Her watch reads eight minutes to 6 in the evening. She watches the steam coming off from her coffee, gives it a little stir before taking a careful sip.

The bell rings then as someone pushes the door open. She hears the staffs chorusing a "Welcome" and looks up to look at the person who's glancing around, scanning the place for a certain someone. His eyes meet hers not long after, and a smile appears on his lips.

Howon makes his way over to her table. "Did you wait long?" he asks with a hint of guilt in his voice.

"I just came early." She shakes her head.

"That's a relief then."

Noticing the pair of sneakers that does not match his shirt and slack as he takes the seat opposite her, she raises a brow. "Are you from work? It's Saturday."

"Yeah, there's some unfinished stuff I left off yesterday, and had to meet some people too."

"Busy as always."

The corners of his lips curl to form a tiny smile. Of course Bomi knows better. After all, they had spent years together, putting up with each other until eventually they reached their limits and came to a decision that they better off going separate ways. They did. Deciding that it's best to avoid meeting each other in order to keep their relationship in a good state, they were never really in contact.

But now here they are, finding themselves facing each other again after a long while.

It's normal, perhaps, to suddenly feel nostalgic. His hair is little longer than before, hers a little lighter. His cheeks are hollower and her sharp eyes take notice of his dark circles, most likely from the long hours of work and less time for himself. She can't help wondering if he's not taking care of himself properly, if he's not eating enough at the right time because she knows well how easy it is for him to lose grip of the time especially when it comes to work and there's a deadline to catch.

Howon places his order when the waitress comes, and she doesn't have to guess it.

"Your taste hasn't changed," she comments when his caramel latte arrives. He prefers his drinks sweet, sometimes too sweet that it produces a frown from her, and they have lost count of how many arguments it had led to.

"Yours, as well," he points out. "Some things stay the same."

Hearing that, Bomi smiles tenderly, knowing that he means no harm but only stating the obvious. Things change—people too but some remains as it has always been. "Still the same sharp Hoya," she remarks then with a hint of playfulness in her tone as she murmurs the old nickname she used to address him with.

"And you're still the same bitter Bbom." He returns the tease, referring to her coffee. It's an old joke of theirs among many others.

She's taking another sip of her drink when he finally asks the purpose of her asking to meet today. It's been a while since they last contacted each other, probably months ago when he inquired whether she has come across a USB drive of his since he can't find it anywhere. His question takes her back to the present time, and she recalls that she did propose for a meeting today with a purpose.

"Right," she mumbles as she takes the box from the seat next to her and places it on the table. "I hope you drove here because it's quite heavy."

He raises a quizzical brow. "What's that?"

"Open it." She shrugs.

Obeying her words, he uncovers the lid and finds a miscellaneous of items in there—CDs, DVDs, a couple of books, a jewellery box, several neatly folded clothes, movie and concert tickets they attended together, letters, cards and post-its, a toy car, gift vouchers from various stores and restaurants that have probably expired. Each one of them contains priceless memories, a reminder of their happier times. Smiling nostalgically, Howon studies them all cautiously without missing a single thing. The look on his face somehow appears rather regretful, making her wonder what is in his mind because she hasn't been able to read it for a while.

"Why?" he questions, after putting the lid back on.

Their eyes connect then, and she gives him the softest of smile. "I can't keep them forever, and I think it's best that I return them to you."

"What am I going to do with these tickets and expired vouchers, though?"

"You can try selling them on ebay. People collect the weirdest things."

He chuckles at that before pushing the box back to her. "Just keep them. I don't know what to do with them either."

"But—"

"Or give them away. Maybe sell, if you want the profit."

She shakes her head. "I can't do that. Believe me, I actually tried, but I can't bring myself to do that. I... I don't have the heart to."

"What makes you think I do?"

"Yours is stronger, at least, compared to mine."

They share a look that says more than words can ever do. Things change, time continues to move forward mercilessly but some things, no matter how tiny, always remain the same. A faint smile rises up to her lips, and as he darts his tired eyes away, he gives a slight nod, giving in to her. "Alright."

"Thank you," she murmurs, though she doesn't think he hears her.

They fall silent and let the soft music to fill the gap between them. After a moment, she gathers her things and tells him that she's leaving. He doesn't stop her, nor does he say anything. Instead he just nods, and again when she asks if he's going to stay. "Yes. I haven't had the opportunity to find some quiet time for myself. I'll just have another cup before I go."

"Just don't put too much sugar in your drinks." And he grins.

In that moment, as they gaze into each other's eyes fondly, every memory, bad and good; every dream and hope, both fulfilled and forgotten; every happiness and sadness they shared and kept to themselves, every single one of them begin to blend together and blur into a bond that neither of them can find a word to describe. 

"Take care of yourself, Howon."

"You too, Bomi. And be happy."

The bells chime as she exits the café, and she finds herself within a mass of strangers. Feeling a little cold, she pulls her scarf a little tighter and shoves her hands into the pockets of her jacket. She doesn't look back, and he doesn't glance her way either, watching her carefully before she disappears into the crowd. Yet she still knows that deep inside their hearts, there's a small space for each other where their shared memories are locked away. Though they have parted ways, some things never did change.

And they continue to burn in her heart, for memories are what that keep it alive, even if the person who played a part creating them has long since faded.