Jung-ah Eonnie's cafe was as dreamy as she had pictured it to be. The name itself had a pleasant ring to it.

Kkamong Café. 

I gushed over how beautiful it was. "You never told me it was this gorgeous," I reprimanded the brunette as I turned to face him.

"Oh! Please. I've always invited you over, but you've always turned me down," He defended himself as I nervously chuckled.

"Right, I forgot."

As we walked in, he held the door open for me. Kai took a step forward, attempting to hide me behind him. His slender shoulders managed to keep me covered.

"Welcome, dear customer!" exclaimed a cheerful voice.

"Oh, it's just Kai," said another voice flatly.

"Thanks for your hard work, everyone!" exclaimed the brunette.

"Why are you late?" a familiar voice inquired, "and who's that behind you?"

Kai started making strange drum roll noises before revealing myself in front of a lady. It was his Noona, and she looked just as stunning as the last time I saw her.

"Hey?" I said sheepishly, waving my hand.

Her lips curved into a huge grin. "Is it really you, Kang Sohee?" she wondered, unsure if she was hallucinating or not. I nodded, and she quickly drew me into a nostalgic embrace. One I've been looking forward to for quite some time.

"I've missed you!" she exclaimed, beaming in delight.

"I missed you too, Eonnie."

"Can I have a hug too?" Kai pleaded.

"Get to work," Jung-ah ordered.

"Yeah, Kai. Get back to work."

"You've been hogging my precious dongsaeng for far too long."

It's been nearly six months since I've seen her. I was in the midst of finishing college when she opened her dreamland. Because of my graduation, I was unable to attend the grand opening.

"What have you been upto these days?" she asked, taking a seat at a nearby table.

"I managed to nab myself a part time job as a home tutor," I proudly announced.

"Why do you want to tutor at home? Was the whole college thing a ruse from the beginning? So we can spend the rest of our lives paying off student loans?"

"The thing is, eonnie, I applied for a position. However, it may take some time to find a full-time job in the sector I want to work in," I reasoned.

"I hope you're getting paid well," she said, a worried expression on her face. I agreed by nodding, "Without a doubt! Even the child is well-mannered."

She looked relieved at my expenses.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't here when things opened up," I apologized as guilt washed over me.

"It's all right. Kai was the only one who was irritated by your absence. You should have seen him on that day," she whispered. "Do tell me," I laughed.

"He was drunk as a skunk. I never thought I would see-" she was interrupted midway by a large hand in front of her. "Let me stop you there," Kai said as he stood in front of the table with his hand in between me and Jung-ah.

Jung-ah sighed as she glanced at her brother's face, "Okay. Fine," she grumbled. I couldn't hear their secret discussion because Kai was facing her and only the back of his head was visible to me.

"In exchange," she continued, "you should pick up my kids from school." "But!" he countered, "I promised to walk Sohee Noona home." "Or else...," she threatened, her eyes hinting at something.

He huffed, "Noona, wait until I get back," as he unfastened his apron and laid it on the table in front of his sister.

As soon as her brother left, Jung-ah bombarded me with questions about how I was doing and other things. Her facial expressions are similar to Kai's. I warmly smiled. I could tell she'd been missing me a lot.

After answering each one, she cleared , "It's time for the million dollar question," she sternly said. I squirmed in my seat, preparing myself to answer her.

"Who's your favorite member from NCT Dream?"

I was taken aback by her question and fell quiet. I had no clue she was a fan of that band, but I was aware that when I first entered college, she began to follow a rookie group.

"Of course you wouldn't be interested in them," she chuckled.

"How am I supposed to pick one when they're all so attractive?" I said as I carefully evaluated each member I had seen earlier in my head.

My response caused her to seem shocked. "No way!" she exclaimed, as I smirked at her. Both of us broke out laughing.

"On a more serious note, are you seeing anyone?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you have a boyfriend?" she probed, causing me to blush. hung open in surprise at my reaction. I was opting whether or not to tell her the truth.

Just when I was about to confess, her head shot up to the register behind me. "This isn't over yet. Hold until I attend to that customer," she remarked as I nodded my head and saw her rise from her seat with a professional smile on.

I let out a long, deep exhale that I hadn't realized I'd been keeping in. I rested my head by crossing my arms on the table. I was thinking of ways of how I could break the news to Eonnie. "Is this chair free?" a knock on the table interrupted my thoughts. I sat up straight and looked at the person. Blinking, I realize Eric's Uncle standing in front of me, holding two cups.

"Well?"

"Huh?" I asked, confused. He eyed the seat Jung-ah eonnie was seated in earlier. "Not right now," I said with a shake of my head.

I narrowed my eyes at the cup he placed in front of me, then at him. He sipped from his cup and smiled, "It's Latte. If you don't like it, Ms Sohee, feel free to get something else from the menu. Or would you prefer this cup of coffee instead?" he offered.

"No, thank you," I responded, willingly taking a sip of the creamy liquid. I could feel the sweetness hitting the roof of my mouth. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, savoring the beverage. Eonnie's sweet tooth and caffeine addiction proved to be really useful. I caught him staring at me as I mentally praised her. "Do you mind?" I said, taking another sip.

"Oh! Sorry. It's only that you had a cute expression on your face. That I liked it a latte."

I choked on my drink at his simple yet cringy remark. Reaching for the paper serviette, I wiped my lips. "What brings you here?" I questioned as I set the napkin aside.

"I was surprised to see you seated here. I stopped on my way to grab a cup of coffee before my business meeting."

Was it really a coincidence?

"Aren't you getting late?"

"I could spare a couple of minutes," he said, tapping something in his phone.

We were engulfed by silence with the empty cups in our hands. I waited until Eonnie returned, but she was obviously swamped because it was peak hour. I recall Kai telling me once that returning from the children's school would take nearly an hour. Most of the teachers would generally retain him for a long time because he was such an eye-candy. They'd even go so far as to try and seduce him.

He also mentioned that the elder teachers would try to pair him up with their children or grandchildren. Some of them even brought their daughters to meet him. Just thinking about it made me laugh. It was something I could imagine happening in real life.

"I was wondering whether you could accompany me," he interrupted me from my thoughts.

"Yes?"

"Thank you so much. It would mean a great deal," he said, relieved. I was about to clear up the misunderstandings when he continued to speak.

"You see, I have no idea what my mother would want as a present. Normally, I would give her money, but she was dissatisfied. She requested that I present her with something more valuable than money. So I gave her gift cards, trips to exotic islands, and all the other frivolous things a woman desires, but that didn't satisfy her either. When Myunji Noona said, "Mother desired something from the heart," she was speaking in riddles. I'm at a loss for what to get her."

When I was certain he had finished his rant, I spoke up. "Listen. This is something you must figure out for yourself. You can't just walk in here and act like we're best friends, thinking I'd go with you. When I said I'd agree to go on a date, I really meant it. Not to accompany you when you go shopping for your mother's present or anything for that matter."

Was what I really wanted to say.

But instead, "I appreciate the drink, but I'm sorry if you misunderstood. I promised my friend earlier that I would wait for them," I said, forcing a smile and hoping he would get a clue.

He glanced at me for a brief moment. "Do you think you can reschedule with your friend?"

"Well, why don't you ask your secretary to do it for you?"

"That's what I've been doing all along. This is why I'm asking."

I closed my eyes and exhaled, calming myself down. This is the second time since I've been this angered after my final year group project. Is he really Myunji Eonnie's younger brother?

"Look, every time I'm seen out with you, I'll consider it a date. We agreed to three, so this counts as a date."

He paused for a moment before disagreeing. "But aren't dates supposed to be romantic outings with our significant other?"

I forced a smile. I'm irritated beyond all recognition. "I don't have time to hang out with strangers."

"I'm not a stranger. I thought we were getting to know each other."

"It's funny you should say that. However, I have no idea who you are or what you do," I scoffed.

"Then why don't I show it to you instead?"

"Show it to me?" I raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Yes. In exchange, I'd like you to accompany me shopping."

"I'd rather wait till Friday."

"Are you sure? It's close-by. All you have to do is assist me in selecting a gift, and in return, you will gain access to valuable information," he slyly suggested.

I could tell he just wanted me to join him, but I'm not in the mood to hang out with him and picking out a gift for his motherj. Then, before I know it, I'm being introduced to the family before I've even had a chance to say anything.

Yes, this guy is too smart for his own good, but why is he acting coy with me? And, yes, I would like to know his name, but I'm not sure I want to.

"Well?" he asked, interrupting my inner conflict.

"Are you sure you don't have a meeting?" I inquired, attempting to divert his attention away from the topic at hand.

"I've asked my secretary to reschedule it."

"Why would you do that?"

"I told her I'm with my fiancée," he smirked.

"Fiancée?" Jung-ah questioned as she suddenly interrupted our conversation. "I never knew you were engaged, Sohee," she said menacingly. I felt a shiver run down my spine. "I can expl-" he cut me off as he took my hand in his. "Not yet, but she will be very soon."

"Will she?"

In that moment, I wished the ground would open up and swallow me whole. Jung-ah had a creepy smile on her face.

"Actually, we were about to go on a date after we finished our drinks," he explained.

I'm at my wits' end! Why can't he just leave me alone?

"Oh, were you? Don't let me get in the way of your date. I'd hate to keep you here and ruin it. We'll meet up later, Sohee. Now run along and be nice," she said, shooing us away.

"Make sure she gets home before 6 p.m. and send me a text, Sohee. Don't worry, I'll inform Kai that you had to attend to an urgent matter." Before returning to the store, she smiled and nodded to him.

This is bad! I thought, panicking.

This is really bad.

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                           ✨Author's Note✨

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I apologise that it took longer than expected even sorry for saying this rn, but... 

D.O's solo album is finally out!!

His voice and songs are absolutely healing 💜✨

Show him your love and support by streaming his MV!! 💕