It Just Happened That Way || JEONGIN from skz!

2

Three Hours Later

Apartment tours finally done! I already found one I like, in a good location between the office and all the fun of Seoul, so I applied for it right then and there. I was practically dragging my feet as I desperately looked for a cafe for my caffeine fix. Living in that Airbnb really made me forget the usual routine I have of drinking a cup of coffee to fuel my mornings...

Thanks to the cafe culture of Seoul, it wasn't difficult to find a cozy and modern cafe within minutes. I walked into the quiet cafe and looked at the menu, while another couple of guys ordered in front of me. After choosing my drink (a hot Americano for this chilly day), I went to find a seat by the window (and by some outlets). I set up my station so that I would be comfortable working for an hour or so. I took off some layers and my hat, quickly brushed my fingers through my straight, black, shoulder length hair, before hearing that an Americano was ready to be picked up.

I hurried over to pick up my drink, only to see that someone else was about to grab it. We both slowed down and looked at each others' masked faces, and awkwardly smiled, before asking at the same time, "Is that yours?" (of course, in Korean) (It was time to practice).

"What did you order?" We both say, before chuckling. 

"I got an Americano," I said with a smile. 

He grinned from behind his mask and said, "Oh? Me too. But, ladies first." 

I swear, I had never seen such a good looking eye-smile, but I kept my cool and pretended to be unphased. Instead, I rolled my eyes at the chivalry, and then smirked as another Americano came out right away. 

We both approached the bar and grabbed our respective americanos and bid each other adieu before turning to return to our seats. Awkwardly, we began walking in the same direction — Ugh. His seat is right by mine and now we're going to have to walk together there haha. .. I thought to myself. How awkward. I tried to keep my cool, and sped up the pace, while in the back of my mind I thought to myself, why does he look so familiar?

I shrugged off the thought. I just moved to Seoul, so the only people I knew here were some university friends and my extended family, neither of which were in this cafe.

Finally at my seat, I took off my mask and tucked my hair behind my ears before sitting down to start working, all while trying to pretend not to be interested in this guy. I focused on my music, slightly bobbing my head to the beat of a new track I was working on, but then I saw from the corner of my eye that something the guy's friend said had made him burst out in laughter. It briefly rang through the cafe, and despite the interruption to my workflow, the happy laughter was contagious enough to lift the corners of my lips a little. In that moment I looked up, half a smile still on my face, and made sudden eye contact with the now-unmasked guy. A feeling of shock went through my body. Hang on, I thought. Isn't that...Yang Jeongin from Stray Kids? I stayed calm and slowly looked away and back at my laptop, trying to pretend not to be freaking out even the slightest bit. I put my chin onto my left hand while the right clicked around on my laptop. Yeah good work, Yeona, very natural.

A few minutes passed. My heart rate went down. I casually looked up again, as if I were merely a girl making fleeting and flirty glances at a stranger, not a former fan who had been obsessed enough years past to buy albums and produce music. When I glanced up, I looked to see who Jeongin was talking to, and saw that the other person was nobody I knew of. I breathed a slow sigh of relief. I don't think I would've been able to keep my cool had that not been the case.

The next time I looked up and made eye contact with Jeongin, I smiled at him. He smiled back, and my heart jumped a little. I fidgeted and tucked a stray hair behind my ear again before returning to work. But then I saw movement: Jeongin and his friend were getting up to go. I looked up in response to the noise, once again making eye contact with him.

 What was this dance of eye contact? Did it mean anything or was I just imagining it all? We held on to each others' eyes for a couple seconds longer before he slightly smiled, turned, and left the cafe. My spirit dropped a little in disappointment that I wouldn't get to talk to him again, and that this was just a coincidental occurrence.