Letters and Latte | Ryeji

01 - Pilot

Yeji quickly searched out for the modernised alarm clock, tapped its shut up button, and got up from her unfolded bed. She tied up the thick cozy blanket and arranged all the velvet like pillows to its original place before headed towards the shower room along with the pastel pink bath towel she received from a friend as a gift for her previous birthday.

The dazzling sun wasn't awake and yet Yeji was already spending the first thirty minutes of her day inside. Minutes after, Yeji grabbed her toothbrush to finish up and got dressed with proper uniform.

With a rucksack at her back, Yeji walked out of her room. Smiling, she pranced in a faster motion and was immediately greeted by a salient gleam of her mother. Her usual favourite vittles for mornings were being served on the table, some golden pancakes with maple syrup, a glass of milk, and a banana.

Her dad wasn't around, primarily left for a essential business. But her father wasn't a businessman, just a part-time one to have extra income for their daily living. Not that they couldn't afford any extravagant things, her father just wanted to secure their future especially her education because that was the main inheritance he could give to his children. Yeji gave value on that.

"We don't have maple syrup, Ma?"

"Have you forgotten your friend ate all of it yesterday and you bickered about it."

Yeji squinted her eyes as the fresh memory of her most favoured syrup was taken in an instant by her little friend who wasn't really tiny. Normally, her friend would gate-crash at their home and join her during breakfast meals on weekdays since they were neighbors and pretty much close friends even if their age wasn't aligned with each other. Speaking of, the gate was opened, a signal that someone had barged into their place.

"Good morning, Yeji! What do we have for breakfast? Oh—good morning Mrs. Hwang!"

"Good morning, Yuna. You're a bit late this morning." Since Yuna always dragged her butt earlier than Yeji every single morning, she tended to have a bite first on whatever Yeji had for breakfast. It wasn't really a big deal for Yeji as well as for her mother considering the fact Yuna lives at a girls' dorm, wherein breakfast meals weren't commonly a thing.

"I forgot to set up my alarm. But! Thankfully, my roommate's alarm clock woke me up!"

Yeji and her mother exchange a faltered grin, and went back to what they were doing. Yuna sat beside Yeji and didn't hesitate to grab her food. Yuna was only in her ninth grade, but her length was no joke. She was way taller than Yeji. That was the reason why Yeji totally understood she was friends with a baby after all she didn't have a younger sister and having Yuna by her side, she had one.

"I'm done! Let's go now before we get late!"

"I only had my first bite."

When Yeji met her for the first time, it was the day in the previous school year, the same school year Yuna transferred into the same university as hers. Yeji found her in the student's center stage, having her own mini concert, singing her lungs out to some Little Mix's songs and everyone adored her that day even Yeji. After getting praised, Yuna ushered to the sole person that caught her attention which happened to be Yeji and asked her to buy snacks with her since she got exhausted from her concert. Yeji, per usual, didn't reject her cutesy request and eventually became great friends after that.

"At least you had one! Come on! I want to study and learn new things and discover—"

Yeji shook her head, she didn't know how to staple someone's mouth in person so what she did was only did it inside her head and bade a kiss goodbye to her mother. After all, going to university meant seeing her long-time crush. Perhaps not in almost every class, but at least they were in the same university breathing and sharing same air.