The bell rang, signaling the end of the exam. Dohee took in deep breath, looking over her answers, before passing the questionnaire and the answer sheet forward as the professor instructed. Even as she packed up her things, she couldn't relax. She still had to wait for the results.
The hall outside the classroom was crowded from the other students scurrying outside to freedom. She tried not to let the bodies slamming against her as they navigated through the maze. The crowd seemed to thin at the end of the hall and Dohee managed to slip through the exit of the building.
She set out of the campus, walking a few blocks away and turned at the corner to an alleyway. Not many people walked by this area so she knew she wouldn't be bothered. She pulled out the packet and her lighter, and took one stick before shoving the box back into her bag. She lighted the cigaretted and placed it in between her lips, tucking the lighter into her jacket pocket.
Leaning on the dirty, graffiti-stained wall, she let her worries go with the smoke she blew out.
This was her space. People rarely ever came across it, and those who did carried on with their lives as if they hadn't seen her. She never was important enough to be recognized.
When the guy passed by, she thought he wouldn't notice her. He had just been there at the exact time she blew out smoke, and his gaze had landed on her. He stopped walking, standing awkwardly at the place between the buildings.
She tilted her head to the side lazily, watching him with curious eyes. He was light-haired, obviously dyed. The guy was tall, too, and looked maybe around her age. What would he do? She imagined that he would continue on his way, never think of the stranger in the alleyway again.
She wasn't wrong. He walked away.
For a moment, she felt a wave of loneliness hit her but it disappeared soon enough. It had been a while since someone had accompanied her during these times. There was this one guy; she wouldn't call him a close friend, but they were acquaintances. Her usual companion, who had been gone for a month already, wouldn't come back so now she was alone. It wasn't that big of a deal, though. She understood. It wasn't as if they were together because they liked each other.
