chapter 3. Chocolate Prince
not so in loveRosè should have known better that entering a café with two grown up man danced cheer up in front of the shop wasn’t a wise decision but her heart hurt badly, so involving herself with crazy shop was preferable choice rather than crying in the street.
Skipper café was cozy place, several times she passed it but she never had chance to get in. Her boyfriend prefer to get coffee from the chain store across the street. That cheap bastard didn’t know culture even when it slapped to his forehead.
“Welcome to Skipper, can I get you something?” rosè eyes became blurry, every breath she took bringing tears to her eyes. In front of her, a warm woman with warm smile greeted her. That woman smile made her eyes curved in the way that warm Rosè, she likely saying ‘it’s okay, I am hurt too.’ So Rosè did what her heart told her (even her brain prohibited her. Shut up brain!!!)
“Eonni, do you have something to comfort after you caught your boyfriend cheats on you?” Rosè asked. Damn! Her tears fell to her cheeks.
“For you or for him?” Before Rosè could smile or even give an answer, her wrist was held by someone else arm. Bobby panted heavily, he was running from the university to here. Rosè would feel touched if not the fact she left university 2 hours ago and she walked like a snail.
“We need to talk.” He said.
Rosè got the feeling this cliché often happened in dramas and Bobby was avid fans of those drama. She didn’t want to make more scene so she followed him to table near window. Honestly, they really made a huge scene because the song changed from Cheer Up to Irreplaceable Beyonce. The woman winked to her.
“okay, let’s hear your excuse.” Rosè folded her arms.
Bobby looked at her with the puppy like expression. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cheat on you.” He said
Rosè raised her brown, “ You don’t mean to, then tell me what did I see just now hmm?” for all this time she pretended to be nice girl in front of him, doing that aegyo thingy that made her sick, Bobby still dare to cheat behind her. So, he thought she doesn’t have back bone right? Let Rosè show you what did she make from.
Bobby frowned, “Don’t be like this, Rosè baby. It doesn’t suit you, smile please.” He cajoled her.
Rosè glared at him, he dared to ask her smile. She didn’t want to smile, damn it!! “Explain it!!”
“It’s not my fault, baby. She seduced me, and I feel lonely because you are too busy right now, you didn’t even call me after you finish your project. You spend more time with Lisa rather than with me.”
Rosè felt stupid to cry for this man, the more he explained the more she saw red. Why did suddenly it become her fault? “So, are you saying this is my fault you sleep with her?”
“No, of course not, baby.”
“Don’t call me baby!!” Rosè cut him. It infuriated her! He didn’t mean it, damn she bet he called that woman baby too.
Bobby raised his arm, “okay, fine. But let me explain.” He said, “ you know, man is not immune of any seductress, we are easily aroused.”
“So are you saying man is a hormonal driven creature which his has more control than his brain?”
“Really? How could you become so crude? I know that feminist class is a toxin for you, I should ban you to join Lisa and Jenny in that bull class.”
“Bull? So, man and woman equality is not important for you? Tell me why should we give excuse to a man for cheating but no excuses for a woman? And the point is you cheat on me not my feminist class.” Rosè glared at him.
Bobby was her first boyfriend, he was the senior in college but their story started from the cram school during Rosè high school year. Both of them were from foreign land, she took comfort in Bobby. He was so sweet , persistence and confident. So she let him treated her whatever he wanted.
When Bobby wanted her to learn aegyo, she did it. When Bobby wanted her to learn cooking, she did. When Bobby said that he loves woman with long hair, she didn’t cut her hair even it was hot as . No more. She didn’t realize how much she had been robbed from her own right.
“Rosè, we should solve our issues right now, if we want to save our relationship.” Bobby said as it was her fault. “no one could love you the way I do, Rosè. No man in this republic Korea, would tolerate your weirdness and feminism.”
Something inside Rosè snapped, that was the ing last straw. If she had something to throw, she would chug it to his mouth. “That’s it!! We break up, Bobby. We are over!”
“Rosè!!”
“How dare you think that you are irreplaceable! I can get another like you in a minute.” Thanks Beyonce for your inspirational lyrics. Because right at the time, the song really said that.
Bobby now turned to be enrage, “fine. Let’s see how you will crawl back , you were motae solo before you date me.” Motae solo was person who never date in her life. Well, Rosè was late bloomer so Bobby was her first boyfriend. It gave her insecurities when Bobby said that. Bobby was popular guy in college, what if no one wanted her again after Bobby?
What if she died alone? She didn’t want to be cat lady. She didn’t want to write her will for unknown orphanage. Even she knew it was for good cause. But she wanted to write her will for her own children.
Her pride-thanks god she had it- prevented her to beg him for stay. So Rosè raised her chin and folded her arms, “we are over, Bobby! Don’t you ever get to think you irreplaceable.”
Bobby looked at her in flat look, “you are just quoting this song.”
“so what? It’s bop.” She said.
“Weirdo. See if anyone wants to date you later. You little freak.” With that Bobby left her in the café. Rosè covered her face with her palm and sighed heavily. She wanted to cry right now.
After that bravado façade she felt drain and hurt, freak? Yes, she admitted she is a bit different but somebody should love her right? Now, she deserved good cry after her first boyfriend cheat on her. She needed something rich and fattening. Damn!! Did noone want to comfort her?
***
You know, your boss up to something weird when you saw her ducked behind the counter. Jungkook wiped out sweat after the public humiliation he had, while Myungsoo probably ran to somewhere else to kill himself. “Boss, mission complete!”
“sssh!” Ailee shushed him. She pulled him down and pointed a girl and a boy who talked near the window. They were in heated argument, and Jungkook wasn’t a weirdo that love to eavesdrop. Really, he was rather offended with his boss dismiss his blood tears and sweat of humiliation for other people business.
“Boss, I’ve just finished humiliating myself in front of the store and right now, we got bunch of customer.” He said.
“Ask Taehyung to handle it. This is important.”
“He only have two arms and we have bunch of customer we need all the help we have.” Jungkook started to go to the coffee machine and worked on the order.
“Ask Wendy.”
“Sorry, eonni. I’m cooking here!” Wendy shouted from the kitchen, Wendy was their cook. She graduated from college for food and culinary skill.
“Boss, you have to work too. We need all the hands we have.” Jungkook said desperately, okay he admitted he was curious too with what happen there but he should did his work right now, Taehyung had already put all the note near the coffee maker.
“we should hire her!” where did Ailee got this absurd idea? He wanted her to do some work not hiring someone new. “she is the embodiment of strong feminist woman.”
“Boss we cannot hire her because she is feminist.”
“she is beautiful too. We need a new worker , and there she is, the beautiful and strong woman. What do you want again?” Ailee pointed her like the girl was the god-send gift.
“How about skill? We need people with skill rather than beautiful Face.” Jungkook said.
“ha! You admitted she is beautiful, right? Do you have crush on her?” Ailee asked suddenly, she stood straight and looked at Jungkook with unreadable expression on her face.
Jungkook face palmed, how could they talk about working to his crush? “Boss, I am not that shallow to have crush on someone which the face I haven’t seen yet.” He said.
“Ehh, why not? Watch out!!” ailee pushed Jungkook head down when the boy passed through them. They saw the girl buried her face in her palms. Her shoulder shook a bit. “That .”
Jungkook shook his head and sighing, “Boss from my opinion, the girl break it.”
“Yes, but the boy is an .” Ailee blurted and then wrote something on the note. “make this.”
Jungkook raised his eyebrow when he saw a coffee and chocolate mix, “boss, we have lot of order.”
“who cares? Make it fast. If you have time to argue with me, you can move your hand faster.” Ailee pushed him and then took the coffee machine while Jungkook did the blend half-heartedly. Why did he have to make coffee for someone who even didn’t order it?
He sighed heavily, while his hand worked as fast as he could. “here.” He shoved the coffee into his boss hand and put it on the table. Even though he hated to do charity job but Jungkook pride couldn’t let this cup go without some art, so he made single heart on it.
Ailee called Taehyung and whispered something on his ear, making Taehyung grinned from ear to ear. Jungkook ignored both of them, knowing that his favorite hyung just fell into satan trap.
Curiosity kills the cat, and stupidity kills human. So, because Jungkook just a bit – abit, okay?- curious he asked the question anyway, “what did you say to him?”
Ailee smiled widely and the same time Taehyung loud voice could be heard from the girl’s table, “It’s on the house, miss. Our barista made this especially for you.”
All of the customers looked at Jungkook with curiosity, and of course loud mouthed but naively stupid Kim Taehyung had to say exactly what Ailee told him to, “he said you are deserve more than cheater bastard. You deserve the best.”
And of course as the friendly country, the republic of South Korea citizen would clapped and looked at him like he’s the Eros embodiment himself. Was it too late to pray for any alien to abduct him to outer space?
****
Was it so wrong to laugh above your favorite co-worker and little brother? For once, Taehyung felt happy he was not the victim of Ailee prank. He whistled happily when taking order from another customers. He didn’t even care that he hadn’t have his lunch yet.
“are you that happy, hyung?” Jungkook asked. He almost covered himself behind the coffee machine.
Taehyung grinned widely from ear to ear, “yes.” He said.
Jungkook pouted, “ do you know karma is a ?” jungkook asked again
“Of course I know, this is your karma for all the time you give me spoil food and let me fall into satan trap.” Taehyung retorted.
Jungkook ripped the last memo from the counter and threw it on the rubbish bin. His job was finished, he had to get ready for his class. “that is not karma. It’s not my fault you are gullible.”
“But at least you can warn me.” Taehyung glared, “ also I’m not that gullible.”
“yeah only naïve and bit stupid.” Wendy said from the kitchen. Taehyung wanted to smack het but Wendy was older than him so he settle with glare.
“Thanks Noona.” He said sarcastically.
“ You are welcome.” She said cheerfully. Wendy leaned on the wall, “and I think our boss intention isn’t for embarrassing you. She just wanted to help the poor girl.”
Taehyung frowned, “ how could you know, you are in the kitchen?”
“I have sixth sense.”
“Why do people in this coffee shop all freak?” Taehyung muttered slowly.
“does it include you?” jungkook had to sass him.
Before Taehyung retorted the front door bell chimed, another customer had come. Even though his pride wanted to shut Jungkook up but hid was in the line, Myungsoo would cut his paycheck if he knew they failed to welcome customer.
Taehyung turned around and ready to give loud welcome, “Welcome to….” Suddenly his stomach got the kick again but this time followed by his heart beat faster like he was playing Russian Roulette. So he did what had he learned from his boss. Pulling Jungkook down and ducked behind the counter.
It would be sight to behold seeing two grown up man ducked behind counter because of one woman entered the café.
“what the hell, hyung?” jungkook annoyed by Taehyung weirdness.
“she is here.” Taehyung felt really bad. There was a war inside hid head and heart. He wanted to see her again but he didn’t want the stomachache came back. He really wanted to see her face and that smile again but he didn’t sure his heart could survive.
“Who?”
“The customer that makes my stomach hurt.” He said.
Jungkook raised his brow and get ready to stand up to see, so Taehyung pushed his head down, “Don’t!!”
“Why not?”
“You will get stomach ache too.” But somehow the notion, Jungkook felt the same way to the crazy customer didn’t sit well for Taehyung. He wanted only he could feel like that to customer.
Jungkook -as the impolite brat he is- started to laugh out loud which attract his manager and his boss out from their hideout.
“What the hell both are you doing?” Myungsoo yelled.
The same way with high pitched scream from Ailee, “IRENEEEE!!
***
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