Autumn's whispers

Chapter 1: The Lucky Encounter

In the busy city of Seoul, South Korea, at Seoul National University, lived a regular guy named Hyun-woo. His days were pretty much the same-classes, study sessions, and relaxing evenings with his cat, Mr. Whisky.

But one autumn day, as the campus got all golden with leaves, Hyun-woo decided to take a break at a cozy coffee shop. The smell of coffee filled the air as he sat in a comfy chair by the window, reading his favorite book. It was about teenagers finding a portal to another world, not knowing it led to some trouble. It was a classic story that always brought him a sense of adventure. He wondered, if he found a portal, would he be brave enough to go through it?

Outside, the sound of rain on the pavement mixed with the café's soft jazz music.

Little did Hyun-woo know, Eun-hee, a girl known as the "goddess" of the university, quietly walked into the same coffee shop. Her steps told stories of an artistic soul, and her eyes, though distant, were curious. The coffee shop was alive with the melody of jazz and the hum of the espresso machine. In this small, comforting space, something lucky was about to happen.

Hyun-woo, lost in his book, noticed Eun-hee standing nearby.
His hands shook a bit as she approached.

"Excuse me. Can I sit here?" she asked, pointing to the chair across from him.

There was a moment of quiet, and then a slightly nervous Hyun-woo said she could. So, the goddess took her seat.

As Eun-hee read her book, Hyun-woo couldn't help but peek at her. The sunlight made her face glow, and he forgot about his book.

She caught him looking, and their eyes met. "What's up?" she asked.

"Um, nothing. I've never seen you before," he said.

"And I haven't seen you either. Do you often spy on girls?" she teased.

"No, not really. I don't usually see many people around here."

"You're a student, right?" she asked.

He nodded.

"What's your name?"

"I'm Hyun-woo. It's written in hanja: 'clear, bright spirit.'"

"Really? Mine is written with the characters for 'eastern, spring.'"

"Sounds pretty."

"Thanks." They both smiled.

"So, how long have you been here?" she asked.

"I started my second year this semester," he said.

"How come I've never seen you around before? Are you a ghost or something?"

"I...I tend to stay away from crowds."

"I'm sure you do. Do you come here often?"

"Only sometimes. I like reading here when I'm in the mood."

"You really like reading, huh?"

"Well, I..." he began.

Eun-hee laughed. "I guess I like reading too. It's just so interesting, isn't it? You can explore new worlds and meet all sorts of people, even if you're not really there."

"Yeah, it's a great way to escape from the real world for a while."

"Oh, you don't like the real world?"

"N-no, not exactly. I just... I like getting away from reality every once in a while, you know?"

"I know what you mean," she said.

The autumn breeze came into the shop. Eun-hee wrapped her scarf tightly around her neck.

"Hey, why don't we exchange numbers?" she suggested.

"What for?" he asked.

"Well, we can be friends, and maybe we'll run into each other here again. Plus, you're not bad company."

"I'm not? I thought you were annoyed by me."

"No, not at all," she reassured him. "Really."

They both laughed.

"So, can I get your number, then?"

"Uh, sure, I guess."

Hyun-woo wrote it down and handed her the paper.

"Thanks. See you around."

"S-see you."

Eun-hee took the paper and left the cafe. Hyun-woo watched her walk away, his heart still racing. He couldn't believe he just got Eun-hee's number. He never thought someone as popular and beautiful as her would want to be his friend. He looked down at the paper and smiled. Maybe this semester won't be so boring after all.

Hyun-woo's phone pinged. A message from Eun-hee, "Hi, this is Eun-hee, we met today."

He replied, "Hi."

Her reply: "Want to hang out tomorrow? I'm free."

He answered, "Okay."

And just like that, a friendship bloomed between the two unlikely friends.

To be continued...