11. Chasing You

Haera and Sandara had left for their shift at Café Bueno together, even though Haera’s shift was later than Sandara’s. While Dara started working, Haera had pulled out her laptop and books and settled them on the table in front of her. She had no plan of wasting two hours on sitting there and waiting like a lost soul, and decided therefore to work with the assignment one of her professors had handed out. The girl had angrily typed away and at the same time cursed the cafe owner for not giving them the same working time, because now both of them had to waste two hours each while waiting for the other.

“Chickandra! Leave that, your shift is over.” Haera commanded when her friend passed by the counter with a pinkish kitchen cloth in her hand to clean a table nearby the one she was settled around earlier. She had seen her friend struggle from one customer to the other ever since they stepped in, almost four hours ago, and was worried, since she looked exhausted and tired, and why shouldn’t she be? Sandara hadn’t taken a break at all, and neither had she bothered with having something to eat. She had skipped dinner, like she did most of the time, and was therefore feeling very low at the moment. The meal was replaced by a cup of coffee, and it had soothed her tummy for a while, but the calming sensation was long gone, so she filled another plastic cup with coffee and started sipping on it after returning to the counter.

“Yeah, I know.”

Haera helped Dara get out of her apron and then brushed the locks away from her face. Since Sandara was the youngest and most sensitive out of the three friends, she was used to being treated like a child, especially from Haera, who had such a pure and friendly soul. Haera was used to acting as the motherly figure, since she had taken care of her own little brothers her whole life, whereas Jenny was more like a sister, who loved her dongsaengs and wanted to experience trouble and hence have fun. Their friendship had grown so much, in so many ways, that they’ve already started feeling like triplets. The bond between them was possibly as strong as the bond between real siblings.

“Go home, eat something and go to sleep, okay?”

“No mom!” Sandara whined playfully “I’ll wait for mummy,”

“Sandara,” Haera remained passive and serious. “You look exhausted, just go.”

The workers around were looking weirdly at the two girls, they did indeed look like mommy and her little princess.

“Relax, I have to ask you something first.”

Haera lifted one eyebrow “What is it?”

“What’s with you and that Taeyang guy?”

Haera sighed, and remembered how he had approached her earlier in the cafeteria. She didn’t like him. Not one bit. He had this scary aura around him, and she feared being dragged into his black hole. She wondered why he was bothering her so much, and wished nothing but for him to stop lurking around her.

“Nothing, he is weird and scary…..”

Sandara threw her arm over the counter and used the other to hold her hip. Her feet were hurting badly, but she ignored the pain and continued chatting about her friend's stalker- until her sight randomly landed on two specific faces. Her eyes were suddenly glued to one pair of brown orbs and she gulped nervously several times before blinking rapidly in confusion.

What is he doing here!

How long have they been here?

“Hee” She whispered in distress “They are here,”

Haeras mouth fell apart when she caught a glimpse of whomever Sandara was referring to. Seriously, she screamed in her head. How much more of a stalker can you become?! She had a really, really bad feeling about this. These guys were wooing their life to following them around.

“Go to them, before they come here!” Haera pushed Sandara forwards, to which Sandara shot her a deathly glare.

“What the actual ?”

“Hurry, he is standing up even!”

Jiyong and Taeyang chuckled amongst themselves while looking at the two flabbergasted ladies. They’d been eyeing them since forever, but it had taken the ladies quite some time before realizing that they were being watched. How stupid to not use your senses well enough.

“Time for action,” Taeyang smirked and pushed his chair backwards before standing up and walking towards the counter.

“Shieeet” Haera mumbled under her breath and started grabbing random stuff, to act as if she was busy working, while Sandara was standing like some idiot and just blinking time after time. Taeyang’s smirk reminded her of what happened in the cafeteria earlier, and the red colour started rising on her cheeks. This was far more embarrassing than she had thought it could ever be.

Fortunately for her, he mentioned nothing about that scene when passing by. He simply greeted her and ended up in front of busy bunny girl behind the counter, ready to disturb her some more. He found pure happiness in the way she blushed, got nervous and tried stealing glances.

Sandara took a step forwards and Jiyong’s grin grew even more.

Should I walk to him?

I probably should right?

Another step closer to him.

But what he tried to point out in the cafeteria was false!

He is a jerk!

She reversed her movements, to which Jiyong raised an eyebrow. At this moment, she looked like a robot who was experiencing technical problems, and he suddenly developed the wish of breaking out in a fit of laughter.

He seriously found out about my workplace!

What more can this man do?

Wait, wait

I look stupid now, right?

Accepting her defeat, Sandara sighed and carefully started walking up to him and stopped cautiously close to where he was sitting with his legs apart and his back leaned on the chair. He immediately straightened up and settled his feet on the floor when she placed her coffee on the wooden table.

She wiped the sweat in her hands nervously on the side of her jeans before breaking the silence.

“Hi”

Jiyong raised his hand and gripped hers, and as he spoke, his thumb was in the process of her knuckles in a comforting way. “Hi”

She looked down nervously, because of his sudden action and the heat slowly crawled from the bottom of her feet to her fagged face. Her mind went blank, and she felt the awkwardness creep around them, while he was rather comfortable and excited.

“Umm…..” Dara managed to murmur at last “You found out huh?” She had never thought he could find out about her workplace this easily. She hadn’t even spotted him follow her, so how? He must be a genius.

He smiled, no evil smirk this time. “I told you you’ll regret it.”

“Yeah,” She pouted and looked at her shoes, unsure how to speak and whether her next question would be considered as impolite or not. Regardless of the uncertainty, she still gathered the courage to ask him. “Why are you here?”

Jiyong pulled Sandara into his lap, and her co-workers beamed with excitement behind them, since they had followed the scene closely, whereas her breath got caught in , threatening to explode her trachea. She felt her every bone and muscle drown in a sea of feverishness and her heart suddenly giving off the feeling of pressure. She was not used to this, hell no, it would take her a hundred years before experiencing comfort with him so close to her.

“Why?” His low whisper close to her burning ears was tickling her neck and her nerves begun tingling like someone was purposely using a feather to irritate her. “You don’t want me here?” Both her palms were now working hard with their new career in the hydropower company, and she failed miserably in releasing herself from his hold.

“I- I” She stutters when his hold tightens around her waist.

“I- I what?” He mocks. He is enjoying this so much, hell he would even have paid big amounts to watch it on repeat telecast. 

“Leave me, my employer will get angry!” Not that his was the best argument, but it sure was true. Her boss had strictly told the employees not to talk unnecessarily with the customers, and Sandara was sure “romancing” in his café would bring her great consequences. She had seen him raging one time when her co-worker and her boyfriend shared a kiss. He had called her in his office and probably yelled at her, because she was shedding tears when she stepped out of that room. Sandara didn’t want to be in that girl’s shoes.

“Why would he? You are not working anymore.”

Sandara looked over her shoulder and became embarrassed by all the looks the people behind their counter were giving her. She desperately searched for Haera’s eyes, but Haera was busy attending the all- famous Taeyang who was eagerly chatting away. It looked like Haera needed as much help as herself, but she knew she had to solve her own prob