Would it be weird if you just happened to hang out at his favorite bar every weekend for the next month until you see him? No, it's totally normal that you would go there, right? Okay, self: Time to slow your roll on the creep factor.

Just imagine that the Weekly Idol Episode was this one: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=en_SztHA_uE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTmKJyumUXI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ner3LjCo8ZQ
 

“Where do you want to go for lunch?” Luna saw Krystal open to answer, “No! We’re not going back to that café. We’ve been there eight times in the last ten days!!!”

“You said you liked the food though!” Krystal poked Luna’s side teasingly. 

Luna squealed like a baby.  She giggled as she fought off Krystal’s ticklish fingers.  The taller girl had her cornered in their manager’s car and there was no escape.  Their laughter grew louder till Luna had tears streaming down her face.

“Okay okay! We’ll go to your girlfriend’s café!”

“Yah! She’s not my girlfriend!”—yet.  Krystal swatted her friend’s shoulder, but sat back contentedly as they made their way to the familiar café.

“She’s never there anyway,” Krystal glared at the older girl.  Luna put her hands up in mock surrender, “But she isn’t! Oh come on— We haven’t seen her even once.”

“She works there, we’ll run into her eventually,” Krystal pointed out.  She kept the fact that she had been there multiple times on her own as well and had yet to see Isobel.  They had kept in contact via text though.

Krystal grabbed her phone and sent a quick text to her.

[What’re you up to today?]

The reply was almost instant.  Krystal loved that, she hated having to wait for responses. So it made her happy to note that Isobel answered almost immediately… As long as she wasn’t asleep.

[Just working. What about you? x]

[Dance practice, then recording session, then I think we have an interview tonight.]

[Eep! That’s a busy day! Make sure you eat properly and drink lots of water. >:( Or I’ll come feed you!]

[Arasseo arasseo. You too. x]

Krystal giggled at the cute text.  Isobel was always telling her to take care and be healthy, but she didn’t smother her.  It was nice, just someone making sure she was okay without nagging her all the time.  It had been nearly two weeks since Krystal had seen her in person, two weeks since her sister had scolded her for leaving her alone by the coffee machine.  She had been back there almost everyday to surprise Isobel with a visit and just to catch a glimpse of her.  Too bad Isobel never seemed to be on shift.

But today was a lucky day! She was working!

“Oppa,” Krystal leaned forward, straining against her seatbelt to get closer to their manager, “Can we please hurry? I want to get to the café quickly.”

Her manager looked at her in the rearview mirror with a half-smile.  He pointed to his left, “We’re already here.”

Krystal looked to the left and sure enough, the familiar building was there, “oh.”

Luna burst out laughing again.  She clapped her hands like an over-excited seal as Krystal glared at her again.  The older girl wiped a tear from her eye and pinched Krystal’s cheek before getting out, “Kyeo~”

Krystal meronged her unnie, and walked ahead into the café.  She fixed her hair in the glass windows.  Made sure her shirt was falling perfectly.  Checked that her lip gloss was great.  She practiced the smile she would give as Isobel turned to see her surprised.

“Okay. Hwaiting!” Krystal gave herself a mini fist pump before she waltzed into the café.  One look inside and she froze at the doorway.  She was nothing more than a statue, rooted to the spot and blocking Luna’s entrance.

“Yah! Soojung, you’re blocking the way.”  Luna peeked around the frozen girl and saw what, or more accurately who, had caused her to stop.  She rolled her eyes, “Come on.”

Luna took Krystal’s arm gently and pulled her into the café properly.  Krystal was like a zombie as Luna dragged her to a booth and left her there to order.  The barista was tall, slim, good-looking and decidedly male.  It was the same blonde haired guy that had been the barista for the last twelve days.  She was trapped in a daze as she sipped the black coffee Luna had bought her.  The scalding heat of the freshly brewed drink barely registered in her mind.  Krystal was too lost in the disappointment of yet again another failed attempt to surprise Isobel.

That night, during their Weekly Idol interview, Krystal couldn’t help but be a bit quiet. Luckily, her cool idol image let her get away with being a bit more expressionless than the others.  Plus Victoria, Amber and Luna had it all covered.

She felt her phone vibrate in her back pocket.  While everyone was focused on Victoria, Luna and Amber arguing that Amber’s move to push Victoria in the Random Play Dance was correct, she discretely looked down and checked her screen.

[Yah! You didn’t tell me you’d be on Weekly Idol! You look good in the Guns’n’Roses Shirt ;) ]

Her eyes brightened immediately and she smiled at the message.  She shoved the phone back in her pocket and grabbed Vic-unnie’s hand.  This time her laugh was the loudest when she joined in the argument.  Her members glanced at her once, but upon seeing an honest smile, they grinned and basically bullied the two announcers into saying that they were right.  It was a fun time.

[You’re a great dancer. Wow!!! <3]

[YAH! STOP TOUCHING AMBER!]

[I don’t know whether to love the fact that your abs flash every now and then when you lift your arm or…. Hate it coz others can see it.  You’re making my heart beat weirdly!!!!]

When there was a small break in the interview section, with the camera focused on Vic-unnie, Krystal quickly glanced at her phone again.  It had been vibrating constantly the whole time they played the Random Play Dance and even during the interview.

She bit her lip shyly as a new message arrived right at that moment.

[You’re really cute when you want meat. xo]

[OMG HAHAHAHAHA YOU MISSED EVERY SINGLE SHOT. I’M LAUGHING SO HARD THAT I’M CRYING.]

Krystal hid her phone under the table they provided for Victoria to cook.  She checked her messages again.  It was tempting fate to keep checking, but it was like she couldn’t stop herself.  Anything connected to Isobel was like a drug that Krystal had to keep trying.  Though Krystal did pout a little as the older girl laughed at her attempts at basketball trash.

[If you stare at the meat any harder you’ll fry it with your laser vision kekekeke]

[Do they always feed you like that?]

[Okay….. The feeding was cute at the start, but now stop it.]

[YAH I SAID STOP IT]

[TT.TT]

[…………….Please never do aegyo or bbuing bbuing to me.]

Their filming was finally over.  While everyone was in the change rooms waiting for manager-oppa, Krystal went to the toilets and checked her phone. 

Nearly every message made her laugh or smile. She had to cover to stifle the laughter in case someone walked past.  This girl was a bit of a jealous type.  The last message shocked her.  Before she realized what she as doing, she had pressed call.

“Hey princess!”

“Yah! What do you mean don’t do aegyo or bbuing bbuing?” Krystal couldn’t care less if anyone heard her right now, “Don’t you know how embarrassing that was? They kept making me do it again and again!”

Isobel laughed, and Krystal ignored the smile that threatened to break out on her face just from hearing that familiar laugh, “I know I know. It’s just…”

“Just what?”

“You’re too cute.  I think I’d die if you did that to me in real life.”

Krystal’s face turned red at that comment and she silently thanked the heavens that no one could see her lobster red cheeks right now, “Shhhhhh! What did you do today?”

“Just worked all day.”

“Liar.”

“Huh?”

The bitter word had slipped out before Krystal could help herself.  It was true though, the older girl hadn’t been at the cafe when she claimed to have been working.  The laughter and the smiles from before vanished without a trace.  In their wake, all they felt was one angry Jung.

“You weren’t at the café.”

“Yeah, I was… I’ve been working at the café all week. Are you okay, Soojung?”

“Stop lying! You haven’t been in all week!”  Krystal was absolutely seething now.  How dare she lie so boldly? She had spent most of the week going to that stupid café just to see her and there was never any sign of Isobel.

“……..Have you been coming to the café?”

“Yes,” Krystal grumbled.

“Why?” Krystal could hear the smile in her voice.  Isobel was enjoying this, the jerk!

“Why do you think?”

“Next time you come, message me.”

“I don’t want to come anymore. You’ve been lying to me.”

“Kekeke I haven’t lied. I’ve been there working. In the office at the back.”

Krystal frowned, not sure why the barista would be required to work in the office, “Waeyo?”

“Princess… I’m the manager. I was just filling in when our barista was sick.”

There was a pregnant pause as those words filtered through to Krystal’s brain.  With another groan she whacked her head on the toilet door.  Thud. Thud. Thud.  There would probably be a red mark in a minute, but she didn’t care.  She just embarrassed herself in front of Isobel… Again.

All she could hear from the phone was snickering.

“Shut uuuuuuup,” Krystal whined.

“Okay okay. Kekeke Will you come by tomorrow?”

“Yeah yeah,” Krystal was excited for tomorrow, but she was sulky all the same.

“Alright. I’ll see you then. Be safe, babe.” Then she hung up.

Krystal blushed for the thousandth time since meeting Isobel.  Her heart beat too loudly in her chest to be heathy, dugeun dugeun.

Wait.  Babe?