An aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.

So Eun gripped the edges of her tray tightly, her eyes scanning feverishly across the crowded café for an empty table. She sighed inwardly. She hated crowds, which had been the reason why this quaint café had become her favourite haunt - it was always quiet and empty - or at least it had been. So Eun shifted her weight from one foot to the other, feeling awkward just standing in the middle of the café, looking like a lost child. From the corner of her eye, she spied her favourite table, the one nestled at the far corner, where the lights were dimmer and where she was always left to enjoy the relaxing, soothing atmosphere without any disturbance. She chewed on her bottom lip, debating whether she should approach. The table for four was occupied by a boy, who seemed to be alone. He wore a black hoodie and had his back facing her, his head bent down over his food, making it seem like he did not want to be disturbed. So Eun sighed again. She hated talking to strangers - she had always been the sort to warm up to others slowly, making it difficult for her to approach anyone she did not know even if it was just for a momentary conversation. She inhaled slowly, attempting to compose herself before she approached the table cautiously, afraid of the boy's possible reaction.

So Eun cleared her voice, attempting to catch the boy's attention. To her dismay, he had not heard her over the background music and the loud chatter in the café. She reached out to tap his shoulder, only to stop herself before doing so. What if he got offended? Deciding against it, she placed her tray on the table abruptly, causing the boy to look up from his food.

"U-umm, hi, is this seat taken?" She asked awkwardly, mentally chastising herself for being so rude and abrupt.

The boy looked up momentarily, giving her a glance, before he shook his head. He nodded towards the empty seat diagonally across from him, indicating that she could take it, before turning back to his own food.

"T-thank you," So Eun sat herself down at the table as quietly and gingerly as possible. The boy looked tired and sullen, making her feel a little guilty that she seemed to be disturbing his peace.

So Eun opened the container of chicken salad and speared the ingredients as she ate silently. Her stomach thanked her gratefully for the food, especially after she had gone hungry all day. She had been kept up to her neck in work at the office today, and had skipped lunch - only now were the hunger pangs returning. So Eun had been so immersed and engrossed in her writing and editing all day that she had not even felt any urge to eat at all. That was how it always was, especially when inspiration came and she became lost in her own little world. So Eun was a writer at a well-loved and large magazine company in Seoul, where she wrote in the Lifestyle and Self-Improvement department. She had gained a prestigious internship in the company when she first entered college, and had worked her way up to earn her very own column in the magazine despite her young age. This had all happened whilst her fellow counterparts were looking for jobs after graduation, or travelling to celebrate the end of college. And so now here she was, shouldering more responsibilities than any other fresh college graduate would have - readers expected enlightening and insightful columns every two weeks and she knew she had to deliver them no matter what. No one, of course, knew that she was the writer behind the much-loved 'Introverted Insights' column - for nobody would have believed or taken her seriously if they knew of her real age. Even her chief editor was often floored by the maturity of her writing and how she seemed to know so much at her young age. Maybe it was her tendency for introversion - she wasn't the sort to talk much at all, but she had an extremely vibrant inner world that allowed her much introspection. She expressed her true feelings and thoughts through her writing, the way she could not do so verbally or socially with others, and perhaps that was what drew such a steady readership to her column.

So Eun observed the boy that shared her table from the corner of her eye as she ate. He appeared drained and weary, and So Eun could almost feel a suffocating atmosphere surrounding him. He was troubled, and So Eun was curious what it was that was creating a cloud of doom and gloom around him. That was another of So Eun's strengths. Her introverted personality meant that the energy others used for social interactions and endeavours had been translated into acute observation skills in her case - it made her extremely sharp and intuitive in sensing others' emotions and sentiments. She retrieved her unfinished crossword puzzle from her bag, along with her pen. It was one of her past-times - a way for her to decompress, especially after writing about such serious topics everyday at the office. She stared at the clue for the next word.

"8 across, beautiful coincidences," So Eun stared at the folded paper in her hands, mumbling under her breath. Her mind was blank. Beautiful coincidences? She suddenly could not find a word for the clue given. "11 letters." She counted the number of boxes on the paper. She chewed on the top of her pen as she fell into deep thought, racking her brains for the word. What was a beautiful coincidence? Could coincidences even be considered beautiful in the first place? The empty boxes on the crossword puzzle stared back at her.

"Serendipity." So Eun's head shot up. Did she hear someone say something? She turned her head slightly, only to meet the boy's eyes. He was staring back at her now, having lifted his head from his plate. So Eun froze in her seat for a moment, as she held his stare. The boy had a pair of the most emotive eyes So Eun had ever seen - they seemed to possess such a potent intensity, and as he looked at her, she suddenly felt and bare. It was as if the boy's intense gaze could see right through her, into the depths of her soul. So Eun felt an uneasy and foreign feeling stir in her chest and she quickly broke eye contact - no one had affected her so much before with a mere gaze.

"I'm sorry?" She enquired, wondering whether she had heard right. The boy looked down for a moment at the crossword puzzle in her hand, before looking up at her again.

"8 across, 11 letters, beautiful coincidences. Serendipity." He jerked his head towards the crossword puzzle, the stoic expression on his face never changing one bit since he began talking. His voice was smooth and a little husky, and despite the loud chatter and background music in the café, she was able to hear him loud and clear.

"Oh, t-thank you," So Eun looked down to quickly scribble the answer on the crossword. She hadn't known that he had heard her mumbling under her breath, or that he had been paying attention to the crossword in her hand. It made her wonder whether he had been watching her whilst he was eating all along.

"I don't think I know anyone who still does those," The boy continued, looking down at the crossword in So Eun's hands.

"Oh this?" So Eun responded rather awkwardly, not knowing where this conversation was going. "I guess most people use their phones too much nowadays, but I'm a bit more old school." So Eun admitted honestly, before becoming alarmed that she was sharing about herself to a total stranger.

"Is that why you like this café?" The boy enquired, turning to take in the café scene. Whilst doing so, the hood of his jacket fell back, revealing his full face and the snapback he had on his head. So Eun found him oddly … familiar. Where had she seen him before?

"U-uh well, I guess so?" So Eun answered tentatively, suddenly suspicious at the boy's sudden questions. "It's cosy and usually quiet in here. The jazz and indie they put on is really good as well. So do you like it here?" It was So Eun's turn to ask the question, trying to prevent herself from revealing anything more to this stranger.

"Yeah, it's not too bad. I might actually come back here sometime," The boy stood up and gathered his things. "See you, crossword girl." The boy shot So Eun a smirk before turning and leaving. So Eun was dumbfounded. What had just happened?

*****

"Hey, I'm sorry I'm late," So Eun collapsed into the chair at her favourite table in her favourite café. She exhaled tiredly, rubbing her sore neck. She had been bent over her laptop all day at the office feverishly researching and writing for her next column and she was beyond drained. She opened her container of salad and ate, allowing herself to finally relax after a hectic day of work. The smooth jazz played in the background of the café, soothing her occupied mind and flustered emotions.

"It's okay, I was busy writing too," The boy in the black hoodie replied, lifting his head momentarily before returning to scribble phrases on his lined notepad.

A lot had happened since So Eun's fateful and accidental encounter with the boy with the black hoodie at the café weeks ago. For one, So Eun had become a guest writer in the Travel department of the magazine company she worked at, which meant double the heavy workload she already had. The new responsibility of writing for the Travel department also meant So Eun's more frequent visits to the café, in search of inspiration and a conducive environment to write. And with that came more frequent encounters with the boy with the black hoodie. True to his word, he had indeed returned to the café, just like he had said before. Their regular encounters at the café had somewhat blossomed and developed into a friendship. So Eun had learned that the boy's name was Han Bin, but he preferred to be called B.I instead. He was the same age as So Eun, a trainee at YG Entertainment, and that he was rapper. It helped So Eun to understand why he looked so familiar, and why he always wore a black hoodie and a snapback.

"I brought these for you," So Eun reached into her bag to retrieve several crossword puzzles. "I thought you might want to do them if you have the time."

"Oh, thanks," Han Bin received the crosswords, slotting them into the back of his notepad. "But I've been pretty busy lately. I don't think I'll be able to touch them till later."

"Writing another song?" So Eun leaned forward, peering at the random phrases and sentences he had jotted down on the paper. She proceeded to give him suggestions and pointed out certain details that he should consider changing. It was an occupational hazard and in the weeks that she had met with Han Bin, she had always found herself trying to help him in his song writing.

Honestly, So Eun did not understand how she had even become friends with Han Bin. She was never the sort to chat, much less strike up a friendship with mere strangers, and it was a wonder that she