Yonghwa woke early that day, as the excitement of seeing her again could no longer be contained. He wanted to see her, to just be in the same place as her once more. He longed for her even when she had hurt him so badly, even when it was she who cheated on him with his own flesh and blood. The wounds weren’t fully healed but he needed answers and here he was now to get them. He had taken a shower and dressed up ages ago. Now he was casually lounging in the small kitchen again, drinking the coffee available for the guests.

            “I see you’re up early,” the old woman had appeared behind some door and Yonghwa merely nodded.

            “You’re going to see her, aren’t you?” she asked and he nodded once more.

            “Well, the diner’s not open til 9am and its still 5:30,” she remarked. Yonghwa just looked at her blankly, wondering what she was up to.

            “I guess you should make yourself useful then and help me with the cleaning until it’s time for you to go.”

            She handed him a mop and a bucket and looked at him expectantly.

            “Y-You want me to clean this p-place?” he asked in disbelief.

            “Of course, it can’t clean by itself. Can it?” she smiled at him and Yonghwa groaned at what Irene had gotten him into.

            “This place is for guests to stay at half the price but in exchange have to help in cleaning it up,” she patiently explained as his eyes widened in disbelief.

            “B-But I can pay for my whole stay here,” he paned.

            “I was thinking of inviting her for dinner tonight but I guess that’s not going to happen,” she sighed and was going to grab the cleaning materials back from him when he refused to let go.

            “Fine. I’ll clean this floor, grandmother,” he replied and grumbled as he went on his way. He rolled up his polo until his elbows. It was a good thing he opted for something a little casual today.

            “Cute,” she smiled and watched as he started to mop the floor. She sat and drank her coffee as she enjoyed the peaceful morning. I have to know you first Yonghwa-sshi, so bear with me.

            “You’re late,” the manager snapped at Seohyun as she hurried into the locker room and grabbed her apron.

            “I’m sorry, this won’t happen again,” she hung her head low and apologized profusely. She couldn’t lose this job. But the lack of sleep these past few days caught up with her and she woke up at eight thirty in the morning. Without even eating any breakfast, she hurriedly got up, took a quick shower and dressed. If only her belly wasn’t so large, she would’ve run all the way to the diner but her feet couldn’t keep up with such strenuous activity.

            “Just make sure it doesn’t,” he snapped at her. Seohyun sighed as she leaned back against the wall. Her daily routine was getting harder and harder to keep up with as she progressed in her pregnancy. She couldn’t do this soon she realized, but as long as she could, she needed to work in preparation for the expenses of giving birth and raising a kid. It was a tough job, she knew but she had to try when all her baby had was her.

            “Just make it through the day,” she whispered to herself before pasting a smile on her face. After readjusting the apron, she went out and accommodated the customers who frequented her workplace. She smiled at the familiar faces and went on to refill their coffee and take the orders of the new arrivals. She had passed by Hyoyeon, a daughter of the owner who treated Seohyun like a baby sister.

            “Hey,” she greeted her and Hyoyeon motioned for her to come over.

            “Did Heechul Oppa bully you again?” she looked at her skeptically and Seohyun shook her head.

            “N-No, I was really late this morning unnie,” she smiled and pat her belly. “This little baby is tiring me out these days. It won’t be long before I need to find another work that’s not too physically demanding for this body of mine.”

            “Aisht! I told you to just work at the cashier but you insisted to work as the waitress,” she gently reprimanded.

            “I know. But unnie, it’s unfair to do so just because of my condition. Besides, you need another waitress out here,” she winked at her before walking away after hearing the tell-tale jingle of the wind chime hanging by the entrance. Hyoyeon watched over her as she made her way to the couple who’d just entered the place.

            “She’s working too hard,” Heechul remarked suddenly appearing out of nowhere and scaring her the out of her.

            “OPPA! Don’t do that,” she punched him in the arm causing Heechul to double over in agony.

            “Yah! What did I do? That hurt,” he whined as he rubbed the spot she hit. Hyoyeon was manlier of the two as Heechul was too pretty to lift a finger. She merely laughed at him.

            “That’s for scaring me and bullying Seobaby again,” she stuck her tongue out before heading towards the other customer who came in, ignoring her brother who was grumbling behind the counter.

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