SIDE STORY : PENIEL
 

3 Years Ago
Written in Seo Yeon’s Point Of View  (You=Seo Yeon)

Character Profile
Kim Seo Yeon
Only daughter/Rich heiress of the Kim Family Foundation
Migrated to Chicago at the age of 16, due to her father being posted to the USA
Former neighbours with the Lee family
 

An unforgiving breeze whipped past, stealing the colour from your face. With a soft sigh, you rubbed your hands together before wrapping your red scarf firmly around your neck. At that moment, another gust of wind attacked you, sending the long brown locks of your hair flying across your face. With admirable patience, your cold fingers rushed to entangle the wavy tendrils as you tucked the strands behind your ears. It had been one week since you had moved to Chicago with your family. Your dad had been posted to the branch of his company here in Chicago, in hopes of helping boost the company’s sales in the region. You smiled slightly. Your father was a genius; his brains rich with smart marketing techniques and strategies. He wasn’t the kind of CEO that would just sit behind his desk, waiting for the money to flow in. The Family foundation meant the world to him, especially since it‘s assets were passed down from generations above. Your father wanted to do all he could to further the company’s influence, in hopes of making his ancestors proud. As his daughter, you greatly admired this trait of his. This was the exact reason why you couldn’t help but agree to his sudden announcement that your family was moving to a different country across the globe. You never saw this coming, but as a filial daughter, you swallowed all reservations and supported your parents’ decision. With that, you said a tearful goodbye to all your friends in high school, as well as your long-time friend and neighbour, Min Hyuk oppa. You both had been neighbours since forever, and he was almost like a real brother to you. Now, everyone’s so far away. You sighed sadly, wrapping your arms around yourself. You didn’t know much about Chicago; in fact, you didn’t think it had registered fully in your memory that you would be staying here... well for a while. It was definitely relieving that you could speak English pretty well, a result of the English lessons you took since a young age.

Swirls of wind ambushed you from all sides as you shivered slightly. “Now I know why people call this place the Windy City”, you muttered in your breathe. Okay, I’ve got to find some place to hide from this freezing cold. With that, you began to walk down the quiet, unfamiliar street, your steps deliberate with urgency. From the sides of your eyes, you could see the faded posters gracing the brick walls. Posters of various plays and musicals; the coloured font of the adverts a stark contrast against the dull and crumbling walls. There was one thing you liked about Chicago though. It was the city’s obsession with popular culture; such as plays, movies, songs and novels.  Holding that thought, you arrived at a small alley. As your wary eyes scanned it’s serene atmosphere, it fell upon a small wooden sign, hanging from a balcony on the second floor.  “The Book Cafe”, you read the hand-written sign carefully. A book cafe? I’ve got to check that out... With anticipation building, you turned the corner into the alley and headed towards the sign. What greeted you was a small quaint and cozy cafe, its glass walls, wooden beams and ivory structures making it seem almost “whimsical”. Intrigued, you pushed open the wooden door carefully and stepped in.

The cafe was absolutely beautiful. It was divided into roughly two sections. The first was comprised of comfortable armchairs in romantic shades of velvet red and blue.  Accompanied by an array of intricate wooden tables, and a generous spread of comfortable quilts, the setting was absolutely inviting. The next section was what overwhelmed you though. Amidst the overlaying wooden beams and potted flowers, was a library. It was marked with huge, tall shelves that must have held at least five hundred books. The shelves were accompanied by sturdy ladders, and framed quotes from famous authors. You stood gaping at the sheer volume of books when someone tapped you on the shoulder. You jumped and turned around, embarrassed that someone that caught you “zoning out”. A tall, slender and smiley boy greeted you excitedly. “Are you new around here? I haven’t really seen you before! Hi, My name is Sung Yeol and I work here”, he exclaimed while holding out his hand. You smiled as you heard his name. “I’m Seo Yeon, and I just moved here from Korea a week ago. How did you know I was new around here?” You replied him in fluent English. “We don’t usually get new customers around here. Most of our customers are regular ones. Our cafe is probably located too far in for most people to notice. It’s pretty cool that you managed to find it”, he explained patiently. You smiled as your eyes fell on the array of books on the shelves again. “Here, pick a book and take a seat. Wave me over if you would like to order anything”, Sung Yeol said with a bright smile. You nodded appreciatively at him, and turned your attention back to the shelves.  You slowly scanned the array of books, running a finger along their spines, your eyes squinting as you read their faded titles. Something about old, antique books intrigued you and you finally settled on an old book wrapped in a green cover. Holding the book against your chest, you walked over to the counter and ordered an iced mocha. With your drink in one hand, and the book in another, you chose a comfy-looking sofa by the window and fell into it with a satisfied sigh. You crossed your legs and leaned back into the chair. As you opened the book anxiously, a familiar sensation of excitement befell you.

It was almost four hours later that you pulled the book off your lap, closing it gingerly. Your eyes twinkled with a new sense of happiness as you placed the book in the same shelf, unaware of a pair of eyes watching you intently from behind the counter. With a small smile tugging on your lips, you gathered your things and prepared to leave. “Bye Sung Yeol”, you called out politely but froze when he called after you. “Wait! Hang on a second”, he exclaimed before running up to you. “Do you happen to be looking for a job?” He asked, eyes twinkling with approval.

This was how you found yourself in the same alley the next morning, heart tingling with excitement. You didn’t exactly need a job. Your parents were giving you a generous amount of pocket money that was more than enough to last you through your whole summer vacation. It was strange though, that you had agreed to Sung Yeol’s offer in a blink of an eye. Well, in a way, you guessed that you needed this job. The book cafe was the first place you visited in Chicago that managed to feel like home. As you pushed open the familiar wooden doors, your lips curled up into a smile as you breathed in the musty scent of books and aromatic coffee. Sung Yeol greeted you enthusiastically, passing you an off-white shirt with the words “The book Cafe” printed in Gold. After changing into the shirt and a comfortable pair of presentable shorts, Sung Yeol started to show you the various stations that you would be mending. Since the cafe was usually lacking patrons, the two of you would be able to manage the crowd rather easily. It was there that you discovered another mystery. “We have almost 500 books in this cafe, from old classic to the newest novels. However, it’s pretty interesting because we only have one copy of each book”, Sung Yeol explained with a crooked smile. You nodded attentively as tried to make your first cup of coffee. “How does it taste?” You asked Sung Yeol nervously. “Wow. Seo Yeon ah! You’re a natural!” Sung Yeol exclaimed with dancing eyes as he ruffled your hair gently. You couldn’t help but beam at his praise.
Soon it was eleven in the morning, and the both of you started to open the shop. Things went pretty well for your first day and by four in the afternoon, you were starting to get the hang of things. “Well, since you’re doing really well! I’m going to leave you for a bit while I run to the bank! I need to submit some bills for our cafe before the bank closes”, Sung Yeol said as you shot him a look of horror. “Don’t you worry!  You’ll be just fine. We have hardly any customers at this time anyways”, He added encouragingly, ignoring your pout. With that, he was gone and you were left alone.  You tried not to let the nerves get to you, as you started to wipe down the counter. Suddenly, you hear the bells of the door ring. “Hi welcome to the Book Cafe!” You exclaimed naturally, after having a whole day of practicing that one line. From the corner of your eye, you saw the customer walk towards the library of books but didn’t pay much attention to him. You were really trying to get rid of a stubborn spot of coffee on the table. As you scrubbed the spot eagerly, a soft voice caught you off guard. “Hi, may I just ask... Do you guys happen to have the Da Vinci Code?” You looked up immediately, only to see a boy of around your age. He was dressed in a white V-neck tee, and had brown hair that fell over his eyes. Coupled with his fair complexion and soft voice, you had to admit that he was kind of attractive. You suddenly felt pretty self-conscious. “Urm... The Da Vinci Code?” You asked again, mentally slapping yourself for stuttering.. He nodded and gave you a small smile. He must have noticed the blank look on your face. “It’s usually on the third row of the first shelf, but it isn’t there today”, he added slowly, stringing his sentences together in an unsure tone. He ruffled his hair disappointedly and you felt your heart flutter. Pull yourself together Seo Yeon. Come on... Think! Suddenly, you remembered seeing a middle aged customer that had come in slightly over an hour ago heading towards that particular shelf. You immediately stood on your tippy toes, looking to see if the man was still occupying that seat by the library. Sure enough, he was leaning comfortably and holding the sought-after book in his hands. “Ahhh... I’m so sorry. Another customer is reading it now... and as y-you probably know, we only have a copy of each title in our library... I’m i’m really sorry”, you rambled on, a slight blush grazing your cheeks. You bowed apologetically to him, a small smile on your lips. “Ahh... that’s a pity... Well then, can I get an iced green tea latte?” He replied with a sad expression. Trying to ignore his gaze that was fixed on you, you started to prepare his drink, trying not to fumble too badly under his intent stare. After picking up his drink, he nodded a thank you at you, before heading towards the seating area. Unable to help yourself, you watched his back view intently, wondering where he would choose to sit. When he plopped his drink down on the side table of the seat next to the window, something in your heart leaped. You watched him as he used his phone, and a part of you felt bad. He must have been really disappointed about the book... If only there was something you could do about it... Suddenly, you had an idea. You slowly went towards the fridge, pulling out a red velvet cupcake. As you plated it on one of the golden-trimmed saucers, you took a deep breath. With slightly trembling hands, you carried it to the window seat. “Urm hi... This is a gift from a customer in the shop”, you said nervously, hoping that he wouldn’t see through your pathetic acting. “A gift?” He echoed with a blank expression. Immediately, he glanced around the cafe and you mentally slapped yourself. The cafe was empty other than the man with his book, a lady with her two fidgety kids, and a old grandmother. You grinned at him with forced assurance, praying that he wouldn’t reject the gift. “Ahh. Thanks I guess”, he finally said with that same dazed expression. As you set the cup cake down on the table, your fingers brushed against his, sending electrifying tingles up your arm. With a final nervous bow, you escaped back behind the counter, watching him gobble up the cupcake happily. Your heart was beating rapidly, as you could feel the blush on your cheeks. He’s so cute. At that instant, you hoped that you would see him again. After slipping a five dollar bill into the cashier (You paid for his cake), you started to attack that coffee stain again. The next time he came, you would be sure to keep his book aside for him...

Hi guys! So i'll be taking one/two chapters off from the main storyline to talk about some side stories! The first one that I inspiration for was for Seo Yeon/Peniel's story! (How they got together while they were in Chicago)! HAHA i got the idea that Peniel liked "Da Vinci Code" because he tweeted something about the book being v good a long long long time ago! Anyways This is part one of Peniel's story! ^^ How do you guys like it so far! Please leave me your comments alright! Tell me if you like the fact that I'm writing side stories of the other characters! (: Thank youuuuuu! 

SIDE STORY 1: PENIEL

Part two

Seoyeon’s POV
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You spent the next few days working at the “Book Cafe”. It was hard convincing your parents to allow you to even work, but after hours of persuasion, they finally agreed. Your father could tell that you were happy there, and he was just glad to finally see you settling down in the new city. Since you wouldn’t be starting school till the summer break was over, you were free to work almost every day. With an excited smile, you stuffed your hands into the pockets of your cardigan. When you turned the corner of the familiar deserted alley, you saw Sung Yeol fumbling with the front door. “Oh! Morning Seo Yeon ah~ you’re early today?” He exclaimed, the enthusiasm in his voice highly contagious. Over the last few days, you had gotten to know Sung Yeol a little better. He was 20 years old, and he was born and raised in Chicago. Like you, he was Korean but was barely familiar with Korean culture. The Book Cafe was started two years ago by his father, an avid book-collected. “He loved books.  From as young as I could remember, our house was always filled with dusty shelves of books. When his collection expanded till we couldn’t keep any more books, he decided to open a cafe, hoping to inspire others into rediscovering the mystery of books”, Sung Yeol explained with a proud smile. Unfortunately, Sung Yeol’s dad passed away a year ago, leaving him, his mother, and his younger brother behind. Since then, Sung Yeol’s mother’s health had been deteriorating, and Sung Yeol stepped in to mend the cafe. “What about school?” You asked him curiously, wondering if he had any plans to enter university. Sung Yeol shook his head sadly. He had dropped out of his first year in university to fully take over the cafe. With no plans of studying, his goal was to keep the cafe running, and to earn enough money to support his younger brother through his education. “That’s really admirable”, you said with wide eyes. He chuckled dismissively. You were glad to have met Sung Yeol. He was growing to become almost like a real brother to you. As the both of you returned to your stations, Sung Yeol started to prepare the counter as you headed over to the shelves of books. Armed with a duster in one hand and a damp cloth in another, your feet led you to the first shelf as you started to wipe the wooden beams. Suddenly, your eyes fell upon the spine of a blackish-grey covered book. “The Da Vinci Code”, you whispered with a small smile, thinking of the boy that you saw that day. You had been waiting for him to appear again for the entire week. Each time the bells on the door rang, you would whip up your head excitedly, hoping to catch a glimpse of his handsome features. However, each time you were left disappointed. You didn’t even know his name.

By five in the evening, you were starting to lose hope. Maybe he wasn’t a regular customer like you reckoned he was. Your heart throbbed with disappointment when you thought about how you might never see him again. After all, Chicago was a pretty big city with a really large population. What were the chances? Your eyelids fluttered close as you let out a sigh of disappointment. When you blinked your eyes open, your gaze fell upon a familiar greyish book stashed away in the shelf under the counter. The gold letterings of its title were a flamboyant contrast to its subdued colour. You didn’t know why, but since you saw him last Friday, you had kept the book each morning, hiding it under the counter. It seemed silly, but you were waiting for him to show up again, imagining the smile on his face when you presented him the book. That little bit of hope was what you looked forward to each day. “Seo Yeon ah~ Could you help me serve this to the customer at table 6?” Sung Yeol called from the coffee machine where he was brewing an aromatic array of espressos. You nodded a reply and picked up the tray, pulling yourself away from the incessant daydreams of a particular nameless customer. “One iced mocha and a strawberry banana muffin?” You asked politely before setting the items on the table. Occupied by the task at hand, you didn’t hear the ring of bells. Smiling at the customer who was wolfing down the muffin unceremoniously, you stopped at another table and started to wipe it clean. With a tight smile, you grabbed the empty cups before walking back to the counter. As your vision swept to the familiar back-view of a customer at the counter, it was as if your heart stopped beating. You recognised that stature and the same style of his clothes. It was him. With a gulp, you nervously headed behind the counter, half-hiding your face in the tendrils of your hair. “One iced green tea latte coming right up”, you heard Sung Yeol say. With your back towards him, you started to scrub the dirty cups with vigour, feeling his intense gaze on your back. “Oh, and can I possibly get a red velvet cupcake?” You heard him ask in that soft, clear voice. Red velvet cupcake... He must have liked it... You felt a smile tugging at your lips at that thought. You suddenly remembered the book under the counter. Your heartbeat sped up significantly as you inched towards the shelf to acquire the book. Even though your mind was screaming at you not to, you stole a glance at the boy. CRAPPP.... His eyes met yours as he shot you a small smile. With twinkling eyes and the same dazed expression, he gave you a fond look. An uncontrollable blush crept up your cheeks as you bowed hastily, letting the long waves of your hair shield you from his blunt gaze. With the book in your hands, you picked up a rag and headed towards the seat by the window. “Can I get your name?” You heard Sung Yeol ask. You purposefully slowed down your steps, ears perking up in anticipation. “Peniel”, he replied softly, but loud enough for your ears to pick up. Peniel. You repeated the name a few times in your mind, letting the familiarity of it sink in. With urgent steps, you paced to the table that he had occupied a week ago. As you dragged the cloth around the table, you silently prayed that he would sit at this same spot. With trembling hands, you slowly placed the book on the table, hoping that other customers wouldn’t notice your suspicious actions. “Phew”, you muttered, noticing that everyone else was too busy reading to even pay attention to you. Straightening your shirt, you headed back to the counter, blushing even more when Peniel walked past you. From behind the counter, you pretended to occupy yourself with wiping the dishes dry as your eyes flitted towards the boy in the room. When he finally plonked himself in the same seat by the window, you let out a breath of relief that you didn’t even know you were holding. With your peripheral vision, you saw him stare at the cover of the book, a blank expression on his face. His deep eyes and chiselled jaw were a stark contrast to the dazed look occupying his superior features. You started to panic. What if he doesn’t like the book?  Suddenly you saw him break out into a happy grin, the corners of his lips tugging upwards as his face lit up. That smile. You saw him glance around the room quickly and looked away when he suddenly gazed in your direction. You didn’t dare look in that direction again until moments later, when he was engrossed deeply in the contents of the book. A picture of his angelic smile was etched into your memory, and you couldn’t help but smile down at the dishes you were putting away. “I saw that”, a voice suddenly said from above you, making you jump in shock. Sung Yeol chuckled evilly from behind you, his arms folded across his chest. “Tsk tsk tsk. Sneaking a book to a customer... I was wondering why the only copy of “The Da Vinci Code” was lying under the counter”, He added with a shake of his head. Your eyes widened as you gulped nervously. “Sung yeol-oppa ah, I’m...Sorry” You stammered, trying to explain your suspicious actions. But what could you say? Looking at your guilty expression, Sung Yeol burst out in a roar of laughter, attracting curious looks from several customers seated near the counter. You slapped his shoulder, shushing him by putting a finger to his lips. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep it a secret. Now go deliver this to your prince charming”, he teased, stuffing a tray into your hands. You looked down at the green tea latte and Red velvet cake, feeling a strange sense of dejavu. Shaking your head vigorously, you whined your disapproval. “Nah uh uh! Listen to your boss. That’s me! Now go”, he ordered, pushing you out of the counter.

You stumbled away from the counter, the glass of latte wobblingly dangerously. “How am I going to do this without embarrassing myself?” You muttered worriedly under your breath. There was no way of escaping now... You braced yourself before talking slow steps towards the seat by the window. Whatever you do, don’t look into his eyes. You reminded yourself. Aja aja! You can do this Kim Seo Yeon . “Peniel? Here’s your green tea latte and red velvet cupcake”, you said with forced casualness as you started to unload the items from the tray. “Thanks... Seo Yeon-shi”, you heard him say in that same voice. Shivers ran up your spine. Did he just say my name? Your eyes widened in disbelief. “How do you know my name?” You couldn’t help but ask. You watched as he squirmed nervously under your gaze, giving you a sheepish smile. “Ah... I heard the other barista, Sung Yeol-shi call your name”, He explained cooly as he gave you another one of those heart-stopping smiles. “How did you know my name?” He asked you in return, eyes twinkling in amusement. You chuckled slightly. “I was there when Sung Yeol asked you for your name”, you replied. Peniel watched you intently. “That Sung Yeol must be some guy huh!” he said in amusement before the pages of the book in his hands. You took that as the cue to leave. Nodding numbly, you managed a stiff bow of sorts as you retreated back to your position behind the counter. All you could think about was that he knew your name. You guessed this was an introduction of sorts. “So, how’s the prince charming? You’d better thank me now!” Sung Yeol barked proudly, nudging you relentlessly with his elbow. You chuckled and squinted at him. “You have no idea, oppa”.

The next few weeks passed in a blur. You were getting so used to working in the cafe that Sung Yeol would sometimes leave you to mend the cafe while he ran around carrying out errands. Today was one of those days. Sung Yeol had left, saying something about meeting a book collector (Merchant was actually the word he had used) and how he hoped to get his hands on a few of his antique treasures. You didn’t mind though, being left alone behind the counter. The patrons in the cafe often spent the whole day engaged in the papery pages in their hands, leaving you with more than enough time to cope with the rare orders. Sitting atop a high chair behind the counter, you swept the cafe with your eyes, checking to see if any customers wanted another drink. When everything seemed as peaceful as it could get, you turned your attention to the calendar hanging on the wall. “It’s Friday again”, you muttered with a smile. Fridays were special for you because they were the days that he would visit the cafe. You even knew he would come in at almost the same time each week. You peeked at the clock on the wall. Four O clock... Jumping off the chair, you reached under the counter to pull out an old friend- The Da Vinci Code. You the pages of the book carefully, thinking of the intense gaze he would have whilst he was reading this very book. Every Friday, at four in the afternoon, you would repeat the same routine. Pull the book out from its hidden spot under the counter and placing it on a particular table by the window. Today, it was the same. With played down actions, you casually walked to the seat by the window, leaning the hard-covered book by the porcelain vase of daisies on the table. It surprised you that no one had even questioned your suspicious actions. “Good Bye! Have a pleasant day!” You chimed to the last customer that had just exited the cafe. With curious eyes, you scanned the sky outside through the cafe’s glass walls. “That’s strange. We usually get a crowd coming in at this time. Especially because it’s Friday”, you whispered out loud to yourself. Shrugging, you skipped back to the counter and hopped atop the high chair again. For the past four weeks, Peniel had never failed to come in on a Friday, order the same things and head over to that same seat by the window. You had always watched him intently from your fortress behind the counter, admiring the beautiful smile that would form on his flawless face upon seeing the sought-after book on the table. Even though the smile only lasted for a brief moment, it was almost worth going through all the trouble of hiding the book every morning.

A sudden roar outside made you jump nervously. Rain was pelting down heavily on the concrete sidewalks, its droplets hitting the glass walls of the cafe in rhythmic beats. “No wonder no one came in today”, you sighed. On rainy days, the cafe’s profits fell by almost 50%. It was apparent that rainy days in Chicago meant racing home via crowded Subway trains and city buses. The sudden ringing of bells caught you off guard as roar of rain drifted into your ears. You almost jumped again in your seat when you glanced at the door. Peniel entered the cafe coolly, his fringe flattened slightly by damp droplets of rain. As he tried to shake the droplets off his umbrella, you couldn’t help but stare at him in disbelief. He was dressed in a navy blue V neck shirt, a black vinyl jacket draped over it. Even in his dishevelled state, he still looked extremely attractive. You hopped off the chair awkwardly as he walked over to the counter. “Hey Seo Yeon. Could I have the usual please?” He asked whilst giving you a sweet smile. You nodded as you started to run the coffee machine, cheeks pink with a shy blush. “Why don’t you take a seat Peniel. I’ll bring the drinks over to you”, you managed to say. He shot you another one of his appreciative smiles. Aish, all his smiles had the same effect on you anyways. With a thumping heart, you set out to make his iced green tea latte. After pulling a red velvet cupcake out from the fridge, you made your way over to him cautiously. This was the first time the both of you were in the cafe-well, alone. The atmosphere hanging in the air was slightly awkward, and you felt extremely shy. As you approached him, you couldn’t tell if it was just your delusional imagination, but it seemed as if he was waiting for you.
“Here you go”, you said with a stiff smile, setting the tray on the table. With a polite bow, you turned away. “Hold on a second. Why don’t you join me?” His sudden question caught you off guard. You spun around, staring at him in disbelief, trying to look for any signs of him joking. But there he was, eyes twinkling earnestly as a small smile grew on his pink lips. “Me?” You stammered, looking left and right. You blushed slightly when Peniel chuckled at your cute actions. “What about your book? Wouldn’t you rather read?” You started to ramble on, mentally face-palming yourself. “Ahh, I actually finished this book last week”, he replied. Picking up the book, he gingerly smoothed the pages before handing the book back to you. You took it from him, making the mistake of staring right into his eyes. “Thanks Seo Yeon. I mean, for keeping that book aside for me”, Peniel suddenly said. Your eyes widened. How did he know it was me?  “How-did you k-know that it was me?” You stuttered, face flushing with embarrassment. “No one else knows that I’ve been looking for this book. I guess I just pieced two and two together”, he explained with a sheepish grin, gesturing for you to take a seat opposite him. With a transparent smile, you sat down carefully. I can’t believe I’m actually sitting opposite him. Despite the initial awkwardness, the both of you slowly warmed up to each other’s presence.  You learnt that Peniel was Korean, but was born and raised in Chicago. In fact, he was studying in the same school that you were due to enter after the holidays. After embarking on a long conversation about school, the both of you returned to a very special topic. “I really liked the Da Vinci Code. Initially, my sister was the one who introduced it to me. The author’s probably one of my favourite s now” Peniel said with a peaceful smile, as he explained how he picked up reading as a hobby since he was a child. “Ah! I have something for you then”, you exclaimed excitedly before jumping off the futon couch. “W-wait! where are you going?” Peniel called after you, the pitch in his voice high with curiosity. Ignoring his question, you ran over to the library, scanning the shelves with your eagle-like eyes. Spotting a particular shelf marked with titles starting with the letter “A”, you climbed the ladder eagerly. “Hey, careful up there”, you heard a soft voice from below the ladder. As you retrieved a particular book from the topmost shelf, you scurried down the ladder.  “Here you go”, you said in-between pants of air. You watched Peniel’s eyes widen in curiosity as he took the book from your hands. “Angels and Demons”, he read, voice clear and ringing. “It’s by the same author”, you announced contentedly, tucking a stray strand of hair behind your ear. You watched as Peniel opened the yellowed pages of the book, eyes fluttering to the many lines of words. After a long moment of silence, he closed the book, turning his hypnotising gaze back to you. In that single moment, you almost stopped breathing. Did you do something wrong? Why was he staring at you like that? You started to feel really insecure, knowing that you probably looked like a mess beside him. “Thank you, Seo Yeon” He finally said, those three words ringing in the tranquillity of the empty cafe.

Soon after that, the thunderstorm subsided as the raindrops fell in slower rhythm, pelting against the concrete sidewalks in gentler waves. A few more customers started to drift into the cafe and you had to resume your duties behind the counter. With a sad smile, Peniel waved you back to your duties. “Don’t worry about me! I’ll be here with this”, he exclaimed whilst waving the new book you had found him.  A family of four entered the cafe, the two young kids running eagerly for the Enid Blyton section of the library. You smiled warmly at their parents as you took their orders. It was extremely rare in this present time and age to find others still passionate about reading. From behind the counter, you took the liberty to glance over at Peniel, admiring the way he flipped through the pages with an amused smile on his angelic face. As another customer, a middle-aged lady walked into the cafe, you tore your attention away from him. Almost an hour later, you were using your phone behind the counter because the flow of customers had finally stopped. A soft thud on the counter surprised you, making you jump. “Oh my gosh, you scared me”, you whined at the grinning boy in front of you. “I have to go, so I thought I’d return you this”, he explained with a sad smile. “Ah... you usually stay a lot longer than today though?” You added loosely. OH CRAP. Now he’s going to think I’m a stalker or something. “I mean... I can see you from here... not that I’m stalking you or anything”, you continued with a stammer. AISHHH WHAT AM I SAYING. To your surprise, Peniel laughed amusedly, his shoulders bouncing with every chuckle. “Well, I have to head to practice today. Will you keep this for me again?” Slowly, he slid the book across the ivory-marble counter, eyes sparkling with secrecy. A pink tinge smothered your cheeks as he made the reference to your secretive actions. As the corners of your mouth lifted in a smile, you nodded quietly. With a final bow and wave, he was gone.

As you watched his disappearing figure turn left down the alley, the smile on your lips faltered. A part of you wanted to know more about him. You the spine of the book in your hands, taking in the gold-trimmed letterings. With a small sigh, you reached down to tuck the book in the small crook of the drawer. Suddenly, a small piece of paper fluttered out from the pages of the book, landing by your foot. “What’s this?” You muttered to yourself in pure curiosity. Bewildered, you picked up the slip of paper and unfolded it.

Dear Seo Yeon,
I know we just met and this might seem a little crazy and all, but I really want to get to know you better. Maybe I could take you out for ice cream? You know, to thank you for keeping me that book.  My number is xxxxxxxx                         –Peniel

Hey guys! AFF swallowed my Peniel Side story part 2 ! But luckly i saved it in word! SO i decided to combine both parts together~ ^^