"Um, may I sit here?" she asked. He didn't look up and she realized that this was because he had his earphones in.

She looked around again, disappointed to find tbat there was still a lack of vacant tables. Deciding the guy wouldn't mind, she placed her tray on the vacant side of the table. This time, he did notice her.

"Min So-eun?" His eyebrows were scrunched in confusion, and so were hers when she realized that he did, in fact, know her.

"How do you know my name?" she asked as he pulled off the earphones.

He frowned at her question. "Seeing that you were going to sit down here," he said, gesturing to her tray on the table, "I thought you would know who I am. But, of course, you don't. I was the loner in high school. I shouldn't be surprised you don't remember."

She sifted through her memories of high school, coming up with a name to match his face. "Jung Wonwoo, am I right?"

His nose wrinkled in annoyance and for a second she thought it was cute, but she quickly pushed away the thought. "Jeon Wonwoo," he corrected.

She nodded. "Well, Jeon Wonwoo, may I sit here? There's no other table left."

"By all means, go ahead." He placed his earphones back on, putting his attention back to the screen of his laptop and ignoring the appreciative smile she sent his way. She set her plate and the cup of coffee down on the table before going to return the tray.

"So, how are you?" she asked him though she got no response. While she had no plans with really socializing, she could not stand the awkwardness between them. Her attempt at breaking the ice only worsened the awkwardness, so she just pulled out a notebook. It looked worn out from improper handling, but that was because it was the one she used every day. She used it in her classes and whenever she was bored. How it had't been filled yet was quite amazing, though that could be because she barely used this one for personal matters. All that she filled it with were notes and reminders.

She skimmed through the pages, finding the newer entries. Seeing the reminder about a test in a few days, she pulled out a textbook, a newer notebook and a pen. She set her plate aside, taking her time to finish the pastries as she re-wrote her notes. She didn't bother putting on her headphones as the playlist the coffee shop usually played was quite good.

An hour later and she was halfway through re-writing and adding info into her new notebook, still left with one-fourth of the slice of cake and a cup of warm caramel macchiato still technically filled to the brim.

"Is that how you people get good grades?"

The voice startled her and she looked up at the speaker. For a moment she thought he was speaking to someone else but Wonwoo was looking right at her. He had taken his earphones off again, letting the chord hang around his neck. "What?"

He pointed at her notebooks. "That. Is that the secret to success?"

She shook her head, a bit confused. "No. Uh, this is just me," she answered. "I just remember things better this way." 

He nodded. "Oh. Well, I always wondered how people like you could get so high grades."

"People like me?"

He shrugged. "Someone so popular. You and your friends were usually so loud in the cafeteria, and I would hear about the parties you all have," he said. "But you all still do so well in school. Weren't you number one in our class?"

She shook her head, stunned by his words. "I was second." While she didn't like being reminded of it, she would rather he had correct information. "And I didn't--still don't--go to parties. Once or twice, maybe, but not because I wanted to." The last party she went to was one she didn't want to remember, either.

This time, he looked surprised. Maybe the look on her face was obvious, but she hoped that wasn't it.  She didn't want to be vulnerable in front of him. He was a stranger from her past, and she didn't trust him. Especially if he thought that she was like him.

Being compared to him would never be alright with her. Junhong wasn't bad, but her memories of him weren't the kind she loved to reminisce.

"I'm sorry for assuming things," Wonwoo said before taking a sip from his own mug. Whether or not he was sincere, she couldn't tell. She responded with a slight shrug before bringing her attention back to her notebooks.

"I don't mean to be rude, but you don't look too well."

"I didn't ask for your opinion," she muttered, not looking up from the page she was on. She was slightly irritated at the interruption of her concentration, tapping the end of her pen on the end of the table to regain focus.

"You know, I was kind enough to let you sit at my table. I didn't have to, but I did."

She sighed, setting her pen down on the table and looking up at him. "If you want me to leave, then just say so."

He shook his head. "No need." He packed his things. "I was just about to leave, anyway." He got up and left.

A flicker of regret almost made her get up and follow him to apologize. Almost. She knew that stress was just getting to her, that it was what was making her more irritated than usual, but it wasn't as if her being rude to the guy would be significant. They were practically strangers other than having gone to the same high school. That was in the past, and they hadn't even known each other then.

She stayed where she was. There was no reason to go home. Seeing him again that morning and Wonwoo's words were enough to keep a fire burning in her chest, reminding her that she had something to prove.

()()()

She arrived home late, her parents waiting for her by the kitchen counter. She hadn't been expecting them to be there when she walked through the front door. Getting back late wasn't anything new for her. They should have been used to it by now.

"So-eun, can we talk?" her father called to her.

"I haven't done anything, have I?" she questioned. Ever since they had found her with Junhong, she had been paranoid. She thought back to the last few days, wondering what it was that had caught their attention. There was nothing that she could have possibly done, but she couldn't be too sure. She observed their faces, coming up with possible answers. She didn't want to see their disappointed expressions directed at her again.

She was relieved when they shook their heads.

"Have you talked to Dahye lately?" her mother asked. She realized where the conversation was going. So-eun had noticed the change years ago, but they were subtle enough for her to think it was nothing bad. It was only lately that she was acting up more noticeably.

She shook her head. "I haven't." Dahye had been distant since the incident. She must have been disappointed to find her older sister that way. So-eun blamed herself for being so careless.

"Well, can you?" her father requested. "We don't think she would talk to us if we tried."

"She wouldn't talk to me, either," she wanted to say but she couldn't. She nodded her head, promising that she would try. She bade her parents goodnight.

She had just turned off her lights when a familiar tune played, cutting through the silence.

She could have ignored it and read the message in the morning, but the phone was only a few inches away. She didn't know that the message would keep her up all night. She didn't know it would jumble up all the thoughts in her mind.

It was only one word. One short word. But the person who sent it couldn't have been pushed aside.

Choi Junhong: hello :)

He even had the nerve to put a smiley.