Day 2

I wasn’t trying to remember her. But somehow, I did.

Even after I left the café, her name kept repeating in my head—Hayul. Over and over, like it had carved itself into the quiet.

Whats wrong with me? Who is she?

I didn’t mean to memorize it. I didn’t mean to think about the way her eyes softened when she read, or how she held her cup with both hands like it might slip if she wasn’t careful.

But I did.

I walked home that evening with her name in my notebook and the taste of cold coffee still on my tongue.

Nothing else about the day stood out. Just her. Just that second our eyes met—and the way I looked away first.

Why did I do that?

I’d seen hundreds of people pass by that café window. I could sit there for hours and never feel anything.

But she walked in once and suddenly, I forgot how to sit still.

Is this what they call love at first sight?

I took the bookmark out again.

Hayul.
No last name. No number. Just that.

I could’ve left it on the counter. Or thrown it away. But instead, I pressed it between the pages of my planner like it meant something.

And maybe it didn’t. Maybe it was just a dropped piece of paper from a stranger I’d never see again.

But even then, it felt too early to let it go.

-

The next morning, I went to the café again. Same seat. Same order. My hand hesitated over the sugar packet, and I added one this time—just in case.

She didn’t come.

Not that day. Not the next either.

I stopped telling myself I wasn’t waiting.

Why am I expecting her? Stop it, Yang Jungwon.