"Jung Wheein!" Somebody yelled through the phone line. "How dare you to bail out from the date? I'm going to kill you."
"Ah . I forgot. Mianhae." I hit my head a little. I was truly regret it. "I'm still at the office. I had an overtime. Sorry."
"This girl. Aish. I'm hanging up."
"Hyejin-ah." The phone ended.

She's surely mad at me. I should buy her food this weekend. I chuckled lightly after putting back my phone on top of the table. I looked to the right and left from where I sat. It was already nine in the evening when I realized that I had forgotten my promise to come to dinner with a guy named Park Changho, a friend of Hyejin—my best friend since high school. I stretched my neck muscles before yawning as my eyes started to feel heavy and tired. Hyejin gave a lot of complaints, at least in the past year where I turned 26. At least give it a try, Whee. You don't want to end up alone, don't you think? Is it about Junghwan? Please say no. He cheated on you. Geez. Her voice echoed once again. I was sure she's tired of saying so, the way I feel it extremely tiring everytime I hear his name again. Junghwan. An ex-boyfriend who left me feeling blue around five years ago.

I dated a guy named Junghwan for several years, since we were studying at the same university. I once loved him deeply. I accompanied him through the ups and downs, and so did he—actually, he was always there, until he finally got his golden ticket and decided to follow the path to become a vocalist in a popular band that in recent years has become a topic of conversation. The distance grew further between us, and slowly, I felt his love fade away and even though it felt like it was killing me—the memory of his gorgeous smile, his stupid jokes, how he hugged me, or even his old ripped Converse shoes, I had to move on and not look back. He cheated on me. The love was no longer there. But even after years passed, I feel much happier being alone, something that doen't make sense for Hyejin.

"I need to eat something. I might pass out." I mumbled softly.

I walked leisurely with a glass of ice americano I bought, looking right and left, making sure of my mood about what to eat on that cold night. My mood fluctuated at that time, I could even walk down the street, past several dozen restaurants for almost fifteen minutes without really harboring my choice at all. In the midst of the flickering street lights that illuminate my steps, I stopped, as well as time—that's how I felt, more or less. I gripped my bag strap tightly, silently staring at a woman in a white dress above the knee which was covered with a plain black blazer. Her long, jet-black hair was laid out beautifully in every curve, and her sincere smile seemed to lock me in, entangling me in it, even though that smile was clearly not for me. Strange, but I decided to walk closer.

Last hour I bailed out a date with a guy, and now I'm staring at this fine woman? Seriously, Whee?

"Ah. I'm sorry. The restaurant is full." An older woman talked to me while slightly bowing down. "The last one just taken."
"Oh. Yeah. I get it. It's fine." I tried to smile a little but couldn't resist how hard it was to breath when that woman glanced at me. "I'll just walk around and find another restaurant. I'm so hungry." I bowed down a little. I felt a little pissed as if I really wanted to eat in that restaurant, while I wasn't. Strange.
"Do you eat alone?"

I took a glance. It was her asking me. That woman.

"Yeah. I eat alone." I tried to reply calmly.
"Why don't we eat together then?" She smiled warmly. "I mean, the seat can accommodate two persons."
"Wouldn't it be weird to eat with a stranger?"
"Done that a lot back then in the US." She chuckled. "Lots of small restaurants in New York. No biggie."
"Oh. Well. Okay." I smiled, feeling a great happiness inside. Strange. Again.

I was still staring at the menu when the woman excitedly ordered a bowl of tteokbokki with beef sausage and a glass of cold oksusu cha. Braised kimchi stew—that's what I ordered, for the umpteenth time that week, or rather because at that moment I couldn't think at all. A few seconds ago, before the conversation in front of the restaurant started, I just thought I could eat in the same restaurant as that woman and stare at her silently from a safe distance, trying to understand why everything felt different when I looked at her. Time stopped, and I moved after her, this woman. And it's a woman.

"I have no idea how many times did I eat tteokbokki this week." She started the conversation. Thank God.
"Liking it so much?"
"Just came back to Korea within a month. Gotta say all tteokbokki I ate in the US ." She laughed. Her laughter was so loose, and formed a wide smile. So sweet and sweeping. I pinched my left hand to wake myself up. "Nothing really feels like in here. Home."
"Did you study in the US, or?" I smiled, feeling a little more relaxed. "And oh. I'm happy to see your enthusiasm of tteokbokki. This is the first time I ever met somebody who does it. Glad for you." We chuckled.
"I did. Well, actually I spent years there, from high school to master."
"That's—Well." I replied. "What brought you back then?"
"Home. I miss home."
 

The woman looked at me deeply, and suddenly time stopped turning again for me. I questioned how that could happen, and how she did it to me so easily. A male waiter deftly came and placed our steaming hot food order. We thanked him before finally the man left us and gave us time to finally eat the dishes that were served. I didn't know whether I should feel annoyed by the disturbance, or even grateful, because I never really know if I can actually remain stable in receiving the gaze of the woman in front of me. I tried to take deep breaths and calm myself down again.

"Thank you for letting me eat with you here."
"Thank you for saying okay despite having to eat with a stranger."

I stopped eating to see her chuckling lightly in front of my nose. I smiled like a stupid and I know I should stop myself.

"I'm Wheein. Jung Wheein."
"Yongsun. Kim Yongsun." We shook our hands lightly.
"Still stranger, but at least now you know my name."
"Great." She smiled while took another bite of her tteokbokki. "Rough night? Such a late dinner."
"Always an overtime. Like a daily routine." I explained.
"Where do you work?"
"At The Korea Times."
"For real?" She looked surprised. "That's cool."
"How about you?"
"Helping my family business. Not much I can tell as for now."
"I see." I smiled again. "So what brought you here?"
"I was about to sleep early, but my mind told me I should just walk around and find something to eat this hour."
"Great mind you have there."
"Not until you're 30. Geez. I hate myself. I should do diet." She chuckled. She should stop right now. I mumbled.
"Oh. An unnie."
"Please, let's not." She whined. "Please just call me Yon