Serendipity: The Amazing Journey Of A Soulmate

3. Missed chance

I put the coins in the vending machine and make my selection. Man, I am so tired. I grab the bottle of still water and head towards the exit of the building, carefully massaging my tense neck.
I've been in the courtroom for the past 3 hours, fighting like a wildcat to win this case.  I always make sure my clients get the best of me in court, but I never really get attached to the people I represent.

My cold professional attitude is one of the reasons I'm so well respected in the law firm I work for. As lawyers, we are taught that during a case we shouldn't focus on revealing the truth (that's prosecution's duty to the citizens), but on providing the best outcome in the trial for our clients, be them guilty or not. However, this time I honestly believed in my client's innocence. He is a very nice and educated person, hardworking and with a beautiful family. And like all people do at some point in their life, he is facing financial problems. Apparently, to prosecution this was a good reason for him to commit shoplifting. What a pile of crap! I did a good job with the closing speech, though and the court will render the decision in the next days.

I pull the phone out of my bag and start checking for any messages or missed calls. Most of them are work related: clients or other colleagues. There is also one from Mr. Ji, my superior. 

"Inna, stop by my office when you're back at the firm. There is this new case I want us to discuss about." Great, more work. I wonder what this is about. He usually asks his secretary to let a pile of files on my desk and that's how I get most of the cases. This must be serious then. 

"Yes, Mr. Ji. I've just finished at court and I'll be back at the firm soon." I quickly reply to him. I check the time and it's 12:15 pm. I should get lunch before I go back to office. Just then, my phone starts ringing.
"Annyeong, Mirae. What's up?" I say to my best friend. 

"Inna, I'm at the police station, just finished an interview. Did you have lunch?"

"Actually, I was just thinking about that. I had a horrible day and I'm starving. Wanna grab some jajangmyeon?" I say to her, my stomach growling just at the thought of warm food. 

"For sure. Our regular place in 15 minutes." Mirae says and hangs up. She always does that. In her opinion, phones are devices you use just to deliver information and there is no point in unnecessarily extending a conversation. I will not argue with her on this matter. A lawyer should also know when to back down and I can never win with her. Mirae is my closest friend here in Korea. She is a journalist at one of the main national news stations. We've been knowing each other for a couple years now and we first met abroad. Back then, she was an intern for the media team at the company I was working for. 

She is jolly and has a lot of energy, spreading good vibes everywhere she goes, while I'm the opposite, colder, introverted, always observing. What an unusual partnership. Mirae knows about my past and about the old wounds that are still healing. She knows how love always betrayed me and how much the people stole from me.

People are trains. Many enter our lives just like they enter a station. For some people, we are a destination. For others, just a stop along the way. They take what they need from you and they give you something in return, just like trains collecting and dropping off passengers in stations.
I was never a destination. All the trains that entered my station picked up my passengers, one by one, leaving behind only smoke and an empty platform.

I don't have many friends here in Seoul, due to my busy schedule and introverted nature. I guess I'm not easy to like. And my old friends, well...I still keep in touch with a few of them, but they are all in Romania, having their own lives now. To be honest, the loneliness never bothered me. I have learned to live with it and I'd welcome it like an old friend. My books would always keep me company and I was content with it. But even the loneliest person, at times, needs the presence of another soul to remain sane. When she entered my life, Mirae didn't have much to give me, but I didn't have anything left for her to steal anyway. So I let her in. I welcomed her in this hollow soul of mine and she wasn't scared. She's still around, always by my side.