“Hello, welcome to Café de Rêves! How can I help you?” Jiwoo asked, tucking her book away as she turned towards the front door. She froze in place, jaw hanging, as she watched a man struggling to enter through the doorway, obscured by a huge bouquet of flowers. Snapping out of her daze, Jiwoo shuffled out from behind the counter and held the door open for him.

            “I have a special delivery here for a Ms. Seong Jiwoo. Would she be here to sign for it?” he panted setting the flowers and a basket down on a table to wipe the sweat from his forehead. Jiwoo bit back a smile and let the door close as she joined him.

            “Yes, I’m Seong Jiwoo. I wasn’t expecting any deliveries today. Where is this from?” she asked, examining the flowers and basket, puzzled. The delivery person handed her the form to be signed and shrugged.

            “I’m not sure, ma’am. I’m just here to do the delivery. Have a nice day,” he replied. He bowed his head at her as she handed back the form and pen before exiting the shop, the bell chiming lightly behind him.

            Curious, Jiwoo brought the flowers and basket behind the counter and searched around for a card or label of some sorts. Leaning in, she sifted through the flowers, breathing in the delicate floral scents of as they shifted under her touch. “Aha!” she exclaimed, pulling out an envelope tucked deep within the stems of the bouquet. Flipping it over, she saw her name in the center and spotted the SM emblem on the top left corner. If that hadn’t given it away, the bright pink envelope definitely would have been an obvious next clue.

            Carefully opening the envelope, Jiwoo pulled out the card and set aside the envelope. Hesitantly, she flipped the card open and read the lengthy message inside, her heart pounding as her eyes skimmed over the words.

            “Hey Jiwoo! Young Mi here. We, at SM, would like to extend our gratitude and thanks for your services thus far. Especially me. I think back a lot to the first time you catered for us and wonder what would’ve happened if you hadn’t opened your doors to a complete stranger. If I remember correctly, it was at 3 in the morning? Why you were up at that time, I still won’t understand. Also, I didn’t get to say it then, but I’ll say it now – you’re a blessing in disguise. Truly. I wouldn’t be sitting here in this cubicle writing this note to you if you had chosen to ignore me. Now, I can confidently claim that we’re going to be doing a lot of business together whether you like it or not. And, of course, we’re going to be the best of friends. You can’t get rid of me now!

            Sentiments aside, I really do want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. You have shown me what grace, humility, and passion can be – what dreams can truly feel like. Every time we meet, I learn something new. And, most importantly, you’ve taught me about compassion. Honestly, you’ve really taught me more than I can be thankful for.

            So, thank you for all your help! I can’t wait to continue working and growing with you. May your little shop bloom and become even more successful than it already is.

            Much love and thanks, Young Mi.”

            Jiwoo dropped the card on the counter, her breath shaky with what appeared to be gratitude – though she was too numb to really tell. She hadn’t expected any gifts of thanks from SM, let alone such a thoughtful message from Young Mi. It caught her off guard, throwing her into a wave of joyous and nervous emotions. Who would have thought to thank her for doing the barest of minimum? Her answer would have been ‘nobody’ up until this point, as most of what she had done always went unnoticed. But now, she was being recognized for her work and she couldn’t grasp the concept and was having a hard time believing what she was reading.

            Her phone chimed and vibrated on the counter, drawing her attention away from the blustery emotions whirling through her mind. Quickly, she grabbed her phone and swiped it open, forcefully tapping the notification. Young Mi’s name appeared on the screen and Jiwoo in a breath as she read the newest text.

            “Hey! I know you just got the thank you gift from the company. The delivery service texted me with an update. I’m assuming you’ve also just read the letter and are probably stressing over it. Don’t! You deserve the praise and acknowledgment. Own it! Believe in it! You don’t know how amazing you actually are because you keep hiding from the truth. That’s why I’m here to remind you.  Anyway, I’m not going to overwhelm you with another wall of text, so I’ll leave you with this: You are selfless and one-of-a-kind. Hope to see you soon! – Young Mi.”

            Jiwoo let out an amused breath, smiling at the message Young Mi sent. For a moment, Jiwoo sincerely believed everything Young Mi said. For a moment, she felt like that passionate, humble, and selfless person who Young Mi so willingly believed in. But, the moment was short-lived.

             In spite of all the kind words, in spite of all the humble acts, Jiwoo knew she was far from being the saint that Young Mi painted her as. She still had a long way to go to truly being selfless because if she was, she wouldn’t have felt any hint of annoyance or burden of catering. She wouldn’t have any reservations in branching out. She wouldn’t be a coward.

            Even though the last event was successful, Jiwoo still couldn’t buy into the idea that that achievement alone would be reason enough to expand her business. She liked the way it was now – her quiet, cozy, and unique café. It served its purpose of being a vessel of comfort for one and all, embracing everyone in a warmth that could only be found at home. It wasn’t perfection that Jiwoo wanted, but imperfection. Because imperfection meant there was no burden to want more than what was already there, and Jiwoo wanted nothing else but to be in her safe haven.

            Shaking her head, she turned her attention back to the flowers and gift basket. She had only glanced at them when they arrived, so she was more than shocked to find her favourite flowers arranged in the bouquet – roses, peonies, and hydrangeas. Shades of pink and white dressed the stems of green, strategically placed within the delicate yet ornate bouquet, an impressionists painting brought to life.

            She turned the bouquet around, admiring the artfully arranged florals from all its angles, still wondering how they had managed to find out what her favourite flowers were. She had only met with Young Mi a handful of times, and most of them were meetings for the catering jobs. The topic never really came up in conversation, so there weren’t any opportunities for Young Mi to find out. She made a mental note to ask Young Mi about the flowers the next time they met because her curiosity consumed her.

            Setting the flowers aside, Jiwoo turned to the gift basket. Inside lay a few snacks and gift cards, the usual filler items that one would find in any gift basket. However, one thing caught her eye and took up most of the bottom of the basket. Reaching for the item, she pulled out a cream knitted blanket, humming as the plush material lightly tickled her fingertips, sending a pleasing shiver down her spine. She was a er for soft fabric and textures, and was falling victim to the fluffy cloud of a blanket resting in her lap. She ran her hand over the fabric, marvelling at the velvety softness that sent her senses into overdrive as she softly smiled at the sensation.

            The dreamlike feeling sent her mind down a reminiscent track, down the memory lanes that mirrored the fluffy sensations that the blanket provided her. Surprisingly enough, many of those moments included the catering events. Even with the lows that came with them, Jiwoo’s subconscious mind seemed to have been satisfied and pleased with the highs of the events – enough so that it equated the sense of cottony comfort to these catering jobs.

            She unconsciously the blanket, her eyes drifting over the walls and décor as she pondered the thought of expanding into catering. It wasn’t as bad of a job as she thought, especially if she had operations closer to the hired venues. The most recent one was proof that she could do it – and that she could do it well.

            Suwon is quite far from the city. If I do plan on branching out, would it be better to be in a more central location? she thought. Her mind and eyes wandered around the shop as she fell deeper into her thoughts. The silence her down into a vortex of ‘what ifs’ and ‘buts,’ dragging her through a whirlpool of possibilities and doubts, suffocating her with hope and regret. The ringing doorbell startled her back to reality as she hurriedly got off her stool, dropping the blanket in the process.

            “Welcome to Café de Rêves! How can I – oh. It’s you. Hello.”

---

            Jaehyun stared at the ceiling, letting out a deep sigh that resonated from the depths of his chest. The silence echoed through the empty apartment, suffocating him as he lay motionless in bed. Not a single soul was in the dorms as everyone was already off at their own schedules and lessons. Not even the dorm auntie who had already come and gone in the morning, taking her leave a few short hours after she had arrived. There was nothing to do. No tasks to complete. He had complete freedom for the day. Well, as much freedom as the company would allow.

            Rolling onto his side, Jaehyun traced the early morning rays of light on the wall, occupying himself with mindless actions to prevent the mindful thoughts from taking up residence in his head. His schedule had been packed with filming and recording for weeks, so the sudden free time was throwing him on a train ride of discomfort.

            What the heck am I supposed to do? I could call Taeyong hyung and see if he wants to hang out, he thought as he sat up and reached for his phone. Grabbing it from the headboard, he scrolled through his contacts and found Taeyong’s name, though he didn’t immediately call or text the older boy. Rather, something else caught his attention. Something sitting beneath his wallet. Something that he had forgotten to put back into its card slot last night.

            Reaching again for this headboard, he grabbed the familiar cream card. “Café de Rêves,” he murmured, turning the card in his hand as his finger hovered over Taeyong’s name. Eyes darting between the phone and card, Jaehyun juggled the idea of visiting the café again, though a nagging doubt tugged at his thoughts. What if it’s closed again? he wondered, his finger unconsciously moving closer to the green circle on the screen. Torn between the two choices, Jaehyun tossed both the card and his phone into his blanket and stepped out of bed, heading to the bathroom to wash up instead.

            He barely got to the door when he paused and turned back to his bed. The card caught a ray of light, flashing momentarily, drawing him in. He knew his mind was playing tricks on him because he swore he could smell the coffee already, the bittersweet aroma wafting through his room. There was no way he wasn’t going to go now.

            Shuffling out of his room, Jaehyun rushed through his morning routine and hastily changed into a tee and some jeans. He pulled out a cardigan and threw it on before grabbing his necessities and exiting the dorms. The second he walked out the lobby doors, he could feel the cameras on him already. Regardless of whether or not he wore a mask, he was always going to be recognized, unfortunately. Though, the company wouldn’t see it that way. Excited whispers carried across the alleyway and drifted over to him, invading his personal bubble with love and praise. He wasn’t in the mood to be followed today, nor was he keen on taking public transit like last time, so he walked to the local park, requesting for a taxi on his way there.

            Let’s hope I timed the taxi right, he thought as he approached the parking lot. Just as he got to the meeting point, he could see the car turning into the lot. Perfect. Without hesitating, he jogged over to the taxi and hopped in before the fans could follow him.

            “Could you please take me to this address?” he asked, handing over the cream business card to the driver who nodded in return and started up the meter before pulling out the lot. Jaehyun watched the driver punch in the location into the GPS and sighed in relief to see that the drive would only take a little over half an hour with light traffic.

            The entire ride there, his heart raced as he thought about what he was going to do when he got there. What do I even say? he thought, running through all the scenarios of how he would enter the store. He had only interacted with Jiwoo once – officially at least. The park didn’t count. They hadn’t even talked. At the conference, though, they did. But, it wasn’t even a verbal interaction. They wrote on a note pad, a far cry from a true conversation. That’s not to say it was a meaningless exchange. In fact, he would argue that it was the most meaningful conversation he had that day because she was able to convince him to think about himself for once and not worry about the pressures from the company.

            He hadn’t realized how long he was lost in his thoughts until the taxi turned down the alley leading to her shop. His body went into autopilot as he paid the driver and got out of the car, going through the motions while his mind raced through all the scenarios of what could possibly happen.

            The delicious aromas of the street vendors greeted him, luring him into the world of homemade food. He closed his eyes and inhaled all the sweet and savory scents, side tracked by the mom and pop stalls lining the alley. Though he was tempted to make his way down the lane and stop at every single stall, he reminded himself of the one thing he wanted to do – the reason why he had travelled all the way to Suwon.

            Turning around, he scanned the exterior of the building, taking in the familiar architecture that he had seen only once in the daylight before. It looked exactly like how he remembered it, though this time, all the curtains were pulled open. Finally, he thought as he approached the entrance and reached for the door. Praying for luck to be on his side, he firmly pushed at the handle and sighed in relief as the door gave way under his grip. Gently pushing the door, Jaehyun finally entered the café.

---

             “Welcome to Café de Rêves! How can I – oh. It’s you. Hello,” Jiwoo said as she bowed her head at Jaehyun. She recognized him from yesterday, the boy who didn’t want to eat, the one who had to go all the way out to Suwon because Young Mi was too stubborn to let her take the bus home alone. “You’re the one from yesterday. The one with the food?” she asked as he made his way over to the counter.

            “Yeah, that was me,” Jaehyun replied, a warm smile spread across his lips. “My name is –”

            “Jaehyun, right?” Jiwoo asked, cutting him off with a questioning gaze. Jaehyun froze, blinking at her. He didn’t remember introducing himself. “I think that’s what Young Mi unnie called you. Do correct me if I’m wrong,” she laughed, scratching the back of her head with a grin.

            “No, you’re right. My name is Jaehyun. I’m surprised you even know it,” he replied, chuckling. Jiwoo smiled and shrugged.

            “I pick up names and faces easily. One of the perks of working in a coffee shop, I guess. Aside from drinking coffee all day, that is,” she laughed, tucking her hands into her apron pocket. “So, what brings you all the way out here to Suwon?” she asked, looking at him curiously. She wouldn’t have expected him to make the trek to her shop, especially since he already unwillingly had to do so the night before.

            Jaehyun paused, completely caught off guard by her straightforward question. Although, he quickly recovered from the shock since he didn’t expect anything less from her. Given the handful of times he’d seen her interacting with others, mainly Young Mi, and speaking to her himself, her upfront personality wasn’t too much of a surprise. Though, he knew he was going to need to get used to it which wasn’t going to happen overnight. It was going to take some time, but he was more than happy to give it.

            “I was just in the neighbourhood and thought I’d drop by.”

            “You were in the neighbourhood? Really?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

            “Y-yeah! I was,” he stuttered. He couldn’t look her in the eyes, opting to take in the décor and furniture instead as she softly laughed at his response.

            “Okay. Well, you’re a long way away from civilization then,” she laughed as his ears shifted from light pink to red. Though she had not intended to make things awkward, Jiwoo could tell she had ventured into that territory. She knew she had scared him because he wouldn’t even meet her gaze. “Hey, I’m only just pulling on your leg,” she said, earning her a quick side glance. “What you do with your time is purely your own choice. I’m not here to judge,” she said, smiling at him apologetically. “Besides, if you came all the way out here just to visit my shop, I should really be thanking you.”

            Jaehyun coughed and turned to look at her. He didn’t know what compelled him to respond the way he did, but he rolled with it anyway. “It’s okay. You’re right. I did come here just for the shop,” he said, smiling at her.

            It was Jiwoo’s turn to be surprised. She hadn’t expected him to out rightly admit to the claim, yet she was gaping at him like a fish out of water. Not knowing how to normally respond, all Jiwoo could do was let out a light chuckle, diverting her eyes and attention to the walls and furniture. She wasn’t usually this awkward with strangers, though this stranger wasn’t the same as others. He was playing off her energy, receiving her words and returning them with the same verve; she wasn’t used to it.

            “Ah, well then, thank you for visiting Café de Rêves. Would you like anything to drink? Some food?” she asked, trying to shift the conversation to something more neutral.

            “Hmm,” Jaehyun hummed as he looked up at the menu board. The list of items was quite short, much to his surprise. The quality of the coffee opened up the doors to fancy mixed drinks that one could find at generic, franchise coffee shops. And yet, the menu was limited to the most basic of drinks: espressos, lattes, and teas of the cold and hot variety. No blended drinks. No additional flavours. Simple. Unpretentious. The bare necessities. “I’ll take an iced americano and a slice of chocolate cake,” he said, finally deciding on his food and drink.

            “Okay. Would you like it for here or take out?” she asked as she got up from the stool.

            “For here, please.” He pulled out his wallet to pay, but Jiwoo shook her head at him and waved her hands.

            “No need to pay. It’s on me,” she said as she turned around and started on his drink.

            “Please, no. Let me pay,” he said, flustered. Jiwoo simply shook her head and refused to accept anything he handed to her.

            “If you even think about leaving money, I’ll tell Young Mi unnie to ban you from ever coming here. Take this as thanks for supporting my shop,” she said with finality. He could tell she wasn’t going to budge, so he bowed his head at her with a smile.

            “Fine. You win. Thank you,” he replied.

            “You’re very welcome. That wasn’t so hard now, was it?” she teased, “Anyway, take a seat wherever you like. I’ll bring the items to your table when they’re ready.”

            Jaehyun nodded and turned around to look at the store, finally taking the time to actually soak in his surroundings. He immediately noticed the different areas Jiwoo had set up around the shop. From the book cases to the art corner, he admired all the little, unique details she added. He recalled the online reviews and couldn’t deny that they were all 100% true. Her store was something else.

            Wandering around each area, he turned to a hidden corner and his breath hitched at the sight. Taking two long strides, he made his way over to a record player and vinyl collection. He flipped through the vinyls, delighted by the eclectic array of genres in the collection, many of which he fancied himself. From jazz and blues, to R&B and hip hop and more, Jiwoo seemed to have a wide range of genres in her rather extensive collection – all of them placed in protective plastic sleeves. Jaehyun pictured his own vinyls and remembered his sense of pride in having 10 in his own collection. Yet, here he was sifting through what looked like hundreds of discs. Crates upon crates lined a small section of the wall, and Jaehyun didn’t know where to start browsing.

            “Um, I have your cake and coffee. Where would you like to sit?” Jiwoo asked. Jaehyun turned back to look at her, breaking his attention away from the covers, dazed.

            “I, uh, I’ll sit at this table here, thanks,” he replied, pointing to the table closest to the crates before turning back to the collection. “Are these all yours?” he asked, still in awe at the sheer number of discs in front of him.

            Jiwoo slowly nodded her head, a slight blush touching her cheeks. “Uh, yeah. They’re all mine.”

            “Where did you get them from? A lot of these are first prints and collectors’ editions,” he praised, gingerly pulling each vinyl cover out one-by-one. He pulled out one that was particularly weathered, curious. Though roughened up around the edges, Jaehyun could see how much the vinyl was cared for as he at the plastic sleeve around it, turning it over in his hands.

            A warmth spread across Jiwoo, enveloping her in what felt like a cozy hug, a smile on her lips as she recalled her adventures in collecting. “I can’t really name one place since I went anywhere and everywhere to get all of these. A fair few of them I got locally, but a lot of them were purchased outside of Korea,” she replied. Her smile grew as he picked up one of her favourites and inspected it. “That one was one of the firsts in my collection,” she noted, sighing as the memories came rushing back to her. She couldn’t forget the surge of joy that coursed through her body when she found the vinyl hidden within the stacks of the small shop. Who would have thought she would find a copy in a back alley shop in the middle of rural Busan? She sure hadn’t. And yet, she was able to get her hands on it without paying a hefty price.

            “Gerry Mulligan: Night Lights,” Jaehyun murmured, the blue and green hues on the cover. He had never heard of the artist before, and was curious to know what the vinyl was all about. What made you want this? he wondered, turning the cover over to scan the track list.

            Jiwoo lightly chuckled, watching him carefully handle the vinyl. She could see the small furrow in his brows as he scrutinized the covers, lips slightly pursed in concentration. “You can listen to it if you want to. The player is over there,” she said, pointing at the machine sitting on the shelf. He pointed at it and looked back at her with raised brows. She returned his look with an encouraging nod and pointed at the player. “I can help you if you need it.”

            “It’s ok. I think I know how it works,” he smiled, lifting the lid with familiarity. He carefully pulled the vinyl out and placed it on the platter, setting everything up before he lowered the arm. The vinyl turned, a moment of silence suspended in the air before the soft notes of a piano echoed through the shop followed by the light brush of a snare. An involuntary shiver ran down the length of his spine as he looked up from the spinning record and slowly turned to Jiwoo, his jaw slowly dropping. She only returned his gaze with a knowing smile before she spun around to greet the new customers, the door bell ringing over the ethereal sounds emanating from the speakers.

            Jiwoo returned back to the counter, greeting the customers warmly. However, the mess of discarded items on her counter caught her attention. She excused herself, smiling apologetically at the customer before grabbing the forgotten flowers and gift basket off the counter and the blanket from the floor. Scurrying through the kitchen, she dropped the items off in the back parlour, scolding herself for being so messy. So unprofessional, she chided as she strode through the kitchen and re-entered the front shop.

            She froze at the line-up that formed in the time it took for her to put her gifts away, gaping at the line that began to snake out the door. Glancing quickly at the clock, she noted the afternoon hour and realized she was due for a small rush. Washing her hands, she shifted into high gear and got right to work in taking orders and making the drinks and food. She hadn’t even realized she completely cut off her conversation with Jaehyun, her body had automatically jumped into work mode. Though, he also hadn’t noticed, for he was lost in his own little world of coffee, cake, and music.

---

            Jiwoo sighed, slumping down on her stool as she tiredly wiped her hands on her apron. She scanned the store, checking to see if anyone needed anything, and was relieved to finally be able to catch a small break after the rush. Although her body screamed for some more rest, she had to clean up the mess on the counters.

            Grabbing her towel, she wiped up her stations before bringing out a tray to the seated area to collect dirty dishes and clear up the tables. It was a never-ending list of tasks, but Jiwoo enjoyed every second of it. It kept her mind busy, and kept her thoughts from wandering into the darkness. The busier she was, the less time she had to think about the ‘what ifs’ that held her back from growing forward.

            Once everything was cleared, Jiwoo went back to her stool behind the counter and took a seat, much to the relief of her legs. Grabbing her book, Jiwoo checked on the patrons once more before settling into her novel, but paused when she reached one particular hidden corner of her store. She had forgotten he was there and was surprised that he had stayed for so long.

            It’s been almost 3 hours, she noted, glancing at the clock on the wall above him. Stacks of records lay in piles around him on the table and chairs as he flipped through the boxes and pulled out every cover that caught his eye. A small smile grew as she watched him carefully browsing, eyebrows furrowed, lips pouting.

            She didn’t know what urged her to do so, but Jiwoo made two cups of iced americanos and joined Jaehyun at the table along with her book. Engrossed in his browsing, Jaehyun didn’t even notice Jiwoo take up the seat across from him – much to her amusement. Jiwoo set down the cups and grabbed her book from her apron pocket, diving into the story as she silently sipped on her coffee.

---

            Jaehyun continued flipping through the records, his mind reeling at the sheer number of vinyls housed in each crate. He had underestimated the volume of records, foolishly assuming that each box only contained no more than 30 discs. No, he was wrong – so painfully wrong. Each crate contained no less than 100 records, and there were at least 5 boxes that he could see and was aware of. It was almost overwhelming. Almost.

            The methodical flipping of vinyls brought him to a happy place, one that he rarely ever entered. Going to this place required time and space, both of which he had none of on any regular day. And even when he did have time and space, he was never able to fully take advantage of them because there was always something to do or something to learn – something to occupy him.

             He was finally making use of his time and space in ways that pleased him and no one else. It felt foreign, guilty almost. Was he even allowed to feel this way? Content? Relaxed? Empty of all thoughts and society pressure? Or had he stepped too far out of his life of discomfort?

            Losing himself in his thoughts, Jaehyun stopped flipping through the records and stared blankly at the sleeves, his fingers hovering over the discs. Jiwoo noticed his stupor and peered over the top of her book, checking to see if he was okay. Though dazed, she could see the wheels turning in his head, the cogs whirling and swirling in the sea of wonder and contemplations. The temptation to set out a line to reel him back in was strong, much like the waves that dragged out his thoughts. But, Jiwoo knew it wasn’t her time or space to interrupt. It was Jaehyun’s and it was up to him to resurface. However, she wasn’t going to let him stray too far.

            Jaehyun blinked a few times, shaking his head as his fingers softly landed on the records. The rough plastic grounded him as his mind and body returned to the present, bringing him back to the stacks of vinyls around him. The strong smell of coffee pulled his attention to the table, and he finally looked up to see a new cup in front of him along with the owner of the shop.

            His brows raised as he watched her flip through the pages of her book, her eyes running over the lines of text. She’s sitting like last time. How is that comfortable? he thought, an unconscious chuckle bubbled in his chest.

            Jiwoo looked up at the sound from across the table and met his gaze, a silence settling between them. She raised an inquisitive brow at him, posing a muted question that he responded with a shake of his head. Curious as she might have been, her need to know was far lower than her desire to continue her book. Shrugging it off, Jiwoo returned to her book and Jaehyun continued flipping through the records after taking a satiating sip of coffee.

            He couldn’t recall the last instance in which he lost track of time. The idol life hadn’t really allowed for him to simply just exist without thought. So, rightfully, he was utterly horrified when he checked the time and found it to be late afternoon, much later than he had anticipated it to be. He spent a fair few hours browsing through the vinyls, lost in his own little world. How many people had come through the shop while he was here? How many of those people recognized him?

            He glanced around the shop to find a few other customers occupying the surrounding tables. But, surprisingly, none of them even spared him a glance. Absorbed in their own worlds, he watched in awe as Jiwoo dropped in and seamlessly joined the chats, her hands gracefully moving to replace the drinks. As quickly as she had entered, she exited the customer’s small bubble – effortlessly; enchantingly. She drifted around the store, almost incorporeal as she floated in and out of the conversations like the whisper of a spring breeze – bringing through a comforting yet refreshing warmth for only a brief moment. Ever present, yet barely there.

            His eyes followed her around the store as she worked, drawn into the fluidity of her movements. How she moved so quietly, he would never be able to mimic himself. He didn’t think anybody could. There was a grace to her hushed movements that only she could achieve. And yet, her presence was present – loud against the stillness.

            Snapping out of his thoughts, he watched as she approached his table and sat down in the seat across from him. She smiled and silently reached for the book on the table. He hadn’t even noticed it was there, his mind clearly occupied by the mysterious enigma that now sat in front of him, her nose buried deep into her book. He wondered if he was ever going to solve the puzzle that was the café owner, though he was confused as to why it was a question in the first place.

            Shaking off the thought, Jaehyun turned back to the records only to pause at the sight around him. Piles of records lay haphazardly around the table, stacked on every flat surface within arm’s reach. He had barely made a dent in the third crate of vinyls, and worriedly glanced at the rest lined against the wall. He really, truly underestimated his browsing abilities. At the rate he was going, he wouldn’t be able to get through all the records in a single sitting, and it was getting late. He didn’t mind the idea of returning to continue looking, but when would he have the time to listen to them too? He respected the artist far too much to not give them his full attention, as weird as that might sound to others. Trying to multitask while listening to them would not do them justice. He was conflicted.

            “You can take a few of them with you, if you want?” Jiwoo murmured from her side of the table. Jaehyun looked up at her, eyes wide in surprise.

            “Excuse me?” he replied, blinking at her confused.

            “You can borrow some. Just as long as they’re returned in the same condition, of course,” she said, smiling widely at him as his mind tried to register her words.

            “How did you – what?” he stuttered. How did she know?

            “You’ve looked through 3 crates and only have so much time. You’ll never be able to get through all of them right now. And, seeing how thoroughly you’re scanning, I don’t mind lending you a few of the ones you have out now so that you can borrow more next time,” she said, pointing to the stacks around them. “I’m assuming you have a record player of your own since you knew how to use mine?”

            “Uh, yeah, I do. You’re okay with me taking some of them home? Out of your shop?” he asked. He wasn’t too sure he was up for the responsibility. Just the thought of damaging a vinyl sent shivers down his spine. Knowing how she handled situations that she was passionate about made his blood run a tad colder than normal.

            “Yes. I’ve lent a few to other customers before. Like I said, as long as they’re returned in the same condition, I’m 100% okay with it,” she responded. She flipped open her book, assuming the conversation had ended – but he interrupted her.

            “Do you really trust me enough to let me take these?”

            Jiwoo sighed as she shut her book and firmly set it on the table. She looked him in the eyes, her definitive stare piercing into his. He couldn’t look away.

            “Since you seem to want the long answer – here it is. Yes, I trust you to take these records out of my shop because you respect them. Most people flip through without care, bending the sleeves and scratching up the records. They always say these don’t belong to them, so why would they care? Also, if I’m leaving them out in the open, then they can do whatever they please with them,” she stated, leaning in. “You, however, have spent nearly 5 hours carefully flipping through each record, give or take a few minutes. Not once did you manhandle them,” she noted. Jaehyun couldn’t even think of a response as Jiwoo continued, still holding his gaze as she spoke. “I’ve seen my fair share of people who respect vinyls – people who are passionate about the art. Remember this, passion isn’t blind. We see it if we, ourselves, feel it. So, does that answer your question?”

            Jaehyun momentarily forgot how to breathe, barely managing to respond. “Yes?”

            “Good.” Jiwoo stood up and grabbed her book, turning to attend to the new customer who just entered. However, Jaehyun stopped her once more.

            “You speak of passion as if it’s a real thing – something physical,” he said, pausing to sort through his words. “Isn’t it just an emotion – a feeling?” Jiwoo paused for a moment, her back still turned to Jaehyun. He wondered if he had asked too many questions now, biting his lip as she continued to stand still.

            She turned slowly after a minute, peering over her shoulder. “Yes, passion is just an emotion,” Jiwoo admitted. Her eyes twinkled, a mysterious smile playing on her lips as she continued, “But, let me ask you this: would you be in your position now as an idol if your passion was only just a feeling?”

---

            Jaehyun watched the streetlights pass by as he looked out the taxi window. A stack of 10 records lay on his lap, his hand resting firmly on top of them as he recalled the question that echoed in his mind. A foreign feeling settled at the pit of his stomach as his thoughts turned over and over. It honestly scared him a little, knowing that this woman said so little, yet managed to send him down a frenzied path of self-doubt over something he was so positively sure about. At least he thought he was. He wondered how Jiwoo’s mind worked for it to come up with such confounding thoughts and ideas.

            He had met his fair share of odd people, many of which he lived and worked with. Yet, Jiwoo was a different breed, one that he couldn’t quite wrap his head around. She wasn’t strange, per say – nor was she peculiar or 4^th dimensional. Rather, she was quite grounded, more so than anyone he had ever met before, and he worked with Young Mi.

            No. She’s more than grounded – her mind is deep rooted. It scours the depths of a knowledge world that I can’t even fathom or begin to understand. But, how do I get there? How do I understand? Will I ever understand?

---

            Jiwoo closed up the shop and settled into cleaning up the tables and chairs. She wiped all the surfaces down, getting rid of the remnants of a hardworking day. Business was steady when there were rushes, but she was grateful for the pockets of down time in between. The little respites made it easier to manage the store alone, that was for sure.

            Wiping the last table, she turned to walk towards the front entrance, but bumped into a crate of her records sitting in the aisle. A soft smile spread across her lips as she pushed the crate into the nook in the wall with the others, recalling the guest that had spent the majority of their day in her shop. He had left hours earlier, but his presence lingered, sorting and looking through the crates with intense focus, unmoving.

            He had left with a stack of records and the promise of returning them, though he wasn’t sure when that day would be since his schedule wasn’t consistent.

            “Whether it’s days or years, as long as they’re returned, it’s fine by me,” she had told him, and she meant every word of it. Some of her records have travelled the globe, reaching corners of the world Jiwoo could only dream of visiting. But, Jiwoo knew better than anyone else that dreams could be made possible, turned into emotions and feelings, created into existence in the physical world. She vowed to one day travel as far as some of her records have, though that wasn’t going to be any time soon.

            The stack Jaehyun took wasn’t going too far either – just into Seoul. It would be entering the city center, the hub of the country, the nucleus of chaos, creation, and destruction, and the ideal breeding ground for businesses to thrive.

            The back-burner thoughts crept in, taking center stage as Jiwoo mindlessly locked up the doors, shut off the lights, and pulled down all the blinds. She wasn’t in the mood to open for her night owl customers, opting to remain shuttered until the morning. It was unusual for her to do so, though it seemed to happen more often lately. But, as much as she wanted to cater to all her customers, her mind was far too preoccupied to function.

            A dull ache began to pulse at the base of her neck as her thoughts surged forward, overtaking her rational mind and sending her into a sudden overdrive. Ignoring the rest of the cleaning, Jiwoo marched through the kitchen and into the back room, pausing as she caught sight of the gift basket and flowers on the coffee table.

            Am I going to stay in Suwon? Should I branch out to Seoul? Would I be able to handle multiple locations? Am I going to try other wholesale items? The thoughts she had pushed aside came rushing forward and Jiwoo didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t stand there all night, yet her legs refused to move as her thoughts raced. Her breath was short, coming out in quick gasps as her mind took her on a rollercoaster ride, twisting and turning in all directions with no end in sight. She fought to pull herself out of her thoughts, hoping for the slightest possibility that someone out there could help her decide. Unfortunately, all she could do was hope.

Jaehyun finally got to visit the cafe successfully this time! Now that they've formally met, how will their worlds shift to accomodate these new found factors? What new obstacles will they have to face? We'll just have to read on to find out!

Thank you to everyone who has clicked into the story. I'm honestly so grateful that people even read this to begin with. It really is a slow moving, detail oriented story with little to no action. And I know I say this all the time, but it's also something that's at the back of my mind when I write. Regardless, I humbly thank every one of you for reading. 

Cheers.