The fateful encounter
Ahh, I can't wait to get home and sleep, Boeun comments to herself as she alights the train. With slow and off-paced steps, "Ah.", she stepped on the back of a Nike shoe. Staring at the person's feet only to realize what she had done seconds ago, her eyes grew wider and drew her gaze from the person's feet to calves, thighs, waist, shoulder, neck, head, chin, mouth, nose…and eyes.
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!", she said after having eye contact with the stranger. The stranger was a tall, mature-looking boy, no older than the age of 18. From the time his shoe had been stepped on, he froze in his steps and likewise, his eyes grew wider realizing what had just happened. He turned his head back to look at his feet reluctantly and slowly, and saw the noticeably dark patch of dust on his shoe. He gasped and took his time looking at the culprit from her shoes to her head.
"My shoe!", he said full of exasperation.
"I am so sorry!", she apologized profusely, not daring to look at the stranger's eyes. "I-I can clean it for you."
"It's…alright.", the boy replied through his teeth, still from shock. Boeun continued to fix her eyes on the tiled floor and made her way out of the station. Oh my gosh, that was so embarrassing. How could I have stepped on his shoe? Agh, you're such an idiot! , she reprimanded herself making her way to the bus interchange.
Sigh. This really isn't my day. From walking into a billboard and then stepping on a pair of expensive shoes! What could get worse? Boeun began to space out, till the bus arrived. She boarded the bus and sat on a two-seater at the back, closest to the window. As more and more passengers flowed into the bus, gradually all the seats got taken up one by one, until someone occupied the seat beside Boeun.
She woke up from a reverie, and caught a glimpse of the person sitting beside her and looked out the window again. Wait, it can't be. Boeun shifted her head abruptly to her left once again, to confirm who was sitting beside her. Her eyes were full of shock. At the same time, the occupier was staring at her, speechless and wide-eyed. The two held up their index finger at each other and managed to cough out something, "Ah-!"
"It's you again!"
