Play: Love in the Milky Way Cafe - 10cm

Hana pulled the tray away from Hyekyung with difficulty as the latter was holding on to it with all her strength. Hyekyung glared at her best friend but let her take the tray. Hana stuck her tongue out as she walked out of the counter with the tray of chocolate cake.

She served it to a customer by the glass window and came back to the counter to relieve their staff from taking orders. Hyekyung however, lurked behind her, crossing her arms across her chest and glaring at Hana's back. Hana refused to let her best friend's silent nagging get to her though.

“Don't you have drinks to make?” Hana asked without turning around to face Hyekyung.

“Didn't we hire baristas so we can slack off when we want to?”

Hyekyung's reply finally made Hana turn to her friend in annoyance. Hyekyung was ready for it though and stepped closer to her with eyes burning with determination. Hana groaned, realizing that she had just given in to her best friend's personal mission to make her talk to Hyekyung.

“I told you, nothing happened,” Hana sighed, shaking her head. “We just drank hot chocolate and talked about some stuff.” Hyekyung raised an eyebrow, looking thoroughly unconvinced.

“Youngbae said Jiyong was skipping in the studio this morning.” Hyekyung said, scowling. “He skipped. Even Youngbae's suspicious.”

With the current situation, her annoyance at Hyekyung's snooping didn't let herself admit that her heart also skipped at the thought of Jiyong so excited after last night. She shook her head instead and let out a practiced I-don't-really-care laugh.

“We just talked. That's it.” She said firmly before handing her best friend the mug she had taken from the cabinet near them. “You and Youngbae should stop being busybodies and do your jobs.”

She pushed Hyekyung a little forcefully making the other girl step back. For a split second, Hyekyun got a glance at the cafe's glass window. Her lips twitched upward.

“Arraso.”

Hyekyung shrugged, surprising Hana with a seemingly easy surrender. It usually takes days before interrogations like this would end. And it's usually Hana who loses. To Hana, this conversation doesn't sound like it's done. It scared her even more when Hyekyung suddenly grinned just as the bell to signal a new customer rang.

“I'll concede this time, but I promise I'll find out whatever happened last night. Eventually.” Hyekyung grinned, giving Hana goosebumps all over her body. Hyekyung tilted her head towards the door and winked at her. “You've got a new customer, by the way.”

Hana turned around, curious at Hyekyung's weirdness. A man in a Burberry coat with a scarf wrapped around half of his face and a pair of large Chanel sunglasses covering the other half was standing other side of the counter. He took off the glasses and the twinkling in his eyes suggested that we was smiling under the scarf. Hana gasped.

“Annyeong!” The man said in an exaggeratedly high pitch making Hana cringe. She knew that voice. Hyekyung waved at the guy and chuckled happily.

“What the heck are you doing here, Jiyong?” Hana hissed, looking around the cafe to see if the other customers noticed him.

Jiyong blinked, then lowered the scarf to reveal his whole face to Hana. “Am I not allowed to come here?” he asked, blinking innocently.

“You'll get mobbed.”

Hana was panicking now. She was annoyed at how Jiyong was acting so nonchalant about being in public alone right now when he nearly had a heart attack on the street last night.

Jiyong covered his mouth again and looked around at the people. Some were eying his coat (probably because it looked pretty expensive), others were too engrossed in conversations to notice him. He returned his gaze to Hana and shrugged.

“I don't think they recognize me,” he said, leaning both his forearms on the marble counter. He lowered his scarf again, revealing his eye smile which Hana had always thought of as his most charming point. Her heart started beating wildly at the sudden proximity. She suddenly stepped back and almost stumbled into Hyekyung.

“I did,” she whispered. Between Hyekyung's nagging and Jiyong's sudden visit, her energy was draining really fast.

“Oh, you would, all right” Hyekyung sniggered, earning a smack on the shoulder by her best friend. Not minding the slap, she continued to laugh, totally reveling in Hana's discomfort.

Jiyong smiled, fully unleashing his gummy smile. That smile definitely looks better in the daylight, Hana thought, unconsciously biting her lower lip. She didn't realize she was staring at Jiyong until he waved his hand in front of her face still grinning.

“Why are you here, Ji?” Hana sighed. She was frustrated mostly from the shock and Hyekyung's incessant sniggering behind her.

“For hot chocolate.” Jiyong shrugged, looking like the innocent customer he obviously was trying to act as. “It was really cold outside, you know. And I heard the service here was the best.” Hana wanted to poke his small eyes and flick a finger on his red nose but that would be embarrassing considering the unsuspecting customers around them. She let out an amused laugh instead.

“What are you doing?” Hyekyung asked, nudging her shoulder. “Punch in Jiyong's order. He is a customer, you know?”

Hana turned to her best friend and shook her head, hanging open from the shock of betrayal. Slowly, she faced the grinning Jiyong again and started to note his order on the register.

“Would that be all, sir?” Hana asked in jondaemal, letting out a smile so forced that she looked constipated instead.

“Cookies, too,”

“All right. If that's all, then please take your seat over there.” Hana pointed to a plushie in the corner of the room, the farthest from the door. It was the darkest part of the cafe, too, illuminated only by the mood lights overhead. “You don't have to come and claim your order as well, it will be served to your table.”

Hyekyung and Jiyong both raised an eyebrow at her — Jiyong for Hana's continuous use of forced jondaemal and Hyekyung for putting their friend and best customer in the cafe's worst seat.

“Is she always this formal here?” Jiyong asked Hyekyung.

“Oh, she's so professional, all right.”

“Ah, jinjja?” Jiyong tilted his head and looked directly at Hana this time. “So you only do those kinds of things after business hours?”

The reaction was instantaneous. Hyekyung grabbed onto Hana's shoulders just as Hana shouted “YA!” at Jiyong. The customers closest to the counter turned to them in shock and Hana had to bow to them in apology which was hard to do with Hyekyung clamping on her shoulders.

“What things?!” Hyekyung hissed as Jiyong laughed on the other side of the counter.

“Nothing! He's just joking!” Hana said, trying to pry Hyekyung's hands off her shoulders.

“Am I though?”

Hana almost threw the mug Hyekyung had put down on the counter to Jiyong's face. I will rearrange your face if you don't shut up, moron, she shouted at him telepathically. Jiyong just laughed heartily, the message totally missing him.

He started to walk away from the chaos but, suddenly remembering something, he came back to the counter with a mischievous smile.

“By the way, since I'm you know, famous, I expect the the owner to serve me.” With that said, he winked at Hana and proceeded to strut to his table.

Jiyong was laughing hysterically inside as he adjusted his scarf to cover his face again. He didn't wear the shades to avoid unwanted attention. Taking a newspaper from the rack, he immediately covered his grin with it.

After finally seeing her last night, he thought that talking to her would somehow relieve the longing he felt for at least a couple of days but he found himself itching for her company the entire day. The need to fill himself with Hana's presence overwhelmed him that even though he was busy producing YG's new girl group's album, he still managed to find time to come here. Remembering her annoyed expression in high school, he suddenly found himself running out of the building and getting into his car even without his manager and guards.

He missed this so much — making fun of Hana. Heck, he missed Hana. Period.

A while later, he heard someone shuffling towards him and figured that Hana had already come with his order. He lowered his scarf again, giggling like a little girl. He slowly put down the paper to flash his triumphant smile at Hana... Only, it wasn't her who was bringing his order.

Hyekyung put the tray down on the brown box beside his plushie and scowled at him. Jiyong slapped his palm on his forehead.

“Right. You're both owners.” He muttered, shaking his head.

“The both of you need to grow up.” Hyekyung growled.

Hyekyung stormed off, still glaring. Jiyong looked up just in time to see Hana at the counter, sticking her tongue out at him. It took him a moment to recover from the shock and laugh at Hana's wit.

HI EVERYONE!

Has it been a long time? LOL I got really busy over the Xmas stuff. My mom was still sick so I had to cook everything. :I

I got sick, too. I'm still sick right now actually. Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter. I enjoyed writing it, tbh. hehe :P

MERRY VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS BABY! LOL