There are a lot of encounters that can overturn a day, to make it dark or to brighten it. First encounters leave the best impression on someone else and this meeting can either be planned or by chance. There are also encounters they never wished to happen again, coming across someone they aren’t expecting to be around. Most of the times, the first meetings are unexpected and no one prepared for it to happen but the following ones that come are considered fate. These kinds of encounters that can happen to anyone, where do this lead?

Another typical day, and so they believed, that’s showered with work and fulfilling responsibilities for Jennie, whose freezing early morning, as her precious time is being spent in this kitchen she loves to be in almost every day of her life. Together with her two assistants actively helping her out, she puts finishing touches on her cakes and pastries, flawlessly decorated with the taste of heaven. She does her work without anything in mind but to produce the best possible cake she can give to the customers and with this, she excels great in every detail that can be critical to her work.

Putting the last tray of pumpkin tarts on the oven, Jennie heaves an exhale of relief as she removes her apron covered in flour but keeping her tied up hair in a hairnet. She leaned against the table stained with doughs and ingredients, letting her drenched black shirt uniform from sweat be tainted by her hard work. The process is undoubtedly difficult and definitely time consuming, but, nevertheless, a huge smile of satisfaction crept up in her lips as she listens to the oven’s timer and looking over at her assistants taking out the variety of finished cakes one by one to be displayed on the racks.

“All set.” The assistant said as they cleaned up the table.

“Good. Now let’s have a short rest so we can open up in an hour. I know our works are done in the kitchen but we should always be on standby in any case that we need to refill the racks.” Jennie breathed deep as she stretched her arms up for another set of rounds of work inside the kitchen and that’s to tidy up all the used equipment and tools.

They are yet to start the work but Jisoo came barging in from the café’s back door and rushes straight inside the kitchen, out of breath and soaked in her sweat under her black coat and white scarf. She couldn’t talk straightaway for she’s puffing in and out heavy breaths but she has her finger pointing at the café’s front door, indicating what she’s about to tell. She has her eyes wide as if she’s in shock and in an urgent state, making Jennie to gaze at her in bewilderment for her actions.

“What happened to you?” Jennie questioned as she tossed a towel to wipe off her sweat and have her strands of her hair that are stuck on her face be shoved away.

Straightening up, Jisoo exhales one more before conveying in between her breaths, “There’s a huge crowd outside our café. They are all lined up and waiting for us to open. At first I thought they are waiting for the apparel store beside us to open but as I walked closer, they are actually in front of the entrance already. I had to run all the way through the back door so they won’t see me. What’s going on? Do you know this is happening today?”

“Excuse me? I don’t know anything about this. Crowd? There are people waiting for us to open then?” Jennie in shock defended herself and her confusion grew larger in her head.

Jennie quietly but in haste jogged to the second floor, followed up Jisoo and the assistants who are as disordered as she is, to their small office and from the windows she peeked outside. From above, Jennie clearly saw the people in long line and some are taking photos of the closed café from outside. This naturally took Jennie aback, unknown what to feel for this sudden huge crowd for them as they haven’t started a day this way, with so much attention and with so many people waiting for the café to open. She glanced at Jisoo asking for more explanation but she shrugged her shoulders, same goes through with the assistants who are clueless as well.

“This is the first time this happened to our business. What’s going on here? Did we do something over the weekend to gain this much attention?” Jennie voiced out and again looked outside only to see more people coming from each side of the intersection.

Coming in just on time is Mino who went straight to his own locker to change into their uniform as he unveils, “It seems like our café was featured by a popular vlogger in a community board and through the social media platforms. I overheard it from the people outside and I asked some youngsters too and they said they saw it from a vlogger’s channel.”

“A vlog?” Jennie raised an eyebrow as she questioned Mino who felt a little embarrassed being watched while he changes his shirt.

“Yeah, it’s that trendy thing these days when someone records themselves or when someone documents something through video and posts it on social sites. There are more kinds of it and our café was coincidentally featured by a popular one, but not through a vlog and only a simple post I guess.” Mino explained knowing Jennie doesn’t have interests in such.

Jisoo then follows a question, “Who’s that vlogger?”

“She goes by the name Lisa and her channel is called Lilifilm Official.” Mino revealed and gave his phone to Jisoo to see more for herself. “People outside are checking out the channel so when I checked it myself earlier while walking up here, our café was indeed featured on the community board.” He further confirmed.

The best friends check the channel called Lilifilm Official themselves, scanning through the hundreds of videos with millions of views on it and thousands of comments. However, while Jennie is busily checking out numbers and being amazed by it, Jisoo is staring closely at the videos’ thumbnails where the vlogger’s face is being featured on most of it. Those hazel eyes, that sharp nose and those enticing plump lips, Jisoo is so certain at the back of her head that she has seen this vlogger once and thus she rewinds back her memories as far as she can with zipped to focus.

“Damn, she got millions of subscribers worldwide too. No wonder our café became instantly popular because of her.” The other staffs who just arrived also remarked as they joined the circle on checking out the channel.

And the other staff with the awareness shares, “I know that vlogger. Her name is Lalisa Manoban but she goes by the alias Lisa in the internet. Most of her vlogs are about recommending best places to visit, particularly restaurants, cafes and souvenir shops, in each country and recently she went to Switzerland too. Her contents are really good and she has sense of humor that’s why a lot loves watching all of her videos. Even I have watched her latest vlog and everything’s fun. You won’t get bore watching her although she’s alone most of the times. Her pretty looks also add to her attraction for the fans.”

“I see. So this Lisa suggested our café not only to her followers and fans but to the ordinary people too since her channel is on public. I wonder when she came here though. We didn’t even notice anything.” Jennie nodded, finally getting the meaning behind the business’ sudden popularity.   

“Oh!” Jisoo suddenly gasped upon the recollection of last week’s events. And looking at Mino she enthusiastically identifies, “Oppa! She’s that cool foreigner woman who came last week afternoon and ordered the triple chocolate cake and hazelnut latte! We thought she’s just a traveler because she had a lot of cameras and she had a huge backpack too! No one recognized her because she was somehow wearing a disguise.”

“Now that you mention it, I remember her. She was that last customer who came in the afternoon. Jennie doesn’t know her because she already went to the hospital that time to visit her mom. So that’s why I thought she’s familiar.” Mino also later recognized as he pictured Lisa’s looks from that day.  

They all looked over outside once again having all these worried expressions in their faces, concerned on how this day will go and anxious of how to serve all these people they never had before, a crowd they never tried handling before. Truly, the café can accommodate enough but not all these customers all at the same time. There are only few staffs to serve, only two assistants to help Jennie back in the kitchen, Mino on his own to supervise the three waiters and Jisoo being the one and only barista with an assistant who can only hand over equipment and tools and do brewed coffees.

“What should we do now?” Mino inquired as he checked his watch, inching closer to their opening time.

Jennie faces the employees, including Jisoo who chose to be in front of her rather than being beside her, as she announces steady, “There’s only a few of us and our supplies are limited. Definitely, we didn’t expect any of this to start our week. While it’s true that we didn’t see this coming and it’s already rumbling us, let’s be thankful since this is a great opportunity to let our café be known more, at the very least throughout the town even more. However, this will also test us and our strategies. We’re so used of having few customers every day and sometimes we can even count it until our day ends, which makes us anxious right now with this situation.”

“To be honest I don’t know if I should be thankful or not that we got featured by that vlogger. Our sales may boost up but we’re really unprepared today. It’s very critical for us because it’s either we’ll be damaged by our limited service or we’ll be complimented by our goods.” Jisoo expressed honestly as she sighed.

“I know…” Jennie also sighed as she massaged her temples. But she goes on with this strategy in her mind, “Let’s get through this day with our best. Once you see that all seats are taken, immediately suggest or tell the incoming customers if they want to order take-outs instead. I’ll continue baking back in the kitchen and please do alert me if the cakes are running out so I’d know the timing too. We’ll continue working until we’re out of supplies and once we completely wiped out everything, we have no choice but to close earlier than our usual time. I’ll also help you guys out from time to time whenever I find a chance to do so. Then we can discuss after work for better ways for the next days, that’s if we’ll still have this same amount of customers.”  

The concerned Mino steps forward as he questions Jennie, “Will you be alright though? You woke up at dawn and you always come here first to make all those cakes and now you’re saying you’re going to continue on working back at the kitchen while you multi-task on helping with the services too. That’s too stressful for you, Jennie.”

“I’ll be fine.” Jennie guaranteed everyone with a self-assured smirk. “If it’s for the betterment of our café then there’s nothing I cannot do. Besides, we’re a team and I’m confident we’ll do well today despite of the unpreparedness. So, let’s do it.” She added and all can only smile back at her.

Jennie extended her hand in the middle, persuading everyone to come together and put their hands as well for a good luck cheer. Though filled with anxiousness and uncertainty, they all came together as all joined Jennie’s hand in the middle and beamed through the uneasiness. There’s no other way for them to start the day but to face this sudden unfold of events and circumstances. And thanks to Jennie’s positivity, despite the apprehension, they have this fire in them to begin the battle.

As everyone in the town have long opened their busy weekdays, there’s Chaeyoung still stuck in her bed wrapped in her thick blanket and covered in her pink pajamas, in her deep sleep that not even the sun’s rays passing through her windows can disturb her. Her sister Alice is likewise on the same room but not in her sleep like her sister, rather she’s pacing around as she’s arranging Chaeyoung’s belongings and keeping her room clean, as quiet as she possibly can, not to disturb Chaeyoung.

However, in this deep sleep that’s supposedly satisfying, she’s haunted by her nightmares of series of a past she never desired to remember anymore. She’s visited by that night which changed everything for her as her nightmare pulled her back into it. She’s having fun inside the car by the back seats with a bottle of liquor in her hands, waving it up high while singing to the upbeat song on the radio. And together with her on this ride are her friends who are as hyped as she is, unstoppable and wild as they drive fast through the street they thought is empty on a midnight.

“Stop…” Chaeyoung mumbled in her sleep to which Alice heard in the midst of silence.

“Hey, Chaeng. Wake up.” Alice quickly went to her side as she shakes her up, realizing her sister is having a nightmare with those sweats flowing down from her forehead.

All of a sudden, everything turned so blur and a strong ring on her ears invaded her. In this nightmare she saw herself covered in blood and pinned against the car that’s wrecked and flipped upside down in the middle of an intersection. Around her are the people she was once with inside the car, all thrown everywhere in the street and lifeless drenched in their own blood and a crashed truck smoking on a corner as it hit the light post. All of these series of memories are heartlessly attacking Chaeyoung in her nightmares, which caused her to growl and cry out loud.

“No!” Chaeyoung wailed as she’s finally awakened from her sleep.

She has her eyes wide opened as she pants heavily, struggling to catch her breath and even worsened for all she can see still is darkness and emptiness around her. As if she feels choked and held by the throat, she frantically sat up in her bed, desperate to find light and out of her proper mind as her thoughts are still stuck somewhere in between her nightmares and reality. Her body is trembling and her heart doesn’t stop from pounding so loud and fast.

Alice, seeing this state of her sister, she immediately cups her face soaked in sweat and rustles close, “Chaeng, that was a nightmare. You’re okay now. You’re awake. I’m here with you. Everything’s going to be fine. Trust me.”

Chaeyoung felt her sister’s other hand caressing her back for her to calm down, but her tears burst out from her eyes as she cries hard with her condition that’s not getting any better, “Unnie… I saw it again… that night… I saw it again…”

“Okay, okay… I’m here. Let it all out and I’ll stay here. That was just a nightmare and you’re here with me. Nothing’s going to hurt you.” Alice tried to hush her cries while repetitively saying her words and Chaeyoung can only locate her for a tight hug for her to cry on her shoulder.

“Don’t leave me, unnie…” Chaeyoung wept, her cries soon turned into low sobs as she gradually finds peace in her Alice’s hold.

Alice didn’t stop from giving her back a caress as she asks to get her mind out of the nightmares, “What do you want to eat for today’s breakfast? Do you want to eat out or shall I order take-outs? Or maybe you want me to cook for you? I haven’t prepared anything yet because I was thinking of asking you first before I do anything in the kitchen.”

Chaeyoung, upon finding the temporary comfort, she let go of her sister as she speaks shy and low, “Jennie…”

“What?” Alice gasped, immediately cutting off her sister from more words. “Chaeng, I know I said Jennie’s cheeks look like dumplings but I never said you can eat those or even her! Her cheeks aren’t edible!” She then said in panic.

But Chaeyoung clarifies herself, blushing hard as she barks, “Unnie! I meant the cake that Jennie makes in her café!”

“Geez, be clear next time. I thought you’re having some dirty thoughts.” Alice joked in laughter just to make her sister be out from her dreadful thoughts caused by her nightmares. “But kidding aside, I saw earlier on the internet that the café is being swarmed by a lot of customers today. I don’t really know what happened because it’s usually not that crowded but for some reason, today is fully packed. Some social media users are even taking a live video.” She further went on with a glass of water for her.

Chaeyoung frowned at this and in disappointment she sighs, “Just when I thought I can have some again. The cake last time tasted so good and I thought I can try out the other cakes today too…”

“You’re really addicted to sweets, aren’t you?” Alice asked and she only got a nod as a response. “Okay, we’ll go there and check it, okay? Let’s hope we can still get some with all these people lined up. So, don’t be sad anymore. We’ll find a way and we’ll definitely get a cake or perhaps pastries today.” She settled.

Chaeyoung’s frowns turned into an instant huge grin, squealing, “Really unnie?”

“Anything for you, Chaeyoung, I’ll do it. That’s why let’s start getting ready now so we can move out as soon as we can before they completely run out of cakes.” Alice guaranteed as she gently pulled up her sister to get the day started.

The café, as expected and reported by the customers throughout the internet, is packed and busy. Some customers have found their own tables while some customers are stuck in the line waiting for their orders to be taken by the tied up Mino at the counter. The staffs are in a hustle serving customers as many as they can while being demanded for more services and no one would dare not to accomplish for the business’ sake and to meet everyone’s expectations for their experiences.

“Can we have the same latte that Lisa had, the one that she posted?” A group of excited female customers ordered.

“Oh, you mean the hazelnut latte? Hold on a second…” Mino excused himself from the counter as he rushed straight to Jisoo whose hands are so fast in everything she does yet her skills are still as flawless as she usually does her coffee. “There are people asking for the latte that Lisa had last week. Can you do the same? I know you’re used of making that one but at the same time you added some experiments last time. Will you be able to repeat that one? Moreover, are you alright here?” He then asked worriedly after realizing there are a lot of unfinished orders lined up on her desk that she’s yet to work on and eyed upset at her panicking assistant.

“I can oppa. I wrote down the recipe for that one when I went back home. This is tiring but it’s fun to work like this. At first I was worried that with this pressure, I might make a lot of mistakes and my hands might tremble. But as I go on working, this is actually the kind of work that I’ve been wishing to do at the back of my mind, making coffees and being extremely busy.” Jisoo said so confident with a quick glance and a beam as she’s caught up in between one mug of coffee to another one.

“If you say so, then I’ll keep getting orders.” Mino simply shrugged his shoulders and went back to attend on the demanding customers.

As time goes by the cakes and pastries are gradually vanishing from the racks and from the displays, being wiped out so fast and being loved by the leaving satisfied customers. However, the café isn’t being emptied just yet despite being informed and seeing that there are few slices and few numbers left from the display. This situation caused Jennie to work nonstop at the kitchen until she used the very last ounce of ingredients and supplies they have that are supposed to be good for a week.  

“That’s the last batch to be baked today. We ran out of everything already and we have no choice really but to close as soon as everything’s sold out there. We’ll immediately purchase everything as soon as possible today too.” Jennie breathed heavy after sliding in one last tray inside the oven, eventually feeling the exhaustion brought by this storm.

“The customers are getting lesser compared earlier so I guess it wouldn’t be hard to tell them that we’re already out of supplies and stocks and that we only have few left to offer for today. There’s no crowd outside anymore too and only the people left inside are here.” One of her assistants said upon stealing a look outside at the dining area through the small windows that divide the kitchen and the counter area, as well as the coffee station.

Jennie then went straight to tidy herself, removing her apron as she declares, “I’m going out there to help the other staffs. We’re all done here and there’s nothing to make anymore.”

“Aren’t you tired yet?” Her concerned assistant asked.

Jennie however ignored their concerns as she still insisted on going out and immediately takes over the cashier area, shocking Mino who was swiftly shoved to the side and especially Jisoo who had to stop from blending due to her appearance that’s covering her fatigue with a wide smile, as bright as the day, to welcome the customers with their orders. Everyone knows she’s this hard working and passionate, nevertheless, it’s only now they can witness her being extraordinary, going beyond their expectations of her and going over her limit in spite of being aware how beaten up her body is.

“Welcome!” Jennie greeted a tall man that is next in the line without looking as she’s fixated on multi-tasking of checking the cakes left and looking over the coffee station to check on Jisoo’s available coffees.

“You haven’t changed, Jennie. You’re still as hard working as ever.” The customer, the tall man, commented and removed his bucket hat as he said.

There’s no way Jennie doesn’t know who the customer is. Without looking up to meet his eye smile, she knows the owner of that husky but sweet tone of voice, that same manner which once made her heart flutter and be so deeply and madly in love and that same manner that gloomed her heart. However, because she exactly knows who he is, rather than keeping her wide smile and greets him like how she greeted others pleasantly, her face darkens and her expression screams death as she gritted her teeth so tight to control her emotions from bursting out big time.

“What do you want and what the hell are you doing here, Jong-in? I thought you’re already living in a fairytale with your fiancé and forgot to step in these kinds of normal places.” Jennie asked in a constraint grumble, trying not to cause any unnecessary commotion in the crowded café.

It didn’t take long when Jisoo also noticed his presence as he’s causing traffic in the line. Seeing him, she wears this darkened expression as well but lighter than Jennie has with her lowered down head. This man named Jong-in isn’t giving Jisoo a good taste, almost as bitter as her used and unusable coffee beans. She disgustedly glared at him from head to toe, cursing him in a mutter and if possible stabbing him with this knife she’s holding, but only with her imaginations.

“What, are you going to order or not? You sure are taking your sweet time there cheater!” Jisoo, in her uncontrollable emotions unlike Jennie, she shouted from her station which caught some customers’ attention.

Though embarrassed with this attention, Jong-in still talks closely to Jennie from across the counter, “I saw how your café suddenly became a huge topic online. Some news articles are also coming out one by one. You’re getting a lot of good reviews too and—“

“Can you please just order already or are you just here to blabber your words?” Jennie cut him off as she finally locked eye contacts using her deadliest glare she could give him and finally losing a bit of her composure. “Make it fast and I don’t want to hear those praises from a cheater…” She muffled her anger and raised an eyebrow to intimidate him.

Jong-in scowled at her coldness, “I was just complimenting you for being successful today and of course, I also came here to buy your cakes that you used to bake only for me too. I missed it.”

His words popped a vein from Mino who heard him loud and clear from cleaning a table nearby. Hence, he makes his move coming in between as he faces him, “You’re annoying. Can you please just leave if you’re going to disturb our operations here? Jennie obviously doesn’t need to hear any of your compliments that we’re so sure you said the same to your sugar mommy!”

“Please Jong-in, leave. I don’t want any more ruckuses inside my business and you’re disturbing a lot of our customers already. You know your words already mean nothing to me ever since that day you decided to break our relationship. Do you still expect me to believe your compliments? Not anymore, Jong-in. Never will I believe in you again so please, leave.” Jennie begged but aggressive in her tone.

“Too late, the sugar mommy is here and get ready for an attack because we’re about to make this business into a battlefield.” Jisoo urgently rustled to Jennie as she pointed her lips by the entrance.

Coming in is a raging lady, a lot older than Jennie and Jisoo, in her red dress and a black branded expensive furred coat as she bumped into the customers audaciously, even accidentally stepping on some with her silver pointed high heels. She cared not to apologize though some demanded as she entered, instead she went straight to the cashier area where Jennie is whose eyes could only roll in dismay with the worsening situation and had Jong-in be grabbed by his broad arms, pulling him farther away from the counter.

“Thank God the sugar mommy is here to collect her baby boy. We got no time to babysit your fiance here so please get him because he seemed to be got lost in here.” Mino whistled as soon as the woman stood furious in front of Jennie.

The woman, looking rich and elegant, slammed her hands by the counter as she return Jennie’s cold looks with an eyebrow raised so high, “If you aren’t such a for flirting with someone else’s man while doing business then you wouldn’t be experiencing such mess. Jong-in i