It’s been a week since the last time Seulgi texted 1rhapsody4. And thank God, she found something to shift her focus on other than worrying about a mere stranger on the internet. That was her midterm exam. Seulgi always uses studying as her biggest distractor to almost any inconvenience she experienced. Feeling mad? Study. Heartbroken? Study. Had a beef with friends? Study.

Jongin was quite the contrary. He found himself waiting for 100dollar’s text even in his busiest time. He even checked his phone when it didn’t buzz in case the notification didn’t make it to his phone. But nope, all he had was tons of notifications from many apps but Vault.

And he reached his boiling point after a whole week without 100dollar’s text. He decided to take the first step.

100dollar, how are you doing now? I’ve been waiting for your text.

I apologize for my past actions. I realized that I was insensitive to you.

I miss you. And I mean it.

Seulgi initially read those texts only from her notification bar. She chose to ignore it for the whole day and focus on reading her books and making notes out of it.

But the next day, Seulgi reread the text, bit her lower lip, and sighed. That’s it? It’s that all 1rhapsody4 had to do to take her guard down? By saying I miss you to her?

She scrolled through 1rhapsody4’s post if there was something unusual, and that’s when she found his post from 3 days ago. Seulgi couldn’t help but looked for the lyrics on the search engine, only to digest that the lyrics were a satire to the lyrics.

She hated to feel her blood rushing to her cheeks, making both of them felt warmer. What if it wasn’t directed to her and she was getting her hopes high?

Hey, I was busy with my midterm.

It’s ok. We’re cool now. How are you doing?

She hated to admit it, but she ended up replying anyway.

Jongin grabbed his phone faster than the speed of light after his phone buzzed. His face lit up with a big smile seeing 100dollar’s name on the notification bar.

Fighting for your midterm!

I’m fine. And I have something for you to pick up. When will you be available?

Next Monday is fine.

Sure. You’ll be excited for this one.

~***~

Library. Finally, a place that Seulgi most familiar to.

1rhapsody4 commanded her to find an exact business-related book in the city library because he had put the thing inside it. He even convinced her that no one would take that book anyway. Why? Seulgi asked. I majored in business management. I know that only Ph.D. scholars will read that boring- book, lol, 1rhapsody4 responded.

5:23 PM, four hours after 1rhapsody4 sent her the book title, Seulgi was standing on the aisle filled with business, management, and human resource books. She found the book, but it was too tall for her to grasp even after she tiptoed. Great, you don’t have to flex your height like this, 1rhapsody4. Seulgi swallowed her pride to poke on a random tall boy with glasses near the aisle, asking him to take the book.

When Seulgi skimmed through the pages quickly, she found a tiny space in the middle of the book. There was a small envelope tucked between page 252 and 253. She opened it, and to her surprise, it was a coffee shop loyalty card and a letter. One side of the card was filled with the coffee shop name—Coffee Palace, their crown logo, address, phone number, and social media. Meanwhile, when she flipped it, 5 columns and 2 rows of squares were in sight, with all of them already stamped. Seulgi knew this place. Joohyun was a coffee addict, and she had already tasted products from almost every coffee shop near their campus. She remembered Joohyun once told her that there was a newly opened coffee shop named Coffee Palace, which they offered a higher price but with paid off excellent taste.

“100dollar, how was your mid-term going? Must have been a stressful week, right?

I have a loyalty card that I just completely filled yesterday. You can exchange this with a free drink. Take this as a reward for your hard work because you deserve it :)”.

1rhapsody4 sounded like he was in a good mood that day. Seulgi smiled, for a moment she couldn’t stop reading the letter over and over again. Stupid, now you’re just making me like you more.

But someone was coming to the aisle, and Seulgi quickly shut the book and shoved the letter and card into her pants pocket. She also put the book on the collecting table on the front side of the shelf.

~***~

Three days after, Seulgi stood right in front of the Coffee Palace’s gate, after completing her journalism club work. It’s almost 5 PM, and Seulgi didn't have any work left to do, so she wouldn't risk herself to sleep late by ordering coffee. Maybe tea or other flavored beverages will do.

The place was spacious and had a comfortable ambiance with their warm light and beige-themed walls, chairs, and tables. Half of the coffee shop was in an open space with a high canopy that encompassed every inch while the rest was indoors, separated by a glass wall and door. There were a lot of seats, and most of them are filled. Judging from the casual appearance, the laptops and books they brought, Seulgi knew that they were mostly students too, with just a few older adults chilling.

She went to the indoor place to order her drink—a Belgian chocolate latte with additional cookie crumbs. She pulled 1rhapsody4’s loyalty card and her phone to get a stamp and to pay at the same time. She waited in the line for about two to three minutes, got her name called, and picked up her order.

Seulgi walked t