♥ Ai: Revealed ♥
Lady Love
♥ Ai ♥
"What is your biggest fear, Joe?"
One day during the spring, I asked Byunghun the random question. We're in my kitchen, preparing for something to eat together instead of having lunch at a luxurious restaurant outside.
He's a genius when it came to pastry but, if it's about main course cooking, I was slightly better than him. He always loved to tell me what's better when I helped him with our dessert and would ask my suggestion for the main course.
I expected a cheesy, flirting answer from him but, for my surprise that day, he gave me a word as the feedback, "Ageusia."
With that word, I stopped moving the knife. Ageusia was not a common word for most people but, for me and him, for patissiers and chefs, that word meant a nightmare.
Ageusia was the loss of taste functions of the tongue, the inability to detect sweetness, sourness, bitterness, and saltiness. Simply said, you couldn't differentiate any taste anymore with your tongue.
Wasn't it the worst nightmare for everyone who worked in food specialty?
"And, of course," Byunghun turned to me, giving his usual smile, "losing you is also my biggest fear, Ai."
My cheeks turned to pink shades because of his words. The conversation was turned to be a light one with us exchanging opinion about what kind of dessert we should prepare for next Sunday.
It ended just like that. It's forgotten just like that. It became memory just like that.
Never once I thought of that word again.
"That's the reason why I left. That's the reason why I couldn't tell you the truth."
♥ ♥ ♥
I shoot my eyes open with sweat running down on my face. My breath is somewhat faster than it should be. I sit up, trying to calm myself by closing my eyes, keep repeating that it's just a dream.
What happened yesterday night is just too surreal.
Joon asked me for second chance after just two weeks since he wanted to win Miyoung's heart. Minhyuk's sad love story involving his sister-in-law is new for me. Minhyuk's sudden kiss surprised me but, since he's drunk, I just let it slid away.
However it's Byunghun's revelation that caused my world collided.
It's just four in the morning when I awake all of sudden because of Byunghun's appearance in my dream, repeating the words he said to me last night, the reason why he left me without any explanation.
Could it be true? Is it just another lie he made to fool me?
Ageusia. The taste disorder which causes one person to lose the taste sensation. It can be caused by neurological damage, problems with endocrine system, radiation therapy, or other damage and imflammatiion.
What caused him to suffer Ageusia? I can't figure it out whether if he told me the truth or not...
...but, deep down inside, I really wish this is just another lie from him.
"Ai?"
I just finished pulling my hair altogether into a ponytail when Joon calls my name from outside. It's ten minutes prior to Heart Garden's opening time and, there he is, standing in front of my cafe with a wide smile.
"Hey," I open the door for him, deciding to flip the 'close' to 'open' sign as well. "It's such an early visit for an apple strudel. I need time to prepare it first."
Joon laughs, stepping inside, "No, no, it's fine really. I'd love to try another menu from you for my breakfast."
I look at him for a moment and he looks back at me, having a confused yet not too genuine smile on face. I let out a faint smile, "You're not here just for a simple breakfast, are you?"
"Eh?" he blinks. "W-What are you talking about?"
Motioning him to take a seat, I continue calmly, "You're not really good in lying, Joon. Is it about why I cried yesterday?"
Before I fell asleep, I swore I felt like the most pathetic girl, to cry in front of Minhyuk and Joon. I couldn't think of anything clearly that I only wanted to run after Byunghun, asking him to tell me that he lied.
If it's not because of Minhyuk, I have no idea where I had gone without thinking. I don't even want to think about it.
Joon's face tells me everything. He is worried about me, whether it's because he is just truly caring or he's in the operation of assuring me that he wants to give a chance for him to continue the engagement seriously.
Whichever it is, the fact that he comes here this early... I appreciate him.
"Before that, I wonder if you two knew each other before. How did you come together here with Byunghun?" I ask him. "I didn't expect it actually."
"Ah, no, he asked direction to your cafe," Joon answers right away. "To be honest, at first I did think he's the one you talked about, the one you still... I shrugged that thought and then we saw Minhyuk fell and... Well..."
I nod, having come to an understanding with his explanation, "I see. Well, as for me..."
I pause, gazing at the clean table in front of Joon in silence. Taking a deep breath, I try my best to smile, "I'm fine. I'm alright."
Joon is going to open his mouth and say something but our conversation is interrupted with riot from outside.
Some people, man and female, barge in my cafe. Three, five, nine. At least there are a dozen visitors I have and I'm totally not ready yet to prepare breakfast set for them.
Unfortunately they're not here to order for breakfast.
"Lady Love?" a girl asks me, knitting her brows. "Are you Lady Love, the one who can help my love problem? Are you?"
I don't even have a chance to say a word because a guy cuts in, "You need to help me get back with my girlfriend! My so called best friend is a jerk! He's poisonous!"
"You must help me!" another girl rushes to me, squeezing my shoulders tight. She shakes me back and forth, "I can't see him with anyone else! You're the Lady Love, right?!"
"Excuse me!" a woman pushes the girl away with annoyed look. "Take your number! I'll take the first, little girl! Lady Love, say your price and I'll pay it if you-"
The chaos continues with more people come, waving a their hands, pushing each other away, calling out for Lady Love, shouting for help and all.
What is going on here?
"Okay!" Joon exclaims out loud, clapping his hands thrice. "The cafe is closed now! There's gas leak in the kitchen. Come on. Get out from here first! She will help you outside!"
One by one of the strangers walk out, covering their mouths, buying Joon's lie. Joon takes my hand and leads me out, asking for the key once we almost reach the door.
He locks it for me and, right before people can drop more questions to me, he drags me along, running as fast as we can, ignoring the protests from behind, "Run, Ai!"
Still dazed and confused, I run along, not even bothering to ask where we're going. We slow down when we have arrived in front of a florist shop I recognize easily.
It belongs to Minhyuk's brother.
"This is closer than my place," Joon opens the door for me. "That's crazy. I'm sorry for dragging you like that but... Let's talk- Ah! I'm sorry!"
Joon lets go of my hand. I didn't even notice that he had been holding my hand for quite a while due to the sudden happening. He's trying to help me anyway.
"Ai? Joon Hyung?" Minhyuk greets us. He looks at me and Joon in sequence, "What bring you two here? Aren't you supposed to open your cafe, Ai?"
"Oh...," I respond shortly. "Something happened and I... People came to Heart Garden and, I don't know how, they know that Lady Love is there."
Minhyuk frowns, tilting his head with confusion, "Eh? That's not possible. I mean... Did one of your requesters happen to reveal your real identity?"
"Out of the blue?" I retort, shaking my head slightly. "Something must happened until this certain person revealed my identity..."
But what is it? Why did the person do it? Who did this?
"Anyhow...," Joon chirps in, "...I don't think it's safe for Ai to be there for a while. Some of them are... A little bit... Scary?"
Minhyuk raises his eyebrow. "Scary?"
"Perhaps this person told them that I could fulfill whatever their requests are," I come up with my own conclusion, still trying to make a guess of who leaked this information. "They're totally wrong."
For this long I've managed to live in peace without worrying about the title of Lady Love. What happened that it's all blown up to people?
The timing of Byunghun's statement last night... Could it be his doing?
"Oh? There are visitors this early?" a female's voice is heard. "Ah, is it a couple who want to pick for flowers?"
It's a woman in white shirt and blue short jeans. Her hair is colored in light brown which just reaches her shoulders. I saw her once before, standing next to Minhyuk's brother.
"Ah, no, no," Joon quickly clarifies, flustered. "I'm Lee Joon, Minhyuk's cousin. We met at your wedding before, remember?"
It's Minhyuk's sister-in-law, meaning it's his ex-girlfriend.
"Ah!" the woman clasps her hands, pointing to Joon. "I'm sorry. I'm never good in remembering faces. And this is... Ah, I think we met before too?"
I bow to her politely, "Good morning. My name is Kim Ai."
She returns my gesture with a bow and wide smile, "Yes, Minho told me about this special girl who looks so close with Minhyuk. No wonder why. You're really pretty."
I just give a smile upon her compliment, thanking her for being so nice. She then turns to Minhyuk, saying that he should prepare drink for me and Joon.
Now that I know who she is in his past, I come to realize that Minhyuk's gaze changes slightly when he looks at her. I never really noticed this before.
Isn't it strange how I never noticed this simple thing until he told me?
As if he knows that I'm looking at him, Minhyuk flashes me a smile, "Don't think too much, Ai. I'll find a way to help you back with peace. Come in. I'll get something for you two."
Right. He was drunk when he told me his past. Judging from his reaction, I don't think he remembers anything.
"Okay, now, let's think of it carefully," Minhyuk puts a cup of tea in front of me and another in front of Joon who sits across from me. We're currently at the living room inside of his house, the same building where the florist shop is located. "Is there anything or anyone you have in mind, Ai?"
Tapping my finger on the table, I try really hard to think of a possibility, pondering with eyes fix on my phone.
If there's only one person behind this, how can the information get to many people so fast?
"Could it be random?" Joon shares random thought. "Perhaps he or she just told one person and then, like domino effect, it finally reached many people at the same time."
"I don't think so," Minhyuk shrugs. "There must be something that connect them. Something in common."
My phone vibrates once, a notification that I just receive a new e-mail. I open it to read an e-mail about the daily news of newest promotion at a bakery shop near from my place.
Then I finally know the answer of how the person could tell many persons at once.
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