❝I sing a song like this with the one I was desperately looking for, be my only love, I don't have to hide my feelings anymore the words I sincerely wanted to say, "I love you" my only one❞
Thea, a normal teenager by day, Counter by night, after the...
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"Your smile"
The day at the restaurant had passed too quickly, a blur of movement and conversation that barely registered for Thea. Lately, time seemed to slip through her fingers like sand, days vanishing in the blink of an eye. When she finally made it to her soft bed each night, exhaustion weighed her down like a heavy blanket. Yet, sleep eluded her, and insomnia took its toll. On most nights, she was lucky to manage two hours, and anyone could tell how worn out she was. The dark circles under her eyes and her constant yawning painted a picture of someone desperately in need of rest.
Now, as the last customers filed out of the restaurant, Thea worked to clean one of the empty tables, struggling to keep her eyes open. She wiped the surface in slow, deliberate motions, her arms heavy with fatigue. Outside, Mun swept the entrance of the restaurant with an energy that felt contagious, enthusiastically waving goodbye to the departing patrons.
From the counter, Ms. Chu observed the boy, her gaze soft but shadowed with concern. "Gosh. Mun, that poor thing," she said, her voice low as if speaking to herself. Her eyes lingered on him as he worked. "One day, he'll find out that his parents were murdered. How is he going to live with that?"
Thea sighed, her heart aching at the thought. She paused in her cleaning to glance at Mun, who was cheerfully focused on his task outside. He looked so carefree, so blissfully unaware of the heavy truth hanging over him like an unseen storm cloud.
"Shouldn't we tell him?" Thea asked, her voice quiet but filled with guilt. She looked at Ms. Chu, her brows knit in worry. "It feels wrong to keep this from him. He's part of the family now."
"Don't be so rash," Ms. Chu replied sharply, though her tone was undercut by her own uncertainty. "Mo-tak said he'd look into it. Let's tell him after we find something. After we find the murderer. That's when. Let's tell him then, okay?" Her serious gaze locked onto Thea, waiting for agreement.
Thea hesitated before nodding. Her chest tightened with the weight of the decision. "You're right," she said softly. But the ache in her heart didn't go away. If she were in Mun's position, she would have wanted to know, no matter how painful the truth might be.
Mo-tak, who had been quietly listening as he cleared a nearby table, spoke up, his voice calm but pointed. "You told me not to," he reminded Ms. Chu.
"Yes, you're right," Ms. Chu muttered, shaking her head in frustration. "We can't. No, we can't. Goodness, it's such a dilemma." She tossed the cloth she was holding onto the table, her shoulders sagging.
Thea nodded again, though her heart remained conflicted. She turned back to the window, her gaze instinctively searching for Mun. Her eyes widened when she noticed what he was doing outside the restaurant. "Oh my god," she gasped, her voice breaking the tension in the room.
