After ten minutes of analyzing my surroundings, it was clear; I am an idiot.

The lady at the supermarket did tell me that the shopping district was one stop before the park. This was it. The shopping district. Shopping malls and book cafes. Fast food chains, fancy restaurants and cafes. Game arcades and karaoke places. THIS was the noisier part of town. The next stop off the bus would’ve brought me to the quieter and more recreational part where people can just lie down on the grass and have picnics, or play with Frisbees or go cycling or just jog together… !

I sighed. I could feel my head throb at the part where I’d bumped into Soo Hyuk’s skull earlier. “Okay, the bus comes around every hour, right? So I’ll just need to make sure to catch the next one… What am I gonna do for one whole hour?!”

I looked around and spotted the closest café to the place where I’d gotten off the bus, and I thought… Why not?

…

It was pretty cozy inside, with the wooden interior and moss green tiles on the walls. Plus, aside from the usual seats, the more comfortable seats had striped cushions piled up on the settees. Hehehe I might just come here more often so that I could cuddle up with those comfy-looking cushions~

 I went up to the counter and was greeted by a tall boy with a warm smile. Dear God, he looks so handsome!

“Welcome, miss. What can I get for you?” he said with a wide smile, showing off his rows of straight white teeth. Why does he feel like a real-life Prince Charming?

“Erm… Hi. Do you have any…” I tried not to show my traitorous voice that was getting airy, trying not to melt at his charming smile. Look at the menu behind him, Sun-ah! Look for lunch! I cleared my throat, “Can you recommend the best here?”

“Sure! Our customer favourites for lunch are the pasta puttanesca and the smoked salmon sandwich,” said the boy, with the wide smile still on his face.

I glimpsed on his nametag. “Fine then, I think I’ll have the pasta puttanesca, Kim Young Kwang-shii. I’m trusting your recommendation here.”

He laughed a little. “Yes, miss. Would you like to try any of our coffee? A cup of cappuccino, maybe?”

“One hazelnut latte, please,” I said, not even glancing at the menu. That had always been my favourite drink, since I liked the nutty tang in my latte.

He punched in my order and gave me the total price, I paid for it and took my number to a table by the glass walls.

For a small café, the menu was quite expansive. There was something savoury for lunch and dinner; pasta and sandwiches, and also something light and sweet for desserts and snacks; cake and coffee. Not bad… I could hear that Prince Charming saying something to his friend who disappeared behind the kitchen doors – before the Prince Charming himself proceeded to make some coffee. A barista? Ooo good-looking and skillful~ Such a good catch!

Just then, a new pair of customers came into the café. A boy and a girl, looking very trendy from their dress-up, and obviously boyfriend-and-girlfriend. They went to the counter and, just like me, they were greeted by Young Kwang.

“Hello! Can I get you anything?” he said, just as warmly and friendly as before.

I noticed that the girl looked sheepish and a bit flustered as she made eye contact with him. “Erm… Hello. Can I have one iced caramel macchiato, please?”

“Okay, one iced caramel macchiato. Anything else?” Young Kwang punched in her order before asking her again.

“Oh my…” she giggled and giggled, “I have no idea what’s good here. Can you suggest any delicious cake from the counter?” I could see that the girl was totally oblivious to the jealous daggers coming out of the boyfriend’s eyes as she was completely into Young Kwang.

Young Kwang – the poor, innocent boy that he is – smiled even wider in humour, “All of the cakes here are delicious, miss.”

“Then, the most delicious one!” the girl said with a bit of aegyo in her voice.

Young Kwang actually laughed a little, clearly just humouring the customer. “Then, a slice of the Valrhona strawberry cheese cake for you, miss?”

“Neh~!” she said, the aegyo thick in her voice.

I could not stop face-palming myself. I could only look on to see how the boyfriend would react to that. It wasn’t even Young Kwang’s fault really, it was all that bimbo of a girlfriend’s fault for practically trying to flirt using aegyo – which doesn’t always work though most girls think it does – and successfully forgetting about her boyfriend.

“Yah, counter boy!” the boyfriend started to say, rudely, “I want some iced coffee. Nothing else.”

“Okay, sir,” Young Kwang punched in his order. “That’ll be ______ dollars.”

The boyfriend started taking out his wallet when he muttered, “Is it okay if I pay by card?”

Young Kwang nodded. “We accept credit cards, sir.”

The boyfriend smirked as he held out his card. “I bet you can’t even afford any of these.”

. That comment cut through the air like a katana slicing through a bamboo forest. Silent but