Shin-ae just walked to a stop and checked her watch to time whether how long she’ll have to wait for a motor-taxi to pass by. She tapped her foot on the ground and wished she was just cruising down the road in her car. ‘I’d rather be driving than waiting like this.’ She thought out loud before recalling the talk she had with her parents that led her to this situation.

“No Shin-ae, unless you enroll yourself in a driving school again and remember the driving laws then you won’t be getting your keys from us.” Her dad firmly told her the decision he and his wife agreed on. Their daughter had too many traffic violations and tickets to be ignored so her parents banned her from driving…from risking her life.

“But I do know them.” She defended herself.

“The problem is you don’t abide by them.” Her mom commented which was undeniably true.

“A lot don’t follow them as well.” Shin-ae pouted and just stared at her car through the window. It was just sparkling yet sadly waiting for her outside the house.

“Well that may be true but you missy have been caught countless of times. I’m not going to put your safety on the line” Her dad stated like it was his final statement.

“You haven’t even renewed your license yet honey so you really can’t drive legally.” Her mom reminded her of that fact which just made her groan.

There was no point of discussion anymore since her parent’s won’t be changing their view, that’s it. They compromised that they would give Shin-ae allowance for commute until her second pay check comes in.

Shin-ae finally spotted a motor-taxi approaching her. She liked the fact that the person driving was using a two-seater Vespa, something unique, vintage-looking and cute. She thought it would be a nice experience to start with the two-wheeler vehicle.

She waved her hand to signal the driver that she was flagging him down and fortunately he stopped right in front of her. The driver took his helmet off and ruffled his hair with one hand…and for Shin-ae that went in slow motion. Just wow, she almost forgot to breathe and felt like she was melting under his gaze because he was that damn gorgeous. She honestly thanked God for starting her day right. Maybe commuting wouldn’t be so bad if you’ve got this kind of eye-candy.

‘Ride a vespa with a cute stranger’, the thought kind of gave her a romantic notion, like in those movies.

‘Keep yourself together Shin-ae or he might end up bringing you to a clinic than to your workplace if you faint.’ Shin-ae scolded herself when she realized that she was staring at the man with sparkling eyes.

She finally got a hold of herself and daintily told him the address of where she’s supposed to go.

The destination was good for him so they agreed on the price first before she hopped on his scooter.

Donghae passed on to Shin-ae his helmet, not an extra helmet but the helmet he uses, the very one that he just removed from his head. So instead of accepting it, she gave him a weird look.

“Uhm…don't you have an extra helmet?” She tucked a few strands of her hair behind her ear as she still spoke to him with a soft smile.

“No.” He answered back curtly before re-starting the engine of the motorcycle, as if he was uninterested in having a conversation with her.
“But it’s not hygienic. I’m sure this is already drenched with your sweat.” Well she isn’t actually sure about that. She then noticed that Donghae’s face wasn’t oily nor did his hair look greasy that would result from sweat. There’s no smell as well but she just assumed that it is dirty since she presumes that it has been on his head for quite some time. She’s a girl, of course she wants things clean and new.
“Don’t think like that miss, girls would kill to have that. They scream for me even when...or should I say more especially when I have perspired.” He replied now sounding cocky although his chuckle made him look something entirely else.
“That is really unbelievable. You should come up with a better excuse at least apologize for your lack of equipment. Lower your ego man.” Shin-ae muttered under her breath. She had no other choice so she wore the helmet, it’s better to be safe than sorry, right?
Remember that she thought it would be like in the movies, well it turns out that he's not the romantic actor she hoped for, he was more similar to those actors in action movies.

Donghae’s speed wasn’t something Shin-ae was comfortable in, especially since it is her first time. She didn’t know whether to close her eyes because of the fear or to keep them wide open to see any signs of danger.

“Can you go a bit slower, be gentler please? It’s dangerous and I am wearing a skirt if you haven’t noticed.” She told him once they paused because of the red traffic signal.
Donghae turned his head a bit to check her out and indeed, her legs were indeed being shown by that high-low flowy skirt. He then looked up to meet her gaze before shrugging and saying “You shouldn't have then.”

Shin-ae rolled her eyes at his remark. Such good looks put to waste due to his irritating attitude.

“You know if you’re scared then you can put your hands tighter on my shoulders instead of just holding on to the hood of my jacket. I don’t have any disease so you can come closer.” Donghae

“No.” She answered back in the same tone that he used on her earlier.

She had no plans of changing where her hands were placed but then Donghae revved up and drove fast as soon as the signal turned green. She was startled and scared, thus her hands instinctively made her clung on to his waist, unknown to her that a winning smirk appeared on his face. And they stayed that way during the whole ride. The thrill was pretty interesting for both of them.

Shin-ae finally arrived at her work place safe and sound. She was so happy to have her feet on the ground again. Donghae chuckled at her when she returned his helmet and quickly fixed her hair.

“You work there?” Donghae asked as he tilted his head to the direction of the bar. She didn’t seem like the type of girl who would, based from her looks although her personality is fiery.

“No, I’m hopefully going to work in that café.” Shin-ae pointed towards the coffee shop opposite of the pub Doinghae pointed to earlier. She dusted off her clothes before getting her wallet from her bag.

“Here you go.” She handed Donghae her payment and quickly walked away.

“That guy seriously needs to learn how to drive safely.” Shin-ae talked to herself as she shook her head at the way the driver handled his motor…come to think of it, she didn’t even ask for his name. Well she wanted to in the beginning but then his arrogant attitude turned off. She listed down his plate number on her phone and made a mental note not to ride him again... ’Wait that sounded…never mind.’ Shin-ae stopped herself from having her thoughts drift any further and told herself that she needed to put her mind and priorities straight, to accomplish what she needed to do in the first place.

“Hi. I’m Shim Shin-ae. I’m here for another interview.” She introduced herself to the first person she saw inside.

“Oh you’re bored?” The barista, who she didn’t meet last time, did a pun on her name.

“Haha. Good one. So original.” She tried to show a light laugh, she gets that word play a lot…it’s like everyone feels like they’re a comedian. (심심해/shimshimhae means bored in Korean).

“Oh Shin-ae you’re here!” Bora, the person who she got acquainted when she was just applying. gave her another warm welcome and encouraged with her words. “Don’t worry much about the final interview. It’s just for formality with the boss. You’re practically in.”

Shin-ae entered the room and instead of getting a greeting she heard a memorable odd comment.

“Why are you not a guy?” The guy behind the coffee table asked as soon as they made eye-contact.

“Excuse me??” She asked, clearly baffled. Now that’s a first. As far as she knows she has never misrepresented herself as a man. Is this a Coffee Prince moment?

“I just assumed that you would be since your name is like for a guy…Shim Shin.” He stated as he read the name from the paper on his table before looking back at the woman in front of him, as if he was studying the person across him.

“Shim Shin-ae.” She clarified her name, enunciating the last syllable clearly.

“Ohhh…the 애 in your resume wasn’t printed clearly, I thought it was just a dirt from the ink.” He got a pen and corrected the mistake.

Well that was an awkward start, fortunately after that weird moment the two were able to proceed smoothly. They went through the regular interview questions before being officially accepted into the company. He told her information about the café, on how they run things, employee perks and a little bit about him. Shin-ae was thankful that her boss is pretty nice and comfortable to be with, not to mention that he is also a handsome man.

He stood up and shook her hand with a charming smile on his face before congratulating her on getting the job. “Welcome to the team Shin-ae.” He pronounced her name correctly this time, making her hear for sure that he knew now.

“Thank you Sir. I’m excited to start. I love coffee so you know I’ll be working hard.” She beamed, showing off her attractive personality. She was just about to open the door when she heard him speak up again.

“Oh and for the record…I’m actually glad you’re not a man.” He didn’t look up from his tablet anymore but could be seen smiling.

That made Shin-ae flush. Did her boss just…no, it couldn’t be right? He was just being nice and welcoming, wasn’t he? ‘Yeah he’s probably just being friendly since I’m the new one and all.’ Shin-ae concluded and brushed away any thoughts that he subtly flirted with her.

Hope you all liked the first chapter. Tell me what you think? ^_^

Left the boss a bit of a mystery because honestly I don’t know who to put yet. Actually I am torn between Yonghwa or Jonghyun from CN Blue, I found myself drawn to them after going to their concert.