Little Friend!

Mia has returned back to Seoul after her mother insisted her.

Her father was getting better and she wasn't able to skip her classes and work-days at the café anymore.

After reassuring again and again that everything was fine at her house, she finally came back.

After the classes, she directly went to the café and asked Manager for extra shifts.

"Oh no, Mia." He said. "It's fine. We understand that it was an emergency and you don't have to do extra shifts. I'd rather say take off a day or two and rest. All this must have been exhausting." He was worried about her.

"Thanks for the offer." She said smiling weakly. "But I think I'm fine and I'd rather work."

"Okay. If you say so. But you are not getting any extra shifts. You'll be working at your old shifts. Got it?"

"Okay…" She headed towards the kitchen, where she saw Yuna along with other staff getting ready for work.

"Hello Mia…"

"Hey…"

"How's your father now?"

Everyone came to her.

"Yeah, he's fine now." She answered.

After talking with all of them for a while she headed back to the locker room to get changed, followed by Yuna.

"Hey…." Yuna called.

Mia turned back; Yuna walked up to her and hugger her tight.

"That's my strong girl." Yuna said.

"Thanks, unnie."

They let go off of the hug. "So, everything fine now?" Yuna asked.

"Yeah…"

"And you?"

"Yeah I am fine too. Why you all are worrying this much. Earlier, our manager and then now, you…"

"Of course, we'll be worried girl." Yuna said. "You are like a little sister to me and manager was asking to me, to the boss, about you again and again."

Mia looked at her and smiled, "Thank you all of you….for worrying about me….But not to worry anymore, I am completely fine…."

"That's good…"

"Not only me and manager but boss was also worried a lot."

"…."

"I mean….Obviously he'll be. After all his girlfriend was going through a lot, who wouldn't be worried, right?"

"Yeah…."

"We all are really proud of you girl. God knows, how you got through all this...."

"It was hard but not that much as I had my people with me all the time. Jun was there, right behind us, supporting, helping, taking care of us. Actually, just because he was there, I had nothing to worry about. I had never seen him being so strong and responsible. I mean, he was responsible, but I don't know….He was like a whole new person….Just him being there with me was giving me strength to go through every day…"

Yuna was quietly listening to Mia's words.

"I just can't imagine, what I would've done if he wasn't there…"

"Jun…You mean the guy who comes with his weird stalker friends, right?"

"Haha…Yeah…But those guys are not like that at all…They are good guys, just a little….goofy maybe…"

"Yeah, right…." Yuna rolled her eyes laughing a bit.

"And Jun is not like that at all." Mia continued. "I mean sometimes he acts like he is a huge pain in the *** but he's a real soft-hearted, the sweetest person who'd do anything for his people…"

"Woah woah woah…Slow down there." Yuna said. "Don't forget, you have a boyfriend!"

"What?"

"You shouldn't praise any other guy when you have a boyfriend. Duh!"

"What are you talking about?" Mia frowned. "First of all, there is nothing between us; Jun is my best friend and second thing, Ray knows about us. We all were in the same school, remember? Why do I have to tell the same thing to everyone again and again?"

"Yeah. I know. But still I'm telling you. Rather warning you. As a 'big' sister."

"Oh! This is non-sense."

"You'll feel this is non-sense now. But one day you'll realize this. Mark my words, little sister!"

"Yeah right." Mia rolled her eyes and put on her apron.

As she was about to walk out from there, she heard someone calling her name from outside.

"Mia there is someone asking for you." One of the staffs said as soon as she entered the kitchen.

"For me? Who is it?" She asked.

"It's a kid."

"Heh?" Mia looked puzzled. "A kid?"

"Oh!" Yuna said coming from the back. "It must be that kid. Do you remember that little chubby kid, who came for a birthday party here, months back?"

Mia thought for a second, "Oh!" She remembered. "Yejun!!!"

"Yeah. Right." Yuna agreed. "That kid! And you know what he came here couple of times when you weren't here."

"Really?"

"Yep."

Mia hurriedly went out to see her little friend.

As soon as she stepped out, she saw the little guy, sitting at one of the tables, moving his little legs to and fro.

"Yejuna!" She called as she grabbed him from behind.

"Nuna!" He got down from his seat in excitement and hugged her.

"Oh!"

"I came here several times to meet you." He said letting go off from the hug.

"Yeah I know. My friend told me." She made him sit as she sat before him. "I was wondering why didn't you come to see me, you know?"

"Sorry Nuna, I was caught in so many things." He talked like an adult.

She burst out into laughter. "Hahaha!! Oh really? And may I ask what were all those important things you were caught up into?"

"Well…." He looked down as his cheeks turned red.

'Is he blushing?' Mia thought to herself as she saw a familiar car getting parked outside the window. 'Ray….'

"Oh! Yejun!" She said remembering something. "You remember, I showed you a picture of a guy last time?"

"Yeah. My Role model!" His eyes twinkled.

"Uhhhh….Yeah that….Well, he is back and he's here with us."

"What? When did he come? Where is he? Can I meet him?" His excitement was clearly visible on his face.

"Wait wait wait." She tried to calm him down. "He will come here. I'll introduce you to him, okay?"

"Really?" He stood up in excietement.

"Yes. But just calm down, okay? And sit down now."

Being obedient, Yejun quietly sat down.

Ray entered the café and Mia waved towards him, signaling to come to them.

As Ray came with a little confused look she got up and made him sit.

"Ray, this is my friend Yejun…And Yejun, meet my friend Ray."

"Hello there, champ!" Ray smiled at the kid.

"….Umm…Hi…" Yejun said shyly.

" So…" Mia looked at Ray. "Yejun here….umm….Well, he admires you."

"Huh?" Ray looked at her puzzled and then at Yejun.

"I am your biggest fan!" Yejun said with the sparkle in his eyes.

Now Ray got even more confused but he brought himself together and asked. "Oh really? And why is that buddy?" He asked back.

"Well….last time when I met unnie, she showed me a picture of you…"

"Okay…"

"And she told me that you used to be as chubby as me, when you were a kid…"

Ray looked up at Mia and then back at Yejun.

"Yeah….I was…"

"So, that means when I'll be of your age, I will be just as handsome as you, right?"

Finally, Ray understood where all this conversation was heading.

He agreed to the kid, right away. "Oh course. Why not? I say, you'd be even more handsome than me!"

"Really?" Yejun exclaimed happily.

"Yeah…..But you know what, being handsome is not everything…"

"Heh? What do you mean?"

"Looks are not the only important thing in this world, you know. There are other things too…like how smart you are, how kind you are to others, if you help your friends…"

"I am not good with the studies…" Yejun said looking down in disappointment.

"You might not be now…but you can get better if you try." Ray shrugged his shoulders.

"Do you really think so?"

"Anything is possible, my little friend." Ray smiled and so did Yejun.

Ray turned to Mia and said, "Mia, can we get two milkshakes here? One for my little friend and one for me too."

"Sure. Which flavor?" She asked.

"What would you like Yejun?" Ray asked him.

"Chocolate!" He answered right away.

"Two chocolate milkshakes." Ray told Mia and she walked away with the order.

"Chocolate is my favorite too!" Ray winked on which Yejun smiled wide.

Mia came back in five minutes with their order.

"So, Yejun…." Ray started talking as he took a sip. "Do you usually come here to meet your Mia unnie?"

"This is my second time. I mean I came here before too, but she wasn't here…"

"Ohh…"

"Ah!" Yejun remembered something, "That reminds me, I was here to tell her something very very important!"

"What is it Yejuna?" Mia asked.

"Nuna…I have a girlfriend now!!!"

"Eh???"

Mia and Ray exchanged glances.

"Yeah. She sits beside me in the class. Her name is Chaeyon." Yejun continued.

"….." Mia was speechless.

"Aren't you like….8 or 9 years old?" Ray asked.

"Eight? No. I am 10 years old. It's just that I am a little short but my mom says I'll get taller if I'll drink milk everyday.

So what was I telling? Ah! So unnie, Chaeyon is very good girl, she always shares her lunch with me and when she brings sweets, she gives to me first then to her other friends. She also helps me with the math problems when I don't understand anything and I gave her my lucky pencil…"

Yejun kept talking and Mia and Ray were glancing at each other smiling.

Before they could know, Yejun's talk made them remember their school days and they found themselves smiling to each other.

~