Cafeteria, suburbs.

As you entered, you were greeted by a slot machine, a creaky ceiling fan, and a black-n-white checkered floor. 

The cafeteria, named Spicy, stood alone as the sole 24-hour establishment for miles around.

On a worn-out red leather sofa, a man with a crew cut sat engaged in a fervent conversation with a blonde woman seated across from him.

 

"You serious, Seojun?" the blonde woman asked. "This place?"

Seojun took a sip of his coffee.

"Why not!" Seojun replied. "Can you think of a more perfect one?"

"Although this place is run-down, look, it’s almost full!" he gestured for the blonde woman to look around, and indeed, there were hardly any empty seats left. The waiters in red and yellow uniforms walked lazily, carrying coffee back and forth.

"We've robbed convenience stores before, remember? Convenience stores don't have much money, but they always have customers. So we take everyone's wallets!"

"Ah, genius! Rina! Genius!" Seojun exclaimed.

The blonde woman was named Rina, though her expression seemed to hint at a certain dissatisfaction with the moniker.

Rina shrugged her shoulders.

"So, it was the same deal this time! No cameras, no security. Who needed that in a coffee shop anyway?"

"The waiters don't give a damn either. I mean, which waiter is gonna risk their life to confront a gun? They are barely making ten thousand Korean won an hour! Who is gonna fight tooth and nail for that?"

 

Seojun was making a point, though.

 

It had been half an hour since they had sat down, and Rina's requested donut still hadn't shown up. On top of that, there were customers constantly complaining at the top of their lungs about getting the wrong orders

The waiters adopted an indifferent attitude, as if conveying the message, "Deal with it or leave, we don't care." 

Adding to the situation, Spicy was situated far from the city center, with the highway being the only escape route, and not a single law enforcement vehicle was in sight.

 

A perfect place for a perfect robbery.

 

After finishing his statement, Seojun carefully observed Rina's reaction. Their time together had been relatively short, less than three months, and Rina was unlike any woman he had encountered before.

She possessed intelligence, yet her demeanor remained enigmatic, making it challenging for Seojun to fully grasp her thoughts and emotions. 

Oftentimes, when he expressed his opinions, Rina's facial expressions would subtly shift, leaving Seojun uncertain whether his words were meant to be amusing or simply came across as foolish.

 

Before Rina could respond, someone suddenly raised one’s head next to them.

Sporting a red and yellow uniform along with a chef's hat, it was evident that this individual was working in the cafeteria. 

With a perplexed expression adorning the face, this person resembled someone who had recently emerged from a deep slumber.

Yawning, the person walked towards the back of the kitchen.

Seojun called out, "Hey! Dude! Hey!"

The person continued walking as if anything had been heard.

Seojun raised his voice a bit, "The one with the chef's hat! I'm talking to you!"

The person finally stopped but didn't turn around.

 

A small figure, a dude…?

Rina chuckled inwardly.

 

Seojun was irritated.

"Hey, dude! Get over here and top up our coffees! And don't you forget our damn donuts!"

The person with the chef's hat still didn't bother to turn around and kept on strolling ahead.

 

"We're actually gonna rob this hole!" Seojun exclaimed with determination.

To their surprise, the person wearing the chef's hat came back, with a coffee pot and two donuts.

 

The chef's hat clumsily poured the coffee, spilling more than half of it in the process.

"Hey, dude?" the person sneered, "Dude is for guys, and I'm not one."

The tone carried a hint of disdain, but her voice had a nasal and gentle quality to it.

Rina observed the person closely and noticed a delicate face resembling that of a Maltese dog peeking out from under the chef's hat.

The name tag on her chest read “Winter."

 

After glancing at Rina, Winter threw down the donuts and walked away.

 

Seojun cursed, "What kind of ty attitude is that! Should I teach her a lesson now!"

Rina couldn't help but chuckle.

"What are you laughing at?"

Rina motioned towards the back of Winter's head.

Winter had a small braid tied behind her chef's hat.

Seojun didn't understand what Rina meant. He finished his coffee and said, "How about that! After this job, we can finally take a good rest for a while!"

Rina remained silent.

"Maybe we can find a place to settle down and get married!" Seojun added.

 

Rina became even more hesitant.

Three months ago, she found herself in a desperate situation with no other choice but to escape, which eventually led her to cross paths with Seojun.

Did she have to marry the man in front of her just for the sake of refusal?

Seojun was alright, at least in terms of looks. Sure, he could be a bit naive at times, but he wasn't a bad person, just a little clueless.

Marriage...

Well, let's take it one step at a time!

After all, what she needed most at the moment was the money…

 

Rina nodded.

“kay."

 

Seojun slammed the gun on the table.

"Same as before, you handle the crowd while I gather the money."

Then he stood up.

"Robbery!" he shouted loudly, standing on the table, waving the gun recklessly.

"Alright, no funny business! Empty your wallets, everyone!"

Rina also rose to her feet, calmly aiming her gun at the crowd.

 

Seojun grabbed a black trash bag and went from table to table, collecting wallets.

He continued until he reached the cash register.

Winter, the person wearing the chef's hat, seemed unfazed by the robbery and focused on the bill book.

Seojun pointed his gun at Winter.

"Open the cash register! Give me all the money!"

Winter lifted their head lazily and pressed a few keys on the register, opening it.

Seojun held the trash bag open.

"Put it in!"

Winter commented, "There isn't much cash, maybe a few hundred thousand Korean won?"

"Even if it's just a few hundred thousand, I want it!"

Seojun's gun inched closer to Winter's face.

“Shut up and do what I told you!"

 

Winter stayed quiet and complied with the instructions, putting the money into the bag.

Seojun was about to leave but got curious about a small suitcase in the corner.

"What's that?"

"What?"

"The suitcase."

"It's just a suitcase."

"What's inside?"

"Clothes."

"Why are there clothes?"

"To wear, obviously."

Winter frowned, as if Seojun's question was utterly pointless.

 

Seojun lost his patience.

"Open the suitcase!" Seojun waved his handgun.

"Let me see what kind of clothes you're really wearing."

Winter reluctantly moved the suitcase onto the table.

The moment it was opened, Seojun's eyes widened.

 

Neatly stacked inside were $100 bills.

There were at least $100,000 worth of them.

 

Seizing the opportunity while Seojun was momentarily stunned, Winter swiftly closed the suitcase.

"Ah!"

Seojun cried out in pain as his hand got caught, causing him to drop the gun.

With a fluid motion, Winter snatched the gun from him, expertly twirling it in her fingertips and aiming it back at him.

"Oops," Winter said, flashing a smile.

 

Winter looked cute when she smiled.

 

The situation had taken a turn. 

It seemed like a collective sigh of relief escaped the onlookers, reassured that the person donning the chef's hat was not the perpetrator.

Winter addressed Seojun, saying, "Count to three, your hands on the table."

"Three, two..."

Before Winter could finish counting, Seojun's hands were already planted firmly on the table.

 

"Don't get all worked up," Winter said, noticing that she was pointed by Rina.

"I'll have a little talk with him. What's your name?"

“Lee Seojun," Seojun replied.

Winter furrowed her brow, "Pfft, I wasn't asking you, dude. I'm not interested in you."

"Your partner."

"Rina," Seojun reiterated.

"Rina?" Winter glanced at Rina. "Is that right?"

Rina grinned, "It's actually Karina.”

 

Winter delivered a forceful blow to the man using the gun's grip.

"You don't even know her name!"

His nose began to bleed, and he instinctively reached for it with his hand, but Winter shot him a fierce glare.

"Hands on the table."

The man, with blood trickling down his face, appeared helpless. "She never told me, so how was I supposed to know?”

 

Winter scrunched up her nose in disgust as she addressed Seojun, "You're such a loser, you know that?"

"Being with someone and not even knowing her name..."

"No intelligence, no strategy. Thinking you can marry someone just by robbing a cafeteria?"

"You don't understand women, and you have no respect for them..."

Winter let out a sigh.

"People like you are the absolute worst."

She shifted the aim of her gun downward, targeting the man's leg.

 

Disregarding the man's pleas, Winter strode past him and grabbed the luggage, heading towards the exit. As she reached the doorway, she turned to the blonde woman and asked, “Shall we?"

Karina stepped out of Spicy as if there was no one crying desperately.

 

Winter came to a halt in front of a sleek Harley-Davidson motorcycle. 

Karina had already noticed the impressive bike even before they entered the coffee shop. It was a Grand American Touring, a high-end touring motorcycle. 

Little did she expect it to belong to Winter.

"Nice bike," Karina praised, impressed by its appearance and quality.

Winter handed her a helmet.

 

"All set?" Winter asked, her voice slightly muffled by the helmet.

Karina nodded as she settled herself onto the motorcycle, clutching the bag of money tightly. 

"Yeah, I'm ready."

Winter skillfully started the engine, the powerful rumble filling the air. 

Karina, carrying the hefty sum of one hundred thousand dollars, positioned herself behind Winter.

”This might be a bit forward," Winter's voice resonated through the helmet's intercom system.

"Although it's our first time meeting, could you please hold onto me tightly?"

"The bike has quite a bit of horsepower, you know."

Karina smiled, feeling the warmth of Winter's body against her. 

She couldn't help but notice how slender Winter was. 

If given the chance, she thought, she would love to cook a delicious meal for Winter.

 

"Let's go,"she whispered softly into her ear.