He had said he wanted to go to the museum with her, but Yoo-hyun ignored him with the excuse of being busy.
What if she had seen this place?
She would have liked it.
“I’ll have to ask her to come with me next time.”
Yoo-hyun added one more item to his bucket list in his mind.
That was when he went up to the second floor.
He heard Jeong Dabin’s voice from the window table.
Yoo-hyun raised his hand to greet her.
Yoo-hyun froze in an instant.
It was because of the woman sitting across from Jeong Dabin.
She had short hair, fair skin, and long eyes. She was noticeably familiar.
It was an unexpected situation.
He couldn’t open his mouth.
His body also stiffened.
Jeong Dabin ran up to him and reached out her hand.
“Oppa, this is my cousin, Jeong Dahye. Is it okay to join you?”
Jeong Dahye, who was about five steps away, got up and greeted him.
Yoo-hyun also bowed his head, but he didn’t know what to say next.
His head was blank in the unexpected situation.
Yoo-hyun thought he needed to step back for a moment and opened his mouth.
“I’ll go get some coffee. Do you want anything else?”
“No. We have ours. You don’t have to buy it.”
Yoo-hyun hurriedly turned around.
He walked down the stairs, recalling the situation a little while ago.
He saw Jeong Dabin’s meaningful look and Jeong Dahye’s indifferent expression in his mind.
He figured out the rough situation from Jeong Dabin’s words.
He didn’t know how it happened, but Jeong Dabin knew he was looking for Jeong Dahye and tried to connect them.
But why did Jeong Dahye come here?
If she was the Jeong Dahye he knew from the past, she wouldn’t have agreed to her cousin’s suggestion.
There was definitely patience in her indifferent expression.
When Yoo-hyun stood in front of the counter, the staff asked him.
“Would you like to order?”
“Yes. An americano and…”
As he was about to order, he remembered a conversation he had forgotten a long time ago.
-Why do you drink decaf coffee?
-I already had coffee while waiting for the manager. It’s not good to drink too much caffeine.
-Really? Then why do you skip the whipped cream? It’s a waste.
-Just because. I feel less guilty that way.
-Well, then you shouldn’t eat banana cream cheesecake either, right?
-Bread and drinks are different.
Jeong Dahye, who always tried to be perfect at work, became a different person outside.
She had a quirky side and a lot of laughter.
Yoo-hyun had just let it go in the past.
But he didn’t want to do that anymore.
His changed mind popped out of his mouth.
“Two vanilla lattes without whipped cream, and two banana cream cheesecakes, please.”
“Okay. I’ll have them ready for you soon, sir.”
Yoo-hyun waited for a while and then walked back up to the second floor with the coffee he ordered.
What should he do in this sudden encounter?
What result did he want?
He had never forgotten her, his ex-wife.
When he wanted to live his life again, the thing he wanted to fix the most was his relationship with her.
He had received a lot of love, but he didn’t keep his promise to make her happy.
He was indifferent, sometimes cold, and always made her wait.
It was the part he regretted the most when he looked back.
That’s why he wanted to see her again.
Of course, the time he had in mind was not now.
When Yoo-hyun approached, Jeong Dabin exclaimed.
“Oppa, I told you not to buy it.”
“I brought it just in case. It’s decaf, so you can drink more.”
“Thank you, oppa. I’ll enjoy it.”
Jeong Dahye looked out the window without a word.
Jeong Dabin poked Yoo-hyun’s side as he sat down.
“Oppa, you know Dahye, right?”
Jeong Dabin smiled slightly and picked up her handbag.
“Oppa, I have something to do, so I have to go first.”
“Dabin, I’ll go with you.”
“Dahye, don’t forget your 30-minute appointment.”
Jeong Dahye looked incredulous as Jeong Dabin winked at her.
She got up from her seat.
“Dahye, I’ll call you later. Be sure to answer. Oppa, I’ll enjoy this coffee.”
“Oppa, she’s a sharp one, so you only have 30 minutes. Remember that.”
Jeong Dahye’s resentful expression and Jeong Dabin’s smiling face were very contrasting.
There must have been something going on before Yoo-hyun came.
Yoo-hyun moved his seat to face Jeong Dahye.
His head was spinning.
But he didn’t know what to say.
There was an awkward silence for a while.
She was drinking her coffee expressionlessly and opened her mouth.
“Your name is Yoo-hyun, right?”
“I heard you were looking for me. Is that true?”
There was no special emotion in her words.
It was close to a businesslike tone.
Yoo-hyun wiped the cold sweat from his hand and answered.
“I see. I don’t really want to know why.”
“Then I hope you understand that I don’t want you to do that anymore.”
It was a prickly remark.
But when he saw the wrinkle on her chin under her pursed lips, Yoo-hyun’s tension eased.
It was because of her unique expression when she was holding back her anger.
She looked the same as before.
Yoo-hyun hid his gladness and replied.
“I’m not that bad of a person.”
“No. That’s not why.”
Yoo-hyun pretended not to know and asked.
Jeong Dahye’s white chin wrinkled again.
She asked with determination.
“Can I be more honest with you?”
“I don’t like him at all.”
She spat out the words sharply, but there was a trace of hesitation in her eyes.
It meant that she had thought several times before revealing her honest feelings.
Jeong Dahye was a woman with a deep heart, then and now.
Yoo-hyun looked at her instead of answering, sipping his coffee.
He noticed things he hadn’t realized before.
Her eyes had a brown hue.
She had thin double eyelids, and there was a faint earring mark on her earlobe.
Oh, it wasn’t an earring mark, but a dot.
Why didn’t he see these trivial things back then?
Yoo-hyun spoke with sincerity.
“Don’t you think we can get to know each other slowly?”
“Why? Why do I have to get to know you?”
“Let’s have some cake first. We still have about 20 minutes left.”
Jeong Dahye sighed and drank her coffee, holding back her words.
-Why are you waiting here foolishly? Go ahead.
-The manager said he was coming.
Yoo-hyun remembered her appearance in the past, waiting outside on a cold winter day.
Jeong Dahye always kept her promises.
He felt both glad and sorry for that memory.
Yoo-hyun pushed the cake plate towards her.
“They say this banana cream cheesecake is so delicious.”
“That won’t change my mind.”
“I know. I just thought it would be nice to enjoy it for the remaining time.”
Yoo-hyun’s gentle words made Jeong Dahye forget what to say.
“You can leave some. I bought a lot.”
“…That’s not possible.”
Jeong Dahye said firmly.
-You’ll get punished if you leave food. It’s a waste of money, and it’s bad for the environment. Never. Never.
She still hated wasting food.
She checked the clock, hoping the time would pass quickly.
Then she sighed and picked up her fork.
As soon as she put the cake in her mouth, a wrinkle formed on her eye.
At the same time, her elbow moved slightly to the side.
It was a habit of hers when she ate something delicious.
Jeong Dahye glanced at Yoo-hyun and pretended to be indifferent, eating another piece of cake.
Her expression was utterly businesslike.
But her elbow moved to the side again.
It was a subtle movement, but Yoo-hyun, who had a keen eye, wouldn’t miss it.
Looking at her, Yoo-hyun felt the emotions he had forgotten gradually come back to life.
Why did he meet her, and why did he love her?
Because she was perfect at work?
Because she was easygoing?
Or because she always matched him well?
She pretended not to, she pretended to be indifferent, but she was an attractive woman.
“Hmm, it’s delicious.”
“I’m glad. You have plenty of time, so eat a lot.”
“Yes. I’m not the type to be picky about this kind of thing.”
Yoo-hyun teased her and Jeong Dahye blushed.
“Just in case, don’t misunderstand me. I’m not giving you a chance.”
“Of course. Why would I?”
She was not a person who said one thing and did another.
As she said, Jeong Dahye didn’t think much of Yoo-hyun right now.
Yoo-hyun knew that better than anyone.
How could he turn her heart around?
He could bring up his past memories and pique her curiosity, or he could win her favor by giving her advice on her work.
He could approach her with agility and observation, as he had done in every crisis situation.
There must have been a crack in her hardened heart.
He didn’t want to do that right now.
He wanted to get to know her as a person.
Not too hastily, but slowly.
He wanted to do the same for her as she had done for him in the past.
While Jeong Dahye ate the cake and drank the drink, Yoo-hyun folded the napkin silently.
She was puzzled by his action and asked.
“What are you doing?”
“Just. Oh, it’s done. Isn’t this pretty?”
“I don’t like playboys.”
Yoo-hyun handed her the flower he made with the napkin, and Jeong Dahye shook her head coldly.
Yoo-hyun immediately retorted.
“Playboy? I just like folding napkins as a hobby.”
“Do you want me to fold something else?”
Jeong Dahye looked at the napkin flower next to the cake with a frown.
It didn’t mean she liked it.
-Manager, isn’t this pretty?
-It’s a napkin. What’s so pretty about it?
-You lack sensitivity. This is a flower, too, a flower.
Yoo-hyun didn’t think Jeong Dahye at this point was the same as he remembered from the past.
Maybe she hated the napkin flower.
Still, he gave her back what she had done for him one by one.
He filled her empty water glass with water.
When the cake dripped, he handed her a napkin.
“Do you know who the piano player is right now?”
“Who is it, you ask…”
He listened to the song that filled the cafe, and told her stories about the songs he knew.
He acted according to the small memories that came to his mind.
He wanted to do that at this moment.