“Bye, Yoona!” her friend, Yuri and Hyoyeon bid her a goodbye as they parted ways. Yoona smiled and waved back at her friends. She fixed her bag that was slung around her shoulder and walked through the park, where across the park is the house where she lives for the past three years.

Im Yoona is a college student. She’s petite, kind and passionate. She loves to dance along with her since-high-school friends, Yuri and Hyoyeon. Every day after her morning college, she would take a bus to her dance class and do a part-time work till 10 PM, two hours after her dance class ended at 3 PM.

Her parents died in a car accident three years ago, and now she lives with her grandmother, Mrs. Yoon’s house. Mrs. Yoon’s husband, Mr. Yoon, died a year after her parents’ death. Luckily the old Mr. Yoon inherited his house and belongings to Yoona, so she won’t work too hard to find a job. The old male also appreciates her ambition and dream too.

Besides, she’s still a twenty year-old woman who’s still studying in college for her first degree.

She inhaled a long breath before stretching her arms out. “First day of autumn!”

Yoona loves walking through the park during autumn. The red, yellow and brown colored leaves that fell from the trees, the cold but warm breezy wind that wrapped her skin, everything.

There’s always one place where she would stop and take a rest under it; a tree in the middle of the park.

Yes, you might find her quite weird because she’s petite, but she loves to rest for about an hour on a bench that’s under the tree. Sometimes she would buy a cup of warm milk tea from a tea stand near the park or bring a book to read under the tree.

She’s always alone when she comes to the park, but she’s okay with it. Even though her friends aren’t there to accompany her, she would still be happy if there’s only a tree that’s right beside her. She treats the tree like her own friend.

A few moments later, Yoona arrived at the tree. A few steps around the tree and there’s the bench. But somehow, she wanted to take a picture of the tree. *Luckily I brought my phone.* she thought to herself as she took her phone from her bag.

Click!

And the picture was taken. She smiled at the photo. *So pretty…* she thought.

“Urgh…” a groan could be heard from the side of the tree. The bench’s place to be exact.

Yoona widened her eyes and glanced at the source. The latter stretched out her head and saw an arm resting on the bench’s back. She raised an eyebrow. *It’s not usual for someone to go here…* she thought confused.

She took a few silent baby steps around and her hands were still gripping on her phone. *For three whole years, I never saw anybody go and sit to this tree…* Yoona pressed her lips into a firm line as her grip on her phone tightened.

Yoona hid behind the tree. She stretched her head and her eyes widened at what she saw.

It was a male.

A male who’s now resting his back to the bench with his arms stretched wide behind him. Yoona’s jaw dropped. *Wow… he has a nice posture…* she thought and immediately shook her head abruptly at the thought.

The latter didn’t realize that when she was shaking her head abruptly, the tree made a sound. The male that was sitting on the bench stopped his movement. *Someone’s behind me…?* he thought worryingly.

As the male turned around his body, his eyes met with a petite figure, standing behind the tree. His face plastered a small smile. *A woman?* he chuckled low.

But unfortunately, his chuckle was heard by Yoona and in an instant Yoona stopped shaking her head. Her gaze went to the source and her eyes met with a pair of dark eyes with a small smile plastered on the face.

*He doesn’t have just a nice posture…* she thought as her lips slightly apart. *He has a handsome face too! Kyaa~~kk!!* Her fan-girl spirit suddenly burst.

The male raised an eyebrow. *Who is she? She’s pretty…* he shook his head as the thought came across his mind.

Yoona cleared and smiled at the male. She bowed. “Hello there,” she greeted. The male smiled and nodded. *I never saw him before…* Yoona thought.

The male chuckled under his breath. “Hello too umm…?” he trailed off. Yoona widened her eyes and bowed again. “Yoona,” she mumbled. “Im Yoona.”

A smile was plastered on the male’s lips. “Yoona-ssi?” he murmured unsurely. “I’m Jiwoo. Gong Jiwoo.”

Yoona nodded and hummed. *Gong Jiwoo…* she thought. “Sorry, I thought you were some kind of stranger,” she rubbed her neck shyly.

Jiwoo grinned. “But we are, right?” he asked, making Yoona dumbfounded.

“A-ah,” she stuttered and bowed apologizing. “I’m sorry. But I’ve never seen you here before, Jiwoo-ssi,” Yoona said straightforwardly. Jiwoo chuckled. “You’re right.”

The questioning latter plastered a confused look. “Excuse me?” she asked. Jiwoo putted his grip under his chin. “You’re right about never seeing me here,” he answered. “I never went here on this time, but I always go here on the mornings.”

Yoona stumbled back a bit after his response. “S-sorry, Jiwoo-ssi,” she looked at the leaves on the ground. Jiwoo chuckled. “No need to be sorry of. And how old are you, Yoona?” he asked.

The latter raised her head. *He’s talking informally with me…?* she thought.

Noticing Yoona’s bewilderment, Jiwoo quickly added, “Don’t worry. We aren’t strangers anymore, right?” he asked with a grin.

Yoona could see his breath floating in the air. The weather is getting colder.

“A-ah, yes. I’m 20,” she answered. Jiwoo giggled. “Okay. Then you should call me ‘oppa’, since I’m older one year than you,” he suggested.

*W-what? O-o-o-oppa?” Yoona was surprised. They just met and he wants her to call him oppa that desperately?

*I guess that’s not such a bad idea…* “Okay, Jiwoo oppa,” she grinned and the male smiled.

Jiwoo lend out a hand. Yoona stared at his hand and face back and forth; confused. Jiwoo chuckled at her behavior. He quickly pulled Yoona’s hand and gripped on it. Yoona was quite surprised at his sudden action.

The male smiled. “Nice to meet you, Yoona,” he shake Yoona’s hand.

Yoona silenced for a moment before she smiled. “Nice to meet you too, Jiwoo oppa.”

***

“So…” Jiwoo spoke. “You like dancing?”

Yoona shook her head. “I don’t just like it,” she complained and clasped her hands, plastering a grin. “I love it!”

Jiwoo laughed at her response and rested his back on the bench. He slipped his hands behind his head and sighed. “I hate autumn now…”

Yoona’s smile suddenly disappeared. She glanced at the male who sat beside her and raised an eyebrow. “Why?” she asked confusingly.

For the first time in her whole life, she just heard someone said they hate autumn. *I don’t get it… what’s so bad about autumn?* she thought confusingly.

Jiwoo sighed again; his eyes were still staring straight at the autumn sky. “I just hate it all of a sudden…”

“Did something bad happen?”

Jiwoo was taken aback by Yoona’s question. He didn’t answer nor responded to her. He just sat there; staring blankly at the autumn sky.

“Why aren’t you answering…?” Yoona asked again with a sarcastic tone.

No, she wasn’t mad. She was just a bit surprised by Jiwoo’s words earlier. She pouted and looked at her wristwatch. Her eyes widened of surprise. 4.55 PM.

Jiwoo shrugged from his position and was about to answer Yoona’s question when—.

“Omo! I’m going to be late for my work!” she exclaimed, making Jiwoo startled and stumbled back. Yoona noticed his presence beside her and quickly bowed before standing up. “Sorry, Jiwoo oppa. I have a part-time work to do.”

When she was about to run off to the café where she was working, Jiwoo suddenly gripped her wrist. Yoona stumbled back and she glanced at the male with a raised eyebrow. “Oppa? I have to go now…” she muttered, making Jiwoo smile. Her heart pounded at the sudden smile. *Please don’t make him hear my heartbeat…*

Jiwoo stood up too and handed Yoona his phone. Yoona glanced back and forth at Jiwoo and his phone. She plastered a questioning look. “This is a phone. So…?” she trailed off, slightly raising her tone.

The latter chuckled. “Give me your phone number, Yoona-yah,” he grinned. Yoona sighed and saved her contact in his phone before giving it back to Jiwoo.

“Here,” she handed the phone and Jiwoo accepted it. He smiled. “Thank you. Now go before you’re late,” he mumbled, making Yoona widened her eyes. “You’re right! Thanks!” then she ran off, leaving Jiwoo in his spot.

Jiwoo checked his phone and founded a new contact under the name ‘Autumn Yoona.’

He chuckled and a smile was plastered in his face. “That girl…” he muttered under his breath and slipped his phone to his coat pocket. He sighed and kicked a pebble on the ground. “I just hope she won’t be mad…”

***

“Finally, finished,” Yoona stretched her arms and put her apron back to the hanger. She slung her bag and felt her phone vibrated. While she was walking out from the café, she checked her phone.

[10.05 PM] From: XXXX-XXXX-XXXX

Hey, Autumn Yoona. Are you home yet? –Oppa

She smiled at the message. “Cheesy,” she mumbled under her breath before replying and rode on her bus way home.

[10.07 PM] To: Jiwoo Oppa

I’m on my way home now. Why?

[10.12 PM] From: Jiwoo Oppa

Be careful. There’s danger everywhere.

[10.17 PM] To: Jiwoo Oppa

*chuckles*. I know, oppa. No need to remind me again.

[10.19 PM] From: Jiwoo Oppa

Okay then… see you tomorrow… if you can.

Yoona raised an eyebrow. *Tomorrow…?* she thought confusingly. Her eyes widened all of a sudden. *Are we going to meet at the same place again tomorrow? Kyaaa~~k!*

She clasped her hands together and closed her eyes. “I hope it’s true, dear God,” she muttered under her breath. She opened her eyes as soon as her bus stopped, signaling it’s her stop. She slung her bag and walked off from the bus, then to her apartment.

As she threw herself to the bed, she covered her face with a pillow and squealed happily. “Jiwoo oppa…” she muttered before she dozed off.

***

Day by day, week by week, the same routine came over and over again. After her dance lessons, Yoona will meet Jiwoo at the bench under her favorite and also Jiwoo’s favorite tree, and after that she will go to the café where she works part-time. The