Chapter 6.

Two souls don't find each other by simple accident; no, that would be called fate.

Hanbyul felt an acute need to run.

Sadly, her only plan of escape found her crouched in the corner of her kitchen with her head buried between her knees.

It was truly pathetic, she knew, that she had to hide in her own bakery when she had done absolutely nothing wrong. Still, when she thought to her near-kiss with the King, she couldn’t bring herself to think straight and was too mortified to face him.

At that moment, she truly felt like an inexperienced 19 year old with a crush on someone so utterly unattainable, she wondered why she was even entertaining the thought. Yuta and Chaeyeon’s words came back to her mind at that moment, which made her bury her head deeper into her knees.

The King had a phase.

He had plenty of relationships in the past with girls. He was probably just toying with her, Hanbyul thought bitterly. She was just some girl in a back alley town that he had found fun to mess with.

The thought sobered her instantly and she let out a heavy sigh. So why did she still cling onto the hope that it was something more?

“I hate this,” she muttered to herself before taking in a deep breath.

Lifting herself off the ground, she smoothed out the wrinkles in her apron, ready to head back out into the bakery before they noticed her absence. Hiding would do her no good and as embarrassed as she was to face the King, she refused to be trapped within her own safe haven.

The bakery was empty other than the squadron as night fell and Hanbyul tried her best not to think of their incident yesterday when she re-entered the room.

Jaehyun’s gaze settled on hers, his smile tender and Hanbyul felt her heart react treacherously against her will. There was no way he didn’t know of the effect he had on her. And to her disappointment, she was sure she wasn’t the only girl to fall for those charms.

“I told you she would come back,” Jaehyun said to his squadron, his smile never fading. Hanbyul was acutely aware the smile she returned probably looked half-hearted at best as she grabbed her dishrag, wringing it with more force than necessary.

“I never said she wouldn’t,” Doyoung responded. Then with a pointed look towards Jaehyun, he added, “I’d only said I wouldn’t be surprised if she only came back to kick you out.”

“The last time I kicked him out, he didn’t return for 7 years,” Hanbyul cut in, surprising herself. “Perhaps it’s about time again.”

Lucas and Haechan howled with laughter and even Johnny had an amused smirk.

“It’d serve him right,” Haechan agreed to which Jaehyun punched his arm.

“Everyone’s always against me,” Jaehyun said exasperatedly though the smile didn’t fade. “Absolutely treasonous.”

Hanbyul let out a small genuine smile at their constant bickering. Seasons was quiet and peaceful, an atmosphere which she loved but the boys always brought a mixture of chaos and energy that had Hanbyul feeling strangely content.

As the bakery continued to fill with noise, Hanbyul set out teacups and leftover pastries for the boys, which they gratefully accepted.

When she set down the cup in front of Johnny, she caught his subtly curious gaze, flickering back and forth between her and Jaehyun. “I’m not going to lecture you but be careful,” Johnny murmured just loud enough for her ears and Hanbyul bit her lower lip, nodding.

He’d always have her back and she knew that. The reassurance helped ease her nerves slightly and she gave him a thankful smile.

Yuta and Doyoung were fighting Lucas and Haechan for the sweets with the latter duo hoarding them all on their plates when Johnny shook his head, unable to listen to their nonsense any further and went to intervene.

Jaehyun turned his attention to Hanbyul and she stiffened under the weight of his gaze. “You look lovely tonight,” he said, noting how the simple black sundress only seemed to accentuate her beauty and she couldn’t have tried to stop the blush from invading her cheeks if she tried.

“Thank you,” she said simply.

“And your sweets are delicious as always,” he commented, taking a bite into the strawberry tart she’d provided. “Chaeyeon has really picky taste and is always careful with how many sweets she eats but she absolutely loved yours at the banquet. In fact, I think you managed to charm nearly the entire palace in your 24 hour stay.”

“Everyone treated me so kindly. I’ll never forget it,” Hanbyul said, her lips curving upwards.

“You could bend everyone to the knee with that smile,” he remarked and she seemed startled at the notion. “Even a King, if you truly tried.”

The flirtatious undertone had a blush rising to her cheeks and her wide eyes gave away her surprise. Jaehyun’s smile widened at the sight of Hanbyul speechless.

“You know,” he started, his tone taking a slightly more serious tone that had her full attention. “I meant to visit you earlier all those years ago.”

He saw her head tilt slightly, confusion settling in her eyes and he chuckled. “After you kicked me out of the bakery,” he clarified.

“Ah.” When she didn’t add any more, Jae