Chapter 4: "Destined? More like cursed."

Jung-wook turned to face her, a smug smile playing on his lips. "Ah, so we meet again, Ananya."

She crossed her arms, giving him a sceptical look. "What are you doing here?" He chuckled, leaning against the counter, "Working, obviously. Didn't expect to see you again this soon, though. Are you stalking me now?" 

His teasing tone did little to ease her irritation. "Don't flatter yourself," Ananya scoffed. "This is my shift. What do you think you are doing here, Jung-wook?"

Before he could respond, the store manager approached them. "Oh, I see that you have already met each-other! Jung-wook, explain to her everything that I just briefed you about, okay? After all, you will both be working in the same shift."

Colours flushed from Ananya's cheeks as she forced a smile, nodding politely. "Yes, we just met. I'll take the download from him, thanks Mr. Min." 

As the manager walked away, she turned to Jung-wook, her eyes narrowing. "This isn't a coincidence, is it?" He smirked, his eyes twinkling with amusement, "Guess we will find out. Seems like we are stuck together now, huh?"

She just couldn't believe her luck. Or rather, the lack of it. "How did you even land this job, Mr. Non-Existent?"

"As long as I know how to operate this register, whether I exist or not doesn't quite matter to them." He shrugged, inching closer with a smile, "But it definitely looks like we are destined to keep meeting."

"Destined? More like cursed." She muttered under her breath, turning away to avoid his eye contact.

"Now, now, no need to be so harsh. I work here, just like you now," Jung-wook said, holding up a name tag identical to hers. "Now we will be spending quite a bit of time together."

Ananya let out an exasperated sigh, rolling her eyes. "Great, just what I needed right now." 

"Hey, you never know." Jung-wook replied with a playful wink. "You might end up growing fond of me."

"I doubt that," Ananya shot back instantly, even though she couldn't help but feel a slight tug of curiosity about him. "Just stay out of my way and we won't have any problems, hopefully."

"Deal," he chirped with a mock salute, though the amusement on his face suggested that he had no intention of keeping that promise.

Ananya felt a mix of bewilderment and frustration. She had hoped to avoid any more encounters with this strange man, but it seemed like fate had other plans for her. She decided to try keeping her distance, focusing on her tasks and ignoring the nagging curiosity about who Jung-wook really was; and why he seemed so determined to be a part of her life – the same life that he claims is in danger.

Throughout the shift, Jung-wook tried to engage her in random conversations, but she kept her replies curt and polite. This didn't faze him, as he continued to chat and make light-hearted jokes. By the end of her first day at work, Ananya was exhausted, both physically and mentally. She walked home, her mind a whirlwind of conflicting emotions because of this mysterious goof.

*****

Ananya sat with Ji-yeon for lunch at their usual spot in the campus canteen. It had been roughly two weeks since she had started working at the convenience store, and Jung-wook's antics were at an all-time high. Their banter was never-ending, and yet she had zero answers to any of what he had said the day they met. 

As she fiddled with her food, Ji-yeon gave her a concerned look. "You seem a bit off today, Annie. Is everything okay?"

Ananya hesitated, wondering if she should spill it all out about her encounters with Jung-wook, including the strange warnings and his sudden appearance as her coworker. But she switched it up instead.

"Ah yes, of course! Where's Dae today, though? I haven't seen him since yesterday."

"He's not in", Ji-yeon's expression softened, "He takes an off on this day every year. It's his mom's 13th death anniversary, if I am not wrong."

Ananya's heart sank the moment she heard that. "Oh, I had absolutely no idea. How did she...?"

Ji-yeon's voice dropped to a whisper, her tone grim. "She took her own life, just a few days before Dae turned 11. And it happened right in front of him."

Ananya felt a lump form in her throat. "That's so awful. I genuinely had no idea. I cannot even fathom how traumatic it must have been for him."

"He doesn't talk about it much," Ji-yeon remarked. "In fact, in all these years that we have been friends, he has barely ever mentioned it. But I can see that it has shaped a lot of who he is today. He's always trying to be strong, for everyone around him. I've always admired that about him."

Ananya felt a pang of sadness for Dae-jung. She had always felt like he carried a lot of weight on his shoulders, but this was a whole new depth of pain and trauma that she was not aware of. She whispered, her resolve firming. "I should go see him. He shouldn't be alone today."

"I'm not sure if that will work", Ji-yeon sighed, "I was at his doorstep this morning, like every year. But he just ignored my calls, texts, and the doorbell. He has always been like this. He just isolates himself today, but I don't hold it against him."

Ananya hummed in response, fiddling with her lunch, unable to eat after what she just heard. 

"Don't worry about him. He will be back to square one tomorrow." Ji-yeon smiled reassuringly. Ananya smiled back with a nod, placing her hand on Ji-yeon's as she added, "I think I might take the rest of my day off today."

Are you free right now? I wanted to meet Gureum today. 

Ananya hesitated for a long moment before pressing send. Her shift would begin in 2 hours, and she just wanted to spend that little window of time with Dae-jung that day. She did not know what she would do or say, but she just knew she had to be there by him.

Sure, let's catch up at that park near the uni in 20 minutes. :)

When she arrived at the park, she found Dae-jung sitting on a bench with Gureum perched lazily on his lap. She walked over and sat down next to him, petting the little dog gently.

Dae-jung looked up, a flicker of surprise in his eyes at her sudden presence. "Hi Annie."

"I thought it was high time I met Gureum", she replied, trying to keep her tone light. He gave her a faint smile. "Yeah, it sure was."

She continued to caress Gureum, who wagged his tail happily. "You know, I was wondering why Gureum seems to like egg yolk more than meat. It's like he's got this fancy palate."

Dae-jung chuckled. "Maybe he's just a picky eater."

"Or maybe he was a critic in his past life," Ananya suggested, failing to hide her grin at her own absurdity. "Imagine that – Gureum, the renowned dog food critic!"

He laughed, a genuine sound that warmed her heart. "That would be something."

She fiddled with her fingers, searching for another random topic to throw in. "Did you know that some believe dogs can understand up to 250 words? I bet Gureum is a lot smarter than we think."

"Ananya, did Ji-yeon tell you about today?" Dae-jung's gaze softened as he looked at her. "What gave that away?" She smiled sheepishly, taking Gureum up in her arms.

"The random trivia", He chuckled, "Also, the fact that you never initiate hangout plans."

"Hey!" Ananya protested with a laugh, nodding as she hesitated, "Yes, Ji-yeon mentioned… that. I just wanted to make sure you were not alone."

"Thanks, Annie. It means a lot that you're here."

"I'm so sorry for your loss, Dae. I cannot even imagine how hard it must be for you."

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I wanted to help my mom, to be her 'Prince Charming' who would rescue her one day. But she always used to tell me that I need to become that for the woman I would love someday, and not her."

He paused, crouching low and covering his face with his hands, "But after everything that happened, I'm not sure I can ever live up to that."

Ananya reached out, gently running her fingers through his pretty blue hair, "You're already so much more than that, Dae. You are kind, strong, warm, and always there for the people you care about."

He took her hand in his, giving it a light squeeze as he chuckled, "I don't know if I can ever be that 'Prince Charming', but being a knight in shining armour does not sound like a bad start." 

Ananya chuckled along, "Knights are certainly the most loyal ones." A bittersweet feeling was surging within her, but this was not the time to talk about it. It was about Dae-jung, and his heart-wrenching story of loss.

*****

Ji-yeon watched the two from a distance, her smile seeming to fade a little. Dae-jung had never once come out on that day before, in the 10 years that she had known him for. This was something new, something positive – but she was not a part of it. While she was genuinely happy for him, she wasn't the one next to him. And that was truly not the best feeling to have.