That Spring When Hydrangeas Bloom

04

"Caramel latte, right?" Dr. Kim asked me at the counter. We were at his favorite coffee shop this time but sadly, there weren't available seats anymore since it was almost 11PM so we opted for a takeout instead. Students were flocking the place, probably to study on a weekend.

"I'll get iced matcha latte." I decided to try a different flavor because I always had caramel latte. I also got a slice of blueberry cheesecake while he didn't because he wasn't that much of a sweet tooth. Now we just had to think of ways on how to eat all these inside his car without making a mess.

I was about to hand over my card to the cashier because I said I was paying but he was quick to stop me and give his instead. I looked at him in question with raised brows, waiting for an explanation when I made it clear earlier before we went inside that I was buying our food tonight.

"Pay next time." He took his card back from the lady and didn't even wait for me to look for a spot to wait. We just stood somewhere on the corner to avoid being a bother to other people as we waited. I'll just buy him lunch at the hospital next time then because as much as possible, I didn't want to break my promises.

I thought we were just going to eat inside his car parked outside the café but he told me he still wanted to buy something he had been craving for. We drove for a while and stopped by a pojangmacha we spotted along the road that sold street food of different kinds like hotteok, gimbap, tteokbokki, sundae, dakkochi, odeng, mandu, and anju. Everything was too salivating that I got excited from the mere sight of those delicacies.

"I'm paying this time, right?" I asked him as I surveyed everything they were selling.

He suddenly reached for my bag and took my wallet out. He placed it inside his pocket because it was just a small bearn compact wallet that was easy to find inside my small bag as well so it wasn't much of a trouble for him to snatch and hide it.

"Yah! Give that back!" I glared at him and closed my eyes in frustration because I couldn't get it myself as well. I badly wanted to reach for his pocket but I was scared I could do something I shouldn't do. He ignored me and just proceeded on to order to the lady which made me more frustrated than I already was. He really had his own ways of getting what he wanted. I must've underestimated him because I didn't really expect him to just invade my bag like that.

I folded my arms on my chest with a frown and just looked at the food display again. I was a sucker for odeng which made me smile again from the mere sight of it so I got about ten sticks and five sticks of dakkochi as well. I badly wanted to eat but I held in my patience. Dr. Kim, on the other hand, just got himself 3 servings of tteokbokki because according to him, 'Tteokbokki is my wife.'

He kept his mouth shut again when I asked him where we were heading to so I just let him drive. I was too tired to argue.

It got me thinking again as to how I ended up in this kind of situation. I was super exhausted but I still said yes to his coffee invitation which was definitely so not me. I think his kindness was the reason why. He did some things for me without even asking for anything in return or taking it out against me. He did all those because well, he just wanted to.

I also appreciated the fact that he did not bring up the incident where he saw me crying at the cafeteria days ago. I still was embarrassed because of it, but when I saw how he was acting around me right now, I felt kind of relieved. He really had that warmth that will make you comfortable around him and I will not deny that.

We arrived at a mountain park soon after that showcased the mesmerizing night view of Seoul. This park was shaped like a camel hump and was the Joseon family dynasty's enjoyment before. After finding a parking spot, I helped him carry our food and proceeded to the entrance.