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Yongsun heads into the café, the smell of coffee and muffins wafting in the cozy space.
Today is her first day of her junior year, and she still has enough time to wait for Wheein to go to their first class together. Students and collared workers are pouring in, and they all line up to the queue. If Yongsun is correct…
“Hello, Miss Yongsun. Someone ordered a vanilla latte and a banana muffin for you, as usual.” Sooyoung smiles, her bright grin sends a hint of teasing to Yongsun.
She is right again for almost three weeks now. Every time she goes to this café, there is always someone anonymous who is ordering for her favorite drink and snack. The barista won’t tell a single clue about this generous admirer of hers, not even leaving any sort of a note of her admirer’s number on the treats.
Nonetheless, Yongsun is getting even more curious about her secret admirer.
“Still won’t say a thing about them?” She probed.
“Nope.” The barista grins even more, making Yongsun wince to the deflection.
She sighs, taking the latte and the muffin in hand as the people’s gazes in the queue follow her, envy evident in their eyes. She begins the deduction games once again— are they in the café right now? Are they watching me from afar? How do they know my favorites? She takes a good look around, but no one is looking at her right now. It is just so weird how they keep buying her food. It makes her think that her admirer is possibly too shy to approach her upfront.
Almost an hour later, Wheein arrives. She seems surprised that Yongsun’s admirer has also thought of her, paying in advance to her order.
“You can buy a regular drink and a muffin of your choice, Miss Wheein.” Sooyoung says.
Wheein chuckles, head shaking. “Your admirer is nuts. You might be right. They’re too damn shy to even approach us.” She says as she points to the menu given to her, ordering her now free coffee and snack.
“For how long are they gonna do this, though? Yongsun takes a sip of her cold vanilla latte, her gaze trained to the flow of people entering and exiting the café.
“Maybe until they gather enough courage.” Wheein shrugs. “Should I catch them myself, then?” She suggests.
For someone who supposedly has a bright brain, Wheein does think of the most reckless things to suggest. Yongsun kind of agrees to it but weighs down the cons of drawing in their secret admirer.
“What if, they run away?”
“Then so be it,” Wheein shrugs, again. “Who knows? We haven’t even tried, yet.” She counters.
“You have the brains here. Catch them for me.” Yongsun rolls her eyes in annoyance as Wheein chuckles loudly, almost choking on her drink. “Don’t get caught. I wanna talk to them.”
Wheein fakes a gasp in faux surprise, “Oh my, our Yongsunnie has a crush now!”
“Shut it,” Yongsun sneers.
“Alright, unnie.” The younger says with a small smile. “Will do.”
—
“I have a rough guess.” Wheein quips. They are currently hanging out in the quadrangle, resting under the shade of a mahogany tree. “Maybe they’re not actually shy, but just wants to cheer you up through coffee.” She says.
“That doesn’t make sense.” Yongsun replies as she turns the next page of the book that she is currently reading. “It’s the first day of classes. No one is stressed right now.” She says.
“Does it always have to be hell week for someone to cheer you up?” The younger looks up to the soft sunshine behind the expanse of leaves and branches.
Yongsun pauses from reading, looking to the side where Wheein lies. “So you’re saying that they might be cheering me up in general, not in particular.”
Wheein hums in agreement. “Probably.”
“I really hate your guts.”
The younger looks up and looking at Yongsun, she can only laugh to the sight of the older blushing profusely. “You’re blushing!” She teases.
“I said shut it. Stop feeding my delusions.”
“So you’re daydreaming about them now.” The younger teases her even more.
With this newfound crush, Yongsun is being more reactive now, chasing Wheein with a big textbook in hand.
—
“Maybe, just maybe,” Wheein pulls Yongsun along the curb, making a beeline for the café at its busiest hours. They are trying to escape the clutches of the Journalism Club who are trying to recruit them in broad daylight. “Maybe they have known you before, but you forgot about it.” She almost exclaims.
“I have not met anyone online and offline.”
“What about your electives? Clubs?”
“We are getting away from that club right now, and my electives are pre-selected.”
They make their way to their usual spot, lucky enough that it is empty. Yongsun notices Sooyoung by the table, sneakily putting away the “Reserved” sign from sight. Wheein sees it too, and as their intrigued gazes meet, they immediately work together to corner the barista— Wheein by the left, and Yongsun by the right, trapping her.
“Oh, Sooyoung.” Yongsun greets, an accusing sneer surfacing on her face. “Care to explain on why this table is suddenly not reserved?” She asks, tone intent on squeezing out answers from the barista.
“A-Ah, that’s because the reservation has been… completed just now.” Sooyoung answers, a bead of sweat falling on the side of her forehead.
“Completed? Oh. They got away, unnie.” Wheein sighs.
Yongsun closes her eyes in slight frustration. “Alright. Sorry if I tried to get some answers again.” She says to the barista as she takes a step back.
“No worries. I understand. It’s indeed hard to get ahold of your admirer.” Sooyoung grins again, teasing as if her unknown admirer is some sort of a… trick question.
That is so weird. “Thank you.” Yongsun says as the barista makes her way out of the two.
She takes a good look around again. No one is looking at her right now. She sees Wheein taking a good look around too, and meets her searching gaze.
“No luck at all, unnie. We don’t even know if they’re from our University or not. There are lots of people in here.” The younger comments.
It frustrates her how there is not a single clue about her admirer. This is the first time that someone has given her such an endearing gesture. The consistent treats has powered her through her major exams. Her admirer at least deserves to be thanked for their kind initiative to cheer her up.
She feels a hand grasp hers, squeezing gently. “I’m gonna work something out, unnie. We’ll find out about them.” Wheein says.
Yongsun feels a bit better with Wheein’s assurance. “Thank you, Wheein.”
—
Yongsun is suddenly presented with information about her admirer.
“About your generous patron,” Sooyoung grins, bright and seemingly relieved. “They told me to tell you about their name. The name is Gabby.” She nods in attestation when Yongsun’s expression is implying that she is lying.
Gabby. That is a unisex name. Are they a boy or a girl? How do I even know that? Sooyoung must be so tired of my constant questioning.
It is a dead end once again, not until she hears Sooyoung shout, “Iced Macchiato for Gabby!” She calls.
Yongsun turns around, seeing her unknown admirer finally have a face for almost a month of imagining them. It is a tall, fairly built boy who is handsome at first glance. He gets his order, passing by Yongsun on his way before going back to his table.
She feels her heart sink to the nonchalance of her admirer. Is he that shy? He just passed by as if Yongsun was just some any other customer to him. She could herself freeze to the sudden disappointment, not until she hears Sooyoung shout again with a bit more vigor in her voice, “Large Americano for Gabby!”
Yongsun feels a familiar presence by her side, a hand rubbing on her back to soothe her down. “Hi, unnie. Why are you here?” The younger asks.
The older cannot seem to find her voice to speak as she sees Wheein take the large americano, conversing with Sooyoung in what sounds like English and laughing for a bit in their own topic.
Yongsun feels her cheeks heat up to the sudden realization, dots connecting the more she recalls every moment that she was with the younger. The suggestion, the guess, the reservation— all of Wheein’s words implied literally to Yongsun at first, but looking back at it now— the younger could be answering her as her admirer, too.
“Should I catch them myself?” It is actually Wheein herself. I cannot believe it.
“Does it always have to be hell week for someone to cheer you up?” She is my bestfriend, and she’s the only one who knows that I love random kind gestures.
“Completed? Oh. They got away, unnie.” Got away, my ass. We got away from the Journs. You were actually referring to us all along.
“I’m gonna work something out, unnie. We’ll find out about them.” You also said we haven't even tried. It was you all along!
Everything just makes sense. Wheein is not the type to confess upfront. She always shows affection in her actions, and she has sent way too many signals that went over Yongsun’s frustrated head.
Wasting no time, Yongsun places the younger’s coffee back to Sooyoung, grabs Wheein to the back exit of the café, closes the door behind them, and embraces Wheein around her shoulders, capturing her lips with her own. The younger freezes in shock for a second, her arms wrapping around the older's waist as they continue their sweet kiss.
Breaking apart, Wheein catches her breath as she smirks, a light chuckle escapes. “I did work something out, unnie. You can talk to me now.” She says.
“Shut up. I don’t even know what to talk about with you now.”
It has made too much sense to Yongsun, that kissing her is the only way to show it all— both gratitude and love.