Today had been hectic for Jihyo.

Not only that she was late to her morning class, she forgot to bring her assignment she worked off the night before, had a literal tea spilled on her shirt just before an important presentation, and just few minutes ago, had to endure her manager long- ranting.

“Get a grip Jihyo, you’re not a child Jihyo,” Jihyo mimicked angrily, shutting down the shutters to the café with all of her might. “I seriously don’t understand why I had to serve 100++ customer all by myself?! Like, excuse me, you had your own daughter lazing around?!” She huffed indignantly. The memory of Im Nayeon playing with her phone while she was working her off serving the unusually crowded café caused her to release a small scream of anger just when the shutter hit the ground.

“You’re cute when you’re angry.”

Jihyo whipped her head to the side, mortified that someone heard her ranting loudly in the middle of the night.

She knew her. Well, not exactly. Recognized her would probably more accurate.

“Do I know you?” She questioned politely. Of course she knew; the dark haired beauty before her was a regular. Always comes in with a stone-cold expression, ordering the same menu, gracious tips – the girl must be loaded.

The not-so-stranger chuckled adorably. Jihyo caught a whiff of alcohol on her breath.

Great.

Now she had to deal with a drunk – but cute – girl.

“I sure hope so,” she said. “But I know you,” she drunkenly continued, wobbly as she took a step closer.

Jihyo could see the rosy cheeks of the girl.

Drunk? Positive.

“Of course you do,” Jihyo bit out, taking a step back. “Now if you would excuse me, I have to go home.”

Jihyo her heels, and ran. The cute drunk girl followed her too.

Just her luck.

“Jihyo, wait!”

Stupidly, Jihyo stopped on her tracks, causing the stranger to crash into her back.

Luckily, Jihyo had a great sense of balance. She was still standing while the other laid sprawled on the pavement.

“I meant no harm,” She clumsily tried to get up. “I just… like you?”

Oh. That was a first.

“Excuse me?”

“I’m drunk,” She blurted out. “And I’m a really honest drunk. So you, yeah you! I like you. Really really like you!”

Okay?

“So will you, Park Jihyo, be my wife?”

Jihyo felt her brain stopped working. “I’m sorry, what?” She questioned.

How eloquent.

“I, Minatozaki – “

Before the Minatozaki could repeat her proposal, she was knocked out-cold by someone Jihyo also knew. She winced when the Minatozaki’s body hit the ground unceremoniously.

“Sorry about that,” Hirai Momo, another regular customer, which happened to be the girlfriend of her stepsister, apologized. But rather than sorry, she was rather… embarrassed? Mortified? Jihyo knew she was in another level of embarrassment.

“Yeah, it’s okay…” Jihyo lied, waving it off like it wasn’t just a big deal. “Your… friend is drunk. I get it, it’s okay.”

Momo, while in the process of hoisting Minatozaki girl up, muttering under her breath something in the lines of, “You don’t understand.”

Well, Jihyo didn’t understand why universe decided to hate her today.

“Sorry again,” Momo smiled once she successfully dumped the Minatozaki girl to the backseat of her car. Right, why didn’t Jihyo realized the car? Momo must have been her stalker or something. “You know if you want to, I can give you a ride home?”

Oh, you are too kind.

 

---

 

Sana blinked once Momo finished recounting the event just the night before.

And screamed.

Loudly, very loudly.

A whole new level of fortississimo.

Momo worriedly looked at the glass of water sitting at Sana’s fancy nightstand, afraid it would break under the sound frequency.

“I messed up!” She wailed, hitting her head repeatedly with the soft cotton pillow of hers. “What if she think of me like I’m such a freak?!”

“Well first of all, you are,” Momo calmly sipped her tea, watching the panicked girl in amusement. “Secondly, it’s alright, she didn’t know you that well.”

“Good thing I haven’t told her my name.”

“Partly,” Momo murmured. “You kind of told her your family name.” Momo shrugged. "Your Japanese family name, thank the Gods."

“But still, I ed up,” Sana groaned. “Never in my life I was this embarrassed.”

“Cheer up, you only did it in front of me.”

Momo barely dodged the pillow flying toward her.

"I need to confess," Sana resolutely said after a lot of thinking and screaming. "Momo how do I look now?"

"Ugly but ok."

"Thanks!"

 

---

 

Today was the first time for Sana to go outside the suffocating wall of the House after… well…

Years.

Sana still shivered at the recollection of her attempted kidnapping and had her parents locked her inside the walls of the House for nearly a decade.

But Sana is an adult now.

So she’s going to celebrate her first freedom by going to this cute little café all by herself.

.

.

.

That if you didn’t count the bodyguards.

.

.

.

The café door opened with a clink of the bell and she was greeted by a blinding smile of a young woman with adorably large eyes and oh my –

Her heart just skipped a beat.

“Uh…”

Well this is awkward.

This girl’s smile was too pretty that her brain short-circuited and now here she was, standing very stupidly by the counter.

“What would you like to order?” The café waitress sweetly asked after a moment of silence.

“Um,” Sana gulped. “What’s your recommendation…” She looked at the name attached to her chest, “…Jihyo?”

Jihyo looked a bit taken aback. Sana wasn’t sure why.

Then she realized where did her eyes land.

Minatozaki-Kim Sana, you ert

“Well,” Jihyo coughed. “Most of our customer preferred milkshake and red velvet cake combination.”

I don’t really like milkshake nor Red Velvet cake…

Sana glanced outside, where her bodyguards were discreetly standing guard, posing as regular people.

…but Momo said they liked it

“Then I’ll take two red velvet and one… um, what’s that?”

“Ice cream chocolate cake,” Jihyo answered with a smile.

Oh God the SMILE

But Sana wasn’t going to gay panic here.

“That one please,” Sana smiled briefly.

She didn’t forget to put on a gracious amount of tips.

“For excellent service,” she said, smiling briefly, and practically ran away.

 

---

 

Her bodyguards practically worshipped her.

Irene even offered to clean her room.

(Sana accepted. Because Irene cleaned her room better than her maids.)

 

---

 

Sana spent the night talking with Momo about her first experience of going outside as an adult.

(Sana talks, Momo eats while she listens. This is how her friendship works.)

“Momo, she is perfect.”

“Then make her yours.”

So, Sana tried.

Every single day after classes, she would visit the café without fail.

(Her bodyguards are getting anxious about their weight, but Sana assured that they are perfect)

 

---

 

Like Jihyo.

She’s perfect.

 

---

 

By the time Sana finished her story, she is visibly flustered.

“To be honest, I don’t know,” Jihyo lets on, her back straightened and her eyes downcast with her cheeks flushed. “I’ve never…”

“Look, I’m really sorry about my proposal and my confession just now because I know it’s so sudden I really, honestly, don’t expect you to reciprocate my feelings. M-maybe we can start off as friends?”

Jihyo giggled, tucking a strand of short hair behind her ear. “Perhaps more,” she offers, smiling.

How adorable.

Sana straightens her back with a newfound confidence.

“Good day, my name is Minatozaki Sana and I find your smile very lovely. May I ask for your name?”

“A pleasure to meet you, Sana-ssi. The name is Park Jihyo, and I found you very charming yourself.”

Sana chuckled before her expression turned childlike – so very unlike the regular customer Jihyo used to serve.

“So… will you marry me?”

“Sana-ssi, that’s too early.”

“…so in the future it’s a yes?”

The shy laughter is all Sana needs.

 

---

 

Sana probably has to tell Jihyo that she’s a princess.

(“Sana darling, just who is this lovely young woman you often talk about?”

Her father responded with a chuckle. “I would like to see my future daughter-in-law by your birthday, if you may.”)

Soon.

Real soon.