Chapter 7: Sputtering Hearts

What does one do when the love of your life suddenly appears in front of you?

The girl behind the cashier, a high school student he guessed, had gone pale at the sight of him. Jong kook smiled and the poor girl turned bright red, her breathing uneven like a fish out of the water.

“Y-yes – I mean, may I take your order s-sir?” her voice was high-pitched, nasal… Jong kook told her to breath. He would not be joking if he says he was seeing hearts in her eyes right there.

“Iced Americano please,” Jong kook frowned and looked outside, the girl was asking questions not even wondering about his unusual order. She did look surprised to see me here, me and coffee shops, he chuckles and takes back his order. It was snowing. He couldn’t make her drink that.

He lost what little courage he had when he went inside the shop and took a step back. Then he heard another one of the crew muttering. “Miss?”

“Yes, s-sir?” he shook his head and pointed at the girl mopping the floor behind the cashier. “She said something about… Ji hyo.”

The other girl, this one much calmer, as if she’s already used to seeing celebrities. Maybe she is since she mentioned that name. “Umm, Miss Song is a regular.” she said then added in a whisper, “odd hours too.” then continued mopping the floor.

“Umm, hey… could you? Whatever – I mean can you give me something she orders frequently in this kind of weather?”

“Eh? I mean, yes sir.” The girl in the counter said a long, complicated-sounding name of something. Ji hyo’s coffee was personalized she explains and he only nods. If they were wondering why he’s buying that and why he was even there, they did a good job of keeping a straight face. The girl who took his order looked like she didn’t even try to think about it, and looking quite star struck. The mopping girl looked like she couldn’t care much.

Jong kook gave the cashier girl an autograph, took selca with her, carefully angling the shot so there wouldn’t be any clue about the coffee shop and a rather large tip.

He went out of the store with a large grin plastered on his face and two cups of Ji hyo’s personal coffee blend.

If he needs to drink the concoction with her, he would. For what? Well, he’d figure it out later before he chickens out and goes home.

Soon he reaches her place. Now what? He wasn’t thinking at all when he went there. Does he barge in demand her company and make her drink coffee?

The worst thing was, he wasn’t even sure if she’s in.

>/////<

Seoul was cold that night. Ji hyo gazes up in the sky watching the snow fall. She sighs watching her breath fog in front of her. A staff was kind enough to fetch her some blanket, which she wrapped around her tight. Jin Hyuk, her co-star, looked almost bluish wearing only his hospital scrubs.

They were supposed to be chasing each other in the parking lot like petty kids. He smiles at her and she goes to him. “Sorry.” She says. He shakes his head. “It’s not like you made it snow... I think Jack Frost’s here, noona.” She laughs with him, the sounds he was making was just too contagious.

He’s the competitive guest who came to Running Man before. He was dubbed the cold city man, a charismatic actor but in fact, he’s just a weirdo who’s bad at jokes and that’s from his own words. She wanted to offer him the blanket but he needs to repeat a scene. He beams again at her his lips trembling before finally runs after a staff with coffee. Ji hyo couldn’t help but chuckle watching the younger man.

Once she was left alone and the staff got busy Ji hyo felt a bit lonely. She thought that if only she had something warm with her right now it would make things better. Or that if only Gwang soo hadn’t asked her about him, she would still be able to pretend it was nothing.

The snow continued to fall. The shooting continued. Contrary to what others think, Ji hyo was pretty good in acting, or rather, good enough to pretend and fool people. It’s the snow. It really is… she thinks.

The filming finally finishes and she lingers just long enough to thank everyone and make sure she doesn’t look like she was dying to be out of there.

A familiar car was parked besides hers. She brushes it off and opens her door glad that her manager finally left her alone. She needs grease bacon, eggs with lots of ketchup and the last thing she wants is her manager clucking his tongue at her comfort food.

Subconsciously she scans the parking lot, it’s almost empty so why did this familiar car parked next to hers? She doesn’t really expect anything but she peeks inside the tinted window of her neighbor.

She’s dreaming right?

Because he was there. It was really him… or was it the snow? She takes out her phone, slid inside her car and calls that person.

A groggy voice answered. He’s in bed sleeping and she just disturbed him. She was dreaming and overreacting, she hoped.

“Hello?”

“Oppa?” There was silence. Ji hyo cringed trying to sound normal.

“Ji hyo? Oh – ow – yes? Umm, you’re still film-sleeping?”

Her head snaps to the direction of the other car. He was fumbling inside, wincing, and coffee in his hands.

“What are you doing right now oppa?”

“Oh… I, I fell asleep but it’s okay! I mean, I was waiting… there was something on, a show. But I fell asleep good thing you woke me up.” The engine of the car beside hers started.

“No I mean… what are you doing? Is that a car I hear?” A playful smile was on her face. Maybe, just maybe, it was not a dream… and maybe she shouldn’t have worried about it so much. They had Hongkong, three years of running together… Why did she have to deny all the signs?

Or maybe they just both couldn’t admit to it?

“Ah, I was watching a rerun of Top Gear…”

“Oh since when had you developed interest in cars? Oppa.”

Jong kook wrinkles his forehead. Ji hyo sounded a bit unsure, even strange, at first. Then suddenly, he doesn’t know if this was deliberate or he’s imagining things, but she sounded a little bit relieved and he could almost hear that giddy edge to her tone. He scratches his head and looks around, he better go before someone sees him there.

Coward or not, even if Dong hoon had to do things just so he could know where she is without embarrassing himself, he just couldn’t do it anymore. He started the car and sighed when it seemed to mock him. Looks like he left the heater on too high to warm the coffee, and now it’s dying on him. It sputtered. Ji hyo was talking. He was not a mechanic at all and he doesn’t know a thing about cars. She’d probably recognize him right away and how will he explain the coffee and his presence?

“Oppa?”

“Neh? Ah yeah… what?”

“I said to your right.” He turns around. And there she was… smiling at him.

His heart sputters, cups in danger of dropping to the floor.

The snow continues to fall. His car starts to cool, the coffee lukewarm in his hands.

Everything’s doing their role in putting them together tonight… or maybe he’s the one who’s reluctantly in denial, and couldn’t admit that some coincidences are just set-ups.

“Oppa, it’s getting cold.” He nods to her through the window. “Come in here.”

Jong kook needs not any more prodding. When he bought that coffee, he was determined already to deliver (even if he wanted to run away a while ago). 

Thanks for reading ^^ Good luck to your exams for student readers :)