“nai nai! Good morning!”

            “my my, If it isn’t Wang Fei Yu. I missed you during the summer, dear.”

Fei Yu entered the quaint coffee shop right across Seoul National University; her long black hair billowed as what’s left of the summer breeze gushed around her. She was tall, a bit curvy but not too skinny, she was just right, and as her best friend would say, not too y.

            “nai nai, I told you to call me Jean.” She smiled as she reached the counter, tucking a stray strand behind her ear. “I’m sorry I haven’t gotten around visiting during the break. My family went back to LA to visit some relatives.”

            “it’s ok, dear, you didn’t have to mind this old lady.” Grandmother Wu patted Jean’s hand.

Jean pouted. Grandmother Wu had always been her source of comfort when she moved to Korea a year ago from the US. She didn’t know the language much so she would always become the subject of scrutiny and ridicule amongst her peers. She found this café in one of those days when the students laughed at her for not understanding a word in hangul and would ask the teacher beforehand to have their lectures in English.

It was Grandmother Wu who helped her learn Korean and introduced her to her now best friend, JaeKyung.

            “I have a clear schedule today so I can catch up with you, nai nai.” Jean smiled sweetly as they both sat in one of the booths. There weren’t many customers yet and Grandmother Wu had help around the café.

            “oh really?”

Jean nodded.

            “so how have you been all summer? Any news from that harabeoji next door?” Jean teased earning her a soft smack in the hand.

            “tsk! You youngsters nowadays. Mr. Park and I are too old for any of your foolish love stories.”

            “why? Nai nai is still beautiful and it’s certainly never too late to fall in love again.” Jean pressed on and Grandmother Wu pursed her lips.

Jean giggled.

            “whatevery you’re thinking stop it. and speaking of boys. My grandson is transferring here in Korea from Canada. I would want you to meet him.” Grandmother Wu gave Jean a knowing smile.

It was Jean’s turn now to frown.

            “Nai nai, this isn’t one of you set ups, is it?” she asked suspiciously.

            “no, of course not, I just want him to meet new friends. You know how hard it is for foreigners here right?”

Jean sighed. She did understand and just nodded.

            “so when will I meet him?”

            “anytime, just drop by when you’re not busy, he’ll be here after his classes to help me out anyway.” She smiled and patted Jieun’s hand again.

 

A few weeks later

 

            “Yi Fan, invite Luhan for dinner, will you? He’s too busy to visit anymore.” Grandmother Wu said sulkily. Kris smiled at his grandmother’s childishness and hugged her from behind. Both of them were just finishing up closing the café.

            “nai nai, am I not enough for you that you go look for others to be your grandson?” he teased.

Grandmother Wu smacked him in the arm as Kris laughed heartily.

            “at least he does what I ask him to unlike my real, ungrateful grandson who wouldn’t even do his poor, old grandmother a favor and meet her friend.” She pouted and her voice emanated a tone that’s meant to make Kris guilty.

He rolled his eyes and took the mop and broom behind the counter.

            “nai nai, I have told you a hundred times, I am not interested in your little matchmaking.”

            “again, it is not a matchmaking. Don’t you want to meet new friends?”

            “Luhan and Tao are my friends. Why do I need so many?”

Grandmother Wu pursed her lips at her stubborn grandson.

            “you are just as stubborn as your father. I remember when your grandfather tried to set him up with a friend’s daughter and he kept insisting not to meet her coz he already liked someone.” Grandmother then laughed silently at the memory.

            “and didn’t you support dad and mom?” Kris looked at his grandmother and let his rhetorical question linger in the air.

Then Grandmother Wu looked at him.

            “why? You already have someone you like?” she smiled kindly.

Kris blushed tomato red and felt his ears burning up. His grandmother took that as a yes and giggled. She looked at him and tilted her head to ask him who she was, her wrinkled eyes full of sincerity.

Kris gulped and looked away.

            “someone from school, I don’t  know her name it’s just that we often cross paths getting to our classes.”

            “aiyoo! You’re so cold towards our customers and you act all shy now talking about your crush. Tsk!” Grandmother Wu laughed.

Kris started to sulk and they both closed the café and went home.

 

~~~

 

            “Jeaaaaaannnn!!!!!” JaeKyung squealed making Jean stuff two of her fingers to her ears.

            “yah! Wae?!” she yelled back, class hasn’t started yet and the students in the classroom were still all over the place talking with their friends.

            “guess who I bumped into today!?” she bounced on her seat excitedly swinging Jean’s arm.

            “Tao.” She answered wearily resting her chin on the palm of her hand.

            “eottoke arachi?”

            “ever since you saw that transferee you’ve been going nuts every time you see him.” Jean rolled her eyes but an amused smiled escaped from her lips.

            “I can’t help it! he looks so, scary that it’s cool!” she clasped both of her hands together and started at the ceiling in a daze.

            “you and your weird taste in men.”

            “have you even seen his two friends? Those 3 practically make women drool all over the place.”

Jean had only seen Tao as JaeKyung would always point him out to her even amongst the crowd. Her impression of Tao is that, yes he is a looker, but that dark aura that seem to surround him isn’t much to her liking, but apparently her friend is head over heels over him. She also hears her talk occasionally about the other 2 friends he’s always with, YiFan and Luhan but she honestly haven’t seen them around, which JaeKyung says is impossible coz YiFan practically has the height of a giant.

            “nope and I don’t really care.” Jean said casually and opened her notes.

            “tch! You’re really wasting your college life. Anyway, why haven’t you been going to Grandmother Wu’s café lately?” she asked.

            “everytime I try to go in there, the café is so full of people I could barely squeeze in.”

            “oh? Really? Odd.” JaeKyung commented and shrugged.

            “yeah, oh and I’m meeting my cousins over for lunch so I don’t think I can eat with you.”

            “no problem, I need to finish a project anyway. See you after school then?”

Jean nodded and the bell rang for classes to start.

 

~~~

 

            “Hey Kris, can you help me with this?” HyeJin called from the back with a bag of sugar.

            “sure.”

Both boys heaved the bag of sugar to the storage room. They continued to put the delivery supplies to the room when they heard the café door open.

            “you can get that, leave this to me.” Kris said heaving the last box of coffee beans.

            “ok, thanks for helping, man.”

            “No problem.” HyeJin then left for the counter.

Kris wiped the sweat from his brow from the back of his hand as he walked out of the storage room.           

            “sorry, Jean but Grandmother Wu’s not in today, she went for her check up.” He heard HyeJin say. Kris craned his neck from the back room and saw Hye Jin talking to a girl but he couldn’t get a good look on her face.

            “oh, it’s been so long since I’ve seen her. Every time I drop by there’s too many people that I can’t get in.” he heard the girl say in a dejected voice.

Kris thought why this girl is looking for his grandmother but then he decided he didn’t mind much and put on the apron back around his waist.

Then Kris heard HyeJin laugh.

            “blame her grandson, that pretty boy's got so many fans that all of us don’t get any rest around here.”

            “surely you jest.” The girl laughed. There was something about her voice that made Kris suddenly curious to see her face.

            “no I’m not, he’s at the back, want to meet him?” HyeJin asked just as Kris started towards the door.

            “maybe next time, I’m still meeting someone. Tell Grandmother Wu I dropped by and I’ll see her later.” She smiled and waved to HyeJin.

Kris got to the counter just as Jean reached the café door. He froze when he saw Jean pass by the café window.

            “you know her!?” he asked HyeJin almost in a frantic voice.

            “you mean Jean?” HyeJin looked at him curiously. “of course, she’s likes coming here. Your grandmother likes talking to her too.”

He shrugged and went to the back room leaving Kris dumbfounded at the counter. He turned his head towards the window again and paled when he saw his crush hug another man.

 

~~~

 

            “Fei Yu Jie!”

Jean turned towards the voice and smiled as she waved a hand.

            “YiXing!” she jogged and went to her cousin and gave him a hug.

            “how are you cuz?” he said.

            “I’m fine. And how’s my ever cutie, YiXing doing? Still a playboy?" She asked pinching her counsin’s cheeks.

            “aiyoo, jie! I’m Lay now. So stop calling me that.”

            “tsk! You will always be my YiXing.” She laughed and went to the passenger seat. Lay shook his head.

            “I hope you’re in the mood for Japanese.” Lay said as he got to the driver’s seat.

            “ oh do I ever!”

 

~~~

 

            “can you at least smile to the customers? You’re scaring them.” Grandmother Wu nagged at her grandson.

            “nai nai, YiFan is just sulking coz he saw his crush hugging a boy last week.”  Luhan teased leaning on the counter.

            “shut up!” Kris snapped.

            “ohhh…temper temper.” Luhan laughed and Grandmother Wu playfully pursed her lips.

            “Luhan, dear, can you help me with the pastries? I’m afraid YiFan might throw these at you.”

Luhan bounded to Grandmother Wu and helped her put 2 pies on the display counter and a tray of her famous apple cobbler.

            “are there more at the back?” Luhan asked.

            “yes, but there aren’t that much left, I can do it.”

            “aiyoo, let me do it for your apple cobbler, nai nai?” he pouted and looked at Grandmother Wu with his big round eyes.

She laughed.

            “you’re starting to get an appetite like Tao.”

            “nah, your apple cobbler is just that good.” He complimented as both disappeared to the back room leaving Kris disgruntled.

The café was full that afternoon but the line wasn’t that long. Majority were Kris’ giggling fangirls and their constant sneaking looks at him made his mood even fouler. The weather was starting to agree with Kris’ mood as the skies became gloomier and a few minutes later rain started pouring down.

            “Welcome!” HyeJin greeted cheerily. Kris looked up after giving a customer her change and saw a girl lightly stomping her feet on the doormat to rid of the water.

She ran a hand through her slightly wet hair and walked towards the counter.

            “oh! Jean, hi!”

            “hi HyeJin.” She waved happily and approached him at the display counter.

Kris stared at her, he could feel himself blushing and tried to avert his eyes but he couldn’t. he couldn’t even stop himself from smiling at the sight of her.

            “Grandmother Wu’s here, you want to see her?”

            “really? Of course I would, I miss her.” She smiled. Kris felt his heart skip a bit. He didn’t even notice his fangirls glaring at Jean’s back.

            “I’ll get her, how about choose something to eat? Your favorite is available.” HyeJin said pointing to the tray of apple cobbler, which now only has one left.

            “great! There’s one left. I’ll get this please.” She said to HyeJin. He nodded and tapped Kris’ shoulder.

            “get it for me will you? I’ll just call your grandmother.” Before Kris could object HyeJin had already disappeared.

Kris’ stared at Jean who was ruffling into her bag for her wallet. He didn’t even think she noticed him yet.

            “will you have this…to go?” he choked.

            “sure.” Jean finally looked up and saw him, but unlike his fangirls she just looked at him like how she would look at any normal person.

He thought there would be no reason for her to look at him with attraction because she already had a boyfriend.

To Jean, she felt slightly surprised to see someone new in the café. She found him really handsome but oddly she felt comfortable rather than shy around him even if it was just the first time. It hadn’t even occurred to her that this might be Grandmother Wu’s grandson.

Kris was now torn if he should say something to her like engage her in a small talk or something or if he should call HyeJin to hurry up as the awkwardness he felt was killing him.           

            “you know…” he started. “this is the last cobbler and I’m giving it to you. I should get a tip.” He smiled shyly but mentally hit himself for saying something so stupid.

Jean looked at him and was taken aback and confused. She wanted to laugh but didn’t know if he was making a joke or not. She stared at him and decided to smile at him.

            “are you trying to make a joke?” she asked.

            “I think I attempted to.” Kris scratched the back of his neck.

Surprisingly, Jean smiled even wider. It was a kind smile and Kris felt good that she didn’t think of him as a loser.

            “Fei Yu!” Grandmother Wu happily called when she saw Jean.

            “Nai nai!” she ran towards Grandmother Wu and hugged her. “I missed you!”

            “oh you don’t visit as often as you used to.”

            “busy?” she looked at her guiltily.

            “tsk! I wont accept that excuse.”

Jean laughed. Luhan walked towards Kris looking stunned. He knew who she was and looked at Kris and mentally asked him how Jean and his grandmother knew each other. Kris just shrugged.

            “now that you’re here, I can finally introduce you to my grandson. Here, come!” she pulled Jean with her to the back of the counter. Her eyes wandered to Luhan and Jean smiled at him and he smiled back.

            “this is my grandson YiFan, and YiFan this is Fei Yu.” Grandmother excitedly introduced them and kept her fingers crossed for some sparks to fly.

            “it’s Kris.” Kris said offering his hand.

            “and it’s Jean.” She smiled and they both shook hands.

Kris froze for a second when they shook hands before he let go and Luhan snorted.

            “and this is my friend, Luhan.” Kris said with an urge to elbow his friend.

            “very nice to meet you.” Luhan said with a meaningful glance at Kris.

            “Jean, care to join us for dinner tonight?” Grandmother Wu asked. Kris mentally begged her to say yes and felt his palm started to sweat.

            “oh, I don’t know my cousin is in town.”

            “cousin? Oh you mean YiXing?” Grandmother Wu asked. she knew him when Jean talked about him at times.

            “yeah, he’ll be going back to LA in a week.”

            “oh, how about bringing him with you then? I would love to meet him.”

            “I’ll ask him and get back to you, nai nai. I need to meet him now anyway.”

            “you do that. You can come here before closing if you can come, yes?” Grandmother Wu said hopefully and Jean nodded and started to walk away from behind the counter.

            “it was nice to meet you Luhan, Kris.” She said before waving goodbye.

As her back disappeared from the door, Kris felt himself exhale and Luhan teased his friend.

            “I think you would’ve been able to meet her earlier if you just agreed to meet her when your Grandmother wanted to.”

            “how am I supposed to know it was her?” Kris snapped back.

            “what are you two arguing about?” Grandmother Wu asked.

            “nothing.” Kris answered quickly and elbowed Luhan.

She looked at the two boys suspiciously and went back to the back room.

Kris then went back to work but the happy grin on his face never faded and kept thinking and wishing that he would see Jean that evening again.