Kyungsoo was ready to go.

"Sorry Eunhye, I'm tutoring today. I'll talk to you about the powerpoint once i get back."

"But oppaaa," the girl dragged out, whining in the most irritable fashion, "don’t you think it would be better if we could get the planning done now during lunch? That way we'd have a jump start."

Kyungsoo blatantly ignored her propositions and just continued packing his bag. Her overly flirty tone was three seconds away from making him puke. What a drag, just let me leave, for God’s sake.

"Sorry," Kyungsoo heaved a sigh, offering a meek smile. "I really can't skip out on this. Let's start tomorrow, we still have till the end of the week."

The disappointment was so evident on the girl's face, but it didn't phase Kyungsoo in the slightest. There was no way he'd give up a day with his lovely little ‘student’ for some loose gold digger.

He was nearly out the door when the girl screeched a “Fine!” and stomped back to her posse of equally loose gold diggers.

The street that Coffee Corner Cafe was on was usually decently busy, not so much with cars, but with people. And with people, came vendors of all types.

Kyungsoo just focused on his route, not paying mind to anyone around him, earphones plugged in as an obligation.

He bumped his leg slightly on a vendor’s thin stand, filled with handmade cell phone charms.While he was apologizing to the elderly woman who owned the stand, an adorable rabbit charm caught his eye.

Five minutes later, he arrived at the cafe, shoving the charm in to his pocket. He could barely believe his own audacity, buying a phone charm for Mirae. Does she even have a phone?

Mentally grumbling about how grossed out he was by his own actions, he made his way up to the second floor lazily. In the end his anxiety was pointless.

Hmph, Mirae’s not there.

But since her drink was, Kyungsoo took the liberty to sit down and wait, deducting that she was probably in the bathroom or down in the kitchen.

As he set up his area, he saw a figure from the corner of his eyes emerge from the bathroom and true enough, it was Mirae.

She was hurriedly pulling down her sleeves, as if to desperately cover her arms from the “chilling cold” she always spoke of. Or to hide something, a thought Kyungsoo easily dismissed.

“Oh oppa, you’re here!” Mirae beamed a smile.

He couldn't have explained in words how warm he felt to see the way she expressed with her entire being how happy she was being with him.

He found himself smiling unconsciously a lot more often, nowadays.

When she grabbed the coffee, the matte, darkened burn that contrasted so deeply with the fairness of her skin was immediately noticeable and had Kyungsoo startled.

It didn’t look like a major burn, but he was worried nonetheless.

“Mirae, how did you burn yourself?”, Kyungsoo questioned, voice subtly seething with worry.

She paused.

There it is again.

Kyungsoo noticed that often times when he’d ask questions that pertained to herself personally, even if it was something as simple as “What did you eat for breakfast?”, her expression would immediately twist into a blank one, as she stared into nothing and wouldn’t reply for many seconds at a time.

“Ah!” She turned towards Kyungsoo, doing a 180 and becoming bright yet again, “I was down in the kitchen helping Rai and ended up burning myself trying to move the coffee jug! I’ve been banned from there now, haha.”

Mirae giggled innocently, scratching her head with her eyebrows furrowed.

What is she, trying to sound remotely convincing?

Kyungsoo sighed, not wanting to look past the matter nor prolong it more than necessary.

“Rai also says oppa is super handsome, by the way,” Mirae managed to cut in before Kyungsoo formulated any thought.

“Rai?”

Mirae ‘s jaw dropped. “Really, oppa? Really? She’s been taking your order every day for the past two and a half months!”

As if I would care, and he really didn’t, not about anything without Mirae involved, that is. It’s almost as if all his thoughts and actions revolved solely around her.

“I see”. His voice was more emotionless than death.

Mirae snapped. “I see? I see? That’s all? Wooow, oppa you’re so cold. I need more layers! Hmph.”

She quickly sipped her coffee with the silly sulking expression still plastered on her face. It wasn’t really the right time, but Kyungsoo couldn’t help comparing her to a baby who was just forced to share their favorite toy. And he’ll be damned, it was absolutely adorable.

Mirae put down her drink and crossed her arms, scanning Kyungsoo with her gaze. Kyungsoo nearly felt like she could actually see him.

“Oppa, lean forward.”

Kyungsoo scrunched his face in confusion, but did as he was told in order not to invigorate her chipmunk-like rage any further.

“Are you done? Ok, ok. Now close your eyes and relax your face.”

“Close my wha-”

Mirae lightly slapped her hands on his cheeks, holding his face in her palms. Kyungsoo’s eyes shot open.

“Now I’m going to try and picture your face in my mind, alright? Cool, cool, now make sure your expression is relaxed okay?”

He (reluctantly) closed his eyes again and waited as she messily roamed her hands all over his face, turning him into mashed Kyungsoo. Any inkling of shock he felt was soon replaced by annoyance, wondering what the other customers watching this show were thinking. After around thirty seconds, she stopped and put her hands back in the beginning position, cupping his cheeks.

He gasped when he opened his eyes.

She’s close. She’s so close. She’s way too damn close.

Mirae was only about three inches away from his face, her dark orbs piercing into him. He felt himself heating up way more then he should’ve, and in the first time since middle school, to his own astonishment, he blushed.

His first realization of how extremely gorgeous the young girl was came back to mind but this time, she looked like she’d gained ten times the beauty. She was so innocent, so pure, so fair, like untouched silk. And all of that radiated from her, every single time Kyungsoo came in contact with her, to the point where it was almost blinding.

She pulled back and Kyungsoo himself pulled back slowly, still rendered speechless, fixing his shirt and waiting for the result of her face-determining process.

“Hmm…” She started out, while he anxiously sipped his drink to distract himself.

“I’m not sure...all I can tell is that you have really big eyes, oppa.”

Kyungsoo slightly choked on his drink before bursting into a fit of chuckles, all the stress and confusion completely leaving his mind by the seriousness of her tone with what she was saying.

“Really Mirae,” the man sighed after his paroxysm, “Thirty seconds of turning my face into a pulp and this is the best you come up with? How disappointing.”

“Shut up, you bully! I’m going downstairs.” Kyungsoo’s calmed laughter erupted once again as her chipmunk rage returned and she stomped off.

Just then he remembered the charm he had in his pocket, but smiled, deciding he’d keep it for another day.