“Urm… can I help you?”

“Huh? O-oh… I just want… I can’t reach that book”. Luda shyly told the stranger her struggle. 

“Which one?”

Luda pointed at the high shelf which is totally out of her reach because of her small slash short height (not that she wants to admit for years).

“Here. You know that you can use the stairs that they provided, right?”

Luda looked at the person in front of her in a sceptical way. ‘Is she just insulted my height? We don’t know each other. Obviously, she is taller than me but that doesn’t give her a green light to do so.’ Luda observed the stranger and guessed that she may be around her age as she dressed with a simple plain beige shirt with slightly tucked-in in her slack. ‘Or maybe a year or two older’. She thought. 

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to offend you.” The stranger quickly added when she saw Luda’s stare.

“Dawon. My name is Dawon,” she introduced herself when she didn’t get any response from the other person and stretched out her hand to her. ‘She looks young with her hoodie and jeans’.

Luda hesitantly accepted the handshake. “Lee Luda.” She replied shortly.

“Unnie, let’s go.”

Both of them immediately looked at the owner of the voice that interrupted their awkward introduction.

“Oh, yeah. Let’s go,” Dawon replied to that person. Before she walked away, she looked at Luda again. “I’m sorry.”

“Who is that? You know her?” Juyeon asked Dawon as soon as they left the library.

Dawon just shrugged.

-

Luda: I’m at the supermarket for groceries. Do any of you need anything? 

Luda walked around while focusing on typing on her phone until she bumped into someone. Luda quickly bowed and apologised to anyone that she bump. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn't-'' Luda looked up to the front and was shocked for a while.

“It’s okay. My fault too. You…” Dawon frowned after seeing the person that bumped her. “You are the one… at the library? Right?” Dawon tried to recall the scene at the library a week ago. She remembered her face but she barely could remember the name. 

“Dawon…right?” 

Dawon was surprised that she still remembered her name when they barely talked to each other for a few seconds. “Urm, yes. And you are…” 

“Luda.”

“Ah, yes. Lee Luda. I helped you with the book.”

Luda’s face turned displeased at the thought of the insulting scene last week. 

“I’m sorry again. I didn’t mean to-”

“No, it’s okay. It’s fine.” Luda quickly cut her words. “I’m sorry because I hit you just now. Excuse me.” Luda walked away without waiting for the latter to say anything. 

Dawon left speechless.

Dawon pushed the trolley along the aisle looking for the groceries that Juyeon had listed for her to buy when she saw a familiar figure not far from her struggling to take a packet of instant coffee from the high shelf. Dawon can’t help but to let out a small chuckle at the cute sight. 

Dawon approached that girl and took a packet of that instant coffee just to give her. 

“Thank-” Luda stopped to thanked politely to show her shocked face. “You again? Do you stalk me or what?” 

Dawon was flustered at the sudden accusation. “I just happened to be here and I saw you struggling. I helped you but then this is what I get?” Dawon looked at Luda unbelievably. Dawon scoffed then left the place after a few seconds getting no reaction from the other person.

“Urm… Dawon-ssi,” Luda called out.

Dawon turned around a bit only to see Luda was walking to her. She raised her eyebrows in question.

“Do you have time? I would like to treat you to a coffee as an apology from me.”

Dawon paused for a few seconds before speaking. “Okay. I’ll meet you at the cafe in front in 10 minutes.”

“Alright, see you.” For the first time, Luda flashed a smile towards the girl that she had met for the third time. 

Dawon left speechless for the second time but for this time, she unconsciously smiled at her back although the other person has walked away a second ago. 

-

“Sorry, I’m late. Thank you for waiting,” Dawon quickly apologised after sitting in front of the smaller girl. “My friend, she texted me to get something when I already queued at the cashier so I had to go back and queue again,” Dawon explained in one breath.

“It’s okay. Let’s order first.”

The waiter left them awkward after they each ordered the drink they wanted. 

“So, I urm…”

“You can talk comfortably with me,” said Dawon softly.

“I want to apologise again for being cynical to you. First at the library and second, just now. And I also accused you as a stalker. I’m sorry,” Luda lowered her head at the end of her sentence.

“I think we can stop apologising to each other. We had done more than enough. Don’t you think so? Let’s start again.”

Luda looked at her confusingly.

Dawon held out her hand and a smile pasted on her face.

“Hi, Luda. I’m Dawon. Erm, what should I say more?” Dawon paused for a while, unbothered by the less reaction she got from the person at the other side of the table. “Oh, I love music.”

Dawon raised her eyebrows, waiting for the person to take her hand.

“Er… hi?” Luda’s hesitation made Dawon laugh but still shook their hand as their initiation.

Time flies and they both didn’t realise they have felt comfortable with each other and they have exchanged a little information and found out that they are the same age. Both of them drown in their conversation until a ringtone startled them.

“Yes, Juyeon-ah,” Dawon waited for the other side to talk and her face changed immediately. 

Luda looked at her when she heard a little gasp and saw her face palm herself. 

“Wait, I’ll be there in 20 minutes,” Dawon replied in a hurry then ended the call.

“What’s wrong?”

“I forgot I have to do something. I need to go now. Nice to meet you, Luda and thanks for the coffee. I have fun.” Dawon said while standing up from her seat but waited when she saw Luda as if wants to say something. 

“Can I get your number?” Luda could feel her face burning up slowly at her braveness.

“Of course!” Dawon proceeds to tell her number.

“Thanks. I will text you later. Bye.”

“Bye.”

-

Jiyeon and Hyunjung exchanged signals to each other at the sight of their friend's weird behaviour. ‘You ask her,’ Jiyeon mouthed to Hyunjung.

‘Me?’ Hyunjung pointed at herself and Jiyeon nodded.

“Luda-ah” Hyunjung called the girl who was smiling at her phone a while ago. 

“Uh, unnie?” Luda replied without looking at her. Her fingers run faster on her phone’s keyboard.

“Luda.”

Luda finally looked up after a second calls and realised that Jiyeon and Hyunjung has been looking at her for while with an unreadable faces. Luda put aside her phone slowly.

“Who is that?” Jiyeon asked.

“Dawon,” Luda tried to be nonchalant despite her fast heart beat that increased gradually due to nervousness.

“Dawon? The one you told us about what happened in the library a few weeks ago?” turned Hyunjung to ask her after hearing such name. She frowned a little.

“Yeah,” Luda looked at the two women in front of her and decided to tell everything to them. “I think… I like her,” Luda mumbled in a low voice after finishing telling them about their second encounter and a few events that happened since they exchanged their numbers.

“What? I can’t hear you?”

Luda took a deep breath before saying it again. “I said, I think I… I like her.”

“Her as in Dawon?” Hyunjung was confused.

“Y-yeah.”

Hyunjung got more confused after seeing a little pinkish starting to appear on Luda’s cheek.

Jiyeon looked at Hyunjung for a second before focusing on Luda who has already changed to a bright tomato.

“That’s…great! Right? I mean, you finally met someone after…” Jiyeon eyed Hyunjung again. She tried to sound cheerful although she sensed a different vibes from her side. Jiyeon elbowed Hyunjung’s side a little.

“Oh? Oh, yes! Wow!” Hyunjung gulped silently. “So, when will you want to introduce her to us?”

“Oh unnies, please, we just met about a month ago and I didn’t know if she has… you know the same feeling as mine. Like, she may have thought of me as her friend only.”

“Looking at how you spend so much time texting with her, I don’t think a friend will do so,” Jiyeon reassured Luda. 

“Yeah, Luda. Why not bring her to my cafe?” Hyunjung suggested.

“I will think about it. Thanks for the offer, unnie,” Luda stared at Hyunjung for a second to find if there was something that Hyunjung hid but before she could notice anything, Hyunjung averted her eyes. 

Luda stood up and walked to the bathroom.

Jiyeon made sure Luda had closed the bathroom’s door before projecting her question to the elder girl. “Are you okay, unnie?” Jiyeon looked worried.

“Yes, I’m fine. Why shouldn't I?” 

“I don’t know. I just afraid if you-”

“Enough, Jiyeon. I’m fine and I’m happy about it. I’m happy for her.” Hyunjung closed her eyes and took a deep breath before exhaling quietly. She opened her eyes and saw Jiyeon’s concerned looks. “I need to go. Tell Luda that I have an emergency or anything.” Hyunjung instantly packed her things into her bag.

“Unnie…” 

“Bye, Jiyeon-ah,” Hyunjung walked away without spare a minute because she knows her tears will fall at any time soon.