A few weeks later, Jungkook finds himself coming to the café daily. It’s no surprise to the workers there to see Jungkook sitting beside the window with his phone on his hand, or scrolling down something on his laptop. Sometimes he does his homework there too. It’s not for any interesting reason that had Jungkook being a regular customer there, it’s just that the place isn’t really crowded just like other places in the street and somehow Jungkook prefers it that way.

 In addition, he does enjoy Seulgi’s company. Sometimes, when he sees the latter is not treating customers or works in the kitchen, he would occasionally approach Seulgi and settles for small talks. Other times, Seulgi would be the one to pull a chair opposite him and starts their conversation.

“Are you sure you aren’t leading him or something?”

Putting down the mug that she was wiping, Seulgi fix her eyes on Irene blankly. “He’s been here for a few weeks now. Daily, if I might add..” Irene continues. Seulgi rolls her eyes and continues to wipe the mug. “Irene, since when being a regular customer here is a sin?” Irene doesn’t say anything but rest both of her elbows on the counter and settles her face in her palms.

“Do you think he likes you?” Seulgi ignores her. “Does he know you have a child? I don’t think he does..” Seulgi is now annoyed as hell. She put down the mug rather harshly and glares at her friend. “ What are you trying to reach? Are you saying he keeps coming here because of me? You need to get your head fixed, Irene ‘cause you’re overanalyzing it” Seulgi exclaims. Irene was startled and her normally sparkled eyes dimmed.

“H..Hey,I’m sorry, Seul..I didn’t think you would be furious” Irene mumbles as she keeps on staring at her fidgeting hands. Seulgi bites her lips, feeling guilty for making the air around them stiff.  Breathing a sigh, Seulgi takes Irene’s hands with her own and mutters a soft ‘sorry’.

Irene shakes her head and gives her an assuring smile. She gave Seulgi’s shoulder a squeeze before going back to organizing the counter.

After a few moment of silence, Seulgi begins again.“In case you are wondering, he does know Yeri. He has seen her before. Plus, if he does like me, it would only be a stupid crush. He’s only eighteen. What does an eighteen year old know about love?”  

Somehow, Seulgi’s heart aches as she is reminded of her past that she has been trying to put behind.

Before Irene could even respond, they were interrupted by a painful scream. Both of them looked at each other before sprinting to the back of the café. On the other side, Jungkook who also heard the scream looks up curiously to their direction. After a few minutes, Irene and Seulgi come out from the kitchen while holding Joy, who is clutching her arms.

“I’ll take her to the clinic! Can you take care of the café alone?” Irene asks Seulgi, still holding Joy. “Yes. Just go! We don’t want her to get worse!” With that, Irene gave her a nod before exiting the café.

“Hey…What happened?” Seulgi turns around, maybe too quickly because the next thing she knows her legs betrayed her as she almost tumble backwards. Fortunately, a pair of strong arms makes its way to Seulgi’s hips and secured her in place. “Whoa! Hey.. Are you okay?” Jungkook asks again.

Seulgi blinks confusedly and she glances up to find the younger looking down at her.

“Oh…Yeah. She....” Seulgi stutters, trying to collect herself.

“I don’t really know either because when we found her she was clutching her injured arms.” Seulgi answers, still looking in a daze. It is then only Seulgi realizes how close they are and the hands on her hips. Seulgi lets out an awkward cough in hoping to disentangle from the younger but what had her puzzled was the boy only tilted his head confusingly.

“Uhm…I..I better get back to work.” Seulgi took Jungkook’s hands off her hips and sends him a wary smile before disappearing in the back.

There’s no one in the café right now (except for one). Though normally, Seulgi prefer more customers to come, but since Joy and Irene hasn’t come back yet, means she has to do the work all by herself. Then, she spots a familiar black hair who is wearing a school uniform. She moves towards the said boy and as usual, she would pull the chair opposite him and plop her down.

Jungkook, who is watching videos on his laptop, glances up to see Seulgi burying her face on the table and what it seems to be a groan can be heard. Looking at the scene before him, he chuckles softly. Cute. He thinks. Seulgi shifts and her chin are now resting on her folded arms, glazing at Jungkook.

“You’re still here, I see.” She begins.

“Very well spotted, Miss Kang” he retorted. Seulgi’s nose scrunches up at the sassiness she receives.

“You look terrible, Seulgi. If I could help you I would, you know.” She thinks for a while. It wouldn’t be bad to have a helping hand right now. Especially since two of the workers are gone for a moment, but then again, what if Jungkook crashes a mug or spill anything; it would be another bother to clean it up. She shakes her head at the thought and quickly dismisses it.

Suddenly, a wave of panic setting in her system as she remembered about her daughter. Her eyes widen and she pulls out her phone to check the time. She mentally curses as she knows she is late to pick up her daughter from school. Usually, her cousin would fetch Yeri from pre-school and sends her off to the nursery but this morning her cousin had called and said he couldn’t make it.

She had planned to leave the café for a while but it seems like her plan is unsuccessful as now, she is the only one working in the café. Tapping furiously on the table and her brows furrows even deeper, she’s trying to think of a solution.

Upon seeing the troubled looking lady in front of him, he waves his hand at Seulgi’s face, trying to get her attention. “Hey..Hey.Is something wrong?”. Seulgi eyes darted straight to Jungkook’s. She might have thought of something but is reluctant to ask. She knows this is too much to ask but looks like there’s no other choice.

 “Jungkook, I need you to help me!” Jungkook stood straight up upon hearing that. “Uhmm..Yeri she’s ….at Sunshine Pre-school..Somewhere near the junction at a nearby college..Wait what’s the college’s name. Oh dear God, I can’t even remember..Wait..wait…it’s like a yellow building..no..no..the college is yellow but the school is white..It’s –” Seulgi keeps on rambling, the panic hasn’t decrease a tiny bit in her system.

All of a sudden, Jungkook takes Seulgi by her hand and starts to caress her hand softly with his thumb while looking at her. Seulgi’s rambling meets to an end as she stares at him. “I’ll find the place through my phone, don’t worry. Do you want me to bring her here?” Jungkook asks.

“Not here.At her nursery. Give me your phone, I'll set the location.” She mumbles, still looking at their hands. Jungkook nods and slowly drop their hands. When Seulgi is done, he retrieves his phone and went out from the café. As he is outside, Seulgi can’t help but to notice her fast beating heart. Just what am I feeling right now?

It wasn’t that hard to find the place. Thank God for technology, of course. The school walls are white but just like any other kindergarten, the walls are drawn and paint with cute cartoons.

As he enters the place, he expected a booming sound of children’s laugher but instead it is peaceful and quiet in here. Only then he realizes that it’s actually way past the time of school ended. Glancing around before he spots what it looks like a teacher (she was holding books so Jungkook assumes it’s a teacher), he approaches the woman without thinking any further.

“Excuse me, I’m here to pick up….Kim Yerim. A short girl…with long hair..She’s barely four years old.” The woman chuckles upon hearing his lack of description but nonetheless motions him to follow her.

He was being lead to one of the classrooms at the end of the hall. “I was kind of wondering too why the boy who usually fetches her hasn’t showed up after 15 minutes. Miss Kang had called before you arrived. Are you a family?”

“I’m a friend of Seulgi- I mean Miss Kang.”

She gives him a curt nod before opening the classroom door. There was no one in the classroom except for a woman who is playing with a smiling little girl. Jungkook took the time to stare at the said kid. Her hair is the same colour as Seulgi, but slightly wavier he notices. It seems like Yeri didn’t inherit Seulgi’s beautiful mono-eyelids but nevertheless her eyes look so bright and shining.

She must have resembles her father a lot. Which also reminds him, what happened to her father? His stare was cut off by the teacher.

 “Yeri sweetie, your mom had called me just now. She wants you to listen to this man. He will take you to the nursery okay, sweetie?” the teacher says as she kneels in front of her.

The kid took one glance at Jungkook before nodding and smiling. Jungkook thinks that Yeri is the cutest little kid ever.

To be very honest, it was awkward for Jungkook. He estimated the journey to the nursery took about 15 minutes (by just walking). Yeri had willingl