Chapter Text
♪
Hana walked into the cafe she had been at almost every day since she moved here. The barista at the counter gave her a nod as she went to one of the tables and sat down with her laptop.
The said barista came up to the table where Hana sat.
“ Hello, my favourite customer. ”
The barista said in a singsong voice.
“ Hello to you too, Karina. ”
Hana smiled at the barista.
“ What would you like to order? The usual? Or would you want to do some big drastic change today too? ”
She joked.
“ I’d love to have my usual morning coffee, but I’d also love your freshly made cheesecake. The newest one you’ve made, please. ”
Hana spoke in a soft voice, adding a bit of playfulness to it at the end.
“Someone has already ordered the newest one we made, but you’ll get the second newest one from us. And your order will be coming right up. ”
Karina spoke with a smile, holding her small notebook to her chest.
“What, someone ordered the freshly made one already? Unfair... You opened it like two minutes ago! ”
Hana looked at her in disbelief.
She had entered when they opened, even before that, so how could someone already have ordered? No one was there even, it was only her and the workers.
“ He ordered online yesterday. He was a regular before, but lately, after you came here he hasn't been seen. ”
Karina walked back to the counter, slightly humming a song you recognized.
“ So it’s like I scared him away or something? Why hasn’t he come in recently? ”
Hana asked in curiosity. She sat up in the chair she was sitting on, facing Karina at the counter, prepping the cheesecake that probably the man was going to come to pick up.
“ Why are you so interested anyway? ”
Karina asked with a smirk.
“ Look, I’m new around here, and cheesecake lovers are hard to find. ”
Hana sighed, sliding her hands on top of her laptop.
“ Fair point. He was one of the first people I got to know when I started working here. He’ll be coming in soon to pick up his order, you’ll see him then. ”
Karina winked at Hana, to which Hana groaned.
“ Do your work, I’m sure you have a lot of readers waiting for your new book. ”
Hana groaned even louder, slumping back in the chair.
“ I hate that you’re right. ”
Karina chuckled, leaning on the counter.
“ I love that I’m right. Why are you even writing as an unknown author anyway? It's stupid I think. ”
Karina was the one who sighed now. She had tried to find Hana’s books but failed. With Hana going as an unknown author was even harder.
“ I don't like the attention. I’d like to live in peace without letters being sent to my house or fans meeting me in the street asking for autographs. ”
Hana sat upright in her chair, opening her laptop.
“ By the way, you haven't even started making my coffee. ”
Karina groaned, pushing herself off the counter and walked towards the coffee machine.
“ Any music you’d like to listen to? The radio seems too boring. ”
Karina asked while turning on the coffee machine.
“ Anything to be honest, I'm not picky. ”
Hana looked up from her laptop and at Karina.
“ Sure, alright. ”
♪
The door made a slight noise when it opened, and there stood a man, around his early 20s with a beanie and a mask.
Hana had at first not noticed him, but the sound of his voice made her look up from her laptop.
That’s when she noticed the strings tied around her fingers moving. A lot.
One of them went straight to the pointer finger of the man who stood by the counter.
“ 정말 감사합니다. 좋은 하루 보내세요. ”
The man thanked Karina and soon left the cafe, leaving Hana breathless.
That man had to be one of her soulmates. I mean, the string of fate went right through him and followed when he left the cafe, it had to be him.
“ Holy fuck. ” Hana said loudly, surprisingly.
Karina’s eyes widened as she looked at Hana, clearly taken aback.
“ Whoa, what happened? Was he that hot? ”
Hana couldn’t help but laugh, the tension melting off her shoulders.
“ No. Fuck no. I mean... yes, but no. Fucking hell... 아니요! ”
Karina raised an eyebrow, her concern growing.
“ Okay, woah, are you okay, Hana? ”
Hana was absolutely stunned, shocked didn’t even begin to cover it. Her jaw dropped, unable to say anything, just staring in disbelief.
“ I think he’s my soulmate,” she muttered, barely audible, as if saying it out loud would make it even more real.
Karina let out a low whistle, grinning now.
“ Damn... Lucky you. He's seriously hot. And his friends? Also fine as hell. ”
With a playful smirk, Karina walked closer to Hana, her excitement contagious.
“ You’re not helping! ”
Karina laughed loudly.
" Then you’ve got to find him! This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, Hana! Your soulmate just walked through that door! "
Karina practically bounced on her feet, unable to contain her excitement, as she nudged Hana's shoulder playfully.
Hana, however, felt like the ground had shifted beneath her. Her gaze was locked on the door, as if somehow willing the mysterious man to walk back through it.
" What am I supposed to do now? " Hana’s voice was a mix of uncertainty and disbelief. " Just run after him and say, 'Hey, I think you're my soulmate?' "
She couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the sheer absurdity of it, yet, deep down, there was something—something tugging at her.
“ Why not? ” Karina asked with a shrug, leaning against the counter. “ Life’s too short for regrets, right? And hey, you said yourself, cheesecake lovers are a rare breed. ”
Hana chuckled nervously, her thoughts tumbling over one another. Could this really be happening?
“ But what if I’m wrong? ” she murmured, wringing her hands. “ What if he doesn’t speak English? What if he thinks I’m insane? I don’t even know if this is real… if he’s real. ”
Karina waved her hand dismissively, as though brushing aside every one of Hana's worries.
“ You’re overthinking this. Just trust your instincts, ” she said, her voice almost too certain. “ Fate’s on your side, remember? ”
Hana hesitated, a tight knot in her stomach. A part of her was still afraid, but another part felt a stirring deep within her. She took a deep breath and, reluctantly, closed her laptop.
“ Fine, ” she said, though there was no conviction in her tone. “ I’ll go find him. But if this turns into a total disaster, I’m blaming you. ”
Karina let out a laugh, giving her a playful thumbs-up.
“ Deal. Now go get him, girl! ”
Hana grabbed her bag, her hands trembling slightly as she stepped out of the café. The morning sun hit her skin, but everything felt unreal, as if she were in a dream she might wake up from at any moment. She walked out into the bustling street, her heart hammering with a mix of nerves and anticipation.
She scanned the crowd. Nothing. Not even a glimpse of the black beanie.
A sigh escaped her, heavy with disappointment. The connection she thought she felt… maybe it was just her imagination.
Her feet dragged as she turned and made her way back into the café.
“ Dammit, ” she muttered under her breath, her voice tinged with frustration.
♪
“ Dude, I just saw this cutest girl ever, and she was staring at me. ”
Jisung told the guys in the car once he entered.
“ Really? How’d she look like?”
Jeongin, the one who was sitting in the middle seat of the car, spoke up.
“Brown hair, green eyes, I think. Either green or blue, I couldn’t see. She was sitting with her laptop, and the girl at the counter was talking about a book with her before I came in, perhaps she was writing something. Also, she was humming to one of our songs!”
Jisung was practically jumping in his seat, if not for the seatbelt holding him in place.
“Wait. Like long brown hair? Green, almost blue looking like from a far distance? Did she have a mole right by her eye and mouth?”
Jeongin asked, looking at him in both confusion and surprise.
“Yeah! She looked exactly like how you described the girl in your dreams to be!”
Jisung exclaimed with a loud voice.
“Woah..”
Jeongin stared at Jisung.
He had a weird feeling in his stomach. It wasn't jealousy because Jisung probably met Jeongin’s soulmate; it was something else.
“I want to get to know her.”
Jeongin said as he sat back in his seat.
“It’s hard as idols though.”