click! ♡

I. anti-romantic

“Who’s the less romantic between us?”, Jiho put the question on the table with a grin on his lips right after downing the espresso in one shot.

“That must be him”, everyone agreed while pointing at Taeil, much to his surprise.

Sure, he knew he wasn’t the most romantic guy ever, but he never thought that was people’s perception of him. He was Taeil, the karaoke genius, music major and fish geek, but that was the first time he was dubbed as ‘anti-romantic’.

“You’re cool and all hyung, but you’re honestly hard to deal with. I lost count of all the girls I tried to set you up with. You don’t ever open your heart to anyone! You’re like a rock”, Jihoon whined, defeated.

“What is it that you’re looking for? Do you have an ideal type?”, Yukwon asked, in the hope of helping his friend.

Taeil loosened the turtleneck that suddenly felt tight around his neck after the unexpected question.

“Well…- I just have to click with that person. That’s hard to describe into words-… click! That’s the most important for me”, he explained the best he could.

“What did I tell you! He’s so difficult!”.

“I just want someone to be able to drink with me, someone whom I can have an endless conversation with”. You could hear a hint of resignation in his voice. He simply couldn’t develop interest for anyone.

II. A mocha to go.

Taeil had ignored the jingle of the door all morning; freshmen came in and out of the café to get the precious caffeine push to go through the first day of college. The brass bell at the door rang once again, but that time was different. Its ring sounded incredibly sweet to the musician’s ears.

He raised his head, ignoring the rest of the conversation held by his peers.

A girl waltzed in, bringing with her the mood of a warm spring day despite the drizzle that typically marked the beginning of the Academic year. For some reason, Taeil couldn’t lift his eyes off her. There was nothing particularly eye-catching about her, but he couldn’t help but keep his head low and stare at her as she walked past him. Like petals shaking, grazed by a beautiful butterfly, waves seemed to crash into his untouched heart.

“Good morning! A mocha to go, thank you!”.

“It’s really cold today, isn’t it? It’ll be 2,500 won, thanks!”,

“Oh, it’s freezing! Here you go. Have a nice day~!”.

Her voice was gentle and warm, a caress to his musical ears.

Taeil managed to catch a glimpse of the bouncing curls at the tips of her reddish hair before another freshman blocked his vision, and in a split second, she disappeared.

III. I wish I said hello.

Taeil turned in his bed all night that day.

He squeezed his eyes and tried to recall the features of her face. He noticed things like the purple polaroid camera strapped like a cross-bag on her small frame, but the encounter happened so fast that he couldn’t make up her face.

“Idiot”, he cursed himself for having to rely on those fleeting memories.

IV. Heart is hurt.

“Hyung! Are you all by yourself? It’s the first time I meet you here at the college café”, Jihoon greeted his senior and sat across him.

Taeil nodded but his attention was elsewhere. He kept looking at the door, anticipating her. He found himself at the café for the fourth day in a row, still waiting for her appearance. Just hoping to see her again at the same place, but she simply never came.

V. Cold earphones.

The bus that usually took him home was just a few meters from the bus stop, but Taeil was still on the other side of the road, impatiently waiting for the traffic light to give him the go.  

He wiped away the sweat from his large forehead, he couldn’t believe he had run like his life depended on it only to lose it. He looked straight at the bus stop and noticed a girl sitting on the bench, waiting for the bus. Vapour rose from her lips because of the cold. She gently blew warm air on each earphone before putting them on and bopping her head to the music.

‘Cute’, he mumbled under his breath, he just couldn’t help but find that absolutely adorable. He hurriedly cleaned the lens of his round glasses, but her face still looked like a blurry splash of colour. Despite the distance, he saw it, the purple polaroid camera. He now was sure; she was the girl from the café.

The traffic light finally gave him the go, but the bus had just left, bringing the fascinating girl away with it.

The long deep sigh manifested as a milky cloud that surrounded him.

‘I lost you again, huh-…Please come find me next time’, he prayed.

VI. The girl next door.

Minzy sighed in defeat. The damn lightbulb became her worst enemy that evening.

She hated asking for help. She was Gong Minzy after all. A woman who managed to do all sorts of things independently, like saving up all year to finally move out and go to the big city to pursue her education, but unfortunately, she was just a couple of centimetres too short to screw th