“Yeah, sure,” he said, and Lia did her best not to duck under the table and stay there forever as she handed her phone to the KPop idol whose hand she’d squeezed for emotional comfort without his consent. “There are a lot of parks in Seoul that fit what you’re looking for.”
Parks! Of course! Of course it never occurred to someone who lived in a place with zero public spaces that a park would be perfect for her needs!
“Since you have a bit of time, you might as well visit my favorite one.”
Cal held up Lia’s phone, and the screen showed her a pinned location in the Mapo-gu district. Somewhere close to Hongdae.
“Is that…Yeonnam-dong?” Lia asked, and Cal nodded.
“The perfect spot to have a little privacy but not feel so alone. I was there for most of our hiatus. It’s nice.” He nodded and handed her her phone back. She noticed that he took extra care to make sure that their hands didn’t touch. “There’s a pie shop near the park that serves good coffee, and even better pie,” he added. “I’m sorry you’re going through a hard time right now, but…I hope the pie helps.”
“Thank you,” she said, holding her phone close to her chest because it felt like a gift, Cal sharing a little bit of himself the same way she had. She took a deep, steadying breath, letting thefeeling sink in as she prepared to carry it with her. “I should get going.”
“Chalga yo,” he said, and at her confusion, followed it up with, “um, ingats.”
“Ingats,” Lia echoed, unable to stop herself from giggling. “Youarea Makati boy.”
He held his index finger against his lips and gave her a little wink.
A coupleof bus rides and a subway stop later, Lia found the park. She sat, feet tired and shivering on a nearby bench and pressed her fingers to her nose—even the insides of her nose were cold. She was from a tropical country! This concept of cold weather—god, it was 18 degrees!—was not appealing. It was the kind of cold that seeped in no matter what she did, in her toes and the tips of her fingers. Maybe her denim jacket wasn’t made for this kind of weather. Maybe it was just her.
You have arrived at your desired destination.
According to the map, the cafe Cal had highly recommended was right behind her. Lia looked up and realized she had somehow wandered into the park, except the park was just about as narrow as a street. The area was marked by tall, tall trees whose colors were turning a bright, happy yellow and a deep, crimson red. There was a tiny stream just in front of her, water running through unhurriedly. It was still mid-morning, so despite the chilly wind, the park bustled with people coming and going, either to start their day or to relax.
She spotted families with small children taking a stroll in the chilly autumn morning, small dogs yapping enthusiastically. There were groups of old men with their hands clasped behindtheir backs, older women with perms and bright scarves, hustling to shop with their trolley baskets. People were ambling along the dry grass or walking along the paved walkway, enjoying a lovely autumn day. Her first lovely autumn day.
It put everything in perspective for her then. She was here because she wanted to enjoy this moment, this place that she’d missed. She hadn’t meant to run into her younger self here, but that younger self led her here, to this little park in the middle of the city.
There would be enough time to live her lonely life later.
Her phone started to ring. Lia sat on a bench under one of the red maple trees with her pie and her coffee. She slipped her earbuds in and answered.
“Hi. Long time no see.”
“Hi Lia,” she said, her voice steady and kind as it had always been. “Ready to talk?”
“Yeah.” She nodded. “I’m ready.”
Cal
Hope you found the place okay! I just remembered the Dirty Latte goes really well with their citrus Earl Grey pie.
@LilacLias posted a photo
[a photo of a slice of chocolate Earl Grey pie and a dirty latte.] Delicious. Tears were shed (literally)
@TeddyTriptych liked your photo
@FrankieSays liked your photo
FOUR
LET’S FORGET IT - KIM WAN SUN
As the leaderof a second-generation Korean idol band, an only child, a hyung to two kids, and a public figure, there were a lot of things currently occupying Ahn Yongjin’s mind.
There was the new mini album, and the fact that he had no idea what to do with it. There was the entire year he spent getting over a breakup, completely forgetting how to write, much less write a song, even less to make a song sound good. There was the impending doom of maybe losing the band, his entire career. There was his parents’ decision to stay in Manila despite them having a place here. There was his crippling fear of being alone after his ex broke up with him, wondering what he would have done if only he’d said yes to what Bomseok offered.
