Jongin's favorite treat is a chocolate and vanilla cake arranged to look like a teddy bear's face. The eyes, nose, and mouth are drawn in chocolate, and the muzzle, made of a smaller dome of cake, is lightened with powdered sugar. A chocolate ribbon is “tied” around its neck. It's perfect, and he loves sharing it with Yixing, but today it's been erased from the menu and isn't on its usual bottom shelf of the display case.

“Hyung, the bears are gone!” Jongin leans against the glass, looking left and right, but he can't see his delicious bears.

“Maybe they ran out, Jongin,” Yixing says. “Other people enjoy the bears, too.”

“But!” He looks at Yixing with wet eyes. “But they're gone!”

“Isn't there something else you'd like to try? This strawberry cake looks good, doesn't it?” Jongin shakes his head. Yixing points to another chocolate cake, with green icing standing up like the fronds of a succulent. “This one looks like hyung's plant.”

“It'll hurt!”

No matter what treat Yixing points out, Jongin shakes his head and pouts more and more until he can't hold in his tears. Most everything has whipped topping, and while Jongin loves the cream on fruit, he hates it on cake. Scraping it off doesn't cut it.

Usually, he's very good about not crying, or when he does cry, it's quiet tears, but the absence of the bear cakes is so devastating to a three-and-a-half-year-old that he tilts his head back and wails at the ceiling.

Thankfully, there are few patrons in the cafe, and most are concerned young women and girls who look torn between approaching the crying toddler and leaving out of embarrassment.

Yixing's ready to grab Jongin and leave, too, but at the first breathless sob a young man looks out from a doorway to the left, leading to a room marked EMPLOYEES ONLY. He's wearing the uniform of the cafe—jeans without holes and a pale green T-shirt with LIGHT OF YOUR LIFE BAKERY over a cupcake and holy light screen printed in white over the left . His black apron is peppered with white powder, probably flour or sugar. Crouching behind the counter, he knocks on the glass case to get Jongin's attention and waves.

He stays low, walking awkwardly around the counter and through the low swinging door. “Hey, bud,” he greets softly. “You okay?”

Jongin's sobs quiet to sniffly hiccups, and he hides his face against Yixing's legs, his shyness overwhelming his sadness.

Yixing apologizes, petting Jongin's soft black hair. “He really loves the bear cakes. I didn't think he'd throw such a tantrum, though.”

“Yeah, Kyungsoo's cakes are really popular. He’s a baking wizard,” he says wondrously. “He's been working on catering for his brother's wedding party, though, so he's not been here for a couple days, and I just cannot make anything like he does. What's in the case,” he waves to it, ”is what I have to offer.

“However,” he continues in a conspiratorial tone, leaning over his knees. “I am currently working on something that I think is pretty special. It's totally new, and I've never made it before, so I need someone who really appreciates cakes to try it for me.” Jongin's watching him warily and wipes his nose on his sleeve. Yixing pulls a tissue from his backpack and crouches down to hold it to the boy's nose, telling him to blow. “Would you do me a really really big favor and try my cake for me?” He puts his hands together. “Pretty please?”

Jongin's still shy, but he's watching the man with open curiosity. Yixing can tell he wants to know what the new cake is. “What do you think, Jongin? You want to help him?” Finally, he nods, and the young man smiles brightly.

“Yes! Thank you so much! You're saving my life here. I'll go finish it now; how about you sit with your hyung and wait just fifteen minutes?” He points to the wrought iron clock centered on the wall. “When that big hand is on the five.” Jongin nods and even laughs a little when the baker does his awkward, short-legged waddle back behind the counter.