The Love He Never Saw Coming

David Han hated Mondays. It wasn't because of work. He was used to work. It was because Mondays always reminded him that he had another long week ahead. He stood outside his apartment in Seoul, looking at his watch. 8:10 a.m. "Great." He was already late. David quickly put his phone in his pocket and walked toward the street. The road was busy. Cars moved in both directions, people hurried to work, and buses stopped every few minutes. He joined the crowd at the traffic light. While waiting, his phone rang. His assistant. David looked at the screen but didn't answer. It rang again. He sighed and answered. "Yes?" "Mr. Han, where are you?" "On my way." "The meeting starts at nine." "I know." "Your brother asked me to remind you—" "I said I know." He ended the call. David put his phone away. He wasn't in the mood for another lecture. The light turned green. Everyone started crossing. David moved with them. Then he heard a little boy crying. He stopped. A few steps away, a young boy was standing beside the road. His school bag was open, and his books were scattered on the ground. People walked past him without stopping. David looked at the boy. Then he looked at his watch. He had no time. He was about to continue walking when someone rushed past him. A young woman. She quickly bent down and started picking up the boy's books. "Don't worry," she said. "I'll help you." The boy wiped his eyes. "Thank you." She smiled. "You're welcome." David watched them for a moment. There was something different about her. She didn't look like she was in a hurry. She didn't care that she was getting in people's way. She just wanted to help the boy. The woman stood up and gave the boy his bag. "Be careful next time, okay?" The boy nodded and ran across the road. The woman smiled after him. Then she turned. Her eyes met David's. David quickly looked away. Why was he even looking at her? He continued walking. He didn't know that he had dropped his wallet. --- By 9:05, David was sitting inside a large meeting room. His older brother, Daniel, looked at him from across the table. "You're late." David opened his laptop. "Only five minutes." "You call that five minutes?" "Yes." Daniel shook his head. The meeting started. David listened quietly. The company was planning to open a new branch in Busan, and Daniel wanted David to handle it. "You're going to Busan tomorrow," Daniel said. David looked up. "No." Daniel frowned. "No?" "I have work here." "You can do your work there." "I don't want to go." Daniel stared at him. "David, it's part of your job." David said nothing. He didn't want to argue. Not today. The meeting continued. But his mind kept going back to the woman from the street. He didn't even know her name. He didn't know why he was thinking about her. Maybe it was because she was different. Or maybe he was simply tired. Either way, he pushed the thought away. --- After the meeting, David walked toward the elevator. His phone rang again. This time, it was an unknown number. He ignored it. The phone rang again. David stopped. He answered. "Hello?" "Is this David Han?" "Yes." "Hi. I think I have something that belongs to you." David checked his pockets. His hand stopped. His wallet was missing. "Where are you?" "I'm at a café near the traffic light." David looked at the street through the glass doors. "Stay there." He ended the call. --- Twenty minutes later, David walked into the café. He looked around. Then he saw her. The woman from the street. She was sitting near the window. His wallet was on the table. She looked up and smiled. "You came." David walked over. "That's my wallet." "I know." She pushed it toward him. David picked it up and checked inside. Everything was there. "Thank you." "You're welcome." He turned to leave. "Wait." David stopped. She pointed at his sleeve. "You have coffee on your coat." He looked down. There was a small coffee stain. David sighed. "I know." She smiled. "At least you're honest." He looked at her. She laughed. "I'm joking." David didn't smile. She looked at him for a few seconds. "You don't smile much, do you?" "No." "Why?" "Because I don't have to." She laughed again. "That's a strange answer." David shrugged. He was about to leave when she said, "You were there this morning." He turned. "Where?" "At the traffic light." David said nothing. "You saw the little boy." "I did." "You wanted to help him." "No, I didn't." She smiled. "You did." "I was just standing there." "Exactly." David looked at her. She was clearly enjoying the conversation. "You're very confident." "I know." For the first time, David almost smiled. She noticed. "There!" "What?" "You almost smiled." "I didn't." "You did." David shook his head. "Goodbye." He turned and walked toward the door. "David." He stopped. He looked back. She smiled. "Try smiling sometimes." David stared at her. Then he left. --- Outside, David looked at his wallet again. Something was sticking out from behind his ID. He pulled it out. A small piece of paper. There was a short message written on it. You should smile more. David stared at it. He looked back at the café. The woman was still sitting by the window. She saw him looking. Then she smiled. David quickly put the paper inside his wallet. He didn't know her name. He didn't know anything about her. Yet somehow, he had a feeling this wouldn't be the last time he saw her. And he was right.