The Bakery [Kim Taehyung]

Chapter 1

"How is the decorating going?" Eunji asked. I turned around and saw the store owner, Eunji, looking over my shoulder at the cake in front of me. "Good, a little ahead of schedule." I smiled.

"Which couple asked for this one?" She continued to question. "The one that is vacationing in Jeju after the ceremony." I told her, going back to focus on frosting the next layer of cake.

"Alright, well I'm heading home after lunch so you could close up again." She said, picking up her bag. "No problem, have a good day!" I said as she left the kitchen. I heard the bell on the door ring, signaling that she left.

I continued to focus on the cake, making sure there were no flaws in the base layer of frosting. Once I was sure it was perfect, I decided to take a small break. Before walking out to the front, I took some cookies out of the oven to cool off.

The front of the store was empty. I sighed, hoping a customer would walk through the door. Usually on days like today, in the middle of the week, everything was slow. So Eunji, who was only a few years older than me, would usually leave me in charge of the bakery.

Instead of waiting there for a customer to walk through, I decided to go back and work on the cake more. Usually I enjoyed working on the cakes. I mean, I had my dream job afterall. I always wanted to be a wedding cake designer, and now here I was. 

But lately, every time I helped a couple pick out a design, every time I saw how happy they were, every time I saw their smile, I had to force mine.

I admit, I was jealous. I wanted to be with someone who made me that happy, who smiled every time they saw me.

I can't even remember the last time I went on a date, let alone one I actually enjoyed.

Pushing away my feelings, I continued on the cake, making pink flowers out of frosting.

-

Later that day, a few customers had stopped by for a small snack. A cookie, a cupcake, a brownie, anything they wanted. So I helped with whatever they needed, always returning to the back to finish the cake.

It was already late evening, and I would be closing soon. I wanted to finish the layer I was working on before I left, so I put all of my attention into it.

The bell rang, indicating someone walked in. "I'll be right with you!" I shouted over my shoulder, back still turned. Finishing the last flower, I put everything away and stored the cake to work on tomorrow.

I wiped off my apron, wanting to look presentable to the new customer. I tucked some hair behind my ear, looking down at my apron to make sure it wasn't too dirty. 

"Hi, what can I help you w-" I started to say, but as soon as I looked up, I forgot how to speak.

Standing there looking at the cupcakes behind the glass, was a man so beautiful my heart stopped. He looked over when he heard me speak, and I swear I was blushing instantly. "Um..." I tried getting my brain back together, avoiding his eyes and looking at the display instead.

"What can I get for you today?" I asked, finally getting out a normal sentence. "This cupcake looks really good, what is it?" He asked. His voice made me blush even more.

I looked at the cupcake he was pointing to. "That's the cinnamon apple one, it is really popular." I told him. "I'll have to try it later. We are actually here for the cake testing." 

We? I looked up, and behind him was a really pretty girl my age. My mood dropped a little once my eyes met hers. But I smiled back at her. "What kind of cake were you looking for?" I asked. 

"A white cake, but we couldn't decide on a frosting yet." She explained. "Alright, well let me get a few of our sample slices. I'll just be a moment." I told them, smiling again as I slipped into the back.

I hurriedly cut a few slices from different cakes. Eunji wanted people to be able to sample cakes so that they were satisfied with what they got. I thought it was a great idea, especially for those who were getting wedding cakes.

I was a little anxious, for some reason I didn't want them to be sampling for a wedding cake.

I shook my head, trying to clear it. I knew nothing about the man waiting in the other room, not even his name. Why should I care if he was here for a wedding cake?

Quickly, I took the plates out to the two customers and passed them the cake. "Ah, they look really good!" He said, instantly taking a bit of one. I blushed a little more, since I made the cakes.

"That one is plain vanilla frosting," I said, pointing to it. "And then that one is chocolate, the other is a cream cheese frosting. The darker pink one is cherry frosting and the lighter pink one is strawberry." I explained.

"I love strawberries!" The girl said, tasting that one first. I continued to talk with them about the cakes, asking them which ones they liked. I couldn't help but look at him most of the time though.

"Which one do you like? You can decide." He said, looking at the girl and smiling. That was the smile I wanted someone to give me.

"I think I like the strawberry the best." She said. "That's my favorite too!" I smiled at her. "Okay, well I would definitely like the vanilla cake with strawberry frosting." She nodded.

I wrote down what she wanted on the order sheet. "What specific decorations are you looking for? What's the occasion?" I asked, hoping it was for a simple birthday.

"My wedding!" She said excitedly, her face lighting up. "Congratulations!" I said, even though I was a little disappointed. I had no right to feel that way though.

She thanked me, showing me the ring. "Did you have a design in mind yet?" I asked, wanting to get this over with quickly now. "Actually, we were so busy deciding on a cake flavor we didn't really have any specifics in mind." She said, looking up at the man. He smiled down at her widely, a laugh escaping his lips. And of course my stupid heart had to flutter.

I felt jealous. "Could we come by later this week and share a few ideas with you?" She asked. "Yeah, no problem. I'll keep your order form here for when you are ready." I told her.

"Thanks for all of your help, the cakes were delicious." He said. "I'm glad you liked them!" I smiled, feeling another blush start to form.

"Taehyung, we better get going, it's starting to get late," She said, pulling on his arm to leave. So that's his name, I thought. I looked over to him, replaying his name in my mind, feeling my heart beating faster. 

"Thanks again!" She said as the two of them left the shop. "No problem, have a good night!" I said after them.

As soon as the bell rang, I slumped over, sighing. "Why can't I find someone and be happy like that?" I said to myself, my mood falling again. I put my head in my hands, leaning my elbows on the counter and pouted.

Then the bell rang again. I looked over, seeing Taehyung walk in again. I straightened myself out immediately. I thought he might have forgotten something. But then he asked,

"Could I get one of those cinnamon apple cupcakes?"