[No-Ah]
No-Ah told herself she wasn't thinking about Kei.
Unfortunately—
her phone seemed to disagree.
She checked it once.
Nothing.
Twice.
Still nothing.
Three times.
"..."
Min-Ji looked up from wiping a cup.
"You know your phone doesn't magically receive more notifications if you glare at it."
"I wasn't glaring."
"You were intimidating it."
"I was checking the time."
"You checked the time four minutes ago."
"...Time changes."
"It does."
He nodded solemnly.
"Usually not every thirty seconds."
No-Ah ignored him.
Mostly because he wasn't entirely wrong.
She slipped her phone back into her apron.
And immediately regretted it.
Because now she wanted to check it again.
Annoying.
Very annoying.
☆ ☆ ☆
Across the city—
Kei stared at his own phone.
One unread conversation.
No-Ah.
He opened it.
Scrolled up.
There were old messages.
Mostly arguments.
Occasional sarcasm.
One blurry photo she'd accidentally sent instead of Min-Ji.
She had spent five full minutes insisting it wasn't blurry.
It absolutely was.
Kei smiled.
Very slightly.
Then the smile disappeared.
He stared at the keyboard.
Typed.
Busy today?
Deleted it.
Locked the screen.
"..."
Five seconds later—
He unlocked it again.
☆ ☆ ☆
Back at the café—
The afternoon was unusually quiet.
No-Ah polished another mug.
Min-Ji watched her.
"You've cleaned that one three times."
"It's dirty."
"It's reflecting my future."
"...That's not how mugs work."
"Will you stop saying that? "
She snorted.
Barely.
Min-Ji looked offended.
"You laughed."
"I breathed."
"You laughed while breathing."
"I don't remember asking."
"You never ask."
Her phone vibrated.
Immediately.
She pulled it out.
A delivery notification.
"..."
Min-Ji saw her face fall.
"Ouch."
"I wasn't expecting anything."
"Liar."
"I'm not."
"You looked disappointed."
"I looked annoyed."
"Those are becoming the same expression."
She glared at him.
"Do you want to work today?"
"I am working."
"No."
"Emotionally."
---
Several kilometers away—
"Kei."
He looked up.
His manager frowned.
"When was the last time you slept?"
"I slept."
"When?"
"...Recently."
"That's not a time."
"It felt like one."
His manager sighed.
"You've been making mistakes all afternoon."
"I'll fix them."
"You forgot the second verse."
"I remembered eventually."
"You walked into a wall."
"..."
"..."
"It moved."
"The wall."
"The wall."
"It surprised me."
His manager pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I'm pretending I didn't hear that."
☆ ☆ ☆
Closing time.
The café emptied.
Min-Ji finished stacking the chairs.
"I'm heading out."
"Hm."
Then he paused.
Actually looked at her.
"You want ramen?"
No-Ah looked up.
"What?"
"Ramen."
"Why?"
"You look miserable."
"I'm not miserable."
"You stared at a coffee machine for six minutes."
"I was thinking."
"The coffee machine was scared."
No-Ah rolled her eyes.
"I'm fine."
"Come eat."
"No."
"Come eat."
"No."
"Come eat."
"No."
"Come eat."
"...You're annoying."
"Thank you."
"That wasn't a compliment."
"I gathered."
Min-Ji grabbed his jacket.
"Come on."
No-Ah sighed.
Long.
Tired.
Defeated.
"...Fine."
Min-Ji immediately looked victorious.
"I win."
"You didn't win."
"I absolutely did."
☆ ☆ ☆
Twenty minutes later—
No-Ah regretted everything.
Because she recognized the ramen shop immediately.
The red sign.
The warm lights.
The old wooden door.
The smell of broth drifting into the street.
Her footsteps slowed.
Min-Ji didn't notice.
"Best ramen in the area."
Of course it was.
Because apparently the universe hated her.
No-Ah stared at the entrance.
And suddenly—
She wasn't seeing the shop anymore.
She was seeing Kei.
Sitting across from her.
Arguing about whether she was eating enough vegetables.
Stealing food from her bowl.
Pretending he wasn't.
The first late-night supper.
The second one.
The stupid conversations.
The stupid jokes.
The stupid memories.
All of it came rushing back.
Annoying.
Very annoying.
"No-Ah?"
She blinked.
"Hm?"
"You coming?"
"...Yeah."
—
The shop was busy.
Not crowded.
Comfortably busy.
The kind of place filled with familiar faces.
Min-Ji led them to a table.
No-Ah sat down.
Trying very hard not to look around.
Trying very hard not to remember.
Failing.
Spectacularly.
A familiar voice suddenly spoke.
"Ah!"
No-Ah froze.
The elderly owner behind the counter was staring at her.
His face immediately lighting up.
"The young lady!"
No-Ah's stomach dropped.
Oh no.
"Oh?"
Min-Ji looked up.
The old man smiled warmly.
"The young lady with the handsome guy that night!"
Silence.
No-Ah wished for death.
A quick.
Merciful.
Death.
The old man continued happily.
"You came back!"
"No—"
"We were wondering when we'd see you two again."
"No—"
"The handsome young man isn't here today?"
"No—"
Min-Ji slowly turned toward her.
Very slowly.
Like a horror movie.
"...What."
No-Ah stared at the table.
The table suddenly seemed fascinating.
"Nothing."
"You said you've never been here."
"I haven't."
The old man looked confused.
"Of course you have."
"..."
"I remember you."
"..."
"You sat right over there."
He pointed.
Unfortunately.
To the exact table she'd sat at with Kei.
Twice.
Min-Ji followed the direction.
Then looked back at her.
Then looked at the table.
Then back at her again.
"...No-Ah."
"No."
"You lied."
"I didn't."
"You literally did."
"I forgot."
"You forgot an entire ramen shop?"
"Apparently."
The old man chuckled.
"Young people."
No-Ah considered throwing herself into the broth pot.
Min-Ji looked delighted.
Which was somehow worse.
"Oh."
"Oh no."
"Ohhhhh."
"No."
"The handsome guy."
"No."
"The handsome guy."
"No."
"The handsome guy."
"Stop saying handsome guy."
"I've solved the mystery."
"There was no mystery."
"There absolutely was."
No-Ah buried her face in one hand.
The old man smiled.
Completely unaware he had just ruined her evening.
"Will the handsome young man come next time?"
"No."
"Probably."
The answers came at the same time.
Min-Ji grinned.
No-Ah looked ready to commit violence.
The old man laughed.
Then returned to the kitchen.
Leaving No-Ah alone with her suffering.
And Min-Ji.
Who was somehow worse.
☆ ☆ ☆
Later that night—
The practice room was empty.
For once.
No staff.
No manager.
No music.
Just silence.
Kei sat on the floor.
Back against the mirrored wall.
His phone resting beside him.
Screen dark.
Silent.
He glanced at it.
Once.
Twice.
Then laughed quietly to himself.
"...Yeah."
He opened No-Ah's chat.
Stared at it.
For a long moment.
Then finally typed:
Busy?
One word.
One ridiculously ordinary word.
He hit send.
And immediately regretted it.
Not because of the message.
Because now he had to wait.
Kei set the phone face down.
Leaned his head back.
Closed his eyes.
Just for a minute.
Only...
A minute turned into ten.
Then twenty.
His phone remained untouched.
And on the other side of the city—
No-Ah's thumb hovered over the keyboard.
Still unable to decide what to say.
Neither of them realized...
They were both waiting.
For the other person.
To be a little braver.
☆ ☆ ☆