30 Dates

Meeting Him

In life, it's not always fair. Bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people. It seems that there is an unwritten rule of the universe in which good people have to endure more than bad people. No matter how much you try to live a normal life without hurting others, bad things are bound to happen to you.

Elderlies often tell me that it's the universe's way of testing one's will and courage to persevere through all the good and the bad in order to enjoy the true glory of life at the end. 

In the beginning, I refused to believe that that is how my destiny is written. I refused to believe that my destiny is me having to eventually battle my own cells that have turned cancerous against my own body, and that one day they will betray and fail me just because that was how they were programmed for in the beginning. 

I hated the fact that this is what was written for me, I hated having to take so many medications and having to go to the hospital for frequent checkups and chemotherapy. I hated the smell of the hospital. I hated the journey from home to the doctor. I hated how my mother has to stay alert about me all the time as if she doesn't have a life of her own to enjoy. But most of all, I hated not the disease itself, but I hated how life is so unfair.

I have gone through so much, how could life throw this at me? This is a curveball that I did not even know how to handle from the start. 

And as statistics predicted, the hypothesis that a cancer patient will develop depression as a side effect, was indeed true for me. That was life throwing a bigger curveball at me. Nobody knew the chances of survival for someone like me, with two co-existing illnesses. Being in a state of depression is like being trapped and drowning in a deep well that is full of water, except that it isn't water that's drowning you, but it's the ugly thoughts and frequent whispers of the demons inside of you. The well was shut tightly, giving me no chances to breathe and live or to enjoy the beautiful sunlight outside. Until -

"Look at you, daydreaming again," Sunni snapped her fingers in front of my face, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"I wasn't daydreaming," I sneered.

"Sure you weren't," said Sunni sarcastically as she folded her apron nicely and put it into her bag.

I really wasn't.

"My shift's over, as you can probably already tell," She said as she slung her bag over her shoulders, "Are you okay with closing this place alone?"

"Yeah, don't worry I'll be fine," I smiled to her as I wiped the countertop with a piece of cloth.

"Okay then, I'll see you next Monday," She said as she gave me a quick hug before turning around and making her way out of the bakery to the nearest bus stop.

Since no one's around, I put out my phone on the table and connected it to the speaker, going through my song library until I found a perfect one. 

"My all-time fave," I whispered to myself as Miss Right by BTS comes along. 

Right, from earlier. The well was shut tightly until a group of boys came and helped release the lid and helped me climb up step by step. It really is beautiful how the right music, written with the right intention, have the right effects on people who need it the most. I wouldn't be anywhere I am now, mentally, if it wasn't for the boys who inspired me to give life a new meaning by showing the universe who really is the boss of me here. 

What if Make-A-Wish actually grants my wish?

I blushed and smiled at the thought of meeting the one man who with his own story and uniqueness, helped me overcome the fear of not being able to enjoy elated emotions in me. 

I emptied the cake stand and moved the cupcakes into the fridge, hoping none of them would be spoilt when the bakery opens tomorrow.

After cleaning the oven and tossing the dirty cloth into the sink, I washed my hands and removed my apron in preparation to go back home. Just then, the door opened and the bell chimed.

"Oh, I'm sorry but we're closed - " I halted mid-sentence after turning around to see who it is.

Here he comes, making his way to where I am standing across the counter.

"Kim Min Ah?" My name flowed freely from his mouth as if it was one of the lyrics from their song.

Too surprised, I nodded, not being able to say anything.

"Hi, I'm here for 30 dates with you," Kim Taehyung smiled as he reached out his hand to shake mine.

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