When Cia stopped and turned to look at her, Rachel quickened her pace until she finally reached the woman, who was now staring at her with a furrowed brow.
Breathing heavily, Rachel stopped and bent slightly forward, resting both hands on her knees. Then she looked at the woman named Cia with a smile.
“Did you just call me?” Cia asked in confusion.
Still breathing heavily, Rachel straightened up and nodded with a smile. “Yes. You’re Park Cia, right?”
Still confused, Cia finally nodded. “Yes, that’s right. Do I know you?”
Before Rachel could answer, Cia suddenly broke into a wide smile.
“Ah, I remember. You’re the one who bought Bungeoppang ice cream from my shop yesterday, right?” Cia asked.
Rachel nodded with a smile. “Yes. I’m Choi Rachel,” she replied, then held out her hand.
Cia returned Rachel’s handshake warmly. “It’s nice to meet you, Rachel.”
Their hands parted as the smile faded from Rachel’s face. “I said, I’m Choi Rachel,” Rachel repeated.
Cia looked at Rachel again, her brow furrowing. “Yes, I heard you.”
“Cia, don’t you recognize me? I’m Choi Rachel, your pen pal.”
“My pen pal?” Cia asked in confusion.
“Yes, I’m your pen pal. You just sent me a letter last night. When did you arrive in Korea?” Rachel asked with a wide smile.
Cia grew even more confused by Rachel’s words. “A letter? Arrive in Korea? I’m sorry, but I think you have the wrong person.”
The smile faded from Rachel’s face again. She stared at Cia with a furrowed brow. “That’s impossible. You’re definitely Park Cia. We even live fairly close to each other. Come on, Cia, don’t you dare try to prank me. If you wanted to surprise me, I’ve been surprised since yesterday,” Rachel said with a small laugh as she gently pushed Cia’s shoulder.
But the woman standing in front of her continued to look at Rachel like a stranger. Cia clearly had no idea what Rachel had been talking about this whole time.
“I’m sorry, Rachel, but I think you really do have the wrong person. I don’t have a pen pal, and I’ve never kept in touch with anyone through letters,” Cia replied with an uncertain smile before finally walking away.
Rachel could only stand there in silence, watching Cia’s footsteps carry her farther and farther away.
“How could she not recognize me? Does she have amnesia?” Rachel complained.
When she arrived at school, Rachel walked into the classroom with a gloomy expression. Deisha, already seated at her desk, studied Rachel’s face with a furrowed brow until Rachel finally sat down.
“Hey, it’s so sunny outside. Why do you look so miserable?” Deisha asked curiously.
After taking off her backpack, Rachel, still looking gloomy, turned toward Deisha. “How could my pen pal not recognize me?”
“Your pen pal? You met her?!” Deisha asked again, this time looking excited.
Rachel nodded dejectedly. “I’ve been seeing her since yesterday afternoon, but I didn’t realize it was her.”
“Then? How can you say she didn’t recognize you?”
Rachel told Deisha everything that had happened, starting with how she heard Cia’s name when the owner of the Bungeoppang shop called out to her, and ending with how she ran after Cia after receiving a reply to her letter from her pen pal, who said her name was Park Cia.
Deisha fell silent, thinking. “Maybe it’s not that she doesn’t recognize you. Maybe you have the wrong person.”
“No way! I’m absolutely sure she’s Park Cia, my pen pal,” Rachel replied, denying it.
“Then what are you going to do if the truth is that she doesn’t recognize you?”