Café Latte | JUNGWOO

Chapter 24

Jungwoo had dropped Hayoung and Obok at his place before getting some necessities for Obok that the shelter didn't give them before quickly returning. Hayoung had so much fun playing with Obok that she didn't realize how late it was getting.

"Do you want to stay for dinner?" Jungwoo asked, opening up his fridge.

"Dinner?" Hayoung asked. Jungwoo nodded, pointing to the clock. "Oh, sure I guess."

Hayoung removed herself from the dog, making her way to Jungwoo who was standing in the kitchen.

"What are you going to make?" Hayoung asked, peering over his shoulder.

"Just a simple bibimbap." Jungwoo answered, pouring the rice into the pot. Hayoung nodded approvingly, returning to Obok's side.

"Obok sit!" Hayoung said, training the dog. Obok stared at her for a moment before placing it's butt down, sticking its tongue out as it panted.

"Good boy." Hayoung said, smiling as she engulfed the small dog in a hug, cuddling it.

"If you keep this up, Obok's going to like you more than me." Jungwoo said from the kitchen. Hayoung picked Obok up, bringing him to where Jungwoo was standing.

"Who do you better? Me or your father?" Hayoung cooed. Obok immediately barked upon the sight of Jungwoo. Hayoung let out a small chuckle.

"See, no matter what, he'll always like you better." Hayoung said, sticking out her tongue.

"Whatever you say." Jungwoo said, giving Obok a small pet before turning back to the food. Hayoung put Obok down, letting the small dog run free.

"How have you been holding up?" Hayoung asked as she leaned against the fridge. Jungwoo let out a small sigh before answering her question.

"I mean I still get emotional at the thought but I just have to keep telling myself that she's in a better place now." Jungwoo said before snapping his head towards Hayoung, surprising her.

"Did you remember something?" Hayoung asked him. Jungwoo nodded.

"Yeah, I forgot to tell you. My mother actually left a note for you with her will." Jungwoo said, quickly running to his mother's bedroom. He returned with a small slip of paper folded in his hands.

"Here." Jungwoo said, passing it to the girl. Hayoung unfolded it, taking in the pretty letters of Jungwoo's mother's handwriting.

Hayoung-ah,

You're probably surprised as to why I'm writing this for you. We barely know each other, yet I still believe that you had a big impact of both me and Jungwoo's lives.

"Kim Hayoung" used to only be a name that belong to a girl that Jungwoo hated in high school. He would often come home frustrated and whining to me about how this girl named "Hayoung" made his life at school so difficult and wished that she would just stop and listen to him for once. That's when I told him that sometimes, people enter your life just to make it difficult, to help you become stronger.

When you appeared in my house the other day, I was suprised to learn that you were the same Hayoung that Jungwoo talked about when he was in high school. You had become prettier and more elegant, even though you were simply dressed in my son's clothes. I could tell that you and Jungwoo had a special bond, just by how he acted around you. He seemed happier and more easy going when you were around, no longer bounded by the stress of the world around him.

That's when I realized that it was because you took his mind off everything happening around him, even though you may not have noticed. When Jungwoo looked at you, I could tell that he saw nothing else in the world, only you. And when I saw how you looked at my son, I could tell that you felt the same way.