It was eight-o'clock in the morning, and the bakery had just opened for the day. Seohyun was sitting on a stool, reading a book, as usual. Unfortunately for her, the book's plot (which revolved around an alternate universe full of mythical creatures) wasn't enough to keep her interested, and she dozed off. Her head was layed flat against the marble counter while the book was on the ground.

The bells hanging on the door chimed musically, and a cold gust of wind rushed into the room. It was enough to wake Seohyun up. Her head jerked up and she rubbed her eyes, then stretched her arms. While leaning down to pick up the dropped book, she noticed that there was somebody watching awkwardly. 

He was tall, skinny, and much resembled a giraffe. His features were somewhat elfish. He had high cheekbones and a flat chin; a feeble grin formed as he watched her. He had russet-colored hair and bangs that swept over his eyebrows, enhancing his youth. A cream-white coat was draped over his shoulder, on top of a white and red-striped long-sleeved shirt. 

"Mianhae..." she groaned while standing up properly.

He waved awkwardly. "Annyeong haseyo. You guys are open, right?"

"Yes. May I help you with anything?" She asked, walking to the fresh display of sweets.

The boy looked around curiously. "May I see the cupcakes, please?" 

Seohyun took out a fresh batch of cupcakes that she baked and decorated before she fell asleep. "I recently made these, so you might be more interested in them."

"Oh wow..." He mumbled, sniffing the fresh scent. "They look great!"

"Would you like to try one?"

"Please..." His mouth was watering as she handed him one of the cupcakes. "Thank you."

He took a small bite. His eyes widened, savoring the ambrosial taste. "I-It's incredible!"

"Kamsahamnida," she bowed. 

The look on his face was worth a million dollars. He looked astonished as he finished it. "I'll take a dozen of these!"

Seohyun chuckled. "That's the entire batch, sir."

"How much?" he asked, pulling out his wallet.

"It's about one dollar and fifty-cents for each...so that would come out to be...about eighteen dollars?"

She figured that out so quickly, he thought. He skimmed through the wallet and pulled out a wrinkled twenty. That was the best cupcake he had ever tried in his life. It was fluffy and oozed with warmth, melting in his mouth before he got the chance to swallow it. The cupcake tasted like no other--rich and chewy and indulged with affection. Two dollars wasn't a good enough price for it; even the renowned ones his parents would bring home to him often weren't as good. You know what? He thought, this girl needs a tip. He took out a ten-dollar bill from his wallet and handed it to her.

"It was twenty dollars, not thirty..." she corrected him.

"You deserve the extra money!" 

"Oh...thank you!" She bowed again, putting the money inside her book. Not once had she gotten tipped. Coming to think of it, not once had someone come so early in the morning. 

"By the way," he added, "these aren't all for me."

Seohyun chuckled and packed the cupcakes into a box, giving it to him . "I figured." 

"Thanks again!" He said, still in awe by that flawless pastry. 

"You're welcome, come again soon!" 

She held open the door, and he waved and walked out. 

The boy pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed a number that he knew well.

"Hello?" mumbled a sleepy voice on the other line.

"Did I wake you up?" he asked, although he really didn't care if he did or didn't.

"It's not like I would want to be awake this early." The reply was harsh, but true. No big deal.

"Sorry, Kyu," he sighed sarcastically. "I'm going over."

"No you're not," his friend snapped. 

"What? Did I do something wrong?" He whined mockingly.

Kyu swore under his breath, but it was clear enough to understand. "No...but my dad lectured me yesterday..."

Facepalm. The boy knew how strict his friend's father was and, from what he heard, his lectures were always discordant. But that wasn't an adequate excuse.

"So..why can't I come over?"

"Because I want to sleep."

There was an awkward silence.

"I'm coming over," He decided, carrying the box in the crook of his arm.

"Hyung, these are incredible!" Kyuhyun exclaimed, crumbs off his fingers. 

"I know! And they were at an awesome price, too."

"Where the hell did you find them?" He replied, taking the wrapper off another and plopping it into his mouth. "You always have a way of finding things, Ryeowook." His words were barely comprehendible.

Ryeowook wiped his crumby mouth with the sleeve of his shirt. "At a bakery around the corner of my block."

"Take me there soon," his friend demanded.

"Oh yeah, and did I tell you that a cute girl works there?" He smirked foolishly.

Kyuhyun's eyes widened; he looked like a little kid who just passed by a candy store. "Are you serious?"

"Yup," Ryeowook nodded. "She's really nice, too."

Now Kyu was sure that this was a practical joke. He decided not to pay attention to the thought, and enjoyed the impeccable cupcake in front of him.

"She gave me the first cupcake for free."

Something about that last sentence sent a surge of jealousy through his body. He wanted a cupcake for free, too! 

"Hey, Kyu, are you okay?"

He didn't realize how he stayed silent. "Oh, um, yeah!"

Wookie rolled his eyes. "You're jealous."

"Jealous of what?" He scoffed.

"Either the cupcake, or the girl. I can't tell yet."

He and Ryeowook had been best friends since birth. Both of their families were major leaders in money making, and they always had ties because of that. The two of them were always together, and knew each other better than they knew themselves. Ryeowook had an odd way of knowing how Kyu felt, and why. It was interesting, but more creepy.

"It's the cupcake," Kyu admitted. The two of them laughed.

"So...what exactly did your dad tell you yesterday?" Wookie asked.

"He mentioned stuff about how I'm studying law...and how I can't have any distractions..." 

"Oh, so the usual?" 

He nodded. "Do you think he expects too much from me?"

"He does. You're smart, Kyu. Even with all the distractions in the world, you would still rank the highest in your class. My dad doesn't even do that!"

Not to toot his own horn, but Kyuhyun knew that Ryeowook was correct. It was truly unfair how he couldn't do all the things that a typical eighteen year-old could. However, he would be able to move out soon, and he couldn't wait.

To avoid negative energy, he refocused his attention to the cupcakes. 

"Don't forget to take me to that bakery soon, alright?"