When Last Night Didn't End: Before Story

16

The wheels of the shopping cart rattled against the blinding floors of the supermarket, grating Hye-jin's ears. Her eyes scanned the aisles for some semblance of soy sauce, but all she saw were fish sauce. She clicked her tongue and strolled down the aisle anyway. There might be a section for soy sauce in the middle.

The bundle of hair pulled away from her face bounced against the back of her neck as she walked, its traction long gone. This was why she hated tying her hair—because she had to do it over and over in a day if she as much move a fraction of an inch. She swiped at the locks framing the side of her face and pushed her cart farther. The goods already found inside jiggled with the cart's motion. Sometimes, it's hypnotizing watching that and not the road.

A swirl of denim bled from her periphery. Her heart spiked in alarm, her hands gripping the cart's handle tighter and steering it to the right. "I'm really sorry—"

"Joon Hye-jin?" a familiar voice speared into her ears.

Her head snapped up and her gaze landed on a smile she hasn't seen in a long time. "Allen Chung," she said with a grin. "It's been a while."

Allen shrugged, balancing the bottle of energy drink and a bag of chips in his arms. They moved out of the aisle and into the wider alley to let other shoppers do their thing. "Yeah, it has," he said. "How are you?"

A thousand answers flitted inside Hye-jin's head, but only one, automated answer came out. "Fine," she plucked her phone from the pocket of her baggy sweatpants and checked the time. Still a long way to dinner. "You?"

"I guess 'fine' is also an acceptable reply," Allen replied. Huh. He removed his braces? It used to be the only thing Hye-jin kept in mind whenever she encountered Allen and his chunk of programmer friends. "We should catch up some time. When are you free?"

She snorted. "Now?" she said. "I mean, getting groceries is the next best thing to free time."

Allen, to his credit, didn't say anything about it. Instead, he changed the subject with a quick snap of his fingers and a glint shining in his eyes. "Are you still in the biz?" he asked.

He meant the business of programming and computer science. Hye-jin considered lying and saying she's found something else to spend her time on, but in the end, the truth won. "Yeah, I am," she said. "Why?"

Her former blockmate pulled out his own phone and scrolled through the screen. "There's this foundation who kept pestering me to apply to their language program. Gave me discounted rates and everything. I didn't have the heart to tell them I've moved on," he tapped more buttons on his screen. "Hold on. I'll send it to you."

"Which field are you in now?" Hye-jin asked after her phone chimed with the arrival of Allen's message. She tapped on it and skimmed the dark blue text and shapes leaping at her.

He inched closer to the cooler section and plucked a packet of yoghurt—probably just to feel good and healthy after consuming junk food. "Finance," he said with a roll of his shoulder. "I wasn't too intrigued with technology anyway."

Hye-jin leaned her elbows against the cart's handle. "I was considering moving away from computer science too," she said. "But I'd give this opportunity a try. Glad I ran into you."

"Likewise," he answered. "It's a new language, projected to be the next hype in game development. Thought you'd have more use of it than I would."

She bobbed her head. "Thanks for the info," she said. "Nice meeting you here."

Allen smiled, showing her how well his braces worked. "Don't be a stranger, Jen."

To that, she gave him a dry laugh. "I won't."