**It’s always the same girl who appears in my dream every now and then, hugging me tight and telling me how much she loves me. How could I answer her or hug her back if I don’t know who she is? But even though it was only a dream, every hug she shared with me felt so real. It’s warm and sincere. And her eyes… whenever she stares at me, I could see a soul in it.**
**That was the first paragraph Chaeng wrote in her blank document. The first chapter, yet she already knew how it will end. It was one of the rare moments of her writing journey. She usually doesn’t know where her story is going, but this time, she already knew the climax and the ending before it even started.**
**She continued to type her thoughts in her MacBook. Not giving herself a chance to pause whenever she finishes a paragraph. She’s afraid that if she stops and rests even just for a minute, she’ll lose it. She’ll lose her imagination again.**
Mina: I’m sorry, but do you need a refill?
**Mina could see how serious Chaeng is with what she’s doing. And she’s a hundred percent sure that Chaeng didn’t notice her ‘cause she didn’t blink when she took a step towards her table. Well, she’s actually hesitant in interrupting her, but there’s a part of her that keeps on pushing her to explain something. Something that happened a couple of hours ago.**
**Chaeng jumped from her seat when a shadow blocked the screen of her MacBook. Her heart even slammed itself at its cage. Shit! She almost screamed, but then stopped herself when she figured out whom shadow it was.**
Chaeng: You scare me!
**She blurted out instead, which made the guy from the table in front of her turned to get a glimpse of what’s going on. She didn’t apologize though ‘cause her attention is now on Mina. She doesn’t care if she made everyone flinched at her sudden reaction.**
Mina: Sorry. I didn’t mean to… interrupt. I know you’re working, I… I just wondered if you need a refill of your coffee. Just to… you know, keep you focused.
**Her heart’s beating as fast as Chaeng does, but what makes her reaction different is, she’s stuttering.**
Chaeng: Sorry! I didn’t mean to… scream. But I honestly didn’t see you coming.
Mina: Hmm… maybe because you’re too absorbed by what you’re doing.
**Chaeng turned to her screen and peered at the words she had written. Finally, she’s starting to put her words into life again.**
Chaeng: I guess so.
**Then she returned her attention to Mina, who’s still holding a tray with a small kettle on it. Still wondering why Mina’s standing beside her table.**
Chaeng: Uhm… do you… do you need some... thing from me?
**She doesn’t mean to drop that silly question. But she’s still upset. Still upset about the news Ryujin told her half an hour ago. About Mina spending her entire day at the columbarium and her fiancé’s mom. She knows there’s nothing to be upset about, but no matter how much she convinces herself, she still ends up feeling sad and jealous about it.**
**Those words somewhat hurt Mina. She knows there’s nothing wrong with the question. But it feels like Chaeng’s now showing disinterest in her. Like it sounded, “Why are you here? Or what are you doing here? I didn’t ask you to come.”, kind of question. But instead of letting her pain show, she just swallowed hard and offered the tray she has in her hand.**
Mina: Sorry, I just brought a refill for you. Maybe, you need one.
**It seems like Chaeng wasn’t paying much attention to her surroundings ‘cause it’s the third time Mina mentioned about refilling her coffee.**
Chaeng: Oh… sorry. I guess my mind isn’t with me right now. I didn’t mean for you to repeat it numerous times, though.
**She chuckled to hide what’s running in her head. You’re fine, Chaeng. You are, right? You two only had one dinner together, and it doesn’t give you the right to know everything about her. Or you don’t have the right to tell her what and what she shouldn’t do. You don’t own her, so please distance yourself. She nagged, and she hates what’s going on inside her head.**
Mina: It’s okay. It’s me who interrupted, I should be the one apologizing.
**Chaeng didn’t say a word. Instead, she put her MacBook’s screen down and stood up. She’s no longer in the mood to stay at the café. Maybe going back to her room is the best option for her now. So, she picked up her laptop and phone before she went back to Mina and smiled.**
Chaeng: I need to go back to my room. Maybe next time, I’ll have a refill. I guess I’ll be able to think better there, instead of sitting here.
**She didn’t wait for Mina to say something. She just stood there for half a minute staring straight into her eyes before she left.**
*****
Ryujin: What happened?
**Ryujin approached Mina as soon as the latter returned to the counter. She had seen everything. From the time Mina poured the little kettle with coffee until the time Chaeng walked away. There’s something in that scene that doesn’t feel right, and she’s so worried about her sister.**
Ryujin: Are you… are you, all right?
**Mina nodded, not looking at her. That encounter indeed hurt her. Well, Ryujin is right, Chaeng is upset, but she has no enough reason for her to walk out like that as if she did something unforgivable.**
Mina: You’re right. She’s upset.
**Then she poured the coffee back to the coffee maker to reheat it while doing her best to keep herself composed.**
Mina: I… I didn’t even get the chance to explain to her.
**Well, is there even a need to explain what happened earlier to Chaeng? That question finally hit her as if someone slapped her so hard, which forced her to stop with what she’s doing and whirled to Ryujin.**
Mina: Do I… do I even need to say something about it?
**Ryujin shrugged, still leaning her back at the fridge’s door.**
**Of course, Ryujin also thought about that. Why does her sister need to defend herself from someone she barely knows?**
Ryujin: Well, are you asking me? Or you’re asking yourself? You know there’s a huge difference in that.
**Mina’s forehead furrowed. What… what does she mean? Do I sound like I’m asking myself rather than someone else? She thought.**
Mina: I’m…
**She whirled again to pull an undecorated cheesecake at the glass display.**
Mina: I’m not sure though.
**Well, a few moments ago, it’s clear to her that the question is for her sister. But after Ryujin asked her that silly question, it suddenly feels like there’s something odd with her question. That maybe it isn’t really for Ryujin.**
**Ryujin sighed audibly since Mina’s attention is now on the cheesecake that she laid on the table rather than on her.**
Ryujin: Why don’t you two talk about it? I mean… just two adults talking about what they feel for each other. It’s already obvious that you’re attracted to her, and she to you, you know. She who got so upset with your whereabouts earlier, and you being so worried about her reaction makes it so evident that you feel the same.
**Mina’s already pouring the syrup on top of the cheesecake when Ryujin finished her sentence. She didn’t dare to lift her head to search for her sister’s reaction. Instead, she just continued to decorate the cheesecake while her ears were listening to everything that Ryujin was saying.**
Ryujin: You don’t like to admit to her that you like her? Is that it?
**Mina straightened up though she’s still not done decorating the cake just to answer Ryujin’s question while staring at her.**
Mina: We only had one dinner Ryujin. And we didn’t even dare to ask personal stuff at each other. Now, you’re asking me about admitting that I like her? What will she think about me? That I’m too aggressive and rushing on things?
**Ryujin didn’t back down. Like, who cares if someone would think you’re becoming aggressive. What she only cares about right now is to see her sister have a new love. She always believes that it will help her move on and go back to being who she used to be.**
Ryujin: What’s wrong with that? Besides, I don’t think she’ll ever think you’re becoming too aggressive.
Mina: What makes you think so? What if she’ll think otherwise?
Ryujin: Come on! It’s too obvious that she likes you, too. So why would you think she’ll bother thinking about you being aggressive? You’re just being honest, Eonnie. You’re just being honest to yourself, and your feelings. And that’s the only thing she’ll think once you admit it to her.
**Mina sighed. Is it really the right thing to do just for them to be okay again? Admit that she sees her as someone special and not just only as a friend?**
Mina: I don’t know.
**Then she went back from hunching down to slowly pour the blueberry on top of the cake.**
Mina: I really don’t know, Ryujin.
**But even though she doesn’t know what to do right now, she still considers what her sister’s bargaining to her.**
*****
**Shit, Chaeyoung! Why would you even believe that she likes you, too? Or even just the thought of her being interested in you? Of course, it's impossible. And of course, she’s still in love with her now-dead fiancé. What else would you expect? She’s still into her and you can’t change that just because you two had dinner together.**
**She plopped her back on her bed with arms spread on her side.**
Chaeng: Stupid!
**She said aloud before she closed her eyes.**
**Let’s focus on healing ourselves, Chaeyoung, and stop flirting with someone who’ll never get interested in you. She’s in the middle of mending herself, too. So, don’t expect too much. Don’t expect that it will happen sooner. In two weeks, you’ll leave this place and come back to your real life. So, better put all your strength into something that will benefit you, instead of finding something that will only add another pain. She kept repeating those thoughts in her head. And she's working so hard in convincing herself to forget about the possibility of them getting involved with each other than going back to the city bearing another pain.**
Chaeng: Okay! Why don’t we finish the first chapter and move on to the second? Time is precious so let’s not waste it on something that isn’t worth our time?
**She pushed herself up again with her right elbow though she still wants to spend more time in her bed. She needs to clear her head more. But the longer she puts her mind into idle, the more she thinks about her and how she drove to the columbarium to pray for her former fiancé.**
Chaeng: So, let’s continue your journey, Dana?
**She mumbled after she took her seat and opened her MacBook.**
**Dana is her new protagonist. And she's been dreaming of the same girl for over a year now. There’s nothing familiar with the girl in her dream. She might be someone she hasn’t met yet, and she always wonders how will she ever meet her. She's comfortable with this girl, and the way she smiles and touches her feels so genuine. But the question is, where is she? Or is she even real?**
Chaeng: Aaaah! Where should they meet?
**Chaeng blurted out as she paused writing the second chapter. The story is starting to get crazy and now she couldn’t find the best time for her to insert where Dana will meet the girl in her dream. Is it better if they meet in chapter three or put a cliffhanger in chapter two?**
**Then a knock on the door cut the thread of her reality and story-telling, which caused her forehead to crease. Who could it be? She can’t remember calling the service staff to clean her room or ordering something to nibble while writing. She was a bit hesitant to stand up and open the door, so she waited for another knock just to make sure that the person behind it isn’t having a mistake. Unfortunately, the person behind it knocks again after a minute of waiting. So she stood up and walked towards the door to see who it is.**
Mina: Hi… I’m sorry. I’m bothering you again.
**Chaeng couldn’t believe she’s seeing Mina standing in front of her door. Why is she here? I’ve already shown her my rough attitude and she’s still here knocking at my door?**
Chaeng: Why? Why are you here?
**Mina pressed her lips. It’s almost the same question she heard from her back in the café, but this time, Chaeng’s reaction is a bit different. She’s more surprised than having the intention of hurting her feelings.**
Mina: I’m… I’m just here to talk.
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