“Damn, why are you always doing this to me?!” I shouted angrily at my coffee maker. It spurted a soft wheeze, sending me off the edge.

Grunting, I shook the coffee maker again, frustrated at its stubbornness to cooperate with me. It seemed as though it didn’t care though, continuing to spurt nothing but trouble.

“Need any help?” A tall, lean blonde leaned over the counter, smirking at my failure attempts with the coffee maker.

“Gee, thanks stranger danger,” I rolled my eyes at the incredibly irresistible boy standing in front of me.

“Ugh, damn it! Why aren’t you working?!” I screamed in frustration again. The man chuckled, raising his eyebrow to ask for permission to help. I nodded with a hint of curiosity in my eyes and he jumped over the counter swiftly. His arms immediately wrapped around me to reach the coffee maker. My face flushed from his contact, sending a tight unfamiliar feeling to my core. His chest leaned against my back, a bubbling sensation coursing through me. Was it hot in here or what? Gulping nervously, I watched him make a perfect latte with his hands guiding mine. My hands twitched, a foreign one touching my own. 

 “There you go,” he grinned, satisfaction coating his husky yet childish voice. He pulled back, his mouth barely touching my ear.

“Enjoy,” he breathed in, the shell of my ear teasingly. I shut my eyes, attempting to suppress the soft moan slowly rolling off my tongue. The feeling rose in my core, my insides feeling as though they were being burned.

Smirking, he pulled back, a satisfied grin twisting on his face. Finally I was given air to breathe again, and his smirk grew broader seeing me gasp for air.

“I’m always up for round two,” he said, crossing his arms. As tempting as that sounded, I declined with a forceful no, hoping that he wouldn’t detect the hesitation in my voice.

“Suit yourself,” he shrugged, and jumped over the counter. I leaned over it, watching his figure disappear out the shop.

It was a curious meeting, and it occurred to me that I may never see this stranger again. He had left without leaving a name; then again, I wasn’t obliged to know every single one of my customer’s name. Especially not one who had violated my personal space.

Shaking the thought away (and earning another look from my co-workers that spoke of lunatic) I resumed raging at my coffee maker. It seemed as though it listened to that stranger much more than me. Yet I let that thought slip out of mind, unaware that this meeting wasn’t a one-time thing.

-------------------------------------------------

A strong winter breeze blew in as another customer entered, biting my skin ruthlessly. Only wearing a fitting t-shirt underneath my apron, I shuddered in effect, cursing at the silent wind and the customer who slowly entered. Fighting the urge to shout at the customer, I focussed on making a latte, which was supposed to have been done a few minutes ago.

A strangely familiar shadow cast above and I looked up. Gazing at the brown orbs of the stranger from the other day again, a flicker of surprise flashed across my face. It was gone as fast as the wind though, and I went back to my latte.

“Are you not going to greet me?” The man asked, putting on a childish pout. I rolled my eyes and said, “How old are you, five? Still pouting like a child,” I mumbled the last part.

He grinned, “As a matter of fact, I’m 21.” I raised my eyebrows, slightly intrigued that we were the same age. “Shouldn’t you be working then?”

He shook his head. “I’m a full time university student,” he stated proudly.

I rolled my eyes again - a constant habit of mine - and continued the task on hand.

“So stranger, what would you like?” I inquired without looking up. Knowing I would lose concentration once I looked up, I continued to focus on the latte I was soon to finish.

“Your phone.”

My head snapped up, a weary look upon my face.

“Eh? What for?” I asked him, surprised.

He made a hand motion for me to hand it over and I hesitantly retrieved my phone from my pockets and slipped it in his hands. He swiftly punched in something before placing it on the counter. My curious gaze must have made him uncomfortable because he cleared his throat rather loudly.

“Aren’t you going to take your phone back?” He asked, pointing at my phone but avoiding my gaze. I found it rather cute and wanted to chuckle but simultaneously, didn’t want to give myself away.

I nodded, slipping my phone back into my jean pockets without looking at whatever he typed in. He frowned momentarily at my action but brushed it aside.

“Are you going to tell me what you want today stranger?” I asked again, flipping my hair off to the side to have a clear view of the man ahead of me.

“Jiyong.”

Cocking my head to the side in confusion, I opened my mouth to repeat my question. Unfortunately, I was cut off by the man.

 “My name’s Jiyong. Kwon Jiyong. And I would like a cappuccino please.”

I nodded curtly, swiftly pushing the forgotten latte aside and making one of my best cappuccinos for him. He leaned on the counter, watching me with twinkling eyes. It’s fortunate that I’m able to work under pressure or else I would’ve cracked and broken into tears.

“Enjoy,” I said, handing it to him. He smiled – a genuine smile, I could tell – and left with the cup of cappuccino.

I almost shouted after him to pay for it but I found my co-worker tapping to the counter where he left his money. The corners of my mouth tugged up into a small smile to my surprise. Although it was such a small thing, I was glad he didn’t forget to pay.

My co-worker cleared again, tapping at the order I was working on previously. Suddenly, it occurred to me I had completely ignored the order at hand to make Jiyong’s cappuccino. Cursing under my breath, I saw the ruined latte. Growling, I began the tedious steps of preparing latte once more.

“Excuse me, when is my latte coming?” A man’s voice yelled. I presumed this was the customer who was waiting so patiently for his latte, although his expression displayed everything but patience. It irked me to see the patience dying within the customer, but it was partially my fault for being preoccupied.

“Coming up in a sec!” I shouted out to him in the most even tone I could possibly muster.

I slumped in my bed after a tiring day at work.

“Those troublesome customers really know no end to their madness,” I mumbled to my pink teddy bear. “Why are they always picking on me?” I groaned to no one in particular until my phone rang mercilessly.

“Yeobosaeyo?” I grumbled into the receiver.

“Whoa there, hold your horses,” Sandara Park, my best friend, joked. Dara was also a barista, but at another café. I rolled my eyes at my best friend but my mood had indefinitely lightened. She always had a way of enlightening me anyway.

“How have you been?”

An image of Jiyong’s smirk popped in my mind but I shook it off. “Not much. You?”

“I just met the cutest guy the other day,” she gushed. “His name is Choi Seunghyun and he has the most badass aura around him.”

I laughed at my best friend’s constant gushing and agreed with her whenever I could input my voice between hers. Somewhere in between though, my gaze became distant and it felt as though I couldn’t hear Dara’s voice anymore. My mind was filled with Jiyong and our interactions today, instantly reminded that he had done something with my phone.

“…Got it?”

“Yeah sure, whatever. I’m hanging up!” I spoke quickly to Dara, cutting off whatever she had said. I scrolled through my contacts and sure enough, a new contact number sat there, along with a taunting note.

Waiting for your call.

I giggled like a child, quickly pressing the ‘call’ button before anything could be processed in my mind. Jiyong picked up immediately; or at least, who I assumed was Jiyong.

“Yobosaeyo?” A low, husky voice muttered into the receiver. It was easy for me to identify that this was nowhere near Jiyong’s voice, which made me nervous.

“Ah, annyeonghasaeyo. Is Jiyong-ssi there?” I asked politely.

“No, he’s in the shower at the moment. Who’s this calling?”

I let out an understandable hum. “It’s alright, I’ll call back later.” Slightly disappointed, I hung up hurriedly. Not wanting to hear any more from the new stranger, I sighed. The phone twirled in my hands as I played with it, wishing that he would call me back.

I let out another heavy sigh as I made my way to the café in the bitter weather. Cursing at my horrible choice of outfit, I rubbed my arms, hoping to create friction. I had on a pair of skinny jeans, a thin hoodie that was more like a sweater, and a light jacket. Yet I found none and grew more irritated. A pair of strong arms wrapped around me, his hands finding my colder ones. They grasped mine tightly, sending familiar warmth through my body.

“You’re far too cute for that café. Run away with me.” His breath tickled the shell of my ear and I instantly knew who it was.

“Go away Jiyong-ssi,” I complained. Although I squirmed in his embrace, I couldn’t help but flush at his contact. He chuckled and childishly said, “Nope!”

“Aren’t you warmer this way?”

A cheeky grin spread across his face as my face flushed at how accurate and correct he was. We stood like that for a few minutes, my back coming into contact with his chest occasionally when the bus rolled on bumpy parts of the road. As we stood there, a flashback of last night’s memory played. I hadn’t known I was being rude until I flung his arms away from me and saw the hurt expression on his face.

“What’s wrong?”

I crossed my arms and pouted angrily. “Why didn’t you call back last night?!”

A few expressions flashed across his face: surprise, happiness, and finally laughter. His chortle resonated in the bus, causing me to blush in embarrassment. I slapped his arm to tell him to shut up. His laughter died down but there was still a chuckle coming from him.

“How would’ve I known it was you? You never gave me your number!” He replied.

I scoffed and glanced away. Yet this was the truth. I had never given him my number, much less my name. Offering my hand, I glimpsed at him momentarily. He chuckled, obviously remembering one of our first few encounters. Jiyong placed his phone in my hands and my thumbs immediately went to work at lightning speed.

After I was done, I handed his phone back to him. He stared at the text and let out a low chuckle.

Jung Aimee 010-xxxx-xxxx
Now you can always call me back.

I turned away and held on to the railings of the bus in case I would tip over when the bus came to a screeching stop. Yes, I am aware of my own safety, unlike other people on the bus.

Eerily, the bus did come to a screeching stop, surprising many of the passengers. I was shocked too but maintained my balance by holding onto the railings. Jiyong however, was caught by surprise, like many of the other passengers. He lost his footing and landed on top of me, sending both of us to the floor of the bus. The back of my head made contact with the floor with a thump, making my head spin. Alarmed, Jiyong shook my shoulders.

“Yah, are you okay? I’m sorry Aimee-ah!” He hastily got up and pulled me up too. I still hadn’t regained my balance at that point and swayed left and right. Catching me in his arms, he rubbed the back of my head regretfully.

“I’m sorry Aimee.” He mumbled painfully into my hair. “It’s okay, I’m all right Jiyong-ssi.” I comforted him. Pushing him away slightly, I showed him that I could stand on my own feet. In a matter of seconds though, my knees caved and Jiyong caught me on time. He sighed and held me close to him.

“Let’s stay this way until we get off at the café okay? I don’t want you collapsing,” he joked lightly. I nodded, feeling grateful he was helping me like this. It was weird to be relying on a stranger you had only met a few days ago, but oddly comforting. I brushed off that feeling and cherished the time left I had in his tight hold.  

I sighed as another day at work began, with my friendly regular customer sitting at a table with all his homework spread on the table. I giggled unknowingly many times throughout the day. I absorbed the frustration on his face every time he didn’t understand a question; engraved his bright and wide smile every time he finally solved a problem; carved the image of his perseverance as he worked through his problems step by step.

My co-workers once again sent me bizarre glances but nodded happily when they saw where my attention was directed to the entire time I was working. I still performed my job well; in fact, I was even better than usual. Maybe it was because Jiyong was here, but there was a sense of wanting to look professional in front of him. I wanted to impress him and show him that I could do well at this.

Once or twice throughout the day, I would catch Jiyong’s gaze directed at me. He would quickly look away, his cheeks reddening with embarrassment. It baffled me how cute he could be when his image was so charismatic. He was like a shy little schoolboy taking small peeks at the schoolgirl he had a crush on behind walls.

The day ended much more smoothly than I had planned for it. I hadn’t been scolded by anyone nor was I slow at making drinks for the customers. I wiped my hands on a wet cloth, disposed of my apron in my locker, and made one last cup of hot chocolate for my regular.

“Jiyong-ssi, it’s closing time.” I announced, taking a seat beside him. He looked up briefly before concentrating on his homework. Sipping his hot chocolate gratefully, he thanked me.

“By the way, drop the informalities,” he added. “I don’t like it.”

“Why?” I whined.

“Because we’re the same age. And I think we’re close enough to not use formalities, no?” He raised his eyebrow at me.

I directed my attention elsewhere, hoping to avoid his gaze. The clock on the wall seems to not be straight… Maybe I should fix that, I thought. With that thought in mind, I got up from my seat. A hand encircled my wrist, pulling me back.

“Yah, where are you going?” He inquired. Before I could respond, a jingle echoed through the café. I pinched the bridge of my nose in annoyance.

“Yah, we’re closed –”

“So are you saying even we can’t visit?”

The voice surprised me and I looked up. My two best friends stood at the entrance to the café, wide grins plastered on their faces.

“Dara! Chaerin-ah!” My wrist slipped away from Jiyong’s grasp as I ran to hug my two best friends. They returned it, jumping joyfully with me.

“You didn’t tell me you guys were coming in today!” I pouted.

“I did so!” Dara protested. “I told you last night when we were on the phone! Weren’t you listening?” I rubbed the back of neck nervously, sticking my tongue out playfully.

“It’s not my fault you didn’t remind me with a text this morning!”

We laughed at our bickering, forgetting the presence of Jiyong. Chaerin peered curiously behind me and pointed with her long index finger at him.

“Who’s that Aimee?”

I chuckled nervously as Jiyong got up from his seat and bowed courteously.

“Annyeonghaseyo, Jiyong-imnida.”

Dara and Chaerin gasped. “Aimee! Is this your boyfriend?!”

They began to gush like old ladies, causing the heat to rise to my cheeks. Yet little did I know Jiyong was blushing too.

“We’re not dating,” I stated simply. “He’s… a friend.” They nodded teasingly, wiggling their fingers at us both.

“Yah, we should totally go on a triple date!” Chaerin suggested. Dara covered . “Omo! That’s a great idea! I’ll ask my Seunghyunie right now.”

Chaerin nodded and immediately brought out her phone to call Taeyang, her boyfriend.

I sighed, taking a short glimpse at Jiyong. He shuffled his feet timidly and exchanged glances with me.

‘I don’t want to go.’

I shook my head. ‘Neither do I. Got any plans?’

He raised his eyebrows, a mischievous smile crawling up his lips. ‘Let’s skip when the time comes.’

I had to admit, it was the most successful conversation I had with Jiyong. Not to mention, we didn’t need to exchange any words at all. It was all done with our eyes and facial expressions.

Smiling to myself, Dara and Chaerin turned their attention back to us.

“It’s all set!” Dara smiled brightly. “We’re going on a triple date on Sunday!”

“And don’t think you two are going to get away from this,” Chaerin pointed at us threateningly. She directed her attention to me and said, “I know you’re thinking of skipping. You do that and you will face the wrath of me.” She snarled playfully. I gulped, raising my hands in defeat.

“I w-won’t…” I whimpered reluctantly. “Good,” Chaerin smiled. “We’ll see you guys at Lotte World at 2pm on Sunday!”

The two girls exited the café, an indication their visit was over. Jiyong and I simultaneously let out a heavy sigh. You had to admit, their very presences were a little intimidating. I had absolutely no idea how I befriended them.

“Your friends are scary,” Jiyong pointed out. I nodded. “I know.”

-------------------------------------------------

Sunday crawled up faster than one could expect. I was scrambling for an outfit at 12pm, after having awoken. With barely enough time to get ready and be at Lotte World at the designated time, I was forced to skip breakfast. Or maybe lunch. I couldn’t tell the difference between the two on the weekends nowadays anyways, considering how late I wake up.

Once on the bus, I slumped into an empty seat. I sighed thankfully that I had caught the bus. If I hadn’t, I probably would’ve been scolded by my best friends.

“What’s the hurry?” A voice from the stranger beside me asked.

I turned to look at the owner of the voice and was surprised to see Jiyong. An amused smile twisted on his face.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, a little bewildered by his appearance.

“Going to the triple date,” he scoffed unbelievably. “Aren’t you?”

I nodded slowly, still unable to process his presence beside me.

“Are you okay? You look like you’ve just gotten up.” Jiyong joked. “I did,” I groaned. “About an hour ago.”

Jiyong chuckled and ruffled my hair. “Aigoo, no wonder you’re out of breath.

“Did you eat lunch yet then?”

My stomach growled just then, sending Jiyong sniggering. “Let’s stop by and get you something to eat later then, okay?” He made the okay sign with his hands to which I weakly mirrored.

Half an hour later, we got off at the stop. The entrance to Lotte World stood a few feet in front of us but Jiyong grabbed my wrist and pulled me to the opposite direction.

“Yah, where are we going Jiyong?” I posed. He glanced back and winked. “We’re skipping.”

Happily dashing off, we fled into a fast food restaurant where we were both fed full to our stomachs. Despite having eaten already, Jiyong continued to eat. It astonished me how much he could eat. My eyes dilated as he ordered another burger.

“When did you have such a good appetite?” I joked. “Since you told me you were hungry,” he replied in between his bites. Although I was on my second burger already, it was his third. I couldn’t begin to imagine how much more he could eat.

My phone suddenly vibrated and I gulped. I didn’t dare to look at who texted because I knew it was either Dara or Chaerin. Jiyong stopped chewing for a moment and stared at me.

“You’re not going to see who it is?” He asked.

“I’m scared,” I answered truthfully. “It’s probably either Dara or Chaerin, telling to get our there.” Jiyong nodded sympathetically and continued to eat.

Not long after, Jiyong’s phone rang. He looked at who was and gulped the food down. His Adam apple bobbed up and down as he contemplated on whether or not to answer the call. Hesitantly, he picked up the call.

“Yobosaeyo?”

“Jiyong, you better get your to Lotte World right now,” the same husky voice from the day before said. He must’ve been pretty loud as even I could hear him.

“Seunghyun-hyung! What do you mean?” Jiyong asked. “You’re at Lotte World right now?” He exchanged a glance with me as I slowly processed what this meant. Didn’t that mean Dara’s boyfriend was the Seunghyun-hyung Jiyong was talking about? This also meant the person I talked to the other day was him too.

I gasped, covering my mouth having realized what a situation we were in.

“Yes,” Seunghyun growled. “Even Taeyang’s here so you better get your down here!” The receiver clicked, exposing our ears to nothing but the dull dial tone.

Knowing what had just happened with that exchange, I checked my phone. To my delight, I received a text from both Dara and Chaerin. I winced while reading their messages.

Yah where are you?! We’re all waiting for you!

I flinched while reading Chaerin’s message, which was next.

You seriously skipped? And we even set up a date for you with that handsome fella!

Another one came in from her just as I finished reading the text from her.

Whatever. We’re going to go and enjoy our double date now! You two are in lots of trouble when our date ends.

I shivered and showed the three texts from them to Jiyong. His eyes squinted before he pulled back, obviously horrified at the message. A look of horror was displayed on his face before he wiped it away. He finished the last bite of his burger and wiped his hands with the napkins. Collecting his things, he got up and motioned for me to get up too.

Puzzled, I followed him out the fast food restaurant. This time, he bravely grabbed my hand and manoeuvred us through the busy streets of Seoul. I took a quick glimpse at our hands put together and my heart became fuzzy from it. The blood rose to my cheeks and I was sure Jiyong noticed. He glanced back, his grin stretching from ear to ear.

Suddenly, he gave me a peck on the cheek. His lips were soft and gentle against my skin, tingling my senses. He pulled back and smiled. My other hand immediately went to foolishly touch the spot he had just pecked.

“Is that not enough?” He mocked. “Would my princess like more?” I shook my head but squeezed his hand to tell him I liked it. He got the message faster than I expected and teased me by brushing his lips against mine. I pulled back instantaneously, shouting at him.

“Yah! My lips…” I pouted. “They won’t be anymore under my attacks.” He snorted.

“You’re mine, got it?” He demanded. “Only my lips will be on yours, and no other man’s, okay?”

The corners of my lips pulled up into a smile as I leaned in for a real kiss. After softly planting a kiss on his lips, my smile widened crazily. I looked away shyly but he put his slender fingers under my chin and turned my head back to look at him.

“Look at me,” he whispered. I stared into his warm brown eyes and our distance slowly grew shorter until there was none at all. Melting into the sweet kiss, I wrapped my arms around his neck while his wrapped around my waist. It felt odd how I was so comfortable in his arms when I had only met him less than a week ago. Yet it was the most wonderful thing I could have ever experienced.

I didn’t care if we were displaying public affection in the middle of the streets. This man always had a way of making my knees grow weak and mess with my head. He made me hate him but I hated being away from him without acknowledging it myself.  He made me shy and giddy when I wanted to be confident and brave.

Someone once said, “Every girl has three guys in her life: the one she loves, the one she hates, and the one she can’t live without. But in the end, they’re all the same guy.”

I couldn’t help but agree more with that quote at that particular moment. Meet Kwon Jiyong: the guy I love, the guy I hate, and the guy I can’t life without the most.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

✖ cherry says !

okay obviously I couldn't hold it in myself because I just posted this. I'm so proud that I finally finished this though ! I hoped you liked it ~ I took longer than needed because of school, so I hope you guys won't hate me for that!
this was a whole 10 pages long guys... longest shot I've written .____. I'VE LOST ALL MY BRAIN JUICE /dies
so excuse some minor grammar (or major maybe) mistakes because I haven't edited this yet. because that's just how eager I am to post this up =.= I don't even know how I came up with this title /frustrated anyway, I hope you guys enjoy! ♥

edit: hurrrr so I found no major grammar mistakes and stuff :D just minor stuff /throws confetti &also! personal message to my jung aimee;
I know you asked for comedy and I kinda lost that essence nearly halfway through the story ;___; I'm sorry about that! /bows but I hope you enjoyed it (even though there was that incredibly cheesy moment at the end. what can I say? I'm a cheesy person >w<)

one last thing! I'll probably update on Chapter 1 more often (regarding updates I mean) on oneshots, etc. so do check back there occasionally!
toodles, excuse my long note ~ ^^