c h a p t e r  t w e l v e .

.
.
.

Being in a relationship gave Wendy an odd sense of empowerment that she was definitely not accustomed to. Not only did knowing that she had a boyfriend now made her feel older and more mature, but it gave her this feeling like she should be somehow more refined, conscientious, and dignified. She wasn’t the type to take a relationship flippantly, as a mediocre thing (like her youngest sister tended to do); rather, she considered people in romantic relationships to be quite privileged━if that was to be their vocation, of course━and felt that either party should strive to become better people whether they were together or out on their own, for themselves and for the good of society.

                But she kept those thoughts to herself. The commonfolk of the day and age didn’t seem to share such lofty aspirations.

                Naturally, though, Wendy started to conduct herself in a manner that was effortlessly suave and seasoned, a manner that Mr. Cho noticed from the very first moment that she was back to work. The café owner was pleased to see his lead barista attempt to interact more with her customers while still being every bit as calm and focused as she was before.

                She tried not to daydream while at work, but that proved to be very difficult when she had a boyfriend as wonderful as Jongdae.

                She thought about the possibilities for the next date and every date after that.

                She imagined bundling up and going on long walks with him downtown, a hot cup of coffee in one of her gloved hands and his gloved hand in the other. He would talk about people as they passed by, creating a character for each one.

                She imagined going to coast and sitting on the edge of a cliff with him, watching the storm clouds gather and crash in the distance above the gray ocean. It was both terrifying and beautiful, knowing what would come to pass.

                She also imagined travelling to Italy, France and Columbia together and tasting some of the best coffee that the world had to offer. He would snap pictures of her as she posed beside statues and brightly colored buildings. At a foreign café, she would gingerly blow the steam off of the surface of a local brew and hold the mug up to his lips and he would take a sip, and a twinkle would shine in his eyes and the corners of his mouth would curl up. After she also took a sip and sat down the mug, he would lean over the table, his head angled slightly to the side as he closed the gap between their lips━

                Mr. Cho adjusted the steam control on the espresso machine, causing a loud shriek that made Wendy jump.

                “Aish.” he said with mock exasperation. “It’s so much worse than before.” Wendy knew that he was referring to her daydreaming, but she was sure that she caught a smirk on his face before he turned to help a customer who had just come up to the side counter.

.
.

Monday passe