Chapter Text
Minji weaved through the throng of students in the cafe, her coffee cup balancing precariously in one hand and a stack of books teetering in the other. The cafe air was thick with the hum of overlapping conversations, the clink of spoons against ceramic, and the occasional scrape of chairs against the floor. The noise felt alive, swirling around her like a living thing, pressing in from all sides.
She glanced around, hoping for an empty seat, but the room was packed. It was as if the universe had conspired to ensure that everyone needed caffeine at the exact same moment.
Her eyes landed on a lone corner table, nestled in the farthest edge of the room. A girl sat there, her head bowed over her phone, surrounded by a fortress of books. One chair sat mercifully open.
It was either the open seat beside a girl she had never spoken to or the suffocating familiarity of her cramped apartment room—neither option particularly inviting, but one at least offered a change of scenery.
Minji hesitated for a moment, then approached the table with a smile that could light up a room.
“Do you mind if I sit here?” she asked, her voice cutting through the quiet bubble the girl had created around herself.
The girl—Haerin—looked up at Minji, her dark eyes scanning her for a brief moment before returning to her phone. There was a flicker of surprise in her gaze, and for a moment, Minji thought she might say no, but Haerin just gave a small nod, shifting her notebook aside with one hand.
“Thanks,” Minji said, sinking into the chair. Her bag thudded against the polished floor as she set her books down, the weight lifting from her arms. She glanced at Haerin, who had already retreated back into her phone, her expression unreadable.
But Minji could feel it—Haerin’s gaze, quiet and steady, lingering on her just a little too long. It wasn’t intrusive, but it was... intense.
Minji adjusted in her seat, moving her books from one edge of the table to another, as if she were in a really focused chess match, trying to shake off the weight of the sudden awkwardness induced by Haerin’s stare.
She tried to focus on the pages in front of her, but the words blurred together, no matter how hard she tried. Her fingers drummed on the table in a rhythm that didn’t match her thoughts.
In the end, she couldn’t help herself.
“Uh, are you staring at me?" Minji asked, lifting her left eyebrow as her voice rose slightly at the end. It was a poor attempt to turn the question into something light-hearted. “I can feel it, y’know?”
Haerin blinked, caught mid-thought, and quickly averted her eyes. Her fingers, which had been resting lightly on the edge of her notebook, twitched as if unsure where to go “Sorry, I wasn’t—” She trailed off, her voice soft. “I didn’t mean to.”
Minji shrugged and then chuckled, a warm, easy sound. She didn’t mind—if anything, it made her curious (and she was more than thankful it meant they could start forming an actual conversation).
“It’s fine, girl. I get it,” she comforted, gesturing vaguely at her face. “These eyebrows do a lot of work.” She raised them dramatically, the movement exaggerating their already bold shape. “They’re basically celebrities.”
Haerin’s lips twitched, a ghost of a smile passing over her face. She shook her head slightly, unsure how to respond. Minji was... odd. She wasn’t used to this kind of directness, especially from someone she’d just met.
“I wasn’t staring at your eyebrows,” Haerin said softly, her tone almost absent, as though she was speaking more to herself than to Minji.
“Oh? Then what were you staring at?”
“Again, I wasn’t really staring,” Haerin reiterated, her gaze flickering downward, as if the answer was somewhere in her lap. “I just... got... distracted.” She didn’t quite know how to explain herself, and she wasn't one for small talk. This might have been the most awkward situation she’d put herself in during all 19 years of her life.
“I’m just—just catching up on some lecture slides. I missed a few sessions yesterday,” she added, her voice barely above a whisper.
Minji leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table, as if getting closer would help her catch every word Haerin said. She played it off with the ease of someone who didn’t mind the occasional awkward moment—though, obviously, she did mind. But the other didn’t need to know that. The silence sprawled between them, heavy and unyielding, and Minji felt the familiar itch to fill it with something—anything.
If some random girl sat in front of Minji without saying a word, it would be pretty fucking suffocating.
“So,” Minji said after a beat, her voice a little louder. “If you’re into reading,” she thinks, “I guess you don’t watch soccer, huh? I can’t imagine you’re the type to sit through ninety minutes of pure athletic brilliance.”
Haerin blinked at the question, her mind racing to catch up with the sudden change in topic. “Soccer?” she said, her tone as neutral as a blank page. “No, not really. I don’t get the appeal of... watching people run after a ball for an hour and a half."
Minji’s face lit up with mock offense. “You’re killing me here,” she said, pressing a hand to her chest like Haerin had just broken her heart. “Sport is an art, and soccer is NOT just chasing a ball—it’s chasing destiny."
Haerin’s laugh slipped out unexpectedly, soft and breathy, like it had been coaxed out of her. Shaking her head, she repeated, “Destiny?” Her tone was tinged with amusement. “That’s one way to look at it.”
Minji grinned, leaning back in her chair, her hand running absentmindedly through her hair. “And what about you? Let me guess—you’re into something calm and dignified, like... tea ceremonies or poetry.”
Haerin blinked again, her lips pressing into a thin line, a flicker of offense crossing her features.
“I ride horses,” she said simply.
Minji straightened, her eyebrows arching upward. “Really? That’s... actually pretty cool,” she admitted. “I didn’t think you were the equestrian type.”
Haerin’s gaze softened, her eyes meeting Minji’s for a fraction longer than necessary. “What is the equestrian type?” she asked quietly, a faint challenge in her voice.
Minji opened her mouth to answer, then hesitated. The moment hung between them. “I don’t know,” she finally said with a shrug. “But I’m pretty sure it’s not someone who stares at soccer players in cafés.”
Without saying anything in response, Haerin looked back down at her phone, her fingers brushing idly over the screen. She didn’t smile, but there was a quietness in the way she focused on the device, as if Minji’s words had given her an excuse to retreat into herself.
The silence that followed felt heavier now, neither girl knowing quite how to end it.
⚽
“Well,” Minji finally said, standing up with a stretch, “this has been... weirdly nice.” She slung her duffel bag over her shoulder and once again felt the weight of her books in her arm. A teethy smile tugged at her lips. “I’ll see you around, yeah?”
Haerin looked up, caught off guard by the abrupt end to their 'hangout'. Her eyes softened for a moment, a flash of something unreadable passing through them.
“See you,” Haerin said, the words falling from her lips easily, almost reflexively, though she hadn’t meant for them to sound so casual. Haerin quickly looked away, her gaze dropping to the ground, her expression revealing a faint trace of surprise at her own words.
Minji paused, then gave a little nod. “See you,” she repeated. The words felt lighter now, like a promise—or maybe just a fleeting moment that would soon slip into the fog of everyday life. First impressions weren’t everything, right?
⚽
It hit Minji halfway through lacing up her cleats. She’d walked off without even asking for the girl’s name. Great job, Minji. Not only had she probably come across as a weirdo, but now she had to refer to her as “horse girl” in her head indefinitely.
Sigh.