“Despite the obstacles, more and more Black women are swimming against the tide and waking up to the fact that when it comes to matters of the heart, you have to be willing to open your mind and expand your options in order to find the love you want and deserve.

     With each passing day, more and more women make the decision to embrace love regardless of race or ethnicity.” –Swirllife

 

   Bianca sighed as she stared at Junmyeon’s phone number again for probably the seventh time, that day. She really didn’t know what to do about this situation.

     Should she text him back?

     Talking was definitely out of the question since her Korean was nowhere near good enough to carry out a decent conversation and she was pretty sure that this guy didn’t speak her native tongue too well, either.

     But she was curious.

     Bianca had never been approached by an Asian guy before, so this turn of events not only took her off guard, but it intrigued her as well.

     As much as she wanted to see where this would lead to, she really didn’t want to look foolish if this whole thing were to go south.

     Gathering her courage for her next action, Bianca typed along her screen at a rapid case, settling for a casual hello, a brief introduction and once again thanking Junmyeon for fixing her phone.

     His reply was instantaneous.

     ‘Hello Bianca, I’m just glad that I was able to help. I’m sorry about your contacts though, I didn’t know that resetting your phone would erase them all…’

     Bianca was surprised. She didn’t expect to be able to fully comprehend his text.

     ‘Wow, your English is really good! And everything is fine; it’s not your fault.’

     ‘Thank you. It’s easier for me to write it, but my pronunciation leaves little to be desired. I still can’t help but to feel guilty about what happened though…’

     ‘I assure you, you’re fine. I’m really just starting to learn Korean, so I apologize for not being able to communicate with you in your language…’

     Bianca felt guilty for not being able to at least speak to him and make this encounter a little easier for him.

     ‘No no, you’re ok. We can communicate like this, so no worries. I hope that learning Korean won’t be too hard for you. If you need any help, feel free to ask me.’

     Bianca couldn’t help but to giggle at the text. This Junmyeon guy was really sweet, despite their awkward first conversation.

     ‘I will. Thank you, Junmyeon.’

     ‘You’re welcome, Bianca. I’m sorry to have to end our conversation so soon, but unfortunately; I have to deal with one of my employees at the moment. Do you mind if I text you back later?’

     Bianca grimaced.

     She forgot to at least ask if he was busy at the moment! But at least he said he’ll text her back. So, that’s good…right?

     ‘Sure! I apologize for not asking you if you were busy before. Forgive me?’

     ‘Of course I do. It wasn’t a burden talking to you either, so don’t worry about it. ’

     Bianca didn’t know why, but she found herself smiling at the text message.

     Maybe pursuing an relationship wouldn’t be so bad, after all.

 

~*~

 

Kyungsoo casually stirred the Samgyetang that simmered in the large metal pot that he had planned on serving to customers later, as the ‘Soup of the Day’ while he listened to his co-workers bicker about something…just what were they arguing about, anyway?

     “Clearly, you weren’t paying attention the other night when she said that we were weak and that we’re not real men.” Sehun huffed as he threw on his black vest. “How is it that you’re still pursuing her?”

     The slightly older college student shot a glare at the maknae.

     “Who are you to say anything when you don’t know anything about her?”

     “I know enough about her to know that you shouldn’t be giving someone like her the time of day!” The other sniped from his corner.

     “Have ever thought that it’s not her fault that she’s like that? Did it ever occur to you that something made her that way?”

     “That’s what she told you?” Sehun laughed dryly. “I forgot how gullible you are, but no sob story excuses her behavior.”

     “If that’s true then the same applies to you too, right? She wasn’t the only one who talked down on another race, remember?”

Sehun shot Jongin a dirty look.

     “For the last time, I was only defending myself!”

     “It wasn’t your place to talk to her, in the first place! If you would’ve kept quiet, that would’ve never happened to begin with!”

     “Did you really think that there would’ve been a different outcome? Her mindset would’ve been the same if I had participated or not. This was bound to happen sooner or later, Jongin!”

     “Alright, that’s enough.” Kyungsoo finally intervened from his place at the oven. “What’s going on? You two rarely argue, much less to this degree.”

     Being the oldest out of the trio, Kyungsoo often found himself as the one who would sort out their disagreements by listening to both sides before offering a compromise that satisfied the both of them in a peaceful manner.

     In this scenario however, Kyungsoo quickly realized that it was not an easy fix like other arguments were in the past. This problem couldn’t be changed with a simple suggestion.

     Their discrepancy was more complex since it involved a woman.

     The chef decided to tread carefully on the sensitive subject as Sehun got his attention first.

     “Kyungsoo, would you befriend a woman who hates you for your race?”

     “Hyung.” The shorter man chided the maknae. “Wait, wha-”

     “She doesn’t hate me!” Kai interrupted. “Hyung it’s not like that-”

     “Both of you stop it now! I can’t understand you two when you keep going back and forth like this.” Kyungsoo shouted over them before the duo grew silent. He could already feel a headache growing along his forehead. “Sehun, you go ahead since you started first.”

     The youngest nodded and Kyungsoo gave Sehun his undivided attention.

     “We were at Club Ellui the other night and we crashed a table where there happened to be some foreign girls sitting there. I asked one of the girls if she was interested in Asian guys and she exploded out of nowhere, calling us weak and she made it crystal clear that she would never date Asian men. Despite all that she said, Kai wants to befriend the girl. Would you seek friendship from a racist?”

     “No.” Kyungsoo answered honestly. “But if Jongin is so adamant about this then there must be more to the story, right Jongin?”

     The brunette promptly agreed.

   “This so called, ‘racist’ girl came to the café yesterday to apologize for the things she said the other night and I met up with her later on that day to find out why she thinks like this. Hyung, she’s not prejudice at all. She doesn’t trust us because of a previous relationship from a couple of years ago. When I asked if we could be friends and start over, she agreed and she seemed genuine about it.”

     The chef sighed at the problematic situation.

     If this woman was as racist as Sehun had let on then it seemed better to leave her be, but if what Jongin said was true then it was certainly worth a shot to at least try.

“Jongin, why are you so invested in this?”

     “The idiot likes her.” Sehun interjected. “He actually thinks that this whole friendship thing will work.”

     “You know what, Sehun-”

     “Cut it out, Jongin.” Kyungsoo held Kai back as the waiter tried to approach the other. “Since this girl means so much to you, why don’t you bring her back to the café? I can’t really make a decision about her until I atleast, meet her.”

     Jongin’s eyes lit up at the cook’s suggestion.

“Thanks hyung!” The dark haired man smothered the cook in a bone crushing hug. “I’ll ask her when I see her again. You’ll like her, I promise!”

Sehun watched the other go.

     “I doubt that highly, but I hope it goes better for you than it did for me, hyung.”

 

~*~

 

     “Oh come on!” Bianca shouted through a mouthful of popcorn.

     Today’s Kdrama was not one that she was necessarily looking forward to and it seemed to be packed with dramatic screaming and even more theatrical running scenes.

     Now that Bianca had begun watching Kdramas, she realized that she was more drawn to the shows that were more realistic like ‘Love and War’ or was more likely to admire comedy/romance dramas like ‘Coffee Prince’ rather than the supernatural ones that Dallas seemed to like so much.

     “Here we go with the one guy versus five or more gangsters. I mean, seriously?” Bianca had just gotten over the rich aristocrat in a western styled mansion when she saw this. “Can this get any more cliché? Isn’t this kid just discovering his powers?”

     An audible chuckle was heard from her laptop as her Skype buddy watched the show along with her while sipping on her soda.

     Her large black hair covered the majority of the screen as the woman allowed the straw to slip from her lips.

“I think so, but he could probably handle it since he also beat up those wolves too. But I think the kid’s pretty hot and that’s what matters most!”

     Bianca rolled her eyes.

     The other was always one to fall for the younger guys rather than ones that were actually her age.

     “If that’s what you’re into. I’d rather have the father.”

     On Bianca’s days off, she would sit down and enjoy a new Kdrama or Anime that either she or her old college friend, Dallas would recommend. This week’s pick was a Kdrama called ‘Blood’ from Dallas.

     “That kid’s pretty cute!”

     Bianca made a face at the screen.

     “He still looks so young and awkward, like he hasn’t grown into his face, yet.”

     “Well, I like him. You’re being too judgmental!”

     The other smirked and shook her head.

“If you say so, hon.”

     “So, how’s South Korea so far?”

     Bianca shrugged.

     “It’s alright. It’s a culture shock, really. Why’d you ask?”

“Because I’m coming to South Korea soon!”

The woman almost choked on a popcorn kernel.

“W-what? Why?”

     Dallas giggled.

     “Well, you know that I’m a writer now and I want to write about a foreigner’s travels through South Korea since Kpop and Korean men have become so popular in the States lately. If I write this accurately, it may be a big hit! Do you think I’ll have any chances of getting a guy there?”

     “Yeah, but why are you traveling all the way over here, for that?” Bianca questioned. “Why not just meet an Asian guy from the U.S.? It’s much easier because he’ll most likely be used to Americanized culture and maybe the language barrier won’t be such an issue.”

“As right as you are, I’ve already purchased my plane ticket and I’m not turning back. Besides, South Korea seems like a pretty cool place to visit.”

     “Well, what’s the plot you got so far? Other than foreigners in Korea?”

     “Um…there’s romance in there, I’m sure of it. Other than that, I haven’t really figured that out yet...”

“Always so impulsive! And if you don’t think of anything else?”

     “Then, I hope that I at least enjoy the new scenery and gets some ideas.” Dallas answered in an buoyant tone. “I don’t really have a plan.”

     “Maybe you should think about this a little more?”

     Dallas shrugged.

     “I’m no good when it comes to those kinds of things.”

     “Oh God, Dallas. At least try to plan ahead!”

     “I’ll try, but I can’t promise you anything though. Also, I have a favor to ask. Can I stay with you? It’s only for about a month and a half!”

     Bianca couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

     “Honey, do you remember just who I live with? Your presence here will no doubt cause some conflict.”

     “Oh, you mean Mercedes, right? Pfft. I’m not scared of her. I know exactly how to handle her attitude.”

     Bianca sighed.

     “We really don’t need another strong personality for her to clash with. Look, I’ll ask my roommates, okay? When do you plan on leaving for Korea anyway?”

     “This weekend.”

     “Cutting it a little close, don’t cha think? Ugh, I’ll ask them when they get home. If I were you, I’d start praying.”

“Will do!” Dallas looked to the left of her screen as a series of beeps sounded on her end of the laptop. “Crap. I gotta go, Bianca. See you next week?”

     “Hopefully. Later, Dallas.”

     As her desktop resurfaced on her laptop, Bianca sighed. She chose that moment to start mentally preparing herself for the storm that would certainly appear when she faced the others.

 

~*~

 

     Tamera waddled through the narrow hallways of the locker room as she lugged her heavy duffle bag about the place in search of an empty changing room.

     “Ah, there you are!” A Korean woman with long black hair squealed before she rounded a nearby corner. “I thought that I had to face this next class by myself. You’re right on time, but what’s with that? Last time that I checked, you were one to arrive at least half an hour early before the shift starts.”

     “Sorry, I was delayed.”

     “Well, I’m glad that you’re here now. By the way, did anyone tell you that we’re about to get a new manager for the day shift?”

     Tamera glanced over at her co-worker.

     “Are you sure that this isn’t just another rumor, Gyeong? We do work in a female dominated building, here.”

Gyeong gave her a pointed look.

     “You should know me well enough that I never gossip about anything until I see it for myself.” The woman grabbed a navy colored scrunchy from her wrist and started to tie her hair into a messy bun. “I saw the guy pick up his uniforms this morning. He’s pretty short and youthful with brown hair and no facial hair whatsoever. Basically, you’re typical flower boy.”

     “And let me guess, handsome?”

     Tamera asked as she stuffed her duffle bag into her locker and pulled out a standard one piece bathing suit, courtesy of her job’s swimsuit policy.

     “Of course. That’s usually the standard for the flower boy trend…you look really happy today. What’s the cause for that smile that you’ve been sporting since you got here?”

     Tamera shrugged and smiled wider, failing to resist the urge.

     “Guess.”

     “Mercedes is moving out of the apartment?”

     The woman giggled and shook her head.

     “Try again.”

Gyeong looked her friend over.

     “Well if it isn’t that, it must be either a financial boost or a boy. Considering where we work, am I right to assume that it’s the latter?”

     “You are! I got a boy!”

     “Don’t say it like that, or I’ll start randomly singing Girl’s Generation and won’t stop until I’m sick of it.” Gyeong warned. “But it’s about time! I was starting to wonder if I had to get involved and start setting you up on some blind dates or something. It’s strange though, usually foreign girls get a lot more attention when it comes to romance. It doesn’t matter now though, what’s he like? Is he nice? What does he do? And more importantly, is he hot?”

     Tamera shrugged.

     “Of course he’s nice! Why wouldn’t he be? But he’s a barista at Café Moonlight and yeah, he’s pretty hot.”

     “Wait, you said Café Moonlight, right? I’ve heard about that place. The employees are “perfection personified” according to our co-workers. That new girl Areum; told me that all of them could be Kpop idols or something.”

     “She’s not lying. The men there are exceptionally, handsome.”

     “I think that I may go there, one day. Besides the eye candy, are the service and food any good?”

     “Yep, I’ve been there about twice, now? Both experiences have been great.”

     “Can you come with me sometime? I don’t want to go alone.”

     Tamera nodded and entered an empty stall.

     “Sure, let me know when you want to go. Oh yeah, and what class am I helping you with today?”

     “Unfortunately, we’ve got a group of teenagers coming from Seoul High School. Ever since the Sewol Ferry Boat Incident that happened last year, schools have been adding in swim lessons as one of their requirements.”

     “Yeah, that was really sad. I watched some of the videos that were some of the kids’ last moments…I couldn’t finish it, but at least their doing something about it now.”

     By this time, Gyeong; who leaning against the stall door nodded in understanding.

     “Right. I feel sorry for the victims’ parents. I don’t think that I’d be able to function if I lost any of my children like that…but anyway, they should be here soon, so I’ll start getting the pool ready.”

Gyeong pulled herself off of the stall door.

     “I’ll be joining you soon enough.”

 

~*~

 

It was after the lunch rush at Café Moonlight that the Korean woman from the other day decided to remake her appearance.

     With her Dolman Elbow-Sleeve Two-Tone Dress, black heels and silver cross necklace, the dress seemed to highlight her lithe frame and toned legs, while the loose white sleeves emphasized her petite size in a very appealing way.    

The blue haired woman smirked as she took a moment to revel in the attention that she was receiving from the men whose eyes wandered down her body.

She was flattered, but she wasn’t there for them.

     Her target was currently cleaning coffee cups from his place, behind the bar.

     The barista glanced up at his next approaching customer before he sighing, audibly.

     “Is that how you greet all of your guests, or I should I be pleased with the special welcome?”

Minseok raised an eyebrow at the other prior to scoffing loudly.

     “If you’re not here to order something then please leave, I’m busy.”

     “So, I’ve heard. Is it true that you’re dating a darky now?”

Minseok paused in organizing his coffee cups.

     “First off, don’t call her that and second, what does it matter to you? I thought that we were over and that you wanted nothing more to do with me.” The barista snapped as he continued tidying up his workspace. “So why exactly are you here, Nayoung?”

     The blue haired woman sighed.

     “Minseok-oppa, I want you back.” Nayoung stated rather bluntly. “You belong to me, not her.”

     The barista wasn’t really surprised to hear that.

Nayoung had been popping up at Café Moonlight recently just to see him, not that it made a difference to him.

Minseok made the decision to lose weight to make himself feel better, not because of his ex’s tenacious nagging and harsh insults that she would make about his body when they were together.

     “No thanks, Nayoung. You had your chance and you blew it.” The barista said as he placed the towel in the sink and washed his hands. “I’ve moved on, you should too.”

     “But Minseok-”

“As much as I’d love to stay and chat, I’ve got somewhere to be.”

     Without another word, Minseok grabbed his coat and car keys before he clocked out and left the café with a stunned Nayoung gaping after him.

 

~*~

 

Mercedes took a sip of her coffee as she continued to type up both a legal document for her CEOs and a subpoena that she had been trying to finish for a while now.

     Her work had been cut out for her today as she scheduled meetings for the leaders of the law firm and important clients that were very eager to meet the two entrepreneurs that had found a way to make their business a million dollar profiting company.

     Busy, busy, busy.

     Mercedes never slowed down in her tasks as she switched from one assignment to the other.

     It wasn’t until she noticed a shadow over her desk that she decided to stop and look up at the tall blond man dressed in all black.

     This was the usual look for the Co-CEO as he preferred darker tones over lighter ones, which was the complete opposite of his partner who seemed to be quite fond of lighter colors and pastels.

     As different as the two were, Mercedes found it amazing that they were able to work together this well. As much as opposites seemed to attract, they seemed to work well together too.

“Ah, good morning Mr. Wu!” She smiled up at the other. “How are you?”

     “Tired.” The other answered brusquely as he placed a stack of paperwork on her desk. “Please make sure that these papers are processed and in our system by the end of the day. They’re quite urgent, so make sure everything’s correct and have you seen Luhan by any chance? I need to speak with him.”

     Mercedes shook her head.

     “I haven’t seen him all morning. I was hoping that you knew where he was…should I call him for you?”

Yifan smiled appreciatively.

     “Please do, Ms. West. Oh, and I am in dire need of coffee. Mind making a coffee run?”

     Mercedes shook her head.

     What she liked about the Co-CEO most was that he was polite to her when he wanted something done. It was almost never a demand, but Mr. Wu would always make a request for it and Mercedes didn’t mind complying in the very least.

     “Let me guess, a Vanilla Cafe Latte for you, and a Bubble Tea for Luhan?”

     “You know us way too well, Ms. West. And please be quick about it.”

     With nothing more to say, the Co-CEO vanished behind the large black doors behind her.

 

~*~

 

     After what felt like hours, the group of teenagers finally left the pool area.

     “I. Hate. Kids.” Gyeong muttered as she rubbed a sore spot on her forehead. “I think that girl kicked me on purpose. Next time, I’m letting her drown if she strays that far from the shallow end. I don’t get paid enough for this crap!”

     Tamera was massaging two of her toes that were trampled by a clumsy boy with a lanky frame.

     “I didn’t know it would be this bad. I figured that we’d at least have one person that could swim, not a single one can even float! They just flailed about and injured everyone else.”

Gyeong wrapped a towel around herself.

     “Well you have to start from somewhere. At least we get a break from them. Unfortunately, they’re scheduled for Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.”

     Tamera’s eyes widened.

     “Why do all of their classes fall on our schedules?”

     Both women groaned.

     “Well, I’m going to take a shower.” Gyeong told the other. “That’s probably the only way that I’ll be able to calm down.”

     She left Tamera alone by the pool, where she bent down and started gathering her things. Just as she was checking her phone, it vibrated at an incoming text message.”

     ‘Hey Tamera, I just wanted to know if you had anything planned for tonight?’

     Tamera blinked repeatedly in disbelief.

     Was this leading to what she thought it was? Not wasting another second, the swim instructor sent her reply back.

     ‘No, at least not that I know of…why? What’s on your mind?’

     It didn’t take long for Minseok to answer her.

     ‘Well I was just wondering if you’d like to go out on a date tonight? What do you say?’

     ‘Sounds good to me. Where and at what time should I be there?’

     ‘Well, I set up reservations at Soigne for 8:30 tonight. Mind if I pick you up?’

     Tamera smiled as she typed her response.

     ‘Of course not, I’ll see you tonight.’

 

~*~

 

Junmyeon looked around the café for probably the tenth time that day.

     Lay watched as the other pass through the dining area before he finally decided to confront the other about his uneasy behavior.

     “Need something?” The manager offered as he stopped the store owner mid-stride. “Why do you keep circling the cafe as if there’s something bothering you? My customers are getting restless because of your constant fidgeting.”

     “I’m looking for Minseok.”

     Lay threw a puzzled look at the other.

     “He’s gone. Don’t you remember?”

     “Remember what?”

     Lay face palmed himself.

     “You released him early today when you were texting someone earlier. I was right there when you approved his short day.”

     “What short day? Why didn’t you get my attention when all of this was happening, Yixing!?”

     The manager waved the other’s question off dismissively

     “Calm down Suho, I already took care of it hours ago. The new trainee, Jaehwa should be here any minute now.”

     The store owner sighed in relief.

     Now that he thought about it, his business had picked up enough for him to start adding on new employees to his schedule so that his employees got more off time between shifts.

     “Yixing, do you mind grabbing the help wanted sign from the back and sticking it in the window?”

     The manager nodded.

     “I’ll get to it as soon as this cafe is calm again.”

 

~*~

 

     Mercedes threw her phone in her passenger’s seat in frustration.

     After calling Luhan approximately five times in repetition, the secretary was positive that her superior was ignoring her.

     Out of the two CEOs, Luhan was the most troublesome to Mercedes because everything became ten times harder when she had to deal with her doe-eyed boss. She was suspicious that it was because of her ethnicity, but it would be foolish to voice her complaints to anyone, so she kept shut and tolerated his behavior.

     No matter how infuriating it was, she put up with it for the sake of keeping her job and she was determined not to lose it just because someone had a problem with her skin color.

     She didn't come all the way to Korea just to lose all of her hard work.

     If asked, Mercedes would freely admit that she took pride in her current job status and why not? It was something that she had been working for since she was an intern for Mr. Wu when he first started his business in the States.

     For two years, Yifan’s law firm thrived and it soon became one of the leading names in the legal industry before he decided to join his childhood friend; Xi, Luhan in Korea.

     A lot of his employees stayed where they were and the founder understood their decision to not relocate. He gave them the option to keep working for him if they were willing to reposition and Mercedes was one of the few who took advantage of the opportunity.

     Convincing her two roommates to move to Seoul with her, Mercedes found herself climbing the ranks and pretty soon she was offered the job as Wu, Yifan’s personal secretary.

     She accepted his proposal without an ounce of hesitation and that’s when the chaos began.

     To this very day, Luhan and Mercedes just barely put up with the other.

     As Mercedes parked her Maxima and left the car with her purse, the secretary couldn’t help but to wonder if Yifan knew about their strained relationship.

     If he did, he kept that knowledge to himself.

     She entered the doors of Café Moonlight and wasn’t surprised in the least when she found a familiar face behind the host desk.

     “Welcome back,” Wooyoung greeted her. “Will it be just you today?”

     “Actually, I can’t stay.” The woman answered while pointing to the bar. “I’m getting my coffee to go.”

     The host nodded and allowed her to pass.

     The current barista smiled at his approaching customer.

     “Good afternoon Miss, how may I help you today?”

     Mercedes listed her drink orders and the barista made them, although he was a bit slow in doing so.

     ‘He must be new.’

     Mercedes thought as she looked on while leaning against the counter.

      About fifteen minutes later, all three drinks were presented to her and she thanked him before giving him the required money and leaving only to bump into Jongin, who had by some of luck, managed to successfully steady the cups in her hands before they fell over.

     “Sorry Kai, didn’t see you there.”

     The waiter smiled at her reassuringly.

     “No you’re ok, but can I talk to you for a minute?”

     Mercedes bit her lip nervously.

     “It’s got to be quick, Kai. I’ve got to get back to work soon.”

     “I’ll make it quick. Would it be possible if you stopped by here sometime tomorrow morning?”

     Mercedes opened and closed it. She wanted to ask why, but she decided against it. Since they were starting over as friends, the least she could do is be a bit more compliant towards his requests and because she did have time tomorrow, who would she really be hurting here if she said yes?

     “Sure. I don’t have to be at work until about nine, so I’ll be here.” Glancing at a nearby clock, Mercedes made her way closer to the door. “You can count on it.”

 

~*~

 

     Bianca heard a set of keys jingle faintly outside of the front door before it was pushed aside for Tamera and her overly stuffed duffle bag.

     “I will never understand why you carry around all that stuff to your job. Why not just bring a couple of swimsuits, towels, soap, and some lotion?”

     Tamera threw the heavy bag on the floor and kicked the door closed.

     “You’d think that for teaching people how to swim that’s all that I would need, but trust me when I say that everything, and I do mean everything in this bag is used frequently.”

     “If you say so. By the way, what do you know about golf?”

     “Besides the fact that it’s one of the world’s most boring games, I’ve got nothing.” Bianca let her head fall against the couch. “Please tell me why this guy wants to take me golfing? Who wants to go golfing as a first date?!”

     Tamera shrugged.

     “Maybe it’ll be fun?”

     “I don’t even know how to play! Other than getting the ball into the hole, what else is there?”

     “No clue, but I have a date tonight so…”

     Bianca’s eyes widened at the news.

     “Wait what? Where are you and Minseok going?”

     “A place called ‘Soigne’ I think? Never heard of it.”

     The other smirked.

“Sounds fancy. Do you have an outfit in mind?”

     Tamera opened only to huff at the fact that she didn’t have a clue about what she was supposed to wear. Jeans and a t-shirt didn’t seem to be enough for such an occasion and she wasn’t too sure about wearing a dress either.

     It had been such a long while since Tamera had last gone out on a date, so her outfit choices are a bit rusty and she couldn’t help but to be unsure of herself.

     “Relax hun, I’ll help you. On the first date, you always dress to impress, but it’s critical to know the fine line between what’s acceptable and what’s too much.” Bianca pulled herself off of the couch with a lazy smile playing on her lips. “Let’s see what you’ve got in your closet. I’m sure that we’ll find something.”

The curly haired woman wrapped an arm around the other in a comforting manner as they ascended the stairs.

 

~*~

 

     Minseok nodded in approval as he looked himself over in his full length mirror.

     Dressed in ripped skinny jeans, a simple grey sweater, and a black trench coat, the barista rubbed his hands through his dark hair.

     Tonight, he wanted nothing more than to sweep Tamera off her feet and judging by his appearance right now, he was certainly off to a good start.

     The standard neatly styled Minseok had gone for a more boyish appeal, changing his clean cut hairstyle for one a bit edgier and just for kicks, he had added just a bit of eyeliner under his eyes.

     Satisfied with his look, Minseok grabbed his car keys and left his apartment.

 

~*~

 

     Tamera had just narrowly avoided a dress to the face.

     Even after she left Bianca to take a shower and wash her hair, the other woman was still digging through her closet for something that she deemed worthy for the date.

     “No, no, no.” She held up a green dress and shook her head disappointedly. “This isn’t even close. God Tamera, I didn’t think that it would be this hard to find a dress for you.”

     Just as she said that, a dress toward the back of the closet caught her eye.

     “I’ll admit that it’s a bit plain, but with the right jewelry it’ll definitely do the trick.” Bianca pulled out a flowy fit and flare dress with a black torso and a white bottom. “Wait here okay? I’ve got just the thing that you can wear with those purple stilettos that you bought a couple of years ago.”

     Tamera looked over at the dress and heels.

     Together, they made a fun and flirty look that didn’t seem forced or over eager. It gave off a natural and yet elegant feel that just seemed absolutely perfect.

     “Now these pearls would be the cherry on top.” Bianca sat the string of plum colored pearls that were entwined with two strings of glass beads and matching earrings on the bed. “What do you think?”

     “I love it.”

     The curly haired woman smiled and left the room so the other could get dressed.

     Not wasting another moment, Tamera threw on her dress and heels within a couple of minutes and fastened the jewelry around both her neck and ears.

     The swim instructor grabbed her make-up bag and curling iron before dashing off to the bathroom.

 

~*~

 

     A black Sedona pulled into the parking lot and Minseok stepped out of the car a short moment later.

     The building before him was quite glamorous and for a moment, Minseok thought that he had the wrong place.

     He knocked on the door and was thankful for the familiar curly haired girl that was smiling up at him in a baggy t-shirt and sweats.

     “Minseok! Come in, come in! There’s no need to stand out in the cold and wait.” As he entered, Bianca did a double take. “Well don’t you look hot? Oh, you two are just perfect for each other! Let me go get Tamera.”

     As the man watched Bianca disappear up the stairs, he could see why the other women referred to her as ‘mother’. She certainly had the caretaker mentality, whether she knew it or not.

     Two sets of footprints echoed along the steps.

     Bianca came down first, followed by Tamera in a very pretty black and white dress. It was simple, but elegant and Minseok couldn’t believe how gorgeous this woman was.

     Her long dark curls bounced with every step that she took in those y purple heels, almost looking as if she was gliding rather than walking.

‘I’m so whipped.’

     He thought as he came back to reality.

     “You look absolutely incredible, Tamera.”

     The other blushed and looked down.

     “And you look very handsome too, Minseok.”

     “Alright, alright. The boy didn’t come all the way here just to compliment you.” Bianca said as she pushed the duo towards the door. “I believe you two have a reservation to make, hm? Don’t be late for it!”

     “Ne, Umma!”

     “I’m not your mother!”

 

~*~

 

     Tamera was impressed with the very modern and yet tranquil look that Soigne gave off. It was on par with Café Moonlight when it came to the atmosphere and the aura.

     Minseok checked the clock on his phone.

     “Looks like we made it just in time, Tamera. Are you ready?”

     The swim instructor looked at her date worriedly.

     “Ready? I thought that we were just going out to dinner!”

     Minseok failed to hide his amusement from the other.

     “We are, but this dining experience might be a bit different than the others that you’ve had.”

     “How so?”

     The barista smirked as he led Tamera over to the host desk, where he clarified the reservation.

     “I’d rather not ruin the surprise, but I will say that you will definitely enjoy it.”

     “And you’re sure of this?”

“Absolutely.”

     Not long after the two were seated at a small table did their waitress arrive.

     “Good evening.” The young Korean woman with short black hair greeted them. Despite the polite tone, Tamera didn’t miss the look of surprise that appeared on the server’s face before she continued her delivery. “I’m Yon and I’ll be your server for tonight. Shall I give you some time to look over your menus?”

     “Well, I’m ready to order my drink if you don’t mind. How about you, Tamera?”

     The other nodded.

     “Of course sir, what will you be having?”

     “I’ll have a glass of water with a lemon on the side.”

     Yon nodded and wrote the order down on her notebook.

     “And what about you?”

     She asked in a slightly harsher tone as she raised an eyebrow at Tamera in a way that made her feel uncomfortable.

     “I’ll uh, just have a Sprite with no ice please.”

     The waitress scribbled along the paper before walking away to prepare their drinks.

     “Minseok?”

     “Hm?”

     “Did you notice anything odd about our waitress?”

     The man shook his head.

     “No. Why? What’s wrong?”

     Tamera narrowed her eyes in thought.

‘She couldn’t be…could she?’

     She hoped that she was wrong, but Yon seemed a bit cold to her a couple of moments ago. But the incident wasn’t enough for her to list the motive. For now, it was just a creeping suspicion, so Tamera swallowed her worry and held her tongue.

     For all she knew, Yon could’ve just been having a bad day.

     “Tamera?”

     The said woman blinked as she came back to reality.

     Minseok watched her worriedly.

     “I-It’s nothing.”

     Tamera smiled brightly, but her date didn’t miss how the smile didn’t reach her eyes or how it completely faltered into a troubled frown.

     Setting his menu down, the barista decided to keep a close eye on the waitress when she returned.

     Yon returned quickly with their drinks and sat them in front of the appropriate customers.

     The soft sigh that left his girlfriend’s lips caught his attention immediately.

     When he looked at her glass, he noticed that her glass was full of ice.

     “Um excuse me, Yon? Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t my girlfriend ask for no ice in her drink?”

     The waitress checked over her notes again.

     “Oops, my mistake!” The woman smiled flakily. “Let me fix that.”

     Without another word, the waitress took the cup away.

     When she was out of hearing range, Minseok caught Tamera’s attention.

     “Tamera, tell me right now if you want to leave. We can go somewhere else if she wants to treat you like that.”

     Another uneasy smile from the other had Minseok inwardly fuming.

     “It’s okay, Minseok. Thank you, though.”

     Yon had returned a moment later with a new glass of soda and no ice.

     “Now onto food orders. What are you two in the mood for?”

     “Okay, I guess I’ll have the Preila Seed Jeolla-do.”

     “And I’ll have the Pork Gyeonggi-do.”

     Yon documented the orders and walked away for the third time.

     “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

     Tamera didn’t even bother to look up because she could feel her date’s heated gaze on her.

     “Look at me, Tamera.” The woman looked up at a nearly irate Minseok. “Why aren’t you saying anything? Why are we still here? Are you really just going to let her treat you like you’re inferior to her?”

     “It’s alr-”

     “Don’t give me that.”

     The barista nearly growled.

     Minseok didn’t understand why Tamera was staying quiet and it frustrated him that she wasn’t really putting up a fight against it either.

     Didn't she know that she was more than this? That she deserved better than what she was given?

     ‘Fine. If you won’t speak then I will.’

     All of a sudden, waiters and waitresses started securing blind folds over the customers’ eyes.

     “What’s going on?”

     “Everything’s fine Tamera, this is just a way that the restaurant wants you to experience their food. They temporarily block your sight so that you can focus more on the flavor of the food.”

     “Is that so? I’ll admit that it’s an interesting theory, but is all this really necessary?”

     “Probably not.” Despite his anger, Minseok found himself laughing. “But it gives the meal an unexpected twist. Wouldn’t you agree?”

     “Mm-hmm.”

     When the food arrived this time, it was brought by a different server and even though Minseok was the only customer in the restaurant who refused to put on his blindfold, he felt relieved to not see Yon near their plates.

     As he looked over at his girlfriend, he decided to try to use every moment that they had together to build her confidence and self-esteem.

     Tamera had to admit that she found the whole experience strange, but oddly thrilling.

     She had never tried eating in complete darkness before and the idea to block one of her other senses seemed to make the food more flavorful.

     “It really does make a difference, huh?”

     Minseok smirked at his date who nodded eagerly.

     Tamera was pulled out of her thoughts when she felt a hand gently run along her cheek.

     “Uh, Minseok?”

     “You know you look amazing tonight, right?”

     The other froze as she felt her face heating up rapidly.

     “T-thank you.”

     “You’re welcome, but surely you already knew that.” Tamera almost jumped back at the sudden proximity, much to her date’s amusement. “There’s that blush again, are you always this cute?”

     “Believe it or not, I don’t try to be.” Tamera muttered as she felt his breath ghost over her lips. When had he gotten that close? And just like that, her head was being tilted upwards.

     “Minseok? Is that you?”

     A feminine voice spoke, entirely ruining the once romantic moment.

     Pulling her blindfold upwards, Tamera came face to face with a young Korean woman with large brown eyes and blue hair that was tied into a messy bun.

     Tamera had to admit that this woman was exceptionally beautiful, but what exactly was she doing here?

     Minseok however, looked absolutely bothered at the fact that she was there.

     “So you really are with that thing? What do you plan to gain from dating a , huh?” The woman asked as she stepped closer to them. “What exactly does she have that I don’t? Are you honestly willing to disgrace your family with a foreigner?”

     “Nayoung-”

     “What’s so attractive about a darky? They’re only good enough for a night…if that at all.” The blue haired woman spat maliciously. “I thought that you had better sense than to hook up with a . I bet she’s just with you to satisfy her disgusting !” Nayoung glared Tamera’s way. “Is that it girl? Do you have ‘Yellow Fever’ like all the other ones or are you just so desperate that you’ll go for anything now? Your own race doesn’t even want you, so now you go around stealing our men?!”

     The other customers had grown quiet at the startling outburst and Tamera bit the inside of her cheek.

     She didn’t like the attention that they were getting. It didn’t help that this Nayoung girl seemed to be out for blood.

     Now, Tamera wasn’t really one to get involved in arguments, but now that her shock had finally passed, what this girl had accused her of had really gotten under her skin.

     She wasn’t a who simply didn’t care anymore. She wasn’t so unattractive that she had just settled and although she did have a preference, she wasn’t with Minseok because he was an Asian and he just so happened to fit that mold.

     Tamera had gotten this man fair and square. In fact, last time she recalled, he had made the first move!

     Tamera’s dark eyes sparked with an ominous warning, making the other woman see that she had just crossed the line.

      “You wanna try that again?” The swim instructor asked as she sat her fork down, finally responding to the nuisance before her. “Say that again, I dare you.”

     “She wouldn’t be that foolish, Tamera.” The barista replied as he fixed Nayoung with a hard look that had the uninvited guest backing away from the table. “Weren’t you just leaving?”

     “N-no.” Nayoung stuttered under the intense stares. “I have friends here-”

     “Then please don’t waste your time trying to get to them.” Minseok stated icily as he stared straight into her eyes. “Leave us before things get worse for you.”

     “But-”

     Minseok cut her off.

     “Did you not hear me? I said leave. Now.”

     Nayoung looked at the other in shock and withdrew herself from their table as she quickly ran back to hers where almost immediately, one of her friends started to console the now sobbing woman.

     Tamera would be lying if she said that she was not deeply impressed with her date.

     Not only was he showing that he was willing to stand up for her, but he was also showing that he was capable of handling negatively from others quite efficiently.

     “So this Nayoung character…”

     Minseok sighed.

     “She’s an old flame from a couple of years back.” The other started as he moved around the food on his plate with a fork. “Despite how well things were going between us, she dumped me because I was too ‘fat’ for her. Now she wants me back, but I’m not interested. Not in the least, I assure you. I really sorry for what just happened and I hope that this doesn’t interfere with what we have.”

     Tamera smiled.

     “Don’t worry, it doesn’t. I’m just glad that you’re being honest with me.”

     The man blinked in a shocked manner. He didn’t expect for Tamera to be so understanding.

     “Well this is certainly surprising, most women would be annoyed if they had to deal with things like this.”

     Tamera shrugged.

      “I think that I can handle it.” The swim instructor replied shyly. “You seem like a pretty sweet guy and I’m not willing to let you go just yet.”

‘So, she does have a fighting spirit after all!’

     “Who says you have to?” Minseok’s dark eyes twinkled mischievously. “The night’s still young, so it doesn’t have to end here.”

     Tamera looked away from the other, completely unable to endure that beguiling stare for long.

     A small smirk appeared on Minseok’s face as he leaned in close.

     Tamera backed up automatically, thoroughly astounding the other since she received a slightly puzzled look before Minseok slowly backed out of her personal space, opting to recover from his shock in a smooth manner.

     “So what did you want to do after this? Anything’s acceptable, so you don’t hesitate with your answer.”

     Tamera sat back in her chair in thought.

     “I can’t think of anything.” The other murmured embarrassingly. “Got any ideas?”

     “How about ice cream? That’s always a good way to end a date.”

     “I’d like that.”

     Dropping the tip and bill money on the table, Minseok and Tamera quickly got up and the barista took the initiative and interlaced their fingers together before leaving.

     Neither of them paid attention to the one hateful stare that followed them.

 

 

Author's Note: Hey you guys, I’ve been gone for a while, but my new job and my rapidly changing health has been taking a toll on me. In other news, I think that I need to explain some things because I have been reading your comments and after giving some of these comments much thought, I have decided to keep writing the chapters as I see fit. Please believe me when I say that I’m not trying to troll you guys in any kind of way. After my first friend thought that this issue was very minor, I wanted a second opinion on the matter. So, I went to a childhood friend of mine; who read this entire story over the phone to me and after she practically cursed me out for the teaser, I explained to her why I write previews and she seemed to understand. So please allow me to explain why I write previews.

The previews serve as an interlude between updates. Not only that, but the previews also let you all know that I am still working on the story, not to mention that it also gives you a sneak peek into the next chapter while the previews put a bit of pressure on me to hurry up and update. While this is a way for me to light a fire under my , I’m using this method to build your excitement for future chapters.

For my new subscribers, thank you for supporting this story and please stay tuned for new chapters.

And last but not least, Koolkat44 thank you for the story links and support. Please believe that I’m giving this story everything that I’ve got, so rushing it is completely out of the question