The Reason

Four Years Later

"Hoseok! I am here. Where are you?" Namjoon asked.

..........

"How about I wait for you at that cafe where we use to hang out? Yeah.... The one by the bookstore."

..........

"Ok, I'll see you in a bit."

Namjoon walked down the street and walked into a familiar place. The cafe hasn't changed since he last came by. The owner and barista was still the same person. Namjoon wondered if he would still recognise him.

As soon as Namjoon walked in, the barista greeted him warmly as though he never left.

"Hey, there stranger! How have you been?" he asked.

"Hi, Kangbin! I am good! Glad to see that you are still doing well."

Kangbin walked out from behind the counter and gave Namjoon a hug.

"How long will you be visiting? I heard from Hoseok that you are doing so well in Australia."

"I will be staying for three weeks. One week for work and the other two just visiting and catching up with friends."

"That is so good! I hope to see you around while you are here. Come! Find a seat and I will bring out your order. Still the same? Iced Americano since it is summer?"

Namjoon nodded his head.

It felt different to be back in his home country. He hasn't been back since his move to Australia. His mother had begged for him to come back for a visit because she misses him but he bought his parents and his sister tickets to visit him instead. He was not ready to come back.

Everything felt familiar but different at the same time. Summers here were mild compared to the scorching hot summers in Australia. This was something he missed. He didn't mind the humidity.

Namjoon found a seat towards the back of the cafe. He was reading emails from work when he heard a familiar voice. A voice he has not heard for a very long time. One that he thought he would forget after all these years. He looked up to see her standing at the counter ordering coffee.

It was her. His Angel . Someone he tried so hard to forget and was almost successful in doing so.

Everything about her looks and sounds familiar.  From the way she wears her hair to the way she dressed. Today, she had a pair of jeans, a simple white t-shirt and black sunglasses on.

"It's what they call Normcore, Namjoon," she explained what it was to him once. "Normcore means that the clothes that you wear is usually unisex and is characterised by unpretentious normal-looking clothing, that was putting it simply."

He still remembered what she said when he asked her what it meant. She was always up to date with these things. 

Namjoon sat still at his table. He didn't know if he wanted to be seen by her or if she would acknowledge him at all.

He heard her laugh at something the barista said. She still had that same beautiful hearty laugh. It was one of his favourite sound in the world.

After placing her order, she sat at the table nearest to the counter. She would have spotted him from her sitting position. Namjoon knew that she saw him but she did not react at all. He was surprised that she pretended not to see him. She was looking straight at him.

Is she pretending not to recognise me?

Namjoon pretended not to look up from his phone. If she is pretending not to know me, I would do the same. It was childish and he knew it but he didn't care. He was tired from his flight and he just wants to meet his best friend and get out of there.

The barista called out her name and her coffee order. She got up from her seat and Namjoon noticed something odd with her stance. He couldn't figure out what it was but he knew something was not usual.

"Thanks for the coffee, Kangbin. I'll be back again tomorrow, yeah?" Namjoon saw Kangbin handing her her coffee deliberately.

"Sure thing!" Kangbin replied. Namjoon watched as Kangbin walked out from behind the counter and handed her something from the table.

"Don't forget your walking stick again, you left it here the other day. You must be very familiar with this place already that you don't need it to find your way anymore?"

Namjoon felt like he was shot in the chest.

Walking stick? What does Kangbin mean by walking stick?

Namjoon heard her laugh softly. "Thanks, Kangbin. I was wondering where that went. I have been using the spare one that my mum got for me."

Kangbin walked her out of the cafe and bid her farewell. Namjoon walked up to the counter as Kangbin stepped back in. He looked at Namjoon's face somberly.

"She is legally blind, Namjoon," Kangbin said knowing the question in Namjoon's eyes.

"How? When?" was all Namjoon could say.

"I don't know the details but she came back a year ago and started coming into the cafe again about a few months back. She found a place nearby and comes in to get coffee every morning. She did mention about getting treatment in the States and now she is back in the country to be close to her family."

Namjoon didn't know what to say. He was shocked. He thanked Kangbin and paid for his coffee and ran out of the cafe to search for her but he couldn't find her. He ran up and down the street a couple of times but still he couldn't find her.

"Namjoon!" he heard Hoseok's voice calling him.

He waved at Hoseok who was walking towards him.

"Why are you out of breath? I thought you were going to wait for me at the cafe?"

"Hoseok," Namjoon said trying to catch his breath. "Did you know?"

"Know what?"

"About HER! About how she lost her sight! Did you know?"

Namjoon looked at Hoseok's face and he knew. Hoseok knew and he didn't tell him.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Namjoon demanded.

"Because," Hoseok sighed, "because she didn't want me to tell you."

"When?"

"About a year ago when she came back. She asked to meet and told me what happened. She made me promise not to tell you because you were doing so great in Australia that she didn't want you thinking about her. She knew you would drop everything and come back. She didn't want that."

"I need to speak to her," Namjoon said to his friend. "I need to speak to her now. Give me her number or better yet, tell me where she lives and I will go see her."

"But Namjoon, I thought you were doing well in trying to get over her. Aren't you seeing someone in Australia?"

"Don't you But Namjoon me! No, I broke up with the girl that I was seeing, a few weeks ago."

"Namjoon..." Hoseok said softly.

"Hoseok, don't you get it? SHE is the love of my life. She still is. Do you know how hard it is to forget someone like that? How would you feel if your partner of nearly 15 years suddenly disappears without any news and tells you to get over it just like that? Can you do it? Can you? She is my universe Hoseok. Please. I need to see her."

Hoseok understood how his best friend felt. He has never seen Namjoon begged for something like this before. In fact, for the longest time that he had known Namjoon, he had never seen Namjoon feel or act like this towards anyone.

"Ok," Hoseok said finally. "But we will have to speak to Sam."

"Why Sam?"

"Because she is living with Sam at the moment and if I tell her that you want to meet her, she is going to say no."

"Do it!" Namjoon said.