All three of us gasped. Aalto looked confused but he stayed quite, without making the situation complicated. I really need to end this chit-chat, or else I'd be forced to cook up more lies. Honestly, I don't want to look pitiful in front of Dae Jung and what worries me more is Aalto's reaction to this whole scene.
"It seems like he is a foreigner." Well, duh! He got fancy hair and a dreamy figure which makes it pretty obvious.
" Yeah he is." I replied flatly.
" Hello." Aalto greeted Dae Jung, pulling his lips into a half smile.
"How did you guys meet?" Dae Jung asked with a soft chuckle. Seriously? Can't he take a hint? I have no intention of talking with Dae Jung yet he keeps on dragging the conversation.
"That's none of your business. Anyway go take a seat unless you wanna order something." I scorned at his stubbornness with a salty tone.
" Yes... I'll have a black coffee and a chocolate pastry."
" Great. Please take a seat while your order is being prepared." Dae Jung left the counter and I felt so relieved.
" Ugh! Finally." I let out a deep sigh, but now I need to clarify everything to the guy standing next to me with an inquisitive gaze.
"Aalto, I'm so sorry for dragging you into my personal problems. You see, Dae Jung is my ex boyfriend and I really hate him. I shouldn't have lied about you being my boyfriend. I hope you can understand and forgive me. "
" It's fine, Hyeon. I wasn't bothered at all. If I could be any help to you then it'll make me happy. Please don't apologise for such a small matter." His tone was sweet and gentle, as if nothing bothered him.
"Even so, I didn't warn you beforehand which put you in a awkward situation."
" I somehow managed to get the gist of it." I caught him giggling. It was kinda fun to watch Dae Jung turn grim and colourless. Hearing about the news of my boyfriend dazed his mind and dumbed his tongue.
" Well thanks for the help."
" Sure. But he is not gonna harm you or anything, right?" Aalto asked me with a concerned look.
" Nah. I may have acted rude but he won't go that far. We have severed ties with each other." Oh please! Like, I really need to be careful with that cheating bastard.
After that Dae Jung left. He didn't bother to ask any stupid questions which I'm glad for.
Next day nothing unusual happened. The starting was normal until an unexpected person visited us.
It was 9 p.m. I was going to close the cafe and prepare the dinner. The bell rang up which made me look at the entrance. A man with golden blonde hair came inside. He seemed to be in his late thirties, and he had a french beard. His golden locks reached his ear lobes and some of them were tucked beneath.
Without taking a seat, he came straight to the counter towards me.
" Welcome." I greeted him politely.
" I have some business with your mermaid friend."
I was instantly horrified when he mentioned the word mermaid.
'Who is this guy? How did he find out about Aalto?' I thought to myself.
" Are you one of those mad scientist?" I blurted out abruptly with my eyes wide open.
" Of course not. I'm more like him." He replied with a steady voice.
" You're a mermaid?"
" No. I'm a vampire."
" Seriously?" I was about to flip out but then I realised why am I even surprised? I already saw a real life mermaid so I guess vampires and other creatures do exists in this world.
" Correct. We just hide our existence." He said with a coy smile.
" What's the matter, Hyeon?" Aalto joined us as he came out from the kitchen. He has no clue of what's going on here.
" This guy...."
" My name is Oscar."
Mr. Vampire chose to introduce himself by interrupting me.
" Yes, so Oscar came to see you. Even I don't know the reason." I continued.
" Okay. What do you want from me, sir?" He asked him politely.
" I want to make him cry."
" Huh?" I was dumbfounded by his words and so was Aalto.
" More precisely, I need a mermaid pearl for my sweet little daughter. It's made from their tears drops. Mermaid pearls are one hundred times better than normal pearls. If you wear that pearl like a necklace it'll keep your body cool which is really good for our kinds. We, the vampires love cold." Oscar's explanation cleared up everything. On the other hand I got to know something new.
" I see. How old is your daughter?"
" Oh! she just turned thirty seven this year." Huh? I thought Oscar is around thirty six to thirty eight. If his daughter is thirty seven then how old is this dude?
" Umm, how old are you?" I couldn't be more curious about someone's age.
" I'm 263 years old. Don't be surprised. We don't age like humans do. In our case, we age very slowly. For the mermaids, they hardy grow old." he smirked.
" Wow! That's kinda cool. So then, how old are you Aalto?"
" Eighty five." he replied.
He's old enough to be my grandpa. Holy shit! I would have never guessed since he always acts like a cute kid.
" Anyway enough with introduction. Let's get down to the business. Are you willing to give me some of your tears or not?"
" What if I say no?" Aalto asked with a slacked jaw.
" I'll have to compel you." Oscar's reply made us pull our eyebrows into a frown. Is he serious?
"Jeez! I'm just kidding." Oscar laughed.
" I'll shade some tears for you. But I can't just cry all of a sudden." said Aalto.
Hmm makes sense. You can't cry without a reason.
"Don't fret! I got this pepper spray for you." Pulling out the can of pepper spray underneath his coat, Oscar presented his dumb idea infront of us.
" What the hell! You want him to go blind?" My hostility rose up hearing the stupid method. There's no way I'd let him hurt Aalto.
" Easy there, young lady! Our healing abilities are superior than yours." He sneered at me with grimace.
" No thanks. I got a better idea." I went inside the kitchen to bring the onion. I chose the red one since they have a strong pungent smell. Grabbing onto the knife, I cut it into two parts.
" Here, keep them under your nose." I handed it to Aalto.
" We will also need a container with some water." Oscar reminded us. I took a plastic container and filled it with some water. I wonder how the tears will turn into pearls. Won't they dissolve in the water? The whole process seems to be really captivating, almost like a scene from fairy tale.
~ to be continued
FINALLY IM BACK! IM SO SORRY GUYS FOR THE WAIT!!!!!!