~Chapter One~

              It is a truth universally acknowledged that falling in love makes even the smartest and self-respecting people to feel and do ridiculous things. Whether it’s borrowing things you don’t need just to talk to her, or suddenly loudening your voice whenever she’s near, or scheming ways to run into her “by accident”… anyone who’s fallen in love, at least once, has come up with pathetic excuses just to have even the slightest glimpse of her face or a fraction of her attention. Simply, love brings out the craziness in you. And Choi Minho was no exception, for he too did all those and more. Fortunately now, he no longer needs to come up with an “excuse” to accidentally meet her, all thanks to a little boy named Moon Mason.

              Mason is Kim Ji Won’s nephew, a mischievous boy with such huge appetite for sweets and who usually sneaks to Minho’s coffee shop for a piece of cookie. This was how Ji Won first met Minho a year ago, when she stumbled at Minho’s store looking for Mason. She was worried that she’d lost Mason and that he was crying somewhere all by himself. But her worries were far from the truth, because in actuality, Mason was happily munching a cookie while chatting with Minho, the owner of the newly built shop across her workplace.

              This seven-year old cookie eater would have been troublesome for anyone but definitely not Minho. If anything, he’s actually grateful because Mason led him to her. A week before Ji Won stumbled at his shop, Minho had already seen her a few times since the bookstore that Ji Won manages was located just across the street. Wanting to meet her, Minho came by at her store every other day and always bought books whenever he came. Everytime he pays at the counter, he silently wished that Ji Won would be the one to receive him but it never happened since every single time, she was either busy in front of her computer or with entertaining other customers. Minho did try to get her attention though, he would intentionally cough when he isn’t even sick, drop a book or two just to make a sound but still his efforts were in vain. In a span of one week, Minho managed to buy a total of eleven books which are obviously too many to finish in such a short time… But those days are long gone because after Mason’s sneaking incident, the boy and his aunt started coming to the shop more often, and naturally Ji Won and Minho had more encounters. From strangers, they became acquaintances and from acquaintances to friends.

              Now, Minho doesn’t have to buy a book as an “excuse” to visit the bookstore, what he has now is a more justifiable and dignified reason which is “returning” the mischievous cookie eater to his lovely aunt after the boy is done with his afternoon snacks. Minho’s job wasn’t really the most exciting nor the busiest so he had plenty of time to walk across the street and visit her with a valid “excuse” on a regular basis.

              Choi Minho is not some big corporate lawyer with a large enough salary to buy himself a boat, and vacation homes. Nor was he some brilliant, world-renowned, cancer-curing doctor. He doesn’t have politician or celebrity parents either who have huge influence in the society. He was just plain Minho, a coffee shop owner and a pastry chef, in other words, he’s just an ordinary guy.

            Through the years, Minho has owned a vast collection of aprons, cookbooks, and probably had invested too much money in culinary school for him to be some critically acclaimed chef. When it comes to appearance though, Minho does seem to have an edge because he is quite a looker. However, nowadays, handsomeness isn’t as rare as everyone thought it would be, for every once in a while, you could certainly find a handsome man around the corner.  Sure, if you saw Minho on the streets, he is worth a glimpse, a stare, or a second look… but sadly for Minho, his face is not enough to have a lasting love. After several failed relationships, girls he used to date pointed out one common thing… that is he’s too nice. Unfortunately for Minho, women these days seem to be attracted to the ‘bad boys’ rather than the ‘nice guys’. And also, perhaps women these days don’t find it attractive for a man to have sprinkles of flour in his shirt and on his disheveled hair.

            And so, Minho to some is just an average Joe, the nice guy you dated once or twice but later dumped because of the lack of thrill. Don’t misunderstand; Minho isn’t boring, he was simply simple. He doesn’t fancy flashy things, instead, he liked the little things in life, quirks about the people he held dear, didn't strive to stand out, and above all, he couldn't say no.

            His last girlfriend had told him he needed to get a back bone. His mom had told him he was the-settle-down guy. When women wanted to marry, they would come to him, for loyal and agreeable he was. He was caring, kind and takes pleasure in the simplest of things; not the exciting boyfriend girls his age wanted.

            However, if you thought this bothered Minho, you would be surely mistaken. He knew his mother was right—he was, after all, a bit of a mama's boy—and he could be patient.

           He was an optimistic romantic type, firmly believing when the time was right, he would fall head over heels for the woman that fit snugly in his side, the woman who wouldn't mind a quieter life, the woman who kept him up late, smiling to himself. So, when he was sure he had met the right girl, of course he was going to try and worm his way into her life.

          Looking against the media's portrayal of what Minho should consider an ideal girlfriend, he supposed he should say that Ji Won doesn’t seem to fit the description, mainly because she’s quite an independent woman. Men always want the feeling of being needed and so their pride gets wounded when a woman could stand on her own, with or without a man. It’s supposed to be a big deal for a man’s ego, but Minho didn't particularly seem to care. The reason? It’s because Minho believes that being with an independent woman doesn’t make him less of a man, simple as that.

Kim Ji Won is pretty, striking even, but what got Minho was more than just her beauty. It was more of her frankness, her awkwardness at times, her simplicity, and her being comfortable in her own skin that had his heart strings tugging. Minho just loved everything about her; little oddities and embarrassing habits included.

The more he got to know her, the more he believed that it was a genuine love. She agreed.

She just…didn't know it yet.

But it was okay, because he was going to fix that.

"Mason! No, Mason, don't do this! Come back here!" Ji Won cried, lunging at the seven year old boy. He giggled and squirmed his way out of her reach.

Resting her palms on her thighs, she leaned over, panting. She had been okay with the constant chatter. She had been okay with the never-ending supply of energy. She had even been okay with the horrible sweet tooth.

But she was certainly not okay when Mason refused to listen to her. Glaring at the young boy, she forced herself to pick up her adrenaline, preparing to dash after him again. He already had a good head start, from when he'd tired her out two blocks down, and despite the fact that her legs were more than twice as long as his, she still knew it would be in vain.

But hey, she thought viciously, the kid has to tire eventually, and when he does…she would have her revenge.

"Can't catch me, Auntie Ji Won! Nah-nah-nah-nah!" Mason called, glancing back over his shoulder.

"Maybe I can't!" She answered, spotting a familiar figure rearranging the chairs outside his shop. She stopped chasing and slowed down. "But he can!" Mason shot her a confused look before turning his head in the forward direction. That was when he and Minho saw each other.

It didn't take long before Minho caught on; they had been in this situation many times before, and he knew the drill. Grinning and playfully rolling his eyes, he stuck out his hand. Mason's forehead instantly met his palm, stopping him in his tracks.

"Hey, no fair! Lemme go!" He cried, leaning forward, trying to swipe at the older man.

"Again?" Minho asked, turning his gaze onto Ji Won.

She nodded grimly. "He still seems to think that I find this fun," she said, glaring down at her nephew, who had finally resisted Minho's palm and slid up against him. He just flashed his toothy grin up at her. Oh, right, she thought, rolling her eyes. As if the innocent, cute act is still going to get me.

"Come on, Mason. I can't make money until I open up the store, and I can't open up until I get there, and I can't get there until you come with me," she said, tiredly stretching out her hand towards him.

He scrunched up his face, squishing his body against Minho's long legs. "No way! I wanna hang with uncle Minho today," he said, crossing his arms.

Ji Won's shoulders slouched as she bent down to his eye-level. "Mason, you hung out with Minho yesterday, and the day before that. And from what I heard," she said, glancing fleetingly at Mi