They were strangers.

 

Two people passing on the ever-buzzing streets, in a Regular Joe Monday. A man with a Rayban dangling off, covering his eyes in a lazy manner. A woman, high in her stiletto, hustling over the crowd. Not caring about the world, not caring about what would happen- their shoulders bumped, an ‘oof’ was heard, and her Longchamp was dropped, papers scattered on the ground.

“I’m so sorry, miss…”

The man squatted on the ground, muttering apologies while busy recollecting the papers that were everywhere- some even stepped on by the passerby. The man took off his sunglasses, shuffling it in his pocket and continued his paper-quest.

The woman was grumbling, but eventually mumbled a consent for his apology. She took a glance at the man with guilt plastered on his doll-like features. Leather jackets, baggy pants, and Picasso-colored clothings. He’s definitely an ulzzang… or some idol. She cleared , gathering her papers and bowing deeply in respect and gratitude.

“I should go now. I’d be late for my meeti-“

“Would you like a cup of coffee?”

Ratrie was a woman full of dignity. Respect and honor, a pride of woman have always been running in her blood for life. She was careful, she was even rather a closed-book to the social crowd- most especially the Adams. She would never, in her sane mind, accept such offer from this Ken-dressing man.

Strangely enough, she did.

---

 

It was a regular coffee shop in the suburbs of Seoul.

The man ordered himself a cup of Hazelnuts, while the woman insisted on going with Americano- ignoring the man’s nagging of how bitter and boring Americano is, and she calmly responded that coffees reflected one’s personality perfectly.

“So then, I’m cute and sweet, you’re saying?” 

That caught her off-guard.

He was smiling in a perfectly carved eye-smile, his eyes twinkling in excitement. It was a simple, foolish question and this man was teasing her. She desperately kept her cool and sighed in reply, sipping her supposedly bitter-and-boring cup of coffee. The man glanced at the woman in front of him and frowned, wondering how on earth can a person actually be as stone and hard-headed as the woman in front of him.

Which was, fairly interesting.

“I supposed you’re some kind of those… quirky, cutesy teenagers from Dongdaemun?”

Kevin, the man, lifted up his head from his coffee and chuckled airily. He shook his head, again, wondering what an anti-social this woman must be; considering how much of appearances he had made throughout the years. But he liked it, the fact that he was a perfect stranger to this woman-an equally perfect stranger to him.

“Let’s just go with that…”

And for the first time, Kevin saw his perfect stranger laugh- in a way that caught him off-guard.

He had butterflies.

---

 

They spend the day together, sharing everything they had to the stranger they just met. They went to places they never been since a long time- since they’re growing adults of 21 and 23, they never touched down on the arcade anymore.

The sun finally rested in the orange horizon, exchanging shifts with the mighty Luna. The strangers walked out of the arcade, their hands full with stuffed animals and cotton candies.

“I’ve never been on this much fun for a long time!”

Kevin laughed in the excitement of the woman. He nodded in agreement, swinging the arm of the teddy he was holding. He inwardly smiled at how a perfect stranger could give him so much joy in just a matter of hours, while all these four years he had been searching for his center of joy- aside from his band members and beloved fans. He needed a woman- on his knees, praying to God to send him his Eve.

His prayers were answered, and a stranger she was.

Ratrie smiled to herself and grabbed hold of the arm of the huge, dangling teddy bear in her side. She was lonely, a woman thirsty of love. She never felt what it is like being what people would say l’épanouissement de l’amour- the blossoming of love. She never in her life fancy cliché love stories, most especially love-at-first-sight; then stranger with the loco outfits proved her wrong. 

But she could never have him.

She was a single mother, with a lovable seven-years old son- Jason Kim- and aboring life to complete the catastrophe. She was always juggling between her career and the only family she has left. She never, could never believe in any man- no, not after what Kibum did to her.

Love, no matter how juicy and addicting it is, she walled her heart to never get allured by it, and get fooled for the second time.

---

“Can I see you some other time?” She knew this question was coming, sooner or later. She shuffled her heels, gathering the guts to even say no to the eyes that drowned her so deep, she slipped way back in. “No.” He didn’t expect the answer at all. They had a great time, they had the perfect chemistry any lovers can ever have. His eyes widened at the woman who was shuffling her heels. His hands tremble by the memoirs of the touch that completes him, like a long lost missing piece of puzzle. “Why?” She couldn’t possibly tell him what was going on with her life. He'll be disgusted, I'm such a sinner. I'm not worthy of him, I'm not worthy of being in the altar by his side. 
 

“We’re strangers. This is just another… another day in the rest of the 365 we have-“ “You’re denying it?” “I’m not denying anything, I don’t even know your name.” “Who needs name, we have so much than just name, love.” Ratrie looked up to the stranger who stole her heart, as cliche as it might sounds. She pulled a side smile and lifted her right hand, all the way to the soft cheeks of the man that stood before her. “You don’t know me. I don’t know you. You don’t know who I am, what I’m going through, and what it may affect to your life.” “But thank you, for letting me know what being in love is. I can’t even deny it if we are, in fact, a pair of soul-mates God had created. But let’s go on with our lives as a complete stranger, and leave this day as a bedtime story for your children as we speak…” Kevin was ready to retort back, but he was shushed by the lips of the perfect stranger. It was not a lustful, passionate kiss. It was simple, chaste yet sweet kiss. It was beautiful, yet aching. It was blissful, yet wrenching.  They broke the kiss up, turned their backs off, and the sound of tapping heels and soles against the ground echoed throughout the 9PM silence. 

I guess that I don’t need that though,
Now you’re just somebody that I used to know