Yi Fan contemplated the girl before him. Her long straight hair and willowy figure enraptured him- as if they had met before. But her distant look said otherwise- she seemed to be from a different time period altogether.  

"Here, have some chamomile tea," she offered, handing him a cup of the pale, translucent liquid. So this is what she's been brewing. But the house smells of coffee...weird.

He wrapped his hands around the small cup- as if to soak in its warmth. "Did you come yesterday too?"

"Yes," she replied calmly. It seemed like a practiced reply- as if she had been answering that same question all her life. Not that she could have been that old, by the looks of it, she seemed to be in her early twenties.

"What did you say your name was again?"

"Joohyun. Seo Joohyun." He detected a subtle nuance of hurt in her voice- a tiny dash of incredulity at the fact that he had just asked that question. 

"Oh, that's a pretty name! Nice to meet you Joohyun," Yi Fan said, cheerfully sticking out his hand. She gazed at him for a moment- a mysterious look in her eyes. But then determination overtook her demeanor and she seemed to attempt to jerk his arm from his body. 

After wrestling his hand from her iron grip, he relaxed back into the couch.

Not too sure how to start conversation again, he awkwardly asked her about her favorite color.

"Blue. Definitely blue," she replied bluntly- barely batting an eyelid.

"Why? There are millions of other colors to choose from- just plain blue? That's boring," Yi Fan teased a bit too loudly, hoping to get the girl- what was her name again? - to talk a bit more. He liked the sound of her voice. It was soft and airy, and it forced him to listen to her, to the few words that she uttered. It was like the sound of the wind rushing through the leaves of a tree.

"Yeah. Just plain blue."

"Why??" He pushed a bit further, goading her on. "You're such a plain Jane."

"I am. I am quite boring."

Yi Fan huffed, crossing his arms childishly. "I don't want your tea anymore. It just might be as bland as you."

At the mention of this little threat, slight alarm overtook her previously imperturbable countenance.

"I'll drink it if you tell me," grinned Yi Fan cheekily.

"Well," she started off gingerly, "it's simply because I have a lot of memories under the blue sky, in the blue ocean, with the blue birds. That's all."

"Oh! Do share- I'm always up for a good tale," he responded animatedly, oblivious to the gloom that had set in upon the young girl's features. Yi Fan was never the best at reading people. 

"I'm not sure if you really want to hear everything."

"Of course I do! I'll listen the whole time, don't worry." He had begun to tug on the sleeves of her gray, knitted sweater- imploring her to continue. 

"Fine- but it's not my fault if you feel like wanting to fall asleep alright?" She replied, a gentle smile appearing as she crinkled her nose at him.

Yi Fan nodded enthusiastically- like a small child in a candy store.

"I like the color blue because it embodies everything that my best friend was."

Her voice carried like a gentle wave- slowly encroaching upon all his senses with every word like the evening tide. 

"He was honest and open- like the great blue sky. He was spontaneous, but at the same time- all of his habits were extremely predictable, like the deep blue ocean that crashes upon the shore. He was free spirited- his mind soaring over all boundaries, riding on a wonderful wind of determination and imagination like the wings of a blue bird. And he was precious- to me- just like the treasured sapphire."

Yi Fan sat a bit stunned from her sudden outburst, attempting to soak everything that she had just told him in. She had been so impassioned, so engrossed in her memory. The look on her face had been one of warmth, of glowing joy unlike a few moments earlier.

He heard her let out a shuddering breath as she tried to calm herself, her eyes welling up with memory laden tears. Yi Fan wanted to reach out- to catch one of those precious droplets that seemed to have fallen from the eyes of a fairy. They trickled laboriously down her pristine features as if attempting to wash away the sadness at the corner of her lips. 

He wanted to comfort her because he was apologetic about bringing up such a topic. But he was frozen in his spot as he attempted to reach out- as if he couldn't even lay a comforting hand on her shoulder, as if he had no right to intrude.

Well- he didn't really, he couldn't even remember her name. 

"What was his name?" Yi Fan attempted to distract her, silently praying that she would stop crying. 

 "Kris," she mumbled softly, the sadness obviously weighing down her airy voice- like a lead feather.

"Pardon me? Sorry- I didn't catch that."

"Kris. His name was Kris," she said again, this time with more conviction.

"Oh- Kris. That's a nice name."