“I think I’m fat.”

Jieun raised a brow while staring at the TV. She was in the middle of shoving a spoonful of ice cream in when she came to a halt after hearing those words. Scoffing, Jieun continued eating her snack. Yeah, right. If you’re fat then what am I?

The girl barely looked 45 kilograms and she’s complaining about looking fat. The hosts started telling the girl that she looked fine as is but the girl kept on insisting that she needed to lose some of her arm fats. Girl, you already look like a walking stick and you still want to lose some fat? What arm fats are you talking about in the first place?

Moving a little, Jieun placed the tab of ice cream on the table before reaching for the remote. Scratching her head, she changed the channel. Her head’s feeling itchy since this morning. The reason’s not actually a mystery. She hasn’t washed her hair in four straight days. Why? Just because.

Meet Choi Jieun, the second daughter of Mr. Choi Minsung and Mrs. Kang Inhye. Both of her parents are bakers and because of that, she has unlimited supply of delicious pastries all year round. She’s attractive (and she strongly believes in that), fun to be with and smart – if consistently being in the top 5 is smart enough for you to believe that she really has the brains.

She has a bit of temper but who does not have that anyway? Everyone has the tendency to be y. She’s a music prodigy. That’s not bragging at all; just stating a fact. She mastered playing the piano, guitar, violin, saxophone and drums at the age of 12. As if that’s not enough, she’s now in the middle of learning how to play the gayageum, haegeum and janggun for a change. According to her, it’s the time to learn some Korean musical instruments.

She has no flaws – that’s her own belief – but people around her kept on pointing out one big flaw of hers. She’s fat. She’s already used to being called ‘fatty’, ‘chubs’, ‘fatso’, ‘piggy’ and all those nicknames pertaining to her size. But being ‘used to it’ does not mean that being called by those nicknames does not hurt her. It still does but not as much as before. She has learned to love her own body and she has learned to accept that she cannot be like the other girls who have small frames.

Jieun’s in the chubby side since she was a child. When she hit middle school, she became very conscious about her looks because everyone started picking on her – including her crush. Imagine the damage that brought to her young heart.  

“AH!” Jieun yelped when her mother suddenly hit her shoulder with her apron. “THAT HURTS!!” She rubbed her shoulder, looking up at the mighty Mrs. Kang Inhye. The latter hit her again and Jieun stood, evading the flying apron.

“Why don’t you go and help in the shop? You’ve been in the house for the whole day,” her mother remarked, pointing at her.

“It’s hot. I don’t want to go outside,” Jieun whined. She was about to say more but stopped herself because her mother was already glaring at her. She knows better than go on with her little rants when her mother’s already shooting her the ‘glare of death’.

“That’s the point; go out and sweat a little. Your summer vacation’s ending next week and you’re still lazing around the house. Go and sweat some of your fats.”

Jieun pouted. “I’m not fat. It’s just my awesomeness swelling up inside me.”

“Okay. Whatever. Just go and help your father.”

And with those words, she was forced to get out of the house.

Walking for 5 minutes to get to their bakery shop felt like an hour. The sun’s scorching even in the late afternoon. She felt like she’s being fried in her own oil (sweat). She was frowning and sweating when she reached the shop and only felt like air started circulating when she entered the fully air conditioned shop.

Business is booming as usual. The tables are full with various kinds of people – from professionals to students.

“Did she kick you out?” Mr. Choi asked with a playful smile painted on his face. Jieun made a face before nodding. Her father laughed even louder. Jieun quickly wore the shop’s light brown apron and reached the tray of macaroons from her father. She neatly stacked them for display.

“Do you know what time your sister will come home?”

“Around 8? I’m not sure. She just told me she’s going to have dinner there before coming,” Jieun replied as she started looking for a song to play. Her father does not know how to set the mood in the shop. The beautiful voice of Taeyeon resonated inside the shop as she clicked on the playlist that she always plays when she’s there. That’s more like it.

The Sweet Room is popular in their neighborhood and since they are in the center of the business district, it’s impossible not to have a customer. Students from Jieun’s school, Choong Ang High School, are their usual customers during school days. And with the summer break ending soon, she’s sure that they’re going to need extra help.

“Dad, why don’t we hire someone to help us? The three of us will not be able to handle the work here once classes resume,” Jieun suggested as she started cleaning up the counter. Mr. Choi thought of it for a minute before nodding.

“I’ll talk to your mom about that. How about we- Oh! Jongin!” her father exclaimed when Jongin and his friends stepped inside the shop.

“Hello uncle!” he greeted brightly, waving his hand after nodding in greeting. Jieun and Jongin literally grew up together. Their fathers are best friends since high school and when Jongin’s father decided to move to Seoul with his family, they decided to live in the same building where Jieun’s family lives. Jongin’s like a son to her father and mother so the younger guy just calls Jieun’s parents ‘uncle’ and ‘aunt’. 

“Hi there my friend!” he continued when his eyes met Jieun’s.

“Hi,” she replied casually when Jongin stepped in front of the counter. The latter looked at the menu before glancing at his friends.

“What do you guys want?” he asked and his friends started giving their order. Jieun expertly tapped on the monitor, listing and calculating the cost of their order.

“How about you?” Jieun asked, not lifting her head.

“The usual.”

Macaroons and one iced vanilla latte.

Jongin took the buzzer and followed his friends on the table near the window. Jieun’s aware of how the crowd’s attention suddenly went to him and his friends. They’re a bunch of good-looking guys in