Author's Note: Greetings from the southern tip of the African continent! 

Thanks so much for all your lovely comments on the previous chapter and well-wishes on my injured wrist. It's feeling better than last week and I can do lots more typing this week, which is helpful :-)

This is the final chapter, so cancel your plans for the day and hopefully enjoy the ride!

Three days after that, Seulgi finally got the text message she’d been waiting for from Chanyeol, the security guard at Kyobo Bookstore:

UR YEOJA IZ HERE

Seulgi ignored the left turn into an underground parking lot and swung her Hyundai bonnet first into a parking space that magically opened up outside the Coex mall.

Choice parking in Gangnam - what are the odds???

The Universe finally loves me back…

Naturally, a car guard popped up of nowhere, almost as if she had been summoned by a warlock. And she came bearing gifts - a business card identifying her as Kwon Yuri and a QR code scanner on her smartphone to make parking payments more convenient.

With bared teeth, Seulgi’s smartphone beeped in betrayal after clearing the oh-so-generous payment of ₩10,000. She threw a nonplussed Kwon Yuri an exasperated smile before jogging into the crowded bookstore with her diary in hand.

She took the escalator down, two steps at a time, to the first level and jogged the rest of the way to the Self-Help section.

Chanyeol was right - she’d finally reappeared.

Seulgi’s heart palpitated at the sight of Juhyun leaning against a bookcase, thoroughly engrossed in a book she was reading.

Why is she dressed like this? Crop tops and denim shorts are my undoing! Is she trying to kill me right now?!

Juhyun unexpectedly put the book down and caught Seulgi staring.

, she’s looking at me - time to be suave!

“Anyeong!” Seulgi couldn’t seem to make her hand stop waving idiotically.

Put your hand down, monchong! You’re freaking her out!

“Anyeong?” Juhyun looked delightfully perplexed with her elegant eyebrows raised, making Seulgi’s heart race all the more. Her brown eyes drifted over Seulgi’s left arm. “Nice scarf.”

Sure enough, there was a multicoloured woollen scarf wrapped numerous times over Seulgi’s elbow. She only ever wore it in the privacy of her home — until now.

Aish, ssibal! I forgot to take it off!

Seulgi’s cheeks turned as pink as the lighter tints in her scarf. “Thanks. It keeps my arm warm.”

“In summer?” Juhyun’s feet automatically stepped further away from the strange scarf lady.

“Ne, I have bad circulation. Um, d-d-do you have a moment?”

Juhyun looked instantly apologetic. “I don’t have any cash on me.”

“Cash?”

“For whatever charity you work for.” Juhyun’s hazel brown eyes lingered on Seulgi’s odd ‘arm scarf.’ “I’m guessing…a homeless shelter?”

“Uh, actually—”

“I’m really sorry, but I don’t have any cash on me.”

Seulgi examined her appearance. Aside from the awkward ‘arm scarf’, she wondered what else in her casual wardrobe screamed ‘homeless person willing to do questionable things for donations’.

“That’s cool, I don’t need money. I actually wanted to talk to you… about you.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you are an…interesting topic of discussion.”

Oh my God, killing myself would be less painful than this…

Seulgi focused her attention back on Juhyun and stopped short. “You’ve got to be kidding me…”

“What?”

“You’re wearing glasses!”

Juhyun the edges of her frames self-consciously. “What about them?”

“You’ve worn them before…” Seulgi trailed off, the words mostly meant for her ears alone.

“I couldn’t find my contact lenses and I ran out of solution - jjakaman! Why am I explaining my personal preferences to you??? You’re a stranger!” Juhyun fumed.

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll just have to power through this without being distracted by how gorgeous you look with them on.”

Juhyun really didn’t know how to take that kind of unexpected compliment, especially when it was given in such a flippant manner without any further acknowledgement by the recipient whatsoever.

Seulgi clutched her diary tightly in her right hand. “I don’t do this often.”

“Clearly,” Juhyun huffed.

Dream or no dream, it was hard being this close to Juhyun right now, knowing how it felt to have been with her in every way that counted before. But Seulgi had to try. She would do everything - risk everything - to make Juhyun somehow understand about all they could be.

“I’m not good with people - they either annoy me or I say the wrong thing at the wrong time. The point is, I know I can do better. I want to do better and open myself up more, even if it leads to disappointment and heartbreak. So…this is me: taking a leap of faith and hoping for the best.”

“Chukahae.” Juhyun nodded impatiently and went back to glancing at the author info of the book in her hand.

Seulgi willed her stubborn feet forward. “Good book?” She asked curiously of Juhyun.

“Yah, mwuh hae?”

“Trying to initiate conversation with someone amazing and failing spectacularly. You’d know that about me if you knew me at all.”

“Sure, but who are you?”

The kooky editor was aggrieved. “I’m Kang Seulgi. I come to Kyobo Bookstore almost every week - and so do you! You always browse through the Self-Help section. I put you onto that Simon Sinek book for your friend in limbo that one time.”

Something stirred vaguely in Juhyun’s mind at the mention of the Sinek book.

“I was also eavesdropping on your entire conversation.”

“Creep.”

“Guilty. I’m also socially awkward and I don’t like having people in my personal bubble. I closed myself off for the past two years, I forgot how to do simple things like laughing and just…being. I didn’t know how to truly be myself until I met the dream version of you. You changed everything about me for the better.”

Juhyun quirked an elegant eyebrow. “That’s beautiful, but I still don’t know who the you are.”

Seulgi pressed on despite the blinding pain in her chest. “I know, and that’s ok. I don’t know much about you, except the stuff I accidentally-but-on-purpose heard about you when you were talking on the phone all those times. I guess it made a big enough impression on me that I dreamt up an entire relationship of us. And now, I can’t let go of that dream. Even if you call security now and have me arrested, I still won’t let it go.”

Juhyun gazed wildly around her, her brown eyes rife with confusion. “Is this really happening right now???”

“This has probably never happened to you before. I get it, I’ve never done anything like this before either. I haven’t stopped thinking about you since the very first day we met two months ago. I don’t need to know you well to know that I could easily fall in love with you every second we’re together from now on, including this moment.”

Chanyeol whistled appreciatively at the sentiment. “Uwau, Juhyun unnie, that was daebak! Why can’t you go on one date, hey?”

Juhyun blushed crimson while Seulgi threw pleading looks at her favourite security guard.

“It doesn’t have to be a long date if you’re too busy! Go to CU and buy some ramen.” Chanyeol eyed Seulgi’s rather round cheeks briefly. “Or maybe…ramen and gimbap???”

Seulgi palmed her forehead as hard as she could at all the ways Chanyeol was embarrassing (and insulting) her.

“Ssipsaekki! How are you body-shaming me right now? You know I have insulin resistance…”

“Anniyo, I didn’t mean like that! Yeppeo-da, Kang Seulgi! You have round cheeks like a…a cute squirrel!”

Seulgi clicked her tongue angrily, rolling her eyes at the ceiling.

Despite the abruptness of the situation and this rando trying to bamboozle her with a script straight out of a cheesy K-drama, Juhyun was moved nonetheless and decided to ignore the security guard playing an unncessary hype man/LGBTQ ally to her private conversation.

“Clearly, you’ve watched too many K-dramas.”

“What can I say? I put the ‘hopeless’ in ‘hopeless romantic’.”

Seulgi was rewarded with the slightest of grins appearing on Juhyun’s lovely face.

“Have dinner with me.”

Juhyun raised an eyebrow. “What - why? And how do you know that I even like women?”

“Because you told your friend on the phone that you’re ‘sick of Tinder because hot lesbians only exist on Netflix now’.” Seulgi recited.

“Uwau, you can work for the NIS with your powers, James Bond!” Chanyeol whooped in Seulgi’s direction.

Juhyun blushed hard at their silly banter, then she scowled even harder. “Seriously, stop eavesdropping on my private phone calls in public places!”

“I will if you have dinner with me tonight.”

“No way, you’re a rando. Or worse, you have a psycho virus. You could be one of those psychos who orders taxis just to kill the drivers!”

I know I’m antisocial, but likening me to a taxi driver killer seems way over the line…

“I’m definitely a rando, but I promise that I’m not a psycho or…a taxi driver killer.”

“I feel so relieved now.”

Seulgi bit her bottom lip impishly. “Have dinner with me tomorrow?”

“Oh my God.” Juhyun put down the book she’d planned on buying and took multiple steps backwards.

“Next week?” Seulgi asked of Juhyun’s back as the latter power-walked towards the nearest exit.

She locked eyes with Chanyeol who threw her a sheepish smile. “Heol, your yeoja is not jjang.”

“Yeah, thanks for the Ted Talk on stating the obvious,” Seulgi harped.

“Ya, Ted who???” Chanyeol asked in confusion.

Seulgi ignored him because she was too busy grinning from ear to ear.

I did it! I talked to a human woman! She rejected me like bad kimchi - and my self-esteem levels are fine!

Seulgi gazed triumphantly at the entrance to the bookstore. “This is about to get so good.”

Chanyeol shook his head and walked away, laughing heartily to himself.

Seulgi smiled widely while walking back to her car, her head spinning with untold possibilities. Her moment of elation was short-lived, however, when Kwon Yuri the car guard reappeared in front of her and her car, brandishing her smartphone and parking QR code like a taser.

“Heol, Squirrel Cheeks, you stayed more than 30 minutes. Now you must pay another ₩10,000.”

Seulgi blanced at the unexpected nickname. Did this kooky metre maid know Park Chanyeol???

She shook her head and retrieved her smartphone from her pocket. “Kwon Yuri-shi, you missed out on a very promising career in government.”

“Because I work hard and keep your car safe?”

“Because you extort money out of people better than most politicians in this country.”

To Seulgi’s surprise, Yuri laughed merrily at her insult. “And I look good doing it. Kamsahabnida!”

Seulgi couldn’t help laughing as the weirdly attractive security guard sashayed jauntily towards her next victim who pulled up in a Kia Picanto on the busy Gangnam street.

Her thoughts went back to Juhyun again, and she was more hopeful than she’d felt about anything in a long time.

“She’ll be back - and so will Kwon Yuri…”

Juhyun woke with a gasping breath. Her pillow was clasped tightly in her petite hands. Kissing imprints of lip gloss she forgot to wipe off still clung to the cottony fabric.

Why am I kissing a pillow like it’s Park Shin Hye’s face??? And why did her face suddenly morph into that rando from Kyobo Bookstore?!

Try as she might, the name wormed its way out of her treacherous mouth.

Seulgi.

Juhyun moved her hair away from her sweaty forehead.

The dream had felt startlingly real, down to the feel of Seulgi back-hugging her in her kitchen, loving lips dancing over the nape of her neck…

Juhyun emitted a horrified squawk and checked the time on her smart watch.

4:52 and I’m two blocks away…

She grabbed the first pair of shoes she could find in her closet. She laced them up, even though only one of them was a sneaker while the other was a wedge heel.

“I’m going back to that bookstore…”

Author's Note: And that's the end! An ambiguous conclusion, but hopefully filled with promising beginnings like I intended ;-)

And now, for some more Korean words/phrases and references I used in this chapter: 

1) 'Chukahae' is Korean for 'congratulations' or 'good job'. 

2) 'CU' is a popular convenience store chain in South Korea. 

3) 'Gimbap' is a popular Korean snack made with sticky rice wrapped in dried seaweed (known as 'gim' in Korean). 

4) 'Ssipsaekki' is Korean for 'bastard'. Save that one for people you dislike/hate. 

5) 'Yeppeo-da' is a Korean expression which means 'you are pretty'. 

6) 'NIS' is short for the National Intelligence Service in South Korea. 

7) 'JJang' is Korean slang which means 'great' or 'awesome'. 

8) 'Park Shin Hye' is a famous Korean actress who is renowned for her many K-dramas. 

I had loads of fun making Chanyeol and Kwon Yuri of all people as extra as possible in this fic. I love my SM Entertainment idols ;-D

If Seulgi weren't hot, talented and famous, she probably wouldn't be able to get away with this nutty behaviour in a bookstore. But hey, I love my grand romantic gestures, no matter how misguided they may be, lol. 

While suffering from tennis elbow last year, I found that my injury was more comfortable when wrapping a scarf/light cloth around my arm instead of a brace which cut off my circulation and made my elbow stiff and sore afterwards. That's a hack for all of you - free of charge :-D

Thank you so much for reading this short Seulrene fic of mine. Coming back to AFF after all this time reminded me of all the reasons why I love creative writing so much :'-) Hopefully, I'll be back soon again with a much longer and more expansive story for all you lovely readers. 

Till then, take care of yourselves and stay safe <3