“Thank you! Please come again!”, Aeri smiled and bowed towards a customer who was already walking out of the store. She turned around and quickly massaged her face as she had been smiling all day since early morning. “Ahh! I felt like my jaw is dropping.”

Her shift partner, Minyoung turned to face Aeri and laughed. They had been partner in that Doshirak Store for quite long as Aeri had been working there ever since she was 17 years old. Minyoung grabbed one of the kimbap she was making and handed over to Aeri. “Here. I made it just for you.”

Aeri’s face lightened up at the sight of food but stared at the other suspiciously. She tilted her head and stared down the kimbap in her hands. Minyoung realized the sudden attitude and chuckled, “Its spicy, I promise you! like I said, I made it for you.”

Aeri’s face lightened once again and immediately snatched the kimbap from Minyoung’s hands and straight into making them full. She chewed down the kimbap and the spiciness struck her, but she loved it. She hummed happily as she chewed, “Emmm~ Ash alwaysh! Inyoungie’s bimbap ish the besh!”

The other laughed at Aeri’s weird way of talking and threw some of the sesame seed at her, “Yah! Don’t talk if your mouth is full. Its disgusting!”.

Out of sudden, the store’s door bell rang showing that someone had entered the store. They both stared at each other and Aeri immediately shook her head and signaled Minyoung to talk with the customer as was still full from the kimbap. Minyoung nodded and stood up as she walked to the front counter. Not long after, Minyoung came back saying that someone came to meet Aeri personally.

Aeri’s eyes widened and her head went blank. She was speechless as she had just shoved down another kimbap into . On her way out to the front, she grabbed a water bottle and sipped some water as she walked. The moment she reached the counter, the other person turned around and there he was. Standing arrogantly with his smooth black suit completed with a black tie and a pair of shiny leather shoes. He smirked as he was walking closer to the counter.

Before he could even utter one single word from his mouth, Aeri choked on the food and in second, rices and some vegetables pieces were splattered all over Chanyeol’s face. the room went silent for a minute before Chanyeol’s huge voice boomed through the neighborhood.

“YAH KIM AERI!!! YOU’RE REALLY DEAD FROM TODAY ONWARD! I SWEAR TO GOD YOU ARE THE WORST CREATURE I HAVE EVER MET!”, Chanyeol groaned loudly in frustration as he stared down frozen Aeri behind the counter. He turned his back from her and stormed out of the store with his mouth mumbling and cursing nonstop. Aeri was left shaking on her feet by what just happened and mostly by what she just heard.

“Yah Aeri. Are you okay? What’s with the fuss? Where’s the guy just now?”, Minyoung appeared from behind curiously looking around for another figure she met just minutes later. Aeri was still standing frozen at the same place. In her 20 years of living, she never heard such hatred and anger in one voice yelling straight to her face.

“Minyoung, bye! See you tomorrow!”, Aeri waved her hands towards Minyoung who was walking the opposite direction from hers. She sighed as she started to walk the dark route alone. That day was indeed a tiring day for her as she had to work full shift from opening to closing due to one of the staff went into early labour. “I wonder if the baby has come out..”, Aeri mumbled to herself as she thought of the mother-to-be.