“you have to help me! Please!!!”

Sooyoung rubbing the temple of her head hearing her best friend plea, desperate plea. If sooyoung is still a carefree woman who doesn’t have any responsibility over something as big as two companies then maybe she will gladly help. But as now? She cant even go out for simple date with her own girlfriend if she didn’t clear out her schedule.

“sunny… you know I cant just randomly not going to work now, I have so many pending appointment with several potential business partner” sooyoung tried to explain “I know tomorrow is your big day, you had been preparing for it since long ago… but I cant help you” sooyoung sighed looking at sunny frowning face “you could appoint Nicole for just a night”

“no way! She’s around everyone else age! There’s no guarantee that everyone will obeying her you know” sunny argued “please soo, just one night! Pleaseeeee”

“… you know I hate it when you beg like that sunny” sooyoung shook her head “but I cant!”

“pleaseeee”

“now listen to me here bunny-“

“pleeaaasseeee”

“stop looking at me with your puppy eyes! Damn it!!!”

“pleeeeaaaaseeeee”

“god damn it sunny!!!”

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

“… and that’s how unnie will be supervising as manager tonight?” Nicole asked the tall girl who already donning the manager suit. The younger girl noticed how sooyoung changed a lot, she couldn’t pinpoint what is it but it feels like she is seeing someone new inside those manager suit, it’s not like the tall unnie she work with back then.

“yeah… that midget really know how to abuse me using her cuteness… damn her” sooyoung muttered, her hands trying to tidying the collar and the sleeves of her suit “I kinda miss wearing this…”

“but you wear something more expensive than this cheap suit after you quit unnie” Nicole helped the tall girl tidying her suit “you looked different… “

“really? How so?” sooyoung asked back

“I dunno unnie… I just felt it” Nicole narrowed her eyes “unnie, you forgot to put the manager tag”

“ah, stupid me” sooyoung hurriedly put the manager tag on “okay, lets head out”

The two women walked along toward the cashier table where Nicole assumed her role and sooyoung just stand beside her, watching the other worker do their job.

“unnie, don’t you want to say hi to the regular costumer?” Nicole asked the tall girl “they had been eyeing you”

“yeah, I can see that” sooyoung waved her right hand to several people she known “I’ll be back in a minute”

“unnie, we will be fine… really” Nicole giggled “I don’t even understand why sunny unnie so freaked out to left this café in our care… we already worked here for long now, we know to do our job”

“that’s not what sunny afraid off Nicole” sooyoung pats the young girl head “I’ll go now”

Sooyoung walked around, saying hi to several people, talked to a family she had known and even helping her co-worker taking order when she saw one of them needs help. As sooyoung walked toward the tables that placed beside the glass window, she saw someone she knows well that had been teaching sooyoung many things.

The tall girl hurriedly walked toward that usual table where the old man sat. “good evening, may I offer something as dessert?” sooyoung politely spoke toward the old man. She saw how the old man felt surprised to see her standing before her now. Sooyoung grins away, it seems that the old man didn’t forget about her “hello uncle lee, it seems that you are still healthy as ever”

“sooyoung” the old man chuckled, he didn’t expect to see the girl that loved to have a chat with elderly like him. Since sooyoung quit working at the café, there is no one that wanted to have talk with the costumer even for a couple of minute and this saddened the regular costumer who missed the atmosphere where they could forget about their problem and have normal conversation away from their work… or just hearing how the tall girl whom always became regular costumer favorite bicker with the owner of the café whenever she slacked off.

And that’s what made sunny hesitant to leave the café to the younger worker, because they didn’t have the same hospitality that she and sooyoung had…

“can I sit here?” sooyoung asked while pointed toward the seat across the old man. After the old man nod his head, sooyoung take the seat and leaned her back comfortably “how are you uncle lee?”

“you still concerning about this old man eventhough now you had become a successful woman yourself?” the old man laughed “oh sooyoung, I may have old eyes but it still can see through how tired you are now”

Sooyoung smiled weakly “cant laze around even a bit had drained my life uncle…” sooyoung yawned “and everyone seems just make me busy, but seriously uncle… how are you?”

“I’m fine sooyoung…”

“no… you are not” sooyoung pointed her finger to the cup of coffee in front of the old man “that’s not your usual order, and I am sure you never order anything else but black coffee”

“maybe I have a change of heart and order something else? Who Knows?”

“uncle… please don’t lie to me” sooyoung softened her gaze toward him “I might looked like someone that could play around and never take anything seriously, but I can read people well too… a change in someone behavior is a sign that something happen to them”

“you should had been a psychologist sooyoung” the old man laughed again “alright… maybe I could tell you something” he nods his head “my grandkid, the one that live in france been calling me and told me to come and live with him there… but I don’t want to disturb his life and his family”

“… that’s very thoughtful of you uncle lee, but you have to say it to him so he will decide whether he will keep trying to bring you there or not” sooyoung giggled “but that’s not it… isn’t it? What is it uncle… tell me”

The old man finally heaved a sigh, he couldn’t fool the girl in front of him “the place I had work for years finally replace me with someone younger”

“… uncle, I can give you a job at my-“

“no… the reason why I am replaced is because I already reached the stage where I couldn’t do heavy task continuously sooyoung. even if you give me job at your company, it wouldn’t make any difference” the old man explained “I am old… too old for working”

“then why don’t you go to-“ sooyoung eyes widened as realization hit her, she understand now why this old man didn’t want to go to his grandkid place “you… you didn’t have the money coming there… and you didn’t want to burden him, right?”

“yes…” the old man nodding his head “the company still pay me with retiree money, but it’s only enough for everyday life”

“… uncle lee” sooyoung grabbed the old man hands with hers “for this time… please let me help you. This as repayment for everything I learn from you… please don’t reject it”

“but that mean I couldn’t get my coffee here anymore or hearing how you and sunny bicker in the morning”

“and I didn’t want to see you always down uncle… I rather choose you go” sooyoung gripped the old man hands tightly “please…”

The old man smiled… he never once thought the brats who got too familiar with him since the first time he come to this café now trying to help him, the same brat that always asking to be teached on how to do manly work, how to repair things… the same brat that had been talking to him, the same brat he already thought as his own granddaughter.

How time flies so fast… that brat now became a fine woman, a good one.

“alright… thank you sooyoung”

At the cashier table, Nicole had been seeing the interaction that sooyoung had been done with the old man. Nicole never saw anyone else that works here doing things like that, she thought that it was sooyoung usual tendency because whenever she goes around and trying to have a chat with the costumer, sunny always reprimands her for slacking…

But now… she knows it wasn’t that…

She understands now why sunny hesitant to leave the café to the young worker, it’s not because she worried that they couldn’t get the café run smoothly.

It is because ever since the tall girl quit her job here, the café became more cold… it lost it’s warmth that comes from the worker hospitality, the feeling of familiarity that sooyoung and sunny always try to spread toward their regular costumer.

“why no one else think about this?” Nicole said to herself

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

“happy birthday unnie!” seohyun congratulate the raven haired girl who seems not even bothered by the surprise. She keeps her eyes peeled toward the laptop monitor “unnie… I bought cake”

“seohyun, you know we don’t have time for that” yuri replied

“but… sooyoung unnie also gave presents” yuri interest perked up as she heard her girlfriend name mentioned. She looked at her secretary who grinning, holding her laughter seeing how yuri could change her focus so fast “she gave a present for you and said sorry she couldn’t come personally because sunny unnie asked for help” seohyun placed a small box on yuri table, a small box with black cover on it “also… I have a surprise that yuri unnie would love to see”

“really? What is it?” yuri blinked her eyes, now completely forgot about her works

“here” seohyun gave her phone to yuri. The raven haired girl saw a video recording of her girlfriend whom surrounded by boy and girl in waiter and waitress dress. Yuri keep her eyes focused on the tall girlfriend of her while hearing the voice that come from the phone, there is no mistake… it’s her girlfriend voice.

“to told you the truth, I didn’t know her that well… eventhough we were schoolmate, I never talk to her at the high school days since we belong to different pack” she saw her girlfriend paused talking “the first time I see her is at the anniversary of our deceased girlfriend… we are dating twin sister at high school…” yuri hold her laugh remembering how ironic it was, the start of all this things with sooyoung “she is so cold, she didn’t even acknowledge me talking to her that time” now her heart aching recalling how she used to try to ignore sooyoung before.

“she warmed up eventually, there’s one day when she take care of me when I am sick badly” yuri smiled, she remember that time because it was the first time she cook for the shikshin and sooyoung been complimenting how good yuri cooking are, and she felt proud of it “I think you all know what day it was” yuri joined the laugh that comes from the recording “ever since we going out together, she had been a handful girlfriend… her jealousy is no joke! But she also one hella girlfriend, she can cook delicious food, eventhough she is still shy showing her love she still very thoughtful to me, considerate and sweet” yuri couldn’t hold her tears hearing such praise coming from sooyoung, the tall girl never told any of this to her directly but yuri know sooyoung meant it all she just say

“you say that sunny asked for her help?” seohyun nods her head after receiving her phone back “ come with me to the café now seohyun” yuri rose from her seat and took her coat that she fold on top of the table

“but… unnie, the work-“

“it comes later!!!”

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

“she is my sister, her name is Stephanie hwang” sooyoung pointed to the red haired girl who now bowing toward the old man “this is uncle lee, the one that teach me many things! Including how to fix old rundown machine”

“I see… you are the reason of sooyoung rough hands uncle” Stephanie said jokingly which made sooyoung and the old man laughed “she is very troublesome isn’t she?”

“yes… but also a sweetheart” the old man praised “you have a good sister”

“and I am proud of it” Stephanie smiled “anyway… why are you here soo? Don’t you suppose to be with yuri? Since it’s her birthday today”

Sooyoung shrugged “sunny dragged me here with her puppy eyes… you know I couldn’t say no to that”

The old man laughed while Stephanie just shook her head “unbelievable…” Stephanie said

“you finally found yourself a partner and didn’t tell me sooyoung? you said you would introduce your partner to me” the old man stated “is she pretty? Have the same weird hobby as yourself?”

“she is pretty, but weird hobby? nope… not even a mirror of myself” sooyoung giggled “but she could cook the best food I ever eat in my whole life!”

“I will tell mom for that~” Stephanie hummed

“okay… the second best” sooyoung throw a glare to her sister that now holding her laughter “I will be sure to introduce you to her somed-“

“choi sooyoung!!! come out now!!!” all of the people in the café diverted their attention to the door where two woman stand. The one with raven hair color looking around, eyes scanning the surrounding, looking for someone while the other one facepalmed herself.

“speak of the devil, soo… go fetch your girlfriend” Stephanie slapped her sister shoulder playfully

Sooyoung rose from her chair and walked toward yuri calmly. She tried to remember if there is something else she forget and make her over jealous girlfriend of her looks so mad like that. ‘maybe she didn’t like my present? Yeah, that’s must be it’

“hey, uh… yul?” sooyoung waved her right hand after she is on yuri sight “you look angry”

“I am!” sooyoung gulped hearing that “I have a girlfriend who keep doing everything for me, proudly loving me, taking care of me and never even let me down for once” yuri walked closer to sooyoung until the tall girl just in front of her “and i… never doing anything worth mentioning for her”

“uh… that’s not tru-“ “yah! I’m not done yet talking!” sooyoung gulped again, finally got scared of her girlfriend “you always trying to make me happy, to make me smile, teaching me to stand on my own feet again while still holding my hand… you even defending me when someone got jealous over our relationship” yuri let out a sobbing voice, her eyes became teary and her cheek became red “sooyoungie… I love you”

‘… what?’

“y-yul… say it again?” sooyoung blinked her eyes, she still didn’t believe on what she just heard coming from yuri

“I will say as many times as you want sooyoungie… I love you!” yuri jumped toward sooyoung arms. The both of them hugging each other tightly while the costumer that saw them now either cheering for them or clapping their hands. Sooyoung smiled happily, she finally heard yuri said that to her… yuri finally able to convey it through words, sooyoung felt like she had been receiving the treasure of the world.

“and here I thought we could have them cheering for us” sunny pouted looking at sooyoung and yuri among the crowd. Seohyun and hyomin who stand beside the owner of the café just chuckled at the childishness “ah well… at least now both of them could face the world together, side by side, like how a couple suppose to do”

“well said miss lee, well said” hyomin whispered to the blonde ear meaningfully, which made sunny blushed

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

“… why I had to do this?” sooyoung said to yuri through the video call “seriously, we didn’t even live together and I still have to go through this?”

“yes! For the love of the god, soo just do it!!! It’s your punishment!!!” yuri yelled

“but nicole just helped me yul!”

“by touching your hand! Yah! I thought I already make it clear to her, no touching!!!”

“… fine” sooyoung grumbled, she placed her pillow and blanket on the sofa “there, happy miss kwon!?”

“yah! You will sleep there for tonight, understand?!” yuri stated clearly

“yes ma’am…” sooyoung playfully saluted. The tall girl then lay on top of the sofa, covering herself with the thick blanket of hers. She showed to yuri through the video “satisfied princess?”

“very” yuri giggled looking at the pouting face of her girlfriend “this so you will remember what happen if you touch someone else in front of me”

“… fine, I’ll start wearing gloves tomorrow!!!” sooyoung frowned “good night yul”

“no good night kiss for me?” yuri blinked her eyes and pouting her lips. As soon as sooyoung saw that cute gesture yuri tried to make for her, she smiled widely

“good night princess” sooyoung made an imaginary kiss to yuri “I love you”

Yuri instantly smiled hearing those words, she now appreciated those words that coming from sooyoung so much more than before… because now she could return it back to her girlfriend

“I love you too sooyoungie, good night” 

.......................................................................................................................................................................

nothing to write here except the deadline i put for this fic to end in this month... maybe... because next month i had to divert all my focus entirely to my thesis.
toward reitaa (not) funfact! as the first child in family, having high expectation is usual things... my mom still have high hope that i will get married sometime soon (before reaching 26) while i still sometimes dreaming to travel around the world (which cant be done if i get married)