The evening breeze brushed softly against Anjulie's hair as she walked down the quiet street alone.
The city was slowly calming after the noisy afternoon, and the golden sunlight of the setting sun painted the roads in warm shades of orange.
After walking for a while, she finally reached the bus stop.
A large billboard stood above the benches, casting a shadow over the small waiting area.
Without saying anything, Anjulie quietly sat down on one of the benches and looked ahead absentmindedly.
A few moments later, hurried footsteps echoed in her ears.
A young man suddenly came running toward the bus stop from the same direction she had come from.
His breathing was slightly uneven as he slowed down near the bench.
Anjulie blinked softly while staring at him.
"Isn't he the same guy from the restaurant?" she thought.
It was him.
The waiter who had brought their order earlier.
The young man brushed his hair back before sitting on the bench beside her. He wore a blue half-sleeved shirt decorated with leaf patterns, the buttons left open casually over a plain white T-shirt.
His denim shorts and slightly messy appearance gave him a youthful look.
Anjulie quietly observed him for a few seconds before gathering the courage to speak.
"Umm… You work at the restaurant, right?'
She asked.
The young man turned his head toward her slowly.
"Are you talking to me?" he asked calmly.
His voice was unexpectedly soft.
"Yes, I'm talking to you."
She replied.
"Yeah, I work there. Why?"
His eyes stayed fixed on her face while asking that question.
"It's just… I saw you there earlier," she replied before tilting her head slightly.
"And honestly, you look pretty young. How old are you?"
"I'm nineteen."
He answered.
Anjulie's eyes widened a little.
"Oh… You're really young."
She claimed.
"Yeah," he replied casually. "So?"
For a moment, silence settled between them while the evening wind blew gently around the empty bus stop.
"No, it's just…" she hesitated. "You should focus more on your studies instead of working so much, afterall you're so young"
The boy slowly turned his head toward her again.
"What do you know about me?"
His voice remained calm, yet something cold lingered beneath it.
Anjulie became speechless.
"Nothing," she admitted honestly.
"So you don't really have the right to tell me what I should or shouldn't do."
The words weren't loud, but they pierced deeply.
Anjulie looked into his eyes quietly.
"Then… tell me about yourself."
For the first time, surprise appeared on his face.
He stared at her silently before letting out a small sigh.
"You're weird."
Her expression immediately fell.
"Today two people called me weird…" she thought sadly.
"Am I really that weird?" she asked softly.
The boy leaned back slightly against the bench.
"Why are you pretending to care about people you don't even know?"
"Pretending?" she repeated in disbelief. "What makes you think I'm pretending?"
"Because nobody genuinely cares about strangers," he answered quietly. "People only act like they care."
His eyes remained cold despite his gentle tone.
Anjulie lowered her gaze toward her hands resting on her lap.
"But I'm not pretending," she whispered. "I really do want to know people… I want them to be happy."
Her voice became softer with every word.
"I want to help people who are suffering. I want to understand them."
When she finally looked up at him again, sorrow quietly rested inside her eyes.
The young man stared at her silently.
"That's not caring," he muttered. "That's pity."
Maybe it was.
Or maybe it wasn't.
Even Anjulie herself didn't know anymore.
Still, she smiled faintly.
"I don't know whether it's pity or care… but I still want to know people."
The boy watched her carefully for a few seconds before speaking again.
"So?"
Anjulie suddenly smiled brighter.
"Let's be friends."
The unexpected invitation clearly caught him off guard.
"How old are you?" he asked.
"I'm twenty-four."
"What?" he frowned slightly. "You seriously want to be friends with someone five years younger than you?"
Anjulie immediately glared at him.
"Do we need to look at age before becoming friends now?"
A small laugh escaped his lips.
"Alright, alright," he said. "Let's be friends then."
A soft smile instantly appeared on Anjulie's face.
"So… what's your name?"
The young man slowly stood up from the bench before walking closer toward her.
Then he extended his hand.
"My name is Hoen. Nice to meet you."
His gentle smile felt completely different from the coldness he showed earlier.
Anjulie quickly stood up and shook his hand warmly.
"Oh— my name is Anjulie. Nice to meet you too, Hoen."
His hand felt surprisingly cold.
At that exact moment, the bus finally arrived.
The doors opened with a loud hiss, and both of them stepped inside together.
Unfortunately, there was only one empty seat available.
Anjulie looked toward Hoen awkwardly.
"Aren't you going to sit?"
"Nope. You can sit there."
"But you're younger than me."
Hoen smiled softly.
"My mother taught me to respect elders," he said jokingly. "How can I let a woman older than me stand while I sit?"
For the first time, his eyes looked warm instead of distant.
Anjulie quietly sat down while trying to hide the small smile forming on her lips.
Outside the bus windows, the orange sky slowly darkened as evening approached.
Meanwhile—
Fin stood alone on the bridge.
The cool wind brushed against his black hair while the setting sun painted the lake below in shimmering gold. His eyes remained fixed on the road ahead.
He was waiting.
Waiting for the mysterious red-haired girl.
"Will she come today?" he wondered silently.
The bridge looked beautiful during sunset.
The orange sky reflected beautifully across the calm water, while trees along the lakeshore danced softly with the breeze. Everything around him felt peaceful.
Yet his heart refused to calm down.
Time slowly passed.
One hour.
Then two.
Still, he stayed there.
"I guess I shouldn't have waited this long," he thought bitterly.
Just as he was about to give up—
voices echoed from behind him.
Fin immediately turned around.
And froze.
It was her.
The girl with red hair.
This time, her eyes were open.
Brown.
Warm brown eyes.
The sunlight fell across her face beautifully, making her seem almost unreal. Her long red hair flowed behind her while she walked across the bridge beside her friend.
Fin couldn't move.
Couldn't breathe properly.
Couldn't look away.
The moment she passed by him, her eyes briefly met his.
Only for a few seconds.
But for Fin, those few seconds felt endless.
His heartbeat became unbearably fast.
Then she continued walking until only her back remained visible.
Her long hair almost reached her waist, swaying gently with the evening wind.
"She looks beautiful even from behind…" he whispered unconsciously.
A small smile slowly appeared on his face.
"Yes," he murmured quietly. "Coming here every day might actually be worth it."