"So, how'd it go?" Minah asked the next day after class.

"It was nothing special, he just walked me home once we figured out you left with Luhan," Sayuri told her. "Speaking of which, you could've told me earlier before you left," she added.

Minah gave Sayuri an apologetic look before she apologized. "Sorry about that. Besides, I figured you and Chanyeol would have some alone time together anyway.."

Sayuri shrugged off her comment."Real funny, Minah," she said. "My Countdown clearly says I'm meeting him in three months' time." She showed Minah her wrist, but not before she noticed the time change. "Wait a minute," she examined. Sayuri took a close look before she realized that her one month was gone. Minah noticed it on her wrist as well. "It's changing a lot faster than usual," she said.

"No, it's not, it's just at the right pace," Sayuri tried to defend herself.

"Just face it, Sayuri. He's definitely the one, and you can rightfully slap me if your Countdowns don't go down at the same time," Minah insisted. Now that she mentioned it, Sayuri was thinking to herself that maybe her best friend was right. "But I can't be too sure," she said.

"Well, you won't know until you find out, right?" Minah continued. "I'm just saying, this could be the moment you've been waiting for. You've always dreamed of having a relationship like in those novels you read and in the stories your mom tells you about your dad. And you don't even have to rush into it, either. Stuff like this takes time, Sayuri. There's no need to worry," she reassured.

Sayuri felt comfortable after hearing Minah give her input. And now that she thought about it more, she realized that maybe she did have a chance with Chanyeol. After all, he was the one who asked her if they could see each other again. "Alright," she decided. "But I'm not going to keep my hopes up just yet," Sayuri reaffirmed.

"Don't worry about that, girl. Isn't work starting in a few minutes?" Minah checked her watch.

Sayuri panicked. "Oh, crap, I should go," she hurried to gather her things. "I'll see you later, Minah!"

A day at the bookstore was always a good day for Sayuri. Since she and her mother lived right above the store access was very convenient. Sayuri felt at ease in her workspace. Though she mainly worked at the front as a cashier, she also advised customers about the latest books that came in recently. She even reccommended books to others who were having trouble. If anyone was looking for help around the bookstore, Sayuri would be the ideal go-to person around. She was busy sorting out the money in the cashier when the door opened and the bell rang. Sayuri looked up at the customer who had just walked in. She recognized Chanyeol from his tall, lanky figure. "Oh, hello, how may I help you?" she asked.

Chanyeol spoke. "I'm looking for a girl I met at the cafe last night. She had brown hair was probably about," he motioned his hand and put it up beside Sayuri at her head level. "...this height? I was supposed to see her today, but I guess she isn't here."

Sayuri couldn't help but chuckle. Oh, he's funny, too. "Um, well, I'm filling in her shift at the moment, so is there anything else?" she asked.

"Well, actually, my friend wanted me to get some books for him, so do you have anything inspirational or self-motivating themes?" Chanyeol inquired.

"Yeah, sure thing. Follow me," Sayuri beckoned over to him and led him to the right of the store. While she led him through the bookstore Chanyeol took a glance at her wrist. When he saw that she had about two months on her Countdown, Chanyeol unfolded his wrist to check his own as well. I'm just a month off, he realized.

Suddenly he couldn't help but feel a gut-wrenching knot in his stomach. Why am I feeling like this?, he wondered. Chanyeol had only met her last night, yet for some reason he already felt like he could connect to her. Maybe I need more time, he thought at first. They could always be friends, after all. "And right here is where we keep all our self-motivation books. You can find a couple your friend might like," Sayuri told him. She noticed that Chanyeol seemed to be deep in thought. "Is everything okay?"

He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard her voice. "I'm sorry, you were saying?"

"Oh, I was just saying that these are all the books we have here. You can find one you like," she explained.

Chanyeol took a long look at the shelf. "Um, which ones would you personally reccommend?"

"Hmm.." Sayuri thought about it for a while. After a few seconds she grabbed a blue book and gave it to Chanyeol. "How about this one? It's got some fictional elements to it, and I think it's a unique read.''

Chanyeol looked at the book and read the title. Jonathan Livingston Seagull, by Richard Bach. "Is this about a seagull?" he inferred from the cover.

"Yeah, it is. He learns about flying and life, and perfecting himself. I figured if your friend was looking for something to give him a visual, this would be it. It's just interesting how the author uses the point of view of a bird and make it, I don't know, human?" she explained.

"I guess so," he agreed. "You seem to know a lot about books," Chanyeol added.

"Yeah, well," Sayuri blushed. Ah, there she goes again. "It's not really a big deal, I mean, I read quite a lot," she told him. "Hey, I just thought of something you might like, come on and follow me," she said as she grabbed Chanyeol's hand and led him to the other side of the bookstore. She's one fearless girl, he thought to himself. After they weaved through the bookstore Sayuri stopped at a shelf against the wall.

"Wait here," Sayuri told him. She took a ladder and climbed up to one of the top shelves. She looked around for a bit, and then she finally grabbed one book from the shelf. Sayuri climbed down from the ladder and handed the book to Chanyeol. "It's one of my favorites," she said.

Chanyeol read the title. "The Notebook?" he questioned. So she likes romance novels.

"I guess it's a little bit cheesy, but it's a story I've always loved. Most people know it by the movie, but a lot of them overlook the little details," she explained. "Um, am I being too forward? I know we just got to know each other last night.."

"Oh, no, it's fine. I think it's kind of cool that you're sharing this with me. I mean, romance isn't really my cup of tea, but I'll check this out," Chanyeol considered it. "How much?"

Sayuri smiled at him. "It's actually my personal copy. I keep it up on the shelf cause I have no room at my apartment. I'll let you borrow it, but you'll need to pay for Jonathan Livingston Seagull."

"Alright then," Chanyeol replied. Both of them walk to the cash register and Sayuri takes Chanyeol's book to check it in for payment. "Say, when does your shift end?" he asked.

Sayuri checked her watch. "Actually, in a few minutes, why?"

"Um, well," Chanyeol scratched his head. He's really cute when he does that. "I was wondering, if, uh, we could go grab dinner together. There's this great place I know, and they make the best pasta," he suggested.

I-Is he asking me out? Sayuri thought to herself. Maybe he really is the one. "Sure, where and when?"

"It's a few miles from here, but it'll take us a few minutes if we take the subway. I'll pick you up at seven?" Chanyeol asked.

"Seven sounds good," Sayuri replied. "I'll see you then, Chanyeol."

"Sure thing. Oh, and keep the receipt," Chanyeol says as he leaves the bookstore.

Sayuri was confused as to why Chanyeol told her before she looked at the receipt. Written on the receipt is a set of numbers. She blushed at the thought of her date later in the evening. He was definitely bold, that was for sure. She checked her Countdown and sure enough, she was missing a few weeks.

Is this a coincidence? Or is it for real? Sayuri had many thoughts going through her head at the moment. "I guess I'll find out when the time comes," she said to herself.