3

"I know. I know... You did remind me like a thousand times already, Hera!" Karin rolls her eyes up while strolling along the alley of the spice market. She's on her way to meet the new coffee bean supplier. Because the cafe is quite busy on weekends, she decided to leave the cafe in good hands; to Hera and Sweet.

She can't understand why these two lovebirds act so anxious whenever she tells them she's going out by herself. It's normal for the owner to meet the supplier and discuss the business deal. It makes things easier because she can make her own decisions.

"I'll pick you up. Don't hitchhike!"

"Who wants to hitchhiking anyway? This is not in the middle of a desert! Besides, I can always call Grab," Karin chuckles while looking around the market.

"No! Don't! I can pick you up!"

"Hera, you're acting crazy. Just calm down. It's not like the first time I go out by myself. What's with this possessive attitude, huh?"

"I... I..."

"Tell me something, Hera. Seriously, you're suspicious now..." Karin leashes out her frustration.

"Unnie... I..."

"Did Jun ask you to monitor me? How much he paid you? Huh??" Karin starts pressing Hera. The girl stutters.

"Unnie... This is for your good..."

"My well-being is when I get this deal sealed. In the meantime, please take care of the cafe, okay?" Karin cuts the call even before Hera can justify her reason for being overprotective.

She continues strolling shop lots, enjoying her temporary freedom. Looking at the fresh fruits and herbs, she feels happy. As someone who is working in the kitchen and behind the coffee counter, this place is a paradise.

At the junction near a flower shop, she stops by to check for the list of things that she needs to shop for after the business deal. She was about to reach her bag when a woman swiftly turned her body. Karin has only a millisecond to collide with her, but she manages to avoid the accident. Instead, she grabs the woman's arms tight and pulls her moderately.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" the woman shrieks in fear. The brown paper bag that she hugs falls on the floor. She quickly bows down and collects some lemons that roll out from the bag.

Karin subtly gets down and helps the woman as well. She smiles a bit, though she looks in vain.

"Here. Your lemon," Karin passes the yellowish lemon to the woman.

"I should be more aware of my surroundings!"

"It's okay. I got distracted, too..." answers Karin. She checks the bag. That's quite a good amount of lemons.

"Are you making lemonade?"

"Oh? This?" the woman stares at the bag and sighs.

"No. I want to make a lemon curd pie with cheese," the woman grins.

"That's one a hella lot of lemon. Are you going to sell them?" asks Karin.

"No... I'm still trying to make one. I failed miserably all the time... Either my curd is runny or the pie crust is burnt. Or, the whole pie is burnt!" the woman rolls her eyes up. "I'm lucky that my kitchen is fine. Or else, I might end up burning the whole house!" both of them laugh hard.

"You surely had a high determination!"

"I have no choice! I need to impress my future mother-in-law..."

"Why don't you just buy one?"

"I can't! You see, she likes this one particular lemon curd pie. She told me that my boyfriend used to buy the pie for her. However, she never knew where he bought the pie. Next week is her birthday, and she wants me to bake the pie for her as a gift!" the woman frowns and pouts.

"Just ask your boyfriend to buy the pie!"

"He's busy with work. Too busy, I guess! Look, I came here just so I can ask for his help. But, it's been almost a week. Never for once had I met him! He always working nonstop. And came home at dawn!"

Karin can't help but laugh. This woman surely loves to talk! And she talks fast, too!

"I can see how nervous you are!"

"Of course I am nervous!" Karin chuckles again.

"I'm Karin," she introduces herself.

"My name is Ivry," they shake hands.

"If you don't mind, here's my card. There's an address of my cafe. You can stop by, have a cup of coffee, and enjoy our pie. Who knows, maybe you'll get an idea for your baking?"

Ivry takes the black card from Karin. She reads the card back and front.

"Oh, you're a barista, too?!"

"Hmm.. Yeah. I had my license after operating the cafe for three years. Before that, we used to hire a part-time barista," replies Karin.

"Wow! Impressive! I'll pay a visit soon! It's nice to meet you, Karin!" says Ivry.

"Nice to meet you too, Ivry!"

***

"These are some samples of coffee beans from the new supplier," Karin puts the sample on the countertop. She drops her bag on the table before grabbing herself a nice cold water.

"Hmm... This smells great!" Sweet sniffs one of the coffee sample.

"That's kafae doi chaang. It's from Northeastern Thailand. Smells like honey, isn't it?" Karin smiles. She likes it as well.

"Yeah! It has the flowery smells, too!"

"They told me the taste blends well with milk and sugar. We can use this for our latte," says Karin.

"That's Columbia coffee..." Karin points her finger at the other sample in Hera's possession. A sniff is enough to make the girl dance.

"I love it..."

"You look intoxicated!" Sweet playfully swats her shoulder. The latter grins widely.

"Anything else, girls?"

"Nothing so far!" both of them responded in union. Karin nods.

"Then, I'll go now. I have a date with Jun. Close the cafe properly. Make sure the trash can is empty, okay?" she reminds them before taking a leave.

She grabs her bicycle and cycles to the agency's building. As she has a private pass, she can access the elevator and straight away to Jun's private studio. She swipes the card and pushes the door only to find something that she isn't ready for.

A young girl, not more than 25 years old is hanging around the studio, chattering with Jun in a happy mood. They look kinda close to each other.

"Karin?" Jun looks shocked to find Karin, standing at the door, looking at him with a Pikachu shock face.

"He... hello?" she tries to conceal her disappointed reaction when her boyfriend calls her by her name instead of her nickname.

It sounds ridiculous, but everyone close to them knew Jun would never call Karin by her name after they got together as a couple. It's always will be Jagi.

"I didn't expect you to come this early..."

"Actually, we're kinda behind the schedule..." she slowly enters the room. There is no way she will flee from the scene before she knows the real situation.

Jun checks his smartwatch. He curses a bit before giving the girl a fainted smile.

"Ah... I missed the time! I think it's enough for today..."

"But, we only discuss this much!" the girl whines a bit. Karin pretends to look around the studio. It's quite an eyesore for her to watch the girl acting so girlish.

"I'll send the details later, okay?" Jun replies to her in the softest voice ever heard by Karin. She discreetly chuckles.

"Jun, care to introduce your friend?" asked Karin. The girl hesitates at first. Judging by her look, Karin could sense discomfort vibes from her.

"Ah... Okay! Karin, this is Soo Ha. A member of a rookie group, Hype Girls. Soo Ha, this is Karin. She's my..."

"Friend. Nice to meet you, Soo Ha. Jeez, you looked beautiful!" Karin flashes her smile at Soo Ha. The girl awkwardly puts out her hand for a shake. Instead, Karin pulls out her fist so they end up fistbumping each other.

"Thanks. Oppa, see you later, okie?" the girl grins widely and showcases her cutie voice to Jun. The boy nods as he watches her take a leave from the studio.

Karin glares at Jun. The boy gulps as he offers her to sit. Karin ignores the offer. Instead, she passes him the coffee cup.

"Caramel Macchiato. Double shot, just how you like it," says Karin. Jun grabs her wrist and pulls her closer to him.

"Jagi, I can explain..."

"It's work. I know. Don't waste your time explaining things. And, next time don't bother calling me Jagi in front of our friends. I don't mind if you wanna call me Karin,"

"Jagi... I slipped. I swear to God, I was shocked to see you here!" Jun tries his best to explain his reaction.

"I'm leaving..."

"Jagi..."

Karin unbothered to leave Jun alone in the studio. She knew his duality because she was the one who chose to date privately. But, his action around Soo Ha is kinda suspicious as Jun has never done this before. He always introduces her as his girlfriend to everyone.

"Karin... Jagi..." Jun grabs her hand before she can walk further.

"I'm sorry. I should just address you as my girlfriend. But, my mind was too exhausted and I wasn't even thinking straight. Forgive me, please?" Jun inquires. Karin looks down, eyes on her boots.

"Nah, it's fine. I'm being a fool for acting childish..."

"Let's go for a supper?" Jun smiles. Karin watches the man's face attentively. Somehow, she feels like she lacks something when she's around him.

"Sorry, but I'm under the weather tonight. I wanna go home," she pulls her hand away from Jun.

"Should I send you-"

"I'll text you when I reach home," she smiles before she walks away from Jun. She can't hide her poker face anymore. Things that happened just now seem like not a big deal, but Karin feels devastated at a certain point.

So, before she loses it, she chooses to walk away.