Chapter Text
A Chance Meeting
‘She’s there again…’
The dark haired woman thought as she observed the petite woman before her. They locked eyes for a split second then the petite woman broke the contact as if acknowledging her presence but never making a sound in the process. She returned her gaze back to the horizon. The noticeably taller woman sat down to the bench next to hers. Her coat flapped to the wind as it blew, noting the colder gush of air a reminder of the coming of winter. The petite woman shivered in the cold wind as her clothing was definitely not enough to keep her warm.
‘She’s a nurse, maybe a doctor, that blue scrub suit is telling enough.’
The two spent the next few minutes in silence as they both stared into the horizon, waiting for the inevitable sunrise. Another gush of wind elicited both to shiver. The taller of the two snuck a peak to the other noticing the other shivering in the cold. She stood up then walked towards her.
“Here.”
“Oh.”
“Drape that around your neck. It’s way too cold for you to roam around wearing nothing but that.”
The taller woman gave her the green scarf she was wearing putting it above the head of the smaller woman. She also started removing her mittens when the petite woman spoke up.
“You didn’t have to! How can I return this?”
“You don’t need to. Here take these as well. Wear them.”
The taller woman gave her the mittens then started walking away. She looked at her watch and cursed at herself as she didn’t realize she had stuff left to do. Her pace quickened after the realization, only turning back to steal a last glance to the woman behind her.
The petite woman was left speechless as the other’s rapidly shrinking silhouette disappeared to the corner of a building. She then lifted the scarf to wrap around her neck when she noticed the embroidered name in it.
“Park Sooyoung, huh.”
-----
It was not the first time the two met.
After another sleepless night, Sooyoung decided to venture out onto the nearest park. It was almost dawn and she figured that she won’t be getting anymore sleep but instead stay up for the sunrise, and the inevitable start of her shift.
There she saw her for the first time, seating on the same bench, staring at the same horizon. Her small figure was the first thing she noticed and the fact that she was wearing the same scrub suit. Deciding not to bother the stranger before her, she chose to sit down to the bench next to hers and wait for the sunrise she came for.
A few minutes passed with neither of the two speaking up, as if having a mutual agreement to preserve the silence. Sooyoung glanced at her companion. She had a small figure accompanied by a small face. Her cheeks flustered red due to the cold and her eyes had bags under them while her complexion was a bit pale. Sooyoung felt that she was tired.
A few more minutes passed as the sun started to rise from the horizon. Sooyoung decided it was time to leave, stealing a parting glance to the woman who was left staring into the sunrise.
-----
Sooyoung’s hurried footsteps was heard as she was rapidly approaching the backdoor of the cafe she was working at. Once she entered, she tied the apron and started with the morning preparations for opening.
The rest of her morning shift was just an endless sea of faces and never ending orders upon orders. She left the counter as the morning rush for caffeine died down and the customers started dwindling. She went back to the employee’s lounge and sat down on one of the sofas there. She feels another migraine incoming and quickly downed two pills of painkillers with the glass of water she procured. She draped her arm towards her head, wanting the painful throbbing of her head to subside.
It’s almost been a year since she left home and never looking back. A home she can never go back to. Her nightmares, insomnias, and migraines started around the time she settled into the apartment she got for herself. It’s a vicious cycle really. Waking up only from a few hours of sleep due to a nightmare, and having a migraine after due to having not enough sleep. She wonders how she can still function with these problems.
As the pain subsides, she glanced at the clock on the wall, noting that her short break is almost over as lunch is already approaching. She readied herself for another wave of customers wanting their midday caffeine fix.
-----
Sooyoung almost dropped dead on her mattress once she came home. The fatigue of her workday caught up to her and she drifted into sleep, forgetting the fact that she has yet to eat nor wash up.
Sooyoung woke up a few hours later sweating heavily as another nightmare invaded her dream. She reached out to her bedside to grab a bottle of water. She drank it hoping to calm herself down before checking her phone for the time.
“3:02 am… God, I could’ve used more sleep.”
Deciding that she could no longer sleep as the drowsiness was chased away by the sudden onset of pain in her head. She stood up and went to the bathroom to get herself two pills of panikillers. She waited for the pain to subside before stepping inside the shower. She started the shower on a warmer setting to get herself cleansed off of the grime and sweat from her shift.
Sooyoung checked her fridge for food, her hair still dripping wet from the bath. Finding none, she dried her hair and put on some warmer clothes. She went out to grab herself some food at the nearby convenience store.
-----
‘Huh, she’s there again.’, Sooyoung thought seeing her again on the same bench.
The woman was now wearing a coat and a scarf with her scrub suit. The woman’s gaze however was not affixed to the horizon as usual. Her eyes kept darting around until she met Sooyoung’s gaze. She stood up with a paper bag in her hand and walked towards where Sooyoung was seating.
“Thank you for your scarf and mittens,” said the petite woman as she handed over the paper bag to Sooyoung which she accepted.
“I got those dry cleaned because I was afraid it would be damaged by normal washing. I-is that okay?” The petite woman stuttered out as another cold wind blew over the two.
“It’s okay, I don’t mind. It’s good to at least see you wearing warmer clothes.”
“It’s just that I keep forgetting my coat back at the hospital where I am working.”
‘So she really is a nurse… or a doctor for that matter,’ Sooyoung thought.
An awkward silence settled unto them. The petite woman then decided to share the bench Sooyoung was sitting on. Unable to maintain her composure in the silence, Sooyoung brought out the food she bought from the convenience store. She offered the other a spare sandwich while taking out another for herself.
“I figured I’d meet you again here, and thought you’d want to eat.”
The petite woman paused for a second before accepting the offer mouthing a small thank you in the process. Another bout of silence consumed them both as they ate their sandwiches.
“Seungwan.”
“What?”
“That’s my name,” said the petite woman.
“We never really had a proper introduction to each other. I am Son Seungwan, a nurse at Myung Woo University Hospital.”
“Park Sooyoung, barista at some random cafe.”
---End---