Chapter 9: Cake Ingredients.

"I despise you"

"Mutual is the feeling"

"What?"

"What? Is still grammatically correct"

Miyeon blinked a few times to process the information, then sighed. She looked up to the morning sky and delighted herself with the combination of colors and the apparent textures it formed. It was therapy at this point. Without any more delay, she entered the Café, Haruki trailing behind her, too cheerful for a person who had woken up at three am to work without pay. Jihyo had instructed them to get there at five in the morning, to help prepare all the food and dishes. Apparently, the Café did not only sell sweets.

'You guys never order real food. You eat junk food most of the time, ' Jihyo had said when she saw the confused look on everyone's, but her brother's, faces. The rest had had to look up at the menu board and realize that, yes, indeed, there were other items in the Café aside from sweets and coffee. According to the twins, it would be mostly families that would come, and they would be looking forward to a meal, therefore they had to prepare more than usual.

Entering the Café, they went directly to the kitchen, where Yeonjun and Junseo were arguing about aprons.

"Why don't you guys have actual aprons?" Junseo asked.

"Because they cost money, and we don't have money," Yeonjun said.

"You own a damn Café!" Jisoo said.

"And?" Jihyo asked, crossing her arms.

"You guys are amazing." Junseo declared.

"Thanks! We know," The twins said as they flipped their hair. Miyeon giggled a little but turned around to see Haruki, who seemed rather nervous.

"Hey, what's wrong?" She asked in a whisper, not making their presence known to the others just yet.

"I had a flashback to our little fire incident," Haruki said, rubbing his arm.

"Oh," Miyeon said, suddenly remembering the panic she had experienced when her home almost caught fire.

"Yeah. Maybe, I can convince Jihyo to let me out of this one." He said, rather hopeful.

Minutes later.

"Absolutely,"

"Really?"

"No."

Well, there goes his hopes. Miyeon laughed at his defeated expression but would be lying if she didn't say she was also nervous. Somehow, she had a feeling that all of them in the same kitchen was a bad idea. But, then again, anxiety was always yelling 'ABORT MISSION!' even if a mildly difficult task was at present, so it could pretty much be nothing. She had trust issues due to her overthinking, not so much for the experience.

Minutes later, everyone was following their task. Miyeon busied herself with the pancake mix, and Haruki made frosting by her side. Turns out, the only aprons the twins had, were merely for the aesthetic of the place and were meant to be worn only outside in front of customers, which meant, being extra careful inside, as there was nothing protecting their clothes. Haruki, more than anyone, had made a big mistake, by dressing in casual, yet nice-looking clothes. He cursed his fashion sense.

"Guys, I have to go buy more apples and fruits, I'll be back in an hour." Jihyo said. They still had two hours and forty-five minutes before the Café opened for the day. Everyone nodded, wishing her a safe trip. The door closed and everyone continued working. Yeonjun and Junseo were engaged in a deep conversation

"I believe this way it would reflect the matters of the heart better."

"I disagree, if you want to show true feelings, they must be arranged this way"

"I see your point. However, loyalty is bound to originality, and by keeping a simple, yet charming design, you can reflect sincerity a lot better."

Both nodded, agreeing with their statements. Miyeon cringed a little at them, just to let out a laugh when she saw Jisoo rolling her eyes beside Junseo.

"Pss…" She called, Jisoo turned to face her, and asked her with her look 'What's up?'

"Come here" She mouthed, Jisoo approached her, curiosity guiding her more than anything.

"What?" She asked, then gave a simple greeting to Haruki, who had now stopped his job and listened to Miyeon as intently as Jisoo.

"Watch this," Miyeon called, grabbing a spoon, she placed a chocolate chip and jolted it towards Yeonjun, who kept discussing menu arrangements with Junseo. The chip smacked him in the face, near his right eye. Yeonjun turned around looking for the culprit of his mild pain. Junseo chuckled a little, and Miyeon smiled. Jisoo laughed out loud and Yeonjun looked at her in anger.

"How immature can you guys be?" Yeonjun called out. Haruki, who had been holding back his laugh, now exploded since the chip was still stuck to his face, making his angry face look anything but scary.

"Relax," Said Miyeon, Junseo turned his attention towards her, and he saw firsthand how her little brain filled with an idiotic idea.

"Don't even…" He began, before he could finish, Miyeon had hit the spoon once again and with perfect aim sent a chocolate bullet towards him.

Junseo ducked, and once he came up, he saw Jisoo looking at them with mischief in her eyes. Haruki was already walking a bit behind, grabbing pots and utensils. Junseo and Yeonjun shared a glance, reading each other's minds.

'This is war.'

~ With Jihyo ~

The blonde walked with a spring on her step, whistling a melodic tune from her latest performance. Her feet unconsciously followed a spontaneous choreography, a dancer could practice anywhere and whenever they pleased. Despite the weight of the bags on her hands, her arms slightly mimic the movements she had been picturing and polishing since her last rehearsal. Graceful, elegant, and content, nothing in the world could compare to this feeling. The path to the Café was empty and lonely this early in the day, yet a few early birds were blessed with the sight of the dancing beauty.

The tune she kept on humming stopped as she passed by a local market, where she recalled having seen beautiful raspberries, perfect for her tarts. She entered the store, not before sending her brother a message saying she would be taking a while longer. Before entering, a thought crossed her mind, 'Is it ok to leave them unsupervised for so long?' She wondered, doubting everyone's sense of responsibility, or maturity. Nevertheless, she shuddered her shoulders, the worst that could happen was a fire tearing down the building, nothing she herself hadn't almost caused when she began working there before actually buying the Café.

"So long as they don't kill each other that's fine," She said, "It would be a shame. Then I'll have nobody to help me." She finished with a little head movement, disregarding the fact she could easily walk up to five dead bodies in the establishment's kitchen.

The bell of the little store rang, and she went into the raspberry section.

~ Back to 'Meow, Meow Café' ~

"WE NEED MORE BULLETS!"

"AT ONCE GENERAL!"

"THEY HAVE SPLIT UP!"

"FIND THEIR LOCATION. NOW!"

Miyeon commanded her faithful comrades, holding up a glass lid, big enough to cover her face and part of her shoulders. Jisoo sat behind the counter, spying with a glass cup, searching for their enemy. Haruki was holding up a pan, and had different types of bread hanging from his belt, ready to shoot. On the other side of the battlefield, behind the counter, Junseo and Yeonjun mouthed their plan to each other. Junseo held a bucket with boiling water and Yeonjun held a bucket full of ice cubes. Giving each other signals, each went their own way, Junseo now carrying both buckets while he crawled under the different furniture, out of the eye range of Jisoo. Yeonjun scurried towards the thermostat, successfully turning it down to below freezing point. A chilling breeze filled the kitchen.

"Brrr…"Haruki's teeth started quivering, hitting each other painfully. Miyeon suddenly became aware of her runny nose, and the fact she could no longer feel her cheeks. Jisoo panicked as her invaluable fingers turned purple due to the cold. Coming out of their hiding place, they witnessed the front door opening, and a cheerful Jihyo coming right in between the two armies.

"Hey! I'm ba-" Jihyo stopped as she took in the image of the deplorable state of her kitchen.

Chocolate, vanilla, butter, cream, you name it. Everything was scattered everywhere, and it appeared in abundance in the clothes of her friends. Miyeon gave her a half-smile, nervously eying the other team, trying to warn them to stop their next move. They, however, had been too preoccupied to even give a glance back at her.

"Ahem." Jisoo cleared her throat, finally visualizing Junseo underneath a table, waving Yeonjun over, both unfortunate souls had not even been made aware of the threatening presence in the place.

Haruki lost his nerves and shouted when he saw both rising and executing their brilliant plan. He had to give it to them, it was an excellent strategy. A strategy that would cost them more than the electricity bill from lowering the temperature to such an extent.

Before anyone could try to appease Jihyo's growing fury, the whole place was covered in misty vapor, the result of boiling water and ice cubes meeting in the freezing air of the kitchen once released by Junseo and Yeonjun. As the cloud descended and blinded the other four individuals, Junseo and Yeonjun jumped into an attack, swinging whipped cream and covering their opponents with it. A grace blow was given when eggs were cracked on top of everyone's heads. It wasn't until they noticed an extra head that both males took to count who the last person was. Jihyo, now covered in mist, whipped cream, and egg yolk, let her eyes disappear behind a smile, flashing her pearly teeth at her brother, and friend.

"Oh, dearest, what a wonderful idea you guys had." She said, the rest froze in place as she turned around, grabbing something from the bags.

Junseo and Yeonjun jolted back as they saw the glint of something coming out of the bag. Something sharp. Both scrambled towards the others, who quivered, silent and inaudible sobs emerging from each of them. Junseo and Yeonjun followed the chant for mercy.

"I had wanted to test this," Jihyo said, still smiling. Two sharp knives held firmly, dangerous, pointing in their direction.

"You know what they say about ballerinas?" She asked, opening her eyes, smiling wider if possible. Everyone else shook their heads, 'No' was the response.

"They must've been graceful in their past lives. Elegance and accuracy. You happen to know who else had such characteristics?" She waved one knife around, and giggled playfully, eyes still glaring at them through a sweet and warm smile. Once again, the response was a collective negative head gesture.

"Assassins." She finished, letting her smile drop like a dead note.

In the dawn of the morning, terrified screams filled the 'Meow, Meow Café' Passing individuals turned a blind eye, the screams mixed in with the cat's hisses and meows, so they thought the peculiar duo from a few weeks ago was being attacked by cats once again.

Well, someone was being attacked, but it wasn't just two people. No, it was a quintet of idiots running for their lives as they tried escaping the fury of the most terrifying member of the group.

A five-foot-tall blonde covered in ingredients for a cake, wielding knives with a skill seen only in golden ages. Perhaps, this would be great training to get into character next time she interpreted the new ballet piece she had been working on. 'Graceful Killer' Her dear ones got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, as this experience would serve for one of the greatest performances they would have the privilege of witnessing later on in life.

Later on, after an ongoing sermon from Jihyo while they cleaned, the Café was ready to operate and welcome guests and clients. Dressed in cute aprons that covered the number of food products on their clothing, the group of friends made every effort to attend to every customer. Switching places when one of them got tired. Strawberry shortcakes, sandwiches, salads, teas, and other beverages, some made on the spot, had cast a spell on people, who kept coming back, bringing in more friends. Currently, Yeonjun, Miyeon, and Junseo were at the front desk, Junseo in the back making a Honeydew bubble tea, Jisoo was on the floor taking a few orders from people who had mainly come to play with the cats, in short, she acted as a persuasive saleswoman. Jihyo and Haruki were back in the kitchen, waiting in the oven for more fresh bread while cutting up vegetables for a small side soup that had just come in. Miyeon finished the order, and after calling back for an appetizer, she went over to Junseo.

"Take over the register, I'll finish this up." She said, between a plea and a demand.

"And why should I do that?" He asked, with a quirked eyebrow.

"Because I took your spot a couple of minutes ago." She retorted.

"Exactly, you've been there for a couple of minutes, only." He said, grabbing the bowl with boba out of her hands. Jihyo had made them promise to not start another food fight, so they had silently decided to cooperate, for the sake of their friend.

"Junseo," She called out, and Junseo dropped the spoonful of boba he had just grabbed.

"W-what?" He called, ignoring the fact, it was the first time she called him by his name, and he didn't know how to react. His emotions were conflicted, a quiver ran through his spine as he turned around and saw the pleading look in her eyes.

"Please." She said, he gulped, and slowly nodded. Miyeon let out a small sigh of relief. She smiled at him. His knees went weak, and he wanted to slap himself back into reality because this for sure had to be a dream.

Slowly, he took a place beside Yeonjun, who had observed the scene, and inexplicably gritted his teeth, before stopping himself and wondering just what was wrong with him. Junseo ignored the small throb in his chest and sneaked a peek back at Miyeon, who seemed relieved while finishing the order. His mouth curved up. He scoffed at the fuzzy feeling and turned his head towards the next person in line.

"Hello," He gave a small bow to the girl in front of him, a High School senior most likely, who giggled shyly at his actions.

"Junseo, huh?" She said, ignoring his greet and looking directly at his eyes, winking shamelessly.

"Uh…Have we met before?" He asked, suddenly uncomfortable.

"Oh, trust me, Darling, I wouldn't forget you" Her finger lingered in one of his hands, Junseo pulled back, he hated being touched by strangers.

"Oh, baby, would you be this mean to a younger girl?" She pouted and gave a childish whine. But, an irritated look appeared in her eyes, a product of being bluntly rejected by Junseo in a public place. The girls behind her whispered.

"I apologize, Miss. But, I do wish for you to give me your order," He said politely. The girl didn't take a hint.

"Want my number in it too, darling?" She asked.

"Miss," Junseo called out.

"Yes?" She said eagerly.

"Step to the side, you are holding the line." He deadpanned. The girl grunted and stepped aside, giving a disgruntled 'Hmp!' as she stomped towards a sitting area. Junseo attended the rest of his line, now aware of the reason Miyeon had changed lines with him. Miyeon must've eyed the girl and deemed her as no good, and since her temperament was a bit shorter than his, decided to pass it on to the most mature one. He was more than aware he was making this up to heal his wounded pride after being tricked, but he had to do what he had to do.

"She was a total bitch." He heard Miyeon say, no filters and no regrets. Yeonjun chuckled beside him.

"Shh… She might hear you!" Junseo warned he didn't want to cause any trouble for Jihyo.

"So? What is the worst she can do? Complaint? I don't even deal with these types of people more than once at my job, less here where I'm defending a friend's property." She said, determination and boldness encrypted in her tone.

Junseo stared at her for a couple of seconds. He figured she had confidence and was brave enough to stand up to others, after all, she never failed to return an insult. But, seeing her stand up for someone else, made him almost smile. A small feeling of admiration formed in his chest. They switched once again, Junseo had been at the register for about an hour, his social energy was draining faster than usual. Going in the back, and conversing with the rest of his friends, recharged that energy. Yeonjun and Jisoo went to the back, switching places with Jihyo and Haruki. Miyeon and Haruki eyed each other, silently talking and sending each other signals when the other needed something. Jihyo managed the register with a cheerful and sweet attitude, parents and kids alike adored her. Junseo enjoyed being in between, making the drinks, he was close enough to slip in between conversations with Yeonjun and Jisoo, even making jokes from time to time. And he enjoyed listening to the girls and their customer service voice, it was like comparing lemons to oranges. Miyeon being the lemon, bitter and sour to those who tried her, and Jihyo coming through as sweet and sour. He also laughed at Haruki's mini-panic attacks when he almost dropped something on the floor, as he would instantly look up at them and mouth 'help' with a terrified expression. Working alone seemed so distant now, yet, this was appealing as well. He gave full credit to the fact he had felt a special bond with these individuals since the first time they met. He smiled and took his place replacing Jihyo at the register, standing side by side with Miyeon. More people kept coming in, and it was later than one o'clock, so they were about to be hit by rush hour. He eyed Miyeon and shared a glance with her. She understood. No words needed, and so they set up to work.

One and a half hours later, his cheeks felt numb from all the full smiles he had been given to customers. Looking to his side, where Miyeon talked with Yeonjun, she noticed her rubbing her left cheek. She had been giving side smiles, her social energy lower than his. But, he noticed, as Haruki and Jisoo came into the back counter, how her energy levels seemed to skyrocket as if being with the rest of her friends had the same effect it had on him.

'Well, at least we have that in common' He thought, disdaining the detail.

Jihyo was in the back looking for more boba pearls. The rest were in a sort of break, Junseo listened to their conversation, not quite because he wanted to, but because he felt too lazy to move his lips. A ring from the tiny bell on the countertop brought his attention back towards the person in front of him.

'Oh. She's back'

Sure enough, the girl was back, this time with the company. A woman, in what looked like her forties, stepped up to the register with, stern expression, and pursed lips.

"Hello, young man." She greeted him respectfully.

"Hello, ma'am. How may I help you?" Junseo bowed in respect.

"I would like to order a strawberry shortcake for my daughter and a black tea for myself." She said, reviewing the items on the board behind Junseo. She wasn't rude but more demanding. Junseo figured he could deal with that.

"It'll be $11,484 won" He called out after entering their order, the woman handed him a card, and he swiped it. A message popped up on the computer screen, Junseo shifted uncomfortably, the woman smiled.

"I believe by reading the name in the card, you now know whose daughter you rejected. I'm afraid to say that you've lost your chance, dear." The girl behind her stuck her tongue out in mockery. Junseo stared.

"Well, are you not going to apologize?" The girl asked, after a couple of silent minutes.

"Why?" Junseo asked.

"Oh my! Well, you are rude!" The girl sounded like an angry squirrel, or at least that's what it sounded like to Junseo's ears.

Junseo was about to say something else when Haruki came up from the floor and grabbed a cup of bubble tea that was beside Junseo. He started drinking it, unaware of the two ladies beside him.

"Hey, Junseo. I need another cake for table four, Flake just made them drop it." He said. Junseo nodded.

"In a second," Junseo said, turning around to tell Miyeon about the order. Miyeon nodded and went to the back, ignoring the ladies as well.

The older woman shifted, cleared her throat, and then slammed her hand on the counter, bringing Junseo's attention back to her, gaining Haruki's attention as well. Jihyo had gone to the back, so they were alone with the two ladies.

"Is this the type of service this mediocre Café offers? I've been to better American bars than this!" She said, Haruki arched an eyebrow.

"Don't you wanna go back then?" He dared to say, dropping honorifics in the process. Junseo laughed a bit. But, his knees were shaking slightly. He feared this would bring trouble to Jihyo.

"Haruki, here's your cake." As if wished-for, Jihyo appeared from the back door.

"Thanks," Haruki left, without waiting for a reply from the ladies. Jihyo inspected the computer Junseo was using and smiled a bit, Miyeon had gone to the back and informed her of the two nuisances. Oh, this was going to be fun.

"Ma'am, I think there has been a misunderstanding," Said Jihyo.

"And, who are you?" Asked the woman.

"I'm the owner." She said calmly. At this point, Miyeon had come out of the kitchen, Yeonjun and Jisoo peered from the back, eager to see what would happen, yet ready to come out if things turned out ugly.

"Oh! Well, now we're talking. About time we were attended by someone in a higher rank and not just mere employees." The woman chuckled.

"Let me tell you, young lady, the guy on the floor is terribly rude!" She said, Jihyo nodded slowly, not letting her smile fade.

"And this! This pervert tried to flirt with my daughter!" She accused Junseo, who turned around offended, as he had begun to walk away.

"Me? I'm certain I've yet to lose my marbles and chase such a girl," He said, crossing his arms. His fear of confrontation spiked up a little, but he managed to defend his integrity.

The woman started complaining once again, raising her voice higher and higher. Jihyo decided it was enough.

"Ma'am," She called out, for some inexplicable reason, the woman stopped at once.

"When I said, there has been a misunderstanding, I meant it appears you've confused us with charity," She explained.

"What? Charity? I've not even gotten my order yet."

"And you're not going to."

"Well, why not?"

"Miss, your card declined"

Miyeon delighted herself when she saw her face turning pale, then the abrupt change of color as it turned red as an apple from the shame. The girl behind her grunted and yelled at her mother, turning around and leaving the establishment. The woman struggled to get a word out. Stammering, and shaking, she left the café. Jihyo called her out as she was halfway out the door.

"Ma'am!" When the woman turned around, Jihyo's smile dropped.

"Don't come back." She said, the woman felt a small tremble in her limbs, she gestured a 'yes' and ran out the door.

Miyeon allowed herself to bend down in laughter as the rest joined her. Oh, pretentious people, it was most delicious to see them run away with their tails between their legs. She looked up to admire her friend's laughter, the small sketch she had been working on since their first time together suddenly coming to mind. She remembered there had been a single laugh she had engraved in her memory, and that resonated every time she worked on the art piece. Now, with everyone laughing, she stood quietly, listening attentively.

It wasn't Haruki's, or Jisoo's, Jihyo's and Yeonjun's were similar to each other, but far off from the one she held dear to her heart.

Then, the only person left was…

She turned to see the last individual on her list. Her eyes perused his expressions, lines forming in her mind as she pictured a clear image of the man laughing in front of her. His laugh reminded her of something, quite as melodic as his current chuckles.

His voice.

The laugh she had memorized, and recalled, again and again, was his.

She stopped smiling, a terrified look on her face.