Chapter 36 - Minseok's True Identity

“Do you really not remember me?” asks Minseok again, slightly disappointed.

Daesung and Mina have invited him and Minzy to dinner as per requested by their son, Jinwoo. Although the little boy sounded really excited over the phone when he called them, the two found him sprawled out on the sofa in the living room – sleeping with his eyes half opened – when they came.

The boy slept all through dinner and it was only when his mother mentioned chocolate fudge cake that he finally woke up. His favourite! He can have chocolate fudge cake everyday, every night and never get tired of it. But boy, did the adults regret giving him the dessert because now, Jinwoo just cannot stop running around the house as he screams nonsense on the loudest volume possible.

“Nope,” Minzy replies nonchalantly, before chuckling at the sight of her brother struggling to get his son down from one of the kitchen cabinets – how on earth the kid even managed to get up there is beyond her.

“That’s it! I’m calling for help!” Minseok announces suddenly.

Minzy is slightly puzzled by what he just said but before she could even ask what he meant, the guy is already up on his feet, walking away with a phone pressed against his ear. What a weirdo. The girl mutters under her breath with a soft chuckle. While Minseok is busy talking to god-knows-who on the phone, Minzy decides to help his hopeless of a brother. Poor guy, he really seems exhausted after all that chasing that has taken place for the past hour.

Jinwoo is surely a bundle of energy. Even with her help, it takes them quite a while to finally get the hyperactive boy to stay still. However, he continues giggling in his mother’s lap for several more minutes before he finally falls into another deep slumber, much to everyone’s relief.

“Let’s go!” Minseok comes back in with a silly smile plastered on his face.

“Let’s go where?” Minzy asks in confusion.

“Yeah, where are you taking my baby sis? Are you trying to kidnap her in front of me?”

“Hyung, which idiot would kidnap someone in front of others? That wouldn’t be a kidnap now, would it? Even a low class criminal wouldn’t be that stupid.”

“Did you just call me stupid?” Daesung gasps dramatically, causing his wife to laugh.

“Honey, in a way, your statement did sound a little foolish, don’t you think?” Mina shakes her head, patting her husband’s back.

“Aish, evil siblings!” the man pouts like a child and turns to his sister, hoping that she would defend him, “Minzy, tell them that they’re wrong!”

Minzy’s eyes widened for a slight second, quite taken aback by her brother’s plea for help. She really wants to be the good sister that she usually is but this time, she has to admit that he does kind of not make any sense. So reluctantly, she says, “Err, I’m sorry, oppa. I love you and all but err… I gotta agree with them on this one.”

“Oh my god, my sister has been possessed by the evil Kims!”

With that, Daesung continues with his dramatic rant as he paces back and forth mindlessly. Everyone is starting to get a little dizzy because of that. Fed up, Mina heaves a sigh and carries her sleeping son into his bedroom, leaving her husband to whine by himself. Minzy cannot help but laugh at her now dumbfounded brother, while Minseok pats his shoulder in sympathy.

“We’re gonna go now, oppa. Thanks for dinner!”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever!” Daesung flails his hands in the air as he attempts to run after his wife, causing the other two to burst into laughter.

During the car ride, Minzy cannot help but think about what her brother said earlier. Now that she thinks carefully, he did have a point – although a very small one. Firstly, she has no idea where Minseok is taking her. The man just won’t say a word no matter how hard she tries to get an answer out of him. And secondly, he did drag her away out of her will. Partially, at least. So this could be considered as kidnapping… right?

Well, probably not.

Even if he were really kidnapping her, she could beat him to pulp in any second. She is a kickboxer, afterall. A great one at that, too. Daesung once got a purple eye and a bruised shin when they sparred together a while back. The older male promised himself not to ever do it again ever since. Her punches and kicks are just so precise and strong.

Curious, Minzy scans her surrounding to see if they were at a familiar place. Indeed, when her eyes finally land on that huge signboard to her right, a series of memories immediately flash through her mind. She knows this place. Even though she has only been here once, she can still remember vividly the little time she spent at this café. It was, afterall, one of the most memorable times of her life.

“So, do you remember now?” Minseok asks with a slight smirk on his face; he is almost confident that the girl remembers everything now, she better!

“Well, yes and no,” Minzy replies truthfully, turning the smirk on the guy’s face into a frown.

“What do you mean yes and no? I don’t get it!”

“What I meant was, yes, I remember the place but no, I still can’t remember you.”

“Ugh, you’re so hopeless!” he glares at her for a moment, before smiling stupidly as they step out of the vehicle, “Come on, I want you to meet someone!”

Ignoring the confusion in her head, Minzy follows after him as he walks ahead into the café. The guy seems to be extra excited tonight for some odd reason. He just cannot stop smiling widely and she sure does not miss the twinkle in his eyes ever since they got here. She has never really seen him quite like this before. It is both creepy and amusing at the same time.

Her heart skips a beat or two once her feet step inside the door. Almost a year has passed but nothing much has changed. Other than the addition of small pots of plants by the windows, everything else seems to be the same as she last remembered it to be. The familiar melodic sound of a Beethoven piece still lingers in the air, enhancing the tranquility of the small premise like it used to.

“Oh my god, it’s really you!” a lady suddenly appears in front of Minzy, bringing her back from her daze.

The girl seems rather baffled as she stares at the smiling lady before her. Have they met before? She really looks familiar. It only strikes upon her when her eyes land on the shirt the lady is wearing. She works here, and this only means that she has, most probably, met her during her short visit last winter. And her intuition is proven right when the lady speaks again, “I work here! And you helped me clean the broken plate last year, remember?”

Ah, so she was the waitress that dropped the plate! Minzy’s mouth turns into an ‘o’ shape as her mind finally puts the pieces of puzzle together. That’s why she looks very familiar! But damn, she must have possessed a really good memory. At least a hundred of people come and visit this café everyday, and for her to remember someone who only had stopped by the place once a very long, long time ago is just plain amazing. Minzy cannot help but wonder what makes her so special that stays in the lady’s mind for that long.

“Hold up! Let me get this straight,” Minseok interrupts the two with a frown, “So you remembered my girlfriend but you didn’t remember me? Ouch! I feel offended, sis-in-law~”

The guy clasps on his t-shirt, faking heartache, but instead of sympathy from either woman, it is a smack on the head that he gets. A really strong one, for that matter. Yongguk is not the only one with a violent girlfriend, guys. Minseok does too. “In her defense, you’re not exactly that memorable. I couldn’t even get your name right for the first six months I started working here!” the newly-revealed girlfriend chuckles, causing her boyfriend to furrow his eyebrows in dismay even more.

Minzy’s presence seems to be completely forgotten as the couple continues to bicker amongst themselves. They are lucky that there are only a few customers at the moment and they do not seem to be bothered by the commotion at all.  After watching the couple exchanging playful insults at one another for a while longer, the young girl decides to get herself a cup of hot cocoa.

She has actually been craving for it lately, especially now the weather is getting colder each day. Thinking about it, this café happens to make one of the best – if not the best – hot cocoa in town. It is quite a mystery why she never visits this place again after that winter night.

***

The three people are now sitting at one corner of the room. The café was closed about an hour ago so they decided to say longer and hang out. A lot of topics are brought up to the table. Minzy has learned that Heeyun – Minseok’s girlfriend – has been the manager of the café for a couple of months now and that she is happy working here despite the rather low pay.

What surprised her the most, however, is the fact that Minseok was the barista who made her that super delicious hot cocoa. Now she knows why he has been pestering her about it. Well, she would not know it was him anyway since his back was facing her the entire time. Besides, she was kind of distracted by something else, or rather someone else, at that time.

Somewhere along the way, Yongguk’s name is also mentioned in their conversation. Many times, actually. It does not come as a surprise for Heeyun that the guy is now dating Minzy. She could have already seen it coming for some odd reason. There was just something about the look in the younger girl’s eyes that night that told her that she was going to be just the one who would heal his broken heart. And she was right!

But how on earth could that guy not remember such a wonderful woman like Minzy!

“So, Yongguk-ssi really does not remember you? At all?” Heeyun asks in disbelief and when Minzy nods her head, the former cannot help but let out a gasp, “Daebak~”

“Well, I don’t blame him. He was having a hard time that night. He probably couldn’t even think straight let alone register my face in his mind,” Minzy shrugs, trying her best to be as nonchalant as possible.

Well, it’s true. She could not really blame him, could she? That night could probably be the most painful one for the guy and he probably does not want to be reminded of it, ever. Being dumped by someone that he thought was already heartbreaking enough, let alone finding out that the exact same person was seeing another guy behind his back. Not to mention that he happened to know the other guy very well, too. If you were in his shoes, you would probably be devastated too, right?

However, it would be a lie to say that she did not feel a tad bit disappointed at all. She did, and she still does. But Minzy would not let that little negative feeling take over her rationality. She honestly believes that Yongguk will eventually remember her. She just has to be a little more patient. Although, there are times she just feels like banging his head on the wall or something. Who knows, maybe that way, he will remember faster.

Cue Minzy’s evil laugh.

“What are you guys doing here?” a low, stern voice suddenly interrupts her evil thoughts.

“Oh, Yongguk! I thought you would never come!” Minseok greets his friend with a friendly hug only to be pushed away harshly almost immediately.

Everyone at the table is quite stunned by his action, especially Minseok. He knew that his friend has a love-hate relationship with this place but never would he have expected him to react this way – so hateful and almost… distant. The fire in his eyes at the moment could really set the whole block on fire.

Nevertheless, much to everyone’s surprise, the newcomer joins them and takes a seat beside his girlfriend. His left arm immediately wraps around Minzy’s shoulders protectively, as if she would disappear into thin air or something. Although she is quite taken aback by Yongguk’s drastic change of behaviour, Minzy remains collected and gives him a sweet smile instead. She knows that deep down, her boyfriend is probably having a hard time adjusting to the place again.

The four of them continue on talking normally, like nothing awkward has ever happened. Well, Heeyun does most of the talking, anyway. That girl just cannot seem to shut . She just has so many questions in her mind. Her personality is quite the opposite of Minseok’s. While he is more on the quiet and mature side, she is very outgoing and very, very talkative.

Maybe it is true what they say, opposites attract.

The other couple is very careful with their words, though. The do not want any slip of the tongue to happen, or things could get awkward again. And they surely do not want to get on Yongguk’s bad side again. The said man, on the other hand maintains his pokerface the entire time but his heart and mind are rather restless. Sure, he has moved on and all, but old wounds could still be quite painful. Especially when you are surrounded by things or people that remind you of them.

It is not like he hates this place because it reminds him of a past lover or heartbreak, but more like because it reminds him of his weaknesses – his failure as a man and as a boyfriend. Minzy is not the only one with doubts and insecurities in life, Yongguk does too.

Is he doing the right thing? Does he treat Minzy well enough? Does he spend enough time with her? Does he show her how much he loves her enough? What if she wanted more from him? What if he is doing the wrong things without knowing? What if he makes her feel unwanted, unloved? What if he is silently breaking her heart?

He has lost his first love, and he does not want to lose Minzy as well, not in his lifetime. She is someone that he wants to spend the rest of his life. Even in his afterlife, he would want to be reunited with her again so they could have their happily ever after. The mere thought of her slipping away seems unbearable to him. Yongguk has come to a realisation long ago that this woman is his one and only soul mate.

“Are you okay?” Minzy’s soft voice brings him back to reality.

A gentle smile adorns her face as she waits for his reply. Even so, Yongguk is able to see the worry in her eyes. His girlfriend is worried for him. He feels touched and sorry at the same time. Touched because the woman he loves shares the same feeling as he does, and sorry because he is the reason for the small frown forming on her forehead. He would do anything to erase that concerned look on her face but before he could even do or say anything, his phone suddenly rings.

A sigh escapes his lips as he mentally curses whoever is calling him at this moment. Reluctantly, he swipes the green button and answers the call with a grunt, “What do you want now, Channie?”

“Y- Yongguk, you have to come to the hospital now!”

TO BE CONTINUED.

Author's Note: Now, I hope that I've answered everyone's question on why Minseok kept bugging Minzy to remember him haha! He turns out to be the barista at Beethoven's Cafe when Minzy visited the place last year! :D And his girlfriend happens to be the waitress she helped too! Nyehehe. Home many of you expected that? :D Anyway, what do you think happened Himchan? D: Who's at the hospital? D: Find out in the next chapter! ;) I'll publish it once I am done editing it, which is probably by the end of the week. Hee. Until then, ciao! <3

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Story by: afagyel | Poster and background by: Tomoe Graphic Shop