The reason Oh Youngni had come to know of Jeon Jungkook’s existent was because of that one day. That afternoon when she stayed late in the library for a group project in a history course, which she thought was a waste of her time. Group project in her eyes was the least affective way to learn. In fact, it’s a great way to make her hate her classmates. School was done for the day and should be left behind. Her evening should only be filled with “me” activities, things that would replenish her soul.      It was when she neared her house that she saw a few men fumbling at the back of a large truck before she realized they were unloading boxes into the house---the house next to hers. Her new neighbor?      Coming from the opposite side, she kept following all the movements they made, passing one box to the next person until everything was off the truck. She lowered the music playing from her earbuds as if she could hear what they were talking about. She was bad at reading lips, so her good vision didn’t help her in any way. She counted—7 men. She counted again—7 men might just had moved to the empty house next to hers.      To her knowledge she knew the house was empty for a few months now. The pasted family was like ghost spirit. If it wasn’t for the father, who came out to mow the lawn or washed his car occasionally, she wouldn’t have known people occupied the house.      She was less than a meter away before she reached the gate entrance, but her curiosity hadn’t lessened. She thought she could beat time by taking small steps and slowed her motions, in taking out her keys and unlocking the gate. Her rate of movement should be reduced by half. But having to do that for years, she could do it less than a minute, even with her eyes closed. She shut the gate and stood still pretending as if she forgot something. Her head turned left, and her eyes landed on this oversized t-shirt boy, who just picked up a box from the ground. It looked heavy seeing how he creased his eyebrows inward pressing his lips together before he blew out a difficult breath. She thought he looked cute; he probably didn’t know he was scrunching his face in all sort of ways. He looked around two or three years older than her. Probably, twenty-three or twenty-four years old. He kicked off his timberland at the front entrance before he disappeared into the house.      That was her first time seeing him, Jeon Jungkook.   Her eyes naturally followed every move and angle of his hand movements when she needed a break from the devil in front of her. Her was glued onto the café seat after her last lecture. Since 6 p.m., she had been at the corner occupied by homework. When homework calls for her, she calls for this particular seat. There was a perfect pillar that blocked everyone off and left just about the right gap for her to see him and his coffee station. Her textbooks were always scattered, sometimes for show, sometimes out of frustration.        Bangtan Café was the place she spent most of her evenings until she headed home for dinner with her parents. It might seem strange but when she works on her assignments, the décor of the café made her feel at peace. The black walls illuminated by the white lightings matched her foul mood when homework wants to meet.      She took out her phone and plugged in her earbuds. Right before she pressed play, she heard the owner, whom she came to know as Seokjin yelled, “Jeon Jungkook on your break. I got dinner for you in the back.”      She started to tap the tip of her shoe against the ground. Her body became antsy. She shifted into a few positions to adjust her comfortableness. Every time she came, she struggled when he goes on break. Where would he sit this time?      Her eyes were glued onto the textbook and she saw the words jumped forward and danced. She had to play word scrambled to make sense of the context. She read it twenty plus times, the same sentence, but she never knew what that one sentence was telling her. Not that she understood it in the first place if she was able to concentrate. At last she gave up. She played the music and rested her head on the textbook.      “Why don’t I just go home?” she mumbled.        “Excuse me?” Her head jerked off the table when she heard someone knocked on the table twice. Her eyes rounded and stood up immediately when she saw no other than Jungkook standing before her. She almost lost her balance but was lucky to stable herself before she embarrassed herself more.      “Excuse me.” Jungkook slightly bowed before putting his hands onto her shoulders and pushed her to sit. He never wished for the guests he entertains to be uncomfortable. Not his forte, not his motive.      “I try to spend time with our guests. You don’t mind right?”      “I…I…mind,” she said and mentally face-palmed herself. She shut her eyes closed and turned her head away.      He smiled. “Do you?”      Her body trembled as she forced herself to look at him. Her eyes glued onto the table and realized a cup somehow found some space on the busy top. The etch spirals, like a spiderweb, had her amazed.      “For you.” She blinked innocently and tilted her head to the side. She didn’t purchase anything. She already ate the sandwich she bought earlier.      “Drink it. It’s not bitter. I made hot chocolate. It shouldn’t be too sweet if you’re not a sweet tooth. The cocoa used here are of fine quality.”      “Uh….” She doesn’t know if she could appreciate what he just said.       “Oh…you’re taking this math class.” He invited himself to the seat across from her.      She scooted back in her seat that was attached to the wall.      “Want to tutor me for a free drink every day?” he suggested with his arms crossed and placed on top of her scattered textbooks.      “No.” She realized her voice came out harsher than she intended. She hoped he didn’t take it the wrong way.       “Pretty please?” She was relieved the joy from his voice didn’t vanish.      “I…don’t know you.”      “You don’t?” He raised an eyebrow, was he too quick to think all his regulars know him?      She doesn’t excel at much in life but lying was one of the things she believed she exceled in. “I don’t.”      “I’m Jeon Jungkook in my final year of college.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “And you probably caught on I’m quite bad at math.”      She stared at him, too dazed at his presence that she failed to catch on his lie.      “No,” she said.      “No, what?” He was lost in her eyes, it made him blanked out.      “I’m going home.” She slammed her textbook closed but he was fast to put his hand in between the textbook to prevent her from leaving. “Are you dumb?”      “I’m not the brightest,” he joked. He dropped his smile when she showed no hint of receiving his teasing. “I was just joking. At least drink the hot chocolate before you go. Our treat.”      She intentionally pressed the cover of the textbook to squeeze his hand before scooting the cup toward her. Why was he being difficult? But she hated it that she preferred his company than to go home. She turned to the side when she realized his eyes were glued on her before picking up the cup. Was he going to just stare at her drinking? She feared the cup wouldn’t make it to . The hot chocolate probably would spill over the rim to her lap before she even had the chance to taste his piece of artwork.      Her eyes traveled to him when she heard noise of plastic rubbing against each other. She was so nervous that she didn’t realize he paid her no attention. She watched him fully teared off the plastic wrap before breaking the wooden chopstick in half. The veins on his hand popped as he used strength, he has such attractive hands. It made her wonder how it felt to hold them. But his daily hard work didn’t go unnoticed, his skin was dry. There were rough spots.        “Do you want some?” He offered a piece of seasoned chicken to her. His eyes caught a glimpse of the untouched cup. “Do you not like hot chocolate?”      “No. It’s not that.” She picked up the cup and wet her lips for taste before fully drinking a sip. “It’s good.”      He flashed her a smile, showing he was proud of his work as if he never disappoints. He popped a piece of chicken into his mouth and chewed with a slight smile, glad another customer was satisfied.      “Hungry?” he asked. She shook her head though watered at the delicious aroma twirling in the air.       “I’m getting rejected quite often tonight.” He laughed. “It’s a first.”   Youngni gripped onto her backpack straps as she walked home. Since the day he talked to her, she had been avoiding Bangtan Café. She knew she was being a coward, but his acknowledgement struck her. Because, instead of textbook sentences, it was his laughter that floated in her mind. The way his eye wrinkled and the corner of his lips moved upward when he smiled haunted her. It left not even the slightest space to absorb the professor’s lecture.      She shook her head. “Psh…I’m not avoiding him. I just don’t want to go.”      Bangtan Café was just around the corner. Five blocks down would be their neighborhood. But for today, too, she decided she wouldn’t visit Bangtan Café. For Jeon Jungkook was dangerous. She needed a better grip of herself if she was to visit again.   Two weeks passed that she stopped visiting Bangtan Café but situated herself on top of her bed. But just because she didn’t visit Bangtan Café didn’t mean she didn’t see Jeon Jungkook. There weren’t many ways to come home. Considering they were neighbor; she saw him more often than the previous family. But being her lame self, once her eyes spotted him, she would hide at any nearest shelter. Then, she’d trailed quietly after him. Once his front door closed, she’d walk to hers as normal as she could.      It was December already. Two whole weeks until she was able to pull herself to visit the café again. With hesitation, she dragged her legs that became heavy all-of-sudden toward the entrance. It was only after many chants inside her head, that she was able to enter. Like a criminal, she peeked inside for clearance before entering. Something was strange, she felt. There were no customers. She couldn’t hear the normal chattering. It was a different feel, the café with only her to occupied. She never thought such a day would come. Yet, she walked toward the register where she saw Seokjin, the owner she learned, fumbling into a large cardboard box. The other six employees must be somewhere too. The soft Christmas song playing in the background gradually became audible to her as she walked closer to the register.      “Oh, hey there.” Seokjin smiled when he saw Youngni at the corner of his eyes. “Come over.” She took a step back and looked behind her. There was no one. “Me?”      “Jungkook prepared a drink for you. It’s getting cold, so come drink it.” Seokjin stopped what he was doing and went behind the counter to pull out the paper cup. He waved it in the air for her to see before setting it down on the counter. “He even topped it off with some love.”      Youngni narrowed her eyebrows, she wasn’t fully oblivious. He was teasing her, she could tell. The way he raised an eyebrow and that mischievous smile he flashed. But her attention shifted quickly to the artwork. Too beautiful to be touched. She squinted her eyes; if she didn’t see incorrectly from the distant, he wrote Oh Youngni with snowflakes decoration. It was even in colors, shades of blue.      “I’m amazed by his art skills too.” Namjoon popped out from the back stretching his head passed the big brown box he’d carried. Youngni’s body jerked back by Namjoon sudden appearance. “I can’t do latte art or fancy writing.”      “There’s a reason why I hired Jungkook to be the barista and not you.” Seokjin playfully rolled his eyes at Namjoon.      “Move over I need that box.” Namjoon pressed a smile at the man before swapping boxes.      Namjoon picked up the box and headed to his destination. While Youngni glanced around the café, Namjoon turned back and said, “Little girl want to decorate with us. We can use an extra hand.”      “Yah…you’re putting my precious customer to work.” Seokjin frowned.      “She isn’t a customer. She’s Jungkook’s Coffee Girl.” Namjoon made sure Youngni looked at him before he shot her a wink. Her heart sped a beat at their teasing. dried and she couldn’t utter a question for all the confusing things they said.      “Anyways…” Namjoon said with a laugh, “we’re just on the other side if you decide to help.”      “But….” Seokjin figured he should continue with the tease to see if her prince charming would come to the rescue. “Please do finish his coffee, you wouldn’t want his love to go to waste, would you? He spent a great amount of time on it.”             Whatever it was that made her ended up in her usual seat staring at the cup of coffee he made, she had no clue. She couldn’t even calm her sweating palms and the heat dancing in her body. She didn’t know whether they were just teasing her or did their words held any truth. Being the naïve person she is, she didn’t accept the coffee and leave, but took the coffee to her little safe corner. It had already been a few months since the first time she saw Jungkook, it was September to be exact. A few months that she had found him in Bangtan Café.      To be honest she paid no attention to the taste of the hot chocolate he made last time. She said it was good but that was her default choice of words. The foam touched her top lip when she took her first sip. It’d cooled down drastically; she might even call it warm chocolate. After a few sips, she smiled but her face turned bitter. She tasted a slight bitterness. It must not be hot chocolate this time. She brought her nose closer to the drink, it smelt sweet but earthy and bitter. She had always wanted to try coffee. But because she wasn’t fond of bitterness, she never wasted her money on something she figured she’d put it right in the trash after tasting.      Her eyes scanned the art that was now ruined. She rotated the cup reading what he wrote. Oh Youngni in neat calligraphy. Small little snowflakes struggled to float on the foam. She admired his art. It was a talent. Wait, how did he know her name? She never told him.      “I saw that smile.” Youngni confusingly looked up and saw Taehyung coming her way. Taehyung and Jimin were the troublemaker employees in the cafe. Sometimes, they dragged Jungkook along. If Taehyung were to speak with her, she knew he’s only talk trouble.      “What smile?” Youngni frowned, he was pointing like a kid who found something to blackmail his friend.      “No need to hide it. I’m sure Jungkook would like to see that you enjoyed it.” Youngni’s eyes followed Taehyung coming to her corner to observe the pillar. This was the first time that any of them spoke to her other than to take her order. She had learned all their names and faces thanked to Seokjin, who gladly announced them daily.      “What’s with everything about Jungkook?” The overflowing teasing had gotten the better of her. She couldn’t sit quietly and be an observer.      “Nothing.” Taehyung shrugged and turned his back to her. She rapidly blinked staring until he disappeared. Did all the time she thought she was nonexistence behind the pillar was only in her fantasy?                  Youngni huffed leaning back to rest her head on the small space available.      “Coffee girl!” She opened her eyes and Hoseok’s face was right above her. The way he laughed after he called her sounded like he was shrieking. She stood up too quick and her forehead collided against his. His reflex was slower than her who’d panicked.      “Owh…pain.” Hoseok rubbed his forehead send her a quizzical look. He was the employee that tend to exaggerate at times.      She held her forehead in hope to lessen the pain and moved out of her seat to bow in apology. Her body tumbled backward as she swung too quickly upward. Hoseok’s eyes opened, his mouth hung in fear when she tripped over the box he placed below. But he suddenly burst out laughing when he saw Jungkook rushi