Next day at night around nine-thirty.
"Cafe is running out of ingredients? What to do?" Aera asked as she opened the fridge just beside the storeroom.
"Supplies might be in the storeroom-"
"I already went there, it's almost empty." Aera interrupted Hyun Soo who was about to enter the storeroom.
"Let's close the cafe early today I'll inform aunt Sang Hyeon about it. So...don't worry." Do Yun said who came to the counter.
Hyun Soo and Aera both nodded.
"So...Ms Hyun Soo, will you come with me to buy the monthly stuff?" Do Yun offered
"But...I have a party to attend today." She replied dejectedly.
"I can accompany you!" Aera cheerfully exclaimed as she stood beside Hyun Soo.
"But..." Do Yun looked at Hyun Soo.
"No ifs and buts, go and change into something good, it's already late." She said as she came out of the counter.
"Change?" "What's wrong in this?" Do Yun asked tugging his t-shirt from its end.
"What is wrong?! Everything is wrong!" Aera replied disgustedly
"But...I don't have many clothes this is my best one." He proclaimed.
"Tch!" Aera covered her face with her palm in disappointment.
"Then...Let's go I'll buy you some clothes." She said and dragged him outside.
"But the cafe?" Do Yun said.
"Hyun Soo will handle it, am I right?" Aera looked back at her as she stopped just in front of the door.
Hyun Soo nodded slightly and said,
"Yes, Mr Do Yun don't worry. I'll handle it."
"See!" Aera exclaimed and without wasting any time further she dragged him out while Hyun Soo sighed and got back to her work and Do Yun kept looking at Hyun Soo until even her shadow disappeared.
****
"Where should we go?" Aera asked.
"Huh?" Do Yun replied but without giving him any chance to speak she dragged him again.
"Let's go there."
"How's this?" She asked as she picked up a chocolate brown coloured V-neck sweater.
"This is..."
"ugh!" Aera groaned in frustration.
"Let it be on me. Turn around." She said.
"Hm?" Do Yun was confused.
"TURN AROUND!" She ordered him.
And as soon as he turned she placed that sweater on his back to check the size.
"Perfect!" She exclaimed in satisfaction.
"Let's go there." She exclaimed again.
And dragged him again even before he had turned towards her. Do Yun followed her in the whole market patiently with a blank face. Nor he was irritated neither he opposed her action of dragging him here and there. He moved along with her as she kept buying things for the cafe and him.
They were walking on the footpath while the cold wind made both of them shiver, Aera was quite happy today.
But to make the quiet atmosphere vanish which they were maintaining Aera asked,
"So, you've been working in the cafe ever since you left the home."
"Do you...wish to go back again?" She looked at him with innocent eyes asking questions itself.
Do Yun looked up and shook his head,
"I can't..."
Aera frowned at his answer,
"I can't be a burden on them after what happened all these years."
Aera wanted to argue but didn't think it was appropriate at that moment and so she rather stayed quiet as she looked in front nodding slightly and smiled.
when all of a sudden Do Yun questioned,
"But...why are you here?" making Aera's smile fade away.
"Hm? Why....would you ask that?" She looked at him with baffled expressions.
"No, just...you were nowhere to be found all these years since we last met. Do you know after I left the house how much tried to contact you."
"But then I realised that never knew you. It was you always came to me. I neither knew your address nor I ever had your phone number. All I knew was your name and you suddenly... vanished somewhere, without leaving any trail behind."
"Then...how come you came to do part-time at the same cafe?"
"Why...are you here, Aera?"
Do Yun turned towards her and stopped. Aera stopped along with him but looked at her feet rather than looking at him. She dared not to face him.
"Answer me Aera!" Do Yun asked in a low voice as his brows knotted in between.
Holding an ice cream cone in her one hand. She kept her another hand on her cheek and replied,
"Its...too cold."
Do Yun kept looking at her and eventually turned to look at his front as he knew that he won't get any reply. Walking some more steps quietly for a while Do Yun stopped outside the narrow road leading to the cafe and said,
"I'll go now, you may take a taxi from here."
And leaving Aera all alone he left, she kept looking in front in the void as she respired from her mouth making mouth vapour to escape. Her ears were red and she was shivering a bit. She looked at the silhouette of Do Yun walking slowly towards the cafe while keeping his hands in the pockets of his jeans.
Looking at him her eyes went a bit wet and she mumbled,
"After all these...years you didn't even ask how am I, it's too cold..."
****
Here Hyun Soo was at her apartment thinking about yesterday's dinner, how she was able to talk to Do Yun who is almost a stranger to her so comfortably. She didn't go to Dong Hee's house party making an excuse that she had to do overtime today. She was sitting on her sofa in the hall while keeping her legs up. Her elbows were supported by her thighs and she kept her chin on the palms of her hand.
While thinking about many things at the same time she kept her eyes stuck on her centre table in front of her. Since she has come from the cafe she has been wondering about this thing which she confiscated from Do Yun's room. She found it kept on a small wooden table beside his bed when she accidentally peeked in his room or if more of truth then intentionally. She kept staring at it as she frowned. Thinking hard about it she got no idea. She scratched her head abruptly with both of her hands messing up her jet black hair completely.
"Ah! Tch! Why Mr Do Yun has Eun Soo's purse in his room." She leaned back on her sofa and closed her eyes for a bit. Then all of a sudden she opened it wide while looking at the ceiling and said,
"Does he.... has something to do with the incident on the farewell day?...."