sugar; hansol vernon chwe

c h a p t e r 3

3

I was fighting back sleep as I shoveled the rice into my mouth. Adjusting to this new schedule is going to be difficult for me.

As my eyelids began to droop again, Uncle Junsu entered the room energetically, whistling an old
Korean tune that my dad often did the same to. I shook my head in an effort to wake myself up.

He noticed my actions, finishing pouring his glass of milk to chuckle, "You look pretty tired, how about some coffee before your first day at work?"

"I don't think anything is going to wake me up," I exasperated dramatically.

"Just drink up," Uncle Junsu instructed, sliding a mug my way.

I obliged to his command, sipping on the warm beverage. The bento box before me had been emptied, chop sticks at its side.

Soon after I finished my drink, we headed into the bakery to prep for the day. It's 5:30 and the bakery opens at 7:00, so there was just enough time to bake the fresh bread that was available each day. To my relief, the coffee was beginning to kick in.

Uncle explained that I was only present for prep today to see how it all worked, usually I'll only be decorating the sweets and working the cash register. Luckily, I'm good at math. We'll see about the decorating.

I assisted my uncle with some duties that would normally be his wife's in the morning while she went outside to discuss something with their food supply deliverer.

My hair was knotted back and apron on as I worked on my bread dough, yet somehow I still managed to get flour all over me. I didn't want to annoy Uncle Junsu, so I didn't ask to change, even after the dough was in the oven. I guess I'm just going to look a bit on the messier side today.

Only moments after Aunt Cara's return, the couple flipped the sign that read closed to open and my first day on the job came to an exciting start.

It was evident how well liked not only the bakery was, but my aunt and uncle as well. People began to file in as soon as the shop showed signs of life, conversing with my family members. The fresh bread went first, even the leftover loaves from the day before were sold in a matter of minutes. I was able to run the cash register quite smoothly with Aunt Cara's assistance.

"I'll be right back," Aunt Cara assured me, "You can handle the cash register for a bit, right?"

Without having much of a choice, I nodded confidently, "Sure."

"Great." She chirped, "I won't be more than a half hour, get Junsu if you need anything."

"Got it." I bubbled optimistically. The crowd of customers from this morning had thinned out, leaving a close to empty shop. I can handle this.

I leaned on the counter, my head in my palms, watching a family eat out of a box of chocolates in a corner booth. Up until now, the day has been hectic. I thought I would enjoy the breathing space as the family finished their sweets and took their leave, deeming the shop empty, but I began to get bored.

Just as I was about to take the chance to change into a new, clean outfit, the door swung open with an explosion of sound.

At least a dozen boys had entered the bakery. I felt my body tense up at the thought of ringing them up. Something about being around people my own age, that I don't know, has always had me a little on edge.

"Hi, we'd like to-" The leading boy began before blinking in shock, "Iris?"

Jeonghan's sudden appearance caught me off guard. Though, it was nice to see a familiar face.