Kang Doyeon stood at his window for a long time.
Friday.
June 14.
A day he'd never seen before.
The sun was higher than usual. Different angle. Different shadows. Different ajumma walking her dog—a fluffy white thing instead of the brown one from yesterday. From every yesterday.
He should feel relieved.
He didn't.
---
Day 11 – 9:47 AM
He went to work.
Gangnam was the same chaos it always was—taxis honking, executives power-walking, the smell of exhaust and expensive coffee. Doyeon walked into his firm's sleek glass building, took the elevator to the 14th floor, and sat at his desk.
His coworkers greeted him. Normal greetings. Nothing strange.
"Rough night?" His desk neighbor, Park Sunho, eyed him curiously. "You look like you haven't slept."
"Something like that."
"Client presentation at 11. You ready?"
Doyeon blinked. Client presentation. He'd completely forgotten.
Right. Normal life. Responsibilities. Things that mattered before a girl with crescent moon earrings crashed into him.
"I'm ready," he lied.
---
Day 11 – 11:47 AM
He wasn't ready.
The presentation was fine. He'd done it a dozen times before—well, once before, but it felt like a dozen. The client nodded along. Sunho shot him thumbs-up from the corner.
But Doyeon's mind wasn't on blueprints or building codes.
It was on her.
Was she at work right now? Was she running late? Had she spilled coffee on anyone today? Did she sit by the Hangang River at sunset, whispering to no one?
Stop it, he told himself. She doesn't know you. She never knew you. Let it go.
---
Day 11 – 6:47 PM
He didn't go to Hangang.
He went home instead. Made ramyeon. Watched TV. Pretended to care.
His phone sat on the coffee table, dark and silent.
He still had her number saved. Jiwon 💫
He could text her. He knew her number by heart now—010-5557-9823. He could send a message. Say something casual. Hey, weird question—did you spill coffee on anyone at Hongik Station last week?
But she'd think he was crazy. Or a stalker. Or both.
He didn't text.
---
Day 12 – 8:15 AM
He went to Moment Café.
Not because he wanted to see her. Definitely not.
He just wanted good coffee.
The barista—same tired woman—recognized him. "Back again? You really are a regular now."
"Just passing through."
"Uh huh." She didn't believe him. "She hasn't been in yet today."
Doyeon's face heated. "I didn't ask."
"You didn't have to." She slid his Americano across the counter. "She usually comes around 8:15. It's 8:16 now."
"I'm not waiting for her."
"Of course not."
He sat by the window anyway.
At 8:17, the door opened.
Jiwon walked in.
Gray cardigan. Different earrings—tiny stars today. Hair in a neat ponytail. She looked calm, collected, nothing like the running girl from the station.
She ordered her Americano. Extra shot. The barista smiled at her like they were old friends.
Then Jiwon turned.
And saw him.
Their eyes met.
Doyeon's heart stopped.
She looked at him for exactly one second. Blank. Unrecognizing.
Then she looked away.
Took her coffee.
Walked out.
Didn't look back.
---
Day 12 – 8:47 AM
Doyeon sat frozen.
She didn't remember.
Of course she didn't remember. Why would she? To her, they'd never met. Never shared coffee. Never had a conversation about settling and fears and kitten scars.
He was a stranger.
Just another face in a city of ten million.
He should let her go.
He should absolutely let her go.
He stood up. Walked out of the café. Followed the direction she'd gone.
---
Day 12 – 8:52 AM
He caught up to her at Hongik Station.
She was waiting for the train. Same platform. Same spot where she always ran from him.
This time, she wasn't running.
She was standing still, sipping her coffee, scrolling through her phone.
Doyeon stood ten feet away. Watching. Heart pounding.
The train arrived. Doors opened. She stepped on.
He stepped on too.
---
Day 12 – 9:07 AM
They sat three seats apart.
She didn't notice him. Why would she? He was just another commuter. Dark hair. Dark coat. Ordinary face.
The train rattled through tunnels. Passengers got on and off. Jiwon kept her eyes on her phone, occasionally glancing up at the station announcements.
Doyeon watched her reflection in the window.
This is insane, he thought. You're following her. This is how people get restraining orders.
But he couldn't stop.
The train reached her stop. She stood. Exited.
He followed.
---
Day 12 – 9:15 AM
She worked at a small publishing house in Hongdae.
Three stories tall. Old brick. A sign that read "Moonlit Books" in elegant hangul. She walked inside, greeted the receptionist, disappeared up the stairs.
Doyeon stood across the street. Staring.
What are you doing?
He didn't know.
He went home.
---
Day 13 – 8:15 AM
Moment Café.
He told himself it was for the coffee.
She came at 8:17. Ordered. Didn't look at him.
He followed her to the station. To work. Home again.
Stalker behavior. He knew it. He didn't care.
---
Day 14 – 8:15 AM
Same thing.
---
Day 15 – 8:15 AM
She noticed him.
Not recognition. Just... awareness. The way you notice someone who's always around.
Their eyes met for a moment. She frowned slightly. Looked away.
Doyeon's heart cracked.
---
Day 16 – 8:15 AM
She wasn't at the café.
He waited. 8:17. 8:20. 8:30.
Nothing.
Panic bloomed in his chest.
He went to the station. Not there. Went to her work. Not there.
He stood on the sidewalk, useless and terrified.
She's sick. She's on vacation. She quit. She moved. She—
His phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
He answered.
"Hello?"
"Kang Doyeon-ssi?"
Her voice.
His knees went weak.
"This is Yoon Jiwon. You don't know me, but—"
"I know you."
Silence.
"What?"
"I know you." He squeezed his eyes shut. "You work at Moonlit Books. You feed stray cats near Hongik Park. You sit by the Hangang River when you're sad. You have a scar above your left eyebrow from rescuing a kitten. You're scared of settling. You—"
"How do you know my name?"
He stopped. Opened his eyes.
"I... found your wallet," he lied. "At the café. I was going to return it."
More silence.
"I don't lose my wallet."
"Everyone loses things sometimes."
"I'm looking at my wallet right now. It's on my desk."
Doyeon closed his eyes.
Stupid. So stupid.
"Who are you?" Her voice was careful now. Scared. "Why have you been following me?"
He could deny it. Lie again. Run.
Instead, he told the truth.
"My name is Kang Doyeon. I'm an architect. I live in Mapo-gu. And I've been following you because..." He took a breath. "Because nine days ago, you spilled coffee on me at Hongik Station. You wrote your number on my palm. We had coffee at Moment. I scared you away by knowing too much. Then the next day, you didn't remember me at all."
"That's—that doesn't make sense."
"I know."
"Why should I believe you?"
"You shouldn't." He leaned against a wall. Slid down until he was sitting on the sidewalk. "But I've lived that same day nine times. Nine Thursdays. June 13. Every time, you spill coffee on me. Every time, you write your number on my hand. Every time, you run away. And every time, I fall a little harder."
Silence.
Long silence.
Then, quietly: "You're crazy."
"Probably."
"You need help."
"Definitely."
Another silence.
"Why are you telling me this?"
Doyeon thought about it. About all the reasons. About the bench by the river and the way she whispered her fears. About the stray cats and the crescent moon earrings. About the laugh that haunted his dreams.
"Because I've tried letting you go," he said. "I've tried moving on. Living my life. Pretending you don't exist. But I can't. You're everywhere. In every coffee shop. On every train. In every sunset." His voice cracked. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I don't know why the universe keeps throwing me back to you. But I can't stop. I won't stop. Not until—"
"Not until what?"
He didn't answer.
"Not until what, Doyeon-ssi?"
He whispered: "Not until you remember me."
---
Day 16 – Later
She hung up.
Of course she did.
Doyeon sat on the sidewalk for an hour, staring at his phone.
Then he went home. Lay in bed. Stared at the ceiling.
He'd lost her. Again. For real this time. She thought he was crazy. Dangerous. Someone to avoid.
He should leave Seoul. Move back to Busan. Start over.
His phone buzzed.
Jiwon 💫: Meet me at Hangang. Sunset.
Doyeon stared at the message.
Read it three times.
Then he was running.
---
Day 16 – 6:47 PM
She was there.
Same bench. Same spot. Same girl who'd been haunting him for sixteen days.
She looked up when he approached. Her expression was unreadable.
"You're not crazy," she said.
"I'm not?"
"No." She nodded toward the bench. "Sit down."
He sat. Careful. Keeping distance.
"I asked at the café," she said quietly. "The barista—Mrs. Kang—she remembers you. Says you've been coming for weeks. Asking about me. Waiting." She looked at him. "She also said you looked at me that first day like you'd known me forever. Like I was someone important."
Doyeon's throat tightened.
"I don't remember you," Jiwon continued. "I don't remember spilling coffee on anyone. I don't remember writing my number on anyone's hand." She paused. "But I remember feeling... something. When you looked at me at the café. Like I should know you. Like I wanted to know you."
"You did. Once."
"Tell me."
So he did.
He told her everything. The loops. The bench. The cats. The phone call with her mother. The way she whispered about not settling. The coffee at Moment. The way she ran when he said too much.
He talked for an hour.
She listened.
When he finished, the sun had set. The river was dark. The city lights flickered on around them.
Jiwon was quiet for a long time.
Then she said: "I don't believe in time loops."
"Neither did I."
"But..." She looked at him. Really looked. "I believe that you believe it."
"That's something."
"It's not nothing." She stood. "I'm not saying I remember. I'm not saying anything except... you can stop following me now."
"Jiwon—"
"If you want to talk, talk. If you want coffee, have coffee. But no more following." She looked down at him. "If you really lived that day nine times, then you know me better than anyone. Prove it. Show me the person you claim to know."
She walked away.
Left him on the bench.
Alone in the dark.
But for the first time in sixteen days, Doyeon smiled.
Because she hadn't said no.
She'd said prove it.
And he had 84 days left to do exactly that.