I hear Mom's typing from her room. The living room fan whirs above me. I stare up at it and watch it spin. Boooring. I roll over and adjust myself to peer down the hallway towards Mom's room. 

 

"Omma!" I call.

 

"What?" She asks, I hear the printer roar into life. 

 

"Have you maybe seen a boy down the road? By that old shop?"

 

"What are you talking about now?" She moans.

 

"You know," I say, "A guy! He's um...Kind of tall and uhh he's handsome.."

 

"Handsome?" Mom asks, "In our neighborhood? Ha! Good luck with that!" Mom laughs and goes back to work. 

 

"I guess..." I roll back over and stare at the fan again

 

"I wonder if he changed his mind..." 

 

I'm about to doze off, when my mom comes and hops onto the couch next to me.

 

"Why are you curious?" She asks, looking at me suspiciously "Are you looking for someone?"

 

Startled, I throw up my hands and shake them furiously in front of my face "Aniyo!" 

 

She turns, and looks at me from the corner of her eye "Whatever you say!" she cheers and disappears into the kitchen.

 

I watch her leave, and listen as she begins talking quietly to my dad. "Pfft. That woman acting like she's all that." I laugh a little to myself and get comfortable. Before I know it, my eyes drift closed and I yawn. Maybe I'll rest just a little while....

 

By the time I wake up, it's already late. I push myself up off the couch and rub my stiff neck. "I really need to stop falling asleep on the couch," I think, "it's really uncomfortable" I slink back to my room and collapse on my bed, pulling the covers over my head like an ostrich burying its head in the sand.

 

When I wake up I peer through the blinds to see both my parents' cars gone, they must have gone to work early today. I stretch slowly and make my way outside. I take a deep breath of the crisp morning air, and glance toward the shop, not really expecting to see anyone. Only this time there is someone. 

 

My eyes widened as I continue to stare at the guy down the street, is he back? Excited, I hurry down the hill towards him. But as I get closer, something's not right. This guy looks different. "It's not that Baekhyun guy..." I whisper in disappointment. It's another guy, still looking about the same age, maybe a little bit younger. He has light brown hair, framing a rounder face, and fashionable looking clothes.

 

I walk cautiously towards him, "Hello?" I ask as I draw nearer.

 

He turns and looks curiously at me.

 

"Someone else was buying this..." I say gesturing toward the shop, stretching my head little to get a better look at him. 

 

He looked at the shop and then back at me, "Oh, really? The owner didn't mention that..."

 

I nod, although I'm still very much confused. "Huh... I wonder what happened to Baekhyun" Then I remember what he said.

 

"Wait..what? The owner?"

 

The boy turns to face me and smiles. "Do you live around here?"

 

"Don't try to change the subject..." I think. "Yes," I reply.

 

"We'll be neighbors then!" He holds out a hand to me, "I'm Oh Sehun."

 

"Ah, I see. I'm Choi Soojin." I look back at the building then at Sehun. "But..about the building..."

 

 

 

Sehun turns towards the sound of a car door shutting. I look up. Wait..is that?

 

"Baekhyun-hyung!" Sehun runs towards the familiar face and Baekhyun pats him on the back. 

 

"It's nice isn't it?" He says, beaming. 

 

Sehun nods enthusiastically, smiling, "It's great! But it definitely needs some cleaning up."

 

Baekhyun nods in agreement "Yeah, you can say that again." Finally his eyes land on me standing a few feet away, staring at them in confusion.

 

"Oh," he says in surprise, "it's you again!"

 

"I... I was just.. You're... Wait.. Why...?" I stutter, not quite sure what I'm trying to say.

 

Baekhyun smiles in amusement "I bought the shop! Just like it said I would." He says, pulling some keys from his pocket and dangling them before me.

 

I nod slowly, letting that sink in. Things were beginning to make more sense now.

 

I opened my mouth to reply, but was cut off abruptly by the sound of my mom calling my name from up the hill. I turn to look up towards the house. I see my mom and wave at her "Coming!" I call.

 

I turn back to Baekhyun and Sehun "Umm... Sorry, bye." I mumble

 

Baekhyun smiles and nods "See you later." 

 

Sehuns mouth spreads into a wide grin, and he waves at me energetically, "Bye Soojin!" 

 

"He's so friendly, I just met him five minutes ago, and here he is acting like we're best friends." I think, smiling to myself. I wave back and begin walking up the hill to my house.

 

When I reach the door, I shove it open to see my mom standing a few feet away in the living room.

 

"Sorry for interrupting your... conversation" she says smiling slightly, "I just needed you to go grab me that check I gave you to hold on to the other day."

 

"Oh! yeah, sure omma, be right back," I reply.

 

"Thanks!" she calls as I walk down the hall and into my room. I plop down on my bed, and look silently around the room, trying to spot the check. My eyes finally settle on a picture sitting on my dresser, I smile gently and push myself off the bed. I walk over to the picture and carefully pick it up, and examine it. It's a picture of me and my grandmother when I was little. "Halmeoni." I whisper, the glass covering her face. 

 

My grandmother was the one the set off my passion for baking, when I was younger, we would always bake together. We would bake for hours, not talking much, just enjoying each others company while doing what we loved most.

 

At that time she owned a small bakery, it was never really much. Just a corner shop painted all white. Some days she handed out free treats to the neighborhood kids, ones we made together. I loved that the things I made could put a smile on someone's face. I always looked forward to going to the bakery to see her. She would take me in, and give me a big hug, and then without saying a word she would walk into the bakery's kitchen and pull out a couple mixing bowls for the two of us. 

 

I looked up to her more than anything. She was the kindest person I'd ever met. Just like her, I want to put a smile on someone's face with my creations.

 

Since I could never do anything right, she would help me. If my pie turned out bad, she would tell me what I did wrong, and encourage me to do better next time. I had always wished to be more like her. I remember watching her bake, her hands moving with such grace, and ease, that it almost took my breath away.

 

She was like my best friend...

 

When I was ten, she passed away. Mom and Dad didn't have any interest in baking or owning a shop, so they just sold her little corner bakery. I watched as they repainted it and tore down the old sign Halmeoni had worked so hard on. Once the bakery no longer existed, it felt like her presence died with it.

 

"I miss you..." I think, as I continue to gaze longingly at the picture. Her death is still fresh in my mind, it couldn't have been eight years ago... I miss baking with her, going to her house, talking with her, I just miss her.

 

 

"Soojin-ah!" I hear my mom calling me from the kitchen, "Did you find it?"

 

"Yeah mom! Coming!" I call back 

 

I sigh and set the picture back down on my dresser. I spot the check on my nightstand, grab it, and walk over to my door. I open it, and turn back to look at the picture one more time, "I love you halmeoni, I'll get there.. right?" I smile weakly, and without another word, I turn and shut the door gently behind me.

 

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Hello again! Thank you to my 6 subscribers!! and to those who commented, i love comments!!

thanks for reading :)

Subscribe! ^^