Death Formula | KTH ✓

11. And the Little Sweet Memories

It turned out that working in a café was indeed the best way to while away the hours. Jimin had given me the job without any further ado of which I couldn't be less glad. My job here, as a barista was actually of some help for me - as Taehyung had told me - since in his opinion working helps in distracting one's mind from the awfully woeful thoughts and I couldn't disagree.

However, what annoyed me was that he wasn't letting me go to school. With his tall form, towering above me as he bloated his chest, one hand on his hip as the other pointed finger in my direction, he strictly forbade me from going to school, the reason being he did not want me to suffer again.

"Good morning!" Jimin's voice brought me back from my stupor.

Four days. It had been four days since the day I got this job and Jimin would talk to me as though I was some old friend of his with who he had lost contact and finally caught up with.

I was surprised by his social skills. In his opinion, the cafe was his refuge, this place he could make believe that he was in a caring society. He always told me that we were born to need social bonds. We were born to need a sense of others, even if we were alone. Sometimes I would scoff at his such words and reply with my dour look that he hadn't seen the cruel side of the world and acknowledging the society as caring appeared pure nonsensical to me.

In this cafe, among the noises of people, their scent, their occasional glances, and the unceasable blabbering of Jimin, I couldn't provide my primitive brain with a little of what it craved, solitude.

A heavy sigh escaped from my parted lips as I gazed at the blonde man stooping over the counter as he watched me. "You look like you're zoning out." He said, pouting.

Apologizing amid my own tired smile, I said, "Sorry, I'm just feeling a little punch-drunk today."

I saw his eyes sparkling a little brighter, his face more relaxed, a smidge more joy in his eyes, "That's alright, I feel punch-drunk too from having stayed up all night. God, I feel like I'm carrying an entire building on top of my little head!"

I laugh unexpectedly, and I knew that I'm feeling that tiny bit better too, "All night up, what were you doing anyway?"

Then suddenly he leaned closer, whispering into my ears, "It's top-secret, don't tell anyone." I nodded, anticipating. "Well, I was searching up how to make perfect mochi."

I laughed again, only for him to frown at me, "You know, I attempted ten times before I finally made a perfect mochi!" He protested.

Soon later, the bell jingled, indicating a customer's arrival and hastily I and Jimin straightened up, a large genuine smile on his face and a fake one on mine.

My eyes landed on a beautiful blonde woman, a small girl child by her side who had curled her tiny fingers around the woman's large ones.

The little legs of the girl moved like a clockwork toy as the elder woman guided the young girl towards the counter where Jimin and I stood.

"How may I help you?" I asked politely.

Glancing down at the little girl, the woman said, "My daughter here has been pestering me to buy her a vanilla ice cream."

I didn't know why but this reminded me of my childhood when my mother used to take me and Aera out and just like the little girl here, we would whine until my mother would buy ice cream for both of us. Those were memories.

Little sweet memories.

"Sure, we'll make the best vanilla ice cream for our little one here!" Jimin beamed at the child, crouching to come at the eye level of the lad. I turned on the ice cream machine and took one waffle cone as I waited for the ice cream to be processed. I could feel the warm air coming from the generator, and smell the aroma of sweet soft vanilla.

I smiled to myself when I watched the girl giggle as Jimin pinched her cheeks. Both of them looked like kids. Jimin too had blonde hair like the little girl and her cheeks, uff, her roseate cheeks that glowed were smooth and spongy as a ripe nectarine.

"Your cheeks aren't as chubby as mine! You see, my cheeks have stayed stubbornly chubby since childhood." Jimin told the little girl in a cute voice, teasing her.

The girl seemed to be in deep thought as she pinched her own cheeks and then pinched Jimin as though trying to identify if really his cheeks were chubbier than her or not. Then suddenly puckering her lips cutely, she said, "No! My cheeks are chubbier!"

Her mother and I couldn't stop laughing. To be honest, it was hard to identify who's cheeks were chubbier since Jimin's cheeks still looked as though they yet had baby fats deposited in them.

"But my looks the chubbiest!" Jimin nonetheless pressed and I knew this was the limit of teasing as eyes brimmed up with tears, the girl was almost to tear up.

"Alright, alright. Here's your ice cream." Her eyes crinkled with happiness as her little fingers curled around the waffle cone and she began licking. Her head and arms went up and down while her face was a picture of concentration. The flavours in her mouth seemed to be causing her so much pleasure that she couldn't be still.

"Okay now gimme a kiss." Jimin requested, tilting his face sideways for the little girl to plant a kiss on his cheek.

"No!" She said, annoyed.

"Baby, he was joking. Now give him a kiss like a good girl." Her mother told the toddler and immediately the girl tiptoed and planted a cherry-pie kiss on Jimin's cheeks.

She waved goodbye to us and was gone just the way she had arrived. I glanced at my watch only to notice that it was almost six and Taehyung and I had decided to go and pay a visit to Aera. It was her sixth death anniversary.

Looking at Jimin with a panicked face of mine, I declared, "I have to go."