Last Night at the Café

25 | Tteok Guk

A / N

Remember the almost kiss?

~

"YOU DON'T LOOK well," she murmured as she bent over to peer at him.

Kazu had come by for a meal and a nap – the time they spent with each other had been reduced to just that of late. With business picking up at Home and her schedule packed with cleaning up her manuscripts, proper dates had been few and far between.

"I've got a shift," he mumbled, his voice low, his words pushed out from the depths of his chest.

"Your face is pale," she stated.

In the dim confines of her apartment, with the blinds drawn and a sole light turned on, his features were drawn with shadows thrown on his face.

He remained still, his eyes half-lidded.

"No fever," she went on with a hand on his forehead.

"I think I ate something wrong," he muttered. "My stomach feels queasy."

"We ate the same thing though?"

She planted a hand on her hip as she thought, her brow drawn. They'd had jjamppong from a stall nearby, one she had been going to for the longest time. She trusted their standards, but judging by his pale face, knitted brow, and body curled up around himself, it seemed he'd been served something extra.

"Wait a moment," she called out in alarm when he proceeded to sluggishly kick the quilt off of him. "You are not going anywhere!"

"Can't," he mumbled as he struggled to sit up. "Anna – " His brow crinkled. "Jieun? She's alone tonight..."

She let out a huff of disbelief.

"You don't even know who's on shift tonight, how can you go to work?" With her hands on his shoulders, she gently pushed him back into bed. "Go back to sleep. I'll get you some medicine."

His body willingly obeyed, but he struggled before his head could hit the pillow, his arms flailing to fight to sit upright.

"But Jieun can't handle the shift alone," he grumbled.

"I'll go for you."

"What?"

"I've worked part-time in a café before." She bustled around her cabinets, searching out a plastic box in which she stored various medicines, neatly stacked in rows. When she found one for an upset stomach, she popped the tab and dropped the pill onto her palm, then poured him a glass of water.

"Now, take this," she said, holding the tablet out. "And drink lots of water."

"You're not going for me," he stated after swallowing. "That's my job. I'm not letting you – "

"And if you collapse on your shift, what's Jieun going to do?" She didn't think the girl would appreciate having to deal with an immobile Kazu and a busy shop.

Seollal patted him on the head, her tone taking on some maternal cheer as she retrieved the glass from him. "Be a good boy and go to sleep, Kazu-ya. Eomma's going to work."

His chuckle was dry of energy, but a hint of humour sparked in his dull eyes.

"Eomma?"

"I'm being serious," she said as she planted her hands on her hips, her gaze narrowed at him. "You are not going anywhere tonight."

One brow shot up sluggishly as his hands went to her waist.

"I see that's your kink," he murmured.

"Hey!"