HERSHE || BBANGSAZ ||

12. Serendipity

December 31st - Taiwan

Minji is strolling around the streets of Taipei that cold morning, a coffee in one hand. Her dad is busy with a client meeting—which she wondered why it happened on the 31st—so she made up excuses to go out.

It has been two days now since she last saw Hanni. Waiting for another two more days before she could see the woman's beautiful face again feels like hell.

Although she feels she has some importance in Hanni too, Minji doesn't want to keep her hopes up. She truly knows that Hanni's affection for her is pent within the barriers of friendship. The best Minji could hope for is for Hanni to stay single while she's being a hopeless romantic, or until she finds someone to channel the love she's feeling now. Hopefully, Hanni will not meet her Mr. Right yet so Minji wouldn't have to endure the pain of seeing the woman with somebody else.

Minji sat on a bench near a lamppost where she's got the view of Taipei 101 ahead of her.

She smiled when she thought of Hanni again. After admitting to herself that she had completely fallen in love with the smaller lady, her thoughts have been in auto-pilot mode. Hanni is consistently on her mind, literally like every single minute of the day, even when asleep.

She wonders if the other woman is thinking of her now.

The idea made Minji giggle. It seems impossible but if ever that's the case, even just a tiny chance, then she'll be on cloud nine.

"Well, hello there, stranger. Do you have any company?" a voice said in English.

Minji looked up and saw a person pointing at the vacant space beside her. The woman has long hazelnut hair with wavy ends. She's wearing a suspender skirt dress and a white off-shoulder blouse. Minji shook her head without taking her eyes off the stranger.

Who would say no to this beauty?

"Thanks!" The woman sat beside Minji.

Minji gestured a "you're welcome" bow. Although the stranger has a friendly aura, Minji isn't in the mood for a little talk now. Unfortunately, seeing this woman made Minji miss Hanni even more. That woman and Hanni have somehow the same fashion style; the hair, the dress, the shoes, even the height.

"Ooh... it's freezing today, huh?" the woman spoke again in English, rubbing her palms against her arms.

Since it's just the two of them on that bench, Minji knew that question was intended for her.

"Y-yeah, that's what I love about this season," she said in English too.

"You don't seem to be from here." The woman crossed her legs. "Where are you from?"

"Korea. You?"

"Really? Where in Korea?" asked the woman, switching to Hangul now.

Minji was surprised by the sudden change in the language but felt happy as well that she didn't need to keep on speaking English. "Seoul."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I live there too, I own a flower shop there!"

Minji laughed to her surprise. "Is Seoul too big for us we have to meet here in Taipei instead?"

"Maybe Seoul is too crowded for us. Who knows, we might have been passing by each other but never noticed it."

Minji shook her head and shrugged. "Well, it's... it's just something..."

"It's not something. It is serendipity." The woman held out her hand to introduce herself. "I'm Yunjin."