She never liked the cold.

To her, being next to a fire with the soothing warmth hugging her was the best. Maybe that's why she chose that job, to find comfort in baking herself in the stuffy kitchen for hours. 

However, the bitter winter will always come. Little did she know, this cold, harsh and stormy winter would have a stay here be longer than she had expected. 

If only she had known.

Winter came to her early this year when the sign 'Bae' first lit up on Hongdae Street. The raven haired girl who is wearing a white coat found herself sighing more these days, as she rested her chin on the cool kitchen counter.

"Joohyun unnie, you are going to turn 40 if you keep acting like this." The apricot haired girl teased, earned a playful slap from the older one. "As always, thank you for the delicious meal." She continued and smiled at the raven haired girl as she places her chopsticks on her bowl.

"It's my pleasure, Sooyoung." The raven girl replied.

The apricot haired girl lifted her red leather Channel purse and walked gracefully out of the humble Korean restaurant. The door ringed as the apricot haired girl pushed the glass door.

'If only the restaurant could be lively everyday' Joohyun sighed again for the nth time as she went back to her comfort zone. Other than the sound of the cars driving past the main road, the occasional cheers of children as they jumped into puddles along the pavement, the soft melody in the air, it was noiseless. It was not much of a surprise, considering that there was no publicity but even so, it was located at such a bustling street. What went wrong? 

The raven haired girl stared mindlessly at the foggy scenery. Her eyelids grew heavier and she lets out a huge yawn. 'I guess going to sleep at 3am everyday is never a good idea.'

Oh winter...

Out of the blue, a loud ringing of the bells shook the whole restaurant. And her. She nearly shrieked till the deciles hit the hundreds. Blood rushed onto her face as she tries to regain her composure. 'I need to get used to this.' she repeated in her head, trying to drill the mental note down.

"Hello, welcome to 'Bae'." She said as the corner of her lip twitched upwards. Tried. Lil Miss Joohyun did not have the most friendliest face. Others would prefer the word 'cold' or even 'icy'. Never 'friendly'.

"What do you want Seulgi? For me, I'll have the..." The blonde girl turned to the slightly taller gingerbread haired girl without paying any attention to Joohyun. The girl's hair glowed under the soft yellow lights, with its ends reaching the girl's back.

Joohyun scribbles down the orders on her trusty notebook and dived into her favourite world. The cooking world. The world which makes her feel at ease.  But something feels off. Was it the weather?

Soon, the savory aroma of the spicy and hot meat stew fills the kitchen. After placing the piping hot bowl on the stable wooden table, she was stopped by the blonde girl.

"Excuse me, may I speak to the chef?" 

"You are talking to her."

"Sorry, I think you messed up my order."

"Okay." Joohyun replied swiftly, eager to replace her customer's dish.

The blonde girl grumbles, "What kind of restaurant messes up people's orders? Not as if the place was jam packed." 

Because of the noisiness of the restaurant, Joohyun heard everything. It was not the first time she heard this comment, but this time she was more annoyed. 'What kind of disrespect is this?' She hissed in her head.

Maybe it was the stress that was getting to her.

​​​​​Maybe it was the cold

After the mess was fixed, the blonde girl started to chat animatedly to the gingerbread haired girl, some jokes were cracked and both of them burst into giggles, packing the whole restaurant with laughter.

Soon after, the blonde girl and the gingerbread haired girl finished eating their dinner and left. 

As the gingerbread haired girl and the blonde girl were walking along the cold winter street, a vibration was felt from the blonde girl's phone and the screen lit up.

Manager unnie: Seungwan, are you free this weekend? I need extra hands this weekend as i have a lot of orders over the past few days. 

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Saturday soon came to Korea and it was finally a break for Joohyun. She covered herself with her long fluffy winter jacket that stretches till her knees, with a black turtleneck and comfortable jeans. She carried her white tote bag on her shoulders and braced for the freezing cold before she left her cosy abode. She walked along the familar pavement  with pine trees. The wind was kind to her today and did not make her feel as if her face was about to drop off.

Unlike her restaurant, this café was bustling with life. People from all walks of life visit the café as they make a beeline for its mouthwatering and homey delicacies. The neon sign illuminated the bright letters 'SNSD'.

Luckily, she was able to find a comfortable seat located near the window, amidst of the crowd. People swarmed around the café, hunting for the freshest cake from the stove. 

With the two black hair bands around her right wrist, she slides her two index fingers along her raven hair, her hands met at the end of the silky hair. She releases her left hand while securing the hair with her right hand. She pulled the hair band along her right wrist and made rounds around her hair. She could feel her blood falling to her elbow and she relaxes her hands on the glossy wooden table.
Joohyun decided to order her usual — a cup of hot roasted tea, the comforting aroma of it warms her heart.
She then slipped on her round glasses, indulged herself in the world of music and opened her purple notebook filled with doodles and mindmaps.

Hours passed swiftly in the café before a soft tap felt on her shoulders jolted her up. She paused, turned behind, revealed a miniature sized girl behind her. 

The girl cleared .

"Hey, you seemed a bit worn out, are you alright? I hope some cake will cheer you up! Don't worry, it's on the house!" The girl said with a cheerful voice and a hint of care. She had mocha coloured eyes, a sweet smile and a hairstyle similar with hers, with an addition of a black ribbon dangling from the ponytail.

The aroma of caramel and cookies.

"Oh... thank you..." Joohyun stammered and tried to shift her eyes away from the beautiful sight before her. The girl flashed her brightest smile, a smile brighter than the flickering lights on the streets while inviting Joohyun to savour the sweet delight.

Joohyun's fork slipped into the rich, creamy, decadent oreo cheesecake. She takes a bite. And melts. It had the perfect balance of ingredients, it seemed as if it was made by godly hands. 

"Mmmm. So delicious..." 

Her tension in her muscles died down as she took her next bite. The fluffy white cream rested above her lips, forming a moustache on her face. She looks as the mess she is, she could not help but let out a giggle.

When she finally turned to her right, her angel had disappeared into the sea of people. 

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