“Are you sure you can make it?” Hakyeon said as he looked at Yoojung worriedly.

“Don’t worry about it. There aren’t many customers left so I can handle it.” She responded in an effort to reassure him. “Furthermore, it’s not that dangerous at night here anymore. I can close the coffee shop myself.” She added with a hint of a smile. Hakyeon threw her a glance that indicated that how uncertain he was about her statement, but decided to not continue this conversation and turned to leave the said shop, stopping just by the exit to bid her goodbye. She waved at him before she continued with her work at cleaning the bar she stood behind, her main post every day, while keeping an eye to the corner table by the window, where the last customers were sitting.

Yoojung started working at ‘Bella Casa’ a year ago, when she found herself in this city by mistake, without a chance of leaving. She had to make a living somehow, at least until the right time came and she could return to her home. She was lucky that Hakyeon found her sleeping on a bench in the park just across the street and offered her a job at the coffee shop his father owned. She wasn’t sure if he helped her because of personal interest or he was simply a good man, even though as time passes she tends to lean to her first assumption. Nevertheless, she was grateful for his generosity.

Less than an hour later, the customers had already paid and left in a hurry and Yoojung was sitting by the cash register, looking through the wet window panes at the cars that were passing and spacing out. She was waiting patiently for the clock to strike eleven, so she could finally close and drag her tired body to her bed that she was dreaming about at the moment.

These rainy winter nights always made her melancholic. Usually on these days people preferred to stay at their respective houses, instead of having to put up with the downpour while trying to take a walk outside and visit coffee shops. The strong wind made things even worse. She could make out a few figures running with their umbrellas –some of those umbrellas turned inside out –against the wind and felt bad for the poor fellows. Just like that, these days Bella Casa is almost always empty and Yoojung was left in the company of the four walls that surrounded her.

Turning to her left, she sighed upon seeing that the clock indicators showed quarter to nine and it didn’t seem that time was in the mood to pass quickly, to her advantage. Why isn’t it eleven already! Should I close up a little early today? There won’t be anyone else coming anyway… thought she, and sighed once more. Bored out of her mind, she pulled the rubber band that tied her ponytail all day letting her hair breathe freely and her head to be relieved from the pain. Next, she took a cup of coffee –cappuccino, which she liked so much when she first tested it a few months ago –hoping, with this miraculous beverage, to keep her eyes open until her shift ends. With every sip, her melancholy was growing, as she was thinking about her home and her own people that she missed so and had limited communication with them while she was here in the city. The distance made any form of communication very difficult.

Nevertheless, the interesting fragrance of the coffee invading her nostrils offered some consolation. As she was bringing the mug to her lips for the final sip, something flashed in front of her and a loud explosion followed, shaking the entire building as an impact. By instinct, Yoojung dived in hiding behind the bar in terror. Gangs have stopped bothering the local business a long time ago. What is happening? Thought she and cold sweat showered her. She couldn’t defend herself there. She had nothing. What she never expected was, when she tried to steal a glance from her hideout at the source of the explosion, to face a hole on the air, right in the middle of the shop and a man of average height, with blue hair and peculiar clothes to emerge through it.

The newcomer put his hands on his knees and tried to catch his breath. He looked exhausted and had scratches and small wounds on his face and hands, the only places visible from what seemed like a coat and an armour underneath, tainted with blood.

“How did I cast the spell falsely again?” he shouted in rage. He dusted off his clothes as the hole closed behind him. “I can’t believe I opened the wrong gate!” he continued and turned to look at his surroundings.

Yoojung stayed behind the bar, frozen in fear, looking at his direction while trembling like a leaf. As soon as the man’s eyes fell to her, panic overcame her and she grabbed the first thing she found to use as a weapon; a tin opener.

“Don’t come near me!” she screamed, holding out the tin opener with trembling hands. The man, who was walking towards her, halted his steps and put his hands up as a peace indication. “Young lady” he said as calmly as he could “I mean no harm. I’m just seeking refuge.”

“What refuge? What do you—who are you? How did you end up here?” Yoojung continued screaming hysterically, her ‘weapon’ still in front of her, even if it offered her no protection.

“I beg of you, help me.” Said he in a muffled voice and suddenly fell unconscious.

Yoojung remained in her current position, still as a statue for a few moments, looking at the body that now decorated the floor and she didn’t know how she should act. Glancing around her, she came to the confusing realisation that everything–the tables, the chairs and the rest of the coffee shop’s equipment–was in their usual place, intact.

Reluctantly, she left the tin opener on a nearby table and approached him, until she was standing above him. She noticed that his chest was rising and falling rhythmically and concluded, leaving a breath she didn’t know how long she was holding, that he was fortunately alive.

What am I to do now? thought she. The first thing that came to her mind was to call the police, but decided against it. What would she tell them? That this person–who by the looks of it won’t have any identity papers whatsoever–came out of a hole that magically appeared on the centre of the coffee shop? They would think she was a lunatic and possibly lock her up in a psychiatric institution. She couldn’t call for an ambulance either for the same reasons.

Throwing him another glance, she moved to the exit and after she turned the sign to ‘closed’, she locked the door, closing on her way all the windows and drawing all the curtains, so there will be no doubt that that Bella Casa wasn’t accepting any more clients, before disappearing in the storage room for a few moments. She returned with two hoodies -one she owned and another Hakyeon had forgotten upon his leave-a few table cloths and a first aid kit.

As she kneeled by his side she made a pause to observe him. His skin was so pale that if she didn’t know he was breathing, she would assume that he was long gone.

Getting back to her task, she put her hoodie under his head as a pillow and carefully removed his coat, which was unusually heavy, along with his armour. She placed the table clothes under him so that he didn’t lie on the cold floor and examined his body. His wounds were many, but they weren’t enough to overshadow his toned torso and abs, a sight that managed to redden her cheeks in embarrassment. This, along with his attire showed that he must be some kind of soldier. Yoojung shook her head abruptly and gave her cheeks light slaps to get herself together. 

There were surface injuries that appeared to be caused by something sharp, but couldn’t possibly leave so much blood on his clothes.

Maybe it wasn’t all his. She thought and opened the first aid kit with trembling hands, from which she took everything she needed. She hasn’t done this for a long time.

Putting some disinfectant on a cotton bud, she motioned to clean a wound near his left shoulder, but as the cotton touched the hurt surface, a hand abruptly grabbed her wrist.

The man gave her a fierce look and she stayed wide-eyed from his sudden movement, but soon she felt the pain on her wrist.

“You’re hurting me!” She screamed, as she was struggling to free herself from the man’s strong hold.

“What have you done to me?” said he with a look of panic.

“I’m trying to save you from infection! Now let me finish.” she responded and as she felt his grip loosen, she jerked her hand free to continue. He was looking at her, puzzled. “Why are you helping me?”

“Isn’t that what you asked me?” she said, without taking her eyes from her task.

They stayed silent for a while, him watching her with interest and her focussing on disinfecting and stitching the wounds. After she took care of everything and dressed them with sterile gauzes and bandages, she stood up to go behind the bar, returning in a blink of an eye with a towel dumped in hot water which she offered him. He was looking at the towel puzzled and she, guessing that he didn’t intend to take it, left it on his hand.

“It’s to clean yourself.” Said she, pointing on his face. “When you’re finished, wear this.”  She continued, giving him Hakyeon’s hoodie and going back behind the bar to wash her hands and make him a hot cocoa, without missing him as he ran to check his coat, from which he took out a metallic scroll. She watched him as he struggled with the hoodie –a funny sight indeed– but eventually, he managed to wear it. Hiding the object in one of the pockets, he also approached the bar, sitting reluctantly on a stool.

It was obvious that the injuries were restraining his movements and every now and then his face wore grimaces of pain, but was trying to hide it, making his final facial expressions absolutely hilarious. Yoojung tried to hide her grin as she left the cup with the hot beverage in front of him and he looked at it with curiosity for a while, before he cautiously raised it and the sweet, rich aroma of the cocoa, invaded his nostrils like a breeze of fresh air.

He casted a suspicious glance on the cup.

“What is this?” he said, transferring the suspicious look to the woman across him.

“For a man who has a lot of answers to give, you ask too many questions.” He didn’t comment on her remark.

“It’s sweet tasted. It’ll warm you.”

He still hesitated.

“I don’t know what are you afraid of, but if I wanted to hurt you I wouldn’t waste so much time tending to your wounds.” She scoffed in frustration, and turned her attention to her own cup of cocoa as she took a sip and with her other hand she scrolled through the news on her smartphone –another generous present from Hakyeon.

She stole a glance at him. The blue-haired fellow took again the cup –which he had previously left down–and she figured he didn’t feel threatened anymore, because with determination he drank some.

“Don’t you think you owe me some explanations?” Yoojung had a newfound bravery on her tone. On his condition, this man was no threat to her –at least she hoped so- but she didn’t trust him one bit and judging from his reactions, he shared the same feeling.

The man in question, who had his attention to the chocolate he was drinking with childish enthusiasm, now turned to her. “You are right my lady. You only showed me kindness and care and I’m behaving ungratefully.” He put the cup down. “My name is Xiumin.” Said he and bowed his head, a movement that earned him another expression of pain.

“Hello Xiumin. I’m Yoojung.” Said s