PURSUE {Park Jihoon & Kang Daniel}

32

"Part time?" I said and closed the door and returned back to her. "Where?" With her middle-aged small finger she pointed down the road. "At my shop of course" She said and smiled pleadingly.

I nodded my head and looked down the direction that she was pointing towards. I knew that she owned a small teashop that way and I had been there many times before, since I loved tea and they had almost every kind. Because I didn't see anything negative about it I agreed to working there.
"Wonderful!" She said and hugged me tightly, which felt to be a bit too much. "You can start at saturday at eleven o'clock."
With joy in her eyes she danced, just like her son, up the stairs and into her house. And I simply walked into mine.

×}{×}{×}{×

The week passed quickly and the thought of saturday became more and more exciting after time. I had never worked part time before and had never had a salary.
But I also tried to figure out why she had been so worried about her shop and desperately wanted me to work there.

I woke up at nine on saturday morning.

I watched tv while eating breakfast and didn't bother trying to be quiet because my parents enjoyed the morning by sleeping-in. I actually wanted to sleep all morning as well but work was more important.

It was cold outside as the temperature sunk each day and I had gotten that warm jacket that I needed.
Before going I wrapped my scarf around my shoulders and pulled it up so that it covered the tip of my nose.

It wasn't far and it only took about ten minuites to get there.
The sign outside the shop was run down and the place didn't give me the same welcoming feeling that it had done before. I think I got a clue why she was so worried.

I tried the doorknob but it was locked so I knocked on the glassdoor instead. A few seconds later Mrs Kang came and opened it for me.
When I stepped inside most of the lights were off and I had to watch where I was going because the floor was full of boxes.
"What's all this?" I asked as I accidentally tipped a box over. "Tea." She answered and showed me to a room at the back where I could put my things.

She sat down by a table in the room and signaled me to also take a seat.
"I'll tell you how it is." She said as I pulled out a chair.
"As you see this shop has seen better days." She began. "I haven't had anyone to help me here since Daniel left. I don't wan't someone that I can't trust." I turned my head and looked around while nodding. "I understand. but I haven't seen you this concerned until now. Has anything else happened?" I asked her.

Before she could reply to my question there was a huge bang in the other room. We went and checked what it was and luckily only a pile of boxes had fallen, sadly now tea was spread all over the floor. "I think the first thing we should do is to fix this place up." I said and grabbed a broom.

The whole day we carried boxes and cleaned both inside and outside until you could think it was almost new. Mrs Kang wasn't capable of doing everything and neither did I allow her to, so I told her to go and buy some bulbs while I continued cleaning the windows.

By the time she came back it was already late enough for me to get home but she offered me diner because it would be nice with some company and I agreed. She locked the doors to the shop and we went to Daniels house.

I had been at his place many times but this time it was different. Like I didn't have the right to be there because of how I had been to him.
I hadn't talked to him nor Jihoon in more than a week. I didn't know what I was supposed to say to them.

"I'm sorry but I can't choose between the two of you." NO! That would hurt even me.

Watching his mother alone and missing her beloved son made me feel so much more guilty as well.
I knew I had to deal with everything but the question was when.

Mrs Kang's cooking was as delicious as it always had been and I stuffed myself with more food when I was already full. When we talked she brought up Daniel a several times but I managed to change the subject when it came up.
She handed me my work shedule and told me everything I needed to know and what I was supposed to do. My job was to handle the shop while she handled the economy and that was perfectly fine by me.

Related to work I remembered that my aunt had offered me to assist her at her event and so as soon as I had finished helping with the dishes and was on my way to my own home, I messeged Charlotte. I wrote: "If you need me then I'd love to help with the event."

I had gotten excited. I didn't have to be bored any longer, I thought and smiled for myself. I would work for Mrs Kang and then at the event in a couple of weeks. The only problem left that I had to tamper with was the same old one.

~To be continued~

I apologize for the boring
recent chapters.. Don't worry
things will become more interesting. I've tried to move on
faster in the story, so you know.

Me update: I'm sick 😷