Lee Yunji’s POV

The little girl perpetuated an angelic aura when she smiled at me. Her small hand waved furiously in the air as she and her mother left the café. She made me want to pinch her adorably chubby cheeks and talk to her in a weird voice that people only used when talking to young children or pets.

I waved back until she and her mother were out of sight. From the looks of things, they were the last customers for today. There were only 10 more minutes until closing time- only 10 more minutes until I could run home and crawl into bed.

Saturdays were always hectic. Families went out on Saturdays, groups of friends went out on Saturdays, loners went out on Saturdays- okay, so everyone went out on Saturdays. They came here for a special treat after lunch, for afternoon tea, for dessert after dinner and sometimes, just because they were bored. When Jieun had visited me, there was no line at the counter for 10 minutes before a bunch of bustling teenage boys came bouncing in.

I stretched my arms out to the ceiling and yawned in a very unladylike manner. It was still cold, though we were now in spring. I rubbed the sides of my arms and went into the back to hunt for my cardigan.

The back was a small triangular room, windowless with only one door to get in and out of. There was a freezer built into the wall at one side of the room, surrounded by storage cabinets where I kept other ingredients for the tea. It was more like backup stock, for when I ran out of ingredients at the front. Opposite from the little set up was desk with a filing cabinet where I kept all of the stores records. It wasn’t an interesting room and was dull compared to the front with all of the doodles scrawled across the walls.

I found my coral cardigan on the back of my chair and swiftly shrugged it on. Embracing the warmth that I was met with a moment later, I swung my arms by my sides. I pulled the papers on my desk into a neat pile and turned off the desktop computer. Getting ready to leave, I grabbed my violet budgeting folder from the second drawer of the desk and slipped it into my handbag.

Budgeting folder, phone, keys, wallet-

The sound of the small bell that belonged at the front counter resonated through my ears, followed by a low voice. Muffled from the distance between myself and where it came from.

“Excuse me? Is anyone here?”

I clucked my tongue as my eyebrows jumped up in surprise. I had one more customer for the day. I grabbed my handbag and walked out to the front, checking my phone to see that there were only 2 minutes until closing time.

“I’m sorry. I know that you’re about to close up,” The person said. I hadn’t looked up from my phone, but the voice sounded so familiar. I was sure I knew who it belonged to, but my mind was too tired to place it anywhere.

“No, no, it’s fi-” I stopped mid-sentence when I saw who was standing in front of me.

Today he was wearing a black sweatshirt with matching pants, his hair was messy and his cheeks were a slight pink- the kind that you would get after exercising. My throat dried up and I stood perfectly still. The universe must have found immense pleasure in watching my reactions to bizarre situations, because I couldn’t figure out why what was happening was happening again.

Kris stood across the counter from me, wearing an expression that mirrored mine. He blinked twice and tilted his head to the side before blinking once more, something that I would’ve found to be cute if not for the fact that I was stunned.

I wanted to run to the back and hide, but my feet were rooted to the spot. I couldn’t scream nor could I melt into a puddle of gloop. My body refused to do anything but remain utterly still.

Kris broke the silence, “Are you okay?” He asked. “You’re not going to faint right?”

On the inside, I already had. “N-no,” I stuttered softly, finding my voice.

“This is crazy,” Kris mused. “I didn’t expect to see you here again,” He said with what could have been mistaken for a smile. My heart fluttered.

“Why is that?” I asked curiously, placing my things down and walking over to the sink to wash my hands.

I felt his eyes follow me, “I figured someone else would be working at this time.”

I wasn’t thinking so the words slipped past my lips before I could stop them, “That’s impossible.”

Kris gave me a confused look, “And why is that?” He rested his long arms on the counter between us. My blood rushed through my veins faster than it did before.

It was a logical thing to think, but it was wrong. The chances of being served by someone else in this café were non-existent. I didn’t feel the need to employ extra help and liked the challenge that working alone gave me.

“Because it’s just me who works here,” I answered, slipping on a pair of plastic gloves.

“Just you? Surely if you’re the only employee here your boss must come and help on occasion,” He frowned. I could tell from the slight lines forming on the surface of his forehead that he was trying to figure me out.

“I am my own boss,” I stated. “This is my café.”

Kris’ jaw dropped ever so slightly, “You’re the owner?” He checked. I nodded once. “You look like you just got out of university.”

I shifted uncomfortably at how the conversation had progressed. The subject of university was a little too close to home and I didn’t want to explain it to someone who wasn’t willing to listen to my long story. Not even to Kris.

“What can I get you?” I pointed to the menu on the wall.

The way I changed the subject must have been anything but subtle from the look the he gave me. I watched him as he decided what he wanted.

“Strawberry milk tea,” He responded a second later.

“Do you want chocolate syrup and pearls with that?” I checked as I rummaged around for the right ingredients, speedily plopping them onto the counter.

“Yeah, and a can of coke too please.”

I nodded and handed him the can while I made the bubble tea.

I had never imagined that talking to an idol would be so…normal. It was almost too difficult to believe that speaking to my second husband was such an easy task. I was beyond terrified at how calm and composed I was while talking to Kris too, considering the fact that I was infatuated with him.

I shivered when my fingers met the surface of the cold pearls through my thin plastic gloves. Perhaps I secretly felt the need to make small talk or something, because for some odd reason I opened my mouth again, “It’s cold today.”

“Mmm, yet it is,” Kris murmured, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his sweatshirt.

“So what brings you here again?” I asked. I thought it would be okay, considering the fact that we both didn’t expect to see each other once again.

His answer was two syllables long, “Sehun.”

I stifled a giggle, “Ah, I see.” I said knowingly. So it had been Sehun that he was running out to get bubble tea for. The thought of the maknae drinking something that I made caused a smile to tug at the corners of my lips.

“Are you really a fan of EXO?”

I had just sealed Sehun’s bubble tea up when he asked the question. I came to a halt.

“Yes,” I furrowed my eyebrows. “Why?” I asked, grabbing a straw and handing it to him along with the bubble tea.

He handed me a card, “Most of our fans would be crying or screaming or bombarding me with questions right now if they were in your position.” He said as I swiped his card into the machine.

“Most of your fans are hormonal teenage girls,” I handed him back his card and gave him the keypad to punch in his pin number. “Would you like me to do those things?” I raised my eyebrows at him, expectantly.

“Of course not,” He shook his head. “I was just wondering.”

I nodded understandingly and watched as the word ‘accepted’ flashed across the screen in front of me, confirming that his payment had been accepted- though I never doubted it wouldn’t be. I handed him his receipt and removed my gloves, tossing them in the bin.

“Thanks,” He said, tucking the slip of paper into his pocket. He bobbed down out of my sight and popped up again with a black gym bag strap slung over his shoulder. “I should get going before it starts to r-”

Kris was interrupted by a sudden, loud downpour of rain. It had been cloudy in the evening, but I didn’t realize that it was going to rain later. It was dark outside, so it was hard for me to tell from inside the store. Kris pursed his lips and stared at the door for a minute with a worried expression. “Damn,” I heard him mutter under his breath.

“If you want to, you can wait here for it to stop,” I quietly offered, my lips set in a grim line as I watched water pound against the concrete path outside.

“You don’t need to do that. I’ve already been here for 10 minutes past closing time,” He waved a hand.

I looked up at the clock and surely enough, it was 8:40. I hadn’t even noticed how the time had gone by so fast. I liked how though Kris was blunt, he seemed to take notice of things that would inconvenience others. It made him seem…more real.

“It’s okay,” I insisted. “If you catch a cold I’ll feel bad,” I added on.

My heart stopped as a smile lit up Kris’ face. His teeth were a pearly white against his pink lips and his eyes gleamed with warmth. It was the most beautiful, 3 second smile I had ever seen.

“Thank you.”

I gaped at him, my lips slightly parted. How was I supposed to live after witnessing something like that? The smile slowly faded and was replaced with a confused look. I regained composure soon after and averted my eyes down to the ground.

“Sorry,” I coughed awkwardly, playing with my fingers.

I walked past him towards the door with my eyes on the ground and flipped the sign on the door over to closed before locking it. The last thing we both needed was someone else coming in here and freaking out over Kris’ idol presence. Kris sat down at a table with two seats and began drinking his coke as I busied myself with anything that didn’t involve looking at him straight on.

I wiped down the other tables and seats that he wasn’t occupying and fixed everything up. The café soon restored to its impeccably clean glory.

That’s when I heard it.

A low rumble echoed through the room. It wasn’t an unusual sound- in fact it was a sound I heard quite often. But it was the fact that I heard it from Kris that made it so strange. All insecurities I had over staring at Kris for too long vanished as I turned around to see the idol with a flushed face.

“You’re hungry?” I asked, though it came out as more of a statement than a question. The tomato red left his face and he shook his head like a flustered child before he began to read the back of the coke can as if it was a fascinating magazine article.

I bit my lip and hid my smile. I found it to be hilarious, the way he denied being hungry. I walked back to the counter and checked what we had in the glass display case. I grabbed a fork and knife and slipped a chicken, spinach and parmesan cheese panini onto a plate before walking over to the table he was seated at. I placed the food in front of him and his head snapped up.

“If you’re hungry you should say so,” I mumbled while looking up at the ceiling, feeling like my actions were a little too bold now.

A melodious chuckle sent a tingle down my spine, “Aren’t you going to sit down?”

I looked down at the man sitting in front of me and hesitated. I wasn’t sure if it was okay for me to do so, but he urged me on with a nod towards the empty seat. Slowly I sat down across from him.

“Thank you,” He said before picking up the utensils and digging in.

The sandwich was gone faster than I had anticipated. I could still hear the rain outside and wondered how long it would be before Kris left and I returned home. Would we meet again? Or was this the last time? Before I wouldn’t have asked myself such a question, but this was the second time he had come here. A hopeful part of me chanted that today wasn’t the last time.

I twiddled my thumbs on my lap in an attempt to pass time without staring at Kris’ face.

“How long have you worked here?”

I paused and looked up at him. He had that look on his face, that expectant look.

“I opened up this café 4 years ago after I graduated from high school,” I replied, tucking my hair behind my ear.

“You didn’t go to university?” He made no attempt to hide the surprise in his voice.

I shook my head, “No.”

“Wouldn’t that have been hard? I mean it is one thing to start a business without that extra education to prepare you for it all. But to do it straight after high school is another…”

“It was hard,” I admitted. “But it was my dream.”

“To open up a café?”

“A bubble tea café,” I corrected him.

“Right,” He said. “Did your parents help you?”

That hit a nerve. My eyes drifted away from his and focused on the table instead. I took a shaky deep breath in.

He must have realised that it was a sensitive topic because of what he said next. “You don’t need to tell me if you don’t want to.”

“But you want to know,” I sighed in protest. I peered up at him under the shade of my dark eyelashes, “It’s a long story…”

He shrugged in his seat, “The rain looks like it’s going to be around for a while.”

“Hmph,” I hummed. “Okay then.”

“My parents moved to Tongyeong City at the end of my last year in high school because I wasn’t going to attend SNU or any other university for the matter,” I started.

“Why didn’t you want to attend university?” He asked.

“I don’t know really. I guess I was too excited to start living and besides that, my friends were all going to study abroad. I didn’t want to study somewhere alone,” I answered. I told him about the close relationship I had with my grandfather and about how much fighting went on between my parents and myself before they left.

“My grandfather knew about my dream to open up a bubble tea café and told me that if it was what I really wanted to do then he supported me,” I continued on. “Unfortunately, he died earlier that year from lung cancer- he smoked a lot. We all knew he was sick, but he never let us know just how sick he was. Because my father was his only son, most of his things went to my parents.”

“We weren’t aware of it until his will was read, that he had purchased an apartment and a small property in the CBD a few months earlier. At first my parents were thrilled because they thought they would be able to lease those out to people, until the solicitor read my grandfather’s letter about the two properties. The letter basically said that he had bought the properties for me as a graduation present and that they were to help me achieve my dream- even the deeds were written in my name”

I stopped to take a breather. Kris was staring at me with an unreadable expression and for some reason, I wasn’t too sure if I wanted to decipher it. I looked away.

“Anyway, I received two properties and a small amount of money from my grandfather while my parents got the rest of his stuff. That was the first time they heard about my dream and they didn’t approve of it because they wanted me to do something more ambitious like becoming a lawyer or a doctor or an orthodontist,”

“An orthodontist? But people over here don’t tend to spend much on their teeth,” Kris quipped earning a smile from me.

“They wanted me to go abroad if I was going to work with teeth. Ambitious really just translated into high paying, which running a café isn’t compared to those occupations…” I trailed off. “So to answer your question, no my parents did not help me start my business,” I wrapped up my little story.

“I’m sorry to hear about all of that,” He spoke softly. I nodded and looked outside.

“It’s not raining anymore,” I whispered. He followed my gaze and hummed in response.

“I should get going then,” He grunted, collecting his things once again. “How much do I owe you for the food?” He asked, pulling out his wallet.

I shook my head, “Nothing. Consider it my apology for being rude the last time I saw you.”

“But you already apologized for that,” He argued.

“It’s an apology-extension!” I blurted, waving my hands as I insisted.

Oh my God Lee Yunji what the hell is an apology-extension?!

“An apology-extension?” He raised an eyebrow, an amused smile dancing in his eyes.

I swallowed, “Yes, an apology-extension.” I confidently said.

He chuckled and put his money away, “Okay.”

I opened the door for him and waited for that awful moment where he would leave, it had rained for 7 minutes. But he stopped right beside me.

“I wanted to ask you this last time. Who is your first husband?” He turned to me.

I felt all the blood in my body slam into my wave like a tsunami wave as I blushed. It wasn’t a question I had ever imagined him asking me and it was embarrassing.

“Shim Changmin,” I mumbled, staring out into the street instead of at his face. I couldn’t bear to see what kind of smirk he may have been sporting.

“Changmin-hyung? From TVXQ?” He checked, to which I nodded. “Do you have any other husbands?”

“Chanyeol…is my third, but that’s it,” I answered, filled to the brim with shame.

I’m going to die. Why do you have to ask such humiliating questions?

“Why didn’t I come first?”

I reluctantly faced him. His face was not a teasing one, but a genuinely curious one.

“Because I’ve been listening to Changmin’s voice since 2003,” I explained it to him.

“So if EXO had debuted earlier than TVXQ I would be first?”

I frowned, “I don’t know.”

An awkward silence followed that string of questions.

Kris took another step out the door, but stopped once again.

“Before I forget, what’s your name?” Kris asked, looking down at me from his 187cm height.

I felt my cheeks burn with more heat, “Lee Yunji.”

“Thank you for everything. It was nice meeting you and I hope you continue to support EXO,” His words were formal as he offered me a small bow and made me feel like the distance that may have faded between us was put back in place.

I bowed back, “You’re welcome.”

“See you later Yunji,” He waved before running off into the night.

My mind blanked out and I robotically stepped back into the café and closed the door. Leaning against it for support as I feared my legs would give out in a second. I hadn’t realized how fast my heart was beating while we stood so close to each other.

I loved the way my name rolled off of Kris’ tongue. I loved his strange accent. I loved how he seemed truly interested in what I had to say.

But what really brought the gigantic idiotic grin to my face was his farewell.

Because it meant there was a chance of seeing him again. 

Writer's Notes:
I didn't even realize how long this chapter was until I finished writing it. 
Thanks for reading/commenting/subscribing/upvoting (yes I saw that bfazie)/supporting/being awesome ^^

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exoexo,
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