Do you believe in Soul mates?
Finding that person you have an instant connection with, like a familiar stranger? That person that no matter the distance, time, and circumstances, you’re just meant to be with?
But what if the connection that has been bound by the red string of fate is severed by destiny itself? Will the ill-fated souls have their final chance? Or will they continue on living their hollow lives, never to meet—or meet again—their other-halves?
Spring is almost over, but for a certain deli café in this side of Seoul, it’s only beginning.
A hand flipped the signage hanging on the glass front-door.
Open. It reads for the passer-bys.
The dainty brick-wall cladded shop is now ready for its customers.
7am to 9pm, Monday-Sunday.
The shop manager watched the hundreds of people rushed by it, outside on the crowded street as she carefully aligned the Special Promo poster she’s sticking at the café window, going about their busy lives.
“Tzuyu-ah,” she called out to the tall girl behind the counter.
“Hmm?” The girl named Tzuyu didn’t even bother looking up to the pink-haired lady. She’s too focused on chopping-up onions and laying-out the slices of meat in a stainless steel bowl.
“What if we ask the owner to add Dalgona coffee on our menu?” the manager suggested. Tzuyu looked up this time with an automatic scowl.
She continued to explain as she sticks two more posters at the window, “I heard it’s really trendy these days. Summer is almost approaching and a lot of people would want some frothy iced coffee. Whatcha think?”
“Jihyo unnie, we already have our signature milkshakes.” The ponytailed barista/sandwich-maker pointed at the menu board with her Santoku knife.
“Besides, those people who order Dalgona wouldn’t really go to our shop. They’ll most likely go to a specialty café for that. Those that make latte art sort of stuff.” Tzuyu explained. “Milkshakes are still the best pairing for our sandwiches.”
Jihyo couldn’t help but agree with her shop assistant’s reasoning. “Hmm. Fair point.”
“I always have a point.” Tzuyu smiled smugly and continued chopping vegetables.
Jihyo rolled her eyes.
The two glanced up as the door swung open, heralded by the sound of wind chimes hanging by the entrance.
“WHOA!” they heard the customer exasperate as her eyes roamed around the café.
Compared to its rustic exterior, the interior of the deli café is warm and cheery, filled with bright lights and colourful walls. Probably not what the customer with skin as white as tofu expected before walking in.
“Welcome to Seoul Meats!” Jihyo gleefully greeted their first customer of the day.
The girl flashed her a huge smile, showing a set of perfect white teeth.
“Oh. Hello!” the customer greeted back as she approached the counter, skimming the menu behind Jihyo.
“Hi there! May I take your order?” she asked the girl.
“Ah.” The girl cleared her throat before speaking, then took out something from her backpack “unnie, is it okay to film here?”
She smiled sheepishly as she pulled out her Lumix GH5 that’s mounted on a gorilla pod. Jihyo glanced at Tzuyu. The latter momentarily gave her a puzzled look but didn’t say anything and went back to dicing tomatoes.
“Oh. Right. Uhm. Hi! I’m Dahyun. Kim Dahyun. I’m a vlogger,” the girl fumbled with her introduction.
“Well… I’m meeting a special friend today—she’s also a vlogger from France. I mean, she’s Korean—and we’re looking for a spot where we can set-up and film our vlog.” She continued.
“I’ve been checking out places that haven’t been featured online and somehow stumbled upon your shop just now. It looks intriguing from the outside and I’m surprised with how different it looks inside. It’s the perfect location for our shoot.” She started to ramble, then clasped her hands together and placed them under her chin. “Please, unnie? It will be good for your business, I guarantee you.” Kim Dahyun pleaded.
Her favourite café that she was supposed to bring her friend closed down for renovation a few days ago and Dahyun only found out about this morning. Normally, she has the entire itinerary perfectly laid out—where to go, what to eat, what to do, what to talk about—but this time, she didn’t really have the time to do all that. She’s been holed up in her house for weeks editing videos and reviewing for her exams that she forgot to check up on it. And the fact that her friend’s trip was completely spontaneous and unexpected didn’t help either.
“That’s fine. We’ll just do whatever. Trust me, we’re going to have fun anyway.” She could almost hear her friend saying and it somehow removed the anxiety out of her.
We’re going to have fun anyway. Yes. I’m sure we will. She thought.
Well, dwelling on it won’t do her good so she decided to just wing it. Well, not entirely since she still has the whole morning to scout for different locations. She still wants to make a good impression, plus the location has to look good for their vlog. But the Heavens seem to be looking out for her because she lucked out on the first venue she saw. Now, she just hopes the owners would allow her to film in their establishment.
Jihyo pursed her lips.
Please, unnie. Dahyun pouted. She’s quite a charmer and people tend to give her what she wants, but this time she’s actually nervous her charms won’t work.
Seconds felt like hours as she waited for the manager’s response.
Please.
Please, please, please.
“Of course. We’ll even reserve the best seat in the house for you.” Jihyo grinned.
“Really?? Omo. Thank you so much, unnie!” Dahyun couldn’t hide her excitement. “What’s your best seller here? Oh. Do you have Dalgona coffee?”
Jihyo gave Tzuyu a quick ‘I told you so’ look. Which the younger shrugged off.
“We have milkshakes...” Tzuyu replied to their customer with a smile. "Plus we have a special promo today."
///
3:00PM
Dahyun’s heart is beating wildly.
Finally. She thought.
A 2:00AM face-time from her long-distance friend, squealing “guess what? I booked a flight to Korea!” woke her up exactly a week ago. She still couldn’t believe it.
She’s finally here. Dahyun tried her best to compose herself and focus as she sets-up her cameras. One at the table facing her seat and one with a wider range a few tables away that captures the café entrance up to where they’ll be sitting.
It’s not that surprising that she’s the only person at the café at the moment. It’s a Monday afternoon, people are still either in school or at work. Good thing she was able to free up her schedule for the day and she’s actually able to cram all her papers for the University a few days back.
Kim Dahyun is a fairly famous content creator on Youtube. With almost 150,000 subscribers, she received the Silver Play Button for her channel quite recently.
As a student in the Department of Media and Arts in Hanyang University and a music enthusiast, her channel content varies from skits, random vlogs, reaction videos, to piano covers of famous Kpop songs. But the thing is: Dahyun has never done a collab before, nor entertained the idea of doing one. Not until Chaeyoung.
All it took was a comment from a complete stranger on one of Dahyun’s least viewed video, an original piece she composed herself:
WHOA! THIS IS AWESOME! I WATCH YOUR PIANO COVERS ALL THE TIME. THE WAY YOU MAKE THEM YOUR OWN NEVER FAILS TO AMAZE ME AND NOW YOU’RE GIVING US AN ORIGINAL SONG? MA’AM, WHAT CAN YOU NOT DO?? AND WHY ISN’T THIS GETTING ENOUGH VIEWS?? C’MON PEOPLE! THIS IS PURE TALENNNTTTTTT. I STAN! [Strawberry emoji]
She remembered chuckling over the comment.
Sheesh. Why are you so loud? But deep inside her heart felt warm. A few days later, it was followed by a direct message to her IG account that’s also linked to her YouTube channel. It was easy for Dahyun to remember the person because she has the same username in it with the video-sharing platform, Strawberry Princess 29:
Hi, I’m Chaeyoung and I’m a fan of your YT Channel. I’ve been obsessing over your song for over a week now and I couldn’t help but play with it. I hope you like it.
And attached a short clip with it. It’s a two frame video. Dahyun with her Yamaha keyboard on the left side and a girl who’s probably around her age on the right: Wearing a white floral dress, shoulder length dark hair with blonde highlights that framed her face perfectly, and Marshall Headset covering both ears. Her thumb instantly hit play.
She’s immediately engrossed.
Dahyun watched and listened as the girl rhythmically tapped her fingers on her MIDI grid controller. Adding a whole new flavour to her song with every beat. Suddenly, it sounded ten times better. Without Dahyun noticing it, tears started flowing out of her eyes.
Why?
She actually knows why. It’s because the girl with a prominent mole just below her lip showed Dahyun exactly how she imagined her song to sound like, if she only knew how to play other instruments aside from piano. It’s like just by listening to it, the girl was able to read her mind.
Chaeyoung was able to see the piece of her soul that Dahyun imprinted on her song, mirrored it back to her and magnified it.
Right then and there she knew: Chaeyoung is her soul mate.
But not all soul mates have to be romantic, right?
Besides, Dahyun already has a girlfriend.
And as it turns out, based on the recent photos in her account, so does Chaeyoung.
Right.
///
“BROOOO!” a familiar voice called out. A voice she usually only hears through her headphones or speakers. It sounded louder but softer at the same time.
Dahyun raised her hand as she stares at the girl wearing a red sling purse that matches her beret, long brown boots, black stockings, and a white flowy dress with floral-lace hemline just above her knees and splashes of bright colored paint and doodles all over it. Dahyun bets that Chaeyoung painted the dress herself.
“BRO!” she was supposed to yell back and wave. But her words were stuck at the back of her throat, somehow caught off-guard by the huge smile and a deep indentation at the right cheek of the girl with red beret. Dahyun’s left hand was frozen mid-air.
Did her heart just skip a beat?
Why?
Well, for one: Dahyun is a sucker for dimples.
Unbeknownst to her, Chaeyoung’s heart is also beating out of her chest.
///
Tzuyu and Jihyo silently watched the awkward couple (of friends) from behind the counter. They’ve been staring at each other for over five minutes now.
I wonder, when will the short girl decide to sit down? Tzuyu thought. It’s like they’re watching a movie that’s on pause. “I thought tofu girl said they’re filming something? Are they really supposed to be like that?” Tzuyu commented as she stared at the pale girl that kind of resembles a mannequin.
Jihyo shrugged, she’s not really someone who watches online content these days so she’s pretty clueless with those kinds of things, for all she knows this is some kind of staring contest or whatever with youngsters these days. “Maybe we should serve them their orders?” as she munches on a slice of pastrami that came from Tzuyu’s chopping board.
///
Dahyun blinked. She has no idea how long they’ve been frozen like that.
What the hell am I doing? She stood up and walked towards the girl who’s standing two meters away from her.
“BRO!” she stood up and walked towards the girl. Her head was running in like five thousand miles an hour. Should we shake hands? Too formal. Fist bump? No, that’s too weird. High-five? What are we, 10? Maybe hug. No, that’s too familiar. Wait. What are you thinking, Dahyun? We’re friends. Stop being awkward. Plus she’s from France. Oh. France. Right…
////////
Right when she saw Dahyun stand up from her seat and started to approach her, Chaeyoung seemed to wake up from her trance. She smiled and took small steps to close-in the five meter gap between them, with hands behind her back so she could secretly wipe her sweaty palms at the flounce of her dress. She remembered what her friend Yerim told her when Chaeyoung visited her in London for the first time.
Yeri immediately spotted Chaeyoung at the Heathrow Airport’s Arrival area. How can she miss the only Korean girl in the swarm of white people? With a bright colored bucket hat, and long white boho dress under a vintage hooded coat paired with Dr. Martens, Chaeyoung’s eccentric style of clothing makes it even easier to recognize her.
“Chaeyoung-ah!” Yeri raised her placard that says ‘Welcome to London Strawberry Princess!’
The girl’s face lit up and took long strides toward her. “Yerim-ssi!”
Yeri’s extended arm grazed Chaeyoung’s elbow as the latter put both hands around her arms and leaned in for a kiss on her right cheek.
And another one on her left. Chaeyoung pulled away with a huge grin on her face “it’s so great to finally see you!”
But her eyebrows furrowed upon seeing the startled expression on Yeri’s face.
“Hey? You okay, bud?”
Yeri blinked, cleared her throat, and laughed. Right. Yeri forgot that unlike her, Chaeyoung isn’t really raised in Korea. “You’re a bold one, aren’t you?”
The creases between Chaeyoung’s brows deepen, “What do you mean?”
“Yah. When you go to Korea to meet new people for the first time, a hand shake is the best way to go, okay?”
“Why?”
“Let’s just say people there are not as open as they are in Paris.” Yeri smiled and flung her arms around Chaeyoung’s shoulder. “Anyway, let’s take your stuff to the car.”
Right. A handshake. Just shake her hand and bow. It’s the customary greeting. She thought.
Chaeyoung lifted both hands and extended them towards Dahyun. Placing her left hand at the underside of her right wrist, slightly bending forward for a bow. But the latter has a different kind of greeting in mind. Instead of Dahyun’s hand, Chaeyoung felt her waist on her palm as the girl as white as tofu placed her hand at her back and inched closer and closer to her face.
Dahyun planted a kiss on Chaeyoung’s cheek.
Faire la bise.
Dahyun pulled away with a huge grin on her face, “Bonjour!”
Chaeyoung blinked. This is what Yeri must’ve felt when she greeted her with kisses when they first met. But maybe it’s not. She doesn’t think her British-Korean friend felt like her heart leapt right out of her chest because of a peck on a cheek. And perhaps, Korea isn’t as conservative as she thought.
///
DING!
Tzuyu tapped the bell signalling the customers that their order is ready.
Chaeyoung raced Dahyun in getting up. “I’ll get it!”
Before the older could even react, the younger is already walking towards the counter.
“Here you go, Dahyun.” Chaeyoung placed Dahyun’s milkshake in front of her.
“Yah!” the tofu skinned girl scrunched her eyebrows.
“What?” the girl wearing a beret was startled.
“Dahyun UNNIE. You should call me UNNIE.” Carefully enunciating and putting emphasis on her words.
“Why?” Chaeyoung raised her eyebrows, in genuine confusion.
“Because I’m older than you.” Dahyun replied in a firm voice.
Chaeyoung tried to keep a straight face but ended up bursting in laughter at the seeming absurdity of Dahyun’s answer.
“Just by one year, though.” She commented, shaking her head as she sat down.
Her ex-girlfriend is two years older from her but Chaeyoung couldn’t remember ever calling Rosé ‘unnie’. Not even once.
“Still.” Dahyun insisted. The girl born and raised in Korea is having trouble explaining to the foreign girl the importance of properly addressing people.
“Unnie means older sister, right?” Chaeyoung asked as she slid in the straw in her milkshake.
“Yeah. That’s right. So I’m Dahyun unn—”
Chaeyoung leaned in, “but I don’t really see you as an older sister…” and mumbled with downturned lips in a shape of a pout.
Dahyun felt like all the blood in her body migrated to her cheeks because of the younger’s comment.
Did she just?
“Okay, okay. Unnieeee. Dahyun unniiiieeee…” Chaeyoung continued to tease the older girl. Dahyun watched as Chaeyoung took a sip on her milkshake with a mischievous smirk on her face.
Omo. Why on earth am I blushing?
///
“One. Two. Three.”
Dahyun clapped once and waved at the camera just like she always does.
“Hi, guys! What’s up and welcome back to the channel. Today I’m here with a VERY SPECIAL guest, a dear friend that traveled 8960 kilometers just to make this collab happen. Son Chaeyoung!” she then made a jazz hands gesture towards Chaeyoung who couldn’t help but laugh at her tacky intro.
Dahyun is really different when she’s in front of the camera with this high-energy persona that’s quite far from the actual calm personality that Chaeyoung got to interact with over the course of eight months they’ve been online friends.
“I didn’t travel here just for the collab, silly. I came here for you!” she shook her head as she stared at the vlogger.
“You’re probably starting to regret it, right?” Dahyun laughed, trying to create a silly on-screen banter between them, just like they rehearsed.
But Chaeyoung had a different answer in mind, “not really. I’ve been waiting to meet you since we first talked. So I must say that... You’re worth the travel, no matter how far or how long it takes.” smiling earnestly.
Her surprising answer and the sincerity in Chaeyoung’s voice made Dahyun forget all the funny and witty comments she prepared. All she could do is stare at the girl as her heart, once again, beat wildly inside her chest.
She completely forgot that they’re filming. She blinked and tried to get herself together, thinking of a way to hide the flushing of her cheeks.
Well, she could just cut that part out later, and maybe save it to a different folder, for herself.
///
“She won’t remember any of these, right?” from the café window, Chaeyoung watched as the girl with skin as white as tofu glanced back at her one final time. Waving at her through the glass with a huge grin as she walked backwards toward the sea of people waiting for the green light at the pedestrian crossing. With a heavy heart, she smiled at Dahyun and waved back. Unlike Chaeyoung, Dahyun’s bright smile is full of life.
“By the time she goes home and close her eyes to sleep, all her memories of you will start fading away,” Tzuyu softly reminded her as she cleared out the table, “and when she wakes up, all traces of you will be wiped out. Just like a dream.” Putting the empty glasses of milkshakes at the tray before wiping the table clean.
Chaeyoung sighed as her eyes focused on the two glasses sitting on top of the tray, stains of pink syrup in one and dark brown on the other. “But she took a sip from my milkshake, too.”
“Yeah. That wasn’t supposed to happen.” Tzuyu glanced at her manager from behind the counter.
///
[Earlier]
It was chaos. The scene is painted by varying shades of greys and reds. Smoke filled her lungs but for some reason, it didn’t suffocate her. She can hear the faint sound of sirens from a distance. Getting louder and louder each second, the crackling of fire as it charred and melted away everything in sight.
What the hell happened here?
From afar, Chaeyoung watched as the flames engulfed the torn-up pieces of metal. The wreckage that was once Airbus DC0729
Where is everybody? She looked around and saw no one.
No.
Not no one.
Someone was there with her.
A tall figure started to approach her. A fedora, long trench coat, and leather shoes. The person wore black from head to toe. A woman. She took long strides towards Chaeyoung, and the closer she got, the more she towered over her.
Chaeyoung took a step back when she noticed the woman pull an envelope from under her coat. She took the card inside it and started reading it with a deadpan expression on her face.
“Son Chaeyoung. 21 years old. Born on April 23rd, 1999. Time of death is 8:36AM, June 8th, 2020. Cause of death: Impact due to plane crash.”
///
And now, here she is. Sitting in this Deli Café on a Monday afternoon.
Watching that tall figure with a name plate that says ‘Hi, I’m Tzuyu’ walk away from her and head towards the counter with a tray that carries the empty glasses of milkshake she and Dahyun drank earlier.
Chaeyoung smiled to herself.
It was that kind of smile that wasn’t able to reach her eyes.
A final chance.
Well… She certainly got that, didn’t she?
///
As soon as the café door swung open, Chaeyoung was greeted by the warm smile of the lady with a cotton candy pink hair. The welcoming expression from her face far from the stoic facade of the one that brought her there.
“Come, sit.” The lady walked towards her from behind the counter and ushered her to one of the booths at the otherside of the cafe.
When she finally sat down, Chaeyoung watched as the tall lady removed her black coat and hung it on a coat rack near the entrance of the shop.
She averted her gaze back to the lady sitting directly opposite to her.
“I’m confused, she told me I’m already dead…” Chaeyoung started as she pointed at the slender figure that brought her there.
“Yes, that’s right. You died at exactly 8:36 this morning.”
“Right. So, why am I here?” she let her eyes roam around the bright interior of the cafe, the booths with pine wood tables and leather seats, and the drop lights that hang right above them. “Is this the afterlife?”
The pink-haired lady laughed, and now Chaeyoung noticed that she has a nameplate on the right side of her chest with the words ‘Hi, I’m Jihyo!’ written over it.
“You’re still in Seoul, dear. And your soul isn’t ready for that.” Jihyo replied to the young soul, which just made Chaeyoung even more confused.
She continued, “you see, humans are given four lives. Just the perfect amount to tend for their seeds. The first, to scatter their seeds; Second, to water them; Third, a life to harvest those seeds; and Fourth, a life to finally use them.” motioning her finger upward.
“Seeds?”
“Your soul.”
“Oh.”
There was a long pause, which Jihyo allowed, to let Chaeyoung process the information she just shared.
“So where am I right now? Which life?” she asked, almost inaudibly. But Jihyo doesn’t need to hear her voice to know what she has in mind. She could listen to her thoughts before Chaeyoung could even think of them.
“Well. Your first life just ended, and you’re in a pit stop before you begin with your second.”
After Tzuyu walked towards them with a glass of water for the young soul, and when she started walking back to the counter, Jihyo began her long explanation of how things work to Chaeyoung.
Not all humans that die get to enter the dainty brick wall-cladded deli cafe in this side of Seoul. Normally, they pay a visit at The Laundromat right across the street that ‘dry cleans their clothes’ in preparation for their next lives. But somehow, just like the other souls of Flight DC0729, Chaeyoung's happened to leave her body on a very special day.
8th of June.
Also known as The Soulmate Day.
“Wow. That’s cheesy. Soulmate day, huh?” Chaeyoung should be sad that her life just ended, but instead, she’s laughing at the irony of the story behind the day of her unfortunate demise.
“Well, I don’t think I even got the chance to meet my soulmate.” she shook her head, the laughter turned to a sad smile. She’s staring blankly at the table as she tapped it with her fingers rhythmically, seemingly reminded of a specific person.
“And that’s exactly why you’re here.” Jihyo responded.
Chaeyoung lifted her head and met Jihyo’s gaze. She produced a flyer from god-knows-where and handed it to the young soul.
National Soulmate Day Special Promo: Free Milkshakes!
“So… you’re going to give me a… milkshake?” Chaeyoung raised an eyebrow.
Jihyo laughed, “No, pabo. We’re going to give you a final chance to meet your soulmate.”
“How? I’m already dead. Wait-- was she on that flight, too? Is she also dead?” her eyes widened at the thought of how unfortunate their souls actually are if they happened to die on the same day. But no, deep inside Chaeyoung’s heart, she already knew who that person was. Which made her eyes widen much more as she looked at the lady sitting across her.
“No, she’s not dead. Kim Dahyun is still very much alive.” Jihyo dismissed her thoughts before she could even verbalize them.
“Then, how? Do I get to visit her in her dream or something?”
“Well, you could. But that’s not how we operate around here.” the manager lifted her arm and checked the time on her wristwatch, which read 9:15, “let’s just say that she’ll be on her way here in about an hour. Then five hours later, just like you agreed, you’re going to meet her here.”
Jihyo further explained how things are different inside the cafe. Time is relative, and so is space. It’s specifically curated for each soul that enters it. The establishment reflects and magnifies the aura that they give off. And for the two young souls, the cafe is bright and colorful, just like them.
“When you meet, Dahyun will not see a ghost, she’ll see Son Chaeyoung as she imagined you would be. Alive, warm, and with a vibrant personality. And that you will be.”
“What’s the catch?” Chaeyoung mumbled.
“What do you mean?” the manager asked.
“There’s always a catch, right?”
Jihyo wouldn't call it a 'catch', but rather, a choice.
“Well, you see, we have Milkshakes that come in two flavors: Strawberry and Chocolate. But their flavors are not the only thing that's special about them.” The manager pointed at the menu, “A glass of our signature Strawberry Milkshake will make you remember everything about your soulmate, and those memories about them, you get to take with you in your next life. A gift, to make it easier for you to find them.”
Well, Chaeyoung is certainly ordering that strawberry milkshake. She wants to remember Dahyun, and she wants Dahyun to remember her, too.
The manager continued, “while the Chocolate flavored one will make you forget. It will wipe all the memories of your soulmate in this lifetime and would make you start your next life fresh, or for those who are still living, they get to continue living in this lifetime without the burden of looking for their other half. Without that emptiness, that feeling that they will never be whole.”
Again, there was a moment of silence between them until Chaeyoung slowly opened her mouth for a comment which started with a sigh.
“Good thing Dahyun loves chocolate.”
///
Chaeyoung is still thinking of that moment when Dahyun asked to take a sip from her milkshake, pacing back and forth in front of the counter, and how before she could even respond with a no, the tofu-skinned girl already had her lips wrapped around Chaeyoung’s straw, sipping on her strawberry flavored beverage. “Mmm. I’m not really a fan of fruit flavored drinks but this tastes great. Wow.” she could still picture how Dahyun’s eyes turned to crescent moons as she smiled widely at her, and her completely forgetting about the consequences of that action.
Tzuyu couldn’t tell her what it would mean for Dahyun, and neither could the manager.
“She just took a tiny sip. Maybe all the chocolate would cancel it out, right?”
“Maybe.” the tall lady replied as she put on her coat again.
“Chaeyoung-ah.” Tzuyu called her as she gently opened a door from behind the counter. “It’s time.”
///
As Chaeyoung’s soul takes its long journey to her next life, Dahyun’s mind is filled with the thoughts of their last first meeting. All she did since she went home was watch the videos they filmed on her laptop. She’ll start editing them tomorrow, right now, she’s just going to press play one more time. But even though her mind is still wide awake, her body betrayed her. Slowly her droopy eyes closed and her left cheek was pressed on top of her study desk. Along with the most recent MP4 files on her laptop, all the memories of Son Chaeyoung were wiped clean from her mind. And when she finally woke up the morning after, StrawberryPrincess_29 no longer existed in her world.
///
June 9, 2020
“Good morning!” Dahyun greeted her dad as she went down the stairs of their house, punching the air as she walked to alleviate the stiffness she felt on her shoulder.
I really should stop sleeping on my desk. She thought to herself. She couldn’t even remember why she slept there in the first place, she’s already done with all her schoolwork and she doesn’t really have any Youtube videos to edit. Maybe I’ve been watching too many Mukbang videos again.
“Good morning, sunshine!” her dad replied from the living room, she could hear him watching the morning news so after grabbing a bowl of cereals, she headed towards the couch and sat beside him.
As a Broadcasting major, it has always been a morning ritual for her to watch the news, studying the way the reporters deliver their bits.
The camera panned to a female anchor who then started to present a news, “Flight DC0729 heading from Paris, France was involved in a serious accident in Korea yesterday. At 8:36AM, the aircraft made a hair raising approach into Incheon International Airport. The plane touched down with the left-wing low, causing the wingtip and flaps to come into contact with the runway. Experts suggested that it seemed that both engines had failed in-flight causing the crash that killed 14 out of the 52 people onboard, including the two pilots, while also injuring 36 others.”
The pictures of the people that died were flashed on the TV screen with their names and ages below them. Dahyun continued to scoop her breakfast but was suddenly frozen when the second batch of pictures showed up. The third picture at the upper right corner of the screen caught her eye.
It is of a girl with eyes shaped like almonds, jet black hair that falls down her shoulder and blonde highlights that frames her face perfectly, and a mole just below her full lips. Strangely, her appearance reminded Dahyun very much of a tiger and a strawberry at the same time.
Son Chaeyoung, the name below her picture read.
For reasons Kim Dahyun couldn’t explain, the air around her seemed thicker and her heart was suddenly heavier. Her shoulders slumped when she felt a stirring at the pit of her stomach and a strange pang on her chest. And just like that, without warning, tears escaped her eyes and started to stream down her cheeks.
I prepared a short playlist for this AU, I hope you could give them a listenafter reading this: