1~ The Encounter
It was a rainy Thursday night, the week before the local university opened. Rain swamped the streets, soggy orange leaves made soft squelches under every passing person - yet no one was around this late at night.
Except for one.
Dahye Kang had turned eighteen years old a few months ago, in the winter. Now, she was alone in the rain, heading home. She was taking the long way home, despite the eerie darkness late at night - books clutched tight in a tote bag to her chest, as if they were the only thing keeping her walking.
Leaves crumpled under her feet as she walked, her soft eyes glancing around with innocent curiosity. Until she finally noticed a brief flicker of dark brown when she turned a corner - a person.
This person was drenched to the bone, despite wearing a big dark brown leather jacket. Bags hung ungracefully from their arms, some unzipped, with items peeking out.
Their eyes met—dark brown and pale green meeting in an unconscious blend.
Dahye looked away, awkwardness creeping in like smoke between them. They passed each other, one of the bags subtly brushing her arm. After multiple steps, Dahyes’ steps faltered. The phantom feeling from the bag stayed, tingling faintly on her arm. She brushes the moment off, after all - they meant nothing to each other. Just strangers passing late at night.
Dahye walked home silently - the only noise was the rain and water surrounding her, and of course, her thoughts that lingered on the stranger.
Weeks pass, and the first day of college arrives - with Dahye’s thoughts still wandering to the stranger from that night. Despite constantly thinking of the stranger, the memory of the face was blurred, and Dahye remained unsure of what their facial features looked like. Were they rounded and chubbier? Sharper, and firmer? Or, were they more square, and their jaw more extended?
Dahye didn’t know. But she wanted to.
She was walking on the campus, birds fluttering and tweeting softly in the nearby oak trees. The pavement was stony and made every step seem louder, no matter how softly Dahye stepped. Other students walked nearby, some alone, others in groups and crowds - some holding books, others carrying bags, and some carrying nothing.
Dahye hated those people the most. Slackers. She couldn’t even imagine disobeying her family like that; they were pressuring enough. Even just thinking of her parents’ scolds was enough to send shivers down her spine. She shook her head and kept walking down the path to her first class.
