The Coffee Shop (Scoups)

𝟻𝟼 - ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏғғᴇᴇ sʜᴏᴘ

Three Months Later (January, 2023) 

"That will be 48,000 won," The cashier says and I dish out my credit card to make the payment. Moving over to the side, I push my cart forward and begin to bag my groceries in the eco-bags I brought with me, which happen to be quite a lot that I end up filling two bags to the brim. 

Even though I only have one more month left before spring break and the end of my second year, I had started to run out of some basic necessitates which I need to restock on. Since finals are also coming up, I will be mostly be eating from my dorm so I also needed some food other than instant ramen.  

Now that Yewon unnie has finished her thesis and her finals and it basically done with her undergraduate degree, she has moved out and went back home for the time being until the official graduation ceremony. So I have the whole place to myself and am free to do whatever I want. 

"Be careful," One of the grandmas next to me, who is also bagging her groceries said. "I heard the snow is going to get bad in the night. You are from Sebong aren't you?"

I nod my head, trying to peer out of the window but its too dark outside to see the weather conditions. 

"Oh my, try to get on the bus as soon as you can. Before they stop all bus operations due to the weather. And look at the amount of stuff you have. It will hard carrying it all home for you today," The grandma tells me before walking off, most likely trying to get home before the weather gets worst. 

I step out my bags on both arms and stop to look at the sky. 

It had already started snowing when I left my dorm but now it is definitely snowing a lot more harder and is even starting to stick at a faster rate. The grandma is right that I should probably go home as soon as I can. 

Luckily the grocery store is my last stop for today so I start to walk towards the bus stop. I won't lie, it is a bit of struggle to carry two large grocery bags, including my own purse in only two hands and I am struggling to also not slip and fall on the snow as well. 

By the time I reach the bus stop, however, there is already a very large line forming of at least more than twenty people. It seems that everyone has seemed to catch on that the weather is starting to go crazy and the fact that it is a Friday night is also not helping either. 

There is a bus that is loading everyone but I already know that I won't be able to make it inside, especially with my two large grocery bags.  So I decide to ditch the idea of riding the bus and take a taxi instead. 

Walking over to the taxi line, I wait for a while for my turn to get a taxi. While I am still the third person waiting in line for the taxi, I hear someone call my name. 

"Jia?"

I turn around instinctively at the voice and see Seungcheol standing in front of me.  

"Jia. It is you," Seungcheol said, sounding a bit surprised to run into me. He looks down at my hands and then looks back up at me, asking, "Are you going back?"

I nod, not saying anything at all. 

Of course I have seen Seungcheol around campus and in some of my classes as well the past three months however we have never communicated or interacted. He steered well clear of me and I did as well. 

After that night, I had fully expected Seungcheol to come and try to talk to me but he seemed to get the memo and left me alone and went on with his life. Of course, I heard bits about him from here and there but again, I have never really talked to him since that night. Maybe some small smiles every now and then as if to greet