Later in the evening, Mirae received a text from Ga-Eun.
Ga-Eun: "Are you alright?"
Mirae questioningly raised one of her brows and messaged to Ga-Eun.
"What can possibly happen to me?..." Just as she was about to write another text, Ga-Eun called her. Mirae answered the call and let out a laugh.
"What is with that sudden question, Ga-Eun? What can possibly happen to me?"
After getting to know from Soo-Ah that Hyunmin misbehaved with her, Ga-Eun really wanted to know how her friend was doing. But she wasn't getting any time to call her. So, she asked her "I heard about what Hyunmin did to you. Are you okay?"
Mirae pouted. She was very much used to Hyunmin forcing her for everything so, when her friends were asking her about her health, it was making her feel a lot awkward. Hyunmin was also one of her friends. She agreed that he was going overboard but everyone asking about her and not asking anything about him was making Mirae feel a little bit sad.
She let out a chuckle and answered positively. "Don't worry. I'm good. You should take care of your husband more... rather than me, Ga-Eun."
Ga-Eun rolled her eyes at her friend's usual remark and hung up after talking for a while with Mirae.
At half past eight, Mirae removed her apron and changed into her clothes. She hit on her shoulders and stretched her body. "Ahh!!! My body... I feel so tired." Telling her co-workers goodbye, Mirae walked out of the café.
She took a bus and went back home. Lying on the cozy bed in her room, Mirae closed her eyes and slept.
****
As usual Mirae followed her daily routine and when she reached the café, she hoped that the person who came yesterday could even come today. She didn't know why but that little talk which she had with that man made her feel good. At least, it kept all the stress in her mind away.
However, an entire day passed and even her work was almost going to get over but she saw no sign of that man. She sighed, removed her apron and walked into the dressing room to change when the manager called her.
"Yes, Manager?"
"I have to leave somewhere urgently so; you close the café for tonight."
This statement came as a sudden shock to her and she looked at the manager with her eyes opened wide. "But..." And before she could say something, the manager handed her the keys and left.
Mirae looked at the keys in her hand with a dumbfounded expression and sighed as she saw her manager's disappearing back.
"Why me?" Mirae looked at her co-workers who were there and asked to herself. "So many of them work here so, why me? Ahh!!!" She scratched her head and wore back her apron.
And for the whole two hours, Mirae again waited for that man but he wasn't there. She sighed and when the closing time came near, she closed the café and went back home.
Another tiring day for Mirae!
****
A couple of weeks passed by and Mirae forgot about the man who had visited her café. Well, she did remember how he helped her but you know, as days pass, people forget things and so did Mirae.
As usual, she was working in the café, taking orders when she saw someone whom she was trying so hard to forget enter inside the café. The broken feelings which she had held inside her heart came alive as soon as she saw that man with a woman behind him.
Yeonjun waved at Mirae and Mirae gave a suppressed smile.
She wasn't happy to see him here and especially on a rough weekend like this, she really wasn't. As she saw Yeonjun approaching her, she walked towards another table and began asking them whether they needed something or not.
But no matter what it was, Yeonjun came near her and tapped on her shoulder.
"Is this how you are going to treat your friend, Mirae?"
"No!!! Not at all. I was just thinking where to make you guys sit so, that you can enjoy your precious time together." As soon as Mirae heard him, she quickly faced him and said with a warm smile. However, her eyes just shot daggers at his girlfriend behind him.
And when she spotted an empty window space, she began to walk there and when she felt someone holding her hand, she halted. She looked at Yeonjun who had held her hand and raised one of her brows looking at him questioningly.
"I didn't come here to eat, Mirae. I just..."
Song Jenny who had been noticing all this for a while, saw everything while trying to be patient. She remembered Yeonjun's words when he had told her that Mirae liked him. And that was the reason why she was hesitating to come over to Mirae's workplace.
But Yeonjun had dragged her saying that he would show her an exciting string of emotions which would soon be visible on Mirae's face. And out of jealousy and hatred towards Mirae, Jenny accompanied her boyfriend.
She was really patient trying to control her anger when she witnessed Mirae throwing daggers with her eyes. But when Jenny witnessed Yeonjun holding Mirae's hand, she lost all her patience. She stood close to Yeonjun and removed his hand which was holding Mirae's and interjected him.
"I and Yeonjun Oppa are going to get married this Friday. So, we personally came here to invite you." She gave a fake smile and took out a card from her bag and gave it to her.
"Let's go, Yeonjun Oppa! We gave the card." Jenny took a look at Mirae's face which had lost its color and giggled. She held his arm and they both walked outside with smile on their faces.
Mirae took the card in her hand and looked at the names written beautifully. How much she had imagined that someday her name would be written here with Yeonjun. How tragic her life was? She felt so hurt upon seeing the look on Yeonjun's face.
It felt as if he had just come here to mock her.
****
"It all seemed as if he was enjoying it."
As she narrated this incident to her friends after reaching home, and getting silly, crazy replies from her friends, Mirae now felt as if the entire burden on her chest was gone. She immediately began to cry thinking of how lucky she was to have such wonderful best friends.
Even if they were busy in their own life, they surely did take care of Mirae. They had an amazing inseparable bond.