It’s like this. It’s rarely easy to see the world when you’re constantly in one place. Each and every one person holds some kind of ingredient in our lives. Something they’ve been through, no matter the circumstance, it has led them to be in our lives. That there are other people sharing this space and time with you. And they will interpret this moment differently than you, but we’re all here together before moving on to different places. Yet everyone is here together; journeys overlapping and each person counts for it.

There’s something amazing in that, and the intuitivism deserves to be cherished.

But Kim Namjoo saw no one in her circle. Just she existed.

She wanted to run. Be free. Rid of these chains binding her.

Because she could not forget him.

That face she saw in the café.

Love at first sight.

And that’s what she did. Run after pretending to board the flight to the UK. Stars were streaming across the blackened night, their shimmers so weak they were hidden by the dust blown from planes taking flight. Namjoo could hear the giant machinery hissing and humming chaotically in the background.

Strong light overpowered the magic of earth’s beauty as wheels churned at her feet. The last of the air-conditioned wind blast over her as she hurled out the front entrance of the airport.

Observing the street showed signs of spotted shadows lurking between every street lamp. Now covered in the sheer mist of nighttime, Namjoo calmly caught her breath. Her heart was accelerating with excitement. Rebellion was a long time coming and she was finally experiencing pure adrenaline. She loved it.

Butler Lee was long gone.

A long line of vehicles at the curb, a mix of cabs in-between, shone like dark beetles beneath the light poles. Their headlights angry flashes wondering why a lone girl was prowling the dark.

A search right and a search left confirmed no one was worrying about her. As it should be. No one cared anyway. Her father hadn’t even come to drop her off. Mother didn’t even care about saying her farewell. Both of them too occupied with their own lives to give an inch damn about what was going on in hers.

Triumphantly making a swing left, Namjoo charged toward a vacant taxi and climbed in.

“Where to, Miss?” The balding driver asked.

Yes, where to now?

Twenty-one-year-old Kim Namjoo didn’t know. She wasn’t immature and brash really. She just didn’t want to leave her home country to study abroad in foreign land. What was the purpose? She didn’t understand. She could have the same level of education at home!

Kim Hui’s endless bantering ran rounds at the back of her head. His words a bunch of random jargon neither forming words nor a coherent language. Dear daughter just hadn’t wanted to hear out his lecture meant to be for the best of her future.

It was not her future he cared about! He didn’t care about her at all! He’d never been there for her! Her first choir concert? Missed. The first public speaking event as school representative? Forgotten. Her high school graduation? Missed! The nanny and Butler Lee had stood in the audience instead!

Lee Soojin a jewelry enthusiast hardly felt warm to her after giving birth to her either. More trips to regions in Africa than the motherly hugs she gave her! And when she did Namjoo shook her off. Why play pretend mom if she couldn’t be full-time mom?

Thumping her head into the headrest, Namjoo angled her view out the window. White fire was blazing in the sky. A celestial white high above a man-made building meant to carry people through an aircraft to another place on land. Namjoo would be a quarter way into the sky right now.

Funny how she didn’t want to leave home yet she had left home. Correction: was leaving home.

“Miss, have you decided?” the old man piped up even louder.

“Yes, yes.”

Then she was away.

Mommy and daddy would not have frozen her account yet, so Namjoo intelligently went to an ATM. Withdraw as much money as possible. She’d need cash for expenses. More clothes. A place to stay. Food, most importantly. Whatever came next, she would worry about it later.

Wheels rumbled at her feet as she rounded the cracked block. A colorful sign lit up above her as she traveled downtown into the heart of nighttime, entering the city’s busiest center. Giggling and chatter energetically burst around her. Through the opening of an automated door, she heard the beeping of a clerk ringing up merchandise. The store was bright as daylight Namjoo’s eyes stung.

The road came off long and weary under the lamps. Namjoo smelled fresh cigarette butts, spotted a stray cat scurrying into a hollow alley with a torn chip bag, saw a carton of fried noodles spilled over a street drain, and smelled something rotten in a public garbage bin. Sidestepping away from it she dashed across the street.

Focusing on just one sign Namjoo sped up. It was square cut. Not too eye catching. Its bland color was perhaps what drew her.

It was simplistic. An animated black cat. The thin tail curled up. At its tip, a single star. Starry Café.

Smacked between two other business buildings, it did not take up too much space. A cute rusty brick building with wide brimmed windows. Through the glass a comfy inside. Round chairs at the center. Booth tables by the walls. An open counter consisting of coffee grounding machines, paper cups, silverware like forks and spoons. The business had decided to no longer support plastic. A great move Namjoo believed.

Slowly pulling up Namjoo peeked into one of the giant windows. Few customers were inside enjoying small plates of sweets, drinking tea, or having coffee before their night shift. Two people were manning the counter. There wasn’t a line, but that wasn’t what Namjoo was looking for.

It was the homey atmosphere. A small bustling business that people kept coming back to. Like her.

Strange how strangers find comfort in public spaces. Maybe she was romanticizing coffeeshops too much that even the workers looked fluffy happy with their minimum wage jobs.

Were they though?

Dragging her suitcase inside she went up to the counter aware she should order something and sit if she didn’t want to be a nuisance by merely taking up valuable space. Buying an iced coffee Namjoo went over to a booth table in the back and settled down. She had just one sip. Deciding she was tired she discreetly laid down for some shut eye.

♥♥♥♥♥

“Finally!” Deoksu threw his hands up. The broad man he was the move made him identical to some pro wrestler if not for his getup, their work uniform.

“What?” Sehun’s eyes went oval as he shut the back door that led to the dumpster in the alley. His hand hovered over the brass knob unsurely.

“Where have you been? You’re not feeding the strays our garbage again, are you?”

Casually dusting his waisted apron, he coolly promised, “Of course not.”

“Good.” A smack on the arm from the lump of muscle. Sehun withheld his grunt. “Close up the store with Shorty.”

Brushing past Sehun listened to the heavy metal door clang shut. Now that Ducky was gone, he let out a prominent hiss. Taking it safe five-foot-three Yang Wieun scurried over.

In a low voice, “God, I hate him.”

“Ouch that hurt.”

“What? I didn’t touch you.” Palms up Wieun warily stared at him.

Palming his arm Sehun glanced over the counter for any customer that might be waiting for assistance. There was none.

“We should clean up and close.” The clock was already reading ten at night. Now that Deoksu had gone for his smoke break and dumped the nightly chores on them, they might as well get to it.

First, they started with cleaning the machines. Oh Sehun had done this so many times he’d complete the tasks with his eyes closed. He’d been here three almost four years now. Too long. He needed a real job. Better income. Out of Deoksu, the new manager, Wieun, and Chinsu he held seniority.

It was such a joke.

His luck just so horribly. Failing every interview, so he’d had no choice but to stay. Had mom lied and he’d been born under some blood moon?

“I’ll get the tables.” Sehun offered. He was faster. Small Wieun would nitpick at every tiny grain of a crumb he’d spot leftover on a table.

“Then I’ll throw the rest of the trash out.” Wieun offered. Hefting a bag out of the bin he angled around possessing a secret twinkle in his eye. “Don’t worry about the cats.”

Scoffing Sehun grabbed a rag and a spray bottle. Striding around the wooden block counter he started at the nearest round table, moving to the next, and the next, and the next until he reached the booths. At the back wall he finally spotted it. A glittery purple suitcase standing upright next to the table.

Sehun eyed it. No occupant visible in sight. Going closer he leaned forward to see a woman lying down across the deep maroon seat.

“Excuse me,” he politely called out, “but we’re closing.”

She didn’t budge.

He thought about nudging her bent knee with his foot, but thought better in case he was called out for harassment. This job was his only hook and line. He couldn’t afford to lose it that way.

“Miss.” He edged volume to his voice. “We’re closed.”

Sehun peeked behind him. Wieun was nowhere in sight. Sighing he wheeled around in time to see the woman stirring. Thank God.

“We’re…” closing didn’t leave his mouth. Instead, his jaw kind of slacked as she drowsily rose. A bundle of hair dripped over her shoulders.

He remembered that face.

Could still recall the vibrant taste of sugar on his tongue after eating burnt sugar cookies Deoksu had left in the oven too long. His mouth had turned dry tending to a long line of lunch customers. Noon was high. The sun burning through the big windows. Sehun could feel sweat seeping out of the pores in his skin. Summer heat had been a killer, so many had come for a cold beverage. Not including the heat from overworking machines, the stress customers were presenting him, and his co-workers slamming him with more tasks than he could handle. The heat had been overwhelming.

“Busy day?” It was the downstairs neighbor. Sehun recognized the man immediately. A little shorter than him, but his overall appearance exuded manliness and reliability. He sported a sort of outgrown haircut, but he made it look trendy somehow. Magic maybe.

A man like him probably had a girlfriend. All Sehun knew about him was that he worked for some good company. The guy was always well dressed.

“The usual?” Sehun asked.

“You know it.” Even his grin was handsome. Perhaps if he was a girl, he’d ask for his number then he wouldn’t have to work at this café but rely on a man. Brutal reality was, Sehun was not a girl.

Curse it.

“Thanks. Have a good day.” He held up his order in thanks and began pivoting to leave the line. His head moved revealing the next customer and Sehun’s breath caught. The, “You, too,” never did leave his mouth.

It was her.

The taste of sugar returned to his mouth full force. The past remnant flushed from his mind to the same woman in front of him. Sehun’s mouth abruptly went dry. He didn’t know how to talk.

Then the door opened and he turned. It was the downstairs neighbor. His eyes widened when he saw him and a kind of foolish grin crossed his lips.

“Are you still open?” Downstairs neighbor wondered.

“Oh!” A surprised yelp from behind him. Sehun turned to glance at the woman suddenly on her feet, hands drawn in front of her politely. She didn’t spare him a glance. Her focus furtively shot past him. Sehun followed it to the downstairs neighbor standing in the open doorway propped open with a foot.

A kind of quick pang flew through him in understanding.

Coming to, he answered, “No, we’re closed.”

“Aw…shucks…” downstairs neighbor didn’t sound too disappointed. “Then, have a goodnight.”

Sehun watched the door quietly shut. In his near twenty-six years of life, Sehun had learned not to expect too much. Sometimes, many things did not happen in your favor. You just have to deal with it and thrive on. No use crying over spilled milk, right?

He didn’t think he was too ugly, but then he also learned looks only got you halfway. Luck filled in the other half.

Right now, reality was telling him to get a grip and not dwell on some fantasy with a girl.

“We’re closed.” Sehun blandly said then began spraying and wiping down the table.

Coolly keeping it together he tried not to give her a curious glance before heading into the back. Retrieving the broom, he went back out. This time the girl was gone.

Don’t think about it. Don’t think about it. Don’t think about it.

Sehun diligently resumed his chore. Double checked the kitchen with Wieun before they turned the lights out.

“I’m sure glad Duck doesn’t work tomorrow,” Wieun shared as Sehun locked the door, made sure the knob was sturdy. As they turned Wieun screamed, “WAH!”

Turned out, the girl hadn’t left. She was standing at the corner with her suitcase rolled up next to her.

Wieun still griping for air peered at him questionably. Sehun had no answer for him.

“Then,” Wieun took a step off the curb as an incoming car approached, “see you tomorrow.”

Sehun held up a hand in silent farewell. He was suddenly being swept into some kind of strange atmosphere. Could this be awkwardness? The kind of air that takes over when too many unknowns make one nervous till he is sweaty? Should he make up for the sudden weirdness? But why was it his fault?

He kind of looked at her, kind of didn’t, and kind of did it again but not really. Shifting he hurriedly turned his back to her and started down the sidewalk. The apartment wasn’t too far from the coffeeshop maybe she had to make a detour and would be gone by the time he reached.

Half a block and he could still hear wheels rumbling against concrete. It was so loud it was driving him nuts. His heart kind of pitter-pattered in synchrony. A block later and he was freaking out!

Gripping a hand into a fist for some courage he swung around, “Why are you following me?!”

She sort of jerked back. Jaw stiffening, she bit down on her teeth. “Why…why should I be following you?”

His brow twitched. He was out of his mind. This time he allowed himself a full glance. She was wearing expensive pants coordinated with a matching blouse that obviously said she was out of place here.

That’s right. It was just fantasy for him.

Sehun knew better.

God, he was going crazy tonight. Pivoting around he continued the trek home. Suddenly the wheels wildly churned faster.

“Wait…wait!” She raced around him forcing him to a halt.

Sehun caught his breath for the second time that night. His heart palpitated abnormally as he stared at her standing in front of him for the second time in his life.  

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***Downstairs neighbor = Minseok

***So they both met at the coffeeshop but they saw differently: Namjoo saw Minseok, Sehun saw her

***P.S. I learned from a book I read that you can relate memory to taste, which is very interesting!

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