Genre: Comedy, Crack, Drama, Fluff, Romance, School, Slice of Life

Summary: Hitomi flies to Korea with nothing but wads of cash, a credit card, her important files and a bag of clothes that will only last her for approximately 3 days. Hitomi crashes in with her childhood friend who works in a small cafe from the next door.

Word Count: 7565

Hashtag: #SSBB_HopesAndDreams

Hopes and Dreams

A/N: The Japanese writing is not 100% accurate but the translation provided shows the main idea of the dialogue.

Honda Hitomi is the youngest daughter of a well known hotel and restaurant chain in Japan. Often described as shy, soft and naive compared to her older sister, Hitomi’s father decides to send her to Korea to study in hopes of her becoming out-going and independent. Hitomi flies to Korea with nothing but wads of cash, a credit card, her important files and a bag of clothes that will only last her for approximately 3 days. Hitomi crashes in with her childhood friend who works in a small cafe from the next door.

“行く準備はできていますか?” (t/n: Are you ready to go?)

Today, a new chapter is starting from Hitomi’s life. In less than an hour, Hitomi’s going to board a plane to South Korea to study. She vaguely remembers her father’s words, telling her something about being too shy and naive and too soft. Not that it was a bad thing, as her mother said. But her father was worried about her always being behind her sister. To be fair, Hitomi was also worried about being overshadowed by her older sister’s outstanding achievements. So as per her father’s suggestion, Hitomi is going to a foreign country alone (with only a bag of necessities good for three days) to study in hopes of becoming a better version of herself, fitting to inherit half of their family businesses. 

Hitomi hears a small announcement for passengers to board the plane now. She looks to the direction of her parents, both wearing a proud smile seeing their youngest daughter going to venture on a foreign land alone. Hitomi opened her arms to hug her parents. It’s going to be her last hug with them for a while so she makes sure to savor this moment.

“ダーリン、私はあなたをとても誇りに思っています.” (t/n: I’m so proud of you, darling.) Hitomi’s father says, wrapping his strong arm around his daughter’s much smaller frame. Hitomi’s father gave a brief kiss to the crown of Hitomi’s head. Then, the three finally pulled away. Hitomi’s mother wiped a single tear from the corner of her eyes. “空港から連れて行くために矢吹さんに電話しました. こんにちはと言ったと彼女に言ってください.” (t/n: I called Miss Yabuki to fetch you from the airport. Tell her we said hi.) Hitomi’s father said.

Hitomi gives a small smile. Right, at least she’s not completely alone. When Hitomi gets to Korea, a childhood friend of hers will be waiting for her and help her adjust to the sudden change in the environment. Come to think of it, it’s been three years since Hitomi has last seen her friend. She silently wishes her friend hadn't grown taller than her. (Her pride would be crushed if her friend grew taller than her.) 

Hitomi finally waved her hand and bid goodbye to her parents. She chuckles when she saw her father’s smile waver a little. It seemed like he really wanted to cry. On the other hand Hitomi’s mother didn’t filter herself and literally just weeped on to her husband’s arms. “ママ, パパ, ありがとう.” (t/n: Mama, papa, thank you.) Hitomi whispered before finally walking away to board her plane.

Finally, Hitomi flew to Korea to make her parents proud. During the flight, Hitomi’s mind was filled with countless scenarios and ways on how she’ll do in Korea. Perhaps she could join a cheering team? She’s probably too old for that. Or maybe focus on her studies instead? That should be a given. Maybe, get a part time job? Sounds good. She’s always wanted to try doing part time jobs but her parents wouldn’t allow her to do so because (1. She doesn’t have to, (2. They want her to focus on her studies instead, and (3. Her parents are too worried about her getting scolded and stuff. For now, Hitomi will settle for adjusting to her new life in Korea.

After what seemed to be eternity (it’s 2 hours, Hitomi was exaggerating.), Hitomi finally set foot in Korea. She stretched her limbs as she waited for her bag in the conveyor. Once she got her small luggage (which only contains necessities for 3 days) that makes her look like she’s just having a sleepover at a friend’s house, she immediately searched for her friend. After a few moments of searching, Hitomi noticed a peach colored banner with her name written on it among the crowd. 

“ひいちゃん!” (t/n: Hii-chan!)

Hitomi felt a smile appear in her lips as she heard a familiar voice calling her name. When Hitomi finally saw the owner of her voice. She placed her luggage on the ground and opened her arms to let a smaller figure tackle her to the ground. “なこちゃん! あなたに会いたかった.” (t/n: Nako! I missed you.)

“久しぶりですね.” (t/n: It’s been a while, isn’t it?) Nako said, hugging the slightly taller girl.


Hitomi hums in agreement, “あぁ…ほっとしました.” (t/n: Ahh.. I’m relieved.) She says, patting her old friend gently, like she always used to.

“なんで?” Nako asks, still not moving from their tight hug.

“私はまだ背が高い.” (t/n: I’m still taller.) Hitomi teased, letting out hearty giggles as Nako playfully pushed her away and stood up.

“ひどい~” (t/n: So mean~) Nako replied as she took Hitomi’s bag and began walking alongside the other girl. The two went on their way to Nako’s apartment, where Hitomi will be staying until she finishes school. The girls took the trip home as an opportunity to catch up with each other. 

[...]

Hitomi huffed as she finally dropped her bag on Nako’s average sized couch. Hitomi scanned the area in awe, it was barely spacious enough for two people yet the place looked like it could house two more people. Hitomi mentally took note of the way Nako cleverly stored her items neatly in the apartment. If she applied this trick when she goes home, she might just be able to have so much space in her room to have her little studio.

“But man~ I kind of expected you to know how to speak Korean when you set foot in this land but I didn’t know you knew enough Korean to survive even without me.” Nako casually said, feigning hurt in the tone of her voice. Then, she went towards her refrigerator and opened it. “Hii-chan-sama is not a force to be reckoned with.” Nako added, this time with a faux mocking tone.

“Well, my almighty older sister once brought me to her linguistic lessons and it just so happened that the lesson was Korean so I ended up finishing the course over the week.” Hitomi chuckled heartily as Nako shook her head, seemingly amused by her friend’s words. “My sister finished the course in three days though.

“Ah yes,” Nako hummed as she pulled a carton of milk from her fridge. “The ever so smart siblings.” Nako said, pouring the milk in two separate glasses. “It took me a month to learn how to converse smoothly in Korean.” She added.

“Considering you didn’t really get any time to prepare or got any formal lessons to learn Korean, I think you also learned pretty fast.” Hitomi assured. “Plus, you came and lived here without any guidance from someone who knows how to live here.” 

Nako placed a glass of milk on the coffee table in front of Hitomi, then seated on the couch beside the one Hitomi was seated on. Nako hummed in agreement. “Well, isn’t that the purpose why I’m here?” 

The two were engulfed in a comfortable silence. Then, Nako’s phone rang a loud kpop song that Hitomi vaguely remembers from a group called TWICE. Nako leaned back to her couch and opened her phone, her eyebrows furrowed as she read the caller ID. 

“Hello?”

“...”


“Sorry Boss, I just got home from the airport. I had to fetch my friend from the airport.”



“...”



“I see. I’ll be there in more or less thirty minutes.”

 

“...”
 

“Okay, thank you very much.”  Nako replied, then turning off her phone to see Hitomi watching her with a pair of curious eyes.

“Who was that?” Hitomi asked, voice laced with genuine curiosity. When Nako gave her a simple smile and waved off the question, Hitomi gasped. “Is it your boyfri-”


“No!” Nako exclaimed, setting her glass of milk on the coffee table beside Hitomi’s. “That was my boss. I work in a cafe to keep a decent amount of money for myself.” Nako explained.

“Aren’t you on scholarship though? Everything you need is already covered.” Hitomi states. “Plus, you have limitless funds from your parents?”

Nako smirks. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. This and that are two different things.” Nako states. “Of course, I have my parent’s money and all the school related stuff is already covered but I can’t just keep asking them for money, right?” Hitomi nods. “This is Korea!” Nako exclaims. “I need money to buy merch and concert tickets from TWICE!” Nako proudly huffs. “But aside from that, having a part-time job will leave a good record on my resume once I graduate.”

Hitomi diligently listened as her friend rambled on and on about her experiences in Korea. It made HItomi ponder on the things she could do now that her parents aren’t there to gate-keep everything she does. Maybe, this could be a chance for her to prove herself and make her parents proud.


[...]

Hitomi stood before a warm, cozy looking building in front of her. The building has a simple peach colored cabin exterior and a small “Hopes and Dreams” written in English. Something about the tiny building makes her feel like she was still in her warm home and not in a foreign country where she has to face everything alone. 

Well, not exactly alone.

“Hii-chan what are you standing there for?” Nako called, a cute grin visible on her pretty face. Hitomi chuckled as she saw her best friend open the large glass door for her. 

The cool air of the autumn wind brushed past Hitomi’s exposed legs. Summer has barely ended so the autumn wind wasn’t as chilly as it usually was. Hitomi finally took a step and approached the cafe’s humble building.

Hitomi was utterly impressed by the atmosphere inside the cafe. It was just as she expected it to be when she saw the cabin-like exterior of the building. Most of the furniture inside the cafe inside the building was made out of wood. On the far left area of the cafe was a fireplace. It didn’t seem to be used since summer had ended just a few days prior. On the other side was a bunch of full bookshelves neatly arranged that it looked like a mini library section. In the middle area of the cafe were the rectangular table and chairs made out of what Hitomi guessed to be walnut wood. The cafe has a really home-y feel to its interior, especially the corner with smaller coffee tables and bean bags. 

But despite the warm and cozy atmosphere of the cafe, there was also a hint of chicness and modernity in the interior. Like, the hanging lamps on the bar area or the nice silvery and matte black espresso machine. It seemed like a peaceful, quiet heaven. A perfect spot for those who want a peace of mind or for those who simply wanted a change in the scenery of the modern city of Seoul.

“Welcome to Hopes and Dreams!” Nako enthusiastically said, proudly huffing once she saw her bestfriend’s amazed look. Then, Nako pointed to one of the empty seats for Hitomi to take a seat on. Once Hitomi settled herself on the comfortable couch, Nako tapped her shoulder and pointed to what Hitomi assumed to be the staff room. “I’ll be back in a jiffy.”

Hitomi let her eyes roam around the cafe. There aren’t a lot of customers inside the cafe. Then, Hitomi noticed the tall figure behind the counter. The figure’s back was facing Hitomi so the said girl couldn’t see the figure’s face but she did know, the tall figure was a woman. The woman had quite long hair, Hitomi could see the peach highlights underneath the woman’s hair.

The bell of the cafe made a small jingle. Hitomi quietly watched as a new person set foot inside the cafe. As cheesy as it may seem, the scene unfolded slowly for Hitomi. From the moment the woman flipped her silky black long hair to the moment where she smiled as she met Hitomi’s eyes. 

Hitomi let out a small puff of breath as the woman passed by her. “きれい...” (t/n: Beautiful…) Hitomi muttered, silently hoping that the woman can’t understand Japanese.

But fate seemed to have a different plan. The moment Hitomi muttered her compliment, the woman stopped in her tracks and looked to Hitomi’s direction. Then the woman flashed quite a charming smile. Hitomi felt her cheeks set aflame as the woman spoke. “あなたはそう思う?” (t/n: You think so?) The woman let out a pretty giggle when Hitomi froze in her spot. No way. The woman just understood what she said. Just as Hitomi was about to apologize, she heard her friend’s name.

“HIi-chan!” Nako called, standing before Hitomi and the pretty stranger that Hitomi just complimented. Nako looked visibly confused as to why Hitomi looked like a ripe tomato. Nako glanced at the stranger and-

“Hi Boss!” Nako greeted, giving a little bow to the stranger.

Wait, what?

 “Boss?” Hitomi whispered, frantically searching Nako’s eyes for any answer.

“Yeah! This is my boss, Kim Chaewon-unnie! She owns this cafe.” Nako huffed as she turned to her boss. “This is Hii-chan. An old friend of mine.” 

Chaewon smiled once more and held out her hand for Hitomi to shake. “Kim Chaewon. Nice to meet you.”

Hitomi forced a polite smile on her lips, struggling to keep her composure to avoid embarrassing herself further. She took Chaewon’s hand and shook it. “I’m Hitomi… Nice to meet you…” Hitomi said, voice becoming smaller as her embarrassment clouds over her mind.

“I haven’t seen you here before? Are you a visitor?” Chaewon asked.

Thank God for Nako seeming to notice how Hitomi looked a little troubled and answered the given question for Hitomi. “She’s the friend I fetched from the airport, unnie.” Nako replied, earning a hum of acknowledgement from Chaewon. Nako side-eyed Hitomi, checking on her dazed friend. “She’s probably tired from the trip though.”

“Well, I’m glad you think the cafe looks pretty but we have to get to work now.” Chaewon said. “I’ll see you later- err, HIi-chan. You can borrow books from the shelves on that corner. Oh but you’re a foreigner right-” 

“Unnie, quit bothering my friend!” Nako said, pulling Chaewon by the cuffs of her blazer.

And just like that, Chaewon and Nako left Hitomi on the table, still dazed from embarrassment. Hitomi slumped her body on the cool surface of the walnut table in front of her. She glanced to the window on her left as she remembered the embarrassment she just felt. She felt like burying herself right there and then. Ugh, now her head hurts. Hitomi sighed and closed her eyes. 

“Well, I’m glad you think the cafe looks pretty...”

Are you saying Hitomi got embarrassed for nothing? 

Maybe.

Hitomi let out a quiet huff as she collected her composure. Okay, Hitomi. You’re here to study, not to fall in love with a certain black haired lady that’s certainly not her friend’s boss and totally not named Kim Chaewon- No no no. Stop thinking of her, you just think she’s pretty and all and absolutely not someone who looks like your futu-

Hitomi was shaken off her thoughts when a quiet clamp of glass rang through her ears. Hitomi opened her eyes and saw the tall girl from the counter earlier. “Here’s affogato and cinnamon bagel from the boss.” The girl said, placing the cup of affogato, the plate of cinnamon bagel and chocolate dip. “I’m Yujin. The barista.” The girl, Yujin, said. Yujin held the circular tray in her arms as she politely bowed to Hitomi before smiling. “I added a teaspoon of vanilla extract and mint leaves in your affogato. It helps in reducing nausea.” Yujin stated, pointing to the pretty cup of affogato placed beside the plate of bagel. “Nako-unnie said you’re probably hungry after a long trip but I didn’t know what you would like so I made you a cinnamon bagel. It’s one of the popular menus.” 

Hitomi quietly watched as Yujin explained the snacks she prepared for her. Then, Hitomi noticed Chaewon behind the counter where she first saw Yujin. Chaewon’s cuffs were neatly folded just exactly below her elbows and her long hair was now tied up in a ponytail. The navy blue color of her blazer complimenting Chaewon’s wavy black hair. Hitomi could only admire the girl as Chaewon spoke to the customers of the cafe with a polite smile on her lips.

When Hitomi finally snapped out of her thoughts, she saw Yujin looking at her with genuine curiosity in her eyes. It almost feels like the girl in front of her was a human embodiment of a puppy.

“It seems you have taken a liking to Chaewon-unnie.” Yujin whispered, barely audible to Hitomi’s ears. Hitomi shook her head in denial, frantically defending herself over nothing. Yujin chuckles and her dimples appear on her cheeks. She leaned a little to Hitomi’s ear and whispered, “I’ll have you know, the boss doesn’t usually give free snacks and coffee to guests.” 

Hitomi felt her face heat up as Yujin whispered to her ear, mischief and playfulness obvious in her voice. Then, Yujin finally moved away from Hitomi’s ear and gave probably her most charming smile. “Don’t worry about paying. It’s on the house.” Yujin said. “Please enjoy.”

“Ah- Thank you, Yujin.”

Yujin bowed again and flashed a smile. “どういたしまして.” (t/n: You’re welcome.) Yujin replied, finally walking back to the counter as she dusted her hands on her grey apron.

Hitomi looked back to the affogato and bagel in front of her. She took the elegant looking silver spoon and cautiously took a small scoop of the vanilla ice cream and tasted it. Hitomi hums in delight as the cool treat’s slightly sweet taste spreads through her taste buds. There’s a slight bitter aftertaste from the shot of espresso. Then, she took the tiny fork that seemed to be the other pair of the spoon and took a small chunk of the bagel and ate it. 

Hitomi quietly watched as a new wave of customers came in. A bunch of girls entered the cafe, chattering happily as they approached the counter. It doesn’t take much for Hitomi to notice the way the girls look at Yujin like she was some kind of treasure. Not that she’s judging, Yujin IS incredibly pretty. As soon as Yujin wrote the girls’ orders in a blue notepa