Je Yoon POV

My hand was already on top of my phone before the alarm could even go off. It only went to show that my body had already been programmed to waking up at 7:30 in the morning despite the fact I stayed up all night trying to write out new recipes.

I lazily let my eyes wander towards the screen, my eyes still adjusting to the bright light. If it were a school day, then I would probably be fine with waking up at the crack of dawn. However, the first week of summer vacation was already spent staying up late as an attempt to be free. My mind changed its schedule and ultimately went on vacation-mode.

A part-time job at a cute, dainty little bakery is what I devoted my time to. Working at Sweet and Sugary, almost everyday at 8:30, not only became a fun hobby for me, but it became a lifestyle where I could fully express myself. 

At the age of sixteen, working wasn't something that was ideal for most people. Teenagers would much rather sleep their lives away, storing energy for the future. A girl has to do what a girl has to do in order to earn money.

My mother and I never had a good relationship. When I was younger, she used to love and care for me, but now... it's as if I'm a stranger that trashed her house. A form of resentment was stuck in her heart. The only way she coped through it was by ignoring me every single second of the day-- that's the way things were for years.

On the other hand, Sun Yee, my little sister, and I were unbreakable. Ever since we were old enough to have a mind for ourselves, we created a strong bond that sisters tend to have with one another. It especially helped that we only had a one-year gap.

For the entire summer vacation, Sun Yee went to a camp with all of her friends.  In order to keep touch, we talked about our daily events through message.

My mother and Sun Yee were a prime example of how a mom should treat her daughter. It was as if Sun Yee was a royal jewel that was not allowed to be tainted by others. She was deemed as precious and delicate by my mother. Therefore, she was treated with sincere care and diligence.

My father couldn't do anything about it but watch quietly as he hopes the best upon us from Heaven.

I let out a small sigh and decided to get up and go into the bathroom.

One peek in the mirror was enough to get me chuckling softly, my reflection staring right back at me. Although a tad blurry due to my poor vision, I could make out my own face and physique. My dark brown locks of hair was on the top of my head in a messy bun, strands of hair begging to be let out. My brown eyes could barely be kept open, its puffiness only adding onto the reason why I couldn't get myself as awake as I wanted to be.

Knowing I needed more sleep, I yawned and grabbed my pink towel. A quick shower would definitely be a good remedy to curing sleepiness. I would feel prepared for the upcoming day, and that was exactly what I needed.

Motivated, I put on the bare essentials and contacts as well as a blue-and-white striped shirt and a pair of jeans. My favorite pair of Converse made their way onto my feet, and I was almost ready to go to work.

The living room was calm, a gentle ticking sound filling the entire area. My mother faced the large window that gave a perfect view of the lawn and street in front of our house. Her position was stoic, a common sight since she barely moved away from the chair that had possibly become her favorite piece of furniture.

"Good morning." The greeting slipped out of my mouth like any other day.

In return, I would expect complete silence, deafening in a way that it would make me go insane. Today was no different.

I popped two slices of bread into the toaster. A few minutes later, I slightly grinned and quickly caught the toast and panicked to myself once my fingers processed the heat.

Setting them on top of a plate, I left them alone and walked on over to the pantry where I searched for Nutella. Chocolate was my absolute favorite thing to indulge over. The sweetness made me feel happier, my brain sending out endorphins throughout my entire body.

I grabbed a butter knife and spread a generous amount of the chocolate along one side of both breads. I felt myself drooling at the mere sight of my breakfast before proceeding on to scarfing down the food that I had just made. I smiled in content with each bite and right when crumbs were the only thing left of my food, I remembered that I was missing a very important component of my meal.

One cold glass of milk. That was enough to wash down the chocolate and safely make its way into my stomach where it would be able to rest for a while, reminding me that breakfast was a definite delight.

I washed and dried the utensils I used and allowed my dog, Bada, to circle around my legs.

"Hey there, boy!" I cooed, rubbing his white fur. "How are you?"

His pink tongue my wrist and reminded me of the time I met him as a puppy. My next-door neighbor and practical legal guardian-- a close friend of my family-- Mrs. Lee, had a dog that gave birth to six puppies. She called me over to her house and asked me to choose which one I'd like to love. I was originally aiming for a cocoa brown dog, but a spunky paperwhite puppy rubbed his nose on me and me right in the same spot. By then, I knew that he was a keeper.

"I gotta go, baby. I gotta go." I giggled as I washed my hands clean, watching him run over and jump on top of the couch.

I cleared my throat and made sure my phone was in my pocket before I stepped out of the door. "Bye mom."

I locked the door and started to walk down the sidewalk, greeting some of my neighbors along the way. Each and every one of them watched me grow and as of now, they were here to stay.

"Good morning, Mrs. Lee!" I smiled and helped her pick up her gardening hose.

"Ah, thank you, Je Yoon! Good morning to you as well. Be careful at work, alright?"

Mrs. Lee followed my family all the way to California from Korea in case my mother did something wrong or crazy. Not only was she a caretaker, but she was my personal guardian angel.

"Thank you!" I slightly bowed my head, acknowledging the fact that I truly appreciated her words of encouragement.

By the time I got to the bakery, I checked my phone and realized that I had over twenty minutes left until my shift actually began. Even though I liked being early, I didn't want to seem like the kiss-up that tries to get on the boss's good side. Taking a quick walk in the park nearby was my best option.

It was a small recreational area, fit for families that wanted to spend time with each other. It was practically a field of green, crisp grass that had a deformed oval as a pathway for dogwalkers or joggers. In the middle of the path, a restroom along with water fountains were available to the public. Toddlers were able to enjoy the park with the help of one set of metallic monkey bars. Truly unattractive but a site for peace.

After pacing around the walkway twice, a little girl fell to the ground right in front of me. Instinctively, I kneeled down and tried to help her up, examining her body for wounds or cuts of any sort.

"Are you okay?" I asked, hoping to sound relaxed and steady.

The little girl crinkled her nose and shook her head. "N-no. My elbow hurts..."

One glance at the affected area was enough to make me hurl. Her elbow wasn't exactly gushing out streams of blood, but it was definitely dripping down her arm as if it were water.

"Wh-where's your mom or dad? I'll take you there," I offered, a meager smile replacing the panicked look I had.

She just shrugged, her face suddenly straight and free from pain. "I don't know," she told me, eyes glued to the grass.

"Suzy?" a woman shouted out in concern. "Suzy?"

"Mom?" Her head poked up and looked around her. "Mommy? Mommy!"

"I told you not to run too quickly," her mom scolded, picking Suzy up into a tight hug. 

"It's okay! She helped me!" She pointed at me, the hugest grin stuck on her face. For once, I felt like someone actually appreciated my help.

Her mom turned her attention to me and expressed her gratitude. "Thank you very much!"

"Oh, it's no problem at all!" I checked my watch and frowned when I noticed that I had a little less than five minutes left until I needed to get to work. "I-I have to go," I stuttered out. "Her elbow is scratched up, and I wish I had more time to take care of it."

"Suzy, please say thank you to the kind woman that helped you," her mother urged her, pushing her slightly towards me.

"Thank you!"

I nodded my head and started jogging into the bakery. I put on the apron that every single employee had to wear. A lavender apron with the name of the bakery in fancy pink cursive.

"Ahh, Je Yoon! Early again? You don't have to be punctual all the time," the owner said happily, her head peeking out from her office.

My eyes darted towards the clock and soon raised an eyebrow. I was only one minute early. "It's okay, ma'am. It is absolutely no trouble at all."

"And this is why I believe that you are my best employee," she mumbled, getting up from her seat and into the kitchen to make sweets and pastries.

One by one, customers trickled into the bakery. Orders ranged from a single cookie to dozens of cupcakes. Seeing each one leave with a satisfied demeanor was enough to put me into a good mood.

An hour before the store closed for the day, a Korean boy around the age of fifteen or sixteen-- I couldn't tell and it wasn't like I was checking him out or anything-- came into the bakery.

"Welcome. What would you like today?" I asked with a smile on my face.

He pointed at the red velvet cupcake behind the glass. "Th-that cupcake." His accent was faint yet noticeable.

"Would that be it?" I tried my best to conceal my laughter under my breath.

He scratched his nape and sighed. "Yes please."

I chose the best-looking one and placed the cupcake into a small pink box. "Three dollars please." I inputted the price of the cupcake into the cash register and the receipt slowly came out.

He gave me the money and before taking the box, he said, "Noona... if we ever meet again, it must be fate, alright? Bye Je Yoon!"

I watched him skip out of the store, and I couldn't help but stand befuddled. How did he find out my name? The first time I meet someone new, I find out he's a stalker. Amazing.

It took me a minute or two to finally process the fact that my apron had my first name embroidered by the small, right pocket.

"Je Yoon, you may go home now," the owner boomed.

"A-are you sure? We have more than half an hour until the closing time." It should have came out smoothly, but instead came out strained.

"You're always coming early. Go have some fun and do things with your friends. Crawl out of your shell and get yourself a nice boyfriend. You deserve a break."

"Thank you so much," I beamed, taking my apron off and into the cubby personally for me.

I walked back home and everything was exactly the way I left it. Quiet and undisturbed. Soon, I spotted the boy from the bakery, the icing off before eating the bread part.

Will his fate talk actually be true?

A/N: The fanfic will be set 2014-2015, not 2013-2014! Pictures of the characters are in the foreword. Thank you for all your patience and please enjoy :)