8 Cinema Coincidence

It had been a couple of weeks since Haewon walked into her classroom to see Jake seated there, and she was still as pissed at him as she had been that first day when he gave her the note asking her not to act like she knew him.

He had kept to his words and had not said a word to her since that day. She had also kept to hers and tried her best to ignore his existence.

As Haewon and Charlotte made their way to the cafeteria to get lunch, Haewon glanced at Charlotte when she noticed that she was unusually quiet.

"What's wrong?" Haewon asked, and Charlotte looked at her and sighed.

"No one has asked me to prom yet," Charlotte said, and Haewon tried not to roll her eyes.

Of course. She should have known it was something shallow. Charlotte's worries were always silly. It was either about parties or boys. Not that she would ever say that to Charlotte's face.

"Well, I don't have a prom date either. So, will you be my prom date?" Haewon asked with a playful grin, and Charlotte scowled.

"You're not a guy. And do you think I don't know you've been asked by half the guys in our class?" Charlotte asked, feeling offended that Haewon was keeping secrets from her.

"They asked, and I rejected them. I don't have a prom date. I don't want one when I can just have you," Haewon said with a bright smile, but that didn't cheer Charlotte up either.

"Well, I want a prom date," Charlotte insisted as they went to get their meal.

"Then ask someone if you must," Haewon said in a clipped tone, irritated by Charlotte's attitude.

"Why don't we go to the cinema tomorrow?" Charlotte asked, changing the subject when she realized that Haewon seemed annoyed.

"Tomorrow is Saturday. Are you not working this weekend?" Haewon asked, and Charlotte shrugged.

"I am. But it's been a while since we spent some time together outside school. And the few times I visit your house, you never look away from your canvas," Charlotte said as they took their meal tray to a table and sat down to eat.

"I'm sorry about that. It's my addiction, you know. Alright, let's go see a movie this weekend. What time would that be?" Haewon asked, and Charlotte paused her lips thoughtfully.

"I have a shift in the morning, but I should be done by noon. We can meet up in front of the cinema by 12:30 pm," Charlotte said, and Haewon smiled.

"Sounds good to me," Haewon said, giving her attention to her lunch.

Saturday came, and it was time for the movie date between Charlotte and Haewon. Ivy dropped Haewon in front of the cinema at exactly 12:30 pm.

Haewon waited for Charlotte for about five minutes before she called her on the phone, and Charlotte received the call immediately, apologizing before Haewon could even speak.

"I was just about to call you. I am so sorry. I am being held up at work. My colleague suddenly called in sick, so I have to stay back. I'm so sorry," Charlotte said in a distressed voice.

Haewon did not know how to feel. She exhaled deeply, letting Charlotte hear her frustration.

"I'm very sorry. I really wanted us to spend the day together. Please don't be mad," Charlotte pleaded, and Haewon sighed.

"It's fine. You must feel upset yourself," Haewon said as she contemplated whether she should go back home or just see a movie alone.

"You know what? Don't worry about me, and take care of yourself. We can reschedule our date for another time," Haewon said, wanting to make Charlotte feel less guilty.

"I am sorry, this was unexpected…."

"It's fine, Lottie. Take care of yourself," Haewon assured her before hanging up.

Haewon browsed through the categories of movies available for that time, and once she settled for a movie she had seen already but didn't mind seeing again, she approached the cashier.

"The movie started viewing about fifteen minutes ago, and the hall is packed full. This is the last ticket for this movie, so you might have to look around for a bit to find a seat. Are you sure you don't want a different movie?"

"I can't wait around for the others," Haewon said as she made the payments and took her ticket, box of popcorn, and drink.

The minute she walked into the viewing hall, she understood the reason the cashier warned her. The place was full, and she couldn't see a thing because it was dimly lit.

She narrowed her eyes as she tried to find a spot to sit, and although she hated to be a nuisance, she had paid to be in this hall and didn't mind interrupting them for a second in order to find her seat.

"Please, can you signify if there is an empty seat beside you?" Haewon asked loudly, and everyone murmured at the noise.

Jake's heart skipped a beat, and he turned in his seat when he heard the very familiar voice. What was she doing here? He mused as he gazed at the empty seat beside him.

He loved watching movies and made it a habit to see a new movie every weekend. He had no idea that he was going to bump into Haewon at the cinema.

What sort of coincidence was this? Or was this his grandmother's doing? She definitely would have told him had she planned for him to meet her again this way. And this was too random to be his grandmother's doing.

Jake had no intention of calling her attention to the empty seat beside him, but he seemed to forget that there were other people around him who could also see the vacant seat.

The girl seated directly behind the empty seat waved at Haewon.

"There is an empty seat here," She announced.

Jake cursed her silently before returning his attention to the screen. He wasn't going to spare her a glance, he told himself.

He had a carefully organized plan, and he wasn't going to allow such coincidences to interfere with it.

Haewon immediately made her way in the direction of the girl whose hand was still in the air, and once she was seated, she thanked the girl who had saved her from the embarrassment of having to go row to row looking for the empty seat.

Haewon turned to look at the other person on her side, wondering why he hadn't called her attention to the empty seat, and thanks to the bright light from the screen, she was able to make out Jake's face.

Immediately she saw him, she scowled and looked away, ignoring him in the same manner he was ignoring her. That explained why he hadn't bothered to call her attention to the seat beside him.

As far as she was concerned, she wasn't going to leave because of him. She had come here to see a movie, and she intended to see it to the end regardless of who was seated beside her.

If he didn't like the fact that she was seated next to him, he could leave for all she cared, but she was going no where.