Kang Doyeon stood frozen at Hongik Station, watching the train doors close on Yoon Jiwon's retreating back for the second time.
Second time?
He looked at his palm. Fresh ink. Her number. Again.
The same train. The same coffee stain spreading across his chest. The same apologetic smile before she disappeared.
This wasn't déjà vu.
This was something else entirely.
---
Day 8 – 9:15 AM
Doyeon didn't go to his meeting.
For the first time in his carefully scheduled life, he let his phone ring. Let his boss's calls go to voicemail. Let the world spin on without him.
He sat on a bench near Exit 2, watching commuters flow past like water around a stone. Thinking.
Thursday, June 13.
He'd lived this day seven times now. Seven identical Thursdays. Seven coffee-stained shirts. Seven times watching her run away.
But this time was different.
This time, he knew.
He pulled out his phone and opened a blank note.
Things I Know:
1. Today is Thursday, June 13
2. At 8:47 AM, a girl named Yoon Jiwon spills coffee on me at Hongik Station
3. She writes her number on my palm before catching the 8:52 train
4. She works somewhere that requires a laptop and makes her late often
5. She wears crescent moon earrings when she's running late, star earrings when she's calm
6. She has a small scar above her left eyebrow
7. She rambles when she's nervous
8. She laughs at herself easily
9. She smells like jasmine and coffee
10. I cannot stop thinking about her
He stared at the last line.
Pathetic. Completely pathetic.
He saved the note anyway.
---
Day 8 – 10:23 AM
He went to the café.
Not the one near his apartment. The one she'd emerged from that first day, coffee cup in hand. "Moment" Café, hidden in a narrow street behind the station.
He ordered an Americano. Sat by the window. Watched.
The barista—a tired-looking woman in her forties—eyed him suspiciously. "You're not a regular."
"I'm not."
"Waiting for someone?"
Doyeon hesitated. "Maybe."
"She comes here every morning," the barista said. "Around 8:15. Orders an Americano with an extra shot. Always in a hurry. Always forgets her change." She nodded toward a small jar on the counter. "I keep it there. She never remembers to take it."
Doyeon's heart did something complicated. "Yoon Jiwon?"
The barista smiled. "So you do know her."
"No," he said quietly. "But I want to."
---
Day 8 – 5:47 PM
He found her favorite spot by the Hangang River.
It took hours of wandering, of checking every bench near every exit, of feeling increasingly like a stalker and increasingly not caring.
But there it was. A bench overlooking the water, slightly hidden by trees, with a clear view of the sunset.
And there she was.
Sitting alone. Laptop closed beside her. Staring at the river with an expression he couldn't read.
Doyeon stopped breathing.
This was different. In every loop before, he'd only seen her in motion—running, apologizing, disappearing. But here she was still. Quiet. Real.
He should leave. He should absolutely leave.
He sat on the next bench over.
Not too close. Far enough to be respectful. Close enough to see her profile, the way the setting sun caught her lashes, the way she pulled her cardigan tighter when the wind picked up.
She didn't notice him.
Twenty minutes passed. She didn't move. Neither did he.
Then her phone rang. She glanced at it, grimaced, let it go to voicemail.
A minute later, it rang again.
And again.
Finally, she answered. "Eomma, I'm fine. Yes. I ate. No, I'm not seeing anyone. Yes, I know I'm thirty. Yes, I know my friends are all married. Yes, I know—" She stopped. Listened. Her face softened. "I know you worry. I'm okay. Really."
She hung up. Stared at the river again.
And then—quietly, so quietly he almost missed it—she whispered to no one:
"I just don't want to settle."
Doyeon's chest ached.
---
Day 8 – 11:47 PM
He lay in bed, staring at his ceiling.
Her words echoed. I just don't want to settle.
Was that why she kept walking away? Because she thought he was just another guy passing through? Another coffee-stained stranger who'd forget her by next week?
If only she knew.
If only she knew he couldn't forget her if he tried.
He opened his phone. Looked at her number—still fresh on his palm, but he'd typed it into his contacts hours ago.
Jiwon 💫
He could text her right now. Say something. Anything.
But what?
Hey, it's the guy you keep spilling coffee on. I've lived this day seven times and I'm pretty sure I'm falling in love with you. Want to grab coffee sometime?
Ridiculous.
He closed his eyes. Slept.
---
Day 9 – 8:47 AM
He woke up.
Checked his phone.
Thursday, June 13. 8:47 AM.
Doyeon laughed. Bitter. Tired. Defeated.
Eight times now. Eight Thursdays.
He showered. Dressed. Walked to Hongik Station.
Exit 2.
8:47.
Running footsteps. Gray cardigan. Coffee.
Splash.
She stopped. Stared. "Oh no—"
"It's okay," he said.
She blinked. "What?"
"The shirt. It's okay. I have others."
She stared at him like he'd grown a second head. "You're... surprisingly calm about this."
"I've had practice."
"Practice getting coffee spilled on you?"
"Something like that."
She frowned. Suspicious now. "Have we met before?"
Doyeon's heart stopped. "Do you... remember me?"
"No." She tilted her head. "But you have that look. Like you know me from somewhere."
"What look?"
"The one that says you're about to tell me we went to school together or something." She smiled. Slightly. "Guys use that line on me a lot. It never works."
"I wasn't going to say that."
"Then what were you going to say?"
The train announcement blared.
Her eyes darted to the platform. The familiar panic. The pen already appearing from her bag.
"Wait—" Doyeon grabbed her hand. Gently. "Don't run."
She froze. Looked at their hands. Looked at him.
"What?"
"Just... don't run. Not this time."
"I have to. My train—"
"There's another one in ten minutes."
"It's not the same. I'll be late—"
"Then be late." He held her gaze. "Just this once. Stay."
She stared at him. Something flickered in her eyes—confusion, curiosity, something warmer.
Then the train doors closed. The 8:52 departed without her.
She watched it go. Turned back to him.
"You just made me miss my train."
"I know."
"My boss is going to kill me."
"I'll talk to your boss."
She laughed. Actual laugh. "You don't even know my boss."
"I don't even know your name."
"Yoon Jiwon." She extended her free hand—the one he wasn't still holding. "Since you asked so nicely."
He let go of her other hand reluctantly. Shook hers. "Kang Doyeon."
"Doyeon." She tested it. "Nice to meet you, Doyeon-ssi. Even if you did just ruin my perfect attendance record."
"I'll buy you coffee to make up for it."
"You already owe me a coffee. You're wearing mine."
He looked down. Right. The stain.
"Then I owe you two coffees."
"That's a lot of caffeine."
"I have a high tolerance."
She laughed again. God, that sound. He'd heard it seven times before, always from a distance, always fading as she ran away. But this—this was different. This was for him.
"So," she said, "where's this coffee place? It better be good."
"There's one right outside the station. 'Moment'?"
Her eyebrows rose. "You know Moment?"
"I've heard good things."
"It's my favorite." She smiled. Real smile. The kind that reached her eyes. "How did you know?"
Doyeon almost said it. Almost told her everything. The loops. The bench by the river. The way she whispered about not settling.
Instead, he said: "Lucky guess."
They walked out of the station together.
For the first time in eight days, Doyeon wasn't watching her disappear.
He was walking beside her.
And it felt like winning.
---
Day 9 – 9:47 AM
Moment Café was warm. Small. Perfect.
They sat by the window. She ordered her usual—Americano with an extra shot. He ordered the same.
"So," she said, stirring her coffee, "tell me something about yourself, Kang Doyeon. Something true."
He thought about it. About all the things he could say.
I'm an architect. I'm from Busan. I live alone in Mapo-gu. I've lived this day eight times because the universe won't let me forget you.
"The truest thing?" He considered. "I've been waiting to have coffee with you for a very long time."
She laughed. "We met fifteen minutes ago."
"Feels longer."
"Smooth." But she was smiling. "Okay, my turn. Truest thing about me?" She looked out the window. Thought. "I'm scared of ending up alone. Not just alone—settling for someone who doesn't actually see me. You know?"
Doyeon nodded. "I see you."
She looked at him sharply. "You don't know me."
"I know you feed stray cats near the park. I know you have a scar above your eyebrow from rescuing a kitten when you were twelve. I know you whisper to yourself when you think no one's listening." He paused. "I know you don't want to settle."
Jiwon's face went pale. "How do you know that?"
Doyeon's heart pounded. He'd said too much. Way too much.
"I—"
"Have you been following me?" Her voice was cold now. Scared. "Is this some kind of—"
"No! God, no." He held up his hands. "I swear. I just—I notice things. I notice you."
She stood. Grabbed her bag. "This was a mistake."
"Jiwon—"
"Don't follow me."
She walked out.
Doyeon sat there, watching her disappear through the café door.
The same door. The same exit. The same woman walking away from him.
For the eighth time.
---
Day 9 – 11:47 PM
He lay in bed. Stared at the ceiling.
He'd blown it. Completely blown it. She thought he was a stalker. A creep. Someone to be feared.
He couldn't blame her.
He closed his eyes. Slept.
---
Day 10 – 8:47 AM
His alarm went off.
He checked his phone.
Thursday, June 13. 8:47 AM.
Doyeon sat up. Stared at the screen.
Nine times.
He'd lived this day nine times now.
And every time, she walked away.
Every time, he failed.
He closed his eyes. Let his head fall back against the pillow.
What's the point?
What's the point of trying if she'll never remember? If she'll never stay?
He thought about giving up. About letting the day play out without him. About staying in bed and never going to Hongik Station again.
But his feet carried him there anyway.
Exit 2.
8:47.
Running footsteps.
Gray cardigan.
Coffee.
Splash.
She stopped. "Oh no—"
"Jiwon-ah."
She froze. "How do you know my name?"
Doyeon looked at her. At the confusion in her eyes. At the stranger looking back at him.
And for the first time in nine days, he didn't try to be smooth. Didn't try to charm her. Didn't try to make her stay.
"I know your name," he said quietly, "because I've met you before. Many times. You don't remember, and that's okay."
Her frown deepened. "What are you talking about?"
"It doesn't matter." He stepped back. "I'm sorry. For whatever I did that scared you. I'll leave you alone."
He turned. Walked away.
"Doyeon-ssi?"
He stopped. Didn't turn around.
"How did you know my name?"
He closed his eyes. "You told me. Once."
"When?"
"A long time ago."
He kept walking.
Left her standing there, coffee still dripping from his abandoned shirt, confusion and curiosity warring on her face.
He went home. Got in bed. Closed his eyes.
Please, he thought. Please let tomorrow be different.
Please let me forget her too.
---
Day 11 – 8:47 AM
He woke up.
Checked his phone.
Friday, June 14. 8:47 AM.
Doyeon stared.
Friday.
A new day.
He scrambled to his window. Different light. Different traffic. Different ajumma walking her dog.
It worked.
It actually worked.
He was free.
He should have been happy.
But all he felt was empty.
Because somewhere out there, Yoon Jiwon was living her life. Moving forward. Meeting new people. Forgetting he ever existed.
And he had no idea how to do the same.