“Is there anything else I can get for you?” Jeonghan flashed a charming smile to the two female customers who were obviously swooning over him and his flower boy appearance, they almost didn’t snap out of their small trance until he cleared his throat.

 

“Another iced tea, please!” One of them quickly smiled. “Your number?” The other blurted out and slapped a hand over looking embarrassed instantly for her comment, it earned an amused chuckle from him before he shook his head in reply. Every day without fail.

 

When he returned to the counter, he heard Won Woo snicker which obviously hinted that he overheard the conversation at the table he was waiting on just now. This guy was always listening in on the tables Jeonghan would wait on for fun, because that gave him things to tease about with the androgynous male. “Jealous?” He asked.

 

“Not in the slightest.” Won Woo shook his head before going back to the book he was reading at the register. For someone who likes to read, he sure liked listening to other people’s conversations. Perhaps he should switch to audible books?

 

“Just wait until Prince Charming gets in…” Jeonghan said in reply while he was preparing the ice tea order for his table. He shouldn’t get too distracted or risk the girls coming over to the counter and have Won Woo make unnecessary comments. He did it before, he will do it again!

 

“That’s getting really old, can’t you say something else instead of the same reply every time?” Won Woo scoffed while putting his book down to look at him, he looked unpleased because that Prince Charming he was referring to was his boyfriend Kim Mingyu, the waiter everyone loves besides the flower boy. It went without saying that Won Woo gets jealous from time to time when other people swoon over his one and only Prince Charming. He didn’t like sharing most of the time.

 

“It still gets to you,” Jeonghan chuckled with a small smirk as he left the counter to return to the table. Payback for earlier, you shouldn’t mess with Yoon Jeonghan unless you’re prepared to play a game you can’t win.

 

When he returned to the counter the bell at the door chimed alerting new customers walking in. Won Woo noticed a single girl walk in by herself and immediately grinned. “Guardian angel at 2 o’clock?” He could see Jeonghan immediately whip his head around to see what he was talking about and frowned before turning back to his co-worker.

 

“Will you drop that!” He scolded before returning to his task of cleaning up the counter.

 

“Chill, man.” Won Woo chuckled before getting up from his seat to go wait on that girl.

 

“Have fun.” Jeonghan snickered and got a glare in reply. Once he was done cleaning the counter, he headed into the back as the bell at the door chimed once again.

 

...

 

“Hey?” Ren nudged his friend when he noticed her zoning out again. He followed her gaze to see she was staring towards the cafe counter, the door to the kitchen had just finished closing and he wondered if she saw something strange? “Soo?” He nudged her again and this time she snapped out of it.

 

“Uh, what?”

 

“You okay? You look like you saw something strange?” I did! “Should we leave?”

 

“Uhhh…” her eyes landed on another cafe employee who was making his way back to the register before he noticed them and stopped to greet him, but he also stopped and stared like he saw something strange. That made Soo Min freeze up out of reflex.

 

“Have you been in here before?” Ren asked quietly to his companion, to him it looked like maybe the employee was shocked to see her or something. Or perhaps he was shocked to see the both of them.

 

“On second thought, maybe we should go…” Soo Min muttered out before turning around only to bump into someone and fall back onto her rear with a small ‘oof’, luckily she always made sure to wear shorts when wearing dresses or it would have been more embarrassing.

 

“Oh my god, what was that?!” The person exclaimed after entering the building, he gasped when he saw a girl on the ground in front of him, it was clear that he knocked her down. “Oh, I’m so sorry~!” He added and was about to kneel down to help her, but someone else already beat him to it.

 

“Jeez, are you okay?” Ren asked as he quickly fixed her dress before helping her stand up.

 

“I’m okay.” She mumbled while trying to snap out of the shock of being knocked down so suddenly. She was used to bumping into walls and doors but not people!

 

“What’s this? You went blonde again?” The tall male asked while adjusting his sunglasses. The long blonde haired male looked familiar, as in… he thought it was his co-worker, Jeonghan.

 

“Again?” Ren repeated and that’s when the other guy took off his shades and his eyes widened a little.

 

“You’re not Jeonghan!” He blurted out the obvious before glancing to Won Woo standing there with irritation on his face.

 

“Who wears sunglasses on a rainy day?!” The other clerk from before came marching over and gave the guy a scolding glare before turning to Soo Min and Ren. “I’m sorry about that, feel free to order anything of your choosing, it’s on the house to make up for this dumb giant’s reckless arrival.”

 

“Very professional, babe.” The guy chuckled before getting elbowed in the side. “It was an accident, I didn’t see her!”

 

“Because of those stupid shades!”

 

“It’s still bright outside!” The Dumb Giant defended.

 

“We can sit anywhere?” Ren asked and got a nod from Won Woo before the two continued to bicker. He guided Soo Min to the closest table for them to sit and they couldn’t help but watch the two employees finally stop bickering and head to the counter to continue working. “How professional…” Ren chuckled before glancing over to Soo Min who was still staring their way with a cute smile on her lips.

 

“They’re cute.” She muttered.

 

“Of course, you and your OTP habit.”

 

“It’s okay, the taller one called him babe, they’re obviously together… I can ship them.” She defended while folding her arms across her chest and pouted. “Boys never understand a fangirl’s heart.” She whined before giggling and said she was kidding when Ren rolled his eyes.

 

“I guess we wait until someone comes to take our free order?” He sighed before glancing around the cafe to take in his surroundings. There didn’t seem to be an suspicious persons anywhere closeby and it seemed rather calm, possibly because not many were around from the rain. He was starting to like rainy days now that he caught Soo Min staring out the window, watching the rain. She looked so pretty like that, it was hard not to admire her. The way her eyes shifted ever so slightly like she was counting the raindrops, which was impossible! It almost made him laugh. You’re such a cute girl…

 

...

 

“What?” Jeonghan asked as Won Woo was dragging him out from the back of the cafe.

 

“You won’t believe who’s sitting out front!” He exclaimed in a whisper. Jeonghan was confused on why his co-worker was so excited before following his gaze over to see the girl he ran into earlier sitting at a table with someone who looked familiar. It’s her! He was surprised to see her at his workplace after he had thought about inviting her here, but she disappeared so quickly at the time… Well, this is a public cafe, of course there was a slim chance she’d walk in here. And then he noticed her companion next to her. He was really stylish and was gaining a lot of attention from other customers and for a second, it reminded him of himself when he first started at the cafe.

 

“Is it just me, or is that your doppelganger?” Won Woo whispered behind Jeonghan as they watched them looking around the place before catching their attention and beckoned them over to their table. Won Woo automatically pushed Jeonghan their way, thinking it’d be interesting for him to wait on that table. Since they were at work and he should do his job, he had no choice but to go and tend to their table

 

“Oh, it’s you!” The girl smiled when she recognized Jeonghan standing there.

 

“You know him?” Ren asked with a somewhat judging look on his face. He had to admit Jeonghan was good looking but it was clear he wasn’t anything special so why did his friend know someone like him? You could say he was always cautious when someone he didn’t know somehow knew Soo Min. Because of their status and history, he wasn’t sure if this waiter could be a threat or not.

 

“I bumped into him earlier.” Soo Min began to explain. “He was caught in the rain so I gave him my umbrella.”

 

“Right! About your umbrella, I can return it to you-” Jeonghan was saying but she stopped him. Before he could finish his sentence.

 

“No need, it might still be raining later. You can keep it, it’s alright, I got a new one like I said I would.” She added while holding it up briefly. “It’s Pikachu themed!” She whispered excitedly with a small giggle, that was incredibly adorable, she looked so happy. Both Ren and Jeonghan were slightly stunned at the cute sight before quickly snapping out of it.

 

“Alright.” Jeonghan managed to agree without getting too flustered by her cuteness. Usually cute girls didn’t phase him but this one… was different. How cliché, right? He snickered on the inside. Scenarios like this never happen, not for the past 21 years, so why today?

 

“So, we were told we could order anything we’d like with no charge since one of your employees knocked her down.” Ren mentioned once he noticed the way Jeonghan was looking at Soo Min. He didn’t like it so he had to interrupt that moment.

 

“Who knocked her down?!” Jeonghan asked in complete shock before watching Ren point over at the counter. He turned to see his co-workers obviously watching then and Mingyu immediately tried to hide behind Won Woo, which was a laugh since he was too tall! They could see Won Woo rolling his eyes with a sigh and took a step to the side, only for his boyfriend to hide behind him a second time!

 

“It’s okay, really!” Soo Min blurted out, starting to feel bad. “I’ll pay full price. No need to make it free, I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going anyway, it’s actually my fault.” She added with that small look of guilt on her cute face. “Do you have any Carrot Cake?”

 

“Uh…” Jeonghan had to think about it. Do we? Then he remembered he was holding the menus in his arms. He quickly opened it up and searched the countless titles of other items before concluding… “no, we don’t.”

 

Soo Min frowned and it became silent as they stared back at one another. “How do you not have Carrot Cake, your cafe clearly says Carrot on it!”

 

“It says Carat, like 17 carat diamond.” Ren corrected.

 

“Same thing!” She was in denial mode.

 

“Not even!” The blonde laughed before looking over to Jeonghan. “Sorry, just get her a chocolate cake or something.”

 

“... sure.” Jeonghan nodded before leaving their table with a small laugh. Carrot Cafe?

 

…

 

It had been an hour since the interesting duo left the cafe and Jeonghan’s co-workers couldn’t help but pester him about the whole thing. Apparently Won Woo knew who they were, which was why he got so upset that his boyfriend knocked that girl down. They were famous. “But I don’t even know who they are?” Jeonghan had pointed out. “Me either!” Mingyu also commented and Won Woo let out a long sigh.

 

“Of course you two wouldn’t know who they are, you don’t even care about how you dress!” He scoffed while scanning their outfits for today. “They’re famous in the fashion world. That girl is Chae Soo Min, her mother is a popular designer, I own some of her clothing she put out in her men’s line.” He went on to explain. “And for that guy, he’s aspiring to be a designer, too. He’s also a model and models for her mother at times. He’s Choi Minki but everyone calls him Ren.”

 

“I see, surprised you didn’t faint while they were here.” Jeonghan just had to tease, recalling how excited he was when he dragged him out of the back room.

 

“I’m a fan, but not a hardcore fan!” Won Woo defended. “I just admire them… that’s all.”

 

“Awh, babe, that’s so cute!” Mingyu gushed before pulling him into a side hug.

 

“Shut up!” He pouted before noticing Jeonghan crack a wild grin.

 

“So, you technically got to meet someone you admire in real life, right? Kinda like a fangirl meeting her bias…”

 

“What are you trying to say?” Won Woo frowned before he glanced over to Mingyu whose expression started to change.

 

“Babe, were you staring at the girl or the guy that whole time?” His boyfriend asked with worried look in his eyes, maybe even jealousy.

 

“I really hate you, you know that?” Won Woo muttered at Jeonghan who just laughed and started to make his way to the back once again.

 

“Have fun with your Prince Charming! Think again next time you try to force me to wait on your customers!” He chimed before shutting the door. Their friendship was a love/hate kind of relationship. Always playfully causing trouble for the other… but Jeonghan always won.

 

…

 

“How does a Carrot Cafe have no Carrot Cake?” Soo Min whined on the way home.

 

“Because they’re a Carat Cafe… they don’t have carrots.” Ren mumbled in reply, as if he was bored out of his mind now, their visit was so short! He thought they’d have done something more exciting besides checking out a cafe.

 

“But it’s the same thing!” She continued to whine and he had to laugh.

 

“Oh my god, you seriously don’t understand the difference between Carat and Carrot?! Well, I suppose you were never good in English.” He sighed as he pulled out his phone to send a text to a friend. Once he got a reply back he put it away and grabbed her by the wrist and started to direct her in the opposite direction of her home. Something to lengthen their time together...

 

“Where are we going?” She asked as she stumbled to follow him.

 

“Emergency English Lesson at Aron’s place~!” He said while he continued to drag her all the way there. Once they arrived, because it was close by, he rang the doorbell and the door opened revealing their American friend, Kwak Aron. “Help, this girl is going stupid.” Ren gave Soo Min a small push towards Aron who started to laugh.

 

“What’s going on?!” He asked before inviting the two in. “You didn’t say you were coming over!” That’s when they entered the living room and discovered he had company over. Two unfamiliar guys were sitting on the couch talking to each other before they stopped and glanced their way.

 

“Sorry, didn’t know you had company.” Ren apologized before Aron shook his head, ensuring him it was alright. “I just needed you to explain something to her about a word she keeps getting wrong. She embarrassed us at a cafe we just went to because of it.”

 

“Uh oh… what word?” Aron suddenly looked worried and Soo Min pouted.

 

“Carrot Cafe.” She explained. “They don’t have any Carrot Cake, how stupid is that?!”

 

“Did she mean Carat Cafe?” One of Aron’s guests asked.

 

“You two speak English?” Ren asked towards the two who nodded. “Good! Come here… all three of you explain why C-A-R-A-T is not the same as the vegetable Carrot. This girl doesn’t understand.”

 

“Why you gotta be like this, man?” Soo Min sighed and earned a laugh from the pair of new faces. “I was kidding! Of course I know Carat isn’t the same as Carrot… it was just fun to see you get frustrated!”

 

“You are evil.” Ren glared before glancing to the others. “Then teach her how to say literally. She still can’t get it right.”

 

“Sorry to bother you, dude. We’ll get going now!” Soo Min suddenly turned to Aron and tried to escape because she didn’t want to embarrass herself in front of the new faces when she tries to say the word Ren mentioned. He always about that word because she struggles a lot when saying it, it’s funny to him.

 

“No problem, dudette. But why don’t you meet these other dudes, first?” He gestured to the unfamiliar faces. “These are my other American friends. This one is Joshua, he’s from L.A and Vernon, he’s from New York.”

 

“Nice to meet you.” Ren reached out to shake their hands because that was how it was done in the states. When it came to Soo Min, she hesitated. “They’re not going to crush your hand. Relax.” Because last time they met people from America, their handshakes were firm and nearly broke her hand, they were so strong.

 

“Can we speak Korean now?” She asked after shaking their hands.

 

“No.” Ren shook his head and looked at the others to agree with him. “You need to brush up on your English. We’re flying to America again pretty soon and that’s all we’ll be speaking on the trip.”

 

“B-B-But…”

 

“It’s okay, I’m tagging along, I’ll help you.” Aron reached out and gave her a cute pat on the head. Both Ren and Soo Min were good in English, but sometimes she struggled and preferred Korean the most. “These guys happen to be going to the states to visit family at the same time, so I’m sure they’ll help you, too. Right guys?” He glanced at his other friends.

 

“We will, don’t worry.” Joshua gave her a kind smile. “I understand how you’re feeling. I don’t think I’m that great in Korean yet, I only moved here a few years ago, so it’s fine.”

 

“I still speak pretty good English but I moved from New York to Korea when I was 5. My mother only speaks English but sometimes I forget when I’m not around her. So you and I are in the same boat, kind of… or maybe not but kind of?” Vernon tried to explain himself the best he could but failed.

 

“Okay, you’re confusing her!” Aron laughed once they saw her tilt her head with those big lost eyes.

 

“Listen to Lady Gaga, It will help.” Ren chuckled when she rolled her eyes.

 

…

 

It was the end of the day by now as Jeonghan and his friends were now off their shifts from Carat Cafe. It got pretty boring towards the end as not many customers came in because it rained all day! Soo Min was right when she said it might be raining later… good thing he had that umbrella.

 

“Damn, it’s still raining?” Won Woo sighed as they were standing under the small roofing of the building. “Did you bring an umbrella?” He turned to his boyfriend who shook his head with a small frown. That’s when they heard the sound of Jeonghan opening the umbrella he obtained earlier from Soo Min and watched him step out into the rain with a teasing smile.

 

“Good luck on getting home.” He said with a small wave before starting his way down the sidewalk.

 

“Yah~!” Won Woo shouted after him. “Get back here! That umbrella is big enough for the three of us, don’t be like that!” Jeonghan just ignored them but was walking slow as if he was waiting to hear more from his mouthy friend. “You greedy !”

 

“You’re too much, L-O-L!” Jeonghan laughed after turning around to see his two roommates stranded at the cafe entrance. “Takes one to know one, am I right?” He cocked his head to the side.

 

“You two are always fighting!” Mingyu whined. “Can’t we just all get along?!”

 

“You’re his boyfriend, provide for him.” Jeonghan simply said before turning around and started walking again. He could hear Won Woo shouting after him again and just laughed it off. Their friendship was a strange one sometimes. Surely it’ll stop raining soon… maybe.

 

He successfully made it around the corner and approached a crosswalk before waiting for the signal. Today was an interesting day for him, a first for everything. Meeting that girl stood out the most and he couldn’t stop thinking about the encounter… Everything about this is still weird. He thought before his eyes locked onto a familiar face again. It was her. He paused and stared, feeling spooked. How come she showed up just as he was thinking about her?! Is this what they call… fate?

 

She was on the other side of the crosswalk waiting for the signal to come on and her expression was impatient, like she was in a hurry. He wondered why? He also noticed she was alone this time. Is something wrong? Waiting for the light seemed like it was taking forever. Part of him wanted to walk over to her and ask why she looked distressed but then again… it’s none of my business.

 

Finally, the signal came on and just as he was about to cross, he saw another familiar face catch up to her and he realized… maybe she was also messing around with her friend like he was now that he saw how Ren looked so annoyed, his clothes and hair were damp as he joined Soo Min under her Pikachu themed umbrella. The small smack on the back of her head and her laughter proved that she had ditched him in the rain just like he did with Won Woo and Mingyu. So we’re alike?

 

Because he was so distracted about the scene across the street, he hadn’t expected his roommates to catch up to him and do the same to him, more like Won Woo.

 

“You were really going to leave us in the rain like that?!” The younger scolded.

 

“You fail as a boyfriend, Kim Mingyu.” Jeonghan pouted as the two stuck close to his side to avoid the rain.

 

“Sorry!” The giant apologized in a small voice before suggesting that he should hold the umbrella since he was taller. That did seem like a better idea so they switched places, but then he quickly regretted it as both Won Woo and Mingyu took off with the umbrella, ditching him now! Obviously payback! I should’ve known! Damn! Those two were such troublemakers around him, it’s no wonder he treats them the way he does… Well, now what? He thought as he tried to shield his head with his arms, but it wasn’t working and was pointless now. At least the rain lightened up a bit.

 

“Gosh, that was so mean!” He suddenly heard Soo Min’s voice and the raindrops falling on his head stopped. “How come they took off with the umbrella I gave you earlier?!”

 

“Because they’re jerks.” He said flatly.

 

“Kind of like her, huh?” Ren held back a laugh. “She also ditched me in the rain, so I’m wondering why she came to save you despite being so evil?” His words made Jeonghan think of something funny. Evil people must stick together...

 

“I’m just being nice!” She defended before gesturing Jeonghan to take a hold of her umbrella. “I’m done for the day!” She added before stepping out and catching a cab that just pulled up near them, like it was perfect timing.

 

“Where are you going?!” Ren asked before he could see some paparazzi in the distance coming their way. At least she managed to escape, which was good, he didn’t want her having to deal with them again. For him, he didn’t mind it, but since he was with her, he avoids it. I guess I’m taking pictures with my doppleganger… oh wait. He suddenly turned towards Jeonghan. “Are you camera shy?”

 

“What? Camera shy?” Jeonghan repeated while looking confused. “Why?”

 

“Nevermind, let’s go before they catch up to us.” Ren gave him a push into the other direction.

 

They managed to avoid the small group of paparazzi by taking shelter in a small pizza joint nearby and Ren offered to buy Jeonghan a meal for the trouble he and Soo Min caused him today. “I wouldn’t say I was burdened by anything you two did today…” Jeonghan mentioned as they were waiting for the pizza to arrive.

 

“It might sound weird but I also wanted to thank you for bumping into Soo Min today…”

 

“And why am I being thanked for bumping into a girl I didn’t know existed until today?”

 

“For silly reasons.” Ren chuckled. “You might not know it, but you managed to put a beautiful smile on her face today. Maybe I shouldn’t say a lot but… her smiles are rare.” He explained as he started to remember the scene earlier. “Because she gave her black umbrella to you, she had to go get a new one and the lady at the shop gave her that Pikachu themed one. She likes Pokémon so that really made her day. But I guess she gave up her umbrella again.” At that last sentence, he frowned.

 

“You can take it back to her.” Jeonghan mentioned before attempting to hand it over.

 

“No, she’ll probably throw a fit if I did that. She’s the kind of girl who’d probably say I ruined her chance on properly thanking you for returning it. She’s a handful… I bet she’ll come back to the cafe to get it back, you know, like an excuse to come see you again.” In that moment, both of them froze at those few words. Jeonghan felt his heart flutter a bit from the talk of a girl wanting to come see him and Ren felt a surge of strange feelings about Soo Min coming back to see Jeonghan. Their feelings were complete opposites on the topic. “Or maybe she’ll forget… she always forgets things.”

 

It started to look obvious between the two of them… Jeonghan couldn’t help but look interested in Soo Min while Ren couldn’t help but look jealous about their encounters. “And so… what’s your relationship with her? My roommate seems to know who you two are but he didn’t say much. Just friends?” He asked, emphasis on the ‘just friends’ part and that irked Ren. Why was someone he just met speaking to him like that… like they were already rivals or something?

 

“Good friends.” He corrected. “We’ve known each other for a long time, actually.”

 

“I see…” Jeonghan nodded before giving a nonchalant smile. “Friend-zoned?”

 

“Because you’re interested, is that it?” Ren narrowed his eyes. “You shouldn’t get involved with her, it wouldn’t work.” Okay, maybe they are rivals now.

 

“And you’re so sure?”

 

“It’s just the sad truth. Try all you want but it’s going to be one hell of a ride with paparazzi and scandals. Her parents are hard to please, too. Maybe you should do some research before you try to mingle with people out of your league.” Ren didn’t mean for his words to come out harsh or like an insult, but it did as Jeonghan’s expression hardened a bit.

 

“Typical for the common rich folk to look down on ‘average’ people.” He snickered. “When you’re really just human like the rest of us. It’s kind of pathetic when you think you’re better than someone else, don’t you agree?”

 

“And don’t you agree that it’s kind of pathetic when you group everyone together and judge them based off of a stereo type, but maybe that’s just how you ‘average’ folk are raised? I pity that. No thick skin and assume arguing is the best way to get your point across.”

 

“Well aren’t you a hypocrite, as you’re arguing back.” Jeonghan laughed.

 

“True.” Ren nodded and gave a small laugh, too. “I really didn’t mean to come off as rude, you just misunderstood my words. But how else to I say it… how else do I say that society wouldn’t agree with lower ranks mingling with higher ranks?”

 

“It’s happening right now as we speak and I don’t see anyone getting upset?” Jeonghan glanced around the room to see every girl in the restaurant gawking at them. That’s when Ren noticed… perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad if Jeonghan mingled with them, he certainly looked like one of them besides his poor sense of fashion… but that could change with Ren’s help.

 

“I guess you can do what you want.” Ren sighed while leaning back in his seat. “Who am I to stop you from being curious?”

 

“Exactly.” Jeonghan grinned.

 

“But I do have to say one thing… you better not do anything that’d hurt her.” His whole expression turned serious. “Friend or not, I made a promise to protect her a long time ago.”

 

“That’s cute.” Jeonghan smiled this time. “You can relax, I won’t do anything because I actually don’t have time for it. Us ‘average’ folk are busier than you might think.”

 

“God, are you serious? Making a big fuss just to say that… you and her might have a lot in common now.” He muttered at the end.

 

“Your serious face was interesting, I just wanted to see how far I could get before you did anything drastic.” At that reply, Ren’s face scrunched up in annoyance. He really didn’t like this Jeonghan anymore.

 

“I’m pleased that I was able to entertain you pair of nutjobs for the day. Damn, why is it always me that suffers?” He let his head drop while Jeonghan laughed at his reaction.

 

…

 

“Halmoni, I’m home!” Soo Min called out after entering the front door and dumped her small handbag on the table nearby before taking off her shoes and let out a deep tiring sigh. “What a day.”

 

“Did you have fun while you were out?” Her grandmother asked as she approached her from the kitchen.

 

“I tried.” Soo Min gave an honest answer accompanied with a weak smile. She really did try for her dear grandmother but… going out was just not her thing. “I met up with Ren to check out a cafe, that was kind of exciting.”

 

“Really? Were there any paparazzi?” The elder asked, suddenly looking worried.

 

“Of course there was, but Ren handled it like a boss, so no need to worry!”

 

“Good, I’m glad. I should thank him next time I see him.”

 

“Go ahead, moving on, how was Carrot today? Did she behave?” Soo Min asked as she looked around the room for her little orange cat she adopted 2 weeks ago.

 

“That poor cat didn’t come out of your room all day. I had to take the food and water to her, she wouldn’t even come to greet me, either.”

 

“Awww~! My poor baby!” Soo Min cooed before making her way to her room on the first floor. “I guess she’s not used to living here just yet!”

 

“It’s because you keep babying her!” Her grandmother called after her. “You were always home playing with her since the day you got her!”

 

“You make it sound like it’s a bad thing!” She pouted as she stood at her bedroom door, her grandmother slowly making her way over.

 

“If you’re going to leave the house, it is! You’ll be going to America for a weekend pretty soon… poor Carrot might go insane with you being gone that long. You can’t take her either, so don’t even try to suggest it.”

 

“Aish…” Soo Min sighed while opening her door. She had expected to be either greeted with Carrot napping on her bed or greeted with an empty room because the feline was hiding but instead… she was met with a guy playing with her pet in the middle of the room with a piece of string! At the sharp sound of her gasp, Carrot got startled and accidentally clawed the guy before running off to hide.

 

“There you are, I was wondering where you went off to!” The elder pushed past her granddaughter to approach the guy. “Are you okay?!” She frowned when she saw the wound on his hand now. He flashed her a bright smile before hiding his injury and assured her he was fine before he glanced over to Soo Min who still stood at the door looking shocked. He quickly bowed in apology before her grandmother started to explain the situation. “You can relax, he’s the new maid… uh… butler?” She glanced up at him for some help.

 

“Both.” He chuckled. “My name is Lee Seokmin and I’ll be helping both you and your grandmother with anything you need from this day forward. I apologize for startling you like this, Halmoni was worried about your kitten and I was just trying to help.” He bowed several times. Soo Min thought his name sounded familiar before she raised a hand to stop him for doing it anymore.

 

“Stop. I don’t like that.” She said with a slight annoyed expression before it softened. “It’s just us here… no need to be so formal.” She added before glancing over to her grandmother. “That’s why you sent me out, huh? So you can brief him on how this house runs without me getting in the way?”

 

“You hadn’t been out of the house for 2 weeks, it was necessary!” The elder defended. “Stop your complaining, you made it back alive, didn’t you?”

 

“Almost. Got caught out in the rain towards the end…” she sighed while running a hand through her long hair but it got stuck from the small hair accessory that she put on before heading out because she thought she should at least try with her appearance today.

 

“Shall I run a bath for you, Miss Chae?” Seokmin asked quickly, obviously doing his job.

 

“... sure. And call me Soo Min.” She corrected with a small smile in hopes he’d be more comfortable and not so worried about the formalities since it really was just her and her grandmother. There wouldn’t be anyone to snitch on him for being casual let alone shouldn’t he be adjusting to how they want things to be around here, that meant this was a home and they were a family.

 

“I was wanting a bath, too.” Her grandmother pouted, earning a laugh from the two younger adults.

 

“Go first, then.” Soo Min pointed out the door.

 

Just as Seokmin was about the head out to prepare that bath, the elder stopped him. “No need, I’m quite picky with my baths, let me do it. Why don’t you prep dinner while I’m MIA.” She gave him a gentle pat on the back before exiting the room, leaving Soo Min and Seokmin alone… or well, Carrot was still in the room but do felines count?

 

“She won’t let even me prepare her baths.” Soo Min giggled when she saw Seokmin’s bothered expression. She figured he was having a hard time adjusting to his clients not letting him do his job. “I think it’s because she has a secret, like she has some magical powder or serum that she puts in the water so she can stay young and beautiful.”

 

“Perhaps.” Seokmin had to agree.

 

“It’s most likely just some epsom salts and bubbles.” She said flatly before walking over to her bed and knelt down to look for her kitten. “So, are you here out of the sake of helping me and my sassy grandmother or are you here as a spy, Mr. Lee Seokmin?” Seeing her lying flat on the floor while saying that was amusing and he tried to hide his laughter. “I didn’t recognize you at first but now I do. You work at my parents place, I remember seeing you a couple of times over there when I visited… did they send you over here to spy on me?”

 

“I suppose I should be honest and say yes.” He felt bad. He didn’t like the proposal her parents brought to him but… at the same time he could tell they were just worried about her so he agreed to come work with her grandmother. He promised himself not to pry too deep into their daughter's life just because he was told to do so. “I only took the job because I could tell they were just worried about you. If me working here will put them at ease, then I’m happy to help.”

 

“I guess I can understand that. I haven’t been a very good daughter these days. Can’t even remember the last time I visited my parents or talked to them, but then again I’ve always had a bad memory.” She muttered as she stuck her hand under her bed to reach for her scared kitten. “Then I won’t give you a difficult time. But please just report what I want reported… I don’t think they need to know everything that goes on here.”

 

“What does that mean?” Seokmin was a little worried about that comment just now.

 

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing serious!” She laughed while turning to look up at him. “I just don’t want you saying things like “Your daughter binged watched kdramas all weekend. Your daughter lost her marbles when her bias group made a comeback. Your daughter overdosed on sugar last night.” Harmless things like that.”

 

“Those don’t sound harmless, they sound dangerous!” Seokmin exclaimed. Sleep deprivation, emotional breakdowns and unhealthy sugar rushes?!

 

“Relax, I’m a professional by now.” She joked. “But yeah, just try to say things that will please them, because if they hear what’s really going on, those things I mentioned, they’re going to force me to do more outings and socialize more and I just… really hate that.”

 

“Why?” Naturally he was going to be curious, but he should know since he was around when she grew up. She probably didn’t remember that part of her childhood because even back then she was always attending social gatherings and parties because of her parents… she didn’t really have a chance to be a kid or have time to herself and now that she’s an adult, she was making up for it, wasn’t she? “You hadn’t been out of the house for 2 weeks, it was necessary!” That comment her grandmother made concerned him. She’s really changed since then.

 

“I’m tired, maybe that’s a story for another day.” She said before flinching with a small yelp. Carrot thought she was trying to play when she moved her hand and she pounced the moving object which happened to be her owner’s hand, she even had her claws out.

 

“Are you okay?!” Seokmin rushed over to help her sit up.

 

“I’m fine.” She laughed. “That was my fault.” I’m causing myself trouble!

 

“We should bandage that right away!” He helped her stand before leading her out of the room to locate the first aid kit.

 

“Will you bandage your cut, too? I just remembered Carrot scratched you earlier when I came to my room!” She pointed at the small scratch on his left hand.

 

“I forgot about that too.” He gave a sheepish laugh while opening up the kit. “I’ll do that after I tend to your wound first!”

 

…

 

“What a day…” Soo Min sighed after falling back onto her bed. It was nighttime now, around 10pm. After Seokmin bandaged her scratch from Carrot, she helped bandaged his against his wishes before helping him prepare dinner against his wishes, too! It was pretty amusing to watch him get frustrated and lecture her on why he was there. He was there to tend to her every need like a true butler, but he couldn’t get used to the idea of her doing everything on her own. He honestly had thought from the rumors he’d hear from other workers that she’d make him do above and beyond because she was supposed to be this spoiled rich girl. He was proven wrong, she was a nice and independent girl. She must’ve gotten it from her grandmother, that elder wouldn’t let Seokmin do anything for her, either! “The least I’ll let him do is make breakfast on his own because I don’t have the energy to do anything in the mornings…”

 

After a couple of minutes of lying on her bed relaxing, she felt her little feline friend jump up on the bed and hop up onto her stomach before sitting down on her chest and stared at her owner with those cute eyes. “Carrot, you don’t know how good you have it.” Soo Min flashed her a small smile. “You get to eat, sleep and repeat and do whatever you want. You have someone to take care of you and loves you just the way you are… why couldn’t I have been born a cat?” She sighed while petting Carrot who nuzzled into her hand each time. “No one really expects a lot from you, either. I’m jealous of you, Carrot.”

 

“Meow.” The kitten just curled up on her chest and started to purr in reply.

 

“I hope when I wake up tomorrow, I’ll have been reborn a cat, because I’m tired of all this. I want to be a normal girl. I want to be someone who doesn’t complain about their life anymore. I just want to be happy…” eventually the purring from her cat put her to sleep moments later, something that’s helped her these past two weeks. Carrot had changed a lot of things since she started living here, it’s probably why Soo Min spoils the feline so much by giving her the best of the best when it comes to food and treats, even toys to love and affection because Carrot accepted Soo Min for Soo Min despite only being a small orange cat.

 

She was definitely going to be a cat lady when she gets old and grey.

---

Chapter two~!

 

AT LAST, I PRESENT TO YOU, CHAPTER TWO~!

It’s super long!

I got carried away...

Lol

Soo Min talking to her cat, but that’s a good thing, at least she’s talking to someone about it, even though Carrot isn’t human… or is she?

Carrot transforms into a human

JK

I leave you with this update

I hope to post another chapter next weekend but we’ll just have to see

I hope everyone can be patient with me on this story because I really want to write it!

Until next time~!