The street seemed suspended in an aura of secrecy that could only appear in the torpor of the night.
Nam Ji-Yeon stood in quiet anticipation, her silhouette illuminated faintly by the flicker of a streetlamp.
Her breath formed faint clouds, rising into the air like fake cigarette smoke.
From the distance, a car emerged as though conjured from the shadows.
It stopped in front of her, and the window rolled down to reveal Kim Jin-na, wearing sunglasses that shimmered with absurdity for the lateness of the hour.
The audacity of her attire lent the moment an air of melodramatic flair, as if the night itself were in on a joke.
‘Can you explain to me why you wanted us to meet here?’ Ji-Yeon’s voice was tinged with reproach, the question slicing through the peculiar silence.
‘I didn’t want them to see us together,’ Jin-na replied conspiratorial, the kind of tone that transformed mundane words into the intrigue.
Ji-Yeon raised an eyebrow, her skepticism palpable.
‘I see.
But why here?’ ‘At this hour, we can’t afford any slip-ups,’ Jin-na said with an exaggerated seriousness.
‘Just imagine if Nari or Eu-jin spotted us together.
They might think we’re up to something.’ ‘They know we’re friends,’ Ji-Yeon sighed, her skepticism evident.
‘That we meet up occasionally.
There’s nothing suspicious about that.’ Jin-na tilted her head, as if pondering the naivety of her friend’s reasoning.
‘But right now, we can’t risk any mistakes,’ she said with dramatic emphasis.
‘Do you have any news?’ They started eating snacks as they always did when they were confabulating something since their college days.
But on this occasion it all seemed absurdly comical.
Ji-Yeon shifted her weight, her maternal instincts battling her complicity in this clandestine endeavor.
‘They met this afternoon,’ she said, her voice low.
‘And they’re seeing each other again tomorrow.
She’s going with him to look at a friend’s apartment.’ Jin-na’s face lit up, though her sunglasses obscured the full effect.
‘Good!
Nari didn’t mention any of this to me,’ she said, shaking her head in feigned exasperation.
‘What am I going to do about her shyness?
It’s like a curse!
Anyway, we have to plan the next step.’ Ji-Yeon hesitated.
‘What if,’ she said slowly, as if the words themselves needed coaxing, ‘we don’t intervene for now?
Let things develop naturally between them.’ For a moment, Ji-yeon seemed to hold its breath.
Jin-na’s skepticism was as tangible, but it softened as she leaned back in her seat, a reluctant smile tugging at her lips.
‘Naturally?’ she echoed, the word hanging in the air.
After a pause, she nodded, her acquiescence fragile yet sincere.
‘I suppose…
we can give it a try,’ she said though her tone implied that patience was not her strongest virtue.
‘If Cupid needs our assistance later on, we’ll be ready to step in.’ The two women shared a conspiratorial smile, they were ready to meddle with fate at the slightest provocation, yet willing, for now, to let destiny take its course.
… BCN-SEOUL Sara had been browsing flight options for an hour, and a peculiar urgency tugged at her fingers as she typed a quick message: ‘Are you free?
Can we talk online?’ Miles away, Nari’s phone buzzed with Sara’s message.
Without hesitation, Nari initiated a video call, her voice bursting forth.
‘¡Buenos días!’ she greeted with effervescent cheer.
‘¡Buenos días!’ Sara echoed, her own smile brightening her face as she sank back into her chair.
‘How are you?
How was the match yesterday?’ Nari asked.
Sara sighed a bit disappointed.
‘To be honest… not great.
It was a bit dull.
Ended in a 0-0 draw.
But I enjoyed going with my father.
It took me back to when I was eighteen, feeling like time more slowly.’ ‘That sounds lovely,’ Nari said, her voice tinged with longing, remembering her own fleeting moments of father and daughter.
‘It was,’ Sara admitted wistfully.
‘And you?
What did you get up to?’ Nari hesitated, a soft blush rising to her cheeks, like a secret she wasn’t sure how to share.
‘Well… I spent time with the son of a friend of my mother’s,’ she murmured.
Sara’s playful laugh burst through the screen.
‘It seems like your mother’s friend’s son has activated your vegetative system.’ Nari blinked, confused.
‘What do you mean?’ With mock seriousness, Sara pointed to her cheek, her tone light but teasing.
‘You’re blushing.
That’s a gentler way of putting it.’ ‘Oh…’ Nari fumbled, laughing despite herself.
‘He’s a nice guy.
I didn’t expect to have such a good time.
It was a surprise.’ ‘Well, I hope you get to see him again soon,’ Sara said, her teasing softened into encouragement.
‘This evening,’ Nari confessed, unable to suppress her smile.
Sara leaned closer to the camera, her curiosity piqued.
‘So you had a REALLY good time.’ ‘No, it’s just that I’m going to accompany him to a friend’s place,’ Nari explained quickly, as if needing to justify her eagerness.
She mentioned that he was looking for an apartment and had recently returned from the US.
She also added that they were actually going to see a football match.
Sara’s grin returned.
‘Sounds good.
You’ll have to tell me all about it.’ Then her expression shifted, her purpose for the call resurfacing.
‘I was actually calling because I’m looking at flights to Korea.
I wanted to know if you’ll be there in September.
I’d love for us to meet up.’ Nari’s face lit up with joy.
‘I’ll definitely be there!
Book your ticket!
I could take a few days off, and we could do things together’.
‘Oh, I’d love that,’ Sara said, her voice carrying the weight of genuine excitement.
‘You could stay at my place,’ Nari offered without hesitation.
Sara began, her practical side surfacing.
‘Don’t worry, I can find a hotel or an apartment.’ But Nari wouldn’t hear of it.
‘I insist!
I live alone, and it would be great to spend more time together.’ ‘Are you sure?’ Sara hesitated for a moment, touched by her friend’s generosity.
‘I don’t want to be a bother.’ ‘I wouldn’t have offered you if I didn’t mean it,’ Nari replied, her sincerity evident.
‘I feel a very special connection with you.’ ‘Yes, me too,’ Sara admitted quietly, as if the distance between them had already begun to shrink.
‘Oh, in just four months we will see each other!’ Nari exclaimed, her excitement spilling over.
‘Four months,’ Sara repeated, already counting the days.
… SEOUL A few hours later, Nari gripped the steering wheel tightly, her knuckles turning pale as she focused on the road ahead.
The car hummed softly, the sound mingling with the light breeze outside the window.
Eu-jin sat in the passenger seat, his gaze wandering out of the window, seemingly lost in thought, though he occasionally glanced at her furtively, trying not to be noticed.
Nari had offered to pick him up.
Ever since their encounter at the café the day before, she had found herself thinking about him in ways she hadn’t anticipated.
His easy smile, the confidence in his voice, and the way he seemed to notice details others overlooked—it all lingered in her mind long after they had parted.
Now, as they drove together, Nari wanted to appear natural, to keep things light.
But the more she tried, the more her nervousness emerged to the surface.
What if she was being too obvious?
What if he noticed how carefully she chose her words, or the way her hands tightened on the wheel every time he glanced her way?
Feeling the heat rising to her cheeks, she turned on the air conditioning to prevent herself from blushing.
Eu-jin’s voice cut through the quiet like a lifeline.
‘So,’ he began, his tone light but probing, ‘what’s Sang-in like?
Should I be worried?’ She glanced at him briefly before answering.
‘He’s a very pleasant and friendly person—you’ll see,’ she replied with a small, reassuring smile.
‘You’re picking me up, helping me find an apartment…’ Eu-jin began earnestly.
‘I’ll have to repay you somehow.’ ‘Don’t worry!
I’m happy to help.’ He tilted his head, studying her with quiet curiosity.
‘Do you help any strangers like this?’ Nari feigned thought before responding with a smirk, ‘Mmm… only those who don’t like to waste time.’ They both laughed.
Nari’s comment, though seemingly casual, held a layer of reflection that only she fully understood.
She was referring to how, just the day before, Eu-jin had approached her with an almost disarming directness.
For someone like Nari, who was accustomed to second-guessing even the smallest decisions, Eu-jin’s easy self-assurance had been striking.
While she might have agonized over whether it was appropriate to ask for help or worried about imposing on someone she had just met, Eu-jin had done so with an effortless charm that made it seem natural, even reasonable.
She had replayed the moment in her mind more than once since then, marveling at how he managed to convey both confidence and sincerity without coming across as pushy.
There was a kind of grounded certainty in his approach that she couldn’t help but admire.
For Nari, this trait was as foreign as it was enviable.
Her own cautious nature often left her paralyzed by indecision, weighed down by the endless what-ifs that crowded her mind.
In contrast, Eu-jin seemed to move through life with a clarity of purpose that she found magnetic.
His decisiveness wasn’t just a quality—it felt like a gift, one she secretly wished she could borrow, even if only for a day.
Eu-jin’s presence seems already reshaping how she saw herself.
Eu-jin chuckled, leaning back into his seat.
‘How about dinner?
I could treat you to dinner to make up for it.’ Nari cast him a sidelong glance, her voice teasing.
‘Since you’re so determined, a dinner won’t be enough.’ Eu-jin raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
‘What else could we do?’ Her answer came with a touch of whimsy.
‘Let’s take a short trip to a beach town and enjoy fresh fish at a local market.’ ‘Done,’ he agreed without hesitation, his voice carrying a note of awe, as though she had named a wish he didn’t know he had.
‘I also need to see the sea and breathe the salty air.’ As the car weaved through the streets, Nari shifted the conversation, her tone casual.
‘Have you been able to study anything this morning?
Sang-in and my brother are very demanding football fans.’ Eu-jin sighed theatrically, the corners of his lips twitching upward.
‘Studying is what I do best, even though I don’t think reading the sports page for a day will qualify me as a football expert.’ ‘Take it easy,’ she said, her voice a balm against his self-deprecation.
‘Football aside, they’re very nice.’ She slowed the car, the headlights revealing a welcoming glow from a nearby building.
‘We’re arriving!’ Pausing for a moment, she turned to him, her expression softening into something more supportive.
‘Good luck!’ Eu-jin adjusted his jacket, his movements careful and deliberate, as though preparing for an audience with destiny itself.
‘What nerves!’ he admitted with a half-laugh.
‘It feels like I’m about to be tested at the university…’