The chimes ring as you open the door to the bakery. You've decided to treat yourself to something sweet after surviving the rather stressful work week.

"Welcome!" 

It's the voice of the same guy who greets you every time you're there, his back turned to you as he busies himself, restocking the food on display.

As you look around for something to eat, you find yourself humming a tune.

This sounds familiar. Where did I hear this?

You realize, you've actually caught on the song the guy was silently singing. An old time classic, one of your favorites. You smile.

"Excuse me do you have-" 

You accidentally bump into someone as you walked backwards, distractedly scanning the shelves. When you turn around to apologize you see a person hunched over a display, their hand suspended in the air; it's that guy. He's frowning at a pile of macarons that had toppled over.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" you apologize bowing a couple of times.

Macaron guy straightens up and rubs the back of his head with his ungloved hand.

"It's okay." He speaks with an accent. 

The smile on his face reassures you that you won't be scolded again like what happened at work today.

"Which sweet pastry are you craving for today?"

How did he know I was craving for something sweet?  you ask yourself. 

"Y-You..."

"Me? Sorry, but I'm not edible." He backs away, looking positively scared.

"Oh no! I didn't mean it that way!"

"I was just kidding!" He lets out a friendly laugh. "You were staring at the macarons, so I assumed you wanted something sweet."

"Oh!" You laugh nervously.

This guy's weird, you tell yourself. But you also can't deny that there's a certain charm about him.

Why have I never noticed him before? His smile, the way his eyes sparkle- 

"Welcome!" 

You snap out of your thoughts as he welcomes another customer.

"You should try the macarons. I made them myself," he suggests before excusing himself to entertain the old lady who just entered.

You debate whether or not to trust him, but you ultimately give in once you spot a strawberry flavored one peeking from underneath the pile. Just the flavor you were looking for! You hurry to the cashier and wait in anticipation, rocking back and forth on your heels.

"Cute."

It was a faint sound from behind you but it caught your attention nonetheless. You turn around to see who it was, but there's no one else around except weird macaron guy who was back to arranging pastries. You quickly dismiss it as a random noise as the cashier calls your attention. 

"Wow! This is really good!" you say happily, as you take a bite of the strawberry flavored macaron. "Can I order an entire box?"

"Sorry, but I think that's the only one left. Right, Sungjin hyung?" the cashier confirms with the cute guy.

Cute guy? Excuse me, he was the weird macaron guy just a few seconds ago...

"Yeah," Sungjin replies, much to your disappointment. "You could come back tomorrow though, I'll set aside a box for you," he offers. 

There's that smile again.

"Oh, I'm going out of town this weekend..."

You can't help but notice how he pouts, ever so slightly, that you find yourself blurting out in an almost too enthusiastic voice, "I'll be back next week though!" 

Cringe.

You wait for the earth to open up from underneath you, but it doesn't happen, it never will.

As you leave, he smiles politely and you do the same but with a tinge of red on your cheeks.

"I swear there are there butterflies in this thing..." You inspect the remaining half of the macaron as you walk out the bakery.

++++++

A few weeks later

"Ugh, why wasn't I born with long legs..." you grumble as you try to reach for the last bag of loaf bread sitting on top of the tallest shelf in the bakery. You've already scanned the bakery multiple times, it really is the only one left.

You decide it's time to take drastic measures. Taking off your heels, you start bouncing on your toes. 

"Who displays something this high anyway?" you say out loud in frustration before making a jump for it. 

"Yes!" You've finally grabbed the loaf, unintentionally hitting a few items on display in the process. 

When you land, you bump into someone. It's him, again. His hand was stretched over you as if attempting to help.

"Oh sorry! I didn't see you!" you apologize, yet again. 

"Yeah, you never really do." You catch him saying under his breath. 

There's something sad about his eyes even though he was smiling. You don't know why but you take offense.

"Sungjin," you say confidently. "Your name is Sungjin."

"Yes, I am." He's about to show off the name plate on his apron when he realizes he isn't even in uniform.

"I remember you." You avoid his eyes.

The next thing you know you're being whipped around. You squeeze your eyes shut by instinct. The sound of shattering glass follows. Dark Amber and Ginger Lily? You can smell your favorite scent. You can't be mistaken, you own a scented candle with that very scent. When you open your eyes you're staring right at Sungjin's chest. You immediately push him away.

"You-" you start off with an accusing tone, but before you can continue to run your mouth, you see shards of glass and fancily wrapped chocolates scattered on the floor.

"Oh my-"

"Be careful of the glass!" he warns you.

You were standing barefoot, forgetting to put your shoes back on. He reaches for them, making sure they're free of glass before placing it infront of you for you to wear. You decided to be gracious this time, wearing it without fuss. This was all your fault in the first place.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have placed those up there," Sungjin apologizes as he starts picking up the chocolates.

"No, I should be the one to apologize..."

"Please be careful." He tells you as you start helping you out.

"A-Are you throwing these away?" 

"I won't. If you won't tell anyone about it..." he replies in a hushed voice. "Kidding!" He smiles, eyes forming into crescents. "We do have to throw these out, unfortunately. Wouldn't want to stain the good reputation of the bakery."

"No! Don't! I'm paying for these anyway... I'll take-"

"No." he cuts you off with a firm voice.

He stands up placing the fallen sweets on the shelf, then reaches for another bottle of chocolates. You refuse it but he insists.

"It's on me. Sorry for the rather traumatizing experience. I'll make sure to place everything at your height."

Sungjin reaches for the top of your head making yout heart skip a beat. You watch as he moves his hand horizontally, sliding down a bit, until the nearest shelf.

"Here! This should do right?"

You let out a breath you hadn't realized you've been holding. Deep inside you wish his hand could have stay longer. 

"I'm not that small..." you mumble, but he quickly points to your heels.

"Do you want to go out for some coffee?" he asks out of the blue, placing his hand back on your head.

"Huh?!" You're taken aback by his action more than his invitation, that you had taken a step back too far, making his hand fall.

"You said you wanted my hand on your head," he says, amused.

"I did not!"

"You do tend to talk a lot to yourself actually..." his voice trails off.

Sungjin's staring at you.

You can feel your face heating up. Please don't tell me I'm turning red. You try to laugh it out as you turn away. 

"Cute."

It's that sound again! You look back just to make sure. It is him! You give him your best impression of a grumpy face but he just laughs at you.

God why are his eyes so distracting.

"I get that a lot..."

Did he just- No, he couldn't possibly...

"The chocolates are free, that loaf of bread isn't. Unless you accept my invitation that is, then I'll think about it," he says with a wink as he leans forward from behind the cash register.

"Wow! Some confidence you've got there." You roll your eyes at him. "Your boss will fire you if he finds out what you're doing and we wouldn't want that, would we?"

"I assure you, you've nothing to worry about... because I'm the boss." He beams.

"Dowoon! You're late!" he calls out to the boy who just came in.

"Sorry hyung! I was practicing. I'll make up for it with extra hours, just don't tell mom about it or she'll cut it from my salary, please," the boy begs as he hurries into the kitchen. 

No wonder they have the same accent.

"See I'm the boss here." He smiles smugly at you.

"No, you're the boss' son. And so is he." You stick your tongue out at him.

You hand him your credit card and he takes it reluctantly. To him, you paying means that you're turning down his invitation; but you had no way of knowing this, you're really just that type of person who refuses to receive favors from others.

"2 PM?" you say shyly. You've never done this before, agree to have coffee with an actual stranger. Well technically, he isn't a total stranger. It's been nearly a year since they've opened the bakery, and you've seen him there nearly every single day, you realize.

"I prefer Day6 actually," he replies nonchalantly as he swipes your card.

You wait for him to laugh and say it's a joke but when he doesn't, you slowly start to feel embarrassed, which then turns into anger at how pathetic you've made yourself look.

Unbelievable. So this is how it's gonna be.

You grab your card and food as he hands them to you, and you storm out the store without looking back.

++++++

"What did I do?" Sungjin asks, utterly confused. He hasn't moved from his position since you walked out on him. "Is it wrong to like-"

"Hyung! Not that 2PM! She wanted to meet-"

"You're in-charge today!" Sungjin claps his brother on the shoulder as he runs out the bakery to go after you.

"How can I be so stupid?" he murmurs as he decides which way to go. Before he can take any step further he sees you across the street, waiting at the bus stop. He calls out your name, but you had your earphones on. He's about to cross the street, when your bus arrives. He shouts your name one last time.

++++++

"I missed my chance with her. I'm so stupid." Sungjin downs a shot of soju. "She probably won't come back to the bakery after what I did. She'll think I was just playing her." He pours himself another shot but Dowoon stops him. Four bottles of alcohol were already littered on their table. "I don't know her number... I don't know where she works... Or where she lives..."

"It's not the end of the world hyung," Dowoon tries talking some sense into his brother. "And you're not a stalker."

"Easy for you to say! You're the youngest, everyone finds you adorable." Sungjin hiccups. "I can read minds Dowoon! But I completely spaced out at that moment. Find me someone who can travel back into time, please." He tugs on his younger brother's sweater.

Dowoon laughs nervously, looking around. "You're drunk hyung. Let's get you home."

"No! Don't you know how hard I have to work to get the things I want? I'm the leader! I need to work hard! But none of you listens to me..." Sungjin sprawls out on the table, his thoughts and emotions in a jumble. "I need to find her."

"I know, I know. Now get up hyung!" Dowoon heaves a drunken Sungjin, helping the older boy stand up.

"I love you Dowoon-ah..." Sungjin murmurs to his brother, swaying slightly as he tries to walk.

"Yes. I love you too hyung." Dowoon can't help but laugh. He only ever hears affectionate things from his brother when he's drunk.

"But I love her more..."

++++++

"Did she pass by?" It's the first thing Sungjin asks as he enters the bakery. He had overslept, waking up to a very bad headache, but he still wants to take his chance that he might see you at the bakery again.

"Not yet hyung."

"Remind me never to drink again."

"I always do hyung..." the younger boy drones.

"Okay smart , sorry I didn't listen to you."

Sungjin takes a seat behind the counter and stares blankly across the room.

"Spill it. Tell me what you know about her." 

His eyes follow his brother who was walking past carrying baguettes.

"A day o-"

"Call!" Sungjin didn't need to hear the rest of his brother's sentence. "I'll give you days off depending on how useful your information is." He stands up, leaning on the counter eagerly.

Dowoon brings Sungjin a bowl filled with calling cards which had been sitting by the cash register all the while.

Drop your card here and get a chance to win a cake of your choice on your birthday! the sign on the bowl reads.

"You can get the entire week off," Sungjin says brightly as he pours the contents and begins looking for your card.

"No way!" Dowoon says excitedly.

"Four days-"

"Hyung!"

"Go before I change my mind!"

"Hyung you're the best!"

"I know."

Sungjin finally finds your card. He doesn't waste any time as he dials your number and waits as the phone rings.

++++++

It's already 11 PM when you finally clock out of work. As you pick up your phone, ready to leave, you see 8 missed calls from the same number. You were too busy at work that you hadn't had the time to answer calls from unknown numbers.

"I'm not in the mood, whoever you are." You chuck your phone in your bag grumpily.

"I just want some of those macarons..." You sigh as you trudge on your way out of the office. "No! I'm not going back there." You try your hardest not to recall that incident.

"Ma'am, you have a package!" The guard approaches, handing you a small box. You can't get yourself to accept it, recognizing that packaging all too well.

"Ma'am?" The guard calls your attention as you space out.

"Oh, right..." 

You take it grudgingly and step out into the chilly night.

"That jerk," you mumble as you open the box confirming that they were indeed the box of macarons.

"I have to return this..." Your mind was made up but your stomach wasn't, having missed lunch and dinner. You look around and realize that it's already too late in the evening, the bakery would probably be closed by now. 

"I'll eat one and leave the rest by the door... A cat could have eaten it for all he knows... Ugh! Please just let me live!"

You take a bite of the macaron and instantly feel your mood lift.

"I love you!" you say out loud, kissing the macaron. Not caring if anyone would see you. 

Staring sadly at the remaining macarons, you decide that it's time to go.

Your feet find their way to the bakery. From afar you can see a faint glow from inside.

Are they still open?

You slow down your pace until you're finally by the window. You take a peek inside and feel a mix of relief and a hint of disappointment upon seeing that it's only Sungjin's brother who's in there.

I'm so hungry I could eat the entire bakery... You scans the various breads and pastries on display. It wouldn't hurt to pop in and out, he isn't here anyway.

As you open the door, the familiar sound of chimes greets you.

"Good evening," you say quietly speaking from the doorway. "You're still open right?" you add, pointing to the sign on the door.

"Please, come in." The boy smiles warmly. "We're staying open until my brother finds what he's looking for." He laughs silently. 

Your heart beats faster. What's he looking for? It couldn't be... 

Your stomach grumbles again. You quickly make your way inside and pick the first bread you see.

"Would you like me to heat this up for you?"

"No, it's okay. I'm in a hurry, I'll just heat it in my stomach."

"Ah now that's bad. Let me heat this real quick. Why don't you take a look around, maybe you'll find something else you want."

Before you can protest, the boy had already placed your order in the microwave.

As you look around, you find yourself staring at the shelf where it happened.

He smelled so warm... like home. 

The sudden sound of chimes surprise you.

Sungjin enters holding up a bag of take away food. Your eyes meet. He's looking at you like you're the most precious thing in this world. His eyes. You shut your eyes and take a step back, your heart pounding wildly. Different thoughts race through your mind, but one stands out. You didn't do anything wrong, what are you so scared about? Why do you want to run away? Stop being so dramatic.

You place the box of macarons on the counter and pull out a bill for the one you had eaten. You say your thank yous before walking out casually.

"That's not the way out..." You hear Sungjin say.

You realize you're facing the door to the kitchen.

Why do you always make a fool of yourself? You squat on the floor in frustration, hugging your knees tight. Please can I just disappear? The next thing you know you're crying. You tell yourself it's because of work, but you can't lie--- it's also because of him. How many times do I have to embarass myself infront of him?

"A-Are you okay?" Sungjin approaches you. He reaches for your shoulder but he hesitates.

"Do I look like I'm okay to you?" you reply thickly.

"Get up and have a seat."

"I'm in a hurry. I have to go." You stand up wiping your tears and run out the door.

"I'm sorry!" Sungjin shouts from behind you.

"For what?" Why is he following me? You quicken your pace.

"For being stupid."

Good that you know. "Forget about it. It's no big deal."

"It doesn't seem like it."

You stop dead in your tracks. "Stop being so full of yourself. I don't have the luxury of time to think about useless things. I get roasted enough at work every single day. I don't need anymore unnecessary emotions."

"You're lying."

"What are you going to do about it if I am?"

"Start all over again?"

Sungjin takes his phone out and moments later music starts playing. 

Again and again and again and again...

"Oh my god what are you doing?" You're startled as Sungjin starts dancing along to the song.

A few passers by are staring.

"Sungjin, please stop!" You start laughing, tears starting to form in your eyes.

"I'm not going to stop until you forgive me." He exaggerates his dancing even more.

"Fine! Fine! I forgive you. Just please stop." You giggle at how silly he looks.

"Tomorrow, 2 PM?"

"Yes! 2 PM!"