Make a Wish
Chapter Two
Morning comes with no trace of last night’s storm. The cafe remains still with exception to the ruffling of blankets. A mop of black hair tunnels from under layers of fabric into the streaks of sunlight sneaking through the small window. Sleepy eyes squint against the piercing brightness, trying to make sense of what is going on. The throbbing of his temple elicits a groan out of the man. He firmly presses a hand against the pain, slightly rubbing it. Where the hell am I? The man looks around: a shed-like place, with many cupboards filled with flour and sugar and baking necessities, a chair with--- wait, are those his clothes hanging on the backs? Confused and concerned, he flings back the blankets, and sure enough, he is completely naked with only his boxers on. Oh shit. He frantically jumps off the bed and gathers his clothes in his arms. Half way stuffing his leg into his trouser, a girl with brown hair walks in carrying a tray with what seems to be hot coffee and bread.
“Oh, you’re awake,” Nana sets the tray down on an empty shelf. Her eyes unconsciously rake up and down at the man in front of her. Can’t deny it, he is pretty hot. Nana immediately reprimands herself for such thought. Shaking her head, she speaks again, “You were sick last night and drunk. I swear, nothing happened.” She prides herself in her steady voice.
The man chuckles in embarrassment after realizing he is still midway putting on his pants; his grey eyes crinkle slightly, “Usually in dramas, it’s always the girls in the position I’m in right now. How embarrassing. I hope I didn’t cause too much trouble.” He is now half dressed.
Yeah, you made me stay here all night. “No, it was fine. I couldn’t just leave you here. You were burning up,” Nana reaches for the tray, “Here are some medicine. Eat up and then take two pills.” The man receives in tray with a grateful nod.
“Thank you.”
Awkwardness presents itself between the two as the man remains unmoving with the tray in his hand, eyes lingering on Nana. Sensing his intense gaze, Nana coughs quietly. She is too drained to handle this stranger right now. She decides that he is a man, therefore, he should be able to take care of himself now that his fever went down.
As Nana turns to leave, the man’s voice stops her, “Where are you going?”
“I’m going to get the cafe ready for today,” her smiles politely, “Get dressed please.”
Blushing furiously, the man quietly watches Nana disappear through the door.
“Wow, that was pathetic,” the man scratches the back of his neck. He picks up a piece of bread, carefully nibbling on it while he sits back down on the bed, still half naked. The bread is sweet, and even though he is not a sweet person, he likes the taste. Tastes like home, he muses. Sighing, he stuffs the rest in his mouth and washes it down with a few gulps of coffee. Family and home are two things he doesn’t want to think about at the moment. He dumps two pills from the medicine bottle and swallows them. After swallowing, only then he slaps him mentally. What if that girl was trying to poison him? He softly laughs. What a ridiculous thought. He puts on the dress shirt and buttons up, but leaving the top two open. He deems the weather too hot. He slings the jacket across his arm along with the tie.
As soon as he steps out of the storage room, a ding draws his attention. An elderly woman enters the cafe.
“Good morning Mrs. Witherspoon. The usual I suppose, toffee cake with hot tea, unsweetened?” Nana greets the woman with a bright smile.
“Yes darling. You know me so well,” Mrs. Whitherspoon seats herself right in front of the counter, “Dear, why are you here so early? Isn’t Mrs. Han here yet?”
“Nope. She told me she’s taking a week off. Her daughter had a baby yesterday!” She replies as she prepares the tea. She ducks behind the counter to fetch a piece of toffee cake.
The stranger leans against the door frame, watching the scene before his eyes. This girl is unusually attractive. No, she’s not gorgeous or stunning, but he feels himself being pulled towards her. The man frowns, tilting his head back. Accidentally, he bangs his head against the wood.
“Ah! Shit!” He curses loudly.
Two heads turn his way at his outburst, further adding to his embarrassment.
“Ah, sorry sorry,” he bows repeatedly, his ears turning red, “I hit myself. Sorry.”
Nana stares at the man in amusement, but quickly turns away. She places the plate and cup in front of Mrs. Whitherspoon, ignoring the man’s existence.
“Nana! Is he the reason you were here so early? Oh, you didn’t go home last night did you?” Mrs. Whitherspoon’s eyes twinkle with mischief, “ Is this your boyfriend you speak so fondly of?”
Taken back, Nana exclaims, “Mrs. Witherspoon! What kind of girl do you think I am?!” She cups her face, feeling the heat searing through her veins.
The man runs his free hand through his wine red hair, not out of impatience, simply out of habit. He stays there. He finds the flustered girl entertaining. I’m not a creeper, he reminds himself, besides there really isn’t anything else for him to do.
“Honey, I’m just playing,” taking a bite into the toffee cake, the elderly woman asks again, “Is he your boyfriend?”
“No,” the reply comes out fast, too fast.
Understanding the firm tone as objection to discuss any further, Mrs. Witherspoon relaxes in her chair, slowly sipping the tea, savoring its zesty fragrance. Nana leaves Mrs.Witherspoon to herself as she briskly brushes by the standing man to bring out the rising dough. She goes into the back, where the ovens are, and separate the dough into small round mounts. She is not the baker of this cafe, but she does like to help out. All the while Nana bustles around, the man follows her every move with his eyes. Mrs. Witherspoon remains silent, carefully munching on her cake. Kids these days, she tsks in her head.
Mrs. Witherspoon slides back the chair, resulting in a startling noise, and calls out to Nana, “I’ll be leaving now! I will see you tomorrow. Now don’t go around engaging in inappropriate behaviors!”
Nana stops rearranging the cups and plates, “Mrs.Witherspoon!” her voice whiny, “I told you, I’m a good girl!”
“Yes, I’m sure you are. Just making sure,” the old woman teases playfully. She is still young at heart after all these years.
“Alright. Goodbye! Be careful on your way home,” Nana walks her to the door and waves a goodbye.
After making sure Mrs. Witherspoon reaches the end of the block safely, Nana returns behind the counter to finish her rearrangements.
“So...” the man draws out as he sits down where Mrs.Witherspoon sat, “no other customers?”
“Technically, we don’t open until 10, but Mrs. Witherspoon is special,” Nana replies crisply. You’re so mean to him. He’s so cute. Why are you so mean to him? Nana signs inwardly. And why are you so annoying? I have a boyfriend. But honey, you know he’s...Don’t say it! Pinching the bridge of her nose, Nana sighs again. She really needs to stop having these arguments with herself.
“If something the matter?” the man studies her with concern. He wonders if she caught a cold from him.
“No, no. Nothing. I’m just tired,” Nana smiles again, waving a hand to dispose such notion.
“Oh well that’s good. I’m Jaejun by the way. Kim Jaejun,” he offers a hand.
“Nana,” a smaller hand slips into the bigger hand.
“Nice to meet you,” Jaejun flashes a smile at her, showing his perfect white teeth. His smile fades, replaced with a childish pout, when he receives no reply from the girl, “Fine, don’t be friendly.”
Nana rolls her eyes. What a drama queen. She stares at him hard, trying to understand why she can’t be nice to him. Whenever he opens his mouth, she thinks of snarky comments and sarcastic comebacks. Maybe it is because he’s too good looking. She takes him in again, this time without his toned chest distracting her. His eyes are big, but not doll-like, yet lustrous as marbles. His lips are cute; small and pouty. His skin is flawless, almost translucent. And to finish it off, he has a head of gorgeous hair. Even with bed hair, he sports the look like a model.
“I’m sorry,” She finally says, “I’m really tired.”
Jaejun watches her lips curl up, and he deems her cute.
Waves of vibration send Jaejun fumbling through his jacket pockets. He gingerly flips the device open and places it next to his ear, “Hello?”
“Yes, I know,” his eyebrows knit into a frown.
“Of course I understand the consequences,” the frown deepens.
A period of silence follows, and Nana sees Jaejun chews his bottom lips. She can only imagine the trouble he is in.
“Of course, of course. I will be there shortly,” Jaejun closes with phone with a snap. Obvious annoyance colors his expression.
“I hope everything goes smoothly,” Nana’s voice is soft and gentle, and most of all, she means what she said. She feels a sudden wave of compassion for this man.
“Thank you. And last night, I really appreciate it,” Jaejun stands to leave.
“Yeah, don’t worry about it. Don’t forget to take medicine.”
“I won’t. Thanks again,” then he strolls towards the door. The door opens; the bell rings; door shut; then Nana stands alone in the cafe.
Morning comes with no trace of last night’s storm. The cafe remains still with exception to the ruffling of blankets. A mop of black hair tunnels from under layers of fabric into the streaks of sunlight sneaking through the small window. Sleepy eyes squint against the piercing brightness, trying to make sense of what is going on. The throbbing of his temple elicits a groan out of the man. He firmly presses a hand against the pain, slightly rubbing it. Where the hell am I? The man looks around: a shed-like place, with many cupboards filled with flour and sugar and baking necessities, a chair with--- wait, are those his clothes hanging on the backs? Confused and concerned, he flings back the blankets, and sure enough, he is completely naked with only his boxers on. Oh shit. He frantically jumps off the bed and gathers his clothes in his arms. Half way stuffing his leg into his trouser, a girl with brown hair walks in carrying a tray with what seems to be hot coffee and bread.
“Oh, you’re awake,” Nana sets the tray down on an empty shelf. Her eyes unconsciously rake up and down at the man in front of her. Can’t deny it, he is pretty hot. Nana immediately reprimands herself for such thought. Shaking her head, she speaks again, “You were sick last night and drunk. I swear, nothing happened.” She prides herself in her steady voice.
The man chuckles in embarrassment after realizing he is still midway putting on his pants; his grey eyes crinkle slightly, “Usually in dramas, it’s always the girls in the position I’m in right now. How embarrassing. I hope I didn’t cause too much trouble.” He is now half dressed.
Yeah, you made me stay here all night. “No, it was fine. I couldn’t just leave you here. You were burning up,” Nana reaches for the tray, “Here are some medicine. Eat up and then take two pills.” The man receives in tray with a grateful nod.
“Thank you.”
Awkwardness presents itself between the two as the man remains unmoving with the tray in his hand, eyes lingering on Nana. Sensing his intense gaze, Nana coughs quietly. She is too drained to handle this stranger right now. She decides that he is a man, therefore, he should be able to take care of himself now that his fever went down.
As Nana turns to leave, the man’s voice stops her, “Where are you going?”
“I’m going to get the cafe ready for today,” her smiles politely, “Get dressed please.”
Blushing furiously, the man quietly watches Nana disappear through the door.
“Wow, that was pathetic,” the man scratches the back of his neck. He picks up a piece of bread, carefully nibbling on it while he sits back down on the bed, still half naked. The bread is sweet, and even though he is not a sweet person, he likes the taste. Tastes like home, he muses. Sighing, he stuffs the rest in his mouth and washes it down with a few gulps of coffee. Family and home are two things he doesn’t want to think about at the moment. He dumps two pills from the medicine bottle and swallows them. After swallowing, only then he slaps him mentally. What if that girl was trying to poison him? He softly laughs. What a ridiculous thought. He puts on the dress shirt and buttons up, but leaving the top two open. He deems the weather too hot. He slings the jacket across his arm along with the tie.
As soon as he steps out of the storage room, a ding draws his attention. An elderly woman enters the cafe.
“Good morning Mrs. Witherspoon. The usual I suppose, toffee cake with hot tea, unsweetened?” Nana greets the woman with a bright smile.
“Yes darling. You know me so well,” Mrs. Whitherspoon seats herself right in front of the counter, “Dear, why are you here so early? Isn’t Mrs. Han here yet?”
“Nope. She told me she’s taking a week off. Her daughter had a baby yesterday!” She replies as she prepares the tea. She ducks behind the counter to fetch a piece of toffee cake.
The stranger leans against the door frame, watching the scene before his eyes. This girl is unusually attractive. No, she’s not gorgeous or stunning, but he feels himself being pulled towards her. The man frowns, tilting his head back. Accidentally, he bangs his head against the wood.
“Ah! Shit!” He curses loudly.
Two heads turn his way at his outburst, further adding to his embarrassment.
“Ah, sorry sorry,” he bows repeatedly, his ears turning red, “I hit myself. Sorry.”
Nana stares at the man in amusement, but quickly turns away. She places the plate and cup in front of Mrs. Whitherspoon, ignoring the man’s existence.
“Nana! Is he the reason you were here so early? Oh, you didn’t go home last night did you?” Mrs. Whitherspoon’s eyes twinkle with mischief, “ Is this your boyfriend you speak so fondly of?”
Taken back, Nana exclaims, “Mrs. Witherspoon! What kind of girl do you think I am?!” She cups her face, feeling the heat searing through her veins.
The man runs his free hand through his wine red hair, not out of impatience, simply out of habit. He stays there. He finds the flustered girl entertaining. I’m not a creeper, he reminds himself, besides there really isn’t anything else for him to do.
“Honey, I’m just playing,” taking a bite into the toffee cake, the elderly woman asks again, “Is he your boyfriend?”
“No,” the reply comes out fast, too fast.
Understanding the firm tone as objection to discuss any further, Mrs. Witherspoon relaxes in her chair, slowly sipping the tea, savoring its zesty fragrance. Nana leaves Mrs.Witherspoon to herself as she briskly brushes by the standing man to bring out the rising dough. She goes into the back, where the ovens are, and separate the dough into small round mounts. She is not the baker of this cafe, but she does like to help out. All the while Nana bustles around, the man follows her every move with his eyes. Mrs. Witherspoon remains silent, carefully munching on her cake. Kids these days, she tsks in her head.
Mrs. Witherspoon slides back the chair, resulting in a startling noise, and calls out to Nana, “I’ll be leaving now! I will see you tomorrow. Now don’t go around engaging in inappropriate behaviors!”
Nana stops rearranging the cups and plates, “Mrs.Witherspoon!” her voice whiny, “I told you, I’m a good girl!”
“Yes, I’m sure you are. Just making sure,” the old woman teases playfully. She is still young at heart after all these years.
“Alright. Goodbye! Be careful on your way home,” Nana walks her to the door and waves a goodbye.
After making sure Mrs. Witherspoon reaches the end of the block safely, Nana returns behind the counter to finish her rearrangements.
“So...” the man draws out as he sits down where Mrs.Witherspoon sat, “no other customers?”
“Technically, we don’t open until 10, but Mrs. Witherspoon is special,” Nana replies crisply. You’re so mean to him. He’s so cute. Why are you so mean to him? Nana signs inwardly. And why are you so annoying? I have a boyfriend. But honey, you know he’s...Don’t say it! Pinching the bridge of her nose, Nana sighs again. She really needs to stop having these arguments with herself.
“If something the matter?” the man studies her with concern. He wonders if she caught a cold from him.
“No, no. Nothing. I’m just tired,” Nana smiles again, waving a hand to dispose such notion.
“Oh well that’s good. I’m Jaejun by the way. Kim Jaejun,” he offers a hand.
“Nana,” a smaller hand slips into the bigger hand.
“Nice to meet you,” Jaejun flashes a smile at her, showing his perfect white teeth. His smile fades, replaced with a childish pout, when he receives no reply from the girl, “Fine, don’t be friendly.”
Nana rolls her eyes. What a drama queen. She stares at him hard, trying to understand why she can’t be nice to him. Whenever he opens his mouth, she thinks of snarky comments and sarcastic comebacks. Maybe it is because he’s too good looking. She takes him in again, this time without his toned chest distracting her. His eyes are big, but not doll-like, yet lustrous as marbles. His lips are cute; small and pouty. His skin is flawless, almost translucent. And to finish it off, he has a head of gorgeous hair. Even with bed hair, he sports the look like a model.
“I’m sorry,” She finally says, “I’m really tired.”
Jaejun watches her lips curl up, and he deems her cute.
Waves of vibration send Jaejun fumbling through his jacket pockets. He gingerly flips the device open and places it next to his ear, “Hello?”
“Yes, I know,” his eyebrows knit into a frown.
“Of course I understand the consequences,” the frown deepens.
A period of silence follows, and Nana sees Jaejun chews his bottom lips. She can only imagine the trouble he is in.
“Of course, of course. I will be there shortly,” Jaejun closes with phone with a snap. Obvious annoyance colors his expression.
“I hope everything goes smoothly,” Nana’s voice is soft and gentle, and most of all, she means what she said. She feels a sudden wave of compassion for this man.
“Thank you. And last night, I really appreciate it,” Jaejun stands to leave.
“Yeah, don’t worry about it. Don’t forget to take medicine.”
“I won’t. Thanks again,” then he strolls towards the door. The door opens; the bell rings; door shut; then Nana stands alone in the cafe.