The Black Rose

Chapter Twelve

Background Music: https://soundcloud.com/c-h-c-mi-u/itsumo-nando-demo-music-box

It was a beautiful late afternoon in Paris. The cafe was bustling with people. Jenny was seated outside the cafe, waiting for Minzy to arrive. A waiter approached and set down the cup of coffee and slice of cake that she ordered on the table. She sipped her coffee lazily and smiled to herself, "This is what Paris life is all about." She saw Minzy walking from a distance. Jenny waved at her bestfriend and Minzy, seeing that it was her, waved back. 

"Sorry for making you wait," apologized Minzy. "That's ok Minzy. I haven't been here that long," said Jenny. Minzy sat down across from her, "You seem to be in a very good mood today." Jenny smiled at her as a sign of agreement. Just then, a waiter approached them and asked for Minzy's order. As soon as the waiter left, the two started exchanging stories about their day and of course, boys. "So, how was that new neighbor of yours who had a crush on you like, forever?" teased Jenny. "He's... doing... fine?" Minzy laughed. "Let's not talk about him, shall we? Honestly, I haven't seen him in a while. Maybe, he's just that busy that he had no time to contact me," emphasized Minzy. The waiter returned with Minzy's order. "Just like I want it. Thank you!" said Minzy. Jenny took another sip of her coffee. "Jenny, just a moment. I need to go to the washroom," said Minzy, excusing herself, as she stood up to go inside. 

Jenny loved people watching. It's her favorite activity everytime she goes out to eat or drink, especially when she's alone. As she looked around, an interesting person caught her eye. She hadn't seen him before in this cafe. She observed him just as a private agent would. He was seated a few feet away from where she was and had his back turned on her. She turned her head a little to the side so as to have a better view of him. Surprisingly, he was doing the same thing as her, observing people. Their only difference was that he had a sketchbook in his hand and he was drawing a sketch of people who happen to pass by. She was taken aback by the guy's skill because he was able to draw a sketch of one person in a matter of more or less ten minutes. "He must be an artist," she thought to herself. Minzy finally returned to her seat, obstructing her view. "Sorry it took me a while. There was a queue for the washroom," explained Minzy. Jenny then returned her focus on her bestfriend and had lost all thoughts about the guy.

 

The following weeks became a busy one for Jenny. Everytime Minzy would invite her to eat out, she would decline saying she had a deadline to beat. She would often pass by her favorite cafe on her way to the office and grab a cup or two of her favorite coffee. In the afternoon, she would spend most of her time at the same cafe in front of her laptop, bringing with her some paperworks, and would stay there until late in the evening. Little did she know that someone was observing her and had been accompanying her all this time.

One evening, Jenny got so tired that she drifted in and out of sleep. There was a time when she almost hit her head on the screen of her laptop hadn't it been for someone who propped her forehead with his hand. She drowsily opened her eyes and saw that the screen got a little too big, and soon realized that someone was holding her forehead, preventing her face to smash into the screen. She quickly straightened up and fixed herself. Then she heard a low chuckle. She looked up, a little bit irritated, but then recognized the guy from weeks before. "Hi! I'm... um... sorry about that," he smiled apologetically. "I'm Seung Hyun, by the way," stretching out his hand. Jenny was a bit hesitant at first, what with him laughing at her misfortune earlier, but then decided to take it anyway. "Bom," said Jenny. "But I am known by my English name, Jenny," she added. "Um, can I just call you Bom?" he asked, releasing her hand. "It's all up to you," she answered, still feeling irritated at him. "Mind if I join you?" asked Seung Hyun. Jenny looked around. There were a lot of empty seats. She looked at Seung Hyun once and found that he looked harmless enough to allow him to join her. Seung Hyun sat across from her and took out a sketchbook from his bag. "Do you bring that with you all the time?" Jenny asked curiously. Seung Hyun was surprised by her question and realized that she was referring to the sketchbook. "Oh, this... yes. I guess I can't live without a sketchbook anymore," he answered. "You like people watching too, right?" said Jenny matter-of-factly. Seung Hyun stared at her, wondering how she knew this. "Yes. I actually do. But..." he trailed off just as Jenny picked up, "I saw you here weeks before. I was doing the same thing as you. Well, minus the sketching part."  Seung Hyun was, once again, surprised by this that he had a loss for words.

They spent the rest of the evening pretty much doing their own thing, with Seung Hyun sketching and Jenny researching, though there were a few occasions wherein they would talk about random stuff. They also had a few more rounds of coffee so as to stay awake. Seung Hyun glanced once at the clock and realized that it was time for Jenny to go home. Just then, Jenny stood up, did a little stretching, and finally gathered her things. "I need to go home now," she informed him. Seung Hyun also knew that she had always walked her way home. "Do you live far from here?" he pretended to ask. "No. I live just a few blocks away," she answered. "Will you be safe alone?" he pretended to ask once more, this time with a hint of sincerity and worry in his tone. "Of course. I always walk my way home from here ever since," she answered confidently. "Okay then. I'll just see you off," said Seung Hyun. "How about you? Do you live far from here?" she asked naively. "Just a few blocks away as well," he answered. "Oh, we might be neighbors then!" said Jenny in surprise. Seung Hyun just stayed silent because it had already been a while since he knew that they were not neighbors. 

Seung Hyun helped her carry her things and handed them to her as soon as they were outside. "Thank you," said Jenny. "Take care Bom, and it was nice meeting you," he said. Jenny started on her way. Seung Hyun kept his position and watched her go off. She was already a few feet away when she suddenly turned around and shouted, "I guess we're not neighbors after all!" He just smiled at this. She then waved at him and continued on her way home. As soon as Jenny passed the first block, Seung Hyun started off, following her footsteps.