Jamais Vu

Chapter 17

Sunhee was humming happily after replying Hoseok's message.

They had been together for 4 days and it still felt unreal. The messages, the phonecalls that came made her want to dance.

"Good morning, sajangnim!" greeted Dowon, one of the new bakers cheerfully. It was 3.30 a.m. when the newly hired bakers came in for work. Due to the nature of the wild yeast and the time it took for proofing the dough, the bakers had to come earlier and it was hard for Sunhee to find people who are willing to work at that exact time. Public transportation is non-existent at that hour and the bakers have to have their own means of transportation to get there.

"Good morning, Dowon-ssi," greeted Sunhee from the proofing oven.

"Traffic is so good, got here in 15 minutes. Imagine going to work at 7. I might get here way longer than that because of the jam," he said, hanging his jacket on the rack.

"That's the beauty of this working hour," said Sunhee, bringing out the bowls and other utensils for the work.

"Good morning, sajangnim," greeted Choi Yong as she entered behind Dowon.

Choi Yong was an interesting character. In Sunhee's opinion, she was a bit too cold and too reserved. Sunhee had never seen her smile nor express any other feeling than looking solid stone cold. She was all professional and uptight that it was a surprise when Sunhee found out she's a married woman with a daughter. Choi Yong's husband must have been a remarkable person to be able to get close to her. She looked like she's a really tough nut to crack. Sunhee hired Choi Yong because of her experience and her willingness to work in the early hours. Not many people are too keen on that.

Sunhee was gearing up and ready with everything needed for their daily bake. The ovens were already heating up, the proofer did its job, Livvy Jr and Freddy Jr had risen to the required size. The bakers were employed earlier that month and Sunhee had already trained them on the finer points of being a sourdough baker.

Choi Yong was already a seasoned baker. Baking sourdough and gluten-free bread was a walk in the park for her. Kim Dowon on the other hand had a lot of things to learn. He sometimes under-measured the ingredients as Sunhee monitored his work. Despite all that, his diligence and his interest in learning will make him a valuable asset in the future.

The bakers started their routine of kneading, baking, decorating and piping the cream on some bread and pastries. They worked smoothly like a well oiled machine and the smell of the food wafted aromatically in the shop. After a few hours, the display cases were filled with mouthwatering bread and pastries and the sound of the chiming bell marked their customers coming in.

It was a fine day until Haewon suddenly signaled Sunhee for help. Sunhee knew that very well. It meant that Miss Son, one of their regular customers just came. Miss Son looked harmless on the outside. She's a thin woman in her forties, dresses really well with a smile plastered on her face all the time.

She's also the most indecisive customer they have ever encountered.

"Good luck," Haewon mouthed to Sunhee.

"Good day, Miss Son," greeted Sunhee with a smile. "How may I help you today?"

"Oh good, you're here. Last time when I came you had to go out. No one was able to help me like you do, dear. Especially not your worker there," said Miss Son, pointing to Haewon. "She just doesn't understand me as you do."

Sunhee could see Haewon turned around, rolling her eyes. Sunhee took a tray and a tong and tagged along with Miss Son.

"Oh, is that a new bread you have there?" pointed Miss Son.