The Cat and Dog Game [Chapter 18]
Genre: Romance, Fluff, Comedy
Pairing: Yunho x Reader (y/n)
Characters: Chef!Reader, RestaurantOwner!Yunho, MaitreD!Hongjoong, Waiter!Yeosang, Waiter!San, Waiter!Mingi, SousChef!Seonghwa, SousChef!Wooyoung, PrepChef!Jongho
Summary: Yunho's dream was to open and run his own restaurant. But he doesn't know anything when it comes to cooking. Until you came along and accepted the job, bringing with you a small crew. How will the black cat tame the energetic golden retriever?
Word count: 3.3K
"Hwa hwa, you know I love you the most, right?" You threw your arms around the male, hugging him with a sweetest grin that you could muster. Seonghwa raised an eyebrow as he stared at you, more like glared at you.
"Yeah right. The only time (y/n) tells Seonghwa hyung she loves him is to get out of trouble." Jongho snorted.
"Shut up, Jongho." You hissed.
"Be nice." Seonghwa hit the back of your head, making you sulk. Seeing this as the perfect opportunity, Wooyoung wrapped his arms around your waist to back hug you.
"Woo~" You squirmed. Seonghwa sighed, stroking your head. He knew that you already knew what he was going to say.
"Are you tired?" He asked.
"Not at all. It was nice and relaxing. I needed this, to keep myelf busy." You looked up at him. Seonghwa, Wooyoung and Jongho knew what you meant.
"Plus, Yunho is good company." You added. All 3 boys looked up at Yunho, who was just standing there, trying to eavesdrop and watch what was happening without being noticed. He blinked when he realised that all the stared were at him. Embarrassed that they knew he was there, he cleared his throat.
"He made sure I sat down to rest after. And you! You're interfering with my coffee drinking! Even made sweet innocent Yunho turn against me." You raised a hand to hit Seonghwa.
"I-I made her a h-hot chocolate." Yunho confirmed, a little flustered to hear you call him 'sweet' and 'innocent'.
"Good. Now let's get to work." Seonghwa said, patting your head and completely ignoring you.
"I only need to fill my pasta. I'm letting my galbi and broth simmer for as long as I can let it. My garnishes and toppings are prepared." You told them.
"I'll start on apps with you?" Jongho offered. You nodded, about to walk when you noticed Wooyoung still latched to your waist.
"Wooyoung! Let me go." You patted his back. He puckered his lips in a pout before he unwillingly let you go.
You wore your apron again and went to wash your knife. This night was slightly different. With everyone working on their own dish, there wasn't a clear sous, prep or head chef. All of you just split the shared tasks while working on your own.
"Oh, wait. Let me check on the ice cream." You put your knife down and went to churners to check the consistency of the ice cream. Once they were done, you put them in the freezer.
"What's for dessert?" Yunho asked.
"That was smoked milk and vanilla ice cream. We're serving that with red bean jelly cubes, pieces of injeolmi rice cake and an almond tuile."
"Like flavours of patbingsoo but elevated." Seonghwa informed. You nodded in confirmation.
"For Western dessert, we're doing a burnt white chocolate panna cotta with raspberry swirl meringues, a passionfruit coolis and fresh mango cubes over." Jongho added.
"That sounds really nice. But burnt white chocolate?" Yunho leaned forward on his hands.
"Well, not burnt. More caramelised. White chocolate on its own is very sweet. But cook it until it becomes brown and caramelised, the flavour is a lot better and easier to balance." Wooyoung explained. Yunho nodded in interest. You continued working on the appetisers with Jongho.
"Hweh crudo. Take the marinated fish slices and roll it up with pea shoots, scallions and shredded perilla leaf. Minari (Water dropwort) jeon." You listed.
"We need to prep gujeolpan (plate with small wraps and 9 delicacy toppings)." Jongho reminded.
"Right. Then the confit tomatoes with pickles." You checked.
"I'll do the roasted eggplant with black olive doenjang and ponzu. Almost done here." Wooyoung voiced out as he worked on his dish at his bench. The door opened, the others entering.
"We're here early to help!" San declared loudly with his arms raised. Hongjoong and Yeosang shushed him.
"You can help us with the appetisers. Get aprons and wash your hands." You said.
The 4 main kitchen crew took turns. After Seonghwa and Wooyoung stepped in to guide those that didn't know their way around the kitchen, you and Jongho could work on your mains.
"Yunho, want to help me with my pasta?" You asked. Yunho's head shot up, looking for where you were in the kitchen before leaving Mingi and his task to go to you. He smiled excitedly as he bounded over like a puppy.
"So we need to shred the meat for the pasta. This is the galbi. Take two forks and pull them apart." You demonstrated.
"I can do that! And that smells so good." He pointed to the galbi. Grabbing a tasting spoon, you let him indulge in a bite. But soon, you had others around.
"Hey!" Yunho protested as you fed San, Mingi, Yeosang and Hongjoong too.
"Alright, get back to work." He scolded them. You stayed beside Yunho, rolling out the pasta dough.
"You don't need to shred every single piece entirely. You can leave them in different size pieces." You told Yunho. He nodded with a hum, sneaking a bite before continuing.
"Stop stealing the food." You scolded him with a laugh. Yunho grinned cheekily.
"I want to do Yunho's job too." Hongjoong whined.
"No! It's my job." Yunho barked back. He liked working with you, like your personal sous chef. Yunho watched you measured the dough with a ruler and cut it. You took bites of meat that Yunho had already shredded and placed it in the middle before closing it, joining the ends together.
"Ooh, can I try?" Yunho asked with sparkling eyes. You nodded and Yunho put the forks down temporarily for you to slowly demonstrate how to fold the pasta dough.
"Not too much filling or it'll burst." You advised.
"Yeah, just like that. Press the two ends." You leaned over to see Yunho's one.
"I'll finish up here and continue that." He smiled proudly, putting it aside before finishing his previous job of shredding the meat. Once he was done, he helped you fold the pasta.
"I'm not as fast as you." He pouted.
"You just started. I would already say you're already doing a great job." You smiled.
"Thank you." Yunho blushed from your compliment. He continued to make the pasta with you. You momentarily stepped away to check the seolleongtang broth that was bubbling away on the stove, giving it a taste to make sure it was getting there.
"How is it?" Yunho asked when you stepped back into your original spot. You looked up at him and nodded, telling him how the progress of the stock has been.
Unbeknownst to the two of you, there were a few sets of eyes staring at the two of you chat in your little corner. It was like you were in your own bubble, smiling as you chatted and made the pasta together.
"That's cute." Wooyoung noted. Yeosang nodded in agreement. Hongjoong let out an affectionate chuckle.
"They're in their own world over there." San chuckled.
"They're just talking, how is that cute?" Mingi blinked, completely missing what everyone was talking about. Hongjoong patted Mingi's shoulder sympathetically.
"It's okay not to get it, Mingi ah." Hongjoong chuckled. Seonghwa stared for a second, unknowingly clenching his jaw.
"Seonghwa hyung?" Jongho called out, breaking his brain fog. The look Jongho cast him, Seonghwa knew he had been caught spiralling in his brain. He was reminding the elder that he wasn't alone in the room. Clearing his throat, Seonghwa focussed on the cutting baord in the front of him.
"We're done here. Anyone need help on anything?" You came back to the center of the kitchen where everyone was still working.
"Appetisers are almost done. Do you want to start the dessert components with me?" Seonghwa asked you in a gentle voice. You nodded your head.
"Let's get the panna cottas in the fridge to set." You both went to get the ingredients from the walk in and pantry.
"Thanks for all the help, guys. But if you need to go prepare the front for tonight. Just go ahead, we've got it handled." You said to the 5.
"We should bring in the washed plates for tonight." Yeosang said. He and San went out to bring the plates in for the kitchen crew to use to plate the food on.
"Who is working the pass tonight?" You asked.
"I can be the main. But we'll have to rotate from time to time." Wooyoung volunteered.
"Sure. Just tap out when you need someone to take over." Seonghwa and Jongho agreed. With a small crew, this was how you had to make things work. You couldn't afford to have one person just at one station the whole night.
Soon, the crew that works the front of the restaurant all were busy trying to set up for the night, leaving only a few in the ktichen to work with your kitchen crew.
"Actually, Mingi. I would love to speak with your mother about cooking eels, preparing and procuring them." You said.
"I'm sure she'll be happy to share that knowledge with you, (y/n). She loves talking about food." He chuckled.
"Maybe she can give me her eel supplier. I would love to explore it as an ingredient more. Surprisingly, I have not been that exposed to working with it." You sighed.
"My mum's the right person to go to then. I should bring you to the restaurant one day." He replied.
"I'd love that." You had a small smile on your face.
"Let's cook the staff meal first. I have feeling we might end later than we usually do and we'll be too tired to cook for ourselves then." Seonghwa suggested. You checked the clock, about to decide what to whip up quickly for everyone but San and Mingi came over, volunteering to cook.
"You guys are busy enough. We'll take over and cook something up." San smiled.
"Thanks, guys." You, Seonghwa, Wooyoung and Jongho were very grateful that they stepped up and volunteered. San and Mingi were the best cooks out of the 5 so you weren't too worried.
"Shall we make curry rice?" Mingi suggested, holding the cubes of Korean curry up.
"I know how to make that." San laughed. The two began chopping vegetables, adding whatever meat they could find.
"Is anyone using these?" San came out of the walk in with a few packs of chicken thighs and sliced pork belly in his hands. You all shook your heads.
"I'll cook the rice. You start slicing the meat." Mingi instructed and went to get the rice cooker. The 4 of you made sure to be around them in case the two needed help. But San and Mingi were confident, they didn't want to ask for help.
"Mingi, sorry. Just a few minutes. Yunho needs another tall person to help." Hongjoong poked his head into the kitchen.
"Coming." Mingi went out.
"Hi, (y/n)ie." San smiled when you moved opposite him to check on the pasta that you made with Yunho earlier. You chuckled at the casual way he called you.
"Hi, Sannie." You returned the greeting. San looked up in surprise but smiled nonetheless, his dimple popping through.
"So are you excited for your parents to come tonight?" You asked him. He nodded.
"My parents live rather far in the countryside but when they visit, it is always a treat. I hope my older sister comes too. I miss all of them." San said.
"They must be really nice."
"They are. They treat everyone like their family." He laughed. You wondered what it must be like to have such a warm, welcoming family. Maybe your family would have been like that if your mother was still around. But even then, your father was someone that never liked you and your mother to be too friendly to others.
"(y/n)." Seonghwa called you. You looked up to see Seonghwa nodding over to where he was. Shooting San a small smile, you went over to him.
"Okay?" He whispered as you stood beside him. You let out a small hum, helping him with the dessert.
-
After a quick dinner, the kitchen was bustling for dinner service. You knew the parents came when the boys were all greeting them loudly and excitedly in the dining room.
"Hey." Yunho came in with all the parents behind him. You all stood up, bowing respectfully. He introduced whose parents were whose and the family members. Yunho's younger brother looked like him.
"Please, don't let us bother you. Or interrupt your flow." Mrs Song chuckled, waving a hand. She knew what it was like working in the kitchen, owning her own restaurant. You all returend to your food prep tasks.
"I'm Wooyoung. That's Seonghwa hyung, Jongho and (y/n)." Wooyoung, who was the closest, introduced all of you.
"(y/n). The head." Even if you were not looking at them, you felt all eyes fall on you. Jongho nodded at you, assuring that he could handle it. You straightened up and walked over.
"Nice to meet you." You bowed to them.
"Omo. You're so pretty." All the mothers flocked to you, cooing at you affectionately. You grew flustered, unsure of what to do or how to react.
"Okay, ommas. Let's give her some space." Yunho cut in, separating them from you. The fathers merely chuckled, shaking their heads while the mothers scolded Yunho.
"How talented you are. I heard you've been in many reputable kitchens at your age." Mrs Jeong said sweetly, holding your hand.
"Ah, no... It's all just for experience. I'm thankful for all the opportunities given to me." You gave an awkward smile. Yunho cleared his throat and his mother pulled away, shooting her son a look. You bowed your head and went back to help, not wanting to leave the others on their own for long.
"Alright, we shall let them get back to work. Let's go back out." Yunho ushered all of them out of the kitchen. He let a sigh, hoping his mother didn't scare you too much.
"What happened?" Mingi asked.
"Our mothers were smothering (y/n)." Yunho rolled his eyes as the parents took their seats.
"Hyung, (y/n) and those guys are so talented. Why would they want to work for you?" Gunho asked. Yunho shot his younger brother a flat look while Mr Jeong nudged his youngest son.
"Because I am an amazing boss, okay?" Yunho scoffed.
"Mmm, sure." Yeosang coughed. Hongjoong handed out the menus to the parents for them to see what they would like to order.
"Omma, order (y/n)'s dish. I helped make it." Yunho leaned over, pointing to which dish you made on the menu. Mrs Jeong nodded with a hum.
"Hyung helped make it? I'm so not going to order it." Gunho shook his head. Mingi snickered, reaching over to hi-five him. Yunho threatened to hit them. But in the presence of other customers, he wasn't going to.
"Order coming in for the VIP tables." Wooyoung warned as he started to read off the order slips that were coming through.
"Let's go." You all began to work on the appetisers together that would be served first. Wooyoung, at the pass, would finish up with sauces and garnishes before sending the plate out to be served.
"Service." Wooyoung put the plates out for the other boys to bring out to the table.
"Let's start getting ready for mains so we can fire once they are done with apps. In case we need to float." You said to everyone.
"How is it going in here?" Yunho came into the kitchen. You were straining your seolleongtang stock, getting it ready to plate the mains later.
"How are the appetisers?" Seonghwa asked, setting up his oven smoker with the tea leaves for his duck.
"Oh, they love it. Every single dish, I had to stop them from ordering seconds before the mains. But at least they're all excited for the mains now." Yunho grinned proudly. When you were done, you helped Jongho with setting up his binchotan grill for the cod fillets. Yunho came over to you.
"Need help?"
"No, we're good here. You should go out and be with your parents. In case they need anything." You put a hand on his arm. Yunho pouted but nodded, obediently leaving the kitchen.
"We can start firing the mains." Wooyoung said, having observed the dining room from his position at the pass.
"Gunho looks like Yunho. A younger version." You chuckled as you took the pasta out of the boiling water. You missed the odd look that your friends shot you.
"Cuter?" Jongho asked, wanting to add fuel to the fire.
"Maybe." You shrugged.
"What?!" The door burst open and Yunho yelled in disbelief, making you all jump in shock. Hongjoong, who was outside, bowed in apology to the surprised customers before hurriedly pushing Yunho in the kitchen.
"Geez, Yunho! There are customers! You can't just suddenly yell like that." He scolded in a hiss before exiting to return to the dining room.
"Yunho, don't do that. You're disrupting customers and it's not safe where we're working with knives here." You frowned.
"Wait, do you seriously think Gunho is cuter than me?" Yunho planted his hand on the counter, blocking your way with his body. Seonghwa, Wooyoung and Jongho snickered.
"Does it matter? Now, I need to plate my dish." You said, walking around him to go to the plates.
"Yes, it matters to me!" Yunho threw a tantrum, stomping his food as he whined.
"(y/n)~" He whined when he realised that you were ignoring him. You plated each pasta on each plate, making sure the positions of each pasta was accurate and similar. He leaned down in front of you.
"(y/n), tell me I'm cuter than Gunho." He said. You rolled your eyes, patting his head to pacify him then walking to get the seolleongtang into a jug so you could pour it over the pasta. Yunho sulked, following you around like a puppy with separation anxiety. You poured the broth over, garnishing with two oils.
"Pass me the egg garnish." You instructed. Yunho sighed but handed the containers for you to put the garnishes over.
"Bring these out for service, will you?" You told him and went to prepare the other portions. Seonghwa, Wooyoung and Jongho called the others for service too.
"Yah. Don't just stand there. Keep moving." Mingi clicked his tongue as he carried the dishes in his hands.
"We might have a little lull time before dessets." Wooyoung said.
"(y/n). Tell me I'm better than Gunho." Yunho came in again, still pushing his agenda. You raised an eyebrow at him. He was seriously a pouty puppy.
"I don't know Gunho well enough to know if you're truly better than him. That's biased." You pointed out.
"True." San, who overheard, voiced in agreement. Yunho whipped around, glaring at San.
"Get out." He pointed at the door. San scoffed and rolled his eyes before going out. Turning back around, Yunho saw that you had slipped away. You were still doing the few orders for mains and appetisers that came in.
"Service." You handed the plates to Wooyoung. Yeosang came in to take them out to the dining room. Seonghwa and Jongho also served what they finished working on. Yunho brought them out.
"Let's take 5." Seonghwa suggested. You stepped out the back door for a breather. Yunho came back to find you missing.
"I'm just taking a breather, Yunho." You said when he stepped out of the back door.
"I know." He said, taking a seat beside you on the stoop. With his body practically brushing against yours, you didn't move away uncomfortably. You sat there in silence.
"Why were you so adament on me thinking you're better than Gunho? It doesn't matter what I think." You asked with a chuckle.
"No, it matters to me." Yunho said firmly.
"Why?"
"Because you can't like Gunho. I want to be the only one that you like." He frowned.
~
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Expectancy ~KTH
{Part I}
➜Pairing: Kim Taehyung x OC
➜Genre: Soulmate AU, Fluff, (Slight) Angst, (Slight) Smut, Series
Warnings: None for this part
➜Word Count: 2k
➜Summary: The first words soulmates ever speak to one another are written on each other's body - and those very first words immensely daunt famous CEO Kim Taehyung, to the point he's dreading to meet his own soulmate.
Kim Taehyung
"I hate you"
It is believed that 'hate' is a strong word and Taehyung has come to share that belief to his very core. Ever since he dicovered its meaning, he has been contemplating on the weight such a word might carry. Usually it is used to express contempt, sometimes it can even be used to tease somebody. The second manner would be okay, however, it's the first one Taehyung has always dreaded. Can one blame him though? Any sane person would worry knowing that the first words their soulmate addresses to them could be those of hatred. Letting out a long sigh, he glances at his wrist wriggling aside his expensive watch to reveal the phrase tattooed on his skin in cursive. "Will you really hate me?", he wonders to himself leaning back in the leather chair at his office. To say he has done his absolute best to prevent those words from being hostile was a given. Aside from the values he's received from his upbringing, Taehyung had always tried to be kind and gentle to everyone he's met over the course of the years. One would call it 'pretend' if it weren't for the fact that Taehyung was genuinely a nice person, to begin with. That's why, he found it even more unbelievable that his soulmate of all people would direct those words towards him, in the first place. To the eyes of many women, Taehyung was seen as a real catch; a confident young man with an intimidating aura, a successful CEO with dashingly good looks, often wearing a serious, blank expression on his face and occasionally shooting sharp, intense stares. Perhaps, it may be the rumours of his overall demeanour and not his actual character that will displease her. That, he could handle...
From the top of the skyscraper where his personal office is, Taehyung averts his gaze to the view of the city's sprawl through the glass windows. His signature blank expression takes over his face but his mind is far from blank at the moment. Luckily, the thoughts swirling in his head are put to a stop at the sound of his mobile ringing.
"Hello?"
"Ah Taehyungie! Are we still on for tonight?"
"Yes, I'll be coming once I'm off from work..."
"Great! Could you perhaps bring some desserts? Our little Ae-cha has cravings"
"Anything for my cute little girl! I'll stop by a store to get something on my way there"
"Thank you so much Taetae! Take care! See you tonight!"
Placing the phone back in his pocket with a small smile, Taehyung briefly relishes that fact that at least he's got the two of them in his life. Sharing a bond with him that likens the one of a soulmate and being part of such a lovely family are what have kept Taehyung comforted whenever he gets desperate or depressed at the idea of never meeting, or worse, being hated by his soulmate. Sometimes, he can't help the guilt of being lulled into feeling content with this kind of settlement but, at the end of the day, he's only human - and humans dread ending up alone.
----
Leaving work a couple hours later in high spirits, the eligible CEO gets in his GV80 and drives off. On the road, he takes glances at the off-street shops searching for the one suitable to satisfy little Ae-cha's cravings. Finally spotting a decent looking bakery, Taehyung parks his car and starts getting ready to head inside. Since he doesn't want to go through the trouble of being recognised by anyone, he opts to wear a white mask and a pair of colour-matched earbuds. Entering the small bakery with a chime in the door, he looks around only to notice a single employee decorating some patbingsoo in the oven room. With a slight shrug, he begins his search to select the perfect option of a dessert for Ae-cha. Settling on some hotteok, he heads over to the check-out seeing that the female employee has returned in order to service him. To his surprise though, he can't seem to overlook the dark brunette employee in front of him. Clear, brown eyes meet his own as he hands her over the pack of hotteok. Slim, long fingers fiddle around placing the package inside a bag while he's just left observing actions. No words are spoken between them, which Taehyung attributes to the fact that the mask, the earbuds and his signature blank look don't exactly make him look like the most approchable person at the moment. After handing over the amount of money commensurate for the price of the product, he forces himself to just take the bag and leave. However, having no intention of ever neglecting his good manners, before he exits, Taehyung turns slightly around to face the female employee and utters with a small bow, "Goodnight". He would be lying to himself if he didn't admit that this girl caught his eye. But since he has no intention of further falling out with his soulmate, he's not going to make a move on any other girl. Shutting the bakery's door behind him, he's about to head over to his car but instead he's interrupted by the sound of the door's chime, that's being opened and then shut once again. Before even getting the chance to turn around, the words Taehyung has been both dreading and desiring to hear his whole life are being yelled furiously at him, "I hate you!".
Kang Mi-rae
"Goodnight"
A phrase so commonly used it barely holds any special meaning to everyone but Mi-rae... Since these will be her soulmate's very first words to her. In the beginning, she was worried; if she was going to hear that word almost every day in her life, how could she know which was coming from her soulmate? However, that worry was long gone the moment the phrase was uttered to her by a random classmate of hers during primary school. Despite him having said the exact word tattooed on the skin of her mid-thigh in cursive, Mi-rae was not the least bit alerted. That's how she realised that the word would hold true meaning only when spoken to her by her own soulmate. So, she went on with her life constanly dreaming and longing to meet her one and only, the love of her life, her soulmate... And days turned into months and months turned into years with Mi-rae threading her way through all kinds of struggles withour her soulmate by her side. Her faith on meeting him, though, had always provided her with the strength and comfort she needed to pull through them all. Her thoughts were always consumed and centered around finding him. Everytime she visited a new place or met new people, all she could think about was "Could he be here?", "Could he be the one?". One would say she was starting to get obsessed, but she had honestly tried not to put too much thought into it. But how could she not constantly look for her other half when she knew he's somewhere out there?
Growing up with watching rom-coms and reading romance novels, Mi-rae had long since prepared herself for her love story and her eagerness to experience it has never ceased. However, her patience had started to grow thinner and thinner as time kept going by and she was left to watch all the girls around her find their soulmates. Soon, her unfulfilled yearning gave way to frustration and bitter thoughts.
Is love that hard to find in this world?
Or does it come only when you don't look for it?
But how can I not look for it?
How can I let it go and move on with my life until someday I 'accidentally' come across it?
I need it now!
If I ever meet my soulmate I'll tell him that I hate him!
I hate him for not showing up earlier, I hate him for not showing up when I needed him most, I hate him for not taking care of me when he should have, I hate him for not being my shoulder to cry on, I hate him for- I just hate him!
I'll make sure to tell him that!
----
It is yet another chilly evening with Mi-rae working at her family's bakery. The small shop, well-known in the area, was passed down to one generation after the other and truthfully, Mi-rae was content with being part of the family business. Ever since she was little, she always accompanied her parents and helped them with their work at the bakery; from making soboro bread with her dad to decorating patbingsoo with her mum. She never had great aspiration in terms of a career even if she excelled at school and had the potential to study both law and medical sciences alike. On the contrary, Mi-rae desired a different and simple life; all she wanted was to have a loving family someday. She dreamt of that 'happily ever after' with her caring husband and their sweet children. Unfortunately though, without her soulmate, that dream will always be out of reach... With her tenth frustrated sigh, today, triggered by thoughts of her soulmate, she withdraws to the oven room and starts decorating some patbingsoo in order to cheer herself up. Not long after, the chime of the door from the bakery's entrance notifies her of a customer's arrival. Finishing up the last touches and placing the desserts inside the refrigerator, she heads up to the check-out waiting for the customer while slightly yet rhythmically tapping her hands on the counter.
When a tall, golden blond-haired man enters her line of vision, her tapping halts as she's about to greet him. However, be it the fact that he's wearing earbuds or that he's avoiding eye contact with her, she hesitates to do so. Simply taking the pack of hotteok he selected, she puts it in a bag after a quick scan of its bar code. Opening her mouth to state its price, she's once again silenced by him handing her the exact amount of money required. Mi-rae had dealt with rude and ignorant customers before and it had always consisted of her giving them a stern yet good-natured scolding to the point they apologised to her for their behaviour. This time, however, it was different. Observing the blank expression on this man's face, feeling his intimidating aura, glimpsing at his intense brown orbs; she couldn't bring herself to properly address him, let along snap at him. Therefore, without the both of them having uttered a single word to one another, she watches as the subdued man begins to walk out of her bakery. Letting out a breath she didn't realise she was holding back, she's about to return to her patbingsoo decorating when suddenly the sound of a certain familiar word reaches her ears, "Goodnight". Halting her step with her lips parting, a wide-eyed Mi-rae finds herself almost unable to comprehend what she just heard. Consumed by a world-shaking feeling, the phrase ringing in her ears over and over, she bolts towards the exit of the bakery.
It's him.
My... My actual...
My actual SOULMATE!
IT'S HIM!
It feels as if she is running in slow motion whereas her thoughts are running wild at the speed of light. She's finally met her soulmate! The one who's going to love and cherish her unconditionally! The one she's going to spend the rest of her days with, share a family with! The life she has always dreamt of is now within her reach! Euphoria wells up inside her at these thoughts yet the bitter memories from the past instantly catch up to her. All the times she cried over the loneliness she felt by his absence. Her hopes of meeting him getting shattered day after day with no sign of him. She suffered from that emptiness her whole life... All because he wasn't there, beside her! Once out of the bakery, Mi-rae doesn't need to think of the first thing she is going to say to her soulmate. Glaring at his back with tears appearing at the corner of her eyes, she lets out all the frustration she had in store for him in a single phrase, "I hate you!".
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