From yaad to abroad: Wah Gwaan Korea?

Chapter 25

After her last encounter with Min-Jun, Jia still had a small bit of hope that things would eventually turn around. However, after multiple failures, she was at her wit's end, becoming more and more desperate. A part of her refused to accept what Min-Jun said. She thought of multiple ways to get him back, but nothing came to mind.

After driving from school one evening, Jia saw Alexis and Shanice enter a store. She immediately pulled over, thinking they were about to meet up with the boys. With desperation overcoming her, she followed them inside. She saw no sign of Min-Jun or Suk-Chin; instead, she saw Alexis and Shanice talking to someone she wasn't familiar with. With an air of relief engulfing her, she turned on her heels to leave but was suddenly struck with curiousity at how close Alexis and Shanice were to this person.

"Oh! This might be it! This might be the way to rid her from Min-Jun!" she mumbled to herself excitedly.

She wanted to be cautious about how she approached this situation, so she took a few days to feel out just how close Alexis, Shanice, and this stranger were.

Jia decided to take action after following the girls for a few days. She made sure to remain close by when Alexis and Shanice hung out with the stranger. On this day, they met up at a cafe. After a while, the girls left. Seeing this, Jia went up and introduced herself to the stranger.

"Hello, do you know Shanice and Alexis?" she asked.

"Ah, hi. Yeah, I know them," responded the stranger. "And you are?" he asked.

"Why do random people keep coming up to me asking me if I know Shanice and Alexis?" He thought.

"I'm Jia. Nice to meet you. I'm a friend of theirs, we go to the same college."

"Nice to meet you, too. I'm Dwayne."

They shook hands.

"Would you like some coffee?" asked Jia.

"As lovely as that sounds, I'm afraid I must be on my way. Maybe next time," replied Dwayne with a wink.

Jia watched as he left. "What was that?" she said to herself, frowning.

A few days later, Jia decided to put her plan into action. She went to where the girls would frequent, in hopes of running into Dwayne. There was no sign of him yet.

"This is so bothersome," said Jia.

She entered a cafe that was nearby, deciding to take a break. 'What to do now?' she thought to herself, plopping her head down on the table.

"Jia?"

Jia looked up. "Oh! It's you!"

"I thought you looked familiar. Is everything okay with you?"

"Oh, I'm fine. Have a seat!"

Dwayne took a seat, giving Jia a questionable look.

"Am I making you uncomfortable?" she asked.

Dwayne shook his head, assuring her that everything was fine. He told her that he was out on lunch from work.

"So, how long have you been friends with Alexis and the short one?" asked Jia.

"Not very long...maybe 2 months."

"Oh, you guys seemed rather close, especially you and Alexis. That's why I thought you knew each other for much longer."

"Nah. We're from the same region, that's why we click," offered Dwayne.

"I see." Jia paused for a little. "So, aren't you interested in any of them?"

Dwayne squinted his eyes. "Why do you seem so interested in our relationship?"

"I could always help you get closer, especially if it's Alexis."

Dwayne chuckled.