Hyunjin and I took the bus to our house. We arrived at the street vendor's tent after a few minutes. I could sense the familiar ambiance as soon as we walked in. We stood at the door, Hyunjin looking around and I looking at the table where Chan and I used to sit. The ahjumma (older lady) welcomed us, we exchanged glances, and she was about to call my name when I grabbed Hyunjin's arm and dragged him to the other empty tables.
Hyunjin yelled our orders to the ahjumma as we took our seats. She arrived a few moments later with our food. We thanked her, but she didn't leave until she had finished setting our food on the table. I tried not to look at her so she wouldn't start a conversation with me.
"You came. It's been a long time," she said, smiling.
"Do you know her?" Hyunjin wondered out loud of the ahjumma.
"No, but she used to come here every day with a young man; where is he now?" she questioned, but I did not respond.
"Excuse me for a moment," I said as I stepped outside.
I sat on the bench next to the tent, my hands in the pockets of my coat. Later, the ahjumma appeared and sat beside me.
"You know it's okay; it's normal to break up and start over," she said, and I just stared at her, puzzled.
"What?" I demanded a more detailed explanation.
"What I mean is that I apologize for bringing up your ex in front of your new boyfriend."
"Chan is not my ex; he is my best friend," I explained.
"Oh really? You guys are so close, I thought you were dating; where is he now?" she asked. I didn't respond for a few minutes as I fidgeted with my fingers.
"He's gone. He... died," I said, trying to hold back my tears.
"Oh, I'm sorry," she said, and silence buried us.
"You can cry to me, young lady; it's okay," she said, and I just stared at her as I cried slowly. She hugged me and allowed me to rest my head on her chest.
****** After a week, it was already December 24th. We had our Christmas break, and the majority of us went to our grandparents' homes to celebrate the holidays, while others stayed at home and others traveled outside of the country. Our class decided to have a Christmas celebration at 6pm to 8pm before we went home to wait for Christmas with our family.
I watched as a snowflake melted on my hands. It was supposed to snow today. My plaid scarf was wrapped around my neck. I put my hair into a bun while wearing a plain black long sleeve, brown coat, black skinny jeans, and black shoes.
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As I walked around downtown, I noticed many people carrying gifts for their families, friends, or dates. I was thinking about getting Hyunjin a gift but didn't know what to get him. I walked as I thought of things that he would like. I didn't want to give him something useless; instead, I wanted to give him something useful.
