W O O F

1

钟慧琳
Zhong Huilin

钟辰乐
Zhong Chenle

기승민
Kim Seungmin

"NO!" You shouted, stomping your foot on the ground. Your heel throbbed with a slight pain but you ignored it, glaring at your father.

He sat in front of you, hands on his temples, massaging them.

"慧琳，怎么跟你爸说话呢?!"
(Huilin, how do you talk to your dad?!)
Your mother scolded you in a low voice.

"我- "
(I-)

Just then, the front door opened softly. Your brother's head popped out from behind it and set his shoes by the door, head rising to meet three pairs of eyes staring right back at him.

Noticing the tension in the air, his shoulders stiffened, eyes searching for an answer.

Your eyes caught his and he gave you a confused look, tilting his head.

Feeling too worked up to explain, you rolled your eyes in frustration, nodding your chin towards your dad.

Shifting his attention to your mom who had appeared beside him to usher him into the house, he stood by you, setting his bag down slowly.

"辰乐啊。。。" your father began.
(Chenle ah...)

Knowing where this conversation was headed, you huffed in annoyance and crossed your arms over your chest, refusing to listen to your father.

...

You had no say in the matter, it would only make it worse if you tried to argue.

Hugging the fabric of your hoodie closer to your shivering body, you quickened your steps towards the brightly lit cafe ahead of you.

With your head down, you walked up to the counter, expecting the cashier to get you your usual order.  

"Do you need anything?"

An unfamiliar voice reached your ears, causing you to look up in surprise . A guy, around your age, was looking at you with big eyes that was too cute to handle.

" I....I...where's Chae?" You asked, eyes raking over his name tag.

"Chae? She's on medical leave right now." He shot you a smile that made you feel funny.

"Well...I'm a regular so you'll have to remember my..my orders from now on." You told him. Laughing softly at your demand, he showed you an 'ok' sign. You could almost feel your face heat up at his laugh.

After telling him your order, you plopped yourself down in one of the empty chairs and scrolled through your phone, waiting. Swinging your legs idly, you heard a cup being placed in front of you.

"Thanks." You muttered, hands reaching for the cup.

Expecting to touch the warm and smooth surface of the cup, your  fingers found themselves holding a soft hand. Startled, you looked up from your phone, only to find the cashier staring back at you. 

His eyes were rounded in confusion and you gasped as your eyes travelled down to your hand. In his. You immediately pulled your hand away, apologising profusely.

Standing up, your hand knocked onto the rim of the your cup, the both of you watching in horror as the drink splashed all over your hoodie.

You winced as you felt the hot liquid come in contact with your skin. The cashier's eyes widened even more, turning to the next table, pulling tissues and dabbing it on the front of your hoodie.

Surprised, you watched him with an amused expression as he frantically tried to clean your hoodie. He stopped, as if realising what he was doing. He dropped the tissue, face going red as he fiddled with the hem of his apron.

You chuckled softly at the sight of his ears reddening, patting his arms softly. Sending him a comforting smile, you looked around.

The cafe was empty, with cups on the different tables where the previous customers had left them. The cashier laughed sheepishly. 

"I'll go clear up, give me a moment."

Rushing towards a small door next to the counter, he emerged with a black T-shirt. 

"Here, I have an extra shirt that you can use. If you don't mind....you can change in there."
He pointed in the direction of the room he came out from.

" Thanks." You hurried past him, eager to change out of your stained hoodie.

When you got out of the small room, he had already cleaned up the place and waiting for you by the door. He noticed your presence and looked up at you with a smile.

...

Walking side by side, you breathed in the scent of freshly bloomed flowers, the night breeze blowing lightly.

Stopping abruptly in front of the bus stop, you turned to him.

"I have to go...it was nice meeting you."
"Same here."

He stuck out his hand.

" I'm Seungmin."

Your eyes sparkled.

" Huilin."
Giving you a heart stopping smile, he waved at you before you stepped onto the bus heading home.