She had seen him.

Again…

Seohyun looked out from the glass window of her family’s pharmacy store, in wonder of the always present ice cream vendor, loitering outside their parking space. It has been days, one month exactly since he was there diligently selling black bean, red bean ice cream and all sorts of varieties he would mention every time he would greet the passersby. He was a man of early twenties, with unbelievably white skin, wearing only a red shirt and tattered jeans. He had a funny yellow cap with an embroidered popsicle, but the appearance didn’t seem to bother him at all. He had a sign posted at his ice cream box.

Kyuhyun’s ice cream. It read.

Seohyun had always questioned her parents why they were allowing the ice cream vendor to stay, even the security outside their pharmacy, who seemed to be even friends with him.

“staring outside again, seohyun?” mrs. Seo asked.

“ne.” seohyun nodded, and focused her attention to cutting pieces of medicines to their respective boxes.

“how do you find korea after working three years abroad?” her mother asked.

Seohyun shrugged. She was a woman of few words, and mentioning something about her work abroad would count with it. she was sent as an exchange person at a pharmaceutical company in Germany. And Korean environment ever since had been foreign to her.

“ah, that boy kyuhyun, he’s really something.” Mrs. Seo suddenly looked at the ice cream vendor, who was talking to a little boy walking a dog on a leash.

Seohyun looked out too.

“kyuhyun’s his name?” she asked.

“yes. Cho kyuhyun.” Mrs. Seo smiled. “that boy never failed to come here to sell ice cream. I’ve tasted red bean, you should try.”

“eomma.” Seohyun placed the scissors rather noisily on the counter. “you are allowing a vendor to sell outside, isn’t that supposed to be our parking space?”

“he has a good history so your appa and I allowed him there.” Mrs. Seo said.

“what history?”

“you should ask him that yourself.” Mrs. Seo told her. “nice hardworking boy. He’s older to you in two years. You should pay respect when you talked to her, araso?”

Seohyun shook her head and went outside.

--------------------

Kyuhyun looked up the sky and smiled. it was so cold yet the sun shone so bright that it gave him enough energy to face the day. it was still early in the morning, about nine to be exact, and he only had one ice cream sold. But he was optimistic still. He knew that by the end of the day, maybe people would come by and refresh themselves with his food.

He was busily piling up ice shavings to his ice cream box when a beautiful woman from the pharmacy emerged out in her cute pink jacket and faded skinny jeans. She wore her hair long, which was so dainty and shiny that the sun appeared to maximize the effect.

He knew that the woman was the pharmacy owner’s daughter, due to the striking resemblance and mrs. Seo’s frequent story about her. she had worked for three years overseas according to the mother, which meant why she was so aloof to people outside the store.

But he never knew for once that she will talk to her.

“annyeong.” Kyuhyun greeted. He made a bow, even if he knew that he was years older than her.

Seohyun bowed too.

“um—“

“do you want ice cream?” kyuhyun asked. Seohyun was surprised how quick he was to search for an item inside his ice cream box. “black mongo bean, my treat.”

He reached out to her but she just shook her head.

“no thank you.” She said. she cleared . “I’m here to discuss to you about your selling.”

Kyuhyun looked quizzically at her.

“I knew my parents wouldn’t want to tell you this but you’re illegally squatting in our area.” Seohyun said. she felt guilty from saying it but she knew that she should made an appeal other wise.

“I’m sorry.” Kyuhyun said. “but you cant make me stay out here.”

Seohyun was taken aback by his statement.

“not that I’m offending you or anything.” Kyuhyun raised his hand. “but I know I’m supposed to be here. I should be. I really have a reason why.”

“if you have a real reason why then you should have at least looked for other areas where you can squat.” Seohyun said. “you’re occupying one parking space. And we only have five parkings here. clearly you should be sensitive about it?”

Kyuhyun took a seat and sighed.

“I’m sorry.” He said gently. “I wont be bothering you I swear. Just give me enough time to save, then I can go and wont bother you and your family anymore. I just need your help.”

“my help?”

Kyuhyun smiled at seohyun.

“yes, by letting me stay here.” he said. “maybe two more weeks? Just that time.”

“alright.” Said seohyun. “but only two weeks. If you don’t abide by that, I will force the security to carry you out.”

Seohyun blushed. She knew kyuhyun and the security were bestfriends but the boy even once didn’t even make a laugh.

“deal .” he said. “sorry, I haven’t introduced myself, my name is kyuhyun.”

He extended a hand in which seohyun awkwardly shook hands with.

“I’m seohyun.” She said. “I’m mrs. Seo’s daughter.”

“yes, I can see the resemblance.” Kyuhyun smiled. “you two are very beautiful.”

“i—um, I’m going inside.” Seohyun blushed, diverting the topic. “thanks for the treat anyways.”

“clearly, you don’t want it?” kyuhyun asked.

He began to offer another ice cream to her. a melon ice cream wrapped in pink.

“it matches your blazer, gg ice cream. You should try.”

“thanks.”

Kyuhyun smiled as seohyun went inside the store.

-----------------------

“the boy sells ice cream.” Seohyun’s friend, Jessica, repeated.

Seohyun nodded and poured herself a cup of cold orange juice.

“gave him two weeks notice of his selling.” She said, thinking if she just made the right decision.

“you shouldn’t be too harsh.”  Seohyun’s eldest friend, taeyeon blurted.

“I wasn’t.” seohyun said in a matter-o-fact tone. She was just observing the rules, and one of the rules of the pharmacy was that no vendor should be allowed outside.

It occurred weird to her, though, that her mother allowed the guy to sell.

“you know, maybe there’s a real reason why he opted to sell outside your pharmacy.” Jessica said. “maybe he needs something from there or your pharmacy just attracts a lot of customers.”

“the pharmacy attracts a lot of customers, I think.” Seohyun said. well, for most, except to some passersby who would ask the amount of drugs.

Taeyeon bit her lip.

“why don’t you befriend him and ask the matter yourself?” she asked seohyun.

“you mean tell him about his business? That will make me look like a detective.” Seohyun said. “plus I don’t think he’ll want to snoop around.”

“but you said the guy was nice.”

Seohyun scratched her head.

“well, yeah.” She said, thinking it over. “he’s nice, but we just met earlier. It will be too weird if we talk personal lives.”

“just show some sensitive side.” Jessica said.

“aigoo, this is like a dating game.” Seohyun said.

---------------------

“tell me about yourself.”

Kyuhyun looked like he was ultimately stopped in his tracks. This girl seohyun, was definitely asking him about his background one day in the busy street of afternoon, after he had finished selling about ten ice creams.

“what do you want to know about me?” he asked. He knew what she was thinking. She would want to know the reason why he was selling ice cream everyday.

But does he want to tell her?

Seohyun invaded a space beside kyuhyun and intertwined her legs.

“just tell me what I should know about you.”

“I’m twenty four years old.” Kyuhyun began. “I graduated two years ago. I was a bit of an advanced person. I have a young sister, ten years old. My father works in a construction company. And my mother… well my mother stays at home. my sister helps her in the all around chores. She’s a bit of weak for it so she really needed help.”

“oh.” Seohyun said. she was suddenly reminded of her own mother.

“I like playing videogames but I stopped just last year to do my ice cream selling, you see I couldn’t be inside the house for long.” He smiled, playing with his feet.

“why do you opted to sell ice cream?” seohyun asked.

“aside from my other reason, I just don’t have any jobs I can think that can make other people happy.”

Seohyun’s eyebrows cringe from his statement.

“you were probably wondering why.” Kyuhyun looked at her in the eyes. “but I think ice cream is for all ages. Even the old can smile just for the wonders of ice cream melting into their mouths. And the young… you know how they are every time they can get their hands to this dessert. It makes me happy seeing them like that.”

“I guess you’re pretty deep for that.” seohyun said.

Kyuhyun placed a palm at the back of his neck.

“pretty deep for a math graduate?” he chuckled. “so, tell me about yourself too.”

Seohyun told him about her childhood, how she was raised by her parents alone, her love for quietness and sweet potato. She also mentioned her school, how she trained for a pharmaceutical company, and how she was a bit of culture shocked when she came back to korea.

“I was surprised to find you outside our pharmacy selling ice cream everyday.” She confessed, trying to hide her curiosity of Kyuhyun opting to sell at their place.

Kyuhyun looked down on the floor.

“I really have a reason for that.” he said. apart from its proximity to his mother’s hospital, the Seo’s Pharmacy offered cheap medicines, the generic kind, for him to buy.

But should he tell her?

“so what’s the reason?” seohyun asked, reading his mind.

“well.” Kyuhyun stared at the floor for the moment, then shook his head. “well, let me just put it this way, your pharmacy helps a lot of people to be healed. Its like my business, it offers satisfaction.”

“huh?” seohyun scratched his head.

Kyuhyun smiled at her. a pretty girl like her must not know.

----------------------

Seohyun never guessed the real reason why Kyuhyun and her mother never mentioned to her his real reason why he was selling ice cream outside their pharmacy but the more days she spent with kyuhyun, the more she forgets her real purpose. She just find him really nice, telling her all the lame jokes that surprisingly would make her laugh, stories about ice cream buyers, etc.

Seohyun would spend the whole day helping her mother at the pharmacy store but whenever she has the time, she would always sneak out, down to the parking lot invaded by kyuhyun and his ice cream business. They would talk for hours, making her forget about the time she spent outside. It looked like her mother didn’t care though, Mrs. Seo would just stare at them like staring at two kids playing happily outside.

Kyuhyun too, loved her presence. It just made him extremely happy whenever she’s there. Although he just knew her for days, unsurprisingly, there was a feeling of connection--- as if he had known her all his life. the girl really told her a lot about her life, and he was really grateful for her openness.

 

If he could only tell her.

 

That his mother is sick.

 

But no, he can’t. he cannot just hurt her, feel the pain he would usually feel everytime the doctor would tell him that time of his mother is near. He could just mask everything, unless he cannot carry it anymore.

Seohyun raised a brow when Mrs. Seo gave kyuhyun a plastic filled with medicines.

“komawo, mrs. Seo.” Kyuhyun bowed.

Seohyun pointed a finger at her mother. “eomma, what’s that?”

“a medicine, what else?” mrs. Seo laughed. But before Seohyun could ask any more question, Kyuhyun quickly stuffed the medicine and mrs. Seo already returned to the pharmacy.

“aigoo, eomma.”

Kyuhyun cleared his throat.

“uhm..” he said, breaking the silence. “I told mrs. Seo that I will borrow you for the evening, just take a few walks and eat, I guess.”

he knew Seohyun would be surprised by  his sudden statement. She would really be, since she’s a reserved person.

But why did she look happy?

“you don’t look surprised?” kyuhyun asked. “or scared?”

“scared?” seohyun said. “aigoo, you really think I don’t go out on dates, huh?”

Kyuhyun smiled.

“yeah.” He said, placing his ice cream box near the security. The security personnel winked before he could face seohyun. “well, you’re going out with me, you’re supposed to be scared.”

 

They walked. Ate at a public eatery nearby.

Kyuhyun placed a newspaper for seohyun to sat on a part of a stairs viewing a river.

“wow.” Seohyun glanced at her surroundings. The place looked really amazing. A lot of kids were at the foot of the large stone stairs, a guy with balloons was at the corner, selling. There were food stalls nearby. It just looked like a mini amusement park.

“aigoo, blue fountain!” she gushed, upon seeing a fountain with blue lights.

Kyuhyun watched as seohyun feasted her eyes around the area. For once, out of the mature façade he can see, was a hidden child just waiting to emerge out of its shell.

“aigoo.” He sighed.

“huh?”

“you’re just so..” kyuhyun smiled. “beautiful.”

Seohyun blushed.

“ah.” She said, scratching her head. Kyuhyun would always tell her straightforwardly what he wanted to say but it seemed that she never got used to it. “thanks?”

Kyuhyun chuckled.

“how come?” he asked. Should he say it? “that you never had any relationships?”

“I just haven’t found the right guy I guess.”

“right guy?” kyuhyun straightened up his back as seohyun eased herself infront of him. “what do you mean, are there really right guys out there?”

“so are you telling me there’s none?” seohyun asked.

“I’m not telling you there’s none.” Kyuhyun found himself smiling at her statement. Its as if the mature seohyun still believed in happy ending after all. “I mean, I’m just wondering if the right guys you are calling are perfect guys. Because honestly there are no perfect guys, just guys that would match your state. Your preference.”

Seohyun cringe her brows.

“a girl like you I think would prefer guys who are high end—career minded, good family background. Good catch.” Kyuhyun said.

“who wouldn’t?” seohyun asked. “but that’s idealistic. I prefer the realistic types.”

“what do you mean?”

“hardworking guys.” Seohyun looked at kyuhyun. “those who live their life for a purpose, for a family, even without a good career but with an optimistic view about life.”

“that sounds like me.” kyuhyun joked. What was he talking about? Its as if he was selling himself to seohyun. But the girl he was with just chuckled.

“yes, I think just like you.” She said, rather sheepishly. Kyuhyun looked at her in shock but she hid herself away by focusing on the children playing on the ground. The noises of the children masked the awkwardness.

“I should be grateful for that.” he smiled.

----------------------

Seohyun’s POV

I am not used talking to males but kyuhyun made me feel he is an exception.

Our date two days ago appeared pure--- everything was just blissful, he never made me feel that awkward. It was like a river, flowing with all honesty and friendship.

I told this to taeyeon and Jessica unni and they said that I was completely interested on him. Though I tried to hide that fact, I guess my unusual talkative voice just spilled it out.

But today, he was not around.

I looked around the shop and at the same time, to the clock hanging at the wall of the glass door.

Past seven in the morning.

Usually I would see kyuhyun outside, in his ice cream apron and hat, walking to and fro to meet passersby on the street. But I was wrong. Even a shadow of him I couldn’t see. And I was beginning to wonder why.

 

But I pretended that I wasn’t interested and continued working.

Even my mother didn’t ask me where kyuhyun was. I know for sure she was used to having him around too. but I guess we were both busy negotiating materials with the supplier.

It reached to nine in the evening that I had courage to ask my mother about him.

“kyuhyun?” my mother asked. I told him about my observations, why he wasn’t present at all.

“you mean he didn’t tell you yet about his mother?”

“his mother?” I repeated. I was so curious. Kyuhyun never mentioned me a single thing about his mother. He mentioned me a lot about his family though but…

“my mother… well my mother stays at home. my sister helps her in the all around chores. She’s a bit of weak for it so she really needed help.”

I looked at my mother in shock.

“you mean his mother is sick?” I blurted at her, just realizing how stupid I was not to digest everything he just said to me when we were talking about his family.

“his mother had an accident years ago and got a brain cancer.” my mother said with a tearful look in the eyes. “oh, I don’t like to think about it.”

“eomma.” I said.

My mother placed her towel on the counter and sighed.

“don’t you know that boy, kyuhyun?” she asked. “that family is rich. His father owned a construction company but when his mother got sick, they lost all their possessions, including his father’s business. And to repay what his family gave him to have a good education, kyuhyun started selling ice cream. His mother loved ice cream so much that he took it as an inspiration to give happiness to everyone.”

I felt like my head just made a spin all of a sudden. So that’s the reason why a boy like kyuhyun preferred ice cream for business.

I didn’t realize that my eomma’s tears just fell. she looked as if she really had that much sympathy with kyuhyun. This boy I just knew for weeks, appeared that my mother really knew him better.

“is this why you were giving him medicines?”

“he pays every month. Ever since you came here from overseas.” Mother said, reaching out for a napkin.

I sat down and heave out a breath, trying to digest the stuff one by one.

“I really like that boy, doing everything for the sake of his mother.” Mother continued when I slumped my cheek on my palm resting on the glass table. “his mother is being treated at home but when you were out yesterday with your friends, he got a family emergency. They had to transfer his mother at the hospital.”

I stood up in a reflex.

“eomma.” I said. “is there any way I can help? Do you know which hospital?”

“I’m sorry dear, but no.” mother said. I sighed.

“I should go there, he needs someone---“

My mother placed a hand on my shoulder.

“let’s leave him with his family.” She said. “to have time and to think things over. It might be his last moments with his mom.”

---------------------------

One week after

Seohyun’s POV

I saw him.

Again.

This time, I wasn’t hesitant to come outside our little pharmacy. my own pair of feet just literally dragged me towards the direction of the boy I was waiting to appear.

Kyuhyun.

Its been a week. I’ve never heard any news from him. And I was glad that I can see him again outside, the usual set up where I would usually see him. 

“annyeong.” I found myself blurting a word in happy tone that made kyuhyun perform a slight jump from the balls of his feet. He pretended he didn’t see changes in me, and instead acknowledged my greeting with his usual happy mood.

“annyeong.” He said too.

I looked around and saw him immediately checking the stocks of his ice cream. “you have new brands?”

“same old thing.” Kyuhyun said. I was quick to notice that he had dark circles in his eyes.

“kyuhyun ssi.” I said. I never knew why I was so used in regarding people with formality. “about your…”

“you asked your mom about it huh?” he said.

I nodded. I didn’t know if I did the right way by asking my mother about his family’s condition but I didn’t know why I was so interested either.

Mother told me about kyuhyun’s mother having a cancer and how he would spend every morning selling ice cream just as so he could buy some medicine in our pharmacy directly after his stocks would be sold.

“when we rushed her into the hospital.” Kyuhyun clasped his hands while we sat together on the ground that separated us a feet away from the parking space. “the doctor told us that her time is near. I always know it. she’s on the last stage of her illness but I was always hoping that she’ll get better. But then again… I have to face the consequences also, right?”

He stared at his feet and wiped a tear emerging from his right eye.

“before she passed away.” he continued. “she told me that I have to pursue making people happy. It involved my ice cream business, so I told her that I will still sell for my family and for her sake. A bit of ironic huh? I’m still selling even if I’m supposed to be mourning. But eomma never wants me to be sad.”

Just thinking of this guy’s past really made me feel a surge of pity. If he had a good family background back then, why is he still able to stand on his own feet?

Incredible.

“how about your sister?” I asked. He has a ten year old sister.

“she can still study, I can still support her you know, and appa’s not that old.” Kyuhyun said.

“why don’t you teach math?”

Kyuhyun laughed.

“I just have to help with the house chores.” He said, making me feel slight embarrassed about my query. “if I become a teacher, no one would supervise my sister.”

A good brother and a good son.

My eyes twinkled. This boy Kyuhyun. He was such a good guy with a very big heart. If this is his charming spell, even a rock like me would completely fell.

 

The next thing I knew, I found myself kissing him on the cheek.

He was startled.

“i—“ I blushed. But I cleared my throat. “I want to thank you for making us happy.”

Kyuhyun smiled and touched his cheek.

“we—we have an opening at the pharmacy.” I said, looking at the back if my mother saw what I did. Good thing she wasn’t around that moment. Maybe at the storage room. “do you want to sell medicine every day? if you want to go on selling ice cream its okay, you can do it inside too. I just want to give you an opportunity since you really are a big inspiration to us.”

A math course graduate selling ice cream plus medicine.

“really?” he asked. His face lit up a bit.

I nodded and gazed at the sky above.

“you would allow me to invade a space inside your business?” kyuhyun asked.

“I am already offering you.”

“well.” Kyuhyun bit his lip. “if it’ll make me that closer to you then I’ll take it as a yes.”

He stood up and I found myself gaping in shock.

“seohyun ah.” Kyuhyun laughed. “you’re really cute when you have a face like that.”

He reached for my hand and I stood up too.

“do I need some resume or have my picture taken?”

“no, silly.” I said, laughing too. “just follow me inside and I’ll tell eomma.”

Kyuhyun nodded.

“very well then.”