The clock on the wall started showing at 9 pm, and the guests started clearing out one by one after leaving some tips on the table. Jinyoung sighed deeply, rooted in his seat at the restaurant. The waiter never failed to ask him every hour if he was ready to order the main course, besides the two cups of tea and the appetizer. Jinyoung knew that it could happen sometimes, but still, he was a little ticked off when his date actually made him wait for almost 3 hours without any words.

 

Jinyoung remained silent and optimistic until the end, making excuses for the sake of his date. 

 

He might have been stuck in the traffic and couldn’t tell me because his phone was dead. He thought to himself.

 

He looked at the clock on the wall once again. There was an hour left before the restaurant closed for the night. His patience was thinning with every passing second. He started fidgeting on his seat, his head searching for reasons why he was being stood up like that. 

 

While his mind was still occupied, someone walked towards his table and politely asked him again, “Sir, will close at 10 pm, would you like to order anything else?”

 

Jinyoung noticed that this guy was not the annoying waiter who had asked him before. But, he could tell that he was also working here from his uniform. “Um, no, thanks,” Jinyoung answered awkwardly, feeling uneasy. 

 

“Perhaps dessert? We have recommendations that you may like. Our sweets are really popular.” The guy asked him once again. 

 

Jinyoung was not sure if he wanted to eat anything, or if he should ask for the bill right now since his date most likely won’t show up at this hour. He cast a gaze at the guy in front of him, “I think I’m good. Thank you.” He finally decided.

 

The guy smiled at him, “Alright, sir.” He bowed down as a cue to leave. 

 

“B-but…” Jinyoung held on to the guy's wrist immediately. “Can I wait here for a little while? I promise I will leave before you guys close.”

 

“Sure. Just take your time, sir. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to call me.” The guy politely answered with the smile still remaining on his lips before he walked back to the bar.

 

Jinyoung covered his face with his hands, regretting the decision to date once again when he knew that he wasn't ready to be in a relationship yet. He should have listened to Yugyeom when the brat told him that he needed to wait a little.

 

Being a divorced man is hard. The emotional rollercoaster he went through was unbearable. Jinyoung had been in 7 years of marriage when he knew that his ex-husband was cheating on him. No man or woman would just wake up one day and decide to cheat on their spouse. It is a problem that builds up over time and cheating is actually the release of pressure that had built up in the marriage. Sure, they had lots of ups and downs in the past years, but Jinyoung had always thought that it was still salvageable. 

 

He loved his husband. So much. But, in marriage, love alone is not enough. You need trust and loyalty. And thus they parted ways in a painful way.

 

The time was ticking. Jinyoung couldn't stay there any longer in embarrassment. Maybe it was time to go home, he thought.

 

Before he could ask for the bill, the guy from before came back with a plate of chocolate dessert and placed it in front of him.

 

"Complimentary from our chef," The guy said. Jinyoung was confused. Impulsively, he looked towards the kitchen, hoping to find the generous chef. But he couldn't see anyone.

 

"This is one of our best. Hope you will like it."

 

"Thank you… umm..." Jinyoung tried to find a nametag in the guy's uniform but there weren't any. The guy seemed to notice it when he found Jinyoung's eyes were moved left and right around his chest area. This guest is kinda weird, he thought.

 

"I'm Mark." The guy introduced himself.

 

Like he couldn't be more embarrassed, Jinyoung only nodded and thanked him for the cake. "Chocolate is my favorite actually. Your chef better have made it good because I really needed one right now." Jinyoung laughed weakly at his statement, trying to lift up the mood even though it failed.

 

"Rough night, Sir?" Mark asked.

 

"You can say that. And please stop calling me Sir. Just…" Jinyoung paused for a second. "Just call me Jinyoung. No need to follow the rules with me. It's almost closing time anyway, so you're safe from your manager."

 

"Sorry for breaking it to you, but I'm the manager here." Mark chuckled as Jinyoung flustered on his stupidity. Again.

 

“I’m sorry! I thought you… I didn't mean… I’m sorry.” Jinyoung was so embarrassed that he couldn’t formulate a coherent sentence. Meanwhile, the blonde hair laughed at Jinyoung's awkwardness. This guest really is weird.

 

"It’s okay, don’t need to feel uneasy,” Mark said. “Anyways, I need to clean up some stuff first. If you want, you can stay here longer."

 

“Oh-okay…” Jinyoung responded before Mark walked back to the kitchen. The restaurant was almost empty now. He saw that some of the staff was getting ready to go home, some of them were still busy in front of the billing pile for bookkeeping. Then, he looked at the tantalizing chocolate cake in front of him. He took the small fork that was next to it and began to devour the cake slowly.

 

Every bite he swallowed, started healing his disappointment. He swore after he got home, he's gonna delete that stupid dating app. Even right now Jinyoung could imagine Yugyeom's annoying smirk while saying 'told ya!'

 

He looked outside through the window next to him. Autumn has come, the air is getting cold. It had been a couple of months since the trial and the hurt was still lingering on his chest. 

 

This whole meeting-someone-new idea sounds good in the beginning, but after getting ghosted many times and being stood up today, Jinyoung started to feel his confidence was hitting rock bottom.

 

Is it gonna be like this?

 

Am I gonna be a lonely divorcee?

 

Should I buy a cat tomorrow in case I need company when I feel lonely?

 

What kind of cat should I buy? I want a cute one with short legs.

 

Before his mind wandered too far, Mark was back with two bottles of beer in his hand. One of them was given to Jinyoung, and the other was placed next to him after he took a seat. Jinyoung was a little bit surprised by the act of the blonde guy.

 

"You look like somebody who could use a drink." Mark winked at the brown hair. 

 

“Thanks,” Jinyoung responded with a grin on his face. Thinking that another beer might be more effective to heal his broken heart. Alcohol has become his best friend since the divorce anyway. They sat face to face sipping their beer without a rush, silence permeating in every corner of the room.

 

"Somebody died?” Mark broke the tranquility between them. Meanwhile, Jinyoung almost choked hearing that sudden question, "Excuse me?"

 

"I don't know. You look out the windows like an old man who just lost his wife."

 

"Wow, so you are secretly watching me?" Jinyoung found it amusing that his words came out like he was accusing the manager.

 

"Of course, you are my guest. I need to pay attention to my customers." Mark tried to defend himself.

 

"Fair enough," Jinyoung smiled as he took the beer and sipped it once again. He leaned back on the chair, relaxing himself. "I'm thinking what kind of cat should I buy."

 

"A cat??" Mark confusedly asked, underlying tone, as if he couldn't believe what he just heard.

 

"What? Something wrong with that?"

 

"That’s the reason you look like ? A pet?!"

 

"Well, a pet can be a good friend in a time like this. It can become the solution to my miserable nights like this one."

 

Mark was silent for a second. This man’s face was so ing godsend, but dude… is he a weirdo? He's trying to comprehend what Jinyoung was thinking about. Maybe he just needed more background story.

 

"Okay, hold up, I'm lost. Why do you even want to buy a cat?"

 

Dilemma. Jinyoung was tempted to tell Mark, but he thought it's just too personal. Instead of being honest with a stranger, Jinyoung chose to play with it.

 

"Because I want a super annoying illogical roommate that also destroys many things but at the same time gives you odd secure feelings." He said.

 

"Wouldn't a dog be a better option if you need that?" Mark asked. “I have a poodle in my apartment. He’s so energetic, running around the room all the time, and also likes to destroy my stuff many, many times. But, I still love that little rascal.”

 

“Well, cats are way cuter than dogs. And I can become an influencer using my cats.”

 

“Really? An influencer? Good luck with that I guess.”

 

“What? You don’t think I can become an influencer?”

 

“Why does everybody want to become an influencer these days?”

 

“Cause that’s a dream! Make a living using your everyday life.”

 

Mark quirked his eyebrow in disbelief as he looked at the brown hair in skepticism, “It’s your dream?”

 

This time it was Jinyoung that was lost for words. Because actually it wasn’t his dream, and obviously these weren't his words. They were his ex-husband’s.

 

He didn’t realize that he would say those words after all this time. At first, it was only a silly dream of a young man who dreamed of living happily. Then it turned into something that the two people in love wanted to achieve together.

 

He remembered the day he got a call from his husband that he was fired from his job. He expected that night would be full of resentment and pressure at their home. But, instead, he found a house full of cameras, lighting, lenses, and of course, with a beaming face, his husband said, ‘Honey, from today onwards I’ll make us rich!’

 

That was stupid, right? Jinyoung thought so too. But, one thing that Jinyoung really admired from his husband was his passion. How he really believed in himself so much that his eyes were blazing with fire of desire. And that’s also the reason why that fire dimmed from his husband’s eyes. He no longer looked into Jinyoung’s eyes. There were no sparks, only assumptions and tears until they both finally realized that the love between them was long gone.

 

“I guess.” Jinyoung finally responded with a slight stammer in his voice.

 

“Well, your mood changed all of a sudden. I'm sorry if I offended you.”

 

“No, no, it’s alright! I guess I need a reality check. And I would never guess I would get it tonight.” Jinyoung laughed nervously. Although he wanted to hide his feelings, Mark could see them.

 

“Hey, whatever happens with your life, this place will always welcome you every time you need a friend and a good drink.” Mark tried to lift up Jinyoung’s mood.

 

“Yeah, as long as I can get a discount.”

 

“I can make a signboard ‘Cat lovers extra 5$ for every drink.’” Then they laughed together and took another gulp. Mark took a long sigh, tonight’s gonna be interesting, he thought. He saw Jinyoung’s beer was already half-empty in his hand.

 

This guy really…

 

“Want another bottle?” He offered.

 

“Sure,” Jinyoung replied immediately. Then Mark stood up and walked to the bar. “So what happened tonight?” He asked as he opened another bottle of beer for Jinyoung.

 

“I think I got stood up,” Jinyoung answered him nonchalantly. He almost forgot that he was supposed to meet someone in the last couple of hours before Mark asked about it again. Surprisingly, he didn’t feel sad or anxious anymore. Huh, funny...

 

“Online dating?”

 

“How’d you know?” Jinyoung asked the manager curiously.

 

“I know the look,” Mark walked back to the table, then put the new bottle on Jinyoung’s side. He smiled. Not the kind of belittle smile, but more of a sympathy. “A guy who is waiting for someone they know won’t wait until the place closes. So, I bet you don’t know their number and cannot ask them either.”

 

“Hmm, you’re good.”

 

“Well... Five years in this restaurant will teach you about people.”

 

“Yeah, looks like I got swipe-lefted in real life.”

 

Mark laughed, “You know what they say, ‘there is plenty of more fish in the sea.’”

 

“Do you believe that?”

 

“What? Plenty of fish in the sea? Yeah, I believe that.”

 

"So, now the question is how you're gonna find that perfect fish for you?"

 

"No one in this world is perfect. Maybe you call it perfect, but for me, it's called compromise. That girl may be beautiful, but she only takes a bath twice a week. But because you love her, you see way beyond that weakness. Am I right?" Mark spit the logical truth. But, Jinyoung seemed to have another perspective about that.

 

"You may be right. But, have you heard about 'the perfectly imperfect? If you're interested in the zodiac, you must have heard about the opposite attracts. It's when two people are different from each other but often make a great couple. Thanks to their differences, rather than in spite of them."

 

"So, you're a zodiac guy, huh?" Mark asked with a hint of teasing.

 

"Yes, I am. What about that?"

 

"Nothing…" And suddenly Mark was laughing. Jinyoung seemed confused with Mark's act because he felt like there's nothing funny with what he said earlier. After Mark finished with his antics, he looked at the man in front of him. "You're very interesting, Jinyoung." He said.

 

Jinyoung blushed at hearing that kind of compliment. The edge of his lips were slightly pulled to the side showing his shy smile to the manager. Mark was enjoying his reactions, making him want to tease the brown hair even more.

 

"You're unpredictable. Who knows, it might turn out that you're an earth-flatter who also believes that aliens exist."

 

"Umm.. well… I'm not an earth-flatter but I do believe that there are aliens on this planet."

 

"You like that kind of conspiracy theory, don't you?"

 

"I don't know. Somehow they show some crazy, interesting theory that blows my mind. And I am like… what if it's true?" Jinyoung seemed like an innocent child who excitedly told his friend about a sci-fi history lesson. On the other hand, Mark just nodded his head softly. Once in a while he would smile hearing Jinyoung rambling on and on about random topics. But it didn't annoy him one bit.

 

“How about the one? You believe that, too?”

 

“The one? Like, God?”

 

"No, The One… like a soulmate."

 

"I don't believe that. It's just a scam, my friend.”

 

Jinyoung only stared at Mark in confusion, “What do you mean?”

 

“Yeah, it’s a scam. Just like a valentine. It's a marketing technique from the chocolate company for people to buy more chocolate. There's no deeper meaning than that.”

 

“Don't you believe that people who come to this world are meant to be together, to become a couple at the end of the day? We are searching for the missing piece that can complete us.”

 

“If humans are supposed to become soulmates and live as a couple at the end of the day, why do we hear about divorce every day?”

 

Jinyoung started to feel slightly hurt with the guy in front of him. The words that came out of his mouth felt like a trigger, ready to shoot directly to his heart. He played with his fingers, his mind was spinning in search of answers.

 

As Jinyoung became speechless, Mark realized that his questions might be too insensitive. Because he could feel an air of tension prevailing in the room.

 

“Sorry, I don’t know what happened to me. It’s like a sensitive issue for me. I'm sorry...” Mark's eyes immediately went down to the beer that he had been holding on to for a while. He felt guilty for making the mood uncomfortable for both of them.

 

Jinyoung had already clenched his teeth as he held back his emotions. But, looking at how anxious the manager was, Jinyoung could only feel pity for him. He just realized that the man before him was just an ordinary person who also had his own reasons for his opinion. Somehow, he could understand. “It's okay. It's a new thing in my life I guess.” Jinyoung said.

 

“Well, for me... shouting, swearing, and door-banging is just like a routine. I know what it feels like to be in a room where you are not wanted. It's all because of two people who act so stupidly in the name of love and then don't want the result of their love. So, yeah, I'm sorry if I'm a lil bit skeptical about 'the one'…" Mark gave a quote sign with his finger to underline those specific words. "But, hey, at least I can be a good listener for my guests.”

 

Jinyoung only smiled and nodded while he's playing with the bottle in his hand, swirling the beer inside of it.

 

“A good manager with an ear for his guests. You must be popular with girls.”

 

Mark laughed, “Not exactly. I've had no luck with the ladies. Maybe I pushed them away before they could come any closer to me.”

 

Jinyoung scoffed, "Don't play hard to get."

 

"No, I don't. I'm just not into girls."

 

Jinyoung turned his mouth into O-shaped, realizing the meaning of Mark's words. On the other hand, Mark just realized that this was the first time he could talk so comfortably to a person he just met.

 

“Truth be told, this is the first time I can talk with someone this long for a while now. I've been swamped with work for a couple of years. Running a restaurant is not as easy as it seems, you know.”

 

“Wait, is this your restaurant?”

 

“Yeah, it’s been my dream to open my own restaurant. Since I was a little kid I've always watched cooking channels on TV and that's grown in me even more. But I could make it work just about five years ago.

 

“That's cool!”

 

“What about you? Had any dreams? Or you still want to be an influencer?" Mark chuckled.

 

“No, no, no. It was actually my ex's.” Jinyoung was a little bit surprised after he realized that the word 'ex' could casually come out of his mouth. But, not long after that, Mark immediately asked again before it got awkward.

 

“So what was yours then?”

 

Jinyoung took a deep sigh.

 

"Please don’t laugh, okay? But I kinda dreamt of becoming a preschool teacher.”

 

"No kidding?"

 

"No, I actually love kids. Can you imagine when you witness so many groundbreaking moments of someone? Isn't it cool? You may witness the kids finally start to talk or walk, counting numbers, drawing cute animals, seeing them grow, and so on. Plus, many people said that I'm incredibly patient, so, yeah…" Mark could see Jinyoung's eyes were sparkling when he told about his dream. He never expected someone who had that gorgeous face and was physically sturdy had a dream to become a preschool teacher.

 

And he had to admit that Jinyoung is more than patient. Well, he had just waited for some stranger for almost 3 hours. Mark would never do that thing if he was in Jinyoung's shoes.

 

“So what happened next?”

 

“Reality, I guess. Although it's rewarding, there's not much money in that job and at that time I really needed money. So I’m stuck with corporate law now.”

 

“Wow, a lawyer. I bet a lot of girls are waiting in line for a guy like you.”

 

"No. It's a waste for them to wait in line for a guy like me."

 

"Why not?"

 

"Because I'm into guys." He chuckled, laying his back comfortably against the back of the chair. "Besides, I'm married," Jinyoung paused for a second. “...was married.”

 

"Oh…" Mark was silent. Not because he knew that Jinyoung was gay but more to the truth of Jinyoung was once married. He should have just said 'I'm sorry', but somehow he wanted to know everything about the man in front of him.

 

“Divorced?” Mark finally asked him but was only answered by a nod.

 

“I'm not gonna pry, but if you wanna talk about it, I'm…”

 

“Did you ever feel betrayed, Mark?” Jinyoung suddenly cut him off.

 

Mark fell silent to his seat, thinking deeply about how to respond to that sudden question. Before Mark could give his answer, Jinyoung continued, “Not that kind of betrayal. Betrayed by your judgment. Betrayed by your expectations.”

 

“It's like you thought you knew about somebody, you thought you knew about what’s gonna happen next. But one day, it’s all different. You don’t know in this life. Life can spit at you at anytime. One day you’re happily married and another day you’re sitting in a restaurant waiting for a crappy blind date to show up. I don't know what to expect anymore."

 

Jinyoung then fell silent for a while and looked at Mark. “I'm sorry I vented out to you."

 

Mark immediately shook his head to convince Jinyoung that it's okay. But, Jinyoung felt sorry for Mark that he suddenly became the target of his vent. He closed his eyes, trying to calm down. Because he's not supposed to let his feelings burst out like that. Especially, when Mark is kind enough to accompany him tonight when he could go home and have a nice sleep.

 

"I- I think I'm gonna go to the bathroom." Jinyoung stood up and left Mark sitting alone with his beer. He needed to cool down for a second.

 

He washed his face as he got to the sink.

 

It's not right.

 

Guess he still has unfinished business that needed to be solved. Not with his ex obviously, but with himself. He stared deeply at himself in the mirror, with a face from which water droplets were running down in the sink.

 

He was disappointed. All he had to do is chin up. Meeting someone new is not easy. But, at least he tried.

 

Because he still believes in love. No matter how y it was, he just wants to be happy. And that's what matters.

 

Jinyoung took his handkerchief and wiped his face. He's finally calming down. But he still needed to say sorry to Mark for what he had said earlier.

 

His mind was occupied by thinking of what he had to say to the blonde guy after he arrived at their table. But, to his surprise, Mark was already standing next to his seat, smiling and ready to welcome the guest who had just come from the bathroom. Jinyoung didn't realize it before but Mark actually has a charming smile. On their table, there's his phone playing a song.

 

What was going on? He thought.

 

Then he saw Mark giving his hand, “Shall we?”

 

Jinyoung was stunned for a moment, trying to understand what Mark was trying to do. He hesitantly stepped in front of the blonde guy.

 

“What happened when I was in the bathroom? Am I in a different universe?” Jinyoung made a joke to lighten up the mood. Mark only laughed hearing that silly joke.

 

“I think beer and chocolate cake won’t be enough to make my guest happy. So, I am trying another method.”

 

“By asking him to dance?”

 

“Let’s think of it as my way to give you special service.”

 

Jinyoung smiled, “It’s my pleasure to be the first customer who gets this special treat right from the manager.” Then he took Mark’s hand as Mark gently pulled Jinyoung closer to him. They both danced slowly following the song’s beat.

 

There are so many things I have to say

I'll stay up all night to hear about your day

We do the best we can in a small town

Act like kids in love when the sun goes down

 

If it's not too late for coffee

I'll be at your place in ten

We'll hit that all-night diner

And then we'll see

 

They didn't dare enough to see each other’s eyes, but one thing was for sure. They enjoyed this comfortable silence.

 

“I looked so hopeless to you, right?” Finally, Jinyoung broke the silence.

 

Mark shook his head. He took a deep breath. Then slowly he said, “I cannot say I know how betrayal feels like, but I know what it feels like to be hopeless." This time Jinyoung could hear the calmness in Mark's voice. "When I was little, I woke up every day with the expectation that that day would be a happy day. No more fighting. No more flying plates in the dining room. I grew up limiting my expectations. Because I finally learned that expectations kill.”

 

Jinyoung didn’t respond to it. But he understood Mark’s point of view. It felt like he finally understood that love never killed you, expectation did. Like Mark said. People would say that they divorced because they’ve been cheated on. Because they only expect that in marriage you should be loyal to your partner without considering any hidden problems that cause it to happen in the first place. You can’t divorce your partner for cheating. You must divorce for not trying to root out the cause of that infidelity.

 

For some time, Jinyoung always asked himself how did they get to where they are right now? How did his husband end up leaving their marriage bed to find joy elsewhere? Feelings during divorce can be highly illogical, complicated, and extremely confusing.

 

"Last year, I was so upset because bad things kept happening to me. That's when I caught my ex-husband cheating on me with some guy he met at a club, at his friend's bachelor party. I thought it was just one time, but it turned out he kept occasionally meeting that guy behind my back…" Mark glanced sideways to the man in front of him. Jinyoung smiled telling his side of the story, but he could feel a deep hurt in his voice.

 

"He said that he will end it all. I trusted him. I trusted him because I loved him. Because I believed no matter what happened his love was only for me. 'It's just a mistake,' I told myself every day." Mark started to hear a little tremble in Jinyoung's voice.

 

"But, marriage is complicated. At the end of the day, I couldn't blame him. As I recall everything, I might have done something that also caused all of this to happen. I might have done something that made our house no longer a home for him." This time Jinyoung finally dared to look directly into Mark's eyes. "We both failed... at something that we had built for a long time."

 

Mark was stunned to see the man in front of him as he saw tears starting to well up in Jinyoung's eyes.

 

"I should have taken the hint when he was often coming back home without his wedding ring." Jinyoung laughed at his dumbness as he let go of Mark's grip to wipe away his tears. But before he touched his side-eye, Mark's finger had already wiped his tears away.

 

"It's okay."

 

That's all Mark said.

 

Jinyoung stood bewildered on his feet.

 

"It's okay, you can cry as you want. I'll be here."

 

And just like that, just a few simple words could make him burst out into tears. Mark was trying to give him some moment to cry. He stood up close to him and lent him a shoulder. Jinyoung couldn't think of anything besides taking out all of the ugly feelings that had been kept for a long time.

 

Beer, chocolate, and attention were good to comfort his broken heart. But crying is a very powerful thing in situations like this. You may be a man, but man also needs a good cry. Nothing's wrong with that.

 

Luckily, the restaurant was empty. All the staff already went home when he talked with Jinyoung hours ago. He didn't know what he was supposed to say to his staff if they knew some man was crying on him.

 

A moment later Jinyoung seemed to have calmed down. His eyes were red. He rubbed his nose, tried restraining his sniffle.

 

"How're your feelings?" Mark asked him.

 

"Better," Jinyoung said shortly. "Well, I'd never thought tonight would be like this. Dancing with the restaurant manager and ending up crying in front of him."

 

"Yeah, you look like a preschool kid right now. Are you sure you wanna be a preschool teacher?”

 

That joke immediately made Jinyoung laugh as he hit him lightly with his fist. Of course, Mark needed to exaggerate it. He yelled while touching the spot that was hit before. He took the opportunity to get back to his seat, which was followed by Jinyoung.

 

Their hands quickly grab the bottle in front of them and finish the beer in one gulp.

 

"Jinyoung, can I ask you something?"

 

"Shoot."

 

“With all the stuff that happened to you, do you still believe in the one?”

 

Jinyoung was quiet for a moment. Once in a while, his eyes looked up like he was thinking so hard searching for an answer.

 

“Honestly, I don’t know. A part of me was gone after divorce. I'm still trying to figure out what that means.” finally Jinyoung replied.

 

“Uumm… when I was in high school, I heard that love is just a chemical reaction between two people. It's like, when the reaction is strong, it's like you two are perfect for each other. But someday the reaction will go away. Your love will expire." Mark curiously waited for Jinyoung to respond. "Don't you think so?" 

 

“I disagree," Jinyoung said. "There will always be that feeling. Love will never die completely. Like, I'm so mad at him for what he has done, but I still love him. Maybe it will thin out by time, but that feeling will always be there.”

 

“That… because you’re a hopeless romantic, you know?”

 

“I know." Jinyoung smiled, realizing the truth of Mark's jokes.

 

“I still cannot grasp the idea of your optimism for love. I'm still searching for that feeling, though. To love and to be loved. I'm jealous of you, Jinyoung." Mark chuckled, thinking about how he became the coldest person towards romance after all this time. It's very opposite to Jinyoung. "I used to think that when I was older, the world and everything inside it would make sense to me. but the older I get, the more confusing it is to me.”

 

“You’re right,” Jinyoung responded quickly.

 

Mark was dumbfounded for a second, “I'm right?”

 

“Yeah, I think your view on this world has a good point. It is confusing. It is chaotic. But it’s our job to untangle it. It's not easy, and yes sometimes the world is trying to break you into pieces.  But when you’re broken into pieces, you can always try to put the pieces together again. To make things whole again.”

 

Jinyoung realized there's a sudden change in Mark's face after he said what he said earlier. Like there's a hint of disappointment showing on his face, “I know you’ve tried. Maybe countless times... But you’re not alone, Mark. Let others help you pick up the pieces. Let someone help you make it whole again.”

 

“I don't know, Jinyoung. Maybe I'm not ready.”

 

“There’s no such thing as ready. There’s only willing.”

 

“I guess you’re right.” Mark scoffed hearing unexpected wisdom coming from someone who just cried because of love a minute ago. Guess this time the table has turned.

 

Jinyoung smiled and looked around. The moonlight was really bright tonight. Its shine was coming through the window as it was telling them to get a peaceful night. That's when he realized that it was already past midnight, “Hey, are you guys open again tomorrow?”

 

“Yeah, we’re open around 11 am. Why?”

 

“I should go. It’s getting late.”

 

“It's already late, Mister.”

 

Jinyong was laughing, “But honestly, thank you for tonight. I thought tonight will end badly. But, hey, it’s one of the best nights since my divorce.”

 

"Just like how good things aren't always necessarily good, I guess bad things aren't always bad either."

 

“You sure know what to say to a sad customer. Consider you have a new regular to this place.”

 

Mark then took something out of his wallet, “Here's my card. In case you need a reservation or maybe a friend to talk to.”

 

Jinyoung took it and read the name that was boldly written on the business card. Mark Tuan, it said.

 

“Well, thanks again, Mr. Manager. See you.”

 

Just as Jinyoung was about to open the door, Mark suddenly yelled,” Maybe we are the pieces?”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“You know when you say that when the world breaks us down into pieces, we can try to put the pieces back together..." Mark was silent for a second. Hesitation still showed up both on his face and his voice, "What I'm trying to say is, maybe, what we’re supposed to do is sit together, trying to figure out our little pieces together.

 

Jinyoung didn't answer it right away. Instead, he just smiled at the blonde guy and said something before he finally closed the front door, "Maybe. Just maybe."