"But it won't grow or come out fluffy." I happened to walk past the kitchen entrance and saw Miles arguing with Dan, apparently, they had some trouble and mishap with the recipe for the Marching Knights. "I tried to add in something of my own."
'Perfect.' is just the kind of word I need to hear.
But then again, life is prone to change...
"Both of you, let's make this work even when there's little time." my younger sister cooled down the heat happening between Miles and Daniel.
The two of them had their backs facing one another.
'This kind of conflict still arises even up until the end...' but I do love them, I love them for being themselves without having any need to hide a side of them.
'We know each other that well, at the same time...' we don't.
"Haesu, what are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be dealing with the phone calls in your office??" Yun Oh caught me.
I quickly picked up my pace and headed back inside the office, closing the door with my foot as I reached for the telephone, adjusting the line right on time.
"Hello! Thank you for calling Bloom Café, this is Lee Haesu."
The rest of my day had been filled with nothing else but phone calls from our customers, the sun began to settle down as the café endlessly welcomed numerous people, and who knows how much we have made today with our new best-selling products.
"We have surpassed ourselves yet again!"
Sookyung cheered as he dragged his body on one of the counter stools.
"What is this trash?!" a woman's voice made me take a peek outside, she was complaining so I had to step in before things got out of hand. As I was about to approach the scene, Ji Eun took a stand. "Say that again in front of our faces."
She slammed her hand on the table with the overthrown set of plates that the customer threw.
I knew I had to stop her from disregarding our policies because this would be a violation.
"Let her handle this." Sungyeon blocked me, the rest of them also took a stand against the customer and didn't cower like me. 'I am a coward then.'
"Ma'am, we have done everything you asked and adjusted every part of the recipe." Ji Eun crossed her arms while pointing out to the door as an indication for the customer to leave.
"I advise you to leave before I tear you apart for disrespecting our café."
The woman was humiliated, she looked around to see the other customers siding with us.
She grabbed her belongings and walked out at that minute.
--Author's Point of View--
The group gathered in a circle within the kitchen, everyone surrounded the manager and reflected on everything that they made possible to happen that day of the event. It felt like the first time that Honey Lou didn't frown after sundown.
"But every time I feel secure and warm..." a storm comes blowing its way into their lives with the cold hitting their faces.
Haesu opened her mouth to thank them once again and then, shattered them to pieces by telling them that it would be the last time they worked with each other.
The last time they do something as a whole.
The last time they see one another.
"You're leaving?" Ji Eun couldn't believe it, she was in disbelief and didn't buy it. "I'm not pranking you guys or anything." they were hoping that just like any other time, Haesu would come back. "I'm seeing someone new and we're staying together." she added as soon as someone entered through the kitchen entrance.
"Oh, pink hair." Yun Oh blurted out.
"I've handled all your papers and we'll be leaving in a few days." she spoke directly to the point while passing through them, she waved at each of them before reaching out her hand to Haesu.
"I missed you." the two of them were in the middle of an embrace when Yua interrupted the moment. "What is going on here??" the youngest of the females in the group cluelessly asked.
"Do you not get it, Yua? Haesu found someone new and she's not straight anymore." Dan commented without a care in the world as he rested his head on Honey's shoulder.
Meanwhile, Yun Oh held onto the girl's hand as she let the two of them do as much as they pleased. 'Where is this even going...?'
Sora shook her head upon noticing the three of them from across the kitchen.
"Anyway..." she shrugged off the thought and went back to the topic. Sungyeon and Riyanna were still baffled by the news, they considered what the family would say about Haesu coming out as well as something else that no one else knew about.
"I thought you loved Young-Oppa? Was it that easy for you to move on?" Jihyun continued Sora's question and answer session, it was time that they had all talked seriously.
"It wasn't love. Or rather, my love for him grew into hatred." Haesu spoke.
She kept in mind that she was dating someone new and that her ex-boyfriend was now irrelevant to be spoken of.
"You're from KISS, right?" Honey Lou remembered seeing someone from the private island with cherry blossom hair, hence, she knew that the stranger wasn't that much of a stranger to them. "Hmm, yes." she replied, putting her arm around Haesu.
"So, this place is closing down?" Miles asked concerningly, he didn't want to stop cooking as one of the head chefs in the café, and with this, there was a possibility that they would lose their jobs and even lose Bloom Café itself.
"No, it won't close down. Someone else will manage it." Haesu pointed at her sister who was dumbfounded because of the sudden promotion that she had just been granted.
'Not another responsibility!'
Honey's eyes widened as she realized what this could have meant to her life.
"Can it not be me?" she refuted, knowing that she couldn't handle any more than what she already had on her full plate.
"Why would you decline such an opportunity?" Riyanna appeared unexpectedly.
"Where'd you go?" Sungyeon questioned her, only to be ignored so that they wouldn't have multiple topics at once.
Riyanna shook her head and looked around for her friends' reactions as well as opinions.
"I never thought you'd refuse... I mean, I respect that." her sister held out her hand, using it to think about what her decision would be for the future of the family business that she was leaving behind. "Anyone got any suggestions on who will replace me?"
She added before Riyanna raised one of her hands.
'Do it.' Sungyeon encouraged her with a single look in her eyes.
"Riyanna, what do you say we do here?" Sookyung asked the girl with a bronze shade of orange hair color, Jihyun's hooded eyes suddenly lit up, and remembered that Riyanna had potential.
"Why not hand over your role to Riyanna? After all, she is an expert in business management." these words came from the bloody red lips of their friend, bringing warmth to Riyanna's heart as she felt that someone actually knew what she wanted.
'That is a good idea.' Haesu thought as she looked at her new significant other, and she analyzed the look on her sister's face with the girl's denim blue-colored almond eyes letting her unravel the truth behind her refusal.
"I suppose if my sister doesn't want it, I can leave it all to my cousins." she approached her cousins and wrapped her arms around them.
"This is your chance, Ri." Sungyeon applauded her after both of them had been given the position of Manager and Assistant Manager with Yeonju as the Assistant Secretary, and Jihyun as the Secretary who will be replacing Ji Eun.
"Remind me again why a Secretary is needed." Ji Eun commented as she removed her pin and transferred it to Jihyun.
"To keep note of things that need to be done around here." Haesu replied with a slight chuckle, making Ji Eun scoff at the reply she had received.
"You are leaving as well, where to?" the two of them were still in the Manager's office, being left alone made them feel comfortable enough to spill any last words to each other.
"I don't get why we had to become distant. It's as if it was meant to end up like this." Ji Eun opened up, shaking her head while her friend nodded in agreement.
"It's unavoidable. Sometimes, we just have to part ways as best as we can." Haesu answered.
It seems that Haesu has grown a lot over the course of months, resulting in a mature state of well-being.
She gave her friend a pat on the shoulder before they both pulled in a hug goodbye. "Goodbye to our past, and hello to what may be in store for us in the future." they both laughed at the happy and sad memories they'd made together.
"You guys aren't planning to leave us behind, are you??"
Yua burst inside the room with Sora and the others, they all went in for yet another group hug before leaving Haesu to pack up all her things.
Sungyeon, however, took this opportunity to thank her.
"Thank you." he began with his cousin's back facing him, Haesu turned around to look at him with his tears slightly dripping on his cheeks.
"Why are you crying?" she asked.
"Because I..." he couldn't bring himself to say out loud what he wanted to say.
'I don't want you to go but who am I to make you stay?' this statement prolonged its stay in his mind, he didn't want to stop her nor to let her leave without telling her how he truly felt.
"I just want you to be happy, that's all." he caressed her hand in his, with the urge to hug her tightly. "You can hug me if you want, you know? Tonight will be the last time we see each other." he realized that it would be too late if he didn't do it now.
"I..." he started again.
"Can you promise me that we'll meet again someday?" he let out a bitter smile, not wanting to ruin his cousin's happiness now that she has found someone who truly loves and cares for her.
"Of course, it's not like I can leave you guys for good. I'll come back for a visit now and then." she continued packing up her things while her cousin, Sungyeon, still stood there frozen.
He was badly unable to express how he felt.
--Sora Young's Point of View--
Song walked me to Honey's place, kissing me on the forehead before he waved goodbye for the night. "Text me if you're sleeping over at her place." he yelled calmly from yards away, stopping for a second as we blew kisses to one another.
I urged him to scram away already because tonight... "I wonder what's awaiting us."
The first-floor lights were off.
On the second floor, however, it was only Honey Lou's bedroom light that was lit on.
I knocked on the door and was welcomed in, Yua told me to prepare myself because she wanted to have a sleepover with me, Honey, and Haesu-eonni.
"For one last time." she emphasized.