“Sica unni, can you make one more caramel macchiato?” Yoona asked as she was finishing off writing a few more orders on her notepad.

“Sure, sure,” Jessica said as she was skillfully dispensing whipped cream onto someone’s latte. “One iced cinnamon dolce latte,” she said as she handed it to YoonA.

“Thanks unni, tell me when you’ve got the other drink done,” she said as she walked away.

Jessica always concentrated when she was working. Whenever she works on something, whether it is a project, a paper or even a drink for a customer, she focuses on it until she completes it. Unfortunately, if it is something school-related, she tends to forget that sleeping is pretty important.

There you go, Jessica told herself as she finished decorating the top of the caramel macchiato with some caramel in a plaid pattern.

“Yoona, I got this macchiato all finished up,” Jessica said as she turned around. Yoona approached the bar and expertly opened the mini door with her foot to get behind the bar – clearly her hands were occupied with trays of mugs and dishes.

“Actually my hands are sort of full,” she obviously stated using her eyes to point to her busy arms. “Can you give it to the customer?”

“Sure, who’s it for?”

“It’s the really pretty lady looking out the window with black hair,” Yoona said trying to point to the woman with her head. “She’s wearing a red blouse and she’s sitting by herself.”

Jessica looked past Yoona and saw the woman in the red blouse looking out the window, “Oh, I see her. Sure you don’t need any help?”

“Yeah, yeah I got this. Just give the lady her drink,” Yoona insisted. She let Yoona pass her so she could go to the kitchen while she carefully placed the macchiato on a dish with a spoon to give to the customer. As she approached the table she noticed a guy sitting in front of her. It seems the two were having a conversation.

Oh, I thought Yoona said she was sitting alone, she mumbled to herself. The lady was quite beautiful. She had on a dark crimson blouse which really suited her quite well. It made her look very sophisticated and elegant. She was staring out the window quietly, thinking to herself maybe. She was caressing her hands as if she had a lot on her mind. But the guy across from her seemed to be talking to her – but it’s like she didn’t notice.

“Don’t worry noona,” the boy stated as he placed his hand warmly on what seemed to be his sister’s hands. “It’ll be okay, I’ll be okay. I hate seeing you worry like this,” he continued to comfort her.

How sweet, Jessica thought of him. But she couldn’t help but feel like she’s seen the boy somewhere before. He couldn’t be much older with those looks. He was quite handsome as well. School, maybe? Without further hesitation, Jessica walked up to their table.

“Annyeonghaseyo,” Jessica said, bowing and placing the drink in front of the lady. “One caramel macchiato.”

“Kamsahamnida,” the woman said with a slight bow of her head.

“Would your brother like anything?” Jessica asked politely with a gentle smile.

“My brother?” the lady looked very confused. The boy looked up at Jessica with a strange look as well.

“You…you can still see me?” the boy stuttered, staring at Jessica, completely baffled.

“He’s quite handsome. Does he not want anything?” she continued to ask.

“I’m sorry, but who are you talking about?” his sister asked.

“Well, the boy sitting across from you of course,” Jessica said as she gestured her hands to the seat.

“Um, I’m actually here alone.”

Jessica was a bit confused and when she looked to the seat she was pointing at, the boy was suddenly gone.

“O-oh..um..uh..” she stammered. “Please forgive me for bothering you, I thought I saw someone sitting there,” she continued nervously. “W-would you like anything else?”

“It’s alright,” the lady said. “Thank you.”

“Neh,” she said as she bowed and quickly scurried away from the table.

Am I crazy or something? I definitely saw a boy sitting there…she questioned herself anxiously. That lady probably thinks I’m mental now.

“Sica, go give these drinks to the customers,” Yoona told her. But Jessica was completely zoned out.

“Hello in there…” Yoona said, snapping her fingers in Jessica’s face.

“Huh?” Jessica’s head snapped back up.

“Unni, you gotta stop daydreaming,” she said, shaking her head.

“Sorry, sorry. I can’t think straight today,” she explained.

“Hmm, not enough sleep?”

“Nah, I don’t think so. Maybe I’m just thinking too hard about everything.”

“Probably, you need to relax your noggin,” Yoona suggested, gently knocking on Jessica’s head. “It’s summer. Stop stressing.”

“Haha okay okay,” Jessica agreed.

--

The next day continued normally. Jessica woke up, washed her face, got dressed, and went to the café to work. She almost always makes her own breakfast there since she could have a more pleasurable cup of coffee that would wake her up completely. She wasn’t sure why she liked working there so much. Maybe it’s because it was not too far from home? The work isn’t hard? Those distinct scents of coffee and lattes that couldn’t be easily replicated at home? All those reasons made sense, but she still wasn’t sure. Others would find her everyday life boring, just doing the same things over and over again. But Jessica was content with what she had.

Especially Siwon.

Maybe the work kept her mind off him. But how could she? She thought about him everyday – every time she marked her calendar.

Jessica continued, topping off several different drinks with whipped cream, chocolate chips, chocolate syrup and other delightful things. She always worked carefully, diligently, and with great detail. She made sure that each drink received the same amount of care and love.

The way she cared for her drinks was quite similar to the way she cared for each person in her life. She always tries her best to make sure that everyone gets their fair share of Jessica’s love. Whether it’s her little sister Krystal, her parents, Yoona or Siwon – everyone deserves a bit of her care. And every drink was not delivered without a genuine smile.

“Excuse me Miss,” a woman at the bar asked for her.

“Neh,” Jessica said turning around.

“Could I have a…grande white mocha.”

“Will that be for here or to go?”

“For here.”

“With or without whipped cream?”

“With, please.”

“You got it,” Jessica assured her.

“Make that an iced one please?”

“No problem.” Jessica immediately got to work on the order. She already memorized every recipe for each drink, so none of them were a hassle for her at all.

“Is there a bathroom in here by any chance?” the lady asked.

“Yes, just go that way, make a right at the end of the bar and the ladies’ room should be the first door on the right,” Jessica directed her confidently.

“Ah, kamsahamnida, I’ll be right back,” the lady said bowing.

After carefully whirling the whipped cream on top of the drink Jessica took a straw and stuck it through. “One iced white mocha,” she said as she turned around.

Huh? Jessica was surprised to see someone sitting in the lady’s seat.

“I’m sorry, but there’s someone already sitting here,” she said as she placed the drink down in front of him.

“You really do see me!” he exclaimed, astounded. Jessica was a bit weirded out by his expression.

“Well of course I see you. You’re sitting right there-- ” suddenly Jessica remembered this guy. He was the boy she saw – well she thought she saw – yesterday, sitting across from that pretty lady. “Hey, I remember you. You’re that guy I saw yesterday…no wait,” she tried to think again. She definitely remembered seeing him at some other point too. “Oh yeah! When I was closing up a few days ago, you were still here.”

“I can’t believe it…” he whispered to himself.

“You were there yesterday right? But then you disappeared…where did you go?”

“Hey Sica unni could you help me with this order…” Yoona asked but when she looked up she saw Jessica talking to who seemed like nobody. “Um…Sica?”

“Oh sorry Yoona,” she turned her attention to her.

“What’s…going on?” Yoona asked with a perturbed expression.

“Just talking to another customer.”

“Who?”

“This guy, he’s sitting right here.”

“..Um…what?”

“Right here, he’s right—” and when Jessica looked back, the boy had suddenly vanished again. “Wh-what the…There was some guy, sitting her. Just now.”

“Um are you sure unni?”

“I’m sure of it…I mean…you really didn’t see him?”

“Unni, I didn’t see anyone there. It looked like you were to talking to no one.”

Jessica looked back at the empty seat, then suddenly, the lady customer who went to the bathroom returned and began mixing her drink with the straw.

“That’s…that’s really…strange,” Jessica thought out loud.

“Unni,” Yoona giggled a little bit. “Are you sure you’re not going insane? You seem a bit…out of it.”

“Y-yeah…just tired again I guess.”

“Mmm, you should probably go home and rest a while. Are you feeling light-headed?” Yoona asked worriedly, placing her hand on Jessica’s forehead.

“Um, a little I guess. Do you think it would be okay?”

“Here, Seul Gi unni’s coming, let’s ask her now.”

“Hey girls, everything ok?” Seul Gi asked as she approached them.

“Yup, no worries. Except, Jessica’s feeling a little under the weather. Is it okay if she goes home to rest early?” Yoona asked holding Jessica’s hand.

“It’s okay if you’d rather have me stay,” Jessica reminded.

“No no, go home, I hope you feel better,” Seul Gi insisted.

“Thanks unni, I’ll be sure to make up the hours.”

“If you’re feeling better tomorrow, wanna close up tomorrow evening around 8? I’ve got a family dinner to attend.”

“Sure – definitely. I’ll probably feel much better tomorrow.”

“It’s settled then. Now go home and rest.”

“Are you really sure?”

“Of course! Now go home before you throw up all over my counter or whatever!” Seul Gi shooed Jessica away with her hands. Jessica gave her unni a big hug and put away her apron.

“See you tomorrow unni!” Yoona waved to her. “Please feel better!”

“Thanks Yoongie,” Jessica replied with a smile.

She stepped outside, rubbing her head, thinking to herself – confused as ever. “

What’s with that kid I keep seeing? He was definitely there today! I saw him, with my own eyes and he was talking to me. Or was he? Was he an illusion?  Aishh jinjja~ Sica, you need to get a hold of yourself. People keep staring at you.

She kept her head down, just talking to herself, trying to forget about the strange events that were happening to her.

She just needed to cross this street and she could go home and rest. She pushed the button on the pole so she could use the crosswalk and as she waited someone suddenly tapped on her shoulder.

“Huh?”

“Oh it is you! Thank goodness. I was afraid it wasn’t. Well who cares if it wasn’t even you, nobody else can see me!” It was that boy, that strange boy that Jessica kept seeing at work.

“Who…who are you?!” she asked frantically.

“You can see me! You really can see me! All this time, for the past two weeks I believed I was really going to be alone. This is so strange…” the boy was so excited and couldn’t stop talking to himself. “Hey what do you suppose—“ when he looked back up Jessica had gone off running across the street.

People must have thought she was mad. She accidentally bumped into some woman holding a bag of groceries. “Chwehsonghamnida!” Jessica kept saying to her, over and over again, continuously bowing like a mad woman. After bowing and apologizing 500 times she continued sprinting. Forget the elevator, Jessica dashed up the stairs. Once she reached her apartment, she struggled to get the key into her doorknob, her hands shaking like crazy. Once she got in, she shut the door with her back against it. She blew a strand of hair from her face and placed her hand over her racing heart, gasping for air.

What’s with that guy?!

Her heart almost popped out of her chest when someone started knocking on her door.

What now? She groaned.

She opens the door and before her stands the mysterious boy who Jessica had just spent the last five minutes trying to escape from.

“Wh..What are y-you doing here?! How did you know I lived here?”

“Not sure really…instinct? I’m sorry to scare you Miss, but can we please talk?”

“No, please leave me alone!”

“B-but—” and just like that Jessica slammed the door in his face. She put her back against the door and slid down, covering her ears and closing her eyes.

Please make him go away, please please please. Just…be gone! she chanted to herself.

A bit nervous, she got up from the ground and taking a deep breath she slowly opened the door. When she looked out, nobody was there. She let out a sigh of relief and closed the door, but when she turned around the boy was there.

“Please Miss, can I just have five minutes of your time?”

“H-how did you get in here?! Don’t you have ears? Get out of here!”

“Ma’am, please let me explain—“ he pleaded.

“LEAVE…NOW,” Jessica scolded. With a low head, the boy gloomily dragged his feet out the door. She slammed the door once again, regretless. But when she heard three more knocks on her door, she was about to throw a major fit.

“WHAT NOW?” she snapped as she swung the door open.

“Mi-mianhae…” the nervous woman stuttered. It was Mrs. Kang, another one of the tenants who lives a few apartments down the hallway.

“Oh, chwehsonghamnida,” Jessica said immediately at the sight of the nervous-stricken ajumma. “I didn’t realize it was you. I’m sorry if I frightened you,” she apologized.

“It’s alright. I was just wondering if something was wrong. I was on my way up and heard yelling.”

Jessica’s cheeks starting burning red from embarrassment.

“N-neh…”

“Is everything okay?”

“Oh, yes yes. It was nothing just um…arguing with my friend. But it’s okay. We’ll resolve the issue as soon as possible,” she blurted.

“Oh…alright. Well I hope you do. Have a good evening~” she said sweetly, still with a tinge of nervousness.

Finally, for the last time, Jessica shut the door. She closed her eyes, grabbed her head with both hands, and started shaking back and forth.

Pull it together Jung Sooyeon! You can’t be going psycho! Sleep, that’s what I need… just to sleep.

As difficult as it was she finally fell asleep to forget the bizarre day she just had.

-----

[A/N]

thanks so much new readers ! BTW I made a promo for this on youtube!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ujd5a9aJPRY

IT'S INTENSE I SWEAR LOL . i had fun making it even though it's less than a minute <3 but the music is AWESOME LOL .

spread the haesica love! please comment on both the vid + the fic <3 i'm have LOTS of fun with this story . i love writing it and the story keeps replaying itself in my mind. i can't wait to continue. Intricate Hearts was last updated a few days ago <3 Next chapters for both stories are currently being edited (:

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