Chapter 1
That was mine!

So here's the deal. It was the last day of summer and tomorrow is my first day of senior year. I expected excitement to bubble up from inside me and burst out, but nothing.

There's no excitement. There's no, "OMG senior year is gonna be so wonderful!" and . There's just the fact that I get to spend my last year here in Korea in some new private school in the heart of Seoul with zero friends and zero social life.

I don't even get why my parents decided to transfer me on the most important year of my high school life. It was great at my old school. I had an awesome status, awesome friends and awesome grades...

Lie!

I don't have an awesome status and awesome friends, but the grades part? Yeah they're practically true. I was labeled a geek there because of my anti-social(ness) towards the society of idiots there. Don't get me wrong. I had money. A lot of it. My family owns a number of 5 star restaurants and hotels around the globe, naming: France, America, Japan, China and of course... Korea. But my old schoolmates don't know anything about this because I don't publicise myself to gain fake friends who only like you for your money.

So basically, yeah, I am glad my parents decided to transfer me out of that hell-hole and into this prestigious private school called, "SM High" (for the record, I don't know what SM stands for).

Why there you ask? Because that school was only a few blocks away from our house and the newest cafe (also ours) where I am going to work on for "training purposes" of managing our restaurant chains that are outside of the country. After I graduate out of high school it's bye-bye Korea and hello Ivy League College! That is... if I make it into one of the Ivy Leagues.

"Sooyoung-ah, can you come by the cafe today? You're mom might neeed some help there." Appa had asked me when he saw me sitting in front of the TV with a huge bucket of yoghurt in my hands.

"Waeyo?" I whined turning my attention to him. He was wearing his business suit and carrying his suitcase. I guess he was going out for a meeting, but he didn't miss the chance to force me into hard labor before leaving for his own.

"It's the last day of summer and you want me to work?"

He approached me and pulled on my arm to make me stand up from the couch.

He took the yoghurt and spoon from my hands and pushed me towards the door. "Which is exactly why you should help her."

"Arasso..." I huffed out before grabbing my jacket from the coat rack.

Like I said, the cafe was only a walk away from our house so it didn't really take me too long to get there.

I pushed the glass doors open and was greeted by a few people sipping coffee, having a date, typing on their laptops, etc. It was a typical cafe scene where the waiters asked around for orders and junk like that.

"Where's eomma?" I asked Junyi- the girl opperating the cash registrar.

"She's at the kitchen." She replied.

How stupid of me. Of course eomma would be in the kitchen.

I said my thank you's and made my way to the kitchen door right behind the counter. My eyes didn't miss the site of freshly baked cake lined in the glass caskets and big chocolate chip cookies carefully placed on top of a silver plate just beside the register. It took sheer willpower just to tear my eyes off of them.

"Eomma, do you need some help around here?" I asked when I was through the door.

Mom looked up from the dough she was kneeding and beamed. "Sooyoung-ah!"

She walked over to me and gave me a hug like she's never seen me for a long time.

"For now I don't need to much help." She said.

I was all ears. I knew what she was gonna say next.

"Why don't you go eat something and I'll call you if I do need you."

She said it!

"All right." I replied with my poker face on, but god knows that inside I am already picking the assortment of sweets and cakes in my head.

I turned to leave the kitchen and squeeled when I was out. Junyi knew why I was like that and smiled at me.

"Take your pick." She said unlocking the caskets of the sweets.

My eyes wandered off into the huge chocolate cake that sat at the very edge of the casket just begging me to coose it. I was about to point that one when the corner of my eyes caught sight of a lone creampuff  on a big tray. I looked closer and saw that it was one of my mom's specialty creampuff's that usually disappears before the end of the day because of its popularity... and I could have the last one!

"That one unnie."

Junye took that one out of the case and placed it on a small plate. She placed a fork and bread knife on the plate along wih some table napkin and gave me the dish.

My mouth was already watering with delight as I casually strode to an empty table and sat there.

I took hold of my fork and knife, said my silent squeel and was about to dig in when I heard glass breaks not far from me.

I let out a frustrating groan and put down my utensils to check the damage.

A new maid dropped the tray she was holding along with the freshly brewed coffee and a few plates of cake. Such a waste of good food.

I stood from my seat and went over to her to help her clean up. And no, I'm not one of those spoiled child of a boss who would shout at her parent's employees. I'm an angel and because of that I made sure the waitress was okay first before telling her to be careful next time.

"Kamsahamnida madame." She bowed to me to show her respect, but I motioned for her to look at me.

"No need to be so formal around me. We're practically he same age."

She nodded her head and slipped pass me with the broken plates and glass. Of course I didn't tell her that that was coming out of her paycheck. She was obviously nervous on the first day so telling her that would probably only make her feel worst.

Satisfied with what I did I turned back to my table only to see a dude sitting on my table eyeing my creampuff!

"Hold it! That's my creampuff!" I screamed across the room obviously causing a ruckus.

He stopped moving but he didn't put down the fork and knife.

I stomped my way over to him and stared him down. At situations like these, I thank my height.

"Excuse me sir, but that riht there is my plate and this-"

"Where's your name on it?" He asked cutting me off.

I twitched at how this dude even has the guts to walk-in on her family's cafe and piss off the daughter of the owner.

"There's no name, but- " I tried to explain, but he cut me off again.

"Then it's not yours."

And with that, he fit the whole creampuff in his mouth with no secnd thought.

My jaw dropped to the floor. The did he just do!? Is he trying to piss off the goddess of food!? Not to mention the owner of the cafe he was eating in!? I could have him banned from all restaurants if I wanted and yet he did that!? Of course... he doesn't know I was the daughter's owner, but I'll let him know that the hard way.

I opened my mouth to speak, but my mom just picked the perfect time to need my help.

She had a maid tell me that I was needed in the kitchen for something.

The guy who stole my creampuff scoffed.

I gave him a deathly glare as I watched him gulp down a glass of water. I wish he'd just choke and die right there.

"So you're just a kitchen help on break and yet you have the guts to even march up on me like that?"

His voice was filled with complete arrogance and pride. I wanted to step on it and show him that this is my territory.

He stood from his seat towering me over with his height, but I stood my ground and kept on glaring at him.

"I'm a regular here and you're only help. If you don't do as I say I could have this place shut down whenever I wanted."

I narrowed my eyes at him. Even if he shut this place down, they still had more cafes like this one and better at that. It's just that this one was the nearest to their house.

My hand twitched and I had this sudden urge to bring it up slap him right on that soft cheek. I wanted to tell him that he has no authority over me or this restaurant, but I knew that I shuld just shut my mouth and let him believe what he believed in.

I put on a fake smile on my face and swayed. "Okay..." I began. "But before you leave sir, and before I go back to my "duties" I'd like to give you something. Compliments of the cafe."

He smirked and put a hand on his hip (by the way, it looked so gay). "All right."

My eyes never left his as I took one step closer. I don't know what he was expecting from me when he leaned closer, but I'm sure he wasnt expecting me to raise my foot and land it on his. Hard.

The sound that came out of his mouth and the expression on his face was priceless. I wonder if the security cameras caught that because I so want to watch this again.

"Have a nice day sir and come back again some other time." I remarked sarcasm dripping from my voice.

I turned around and skipped away from him making my way to the kitchen.

Junyi was chuckling when I brushed pass her. I guess the scene amused her as much as it amused me so I gave her a thumbs up before pushing the door of the kitchen open.

I approached my mom on one of the counters and asked. "What do you need help with eomma?"

She shoved the cake on my face smothered with white chocolate frosting, tempting me to run away with it and sit on a corner with a fork in my hand and the cake on the other.

"Help me put the berries on top of this cake will you?"

I nodded my head yes and grabbed one of the strawberries in the bowl.

To be honest, my mom should have just asked some of the chef's working here to help her, but I guess she considered this as mother and daughter bonding moment. It was usually the perfect way to tell stories and share secrets.

Then I remembered the dude earlier who claims to be a regular here and decided to ask my mom about him.

"Eomma, there was this dude who claimed he was a regular here and said he could shut this place down anytime he wanted. Who's he?"

My mom thoguht for a second and answered. "You mean Shim Changmin?"

"So the idiot has a name." I scoffed putting another strawberry on top of the cake.

"Sooyoung-ah..."

"What??" I asked innocently.

My mom shook her head and continued. "He's the son of the loan shark we borrowed money from when we bought this place to establish the cafe."

"Don't we have enough money to buy it ourselves?" I asked.

"Nae. But you're father wanted to use our bank money for the water park he was establishing in Daejeon that time so we borrowed instead. That's why Max has the guts to say that because his dad has hold on this cafe for a year..."

"And since this cafe is only 2 months old, then I still have 10 months to deal with him. Just the exact time span I'll spend here on Korea. Great..." I filled in already getting the details.

If I work on this cafe during my last days here in Korea then that means dealing with Changmin everytime he came to stop by. Maybe if she just works in the kitchen maybe then there's a good chance she won't see to much of his face in those 10 months she had left in Korea.

"Don't be like that dear. Max is actually a nice boy once you get to know him."

I scoffed and took another strawberry from the bowl. "Pig-head!"

I was about to put it on top of the cake when I caught sight of it's pulpiness. Damn the strawberry looked so sweet that I couldn't help but pop it in my mouth just in time when my mom looked up.

She grabbed some strawberries that she had covered with chocolate earlier and placed them carefully with the other berries.

"Done!" She exclaimed admiring her and my work.

The cake looked so scrumptious. Too bad I can't eat it though.

"You go on home now. You still need to get ready for school tomorrow after all."

I nodded my head yes and left the cafe.

As I walked along the street my mind wandered off into tomorrow. I wonder what will my first day be like? Of course I know mom would want me to take home some friends this year because I never did the past few years.

And to be honest... I think I'd like that too.

This story may not be plagiarized or copied in any way. If done so, I will raise hell and hunt you down.
Genre: Comedy Romance || Humor || Friendship || School Life || Teen Drama