Work Text:
café r u ready? was located in the outskirts of town. it wasn’t one bit fancy, sure, but jisoo has always made sure to visit at the very least twice every month. the girl lived at the heart of the city, so the location proved to be a hassle alone. however, there was one thing that made her promise to return:
it tasted like home.
the café was more home-looking than café looking, as it was supposedly a resthouse, though due to the owner’s availability, they turned it into what it currently is. it was different from all the others, and that’s what made it stand out. though the café would be so small if placed near incheon’s majestic ones, it was special to jisoo because it tasted just like home. the ambiance gave off the vibe of home. the food reminds jisoo of the cooking of her late mother, and albeit impossible, it tasted amazingly just like her mom’s food. jisoo can even vividly remember the first time she went inside the café.
➳➳➳➳➳
it was a cold winter afternoon. the bells rang in her ears like a twinkle the moment she opened the door. warmth enveloped her being as she sat on one of the tables at the corner of the café, beside the enormous window, giving her a full glimpse of what was happening outside the place. nothing much was really happening, but the view was at least stunning. the white of the snow made the surroundings glisten, although it was mostly rural houses, for most. they were mostly traditional houses and jisoo found it cute. it wasn’t the life she was used to in the heart of the city, but she can make it work out if one day she feels like moving. a staff then approached her in a friendly way, asking whatever she’d like. since she didn’t have a clue of what they served, she just asked for their best-seller.
the time the food was served, she was feeling an awful lot warmer. the presentation of the food was simply amazing, and jisoo was enthrilled to know how the food would taste. so hurriedly, she took the chopsticks and took a bite off her meal. her grip of the chopsticks loosened, mouth slightly agape, eyes brimmed with tears. she choked trying to contain herself and her tears.
how the hell can the food taste just like home?
➳➳➳➳➳
it would usually be like that, but today is a different occasion. jisoo burst in, tears welling in her eyes, demanding to meet the cook. despite the constant palpitations and the dizziness present she still managed to calm herself though obviously, the desert fox-looking girl was in paranoia. mijoo and sujeong, two of the café’s staff that jisoo has grown to know has jisoo firmly in their grasp, trying to calm the latter down. older soojung, café r u ready?’s manager has stormed out of her office to see one of their most loyal customer’s outrage. lucky for them, nobody was in the café at this time.
“jisoo-ya, what’s wrong?” soojung calmly asked, facing the said girl. myungeun and yein who were behind the registers were caught in shock, unable to move. jisoo was, after all, a regular customer. no one has ever seen the incheon-raised girl this vulnerable. “who’s the cook?!” jisoo asked rather impatiently. she has been dying to see the cook ever since, and she can no longer wait. “jisoo, do you mean our main chef? she is out for today. she’s the one who’s usually cooking your meals. today, we only have jiyeon.” mijoo answered while visibly struggling to hold jisoo any longer. the latter sighed. “what’s the name of your main cook, then? i’ll… i’ll find her some other time.”
“yoo jiae.”
➳➳➳➳➳
the next week, jisoo came in, calmer than her previous outrage. she was frowning for a somewhat hidden reason, though. sujeong greeted her politely, with a smile so bright, it can possibly outshine the sun. jisoo returns with a smile of her own, albeit reluctantly. sujeong notes the obvious distaste, before leading her to a table near the kitchen. “jiae unnie; are you gonna ask for her again?” sujeong asks, her bright smile progressed into a mischievous grin. jisoo runs a hand through her hair before proceeding to rub it in her own face. she nodded slightly, her ears turning red. sujeong’s grin grew impossibly wider. “i’ll call jiae unnie for you. anything for the loyal jisoo unnie,” sujeong teased with a wink. “aish, whatever.”
sujeong proceeded into the kitchen. jisoo sighed, why did i act like that last week? she lowered her head, resting her chin on the table. she didn’t mean to make a scandal; it was just that her late mother’s death anniversary was nearing and the food, oh, how nostalgic it was. tears once more brimmed her eyes, threatening to fall. but jisoo wasn’t one to show vulnerability and cry in public. she held it in, most especially when she saw yein gaze at her- jisoo looked away once their gazes met, but she didn’t fail to catch the sympathetic look yein gave her, most especially the pity evident in the younger girl’s eyes.
she instead fixed her eyes on a potted plant near the corner of the café, until she heard the doors to the kitchen open. she looked at who exited the kitchen, and the doors revealed who she believes is yoo jiae in her cooking outfit. never has jisoo seen someone so exquisite in the glory and pride of an overly plain and slightly worn-out kitchen outfit. the way her bangs covered the length of her forehead up to her brows, her red orange-hair falls flawlessly on her apron whose red tint is fading accentuates her never-aging visuals. the girl gazes at her before cracking a gorgeous smile. her smile was neither too narrow nor too wide, her teeth brightly shining and snow white in color, her nose scrunched slightly and her wide eyes hid behind small crescents. jisoo has never, ever been so smitten over someone at first glance.
the girl walks over to her table, pulls herself a chair and sits down. “hi, i’m yoo jiae. i heard you’ve been looking for me the past week.” jiae’s low, velvety voice rang through jisoo’s (big) ears. despite her voice being low for a girl, the latter found it cute nevertheless. her voice is cute. just like her face. holy shit. jisoo nods shyly, “right. i-i’m seo jisoo. a pleasure to finally meet you, yoo jiae-ssi.” jisoo said, extending her hands which jiae accepted wholeheartedly. jisoo has sworn she’s never held a hand so supple and velvety, she almost never wants to let go. that’ll be too awkward for her liking, though. so she just shook jiae’s hand carefully, as if extremely delicate.
“may i ask what reason it is that you go in and find me, jisoo-ssi?” jiae asked, and jisoo’s ears turned beet red. she never liked her own name ever before, but if jiae would call her that again and again, she might just like her name a lot. “ah, because you’re cooking is… how do i word this? astounding. it tastes just like my mom’s- a-and, i-i was just… you know w-wondering if h-how you cook?” jisoo stammered, and this time it wasn’t just her ears that turned beet red, her cheeks were now in a deep shade of crimson. jiae chuckles in delight at the sight infront of her. “oh my, i learned how to cook since young. they were recipes passed on to me by my parents. is there anything wrong, jisoo-ssi?” jiae asked, the smile never leaving her face. jisoo wonders if her cheeks doesn’t sting or how long she could keep smiling straight.
jisoo shakes her head furiously, “there’s nothing wrong. in fact, it pushed me to return here again and again. it just so happened that the anniversary of my mother’s passing neared, and i can’t help but feel nostalgic. i’m sorry, have you heard what i’ve done last week? i’m sorry for that.” she answered, her head lowered down in shame. jiae’s smile faltered into a small, shy one. “i’m sorry for you loss,” jiae started. “...i do not wish for anyone to feel bad by my cooking. i do not know as well how my cooking vaguely resembles your late mother’s own, but i have practiced this since i was little. i have never intended to recreate your mother’s cooking, and this is my own version.” jiae finished off, the small smile still present. jisoo impossibly lowered her head even more, blood rushing to her face at an absurd rate. “i-i’m sorry jiae-ssi… i didn’t mean to make you feel bad about it, i guess i was just… utterly curious? oh… if you’ll be available… uhm, do you… c-can you teach me? l-like… h-how to c-cook…” jisoo stammered, her head still lowered. “b-but that’s only if you’re up for it!” she exclaimed, which cracked jiae to laugh. why the hell is her laugh angelic? ah, i’ve never been enamored like this ever before.
“of course, jisoo-ssi. here’s my number so we can maybe work out a schedule? oh, mind you that i live way in the city. would that be fine with you?” jiae stated, grinning widely. jisoo lifted her head up almost too quickly that jiae was afraid the girl might go whiplash for a second. “it’s- it’s fine, really! i live far from here, too… and i have a car, so it would be convenient too… ah, then here’s my number, jiae-ssi?” jisoo said, reading the digits out loud while jiae types it on her phone. once done, jiae looks up, the smile that jisoo has grown to love in less than an hour changed into a somewhat flashy grin. “may i ask, what year were you born, jisoo-ssi?” jiae asked bashfully despite the flashy grin that showcases her faux confidence. “oh, 1994, jiae-ssi. why, though?” her face showed evident curiosity.
“then i’ll call you jisoo-ya. we can talk informally, right? i’m an unnie, by the way.” jiae said, her smile still as bright as ever. the confusion is jisoo’s face faded into pure shock, “you’re an unnie?!” she exclaimed, covering her mouth afterwards. jiae just giggled, “yes, jisoo-ya. i’m your jiae-unnie.” jisoo who seemed to calm down earlier blushed a mad red.
she was too busy hiding her face to notice the other’s face was just as red.
➳➳➳➳➳
jisoo fidgeted in front of the gate. she hesitated on ringing the doorbell, because while she expected jiae to live in a fabulous home, she did not expect jiae to live in an abandoned-looking yet aesthetically pleasing huge-ass mansion. jisoo feels so small even if she lives at a high-end apartment at the heart of incheon, and is well-off herself. she stares at her phone and the address jiae texted her. it was correct, but really, does she live in one enormous mansion?
no shit, sherlock.
“hey, jisoo!” a voice from inside the tall gates emerged, startling the shit out of jisoo. “oh, jiae unnie. hi,” jisoo greets, bowing a full ninety degrees. jiae laughs wholeheartedly, “you don’t have to bow! wait, i’ll open the gates so you can come in. relax now.” jiae said, and the slightly stiffened seo jisoo relaxed, standing straight. jisoo notes jiae’s casual wear, sporting just a plain white long-sleeved blouse and jeans. it might as well mirror jisoo’s look ever you change jiae’s long-sleeved blouse into a light gray tee. the latter opened the gate, letting the baffled jisoo in. “i didn’t know you live in a house this big,” jisoo blurted. jiae giggled, “it’s too big for my liking, though. it’ll soon just be a resthouse, because i may move into an apartment or go back to seoul.”
jisoo’s shoulders dropped. seoul was a good hour away from incheon and that was via the train. jiae seemed to notice the younger’s distaste upon hearing her statement, so she wrapped an arm around jisoo’s shoulders. “but i’m not moving out anytime soon. you don’t have to be disappointed that much.” jiae joked. jisoo looked too serious and she was actually too serious to notice jiae’s joke. it made the older giggle a whole lot more, while the incheon-raised girl arched a brow. “go back to seoul? so you mean you grew up there, or something?” jisoo asked once they reached the door. jiae faced jisoo, her face immediately turning serious. why is a serious jiae unnie so cute? even if jisoo found the older girl’s expression cute, she can’t help but grow nervous because she’s never seen jiae this serious. obviously.
“i was born in seoul and i grew up there, jisoo. a few tragic incidents led me to move here, at our supposed resthouse. it… i guess, turned into my home,” jiae stated with an audible sigh. shock was written over the desert fox-looking girl’s face and all she could do was mumble incoherent ‘sorry’s for bringing up the question and topic.
➳➳➳➳➳
if you’d ask jisoo, she thinks she did well overall for the first day of her cooking lesson.
ask jiae however, then it would be a completely different story.
why, you ask? well, jisoo just almost completely knocked her out for some reason, she almost broke a glassware (“jisoo! be careful, you’re going to knock the-- YA SEO JISOO!”) and basically almost set the entire kitchen to flames. or the whole house, jiae can’t really tell. it seems that although according to jisoo, her mother and father are both excellent cooks, the little girl didn’t really inherit any of the cooking genes. jiae could only sigh and rub her temples. “heh.. i’m sorry, jiae unnie,” jisoo apologized when she noticed that she, after all, didn’t do such a great job on her first day. oh well, she’ll get better anytime soon, won’t she?
➳➳➳➳➳
“okay, jisoo. like i told you last week, you’d have to measure all your ingredients first, and set them accordingly. it may not be much, but it’ll really help you cook much, much faster. there’s a term for this, it’s a french term which is mise en place. got it?” jiae said softly. jisoo smiled brightly and seemed very confident. “that’s great that you got the lecture. i gave you the ingredients and procedure, right? go on, do it.” the older of the two said. jisoo nods enthusiastically, fishing out her phone and reading the recipe out loud. she starts chopping the onions, and she mentally taps herself for doing a great job. jiae thinks otherwise, and nervously lets out a chuckle after the incheon-raised girl almost chopped a part of her index finger.
➳➳➳➳➳
jiae teaches jisoo how to open the range. since jiae owns both a gas range and electric stove, she teaches her how to operate both carefully. the seoul-raised girl demonstrates, and never fails to give a lecture on how it should properly be done, and guidelines. she gives jisoo safety reminders, like how she shouldn’t touch the electric stove once she’s opened it, and how she’s supposed to close the gas after cooking. jisoo opts to use the gas range today, and mostly did well. at least, that’s what she thinks.
(jisoo forgot to turn the gas off, and jiae’s house would’ve exploded if the latter didn’t check.)
➳➳➳➳➳
a few more months came by, and jiae has come to a great conclusion. apparently, jisoo is just unteachable. or jiae is just not a great teacher. it’s now been five months since jiae has promised to teach jisoo to cook, and although they’ve grew closer to each other, there had been little to no progress in the latter’s skills at all. though jiae is a little proud and thankful in those five months jisoo managed to keep all her tools and utensils and her house overall safe. so yes, that means no, jisoo didn’t turn jiae’s not-so humble abode into ash (only set the kitchen on fire once. just once). the seoul-born girl thinks it’s only a matter of time before the incheon-raised girl does, though.
“aaah! jiae unnie, i don’t think i want to do this anymore. i don’t think i’ll ever learn!” jiae is ultimately relieved, but she is ever-so slightly disheartened, however. so she battled the relieved sigh that almost escaped her lips, and opted to frown deeply instead. “is it because i’m not a good teacher?” she asked, her voice extremely higher than usual. to jiae, it just usually comes out whenever she gets sad, but jisoo thinks jiae is acting cute- aegyo , as everyone refers to. she’s still flustered by the older’s remark, nonetheless. “n-no, unnie! i-i actually think it’s m-me… i guess i’m j-just… not made to c-cook?” jisoo replied unsurely, and that was more than enough to wipe away the pout on jiae’s lips and most certainly more than enough to make jiae’s giggles echo in the kitchen.
“come here, idiot.” jiae called out, extending her arms open, ready to engulf jisoo in a hug. jisoo excitedly runs over to her, almost stumbling in the process. once she gets to jiae, warmth immediately envelopes her little body. jisoo returns the hug too quickly and much tighter. she accidentally inhales of jiae’s scent, and surely any other day it would smell something that’s not foul cooking. jisoo chuckles and snuggles further in the embrace. “i love you, jiae unnie,”
“yeah. i know. i love you too, idiot.”
➳➳➳➳➳
little sujeong and jiyeon gazed boredly at jiae. “ya, jiae unnie, i didn’t come and work here from daejeon to watch you turn down the love of your boring life,” sujeong deadpanned. jiyeon smacked her, scolding her for her choice of words. “but she’s right, jiae unnie. i did not totally miss my chance of studying at kyunghee to watch you do exactly what sujeong just said.” jiyeon stated, and almost immediately the daejeon-raised girl whined at her. “why did you smack me when you’ll agree?! and you didn’t miss the chance of studying at kyunghee to be here, you chose dongduk!” sujeong scoffed. jiyeon just glared at her and turned to face the oldest in the trio.
“that’s not the point, jjakdu! anyways, we can see that you really love her, jiae unnie. sure it’s been roughly a year since the two of you met, but almost everyone can see the sparks between the two of you when you look at each other lovingly. we can see that you love each other genuinely, so why are you afraid to go out with her?” jiyeon stated rather aggressively. jiae just sighed.
after the night they exchanged i love you’s, jisoo has been pursuing her. jisoo’s normally twice a month visits to the café turned into almost every day, making sure to eat and drop flowers for her beloved. she’d always text her good morning and good night, with ‘have you eaten yet?’, ‘don’t forget your jacket!’, and ‘stay safe, unnie!’ in between those. it never fails to make jiae feel giddy and extra special, but despite all of those she’s never given jisoo her precious yes and made it official. it’s not that she doesn’t like jisoo enough or jisoo’s efforts are not enough, it’s that she’s scared and not ready to commit. she’s scared that their relationship might go downwards, and break even the bond of their friendship. she’s afraid that history would repeat itself and that their relationship would possibly be like her parents’ own. that’s also the reason why she’s not yet- and she thinks she never will be- ready to take part in a commitment.
“w-well..” jiae starts.
➳➳➳➳➳
little five year-old jiae was walking happily under seoul’s bright morning sky. her tiny hands held her mom’s at her right and her dad’s at her left. it was hot, but not too much. in fact, jiae liked this temperature better rather than seoul’s freezing ones at winter. the sensation of the heat her skin absorbs is amazing to her, and that’s solely the reason why she wore a sleeveless pink floral dress today. her white beret and and sandals in a lighter shade of pink complement her outfit, and little jiae seemed like a very lovely child.
by nightfall, she was tucked under the sheets in her pyjamas by her mom. she clutched tightly on her moomin stuffed toy as her mother kissed her forehead goodnight. a cute, wide smile that made her nose scrunch and her big, bright eyes into crescents spread across her face, obviously cherishing the intimate moment.
little did five year-old jiae know it would be one of the lasts as their mother departed the house after. she was then met with an abusive stepmother, who turned her happy life into a miserable one. she was hit almost everyday for no reason, and was once even hit with a bottle on her left shoulder, shattering the bottle in the process. her father had become much of a drunkard and followed the steps of her stepmother soon enough.
(the scar, for most was the reason jiae has almost never worn sleeveless shirts and tank tops ever since.)
➳➳➳➳➳
“...that’s- that’s why i’m so s-scared, jiyeon-ah, sujeong-ah,” jiae finished, a lone tear dropping down her cheek. “i’m scared that she’d be like my mother- out of the blue she might leave me all alone. if not that, then she might be like my stepmother who’ll just abuse me overall.”
jiyeon and sujeong, for some reason, were already bawling their eyes out. sujeong was quicker to recover, though. “you know, jiae unnie, jisoo unnie is not like that at all. i couldn’t pursue college, right? it would’ve been a golden opportunity but my family is not that well-off, yet despite her going to college in seoul, living in the middle of the city, she’d never forgets to drop by almost everyday. i think she’s majoring law, too. it’s already hard as it seems, but she never forgets to make you feel special. i don’t think she’ll actually turn out like your mom or stepmom; i think she’ll be for keeps.” sujeong says, her voice cracking thanks to her tears. jiyeon just nods and gives jiae a thumbs up.
“y-you really think i should?” jiae asked, and the smile on the duo ever grew this wide.
➳➳➳➳➳
when jiae agreed to say yes to jisoo, she never said when. it’s been three months; roughly 5 months since jisoo started courting her and still no signs of being official. even mijoo and big soojung grew impatient of jiae and decided to scold her about it.
(skip that, because soojung definitely gave jiae a very long, boring speech- or maybe just an earful.)
jiae looked at the calendar. november 14. it was the café’s 3rd anniversary, but jiae didn’t look much happy. it was also jiyeon and sujeong’s first anniversary, big soojung and mijoo’s third, and myungeun and yein’s second. jiae wasn’t exactly amused, as even the younger ones were celebrating their anniversary as a couple, while she was celebrating her anniversary with the restaurant.
it was still early, and since the café was inconveniently placed at the outskirts of town, there wasn’t single soul seen, except for the café’s staff. jiae was sitting peacefully on the counter, with yein and myungeun behind the counter to accompany her. mijoo and sujeong was chatting peacefully at one of the tables near the counter, jiyeon was fiddling with her phone, her back rested on the kitchen’s door. big soojung was in her office, doing her work. jiae’s eyes were only focused straight, her gaze piercing holes through the door. her head tilted sideways from time to time, and she looked like she was in deep thought. except she wasn’t.
girls’ generation’s hit song from 2009, gee , rang through the ‘93-liner’s head. it was a bunch of gee’s, but jiae wasn’t bothered. it has been replaying and replaying in her head for more than twelve times now, and she hasn’t bothered to think of any other song. that was, until the sun’s rays pierced through the glass door and tinted windows of the humble café. she immediately thought of nell’s four times around the sun, replacing the melody of gee in her head.
the bells and chimes of the door had then opened, startling all of the workers. the waiters, mijoo and sujeong, immediately stood up, jiyeon almost dropped her phone, myungeun and yein fixing their uniforms, and then there was jiae, who fell off the counter, making everyone present laugh. even jisoo, who has just made her way inside. “what are you thinking about so much that you got startled that much?” jisoo asked, a small smile on her face while she extended her hand. jiae took it, her face turning crimson. “a-actually, jisoo, my head is just… preoccupied by girls’ generation’s gee.”
everyone in the café burst out laughing. jiyeon and soojung went out of their respective areas to check the commotion, smiling as they found everyone laughing. jiae cleared her throat. “you guys… do you want to close the café for today? nobody comes on wednesdays, anyway.” jiae announced. everyone seemed baffled, except for jisoo who looked curious as to why the others feel like it’s much of a big deal. “jiae unnie, you know we can’t do that!” yein said, her voice slightly raised. jiyeon agreed with yein, “yein’s right, jiae unnie. you know we can’t just ditch work… on any other day it would’ve been fine, but today’s really special for the café!”
big soojung came out of her office from just slightly peeking. “jiae, it’s the café’s third anniversary. we can’t just close it because you want to.” she said. jisoo, as well as the other staff, flinched slightly at the presence of a higher ops. jiae didn’t seem to back down, though. “look, it’s also your third anniversary with mijoo, jiyeon and sujeong’s second, and yein and myungeun’s first. the café can sacrifice that, nobody even knows that today’s its anniversary. you can go celebrate today,” jiae said. “that’s final now.” she added, her voice mich firmer than it should be. soojung sighed, “jiae-”
“soojung unnie, you all deserve this, though. if you don’t want to close the café the whole day, then atleast half. we’ll close at three.” jiae said, her tone full of authority, making everyone freeze. “look, it’s the least i can do for you all, coming from different places to work here,” jiae added slightly, a small smile creeping up her face. “d-do i make a reservation if i’m bringing friends over?” jisoo asked, feeling nervous. she couldn’t handle the heavy atmosphere in the usually bright café and the overly serious and much persuasive jiae. “depends on you, jisoo unnie. well, making reservations is hard… you have to talk it out with soul unnie,” yein answered. jisoo had confusion written all over her face.
“who’s soul unnie?” jisoo asked, but before anybody could answer, jiae stood up and pulled jisoo outside. “ya, if a lot of customers stop by, ring me!” jiae shouted as she went out the door, jisoo in hand. they just walked and walked, hand in hand, with the latter’s eyes wandering around the empty outskirts and jiae seeming to know where she’s going. they finally come to a halt as they reached a playground. it wasn’t exactly maintained; it was painfully obvious that there has been no trace of life bringing the playground color for at least a half a decade. the framework of the slides were rusting and the color of the see-saw was chipped. one bar of the, well, monkey bars was hanging and it was close to destruction. albeit all that, the swing looked amazingly maintained, even if the colors are visibly fading and there are a few rusts on the chains. the older one prompted to sit down on one of the swings, tapping the one beside it. “be careful, unnie!” jisoo said, frowning at what she thinks is the seoul-born’s recklessness. jiae only opts to laugh, and say, “while it is potentially unsafe, it is not as of the moment. come on, sit down, idiot.”
jisoo's frown grew deeper at jiae’s statement. if she knew that it was potentially unsafe, why was she sitting on the material herself, and why is she pushing jisoo to do the same? the latter just couldn’t piece it all together, and she looks like she’s about to burst any moment now. she instead chose to puff a stream of air, and jiae giggles. “if you don’t sit down, i’ll never answer you. here i am about to say yes, yet you’re being stubborn. come on, it’s safe! it’s not like it hasn’t been touched in a decade or a score, it’s only been months since i last went here.” jiae said, and jisoo can’t help but obligue. ha, what can she do, when jiae just told her she’s about to give her such a precious answer? “sooo….” jisoo started as she hesitantly sat down on the swing. jiae giggled once more, “so?” jiae repeated.
“u-uh, i thought you were gonna answer me, unnie!” jisoo exclaimed. the older bursted laughing, tears even brimming her eyes. “but you never asked me a question, though?” she answered, both her tone and face radiating fake innocence. the poor desert fox-looking girl groaned exasperatedly. “okay then,” jisoo said as she regained her composure, her voice filled with nothing but sheer determination. “jiae unnie, you’re very pretty, from the first time i saw you, up until yesterday. there wasn’t a day i thought you’re never pretty. today, though, i think you’re not..” jisoo said teasingly, earning her a slap on her shoulders. “ow! what was that for? anyways, yes, today you’re not pretty, because today, you’ve become beautiful in my eyes,”
“...but that’s completely out of the point. you being absolutely beautiful and having nice proportions are all just bonuses to me, because this messed-up excuse of a human being fell for your trap for a completely different reason. i fell for you even without seeing your face or hearing your voice. your cooking has really touched my empty stomach as well as my empty heart…” jisoo said, but stopped a little and looked at jiae, only to meet eyes mirroring hers. “...i guess the saying really is true, jiae unnie. the best way to a person’s heart is through their stomach. i ultimately and completely agree with that statement now, all thanks to you. i felt the butterflies in my stomach the first time i ate the food you cooked for me, and it was more than enough to make me conclude that this is definitely love at first taste. okay, that was cheesy, but it’s helping me prove my point. you also changed my opinion on love and made me truly believe the statement that looks don’t matter because after all, i fell for your cooking before i fell for you as a whole. so, jiae unnie, it’d be a great pleasure to call you ‘mine’ officially. are you up for it?”
the struggle to hold back her tears was immeasurable. jiae’s right eye dropped a lone tear, and smiled softly towards jisoo. her smile was friendly, endearing, and very affectionate. her smile wasn’t too small nor wasn’t too wide; just the right size. her eyes hid behind the crescents of her eyelids and her nose started to scrunch lightly. jisoo has never seen this smile of jiae ever before- because it seemed to vanish along with the times of a complete family. and jisoo? well, jisoo, albeit impossibly, felt much more enamored than she already is.
“you know what my answer would be, idiot. it is and it will forever and always be a yes,” jiae said, the smile never leaving her face.
with that, the duo walked back to the café like they did going to the playground- except this time, hey fingers were interlaced, the smiles on their faces radiate content and happiness.