Caramel macchiato was So-eun's favorite kind of coffee. And every morning she would walk to the coffee shop before her classes started and buy coffee to bring life to her tired state. She needed her fix of caffeine before she could concentrate on anything.

However that particular day she didn't buy coffee. She was already there at the entrance, hand ready to push the glass door open, when someone else was also about to walk in. They pushed the door open at the same time. So-eun looked up and froze.

The two of them seemed to be stuck at the entrance for a moment. He looked a little conflicted, as if deciding on how he would greet her. She was the first one to move. She spun around and walked away without another word. What else was she supposed to do? There was nothing to say to him. She walked on, pausing when she was far enough from the coffee shop.

She breathed in deeply, willing herself not to be so affected. It had been almost a year already. She should have moved on already but she hadn't. It was hard to when she had thought that he would be the one in the end. So Eun scolded herself. It was only her first love. Not everyone ends up with their first love. If it were meant to be then they would still be together. There was no reason for her to dwell on it.

Why are you still thinking of him? she questioned herself. You've moved on. She repeated the words over and over in her head to comfort herself. After a moment, she was able to breathe better and start heading to the university. School was the only thing that would take her mind off of anything.

()()()

The day passed by in a blur. Without her dose of caffeine, So-eun was starting to feel the effect of her all-nighter by the time lunch rolled in. "Yah, So-eun-ah, are you okay?" Soo-ah asked, looking concerned for her friend. They were in the university's cafeteria, where they always went to for lunch. The food wasn't exactly the best but it was cheap and decent, perfect for the students on a tight budget.

The girl in question blinked, stretching a bit to shake of the tired feeling and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

"You look really tired. Did you even go to sleep last night?" When So-eun did not respond, the other girl shook her head and sighed. "I know it's normal for you, but you should get some rest. You overwork yourself."

"I'm fine. This is nothing compared to what I can achieve with all the work I've done," she responded. She didn't want to dwell so much on that topic and quickly changed the subject. "It's your turn to buy the food, right? You should go ahead before the lines start getting long."

Soo-ah looked to the stalls as more people started coming in for lunch. She took one last worried glance at So-eun before letting out a sigh and heading off to buy their food. It was typical So-eun to pull all-nighters and usually Soo Ah wouldn't notice exactly how tired the girl was. Except this time, it wasn't just the dark circles that she could faintly see under the make up So-eun put on or the scent of coffee that seemed to stick to her clothes.

She was zoning out quite often. It was either from the lack of caffeine in her system or from the encounter earlier that day. Even when Soo-ah arrived with their food, So-eun had not shown much of an appetite. She picked at her food, staring down at the table. 

"Don't you have another class in a few minutes?" Soo-ah asked, bringing So-eun out of her trance.

The girl looked up at her friend, who looked just about ready to leave. She, on the other hand, hadn't even finished half of what was in her tray. She shook her head. "I don't. Do you? You can go ahead if you're going to be late."

Soo-ah nodded and got up. "I'll see you tomorrow?" she wondered. The other girl smiled and said, "Of course. It's my day to pay, anyway." After making sure that So-eun would really be okay, she left.

There was nowhere else for So-eun to do or go. Her last class for the day was the one before lunch break. Even as she just sat down at the table, she was exhausted. Her eyelids felt heavy, her limbs threatened to shut down as well. She could not even properly hold onto the chopsticks in her hand. Frustrated, she threw the utensils down and leaned back into the chair. Her meal did not look so appetizing. After a few minutes of contemplating, she got up, stretching her tired muscles. She took the tray and cleaned up after herself then left the cafeteria.

()()()

Despite her tired state, she somehow found her way to the destination she had in mind. It was probably the scent of coffee that led her there and the fact that she could find the place even with her eyes closed. The way was all too familiar for her.

It was warm inside the coffee shop. The scent of coffee and pastries replacing the smoke from the outside, lifting her mood a bit. Aside from the loud chatter from the other customers, the faint sound of an indie artist's song was playing in the background. From the little bits of it she could hear, it sounded nice. If only the other customers could shut up and listen to the music as well, she wouldn't have to strain to hear the lyrics of the song. There went an opportunity to find a new artist to support.

She lined up at the counter, counting the number of people in front of her then looking to the rest of the people inside the place. There was one empty table and a few tables that had empty chairs. A customer left the counter and headed for the empty table, leaving no vacant places. She examined the tables, trying to estimate which one would be vacated by the time she ordered. It was already close to her turn and only one couple had left an empty table. Unfortunately, the person in front of her had ordered dine-in, leaving her back to zero choices for a table.

She only had a split second to decide on ordering to-go or dine-in when the cashier asked. "Dine-in," she muttered, instantly regretting the decision as she surveyed the room. She could take back her answer but by the time the option crossed her mind, she had already gotten her change and stepped aside.

The barista prepared her drink, another employee placing her salad on a tray. Her order was complete and she picked up the tray.

There were no empty tables left, though she did spot an empty seat. The occupant of the table was a lone guy, maybe around her own age, and he was working on something on his laptop. He looked familiar, though So-eun couldn't tell why.

She walked over, deciding to take a chance at asking to sit down. The table could sit four people, which was more than what he needed anyway. It wouldn't have hurt to ask.