It was a Tuesday night, Hyejin was taping a box labelled 'Hyejin's Knick Knacks' as they got ready for the drive back to Seoul. She tore the tape and heaved the box unto the trunk of her car as her dad approached followed by her mom and her friends.

"All packed?" Her dad said with a sad smile.

"Almost appa"

"Promise me you'll visit twice a month?"

"Dad, I need to get settled there first."

"OK, but come home as soon as you do, will you? Will you please?" Came the pleading eyes of the old man.

"Yes, I will." She gave her dad a big hug. She caught her mom's eye as she pat his back.

He wiped his tears and let go of Hyejin.

"Dad stop crying, you're embarrassing yourself in front of everyone"

She turned to Yongsun and Wheein. They have said their goodbyes earlier that day but they promised to see Hyejin off.

"We'll come visit you Hyejinie" said Yong as she gave Hyejin a hug.

"I thought we agreed on keeping it a secret?" Wheein complained when it was her turn. "That was suppose to be a surprise"

Yongsun shrugged. "Oops"

"Seriously unnie, I told you so many times. Don't. tell. Hyejin"

"I forgot"

Here they go again. Hyejin thought. "Guys, I haven't even left and you're already fighting"

"Wheein started it" Yongsun muttered.

Wheein opened to argue but saw the look Hyejin gave her so she rolled her eyes and pouted. "Ok, I'll stop. We'll see you Hyejinie"

"Call if you need anything" Her mom said when Hyejin turned to her. "Take care, ok sweetie?"

"I will mom. I love you guys" Finally she got her bag.

"Hyejin, I want to talk for a second" her dad walk her to the drivers seat. She thought this was another attempt to delay her but when she look at the worried look on her dad's face she was confused.

"I want you to make up with Sandeul before you go"

"Make up with him?"

"Yes, aren't you guys fighting?"

Hyejin frowned this time. "Why would you think that?"

"He's been avoiding you. I could tell."

True, but not without reason. They've been too busy with paper works and the fuzz about Hyejin moving. And she wasn't really that mad at Sandeul.

"Its just a petty fight. We'll be ok."

"What did you fight about. Should I get concerned?"

"No dad, we're ok" Just then she saw Sandeul with his backpack walking on the driveway towards them. "Look, he's coming with me he said he'll help me get settled in."

Her dad look towards Sandeul but he seemed not reassured. "Sandeul, come here."

Sandeul quickened his pace.

"Tell dad we're ok" Hyejin spoke up first.

He was confuse for a moment.

Hyejin crossed her hands. "He told me you have been avoiding me since we got home. Why is that?"

"Cause you're mad at me. I threw away the cup-- Ouch!"

Hyejin had thrown the roll of tape she was holding. She gave him a look and prayed he understood it. She doesn't want her dad to know about Byul just yet.

"Hyejin!" Her dad looked at her, surprised at her action.

"Sorry"

"Its ok, Mr. Ahn, your daughter is one sadistic girl but I assure you that we're fine. She was mad at me but we talked things out. I was not avoiding her. I was merely busy doing my work."

Hyejin shrugged. "See?"

After another round of goodbye, Hyejin sat at the drivers seat.

"This is it, are you ready?" Sandeul asked beside her.

"I'm a little bit nervous but I'm ready." She started the car.

Sandeul stared at her.

"Why are you staring at me?"

"I'm just really sorry for the cup thing"

"Hmm"

"Let's stop by the rest stop. Maybe I could ask for her number."

"No, I'll do it myself. Just wake me up when we get there."

Sandeul nodded.

Hyejin knows he felt really sorry for what he did and she knows it was just an accident.

~~~~~~~

Several hours later

~~~~~~~

Sandeul was shaking Hyejin awake once again. When she opened her eyes the green glow of Moon Beans glared at her. She fixed herself, slapping her cheeks.

She could feel the atmosphere was a little bit different from the time she's been here. Perhaps it was because there are less people.

Hyejin had been so used to Yooa standing behind the register that seeing another person there felt weird. She ordered coffee for both her and Sandeul then asked for the manager.

"May I ask why ma'am?" asked the attendant named Clint.

"I have a favour to ask him/her"

"Do you know him personally?"

"No, but I know your boss. Her name's Moon Byulyi. I want to ask him about her" Hyejin said getting impatient, tapping her foot. Why is he still standing there?

"I'm sorry ma'am but he's busy at the moment"

Her jaw set. "This will only take a few minutes, it won't be long"

"Ma'am I just told you he's busy. If you would please step aside. There are people behind you."

"Can I wait for him?"

"I'm really sorry ma'am, but if you really want to talk to him you'll have to wait until his shift ends. Now, can you please, step aside"

Hyejin moved and clicked her tongue. She look around to see one familiar face then hang her head when she remembered all of Byul's staff transferred with her. She waited for her drink at the side and kept her eyes alert. Then she saw a man come out of the kitchen door, stretching and yawning. That's when Hyejin saw the pin that glinted in his chest.

She quickly waved her hand to capture his attention.

"Hey! You! Are you the manager?!" She yelled.

The customers who just arrived looked at her like she was a psycho. The man walked up to her as well as the guard standing outside the doors.

"Is everything fine in here sir?" The guard asked

"Everything's fine. Go back to your post." Said the manager. Hyejin read his nameplate. Charlie.

The guard nod and went away. Hyejin had a scowl on her face when the manager turned to her. Judging by the disheveled hair and bulging eyes Hyejin could tell he just woke up.

"I am Charlie ma'am, the manager, may I help you?"

"Yes, do you know Byul?" She asked quickly.

"Yes ma'am."

She got excited and jumped a bit. "Great! You can tell me her phone number!"

Once again she left her phone back in the car. She found a pen in her pocket and offered it to Charlie. "Here! You can write it in my arm."

Hyejin's heart gave a pang as he chuckled. "I don't think I can do that Miss."

"No, look. I was here last Saturday, and she gave me her number. She wrote it in a cup because I left my phone in my car" she explained in rapid fire almost stuttering. "My assistant accidentally threw away the cup she wrote on. It was an accident. I need her number, I told her I'll call right away."

"Ma'am employees are not allowed to interact with customers except for business. I don't think Miss Moon would break that rule."

Hyejin's head prickled as she stared at the guy, she tried to explain urgently, almost pleading. "You want proof? Ask her. My name is Hyejin but she also calls me Jinie or Batgirl sometimes"

"Batgirl?" Charlie frowned.

"Yes! And that's why she called her cake Gotham cake. After me, or I guess our mutual love for batman."

"What Gotham cake? Miss, are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine!" She shrieked. "The Gotham cake is what she calls the lava cake she planned to sell here."

Hyejin saw the look that passed in his eyes.

"You know about it don't you? Now can you please give me her number!"

She opened her arm to him again. Then she dropped it as soon as he stepped back. "I really can't do it miss. You might be a stalker--"

"No I'm not! I told you she knows me!" Hyejin was shocked by the sudden accusation so she screamed unintentionally. Charlie gestured for the guard.

"Look! I'm telling the truth OK! I know her." Hyejin said panicking now.

"Ma'am calm down. You're disturbing our customers. Why don't we step outside and we'll talk."

Charlie nod at the guard. Hyejin looked at him incredulously. She was breathing heavily from shouting and was escorted out of the shop.

She crossed her arms. Now out of earshot of anyone the manager sounded different.

"You better stop causing a scene here or we'll be force to ban you"

"But I know her! I'm not a stalker!" She stomped her foot on the ground. "OK if you can't give me her number, just tell me where she transferred to."

Charlie glanced at the guard and smirked. "Miss Byul have asked us never to give out personal information when she was here. Especially to people who looked like they just escape a mental hospital spouting about a batgirl and a gotham cake."

Hyejin's anger rose. "Say that again!"

She was about to pounce when someone lock her arms behind her.

"Easy there." Sandeul pulled her back as she struggled. "Hey Hyejin, we should go. Come on"

"They think I'm a stalker which I'm not!" She struggled out of Sandeul's grip but he wouldn't let go of her. "Dude, let go of me!"

Sandeul is a bit confuse of what happened but isn't surprise about Hyejin's behaviour. She can be angered easily when she just woke up.

"Hyejin was it?" Charlie looked at Hyejin with such triumphant smile that she believe he knew all along who she was. "You're officially banned from all branches of Moon beans, effective today."

And with that Charlie waved at her and went back inside.

Hyejin glared at him breathing heavily. Sandeul pulled her towards the car.

She slumped on her chair and told off Sandeul when he tried to speak.

Pure disbelief ran in her system. Did she just ruin her chance on making contact with Byul? Will she ever see the girl again? She thought her life was gonna turn around for the better but now she was not so sure.

They entered Seoul and Hyejin realised that this is the start of her new life.

~~~~~~~~

2 Months later

~~~~~~~~

Under the shade of the tall willow tree in the hill behind Hyejin's house, they had made a wide wood bench enough to fit 5 people while laying down. It was the hangout place of Hyejin and her friends in their teens but right now it was only Wheein and Yongsun there. It was in the middle of the afternoon and they were discussing topics for their next video . . . or so Wheein thought because Yongsun kept complaining on how long it has been since she got to snack on tteokbokkie.

"Wheein-ah can we drive to town and get some, please?" Yongsun looked at Wheein with puppy dog eyes. An act amplified by her already large appealing eyes. Wheein look away from this. She was not going to get distracted again.

"If you wanted them you should have said so before we climbed here, unnie"

"But I didn't want them earlier I want them now" Yongsun pouted.

"Well it's a waste of time" Wheein said trying to stay calm.

Yongsun stood up from her seat looking angry. Just then they heard the crunch of leaves and branches. The figures of their two older friends emerge from the footpath. Tiffany looked radiant as always while Taeyeon was breathing heavily almost stumbling as she reached flat ground. The former of the two is carrying a small package.

"Are you two fighting again?" Tiffany ask, her brows furrowed looking at the both of them.

"No" Wheein said rolling her eyes. Yongsun didn't notice this as she was eyeing the package Tiffany was carrying.

"What is that unnie?"

"Your favourite!" Announced Tiffany and Yongsun cheered and scrambled to get her share. Wheein on the other hand eyed the two ladies. However frequent they hang out here when they were teens it become a rare occasion when they became adults. If Tiffany is in the country she's either in Taeyeon's house or in Seoul while Taeyeon rarely comes up the hill at all.

"We bought news" Taeyeon said sitting down beside Yong as she started eating.

"We saw Sandeul in town and he said something about Hyejin"

Wheein and Yongsun exchanged looks.

"Did you know she's in Jeju?" said Tiffany sitting down beside Wheein.

"Jeju???"

"What is she doing there?" Asked Yong.

"She's on a scavenger hunt" said Tiffany with a frown.

"She's looking for a girl" Taeyeon said with a sly smile.

Wheein and Yong stared dumbfounded.

Taeyeon explained Sandeul's story. How Hyejin met a girl from a branch of Moon Beans cafe months ago, how they bonded and how they separated. Tiffany continued, saying how their maknae had been hopping from one cafe after another ever since.

"He kept quiet because Hyejin asked him to keep it a secret." Said Taeyeon.

"Why would she not tell us?" Yong asked feeling betrayed.

"Why is he telling us now?" Asked Wheein.

"Because . . . he thought she would get tired after a while. But Hyejin is determined. She's spending all her days off running around the country looking for the girl. He's getting worried"

"He should have told us sooner, she's the most stubbornly determined person out of the five of us" Tiffany said shaking her head.

"But never when it comes to a girl" said Wheein in wonder.

"Exactly" Taeyeon smiled. "So this girl must be someone special"

"Hyejin could be in danger" said Tiffany firmly.

"She's a grown woman Fany, she can handle herself."

"I'm just worried. She's independent I get it, but travelling to unknown places all by herself is dangerous."

Wheein nodded.

"She's still in Korea unnie. She'll be fine." Yong put in.

"That's the problem. Sandeul said Hyejin is considering going outside of the country if she doesn't find the barista here."

The four of them went silent. It was one thing travelling alone in the country, but overseas? Wheein shared Tiffany's worries but what do they do with this information now? She felt like they were invading Hyejin's privacy just by talking about this behind her back.

"Let's call her" suggested Tiffany.

~~~~~~

Hyejin was inside a Moon beans cafe. She had been staring outside the window watching the waves in the distant. There are a total of 46 Moon Beans branches in the country. Two of them are in Seoul, checking the branches there took one day but the rest took her day offs. Contrary to the Sundays she imagined, hanging out in Byul's cafe all day long, her days off was endless travelling, taking trains and buses and walks till she reach the next branch. After two months, she had gone to just half of them, searching for that elusive barista.

Branch Number 25 is in Jeju. Number 25 sits near the airport with an ocean view. Number 25 had a special cake on the menu. . .

She was jolted from her reverie when her phone rang. It was a video conference call from Tiffany and Yong. What are you guys up to? She answered.

There was Tiffany and Wheein in one screen and Taeyeon and Yongsun in another. Hyejin smiled focusing on the grins of the latter duo and ignoring the stern faces of Tiffany and Wheein.

"Hey, you're all together" she said as a greeting and recognised their background, the tall Willow tree at the hill behind her house. "Wait Taeyeon unnie are you ok? You climbed?"

"This kid, why are you only asking me?"

Hyejin laugh as the Taeyeon waved her tiny fist.

"Hyejin-ah, where are you?" Came the stern voice of Tiffany.

"Just at a cafe unnie"

"Where?"

"Oh, just somewhere near" she said and look down then regretted the action almost immediately. She passed it off like she was looking at her watch and quickly look back at the screen.

"Where?" Wheein asked this time.

"In Jeju" she said looking away. She knows she would get found out soon, Sandeul had been worried and have threatened to call her friends on her if she doesn't stop. He finally told them, she thought.

It was chaos on the other end. Her friends flooding her with all sorts of questions then noticed Wheein just staring at the screen.

"OK!" Said Tiffany in a loud booming voice. The four of them looked at her. "Hyejin-ah care to explain?"

"Did oppa tell you?"

Tiffany nodded.

"Then you should know about Byul by now"

"She has a name!" Yongsun giggled excitedly.

"Of course she has a name Yong" Wheein said

"Focus you two"

"I promised her I'd call but I lost her number" whispered Hyejin, the words barely audible but hurt as much hearing them leave her lips.

"Hyejin-ah" Tiffany begun. But got interrupted by someone from Hyejin's end.

"Ma'am here's your cake" said a server as she put a plate of cake in front of Hyejin.

In the plate was the special mango cake only available on the island. She sighed miserably as she stared at it.

It was the first time Wheein saw her best friend look this miserable because of a girl.

"I miss her" Hyejin said to no one in particular.

Then came the excited squeal from Yongsun. "Hyejin's got a girl"

"Hyejin's got a girl~" Taeyeon sang.

"Hyejin's got a girl~" The two chanted. Hyejin watched with a sad smile on her face.

Hyejin 'had' a girl, she corrected the chant in her head, I let her get away.

"Stop, she's miserable enough" Wheein interjected.

"She could use a bit of a cheering up" Yong muttered

"Hyejin, what are you planning on doing?" Tiffany asked, not letting anymore distractions.

"I'm going to look for her unnie. I want to find her no matter what."

"But what you're doing is not safe, running around the country all by yourself."

"What else can I do? I have no means of communication with her. The only place where I saw her every week banned me." Hyejin face palmed, teeth gritting at the memory.

"So you're going to check all the branches they have?" Wheein asked incredulously.

"If I have to"

"Hyejin this is insane"

"Wheein's right" said Tiffany shaking her head. "You're gonna get yourself in trouble."

"I have to take my chances unnie, if it means I'll get to see her again."

"What is she like?" Taeyeon asked not being able to contain her curiosity any longer. "She must be really special to have catch the tiny speck of feelings you have"

"Taengoo"

Hyejin chuckled. "She's everything I did not even dream of asking for but was blessed to have been given."

A series of gasped was let out. Yongsun and Taeyeon looked excited more than ever.

"Uh, Miss Ahn? I think you're in love" said Yong, grinning widely.

Hyejin could only laugh at this. Am I?

"You have my blessing, child. You may scour the land looking for this maiden. Say the words and I will do everything, in my utmost ability, to assist you on your endeavours" Taeyeon announced, grinning. Yongsun and Hyejin laughed.

Tiffany on the contrary had a worried look on her face. "You're really dead set on finding her huh?" She asked. Hyejin nodded firmly. "Then least let us help you"

"I don't want to burden you" said Hyejin weakly. She stood up.

"Anyway, she's not in Jeju either." she said trying to sound as casual as possible, she gathered her bag. "I'm heading back to Seoul now, I'll hang up first, ok? I have a plane to catch."

And with that she turned off her phone and walked out of Number 25, leaving an untouched cake behind.

~~~~~

After Tiffany and Taeyeon left Yongsun and Wheein lied down on the bench, each lost on their own thoughts.

Wheein is keeping a neutral face trying her best not to show that she was conflicted. On one hand, she is happy for Hyejin, after years of encouraging her to stop playing around with girls the maknae finally did. On the other hand, the risk and danger her best friend is putting herself through was, alarming.

"What if we help look for the girl?" Yongsun suggested after a while of silence. They have a large audience on Youtube almost two hundred thousand subscribers someone is bound to know who this Byul is. "We could really help Hyejin. It could be in our next video."

Wheein got annoyed by this suggestion. "Did you think this through?"

"Well no, but what is there to lose? We could save Hyejin a lot of time."

Wheein sat and looked at Yongsun. "She did not asked us"

"She said 'I don't want to burden you'"

"And? Which part of that was asking us" Wheein rolled her eyes.

"I'm volunteering, she doesn't have to ask"

"Don't you care about her privacy?"

Yong rose from lying down as well facing Wheein. "Of course I care about her privacy. I was only thinking, we could really help."

"But she did not asked us" Wheein emphasised.

"So what are we suppose to do? Sit here and watch her be miserable?" Yongsun crossed her arms, she was confuse why Wheein was getting heated when all she wants to do is help their best friend.

"Hyejin may have her reasons"

Yongsun scoffed. "You're clearly against her risking herself looking for the barista. But why are you not trying to help her?"

"What are you implying?"

"I'm not implying anything Whee. I'm genuinely curious, why don't you want to help her?"

"Because she did not ask!" The looked on Yong's face made Wheein realised she raised her voice louder than she intended. But she did not care. "And even if she did we can't just go around ruining a person's privacy Yong. Think this through."

"We're her friends, we're suppose to help her." Yong said defiantly. "If we don't then what kind of friends are we?"

"For once use your brain before charging headlong into a mess." Wheein replied harshly. "Also don't make this all about you."

It was the last straw, Wheein knew, as soon as the words left her lips. She knew that hurt Yong. She wanted to take them back. But there was no returning back from that.

"I'm not" Yong's voice faltered. Tears begin to form on her eyes. "I'm really not."

"That's not what I-" Wheein tried to explain.

But Yong was sliding from the bench wordlessly, wiping the tear drops on her cheek.

"I'm sorry"

"Wheein-ah" Yong spoke coldly as she dusted herself and stood at the edge of the bench. "I must have said or done something so bad that your instincts tells you to antagonize everything I say.  I don't know about you but what we're doing is getting old, and I'm running out of patience. Either you tell me what's going on or stop talking to me."

Yongsun turned and started down the footpath. Wheein lied back down on the bench trying to appear as indifferent as she could until she could no longer hear footsteps.

For hours and hours she lied there not moving, just staring at the blue sky. And when the sun set and the moon and stars came out she lied there like a statue and stared at the darkness.

The cold made her shiver yet she did not budge until she finally fell asleep with a troubled mind.

Wheein woke up from the ray of sun touching her numb face. When she opened her lips steam rose up from her breath. The question her mind was asking since Yong left her on her own echoed in the morning air.

"How can I tell you?"