“There are all kinds of love in this world but never the same love twice.”- F. Scott Fitzgerald 

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It was on the bridge when you met him. It was there where everything changed.

I came to Korea because I wanted to get away. I felt secluded in the life I was living. Every two months or so I would think about wanting to get a vacation. And for the last year I had about 5 or 6 vacations. Momentarily I didn’t realize that I was trying to escape. When you feel that something might be wrong with your life, the first thing you do is try to change yourself. At least thats what I did. I thought that if I got my hair cut, or bought new clothes then I would feel like a new person. Well, that didn’t help. If anything I felt more lost. I didn’t know who I was or what I wanted with my life. A couple of months after I came back home, I realized that if I wasn’t happy in the United States, then I would at least be happier in a place I’ve wanted to go for quite sometime. It’s been almost a year since I’ve been here and while I’ve yet to find my “calling” I’m definitely glad that I’m experiencing this new life.

“Y/a- ssi, you’re late again,” the manager called out from behind the counter.

I propped my head down and put my bag under the cabinet.

“I’m so sorry. This time it really wasn’t my fault. These high school kids were crossing the street when the light was red and the bus driver got really mad and stopped for about 15 minutes to yell at them- “ I rambled on. Which is usually what I do when I get nervous. I saw Manager Kim laughing while opening the overhead cabinets.  

“Manager Kim..are you laughing at me??” I playfully remarked.

“Y/a- ssi you’ve been here what? 1 year?… you still don’t know by now that you’re bound to be faced with unexpected situations. If you have an appointment at 7:30 you have to leave an hour before that time. Or else who knows what will happen..”he chuckled walking toward me.

Manager Kim was only two years older then me and attended the same university as me. Although we had classes in different departments, we met working at the cafe across from our school. It also helped that he was nearly fluent in English. I’ve asked him how he learned English, but every time I bring up the subject he refuses to talk about it.

“So sassy…”I muttered in English under my breath.

“I heard that,”he whispered seductively in my ear. Instantaneously, my fingers scrunched up.

“Namjoonssi please..no,”I laughed pretending to throw up.  

“Yah! Didn’t I say at work you have to call me Manager Kim,”he stated folding his arms across his chest.

I turned around on my heals while shaking my head up and down.

“Yes..sir, whatever you say,”I replied. So typical of Namjoon. At work he makes me call him Manager Kim. He says it’s an authoritative status he has over me since he’s 2 years older. I mean technically he is an oppa but for some reason I could never see myself calling him that. And he’s never made me call him that thankfully. Although he wants to deny it I know why he makes me call him Manager Kim at work. He’s mad since I beat him at pool when I first attended the class dinner a year ago. Ever since then he’s held a small yet ever lasting grudge against me.

After I finished setting up the tables and cleaning the utensils, I sat down on the stool over the counter. It was almost 8 am, but I was already tired from staying up late to study for my language exam. I thought I had put my head down for a few seconds, but I guess it was more than a couple of seconds  because I woke up with a loud bang in the room.

“What!! What happened?…”I tiredly expressed staring at my surroundings. While my eyes adjusted to the lighting of the room, I saw Namjoon in the corner picking up a chair.

“Sorry, it fell from my hands,”he grinned, both his dimples emerging on his face.

“Right. I bet they did.”I laughed. “Sorry, I’ve just been out of it lately. These finals will kill me,” I sighed putting my hands over my face. For a moment, there was this silence in the air. It was the kind of atmosphere where you felt awkward yet curious simultaneously.

Namjoon walked to where I was. I saw a serious glint in his eyes. As he walked to the counter, my hands began to clench and I noticed I broke eye contact with him and stared at the door.

“Y/a you will do great. Don’t worry,” he smiled putting his hand on mine which was laying on the countertop. In those two seconds, I realized that I had never seen Namjoon smile like that before. Sure, I had seen him laugh with his friends, but at that moment it felt as if that was the first time he sincerely meant his words. I clasped my hands together, breaking his hands off mine and quickly got off from the stool.

“Do you mind if I leave at 5 today?” I asked.