Spring Moon

28

"I mean... how could you have so much patience?"

"Huh?" I pondered, not quite registering. The boy across from me had been wearing a confused expression on his face and ironically, I was the one who got confused right now. "From where has this come? What patience are you talking about?"

Chanhee huffed angrily or was it actually frustration? But, I really did not get it. I had been here in Jacob's cafe for about 45 minutes now, doing a book signing and he just arrived 10 minutes ago, accompanying me and suddenly, boom, that question came out from his lips.

"You, Ivy... Your weird feelings," he leaned forward across the round table, pointing towards me. "You had the opportunity when Kevin came back for 3 days and yet you never told him how you felt. In those 3 days, never once you told him that it has been so hard for you to endure this silent relationship he's getting used to, and you never told him that you missed him. Are you two really like each other?"

"Choi Chanhee, shut up!" I pointed back at him. "Don't jinx it. And how do you know I never told him? Maybe I said it privately."

"Tch... Who are you fooling, lady?" He intimidated me with a raise of his brow. "When I met him before he went back, I asked him when he would be here again and he simply answered 'I don't know yet'. Is that a response from someone who's pursuing a long-distance relationship?"

He's right...

It had been the fourth day since I saw Kevin. When he left, I already knew that our situation would be like this. And that, I would keep yearning for him. However, since my time was occupied by my job - signing all these books, I eventually didn't notice how time flew so fast. My head kept jotting that it is okay. After all, Kevin would be busy too.

And now as Chanhee said it, I realized how silent my phone was for these few days.

"Strange how we looked so madly in love when we were closer yet after he left, people might misunderstand that we're fighting," I said lowly, tapping my pen on the surface of the table we occupied.

"Don't get me wrong, girl..." Chanhee slumped down the chair, crossing his arms in the process. "I'm not meddling with your life but I'm worried that you will fall out of love."

I won't, right?

"They know who their hearts want," it was then, that Jacob came joining us and swiftly sitting next to Chanhee. The angelic smile on his face never faded and it somehow assured me to be calm all the time. "A thousand miles won't be a problem."

"It's Kevin we are talking about," Chanhee nudged the latter. "He's unpredictable."

Both of them were speaking the truth, I couldn't simply deny it. But, they were talking from different perspectives. Chanhee had his own opinion which was quite realistic on how he saw things while Jacob... tended to just think positively.

My trait was thinking positively but for some kind of reason, I couldn't ignore Chanhee's mindset. For, it had been my fear too. I was always worried if it would happen someday - falling out of love.

"God, please don't let it happen," I prayed that probably had been loud because the two boys were now looking at me weirdly.

Chanhee was slightly frowning and Jacob probably was deciphering the situation - he smiled towards me as he finally broke the code. The look he sent to me was assuring that everything would be fine, that I didn't have to worry much.

He then rose on his feet, softly pushing the chair as he did so. When he grabbed Chanhee's thin arm up to have the boy stand, he looked at me and said, "We shall leave you here. You still have a lot of books to sign."

Ah... That reminded me of my job.

During these four days, I'd never gone to the office. Sangyeon was still insisting not to burden me to be in Joochan's presence while fulfilling my task. So, I'd been staying here in the cafe, Rosie and Haknyeon would come to pick up all the signed books and replace them with the new unsigned batch. I wondered why Joochan never thought to follow them.

Perhaps he's still afraid of my friends?

Any reason behind it, I was grateful that he didn't follow. That way, I could have my leisure.

But, speaking of it...

"Where is Rosie?" I glanced at my analog watch which was ticking the time away. Normally, she would be here within this time. Did something hold her back at the office?

But, she would tell. If something happened or she was needed for anything that would lead her to be late, she would always tell. Or did I miss any text from her?

"None..." Worries started clouding over me as I checked my phone and found nothing. It was only a notification from an online shopping platform that could be seen.

The curiosity that was crashing eventually stopped when Evelyn approached me, swiftly taking a seat next to me. She seemed to have read my expression before she started skimming around the area.

"Rosie didn't call?" She asked, helping me out with the signed book.

"Probably Sangyeon holds a meeting," I nodded at every word escaping my lips. "I'm sure she will be here shortly."

Evelyn copied my action - nodding at my words as she registered them into her brain word by word. However, from a glance, I could tell that she sat with me here not because I was alone. I could sense concerns tainting her. The way she weirdly shifted her gaze to her customers proved it.

"Why?" I plucked the courage to ask, furrowing my brows slightly.

Evelyn leaned closer to me, gulping in the process. "Maybe, it's only my hunch, but I sense something unusual."

"For instance?"

She skimmed around the area again, watching two girls leave the cafe as they stole a glance in our direction.

"All the customers today have been acting weirdly," she whispered. "They didn't stay long like usual and you know earlier I saw a few people hesitate to walk in."

"Why so?" I pondered, and now only I noticed the decreasing number of customers inside this cosy space for the past few days. It used to be crowded but the fact that I could do my job here without interruption was... weird.

"Not sure but... I'm scared," Evelyn's answer somehow was predictable.

They said this kind of situation would be one of the risks one had to face if one wanted to be in the business world, however, if it happened ever so abruptly, even I who was only mooching them felt nervous as well.

It was then, that my phone rang - the caller ID was someone I had been waiting for. Rosie. Thank God I still could receive her call. I almost thought that she was abducted on her way here.

Exaggerating? I know.

"Girl..." I spoke as soon as I picked up the call. "Where were you?"

It was silent on her side. Too deafening that I could hear her sneakers imprinting the floor. She seemed to be running. Where to?

Rosie might be in my compartment right now. Because I heard her closing the door as soon as she stepped inside. There was not much area with the door she could personally access in the building so she must be in mine.

"Urm... Ivy, we have a situation," Rosie whispered. "Sangyeon held an emergency meeting earlier, I'm sorry I couldn't inform you."

As expected.

"It's okay. I'll try to finish a bit more and I'll send it to the office shortly," I announced, waiting for a mutual agreement that seemed wouldn't come when Rosie was heard stammering. "Why?"

"Actually..." She paused, probably groaning from the sound of her breathing. "You have to come. Now. Sangyeon needs you here."