The days passed and Youngjae got to work early. He stayed in his office because that was a safe haven. He didn’t have to see her. She was gone long before he came out and he was able to think. After the initial fury had passed, Youngjae had time to think. She was worth it.

            He steeled himself for the next few weeks to build up courage and to do it “properly” as she had insisted he did. He didn’t have props or a gimmick, that was still too much but he had a speech ready and he could tell her.

            Youngjae was at the counter that day. He had purposely chose a day when Soohyun was off so it was just him, and her. But she didn’t come in. He watched the door and felt his anxiety grow. He served the customers and tried to think of a reason. She never called saying she would be late.

            The chimes of the door clanged and he looked up. She walked in, followed by that same handsome customer from before. Their hands were joined and they were linked together. Youngjae felt the ache in his heart and all of his speech that he stayed up at night to perfect disappeared.

            She saw him and something dark crossed her eyes. He swallowed, she wanted nothing to do with him. “I’m sorry, boss. I was held up. I didn’t realize that I would be so late.”

            He nodded stiffly at her and took off his apron. He was about to head to the office, back to safety, when a storm of customers walked in. Out of obligation, he had to stay. The customer blew her a kiss and winked at her after he finished his drink. She accepted it with a flirty smile and then everyone left.

            Youngjae took this opportunity to take off his apron and then she called out to him. “Soohyun won’t be at work. Shouldn’t’ you be staying? I don’t think I can handle this barrage of customers by myself. And Fridays are our busiest days.”

            Business. He had to put business before everything else. He nodded curtly, not looking at her and carefully tied the apron around his neck again. Avoid looking at her. Avoid saying anything. Keep everything in, and start to pick up the pieces of his heart again. But every time he heard her breathe, it was a giant stepping on his heart, grinding it into fine dust.

            There were no customers. It was as if he had somehow kept them away. The occasional patron only ordered and left; none of them stayed. It was nearly time to close up and once again, Youngjae remembered what happened last time. But this time, he couldn’t look her in the eye.

            He sullenly and rapidly cleaned up the machines. He just wanted to get out of the place and not talk to her. It was clear that she’s moved on and he just had to pretend that she never happened. They moved silently but he could feel her around him. His mind flashed back to that night and he grit his teeth.

            Right before he hung up his apron, he turned to her. She was staring at him and when their eyes met, she came closer. “I saw him outside the market and he insisted on walking me to work.”

            Her explanation both confused and relieved him. He was a little suspicious. She obviously enjoyed it but why was she willing to tell him that it was nothing? He narrowed his eyes and she blushed, almost as if realizing that she had overstepped a line.

            “I mean, I wasn’t skipping work because of a date, that’s all.”

            Youngjae’s heart raced. His mind was urging him on. Now! Now! It was telling him. He opened his mouth and in a rush, he said, “I was thinking about it and honestly, I do like you. I have a problem with opening up to people but for some reason, I want to give you a try. I would like to see if we can open up to one another and I didn’t mean anything I said about your being a one night stand and I wasn’t using you. I honestly didn’t know how to tell you how I felt and so I was confused. I didn’t mean to hurt you, sorry if I did, and I think you can tell me if you still feel the same. It’s really difficult for me to do this right now.” He was rambling on and on.

            She blinked and he fell silent. His heart was plummeting again. She didn’t want him. It was too late. He had made up his mind too slowly. He had been an idiot, and now she was going to make things complicated for him again. Just like what all women-

            “I was waiting for you. When you took me home that night, I thought that maybe you were returning my feelings but then you kicked me out of the house and I didn’t know how to react. All you had to do was tell me that you wanted time.”

            Youngjae was too relieved to care. He ran at her and hugged her, smelling her and this time, when he thought about their night together, it was with anticipation. “I’m sorry. And I’m so glad you are so understanding. I’m new to this, so I’m going to need a lot of help.”

            She gave him a small smile and nodded. “I’d like to be the one to help.”

A lot of you wanted a sequel and here it is ^^

No angst, really because there should be second chances, happy endings.

Super tired though so :/