Felix pushes heavy metal door of his warehouse-apartment, and gets greeted by a brisk, icy air. It's 7 am, the sun just started coming out, and it looks like winter is not giving up.
He makes sure that the cat doesn't sneak out again, before closing the door and locks the door.
With a big cross-body bag on his shoulder, he walks quickly to get to work on time. Music in his earbuds lifts him up. His feet follow an inaudible rhythm only he can hear.
A few bus stations later, he gets out in front of the most famous Kpop factory in Seoul. A place that millions of people would kill to enter just once in their lifetime. A place where dreams are made, and shattered.
Just like every morning, he walks past the Kpop shrine and enters a boring-looking, old building that hosts a few small businesses including his workplace.
He takes off the bag, a jacket, a scarf, a hat, gloves, a vest... and there he is!
Pretty blonde with an irresistible charm. Sunshine in a human form.
- Felix!!
- Yes, Sir?
- Bring us coffee from that nice cafe, would you? Here's my card.
- Will do.
A vest, a scarf, a hat, gloves, jacket... everything goes back on.
Felix misses warm, summer days, and a beach... It's been so long since he spent a day soaking in the sun, wearing shorts all day... his skin doesn't even remember what sun is any more.
But, he's not complaining. It was his idea to leave Sydney and return to the place where he spent his childhood. He bought a one-way ticket, and never looked back.
In beautiful (but cold) Seoul, he found a job, and, he even had a few interesting assignments. Yet, he knows he can do more. Definitely more than ordering coffee.
- Four iced americanos, and one dolce latte please.
The dolce latte is for Felix, of course. If his boss treats him like his personal secretary, he can just as well treat him with a coffee.
He starts digging in his bag for a credit card he was given but... where is it??
He takes everything out of the bag, cursing under the breath (in English, of course), and once again wishes his bag had a light switch.
People behind him are getting impatient.
Finally, he sees the card at the very bottom of his bag, pulls it out and makes a payment. Slightly annoyed at complaints behind him, he collects his stuff, puts it all back in the bag, walks outside, realizes he forgot to take the coffee, comes back again like it was totally his intention to walk out and return right back in, and takes his order.
Maybe he should have followed his childhood dream of becoming the fifth Wiggle, he thinks, pushing door with his back and almost kicking some tall guy along the way. Coffee cups jiggle in a cup holder, but Felix has cat reflexes and nothing gets spilled.
For a moment there, he has a strange feeling that he just passed by someone he knows.
He catches a glimpse of stranger's silhouette, and almost turns around to say hi to the mystery person.
A feeling of something inviting and charming fills up his soul. He takes a deep breath to get more of that but... the moment is gone.
Everything goes back to normal. Just ordinary workers looking for their morning fix to survive Monday.
Felix shakes off the strange emotion, and starts walking back to the office.
It was just a silly feeling, nothing more.
*****
And so it begins...
How and when are Felix and Hyunjin going to meet?
Tomorrow's chapter will give you a big hint.
******