Stranger //JJK

Curious

"I'm terribly late today! I hope I don't miss the bus." I glanced at the time on my phone.
I hurriedly gulped down a mug of coffee, thankfully not hot enough to burn down my throat and rushed towards the door grabbing the sandwich and my backpack on my way out.
"Bye Cherry!" I shouted out to my elder sister who would soon leave for her work.

I started sprinting down the road to the bus stop while biting the sandwich in my hand and mentally cross checking if I took everything. Not that I would have gone back home anyways.

A small town near the coastline of Busan, with a low population, yes, that's where I lived with my parents and my sister. My parents, who were mostly out of town for work, and my sister who left early in the morning and returned home mostly late in the evening. I commuted to school everyday and other classes. Most of my day passed in a city twelve kilometres away from where I lived.

As I reached near the bus stop, someone came into my sight. A cap covered their face. The figure I saw didn't really resemble any of the town's residents that I know either. I'm generally all alone at the bus stop every morning. Our town has a very scarce population so I am almost familiar with all the faces that I have been seeing for the past two years. The bus stop is somewhat located in the outskirts of the town and it's hard to see anyone around in general.

Walking to the side of the bus stop, somewhat panting from all the early morning sprinting that I just did.
I glanced over the unknown stranger who sat on the left edge of the seat looking at his phone. Still unknown of the face.
The stranger turned his face towards me, catching me glancing over him.
I quickly looked around here and there. Ah yes! Bus.

"Umm hey, did you see any bus pass by in the last five minutes?" I asked, slightly hesitant.

The stranger lifted his face up from his phone, paused for a second and nodded his face sideways.

"Luck on my side for the day." I murmured to myself in a low yet audible voice.

Brushing my fingers over the length of my hair, I took some steps and sat on the right edge of the seat, resting my head on the back side.

I was curious about this stranger, he had an innocent face, one that I do not remember seeing in this town before.

I wonder what's up with the bus today. I would miss my class if I had to take the next bus.

Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back. That's it.

"I have never seen you here before." I said looking at the stranger who was looking at his phone.

"Me?" The stranger replied. Finally, Blankly staring at me sheepishly.
The stranger had a sweet voice, and now that I got a good view of his face, he looked like my age.

"No, I was talking to the air." I said with a sarcastic smile.

"You are weird." The stranger replied and turned his head back to his phone.

"I'm asking you obviously."

"Staying over in my grandma's house for a few days." He said not moving his eyes from the phone.

"I see. Are you in highschool?"

"Senior year."
So he's around my age.

"I'm a sophomore."

"Oh"

Never-mind. No more interested in making a conversation. He's clearly doing whatever he's doing on his phone. I looked around here and there.

"I'm assuming  you live here?" The stranger was now looking at me, his phone turned upside down on his lap.

"Yes." I replied, this time I was looking at my phone instead of the stranger.

"Sorry, I was playing a game on my phone before. Didn't mean to be rude." He said with a slight smile.

"No, it's nothing. I'm just waiting for my bus which is nowhere to be seen."

"You are in highschool?"

"Yes, sophomore. I said that not less than two minutes ago. By the way, are you sure you didn't see a bus crossing?" I asked, my frail smile fading away into slight concern.

"I have been here for fifteen minutes now, and no I haven't seen any bus crossing". I nodded. "About the other- I wasn't paying attention-"

I just simply shrugged my shoulders.

"You are too early for school- assuming that you are going to school?" He said.

"I have an English class before my school starts. What about you?"

"Just somewhere I wanna visit."

"I see"

"Yea. Is your bus late?"

"Yes, it reaches earlier than today. Why? Am I annoying you so much that you want my bus to come soon?

"Definitely not, but I can say you don't seem that annoying. Although, it's been just ten minutes since I met you."

"That's nice. Which bus are you waiting for?"

"The one that takes you to the outskirts of the city."

"It will be here in ten minutes I guess. You are much early. What makes you wait in the bus stop?"

"I don't know, fresh air? just kidding, I was waiting for you."

"Excuse me? I don't even know you." I raised my brows at his remark.

" I'm kidding. I don't know you either"

"You are so weird"

He giggled at my words.

There it is. I saw my bus coming. I let out a sigh of relief.

"I gotta go weirdo stranger. My bus is here. It was nice meeting you." I said standing up and stepping out of the shade of the bus stop.

"Have a nice day, miss."

"Soeun it is. Bye."
I said getting up the bus and bidding bye to the stranger, which surely didn't feel like a goodbye, somewhere hoping to meet again.

---

"I thought I missed the bus today." I said to the bus driver as I got up on the bus.

"There is some construction work going on, I had to take the other way around. The bus will be here a little late for the next few days."

"Okay. Have a nice day."
I said walking up to the last row of seats of the empty bus and took over the window seats.

I looked out of the window thinking about the stranger I met today. I realised I didn't even ask him his name. I don't know if I'll meet him again. I thought about him for a few more minutes recalling the conversation we had. I wonder what type of a person he is.

Adjourning all the thoughts about the stranger, I took out a notebook out of my bag  and started revising the notes for my test today.
It's gonna be a long day, Soeun.