TIFFANY’S STORY

CRUSH PART I

Love comes to those who still hope even though they’ve been disappointed,

To those who still believe in love even though they’ve been betrayed,

To those who still love even though they’ve been hurt before.

After a week passed, I finally set my foot again to the Traveller’s café. The scrumptiously appetizing tiramisu received a lot of praises from my dad and friends. My dad who suffered from diabetes mellitus and was on a strict diet can’t help but to disregard it and practically indulged two slices of the tiramisu much to his heart’s content. After an intense interrogation about mister cakey  by Tae Yeon and Yuri plus a sly bribing attempt with tiramisu by me to stop them from further digging about him, Tae Yeon and Yuri finally bowed their heads down for Choi Seung Hyun due to his perfect 10 out of 10 baking skill. Well, who would have thought that a business major guy who almost exploded the kitchen with multiple epic fails cake baking missions can finally delivered a highly-credited tiramisu. Even I myself was amazed with his ability.

My eyes fixated their gaze at Soo Young unnie. She was at the counter, talking to the cashier. When she spotted me, a smile curved from her lips. I reciprocated with my eye smile as I approached her. Without even saying much, I asked Soo Young unnie about Seung Hyun.

“Seung Hyun! Your dream girl is here!” Soo Young unnie shouted, calling for Seung Hyun who was in the kitchen. Well, the word ‘dream girl’ definitely made my heart skipped a beat but I just brushed it off because I knew that Soo Young unnie was just teasing his little brother. Knowing her, she’s a prankster like Kwon freaking Yuri, just blurted out everything without even thinking much.

“Hey missy.” He greeted me but he wasn’t even smiling like usual. He looked somewhat disturbed, depressed and crest fallen. And that made me ache a little bit inside.

Huh??? Ache? What for I wanna feel ache just because he wasn’t flashing his charming smile to me? Duhhhh… No need to ask anymore Tiffany Hwang. You perfectly knew the answer for that question.  You miss his smile right. For a week, you were daydreaming about his dreamy, attractive smile and today you were hoping that his face would light up a smile for you.

“Hi Choi Seung Hyun.” I showed him my sarcastic smirk before I continued, “And I’m Tiffany Hwang. In case you have already forgotten my name.” Two can play the sarcasm game. You did it to me last week, and now I’m gonna have my payback mister. Kekeke…

“Okay, sorry. Hey Tiffany Hwang.” monotonously he spoke back to me. His face was still stone-cold, heartless, expressionless. No more smiles or any sarcasm from him.

Oooookayyyy.. That definitely felt out of place. I didn’t like the cold shoulder that he was giving me even one bit. I prefer his ‘I’m-a-gentleman-and-no-need-to-act-as-one’ self rather than this unknown chilly person in front of me. Did I do something wrong that made him pissed off?

I coughed a little just enough to get his attention, snapping him from his deep trance. “Urm… actually, Seung Hyun… I… I.. want to tell you something.. but  err… please don’t be mad at me okay.” Stammeringly I said.

 “Go on. Just shoot.”

“Errr… frankly speaking, your tiramisu wasn’t even up to my standard. It tasted weird. Too sugary, too sweet and too much coffee. When I ate it, I felt like I was going to end up having diabetes mellitus like my dad…. Soooo….”

“So?” His eyebrows jerked.

My temper started to build up. Can’t this guy reply back less arrogantly and annoyingly? Is he trying to get on my nerves? Chill Tiffany Hwang. Chill. Maybe he was in a bad mood now. PMS perhaps? Yah! Stop talking crap! There’s no such thing as premenstrual syndrome for guys.

“So….” I gulped. Don’t tell me I need to ask him personally to bake another cake for me? Yikes! Even my cheeks would burn out of embarrassment into rosy scarlet red if I dare to ask him that question. Crap! I promised Soo Young unnie to be an additional cast in her little charade and I never back down from a promise but….. My neurons can’t even make up a simple sentence to ask him to bake another cake for me. Huaaaaa… Soo Young unnie! SOS! Help alert! Please come to the rescue as I’m totally speechless right now!

“So….you, my brother needs to bake a new cake for this sweet missy here. Why are you so slow to pick up a hint today?” Finally! Soo Young unnie came to save the day.

Choi Seung Hyun’s face was still expressionless.

“Do you want her to personally ask you? Tiffany already bluntly and directly told you that your cake is an epic failure. Perhaps while you were baking the cake in the middle of the night, you unintentionally mixed god only knows what kind of bizarre ingredients into the cake till it tasted so horrible. So pick up the hint and bake another one for her.”  Soo Young unnie continued her long nagging.

“Okay.” He threw his gaze to me. “Tomorrow come again to pick up the cake. Excuse me.” Seung Hyun hastily walked away from Soo Young unnie and me, leaving us with a big question mark regarding his weirdo behavior today.

I instantly nudged Soo Young unnie on her shoulder while my orbs were still locked on Seung Hyun's figure that was walking away from us.  “Unnie, what’s wrong with him? He’s not his usual self. Moody and ice-cold. Did a ghost possessed him or was he hav