- epilogue -

- fifty years later - 

All day, Heeseung rushed around the coffee shop. Taking orders, cleaning tables, greeting the customers with a smile as they came through the door... 

He was exhausted.  

He heard the bells indicating that the door had opened, and he looked up from the table he was wiping down, giving a bright smile to the new customer. "Welcome!" 

The girl, around his age, gave him a kind smile. "Good afternoon," she greeted, passing by him and going to order coffee. 

"Two iced coffees please," he heard her say, as he continued wiping down tables. He was so tired. He felt as though he might fall asleep at any moment. And he'd still have studying to do when he got back to the dorms. 

"Here." 

He looked up, his eyes meeting the girl's, the girl who'd just entered. He was struck by a strange sense of familiarity, but was too tired to even wonder about it. They probably went to the same University. He'd probably seen her around campus at one time or another. 

"Huh?" he asked tiredly, looking at the coffee she'd put on the table. 

"You look exhausted," she told him matter-of-factly. "You're overworking yourself. Drink some coffee to stay awake now, but when you go home, please get some rest."

She left the coffee on the table and started walking away. 

"Wait!" he called out, rushing after her. She turned around, looking at him with a mixture of curiosity and surprise. 

"Yes?" 

"What's your name?" 

"Hana. Kim Hana. And yours?" 

"Lee Heeseung," he said, suddenly feeling breathless. "Can I have your number?" he blurted out. 

Now, why did he say that?  

He was usually someone rational. He thought about his decisions for a while before making them. Even when he saw pretty girls, he'd never dared to ask for their numbers. He'd never even considered it. 

So why did he say that?

Why was his heart suddenly beating so fast? 

He watched a smile come to her face, and she laughed. Her laughter sounded like the most beautiful thing in the world. 

"I don't give my number out that easily," she told him teasingly, patting his shoulder. "But I'll be back next week, at the same time. I'll have to come back and make sure you're not overworking yourself again," she said, giving him a playful smile. 

"I'll be waiting for you," he said softly, giving her a smile in return. "It was nice to meet you, Hana. Have a nice day." 

"I'll see you next week," she told him, turning around and leaving the coffee shop after that. 

And even though Heeseung figured she might just be teasing... 

It sounded like a promise to him.