the thin straw. Everything that this girl do is beautiful.

 

"I do" the girl said, snapping Dahyun out of her daydream. "Is there a problem with that?" she added, teasing the small girl.

 

"Nothing, of course" she said as she waved her small hand in the air. The beautiful girl smiled before she continued what she was doing before on her laptop.

 

Dahyun noticed that the girl didn't put her earphones back on her left ear.

 

Dahyun leaned closer to the girl, but not to close. There is still a respectful distance between the two strangers. "If you don't mind me asking..." she whispered "what are you doing?" she asked as she watch the girl's slender fingers tap the laptop's keyboard.

 

"Research paper" the girl answered shortly before glancing on the opened book beside her.

 

"Isn't that a group thing?" Dahyun asked. The girl shrugged.

 

"It is. We're actually in groups, but I was never lucky when it comes to groupings." the girl explained, Dahyun listened quietly. "They really don't take this seriously. Sure, they help. But it's not enough. And they do it wrong sometimes" the girl added as she sighed before her lips turned into a frown.

 

Dahyun noticed the girl's sadness. She felt the pressure that the girl is in. She wants to pat her back, but Dahyun knows that they're still strangers. "You should've talked to them, they don't deserve the grade that your group will get since you're the only one who's working so hard" she said, the girl just shrugged in response.

 

Dahyun thought that the girl needs time and space to concentrate. So she sat back and faced in front—she watched the outside instead, giving the girl her privacy so that she can concentrate.