The sensation of ground coffee made him smile as he placed the grounded coffee beans into a portafilter, which is the handled part of an espresso machine that attaches to the machine's gasket. He poured filtered water into the machine's water chamber and added espresso grounds to the portafilter. Then he placed the espresso cup underneath the machine's spout to catch the liquid. After 20 seconds, the machine extracted the espresso and was ready to serve.
A few days ago, the boss kicked him out of the bar. His workmates were jealous of him and did everything for the boss to fire him. He was fortunate to find a new job, a barista at a cafe.
A server approached him and gave him a piece of paper.
"What's this?" he said.
"Phone numbers. Some women asked me to give it to you," the server whispered.
"What am I going to do with this? I don't even have a phone," he replied.
"It's a sign for you to buy one."
The server tapped his shoulder.
"I don't have important people to put in my contact list."
He shrugged.
Wherever he goes, his charms never fade. His long hair, well-built figure, and aristocratic face steal their attention. Even men find him oddly attractive.
While he was brewing another set of coffee, his peripheral vision caught a commotion outside. Three women were having an argument. Two of them were carrying paper bags full of groceries while the other one was all alone, defending herself.
They grabbed each other's hair. He shook his head and told his co-worker that he's going to walk out for a minute. The girls pushed the woman with vanilla-colored short hair and were about to throw some eggs at her when he intervened.
He blocked his body to protect the woman, and the eggs splashed onto his uniform. The girls gazed at him, astounded.
"What's going on?" he said.
The girls couldn't look him in the eye in shame and ran away from him. He turned his back to check on the woman behind him.
"It's you again," he said as he crossed his arms.
Her brows furrowed.
"This coincidence is crazy. I'm convinced that you're a stalker," she said.
"Do you think this face will stalk you? Quit dreaming. I think it's the other way around. It makes sense if you're stalking me," he said with a cunning smile.
She hissed as she rolled her eyes. Min Jee examined him from head to foot.
"What is that outfit?" she said.
"Oh, I got a new job. I'm a barista now. And look what you did to my precious uniform. You have to pay for this."
"How much?"
"Wait here. I'll be back."
He went back to the cafe and changed his clothes. It's the end of his shift so he's allowed to unwind.
"Let's go," he said, and walked ahead of her.
"Where are we going?"
"We are going to have some fun because every time I see you, you're grumpy."
She tried to keep up with his long legs.
"Are you living a boring life? Stop bugging me."
He stopped and turned his back on her. Her forehead bumped into his broad chest.
"Nope. But you are," he said and flicked her forehead with his fingers.
She groaned.
"Hey, how dare you!"
***
Their mouths flung open as they stared at the Everland theme park. The colossal structures glistened with pastel-colored paints, and the flowers have kaleidoscopic hues. It welcomed them with a picturesque scene with Victorian, Oriental, and Indian-inspired buildings.
"You know what? I hate public places, but this one is amazing," she whispered in awe.
"Happy Birthday to me," he said.
"Come on, let's take a photo."
They went closer to the giant enchanted tree and took some snaps. Afterward, they toured around the different heart-thumping rides. The screams of the people made them gulp while staring at the Viking ride. It swung from side to side, falling from a height of 33 meters at a 75-degree angle.
On the other side, the heavy wind slapped the faces of the tourists as they kept spinning 19 meters above the ground. They held on tight as the powerful hurricane ride spun like it's uncontrollable.
"What now? Are we riding one of those?" she said.
"Of course."
He grinned and walked ahead of her. They rode the T-Express, the world's steepest wooden coaster.
"Are you sure this is safe?" she said.
"People will not ride it if it isn't."
He sat beside her and inhaled as they prepared for an ultimate adrenaline rush. As they rushed down at a 77 degree angle at a speed of 104km/h, she grabbed his long hair and screamed. He whimpered and tried to remove her hands, but she kept on pulling his hair. In the end, he also grabbed her hair, and they groaned in pain together.
Moments later, they headed into Zootopia. Min Jee was so fond of pandas with their black patches and white fur like snow.
"Wow, look at that," she said with a wide smile.
The panda ate while sitting upright in a pose like how humans sit on the floor. Its paws grasped the bamboo stems and used its powerful jaws and teeth to crush the fibrous bamboo into bits.
"Take a photo of me here," she said, exhilarated.
She lent him her phone and struck a pose.
"Ready, say I'm pretty," he said.
In a few seconds, someone pulled the tip of his clothes. He glanced at a little girl beside him.
"Oppa, me too. Take a photo of me, please," she said.
He smiled and nodded.
Min Jee walked towards him, and the little girl stood at Min Jee's spot.
"Ready, say I'm pretty."
The little girl flashed her brightest smile. They thought it was over, but before they could move on to another place, another kid pulled the tip of his clothes. He gazed at the little girl and was surprised to see some children lined up, waiting for him to capture their cute faces. He flared an indecisive smile and rubbed his head.
"What's this? They like you," she said.
From a distance, the children's mothers gathered together as they stared at them.
"He has such an angelic face."
"Look at his smile."
"What a babyface."
"My kid likes him too."
"Should we take him home?"
They laughed after sharing some popular gossip.
By evening, they stopped by a souvenir store and roamed their eyes around adorable stuffed toys. He grabbed two pieces of headbands with Mickey's ears and wore one. Min Jee gazed at him and burst into laughter.
"You look like a panda!"
He walked closer to her and put the other headband on her head.
"But you like pandas."
She showed him an endearing duck stuffed toy.
"That's my payment for your stained clothes, and you said it's your birthday," she said.
"Oh, you heard that? Yes, it's my 28th birthday."
She covered her mouth with her hands.
"Oh, my gosh. You're three years older than me? I can't believe it."
"Me too. You look older than me."
She punched his shoulder, and he pretended to be in pain. They stopped playing around when they overheard a conversation.
"The fireworks are happening soon. Let's hurry!"
"There's a fireworks display?" she said.
They ran towards the Four Seasons Garden and locked their gaze at the moon together with myriads of people. Bright colors lit up the sky and showered them with fascination. Her eyes sparkled and her anguish vanished as the moment was all that matters.
"This is cool. I never had some fun like this before," she said.
"What did I say? I know your life is boring."
She smirked.
"I guess so. Better have some fresh air before my brother beats me to pulp tomorrow."
"Why?"
"My brother is like you. He's freaking nosy and interferes with my personal life."
"Well, it's because you're an agitator."
She glared at him and flicked his forehead.
"Now we're even," she said.