"Excuse me, hey. Ajeossi, you shouldn't be sleeping here. Please wake up," I heard as someone kept tapping my shoulder.

As I opened my eyes, a dazzling young lady welcomed me, still tapping my shoulder and babbling things. I blinked twice, 'Am I in heaven?' I asked myself.

"Excuse me, are you okay? Please wake up. This is not a place for you to sleep." She said and I realized I was still in the book café. I quickly straightened on my sit.

"I'm sorry but what time is it?" I asked her, scratching my nape in the process.

"It's gonna be 7:00 soon, ajeossi. And it's past closing time, if I may add," she stated in a manner-of-fact tone. It only came to me that I fell asleep pretty well even with an empty stomach. Now I've nowhere to go and the food house isn't open yet.

"I'm sorry but can I ask a favor?" I shyly asked. She just stared at me, a small frown plastered on her face.

"Can I stay here just for tonight? Please?" I requested politely, seriously hoping that this lady has a heart, willing to help me.

"What? I'm sorry but are you actually asking me to let you sleep in MY café?" She was kind of flustered with my question, seeing how aggressive she retorted.

"It's not even a café," I muttered.

"What? Ya, ajeossi! I'm not sure if you read the name of this shop before you entered. But this is a book CAFÉ." She's mad. I know she is from her tone.

"Can you even call this a café when in actuality, it doesn't serve any food?" I retorted, asking myself why I am engaged in this useless conversation. I was just asking for a place to stay; now we're talking about food. I might seriously be hungry.

"The term café is used figuratively. We serve books instead of food. Books are food for thought." She explained indignantly.

Oh-kay, so that's what the name meant. No wonder the counter seemed like that of a café's except that new books are displayed behind the glass cover.

"Now, if everything's clear, can you please leave now, ajeossi. You've already delayed my closing time." She requested but it sounded more like a command than a request.

I realized she's not easily swayed and I have nowhere to go. There are no inns here and if I slept outside, I'm afraid I'll die from the coldness. 'It's summer, Kim Seokjin. You’ll die from heat .' My subconscious corrected.

I looked at her eyes and it had the shade of hazel. It looked like contact lenses but I figured it wasn't.

"Are you just going to stare? I'm asking you one last time, can you please leave?" She said, biting her lower lip probably to hide her irritation.

I held her hands to mine and swallowed every pride I had just minutes ago during our “café argument.”

"Can't you let me stay just for tonight? I really have nowhere to go. I'm lost and new to this island so I really don't know anyone here. Please? Just for tonight? Hmm? Please?" I begged, making faces that would seem pitiful. I have to do this to survive. I held her hands even tighter and inched closer to her.

She eyed me and examined me from head to toe then her eyes went back to mine. I can see hesitation in her eyes. Then she sighed heavily.

"Okay, for now get up and wait for me outside. I have to close the café." She said and I was confused.

"So you're still going to kick me out?" I asked, not really demanding, just trying to know what's going on in her mind.

"If I let you stay here, I'm gonna lock you here and I think you won't like that. My conscience won't allow me to do so, too. Just come with me but promise me you're not a creep." She said, withdrawing her hands from mine. I realized I was still holding her hands until then.

"I promise. You can trust me. I'm not a erted freak or a serial killer or something!" The words raced out of my mouth as I raised my right hand to assure her.

She sighed heavily once again, arms crossed, as she signaled for me to wait outside.

"Thank you," I said and smiled jovially as I went outside.

I looked at her through the glass door. She took the book I used to cover my face a while back, and then she smiled as she closes it before placing it on the shelf.

She went to the counter and took her bag as she proceeded near the fiction books shelf and switched off the lights. Soon as she locked the door, she looked at me and sighed again. Is it her habit to sigh?

"Let's go," she simply said and I nodded as I followed her. I wanted to ask where we're going but if my memory isn't failing me, I think this is the way to the sea. Oh God! Is she tricking me and going to leave me there?

"I'm not that kind of person." She commented and I covered my mouth in surprise; she looked back at me.

"You were talking so loud. If you're going to suspect me, at least keep it to yourself. That's really disrespectful." She said and continued to walk. I realized I was speaking my thoughts vocally again.

"I just have something to buy near the sea. The fishermen sell fresh fishes there. They do that every summer because they know the people here are going out during the night to avoid the heat of the sun during daytime." She filled me in with such information and I just oohed.

Wait...No way, so we're still going to buy food for dinner?

"I have no choice but to buy some for dinner. If not for you, I won't bother." She replied.

"Are you readi—"

"I see that you're a loud thinker, literally." She shut me a restless look and I scolded myself for voicing out my thoughts.

"I heard the food house here opens at 9:00 this evening. Why don't we just go there? Forget about cooking, I'll pay for the dinner since uh-you know, you allowed me to tag along with you." I hesitantly offered but she looked at me, puzzled.

"What do you mean it opens at 9:00? From who have you heard that?" She asked; something about her question frightened me.

"The drunken old man I met near the food house this afternoon. He told me it usually opens at 9:00 and even said they offer tasty foods there. He even offered to drink with me whom I declined by the way," I answered, clueless about where this conversation is going.

"Drunk old man? Oh my! Feng-ajeossi?! He must've sneaked out of his son's house again."

"Feng? Is he chinese?" I asked, out of curiosity.

"Nope. But anyway, it's good you didn't go with him. You might've gotten into trouble. And about the food house, I don't understand why it says temporarily closed when it has been closed for six months now." She said.

"But Mr. Feng said he was there yesterday and the other day," I commented, still clueless of her point.

"It's really good you weren't with him. He must've mistaken the food house once again as the bar he usually goes to when he was younger." Okay, I figured Mr. Feng had some delusions or hallucinations of some sort as he had been drinking.

Our conversation ended there as we arrived at the stalls of the fishermen. There is lots of seafood there and I could not help but gulp and my stomach is churning, dying to eat.

"Oh Gawd! Can we have some shrimps? And these corvinas? And some seaweed?" I suggested but I sounded out like a little boy asking his Mom to buy him just anything he asks.

She eyed me with a frown on her face.

"Are you going to pig out or something?" She asked and looked back at the seafood.

"Seaweeds? Is it your birthday?" I heard her mutter and I pouted.

"I'm just hungry so I ask whatever I want to eat," I unconsciously said.

"Hul! Ya, Ajeossi! I'm not your Mom or your maid for that matter." She commented. "Thick-faced." She whispered but I still heard it.

I know right. I'm being thick-faced here. I'm just hungry, for Pete's sake. Inconsiderate! Hmp!

"Fine! Fine! But we'll buy just half for each one you mentioned. You might curse me for being inconsiderate." I realized I said that too loudly, again. But it did me good.

"Thank you,"

Well, I take back what I said about her being inconsiderate. She paid for everything even though I said I'd pay for it. The fishermen seemed to know her a lot that's why they're so generous with the amount of seafood they're giving her.

"Agassi, I see that you're with a new face today. Is he your boyfriend?" One of the fishermen inquired while we're waiting for the last piece of shrimp to be put in the plastic bag.

"Aniyo. He's someone I met in my café. Purely a stranger but he looked harmless and friendly." Wow! What a really straightforward gal.

"Be careful then," the same fisherman said, eyeing me as he handed us our shrimp. I took it immediately and smiled at the fishermen.

"I will, thank you," she said and we went off.