Helado ; 니키

one

➢ 3:32  KST

➢ Seoul Family Creamery (Seoul, South Korea)

The bell that hangs over the door in[Name]'s family's ice cream shop rings out once again, announcing another customer as he walks through the door- a regular that the young girl immediately recognizes. He smiles, a large and genuine smile, before making his way to the counter, skipping over the display case showing off the multitude of flavors.

"Hi, [Name]. How are you doing today?" He asks, his voice gruff but comforting.

"I'm alright, 선배. How are you?"

"Well, as always." He responds warmly, eyes crinkling as he smiles.

[Name] hums in response, already having grabbed a cup from behind her. Without needing to ask the man first, she instinctively begins scooping the store's famous Wine ice cream along with a Matcha tasting spoon into the cup. The man simultaneously begins digging in his back pocket, pulling out a tattered wallet and opening it, revealing an old, withered image of a young woman in the first pocket. He reaches past the picture, pulling out 5 000 won before the young girl shakes her head.

"It's on the house today." She says, outstretching the hand that holds the cup. "It would have been your 50th anniversary, right?" [Name] asks softly, the man's eyes turning shocked before immediately welling with tears as he softly smiles.

"Yes, that's right." He says, voice filled with a soft sadness. "But please, I insist." He urges, trying to place the bill into [Name]'s hands. She simply accepts the bill before grabbing the man's hand, overturning it and putting it back into his palm.

"Use it to take the train to her grave. We will survive without this." She smiles, squeezing the man's calloused hands shut before withdrawing her own.

His eyes are quietly thankful as he accepts the money, putting it back into his wallet, his eyes lingering over the image of his late wife.

"Your heart is too kind, [Name]. My wife would have loved you." His words warm [Name]'s heart, the girl simply nodding as she places the cup of ice cream into the older's hands.

"Have a nice day, 선배." She responds, smiling as the older man walks out of the store, the bell once again dinging.

The girl sighs contently, observing the walls of the store after the elder leaves. They were modestly decorated, merely sprinkled with family pictures along with the menu, considering the family could not afford lavish decorations and fancy signs. It didn't quite matter, though. The family had their regulars and made sufficient enough funds to keep them on their feet, and as [Name]'s mom had always said, "If I had started this store solely for the money, I would have quit long ago."

Almost as if on cue, a woman a few years older than [Name] emerges from the back of the store, fresh tub of ice cream in one hand and a stack of envelopes in the other.

"Did a customer come in?" [Name]'s mother asks, nearly dropping the container before placing it on the counter.

"Yeeah, Mr. Yoon. Did you know it would have been him and his wife's 50th anniversary?" The younger [Last Name] asks, craning her head to see her mother switching out a near empty tub with the fresh one. The older woman hums in response.

"Yes, I remember her. She was a very sweet woman. She passed just a few months before you were born. She used to bring me soups everyday while I was pregnant with you." She responds, to which [Name] smiles.

"That's nice. I'm sure Mr. Yoon loved her very much."

"Ah, he definitely did. I had never seen a couple so in love." [Name]'s mother says softly, a deeper look in her eyes. "He's a good man. Remember, [Name]. You must always treat others with kindness, and they will give you kindness in return."

[Name] laughs softly, shaking her head. "You've been telling me that since I could talk. I know, Mom. Thank you." She responds sweetly, enveloping her mother in a hug which the older graciously accepts.

[Name]'s mother squeezes her daughters shoulders before pulling off, flashing a bright smile.

"What are these?" [Name] asks, having noticed the wad of papers in her mother's hands.

Panic flashes across her mother's eyes for a moment before she immediately switches to a bright, fake smile. "Just some bills to pay. Don't worry about it." She responds with a light boop to [Name]'s nose.

The girl's suspicions arise, but she quickly suppresses them. If her mother was concerned, she would tell her about it. It had always been just the two of them, and there was no one that [Name] trusted as much as her mother.

[Name] quickly gets back to work as another customer walks through the door, running through her introduction and listing of the flavors as if it was second nature.

[Name]'s day usually went as such, her plans built around her work schedule and whatever homework she needed to complete for the day. For most, [Name]'s simple life might seem like one of torture- a boring, uneventful life that rarely hailed any change. However, the young girl viewed it as anything but. She was happy and healthy, had a few good friends, and had her mother. And for [Name], that was more than enough. [Name] was okay with being "average", as long as it meant she could keep the blessings she had.

Merely a few kilometers away, another leads a life the complete opposite of [Name]'s.

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a/n- sorry for the very short and irrelevant chapter, but hopefully this sets up the rest of the story well! i hope u enjoy this story as much as i do :)