And just like that 4 months had passed since arriving in Seoul. The girls decided that they would close the café on Sundays, so that they can catch their breath with the large amount of customers they were getting. But that day off didn’t really seem like it was a day destined for relaxing, as they used it to thoroughly clean either their apartment or their business place, as well as going shopping for ingredients. In the end, though well appreciated, those Sundays were practically like any other day.

“Hana?” Mirae called out from the kitchen, watching over the cupcakes that were baking. Hana was at the counter serving up an order to go.

“Uh?” she replied.

“What time do I take these out?” she stared at the golden dough, beginning to smell the vanilla extract the other had put in. Hana quickly stepped into the kitchen and put the oven gloves on, reaching over to the stove to take them out. The smell filled the air, and it brought both girls back to their high school days where they would eat them on occasions. Boy were they delicious back then, and tasted the same even now.

“You do the icing, I’ll go see what I can do at the front.” Mirae said.

“Do you think he’ll come by today?” Hana asked, beginning to mix the icing sugar into a bowl, almost knocking over the mixer.

“Who?”

“You know.” A goofy smile appeared on her face, a faint tint of pink appearing on her cheek bones.

“Yoo Jae Suk?” Mirae answered flatly, standing in the door.

Hana rolled her eyes. “Do Kyungsoo.”

“You mean your new best friend?” Mirae pulled her lips back.

“Yah, if he were my best friend you wouldn’t be standing there alright?” Hana laughed.

Mirae smiled. “Nah I haven’t seen him for a while. Think he found another coffee place?”

“He mentioned something about going to Japan for a few concerts, I just thought he’d be back by now.” She sighed, putting the frosting on the cupcakes one by one. Mirae reassured her that he will be back soon, and resumed her work. Secretly, she hoped she could see Suho as well.

Mirae quickly excused herself from the customers in line and went back to Hana in the kitchen.

“You know that time I hit Suho in the face? Do you really think I screwed up?” she asked, making Hana lift her head up from her half frosted cupcake.

“I don’t think he’s the type to hold grudges. Then again, if someone whacked me in the face with a grocery bag, made my nose bleed all over me and gave me a bruise in the end… Well, even I cross the line at that.”

Mirae groaned and went back to the counter. Her social anxiety didn’t help her much in most situations and she tended to overthink things, be it from 5 years ago or the day before. And the fact that she hurt someone she admired tugged on the back of her head for a few weeks now.

Then again she started getting second thoughts about seeing Suho again. Hana was right, if she were him she wouldn’t want to see the person that hit her dead in the face. The longer she served customers, the more she had the impression that her neck was caving into her body from the embarrassment.

Hana emerged from the kitchen with a tray of beautifully decorated cupcakes, colours ranging from green to yellow and pink with white sprinkles on them. She placed them one by one into the glass case fridge, turning to Mirae.

“Did they deliver the flowers this morning?” she asked.

“Yeah, they’re in the back, mind cutting them?” Mirae said, taking a customer’s order. Hana disappeared through the kitchen door again, and only emerged when the sun had set.

Back at the front, Mirae was working like a locomotive, busy taking people’s orders, cleaning, and making sure the sweet pastries weren’t burning in the oven.

As the day came to an end, Hana walked over to the door and turned the Open sign over. She dragged her feet back to the front counter, where Mirae was drying the mugs.

“And so, Hana went on another day without seeing her prince charming that could save her from this boring and mundane life.” Mirae chimed, putting the mug down.

But before Hana could say anything, the door opened and a familiar figure walked in with a light coat and neatly styled hair. Hana’s breath fell short and she found herself smiling goofily again. Mirae looked past the figure, but no one was following him, and she felt a bit disappointed. For a second she thought it was karma for making fun of the other.

“I’ll go for a walk.” Mirae said. “Have fun.”

Mirae walked past Kyungsoo, greeted him with a bow and excused herself as she opened the door, disappearing into the night.

“How’ve you been?” he asked, grabbing a chair and sitting down. Hana quickly made his favourite drink and brought it over to him, taking the seat across from him. He looked at the cup in front of him in surprise, saying that she shouldn’t have. Hana shook her head, saying it was her pleasure. His cheeks flushed a light pink, and he let out a chuckle and sincerely thanked her for her kindness.

They began catching up, Hana told him of her boring days and how she’s been practicing cooking omelettes, and she’s been getting better at it. She even attempted to cook fried chicken, but she spared him the details of the outcome. Kyungsoo laughed, and gazed at her with an endearing smile. His turn came, but he kept his story short. The concerts in Japan were amazing and they received many gifts from the fans and the food there was amazing.

“… But it sounds like you two have been extremely busy.” He finished.

“Oh yes, we never imagined it would get so busy. Some days it’s bearable, but on some occasions we worry whether or not our ingredients will last.” She laughed. “We’re thankful, though, that it’s going so well. We’re having the time of our life, though the only free time we have is to sleep.”

Kyungsoo stared at the empty cup in front of him, pursing his lips. “I’m guessing you’ve had plans to do something around town then?”

“Oh yeah, Mirae and I made a huge list of things we want to do-“

“Like what?”

Hana thought for a moment. “Well, I’ve always wanted to go around town like a typical tourist. I’ve always wanted to eat ramyun at a convenience store, make a bunny shaped ppopgi, take a walk along the Han River, and place a lock at Namsan.” She looked down at the table with a smile, just thinking about completing those things made her extremely happy.

“Ah yes, the typical tourist course.” Kyungsoo laughed. “I’ll take you.”

Hana’s eyes glistened and she smiled widely. “Oh my God really? Wah I’ve begged Mirae to come with me to do all those things but we’re so busy with everything we just can’t afford to both leave… And I don’t want to go alone either, so you’re really doing me a favor.”

Hana couldn’t sit still in her chair, just imagining being able to cross all of that off her list. Though she did regret the fact that she couldn’t do that with Mirae,, it was more her dream to do all of those things.

Hana expressed her excitement, and Kyungsoo smiled in return. She kept emphasizing on how much she’s wanted to do all of that for years, and she asked him when he was free. He explained to her that his schedule is always changing, but that he’d make sure to make time for it, an entire day just for her. She felt touched by his actions, and she thanked him over and over again.

Meanwhile, Mirae found herself sitting on the grass near the Han River. She brought her legs closer to her body and wrapped her arms around them, slightly shivering from the chilly night air. She stared at the city life on the other side of the water, not thinking about anything.

That is, until her family popped into her head. She began to miss her home, her father’s cooking, watching movies with her mother and the strong smell of her grandmother’s perfume. Something tugged at her heart, and she wished she could hear their voices again, tell them that she loves them and that she will come visit soon.

And then Suho flashed before her eyes, and she shook her head. She strongly admired him, but thinking about him would do her no good and would just make her disappointed. She remembered the way he looked at her when she was cleaning off the blood on his skin, and it sent shivers down her spine. It was a kind of warm but distant look that you couldn’t help but be engrossed in, and find yourself admiring the other handsome features of his face.

Mirae sighed, and suddenly heard her name being called out. She turned her head, and was joined by Hana. She explained that when Kyungsoo had left she closed up the café and went looking for her. Sure enough, Mirae was where Hana had predicted.

“So how was it?” Mirae asked.

“Remember the things I asked you to do with me? Like Namsan and food and all that? He offered to take me, so we’re going sometime next week. Hope it’s okay.”

Mirae was slightly taken aback. “Oh I see how it is.” She made an unimpressed face. Hana laughed and hugged her shoulders, resting her chin on her shoulder.

“Nah I’m just kidding, I’m actually thankful he can take you. With the café and all we can’t both be gone any day, so you should enjoy yourself.” Mirae said, but a hint of sadness glazed her voice.

“Maybe I could ask him if another member of EXO could take you out on another day?” Hana suggested.

“My child, I’m not close to any of them the way you are to Kyungsoo, so I’m sure it would just inconvenience them. It’s fine, maybe I’ll meet Daesung tomorrow.” Mirae laughed. Hana looked at her uneasily. “Wah, you really did save a country in your previous life.”

“I think so too.” Hana sighed. “Not that I’m complaining of course.”

“I’m starting to think you’re more excited to be going on a mini trip than to be going with Do Kyungsoo.”

Hana nodded. They stayed silent for a moment, looking at the scenery, and finally they got up and began to make their way home.

“So on a scale of 1 to 10, how jealous are you?” Hana snickered.

“11.” Mirae grumbled.

****

 The chimes at the front door rang, signalling someone coming in. Mirae glanced at the clock on her phone, and it was well past midnight. The café was open until 2 in the morning, but she didn’t usually expect anyone to come in. As she turned around, she felt her heart stop for a few seconds as Exo’s leader Suho sauntered across her floor and to the cash register. Flashing her a gentle smile he asked, “You still taking orders?”

It took Mirae a long moment to process his words, her face going red instantly. She punched in his order into the computer and gestured towards an empty seat in the café, not like all the other ones were taken anyways. She quickly went to work, carefully preparing his latte. Hana was a lot more skilled at this than she was, but she did take pride in the little drawings with the foam.

Finally done, she took a look at her creation. Though her coffee art was usually on point, her heart ended up looking like a rock, but hopefully he wouldn’t be able to notice. With great concentration on her face as to not spill any coffee on her newly cleaned floor, she shuffled over to his table and placed the mug down. He thanked her in a whisper and looked at his drink, letting out a small laugh.

Oh how Mirae wanted to tell him how much she was sorry for what happened at their last encounter, just like she did a hundred times before. She wanted to tell him that she admired him greatly, and that she hoped they could be at least friends and that she wouldn’t have to hide every time he came into sight. But as she looked at him, she began to get the message that he wasn’t in the mood to speak with anyone as sadness clouded his eyes. He suddenly glanced at her, and she almost yelped, quickly going back to her working station and beginning to clean everything up, carrying dishes into the kitchen, wiping the coffee stained tiles with a mop and giving Hana a call to see how she was holding up on her day off.

From time to time she glanced back at Suho, who seemed immersed with the lines of the table, occasionally taking a sip of his latte. Mirae began to wonder if she made the drink too bland, or if there was something bothering him. Taking another look at her phone, it was 10 past 2 already. He had been at the café for over an hour and he hadn’t moved an inch. He was constantly pressed against his chair, one hand on the mug and a blank stare glued to his face.

Mirae quickly walked over to the front door with her broom in hand, flipping the Open card to Closed as well as pulling the blinds. She flicked the lights off, making Suho snap out of his reverie and he began to look around. The café was faintly illuminated by dimly glowing Christmas lights, and he searched the dark for Mirae. She walked over to him, and noticed he still had a bit of his drink left.

“I’m technically supposed to be closed now but, you’re welcome to stay.” She said, “I’ll just cleanup for the day.” And she began her routine of swiping the floor while putting up the chairs onto the tables. Suho was staring at her, and of course Mirae noticed it. She was thankful that he probably couldn’t see how red she was, as he was the person she admired the most in EXO.

She put up her last chair and turned to look at Suho who was still sitting, making her think, This guy is taking advantage of my hospitality. What the hell is his problem? Mirae was known for her short patience, and though she did like him, she was tired and wanted to go home.

But he must have had his reasons for looking so beaten up, just as all human beings did from time to time. She took cautious steps towards him, internally debating whether to talk to him or not.

“You know…” she said, her voice hoarse and her heart skipping a beat. “It’s not fair what they did to you. To all of you. And you didn’t deserve that. Please don’t… Don’t think that it was your fault that they left. And uhm… Everything will be okay, it will take some time but I promise you’ll be okay. You’ll look back on it someday and know exactly why it had to happen.”

Suho’s jaw clenched, and he bit the inside of his cheek. “Now, why are you telling me this?” he asked, a sort of calm annoyance in his voice.

“Because those were the words I wanted to hear when my uncle left to start his own family.” Mirae said flatly, then quickly made her way to the kitchen looking flustered. She apologized for not minding her own business and muttered to herself a few profanities, giving off embarrassed giggles.

Suho’s lips parted but no sound came out. He simply watched her distance herself from him in a hurry, and before she disappeared he called out to her about paying for his drink to which she shouted back that it was on the house. 

On the other hand Mirae was about to go out of her mind, regretting that she ever opened . She huddled up under the kitchen table and began to hit herself on the head, repeating the word “stupid” over and over again. She put her hands over her ears, hoping it was all just a really stupid dream where she had too big of balls to have said that to the person who suffered so much and could have been thinking about so many other things than the issues regarding his group. She was beginning to think she only said or did the wrong things about him, definitely not gaining any sympathy from him. A few more smacks to the head and she suddenly heard the sound of ceramic clinging outside. She got up, only to hit her head real hard on the table, and made it out more or less alive. She carefully glanced out the kitchen window which gave a view onto her café, and she noticed Suho’s mug on the counter next to the cash register with a 5000 won bill tucked under it. Mirae quickly made her way out of the kitchen and back to where she was before, but Suho was already long gone.

A feeling of guilt washed over her. She just had to say that, didn’t she? She was about to pull all of her hair out when she got a call from Hana, asking where she was.

“I had a last minute customer. I’ll wash up everything and close up the shop. Yes. Uh huh. Don’t worry I’ll be fine. Yes I have the shoe spray in case. I’ll be there in 30 minutes. Ok, bye. Yes. Bye. Bye. BYE.” Hana was beginning to sound like Mirae’s mother, and she quickly hung up the phone.

****

As Mirae walked into the apartment, Hana was falling asleep on the couch while watching a drama on her laptop. The click of the door startled her, and she turned to her friend.

“Hey.” She said, stretching her arms and yawning. “I didn’t want to go to sleep in case you forgot your keys.”

Mirae raised an eyebrow, as Hana was most likely to do that.

“You’ll never guess who popped into the café.” Mirae said, putting her bag on the couch and walking over to the kitchen to grab a cup of water. Hana yawned again and looked at her friend curiously, awaiting her to start her story.

“Suho came by.” Mirae finally said, a look of disgust on her face. Hana’s eyes widened and a smile appeared on her lips.

“So?” she asked eagerly. “What was it like? Did you two talk one on one?”

Mirae looked like she was about to burst out in tears. She explained the whole situation to Hana, whose smile turned into pursed lips of annoyance. Hana jumped to her feet and went over to Mirae, hitting her on the head.

“You genius.” She said sarcastically, only getting a whimper from the other. “What if a stranger told you that hm?” Mirae nodded in approval that her actions were out of line, and she wanted to drown in her cup of water.

“I just hope I never see him again. After everything I have done to him or said to him, I don’t deserve to be anywhere near him. WE SHOULD HAVE A BELL IN THE SHOP SO YOU CAN SIGNAL IF HE COMES IN AND I CAN GO HIDE IN THE STOVE AND HOPE I BURN TO DEATH.” Mirae said, throwing the cup into the sink. She took a deep breath, and thought for a moment. She turned to Hana, “Do you think he took it the wrong way?”

Even if Hana reassured her over a hundred times that it was worse than she thought, Mirae knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep the 4 hours of her night remaining. Which also reminded her, Hana wasn’t supposed to be staying up so late.

“Dude, go to bed! What the hell are you doing being up so late?” Mirae said.

“I told you, I was waiting for you. Plus, I’m finishing up a drama and I’ve never done that in less than 24 hours. I’m aiming for a record.”

Mirae smacked her arm. “You’ll be greeting the customers looking like a panda.” She muttered. “What is it anyway?”

“Reply 1997.” She said excitedly. “Seo Inguk is just so handsome it makes me cry AND HOYA IS IN IT TOO and he plays a gay character which makes me cry even more but anyways I’m almost done so don’t worry.”

Mirae sighed, but she followed Hana onto the couch and finished up the last few episodes with her. She knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep anyways, so she thought why the hell not. Mirae couldn’t help but ask her plenty of questions as she never saw the drama, and Hana was beginning to lose patience and shushing her many times.

5:37 a.m. rolled around and they were finally done. Both girls crawled into their rooms and managed to fall asleep without any difficulty, even Mirae who was experiencing first hand embarrassment.

One hour later, the sun rose up from beyond the horizon, marking a new day for the two best friends. An hour and a half later, they both awaken to the sound of their alarms blasting in their rooms.

Another day.