chapter 2...

Today is a snowy day in Cheongdamdong. The weather is really cold. The air blows around the city. Make all pedestrians tremble. The snowflakes are falling down from the blue sky. And all the frozen roads become slippery. It makes all pedestrians have to be careful when they are walking.

Even the weather is so cold and the roads become slippery, it doesn’t make people to become a lazy to take a walk on the roads. As well with a Chinese boy, Huang Zitao or people call him Tao. He walks on the frozen road. His arms is crossing in front of his chest, prevent the cold airs touch his skin. His winter coat is wrapping all around his lean body.  He wears a black beanie on his head to prevent the snowflakes fall down on his black hair. He wears a black boots with anti-slippery.

Currently, Tao is walking to his part time work place after his class was over. Like always, after his class was over he has to work in MAMA Café. He has to work so that he has some money to pay his food, apartments and other payments. His part time work place isn’t too far from his university. It takes only 5 minutes from his university. He studies at Star Museum University on Cheongdamdong streets. On that street, there are so many famous places, like his university, his work place and EXO Senior High School.

He arrives in front of the café. He grabs the doorknob and opens it. The bell above the door is ringing when he walks in. The café is already full with the customers. He looks at his watch and he still has 5 more minutes before his shift is start. He walks to the worker room and opens his locker. He puts his bag in the locker and changes his clothes into his uniforms. He stands in front of the mirror beside the lockers and dusts his uniform. When he thought it was neat, he walks again to his locker, he closed and locked it. After that he walks to the counter to greet his fellow workers.

“Hi, Lu!” Luhan is Tao’s best friend. He’s Chinese too. He is from Beijing and he is a student exchange at Seoul University.

“What’s up, Tao? Today is really cold than yesterday. Did you feel that?” Luhan says as he knots his aprons.

“Yes. It’s like one coat isn’t more enough. How’s Xiumin?” Xiumin is Luhan’s boyfriend. They are in a relationship since 1 year ago.

They are walking together to their boss office.

“He’s fine. But his music project made him crazy. I feel sorry to him. His professor gave the music project to make 3 songs in Korean, English and Chinese with different genre.”

“You should help Xiumin. You know, you’re Chinese and your English isn’t so bad maybe you can help him.” Tao suggests.

“I know. I already offered my helps, be he refused it. He said he wants to make alone without my help. And now like this. He can give a time for us.” Luhan says sadly. Tao pats his back and sooths him with support words.

They arrive in front of their boss office. They knock the door and open it. They greet and bow their boss together.

“Aish! No need to be so formal with me.” Kris, their boss is the owner of this café. Their boss is a kind person. He always put the prosperity of his workers.

“But still you’re our boss.” Luhan says. Kris is in the same age with Tao and Luhan. Kris always says to call him by his name so that there’s no gap between him and the workers.

“We’re here to sign in our absence.” Tao says as he walks and signs in his absence. Luhan follows him.

“Is now your shift?” Kris asks. Tao and Luhan nods together. Then they say bye to their boss and continue walks to the café.

Tao works as a waiter, so does Luhan. He feels so lucky when he got a scholarship from Star Museum University. Currently now, Tao is a university student and he takes a Martial Arts lesson in there. He is already learned martial arts since he was 6 years old. So, that’s the reason why he got the scholarship. And that’s the reason why he had to leave his father alone in Qingdao. But he’s still a good kid. Sometimes he sends a letter to his father with some money. When the first time he came to Seoul, he feels like a stranger. He doesn’t know anything about Korea. He doesn’t know about the language, culture or even streets. Luckily, he bumps to Kris. And with Kris’s help, he can be like that now.

Back to the café.  

The café is still full with the customers. Now is the time for Tao to work.  Tao walks to the customer and asks their orders. After that he walks back to the kitchen to inform the chef about the orders.

Then suddenly his eyes look at the customer who sits near a big glass window. He is reading the menu on the table. Tao knows who the customer is. He is Tao’s favorite customer. And he is really like this customer.

Sehun.

Yes. That is his name.

He knows the name when Sehun and his friends came to the café and his friend shouted his name. And he also knows that Sehun is still a school boy. Because this Sehun always comes to the café with still wears his uniform. He studies at EXO Senior High School. What Tao knows, that school is one of the prestigious school in Seoul and that school is opposite with his university.

He walks to Sehun’s table and clears his throat before speak.

“Good afternoon, Sir. Can I take your order, please?” Tao bows first before take the orders.

“Yes. Can I have a strawberry cake and chocolate bubble milk tea, please?” Sehun tells his orders as Tao writes them on the note.

“Is that all, Sir?” Sehun only nods and he hands Tao the menu.

“Your orders will be here soon. Enjoy your time.” With that Tao walks from Sehun’s table. His heart still beats very fast. He sighs. He rips the notes and hands it to the chef. He takes a sit and controls his breath. His palms are sweaty. Luhan who watches it only laugh.

“Shut up, Luhan!” Tao glares to him.

“You’re so funny. With all that tattoos on your body and scary eyes, you scared with that boy?” Luhan stands in front of Tao and pats his shoulder.

“I don’t know why. Every time I look at him, my palms begin sweaty. And my heart beat faster. Am I sick or not?” Luhan laughs louder.

“Aish! You’re such a stupid person, Tao. That means you like him. Or maybe love him?”

“I know. I like him from the first time I saw him. And with every day he comes here, it makes me hard to breath. And I think I already in love with him.” Tao leans his back on the wall. Luhan sits next to him and put his elbow on Tao’s shoulder.

“You should take a step forward, Tao.” Tao turns his head so he faces to face with Luhan.

“What do you mean?” Tao frowns.

“You have to be friendly with this guy if you want to be closer with him.”

“How is it gonna work? Do you any suggestions?” Luhan leans closer to Tao and whispers him something. Tao only nods slowly.

“Are you sure that will gonna work?”

“I’m sure! Just try it first, okay?” Luhan supports him before he leaves Tao alone to serves the customer again. Tao only stares to the floor. He thinks twice.

I think it’s true what Luhan say. I have to try first.

Tao stands up and walks to the counter to take the order. It is Sehun’s order. He remembers what Luhan say. Silently, he makes a hot chocolate in the small plastic glass then put it on the tray. He walks to Sehun’s table and put them all slowly. Luckily, Sehun is reading a book and doesn’t paying attention when Tao put a glass of hot chocolate.

“Enjoy your time, Sir.” Tao bows again before leaves Sehun. Sehun doesn’t reply anything he too focuses with his book.

Tao walks again to the counter and stands beside Luhan. He only smiles to Tao and gives him a thumbs up. Now, Tao only waits what Sehun will do.

∞∞∞∞∞

Sehun puts his book down. He just noticed that his orders are on the table. He thought he too focuses with his book. He just read a Biology book. Tomorrow he has a test and he doesn’t want his grade will decrease. He looks at his orders and he frowns.

Since when I ordered this?

He tastes what is in the glass.

Since when I ordered this hot chocolate? I remember I only order my favorite.

He notices there’s a white small paper which attaches on the plastic glass. He tugs it and opens it. He reads the words on the paper and looks to the left and right. He wonders who writes the letter.

A glass of hot chocolate for you.

It’s not good to order the chocolate bubble milk tea in the snowy day.

It’s my treat for you.

T.

He puts the small paper on the table. He slurps his chocolate bubble milk tea and takes a bite of his cake. He pays attention back to his Biology book. He searches his pencil case in his bag and takes a stabillo. He begins coloring the important words on his Biology book. He still focuses with his book but his eyes take a peek to the small paper. He grabs it and opens it. He reads again. He is really curios with the sender. He never accepts a letter like this, a small letter with those simple words.

Sehun is a nerd boy. Of course his face isn’t like a nerd student who wears a big glass almost covering all his face. Sehun is a handsome boy. He is really handsome. Many girls or boys really like him. But Sehun never pays any attention to them. What he thinks is he wants to graduates soon and reaches his dream as a dancer.

And what he accepts today is like others do it to him. But the difference is he never replies all the attention, never. But for this small letter, he thinks very different. He doesn’t know why, but he really wants to replies it, even he doesn’t know the sender. He bets the sender is a kind people.

So, here he is now. He takes a pen from his pencil case and begins write something.

Thank you so much for the hot chocolate.

I appreciate it.

I don’t know who you are but I really thank to you.

S.

He folds the paper and put it beside the plate. He continues his activity and starts study again. Sometimes he eats his cake and takes a sip of hot chocolate. Sehun prefers to drink the hot chocolate then his bubble tea. He thinks the stranger is right, the bubble tea only made him cold and he will catch flu later. So, he abandons the bubble tea.

After an hour Sehun studies Biology in there, he decides to go home. He put the stabillo in the pencil case then put them all include his Biology book inside his bag. After that he stands up from the chair and grabs a glass of hot chocolate then he walks to the cashier to pay those orders.

“How much all my orders?” he asked the cashier man.

“All is 60000 won, Sir.” Sehun pays them with an enough money and said thank you to the cashier man. Then he walks out from the café and walks to the bus stop to catches a bus.

∞∞∞∞∞

Tao walks to Sehun’s table to clean them all. He smiles when he looks his hot chocolate isn’t on the table. He put the plates and a full of bubble tea on the tray. And also he takes a small paper on the table then he put it in his pocket. He smiles widely and walks to the kitchen. He puts the plates in the sink and thrown the bubble tea in the trash bin. After that he runs to his locker and takes the paper out from his pocket. He opens it and reads it. He smiles widely. He never knows if this Sehun guy will reply his letter. He has to tell to Luhan about this later. But now he has to work again.

Night comes really fast. Tao works really hard and it’s like his shift is over. He opens the knot of his aprons as he walks to workers room. He walks to his locker and unlocks the locks. He opens the locker and throws the aprons to the locker. Then he changes to his normal outfits. He sees Luhan comes in the locker room and does the same like Tao did. After that, he walks to Luhan’s side and taps his shoulder. Luhan turns his face to Tao.

“Yes, Tao?”

“I got it. I got his reply.” Tao says as he takes out the paper from his pocket. He hands it to Luhan so that he can read it by himself.

“Wow! I never know he will reply it.” Luhan says and looks at Tao.

“Me too. And you know what? He even doesn’t drink his bubble tea but he drink my offers.”

“REALLY!? DAEBAK!”

“So what’s next?” Tao asks as he walks again to his locker and grabs his sling bag.

“Hmmm… Ask his number.”

“Is that alright? He even doesn’t know me. It’s impossible if he wants to give his number to me.”

“Hmmm… How about you still keep doing this and make him curious? Then when he really wants to know about you, you can ask him to walk with you.”

“Is it a good idea? I don’t want to rush him.” Tao sits on the long chair in front of his locker.

“Maybe. Just try it first, Tao.” Tao only nods and says thanks to Luhan.

After that, they walk out from the café. They are walking to their own apartment. Tao’s apartment is far from his university and work place, so he has to take a bus. He says bye to Luhan and walks to the bus stop alone. The weather is still cold. Damn December! He arrives at the bus stop and waits for the bus. After almost 10 minutes, the bus is coming and he lets in to the bus. He sits near the window and leans to the window. He searches for his phone and plugs the earphone in to it. He wears the ear buds then he plays the song from his phone. He is listening to BoA’s song. He is really like this so much. This song makes him remember to Sehun. Sehun is the only one for him, no one else.