Chapter 2: A Friend I Once Knew
Hwan Bae is tall.
Not only is he tall, not only does he have four piercings in one ear and three in the other.
Hwan Bae -- the young man standing in Little Baoxi's doorway, is none other than the little boy she used to frequent back in primary school. And he definitely didn't look like that back then.
He stands there with his brown messenger bag slung loosely over his broad shoulder, one hand propped on his hip as if it's an everyday occurrence for him to waltz into bakeries for interviews. Maybe he is used to it. Maybe that's why he decided to call her up -- because he's just as desperate for a job as she is.
He doesn't recognize her. At least, Sera doesn't think so. Nothing in his gaze screams of recognition but then again, it has been a long time since they'd last seen each other. Ten years? Maybe more?
So she drops her gaze to the questions scribbled in her notebook that she'd prepared in a frenzy last night and asks, "I know you said you're currently in culinary school. But do you have any baking experience?"
"Yeah, you can say that."
"And you're free everyday from six to five? What about the academy?"
"We have a few months off until the next semester starts."
"Ah okay."
Sera keeps her head down low while analyzing his resume. From what she sees, Hwan is quite the prodigy, having won an award in a high school competition, which has led to further studies in La Cuilliere, the most famous hotel management college with a specialization in culinary arts. He'd received a scholarship from the said school and has been granted quite a few awards up until last year, which feels surprisingly blank in comparison to his earlier achievements.
"You're okay with the minimum wage as your salary?" Sera asks as the question pops into her head.
He crosses his arms over his chest, something akin to faint amusement crossing his features, "I wouldn't be here if I wasn't."
But he'd literally have everyone at his feet. So why choose here? Why Little Baoxi?
"Do you come here often?" she asks.
"I used to when I was little. Not anymore though," he says, leaning back to rest against his chair, "I don't live in this neighbourhood."
The questions burning upon Sera's tongue are scalding hot, but by the way Hwan has been evading questions that might've probed at more than his work experience, it's clear that his personal life is something he seems reluctant to talk about. And as suspicious as she is, Sera doesn't want to scare away her only potential candidate that Little Baoxi needs right at this moment.
So she gathers up every ounce of courage she has left, reaches her hand forward towards him, and says:
"You're hired."
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"Hwan Bae?" Lina's eyebrows furrow at the center, lips pursing as she absentmindedly takes another bite of her ice cream, "that does ring a bell."
Ever since coming back to the island of Mauritius, a small country found in the Indian Ocean right underneath Madagascar, one of the things that Sera has enjoyed the most is rekindling the old relationships with the rest of her family and cousins. Lina is one of them, having grown up in practically the same household and being only two years apart in age. The pair had been a mixture of enemies and best friends, never knowing on which foot they danced around each other.
Now though, the two cousins have never been closer and Sera wouldn't know what she'd do if it weren't for Lina supporting her Gong gong's dream.
They are currently installed on one of Mauritius' sandy beaches off the West coast, with the sea breeze coating the air in salt and the sand trickling in-between their toes.
Sera takes a bite of her own chocolate ice-cream, hissing at the icy chill spazzing through her teeth, "I lost track of him when we got to high school. But I remember him as a little shy kid. Kinda chubby and always being pushed around by others."
"And now he's hot?"
"Well," Sera grimaces at the memory, "I wouldn't say he's hot, unless you're into guys that scream 'bad boy' and who have more piercings on their ears than you do on your entire body."
"Oh, I think I remember!" Lina springs up, half-bitten cone forgotten in her hand, "he used to be friends with some of my friends back in high school, and I know I saw him at a farewell party once…" she shudders, "that had ended terribly."
That piques Sera's curiosity, who leans in close as she finishes off her cone, "what happened?"
"I'm not quite sure myself," Lina says, catching the melting ice cream with her tongue and proceeding to eat the rest of her dessert. She continues between mouthfuls, "It had something to do with drugs maybe? But that's just supposition. The boys were into hard drugs at some point."
"Like, he was selling them?"
Lina shrugs then, "not quite sure. But hey, he didn't seem all that bad when I spoke to him."
"You said you spoke to him only once," Sera points out, which prompts Lina to pull out her tongue cheekily, "yeah well, that was enough. I think he's not as intimidating or as scary as he looks."
It doesn't reassure Sera. Not in the least.
"You think it's a good idea?"
Lina's question hangs in the air and Sera doesn't have to ask what she's talking about. She knows that this concern is stemming from Little Baoxi since her younger cousin is just as attached to the place as she is.
"I hope so," Sera's mumble comes out faint, a hushed rumble of words without confidence.
There's another distinct pause as both girls finish off the rest of their ice cream, enveloped by the roar of the ocean waves and the soft trickling of the sand washing away. Then, Lina speaks up softly, "I think Gong gong would be proud of you."
That makes tears prick in the back of Sera's eyes, "thanks Lina."
"He's been complaining about his back for too long anyway. It's a blessing in disguise for you to come back and take over so that he can rest for a while."
"Did your parents say anything?"
Lina crosses her legs, running her fingers through her windswept locks. She'd dyed it a vibrant pink a few months ago and the colour has now faded into pastel, "they're not completely against the idea," she says a little hesitantly, "but they do wonder what your plans are, considering…"
Considering Sera had been training up until now to get into medical school. The words sting the air like bees and Sera releases a soft sigh at that. If Lina's parents were concerned about that, then there's no doubt that the entire family is also thinking along the same lines.
Sera wants to tell herself that she shouldn't care what other people think of her, especially in such a small community where everyone knows each other's business.
The truth, however, is that those words hurt her more than she'd like to admit. The truth is that Sera is a coward even if she preaches about doing your own thing and being confident about who you are.
Sera's phone suddenly pings with notifications and she makes a grab for it, a small smile lighting her face as she reads the screen.
"Who is it?" Lina tries peeking at her phone and for once, Sera is glad that the sun's so bright it is practically impossible for her cousin to read anything even if she wanted to. So she quickly stuffs her phone back into her bag and mutters out a lie, "oh nothing. That was just Sam."
"Should've known it was your boyfriend," Lina replies teasingly, causing Sera to nudge her playfully in the stomach while rolling her eyes.
If only you knew, Sera's mind chants, heartstrings tugging at the thought. But she doesn't say anything more. Instead, she smiles back and hooks her arm through Lina's, "hey, let's get some bubble tea. I've been craving it ever since I came back."
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Megan_Sin
Megan_Sin And the second chapter is out! What do you think of the story so far? Leave a comment or leave a thumbs up if you've liked it!
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