Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Fresh mint, Salty Chips.
A week had passed since the incident at the café. Neither Haruki nor I had the guts to go back after that fiasco. But, yesterday had been payday, and we were both craving some sweets, so we said "screw you" to what little dignity we had and took a turn towards the café. As soon as we entered the place, we noticed the quietness. The atmosphere was calm and soothing, the rain outside made the scenery feel romantic and serene. Haruki and I looked at each other, then with a big inhale, we approached the counter. The almond tones of the counter contrasted the gray tones of the chalkboard behind it. A pale blonde girl approached us, her familiar smile and sweet-looking eyes gave off a sense of comfort.
"Same as before? Let's see..." She asked, the tip of her index finger tapping her cheek as if she was thinking. She started tapping on the computer in front of her.
"Two Orion cakes, four honey butter chips bags, one coco pie, and…" She looked up and made eye contact with me.
"One brownie and one banana-lime cake," She finished with a satisfied smile. I stared at her in shock.
"You...how?...I…" I babbled out.
"I have a great memory, and you are a very remarkable person, your appearances are hard to forget" Her tone was proper and polite, yet there was some humor behind it. Beside me, Haruki chuckled.
"Who would forget a girl who ran out of their café like a maniac, just to come back in later?" Haruki stated in a whisper loud enough for me to hear, however, the girl still let out a giggle.
"My name is Jihyo, Jihyo Kwon," She said in a cheerful voice, giving a bow to both of us.
"Nice to meet you! I'm Haruki, Haruki Sakurai" Haruki introduced himself with ease, meanwhile, I was still trying to wrap my head around what had just happened.
"I… Lee… Miyeon… Miyeon Lee," I managed to say. Still baffled by the situation.
"Nice to meet you both! I'll go ahead and get your order going." She smiled brightly at both of us, and I couldn't help but smile back. Forget about the disaster of last week, she was nice and held no remorse.
"Let's sit over there." Haruki and I sat in some rusty caramel-tinted solo sofas, the wicker table in front of us held a few magazines. We sat in comfortable silence while awaiting our order.
"Miyeon Lee?" I looked up to find a dark blonde guy, he was the twin. His arms were holding the bags with our order, and in between, he held two cups with coffee. He seemed like he was struggling, so I quickly got up and reached out to help him.
"Here, I got you" I grabbed the bags, so he could set the cups on the table, but then something hit me.
"Excuse me? But I think there's been a misunderstanding. We didn't order coffee" I said with a bit of embarrassment, the guy whispered something inaudible.
"I'm sorry. What?" I leaned towards him, and he backed away rapidly, leaving me behind with a confused look.
"It's on the house, enjoy it" His ears were fuming, red as cherries.
"Oh… Thank you," I said, then quietly sat back down. Had he…had he just blushed? I shook my head to get rid of such ridiculous thoughts. He was coming from the kitchen, the coffee was hot, his face was just red because of the vapor. Haruki seemed oblivious to the whole situation, cheerfully devouring his banana and lime cake. His cheeks resemble that of a hamster storing food away as if winter season approached. I snorted and grabbed an orion cake while I started a conversation with him about our assignments for our next class.
Around two o'clock that day, Haruki and I parted ways. He wasn't working today, nor was I, but we had both decided to run our separate errands and go to work together tomorrow as usual. Our last class of the day had been suspended, and we had gotten out early. I decided to go home and rest, but first I had to do laundry. I had heard from Haruki that there was a laundromat near our school, it was perfect. Thankfully, I had already planned to do laundry. I had brought an extra bag with my dirty clothes to avoid going back home and wasting precious resting time. Going based on the directions Haruki had given me, I arrived in front of a building with silver letters that read "LAUNDROMAT" as their outside sign. I peered through the windows and realized there wasn't anybody inside.
"Is it closed?" I asked myself out loud while going to try to open the door. I had expected it to be locked and put unnecessary extra strength into the pull, causing the door to fly open and almost break. Likewise, I immediately panicked and tried to stop the door while I heard another door open. While hanging to the almost broken door, I witnessed the one human on this earth I've been avoiding for more than a week by now. I felt ashamed of myself for running away, but he seemed like someone to not mess with, besides it had been my fault for bumping into him, (the week after my second encounter with him had given me time to reflect on my actions, something I never did) I saw him coming through the back door of the place, grab a bag, and go out through the same door. I caught a glimpse of black strands, and the image of the black-haired beauty from the café appeared in my mind. I could picture her, intimidating, remorseful, full of rage, and opted for walking out of here before I had my neck snapped.
"Oh! Hello! Do you need help?" A cheerful voice called out. I shook my head, still not facing her. My tremulous limbs made my nerves obvious.
"Oh… Well, suit yourself. They are self-service machines, if you need anything I'll be inside this room, just ring the bell," She said, and I heard the door shut as she went back into the employee's room, the same one Junseo had gone into.
I stayed still for a second, hand on the doorknob, debating whether to leave or not. I pondered over last week's events, my fears were irrational, the guy had just left, the girl probably didn't have a good look at my face. But, most importantly, I had to do laundry! I was already wasting my time with my bed, who knows when will I ever have another opportunity to rest? With newfound determination, I turned around and walked towards the first washing machine. I grabbed my coins and laundry detergent. After two hours of washing, drying, and ironing my clothes I was out and on my way home. I had had no complications with the machines, so there had been no need to call for assistance. As I walked to the train station, the freshness of the scented mint of my laundry bag, which I had also washed, filled my nostrils and calmed my still racing heart. My thoughts wandered everywhere and nowhere, to the point where I almost felt like a robot in default mode, just completing an everyday task, nothing special.
The feeling of emptiness ironically filled me. I boarded the train and headed home, my phone vibrated in my pocket, yet I felt no energy to pick up the call. I slept on the train and drowsily walked home as soon as I arrived at my stop. When I arrived, I fixed my closet, organized my house, and walked towards my desk to work on some assignments. I set my phone beside my laptop, and at that moment a little 'ding' caught my attention.
"Hey, I have been calling you. Where are you?" Haruki had written. I stared at the text and Slowly grabbed the phone, pushed the icon with Haruki's face on it, and called.
"Noona! I've been calling you, you dork!" He said as soon as the call connected. I chuckled at his voice, rash and hoarse because of all the screaming he had probably been doing. He had gone to volunteer at a local nursing home, the kids must've driven him crazy.
"Hey, you know, maybe you should become a teacher, you nag like one already" I mocked while resting my head on my forearms and leaning on my desk.
"Shut up," He clapped back, "If anything I should become your life coach. I believe by your current tone of voice you are sulking in misery and doing nothing about it" The accuracy of the sentence was enough to make me sit up straight and laugh nervously.
"Oh, please Haruki. Who do you take me for?" I said as I reclined on the chair, crossing my legs and twisting a strand of hair with my finger.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought I was speaking with Miyeon Lee. I apologize, madam, I must've mistaken you for my friend, while you have your life pulled together and don't sulk in silence while procrastinating on assignments that are due in less than two hours," The mention of the assignments made me look at the clock.
5:00pm
Then I glanced at the post-it on my calendar.
Sketch due at 7:00 pm today!
And that's all it took for me to grab my materials and hurriedly start my assignment. Haruki must've heard the hassle that followed the dead silence while realization hit me like a truck, he was now laughing over the phone.
"You're acting like you don't have stuff to do," I said while struggling to organize my materials.
"I, indeed, do not have anything to do. I finished my work earlier today," He said in a calm tone. I could picture him reclining on the couch in his room, eating popcorn or chips while enjoying my suffering.
"So, you're calling for?" I asked.
"Moral support." He replied nonchalantly.
"Wow, I can feel the love," I said sharply.
"Hey, hey, I wasn't the one who declined my sweet friend's help" He replied, I could hear a small 'crunch' and was now more than convinced he was eating, which surprisingly gave me an idea for my sketch. I set to work while listening to him.
"I'm almost done," I said, defining the lips of the person I was drawing. "Also, thanks for the help"
"Huh?" He asked, his confused gaze appeared clearly in my mind's eye.
"You are now my muse, drawn eating chips while sitting on your couch in 3D motion," I said while lifting my sketch. It wasn't my best work, but I could even use it as a mirror if I put it next to Haruki. It seemed hurried, and even a bit sloppy, but the resemblance was undeniable, now I just needed proof.
"Send me a picture of you eating right now, eye-level angle, please," I requested while I listened to Haruki move around on the other line. I was thankful he didn't question me, after all, art students understand each other. After a couple of minutes the file arrived as an email, I took my sketchbook and copied the image on it to my digital pad. There were a few details here and there, and I was done with it just in time to turn it in. My phone was hot from having Haruki on the line for more than two hours. Yet, after turning in the assignment, I switched to a video call and saw Haruki's face with crumbs of chips scattered everywhere. Such a lack of dignity came from a person who always cared for his appearance.
"You're still eating?" I asked.
"I was afraid I was going to distract you if I stopped eating since you would not be able to hear the sound anymore and thought that you might lose your image," He said while gulping down a massive amount of water, the saltiness of the chips must be getting to him already.
"Aww, thank you. But, don't worry about it next time, once I picture something in my mind, these," I raised my hands, "Do the rest, besides, you sent me a picture, remember?" I asked, teasing him.
Haruki laughed, and we continued to talk while I prepared dinner. He flopped on his bed to rest. Around ten o'clock, we said our goodbyes and hung up. After a refreshing shower, and preparing my clothes for tomorrow. (I was determined to not look like trash the next day, Haruki had been getting on my nerves with all his outfits) I grabbed a book and laid in bed. My eyelids started to feel heavier, and before long I was sound asleep.
Junseo arrived home late that evening. Why? Because he had to keep watch on the cameras at the laundromat while Jisoo went and worked on her assignments. It still amazed him that he had gone there to pick up some things, then gotten stuck helping cover Jisoo's shift. He didn't even work there! If it wasn't because he knew the system up and down he would have declined, besides, it wasn't as if it was something difficult. The only difficult thing was when she arrived.
The universe must have some old grudge against him, now that insane girl was following places even outside of campus. He wondered whether she was looking to apologize to him because if that was the case he was about to make her pay for his ruined shirt. Jisoo had left and told the girl that if she needed anything to just ring the bell, Junseo had been sort of expecting her to ruin the machines as he had witnessed how she almost broke the door. But, surprisingly, she did her tasks quietly, almost too quietly. It seemed as if she watched every single step she took as if some terrible fate would fall over her if she did something wrong. She walked out of the store and Junseo witnessed her stroll back towards the train station.
"She takes that train?" He asked himself, "Just how far is her house?" The train she had taken was indeed the one that led out of the city, he started wondering why she would attend college here, yet went back home every day when her house was so far away.
"Whatever," He scoffed, "It's not like it has anything to do with me." He went back to paying attention to the cameras, assisted a couple of clients. By ten o'clock, he was home and eating dinner with Jisoo, who at this point was still going over the editing of her paper.
"Stop," Junseo called out, then smacked the top of her head with a spoon hastily.
"What-" She mumbled, still not looking up, clumsily bringing the chopsticks close to her mouth while her eyes still darted over the paper.
"You're going to get stains on your paper," He said while taking another bite of his food. Jisoo ignored him once again. Annoyed by this, he took the bowl of noodles from her and finally got her attention.
"What now?!" She exclaimed.
"Either eat or finish your paper, your multitasking skills are worse than my grandma's," He scolded her.
"Fine, fine, I'll eat," She said while setting the papers to the side and reluctantly closing her laptop. Junseo smiled and went back to eating. The atmosphere was calm and peaceful.
"So, did you talk to her?" The question took him off guard, and the water he had been drinking went through the wrong pipe.
"W-what… coff… a-ar?" He asked, although it was not a full sentence, Jisoo caught the message.
"The girl who ruined your shirt. I saw her today, even though she seemed like she wanted to become a ghost. I thought you would confront her and ask her to pay for your shirt," She said as if that was the most obvious thing to do.
"I'm not that petty. It's just a shirt," He said while bitterly grabbing his cup with water again.
"Yeah, right," She said, looking at him with an expression that read, "You are the one who almost had a heart attack last time one of your shirts got stained" Junseo ignored her and kept eating. That, until he realized a small, yet significant detail.
When the hell did he tell her about the shirt? And most importantly, how the hell did she know that girl was the same girl who had spilled coffee on him? He raised an eyebrow and stared down at Jisoo, staring at him unbothered while she chewed her food. She swallowed and cleared her throat.
"Glaring down at her when we were at the café. The fact that when we came back you went to your room and grabbed the white shirt, and then threw it away. How you kept mumbling "You little crap, wait 'till I get my hands on you" while angrily squinting in the direction which she and the other little fellow left," She counted her fingers while listing her reasons. Junseo just managed to stare at her, bemused. She turned her attention from her fingers to him, her eyes scanning his expression.
"Shall I continue?" She asked.
"No. You made your point," Junseo answered. He got up and directed his attention towards washing the dish.
"You still haven't answered me," Jisoo extended her dish towards him and shook it. Junseo turned around, aware of such a gesture, grabbed the bowl, politely, and turned back toward the sink. The sound of the running faucet filled the kitchen.
"I don't think it's a big deal, that's all"
"Wow, the guy who has beaten countless guys for disrespecting him, is going to let go of someone who ruined his favorite shirt?"
"It wasn't my favorite shirt"
"It was one of the many"
"I don't fight girls"
"What the heck? What am I then?"
"You are you"
"You little…"
"It's not polite to argue with girls"
"Equal rights, equal fights"
"Don't you dare use my words against me"
"AHA! So you admit you would fight girls! So what about her?"
"…"
"Don't tell me you did something idiotic and that's the reason you don't want to face her"
Junseo's mind instantly replayed the subtle flirting he had done the first time he met the annoying, tiny nuisance. His hands suddenly stopped moving, and he rinsed the dishes he had been continuously scrubbing, despite them being already clean, for the past ten minutes while this conversation was taking place. He quietly finished and dried his hands with a towel, turned around to face Jisoo, and found her immersed in her work again. Despite this, her ears raised, he knew she was ready to listen.
"I may, or may not, have been a bit of a jerk the first time we met," He confessed, while also remembering he had bluntly ignored the girl and her apology.
"Are you talking about when we first met, or are you talking about the other girl?" She asked, clearly confused.
"You threw a bat at me the first time we met," Junseo crossed his arms.
"You looked like a stalker," Jisoo admitted.
"I was your freaking classmate!" Offended by such comparison, Junseo felt a small twitch on his left eye.
"A creepy classmate," Jisoo let out a small chuckle. "That's not the point here, what exactly did you do that made you not want to face her?" She leaned forwards and Junseo avoided her eyes.
He mumbled something, and Jisoo cupped her left ear while leaning forward to him, indicating she hadn't heard him.
"… I winked at her," Junseo felt a sudden heat on his neck.
"…" Jisoo's lips formed into a thin line, her eyes also turned blank as she loaded the information given to her.
"You? Winked?" She asked, Junseo nodded.
"As in, closed only one of your eyes, flirtatiously?" She asked again. She wanted to confirm what she had heard. Once again, Junseo nodded, slower this time. Jisoo's lips turned into a perfect 'o' and she nodded slowly. Then after a couple of seconds, she spoke.
"Junseo?" She called.
"Huh?" He responded.
"Are you really a creep?" She finally voiced her concerns, at the sound of that question Junseo shot up from his seat and retreated to his room without another word. Jisoo stayed at the table, pondering over the matter slightly while going back to work. But, although a part of her was genuinely concerned, the other one wanted to burst out laughing. Her inner debate was strong enough for her outside expression to look blank and stern. Her poker face kept on until very late that day. When she finally retreated to bed, she wheezed into her pillow and fell into a fit of laughter. On the other side of the hallway, Junseo opened his door and threw a pillow at her door.
"SHUT UP! Some of us are trying to have a peaceful existential crisis!" He screamed, then shut his door and retreated to the corner, where he had been overthinking everything for the past couple of hours. It wasn't until around midnight when he managed to fall asleep, still, his thoughts followed him even in his dreams. The next morning, his energy levels were similar to that of an octogenarian from the local retirement home. His morning routine went slower than usual, later that day, as he cleaned the bathrooms on the second floor, he once again felt a tinge of regret. Maybe he should try to confront her, either way, it was her fault. He had nothing to be sorry for. As he pushed the little cart with cleaning supplies, he went over to the janitor's closet. For some reason, he thought that maybe he would find her there.
Sure enough, there she was. The hallway led to a class of hers, and she was standing there looking down at her phone, debating on something mentally. He was going to ask her to pay for his ruined shirt. It was only rational for him to do so. Slowly he began to approach her, feeling his heart racing due to anticipation. Where had all that stupid confidence come from the other day? He needed it now. Why was talking to people harder than beating the living hell out of them? He ran a hand through his hair, unconsciously grabbing his neck in the process. He let out a heavy sigh.
Then, he tapped her shoulder.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
4564KA
4564KA Thank you for reading again today! I apologize for the late update I had a compromise earlier today and it took longer than expected! Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! See you next week!
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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