Dark green : His text

Teal : Her text

*I have a gig tonight, won't be able to pick you up after work :( Please still love me ㅠㅠㅠ <3*

A smile crept uknowingly across your face as you read the text, mentally playing out the words in his greasy, aegyo packed voice. 

Known as the impenetrable and ice queen of Seoul, you weren't a fan of cute words, cheesy affection or any form of adorableness. You were, however, a er for him and whatever aegyo nonsene he had melted that ice heart of yours like ice cream on a hot summer day.

"Yah, did I pay you to daydream?"

That grating, high pitched voice cracked like a whip, snaping you out of your sweet thoughts and back to reality. You looked up to meet the eyes of her lady boss fixated on you, sizing your every move up. Smiling sheepishly, you hastily typed a reply and picked up the rag, scrubbing at the already glistening and spotless cafe glass windows.

*No.*

beep.beep.beep.

Your phone vibrated and flashed in your apron pocket with text notifications as you were scrubbing furiously at the glass, trying to remove those invisible stains the witch boss somehow always managed to pick on. Not wanting to try your luck, you peered at the screen. 

<3 Messages from Song똥>

*WHY*

*NOOOOOOOO DON'T DO THIS TO ME BBY*

*Yah i'm just earning money to raise our 20 kids and granny in the future*

You smiled endearingly to yourslef and returned to scrubbing the glass with a new found vengence. 

It was slave labour working here at the cafe, the work was physically taxing and paid peanuts. Plus, the boss was a but you didn't have a choice. Any job that paid, you'd be more than willing to take, especially since finances were getting tight.

For starters, you come from a difficult family background and presently live alone with your grandmother.

But you aren't the kind to dwell on unhappy thoughts or let your past hinder your future. In fact, after years of trying  to forgive, to move on, the wounds have healed and the pain traned into cold determination to forget.

To you now, you have no parents and not speaking about it seems to have become an unspoken compromise amongst those around you. After all, it isn't something you want to be reminded about.

Instead, your maternal grandma raised you from a tender age of 8 and she is your world as you are hers. 

Her humble salary as a factory worker paid you through your education but now, at your final year of highschool, age seemed to be catching up on her. The years of physical labour and age seemed to have taken a toll of her health and now, without a stable income, the responsibility as the family's sole breadwinner fell on your shoulders. 

Life was grueling and struggling school work and 2 part time jobs at once to make ends meet was difficult, let alone for a girl who barely turned 18 weeks ago. Besides this cafe job 3 times a week, you gave tuition every saturday for extra income.

You fought to keep your eyes open in school daily despite the fatigue,  dragging your tired limbs after school to the cafe for another 5 hours of physical torture. By the end of the day, you would be bone tired, worn both mentally and physically, practically reduced to a walking zombie only to go home and tend to grandma, do the housework and complete your homework.

It was tough. No, hell, it was back-breakingly painful but yet you pushed on, day after day because there was too much life had to offer for you to give up. You refused to give in to hardship. It simply wasn't in your nature to bow your head and surrender. When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade.

Mino however, was the sweetener in your lemonade, a blessing, an angel sent from heaven in pity of your circumstances.

Even before you starting dating him, he has been your guardian, your protector and your support through ups and downs. He makes sure you never walk home in the dark alone, he makes sure you are never cold, he forces you to eat when you try starving to save money. And most of all, he takes care of your grandma , the only family you have left, like his own.

He alone, managed to melt the ice princess, to claim her heart and sweep her off her feet. 

If you did anything right in your life, it was to give your heart to him.

Mino treated you like royalty and the way he looks at you, you feel as though you are the luckiest girl on Earth. Despite the life throws at you, with him by your side, you have the strength and energy to walk through it.

With him, you were content.

"Thank you! Have a nice day!"

You greeted politely as you bowed your goodbyes to the other employees and lady boss. She snorted in acknowledgement and stalked into the kitchen rudely. You resisted rolling your eyes and instead satisfied yourself by cussing her out mentally.

After shrugging on your worn, army green coat, you stepped out into the cold, dry air. November was rolling in and winter fast approaching. The cold air hit your face as you rubbed your hands together, trying to create a bit of warmth in your already frozen hands.

Night seemed to come faster in the colder months, the streets were dark except for the yellowish glow of the street lamps. Mino usually walked you home after work and going home without him for the first time in a long was an unfamiliar feeling.

You refused to acknowldge the disappointment creeping up your mind and shook your head to shake off those thoughts.

*Pshhhh, since when did I become so clingly, Kang Ha Eun don't need no man.*

You thought to yourself as you walked along the pavement, making sure to skip over the cracks.

Ever since grandma fell ill, you substituted public transport with walking to save money. It was a fairly long journey and the street was fairly empty but what was a poor girl to do?

As you turned left into the alleyway, you felt an a presence appear abruptly close behind you. The figure towered over your petite frame and was so close that you could feel body heat radiating from behind you. 

Your eyes widened in alarm instinctively but before you could turn, a hand closed over your mouth and held you in place.