10 Stories  ------ Story One

After the morning drizzle settled, he gently made his way to opening the doors and windows. A breeze of fresh air and the scent of rain greeted him, blowing gently with is the promise of mild weather. A smile graces his lips and a song appears thereafter.

“Today feels like a good day,” he says out loud.

He fails to hear the reply when the footsteps of his first customers approaches him.

“Wow, is it your opening day? What do you serve?” an intriguing customer approaches him, his voice soft, but his words rather straightforward in their manner. His partner nudges him in the side, failing to chide him openly about his word choices.

“Ah—yes, we serve coffees and teas. This morning we also have some fresh pastries from a local bakery. Please come inside.”

The owner chuckles as he points them into the café. Today does feel like a good day.

The two walk inside and are immediately charmed by the quiet little café and its minimal appearance. Four white square tables, bamboo colored chairs, and green succulents with tints of vivid colors nod a soft welcome. Furthermore, puff pastries with promises of cream cheese and raspberries, powdered sugar beignets, croissants, mini muffins, and more give their eyes more of a promise as to what the simple café is made of.

A soft smile of delight naturally forms upon seeing all the deserts, small in portion but enough to warm their stomachs for the rain drenched morning. Drinks also seem to be of decent size, offering to-go cups or small white ceramic mugs and cups. The two customers smile at each other—

“I told you so. This café looks really good”
“Don’t take the credit for everything Sungjong!”
“I am right Hoya! Don’t—"

The two are then interrupted.

“Good Morning! Welcome to the 10 stories café, what can we get started for you today?”

A charming man welcomes them from behind the counter. His shirt a white open collar and fluffy hair surprising the two customers with full cheeks and a bright chuckle. They pretend their conversation had not been loud enough for him to hear.

“Well, what are your recommendations?”  
 

“Well, the strawberry milkshake is of quite a delicacy this morning from the fresh strawberries we received, but for a less sweet drink, the purple taro drink is just as good. Oh—but”

“Those sound wonderful! We’ll take one of each!”

“Sungjong, you can’t just interrupt him when he’s still speaking!”

“Hoya, you’ll like the purple taro, shut up. That’s fine, sir, we don’t quite like caffeinated drinks during this time of day.”

Sungjong then points out a pastry and proceeds to ask for their drinks to-go. He, of course, makes Hoya pay for the morning brunch before they head out and continue on their way.

From the front of the store, a laugh escapes rather loudly when the customers are far enough.

“Don’t they remind us of us?”
“What do you mean?” Arms encircle a rather soft mid-section as a chin comes to lay on a just as soft shoulder. A cheeky smile watches the two customers in the distance, still bickering, and somehow, a loud, “I told you so!” could be heard.

“We were like that too.”

-----

2008.

“I told you our Professor wasn’t going to curve the test this time! You should’ve studied!” yelled the taller classmate, his hair a fiery bold red, as he sat next to his best friend. His best friend, slightly shorter, and easily on the offensive, argues back.

“You didn’t say anything! You should’ve helped me study more!”

“I told you so! What did you do instead?!”
“Do you regret it then? What I did?”

“Don’t be foolis—”
“You don’t be foolish Sunggyu.”

The shorter of two, stalks off, agitated, and flips the former the bird. He told him already.

-----

Of the two now, both a shade of dark chestnut brown, slightly the same height, a chuckle escapes their lips at the fond memory.

“Whatever, who told you giving me head for the first time was such as bright idea?” responded the first, he was still, after all, a little taller.

“Of course, it was mine. I told you so—that it’d feel good and you believed me.”

“For someone whose first time it was, you sure knew what you were doing.”

“I told you so.”

“I also told you so. You still failed that test.”

A poke into the midsection was all the former received for his consistent nagging of “I told you so” before the shorter of the two runs away back into the store.

The grumpy exclamation of “yah!” is interrupted when another customer stands idlely by the entrance. He has sturdy hands on a camera, and then a click could be heard in the midst of a

“I’m sorry, Welcome to the 10 stories café!”