The Wind Loop

21

dern

(dark, hidden, secret)

10th August, 2019

THE first and the last hour of work was something, Ju Ho really loved. They motivated him in two different ways. However, the sight of Ye Bin after the end of the latter had made it better in his opinion. This particular humid evening of August was no different.

"Oh, it's my girlfriend." he came running towards Ye Bin as soon as he spotted her walking in.

"Stop being so corny." she laughed.

"Why didn't you visit me today?"

"I had tried to sneak inside earlier but there was a huge crowd infront of the counter. I barely saw your head. You might as well as get kidnapped by a female fan anyday." she prattled on.

"There's no way." he laughed uproariously as if she had cracked the best joke he had ever heard in his life.

"Why not? You keep showing them a thousand watt smile everytime. I wouldn't blame them if they all become infatuated with you. I'm speaking from experience." she seemed solicitous enough to make Ju Ho laugh audibly again.

"So, I bagged your affection after showing you my smile?" he mused as he stepped closer to her. "I have been wondering till now."

"Anyway, it's hard to catch hold of you these days." she squinted her eyes as she realised that she had let him know about another secret of hers. "I should take my leave now. You need to catch a break. It must have been a hectic day."

"Don't go." he caught hold of her hand, pulling her closer to his body. "You need to stay for a while. I need to catch up with you. Where do you think you are going after visiting for such a short span of time? We haven't seen much of each other since our dinner."

"Are you serious? You keep dropping by whenever you bake a new batch of something. I have three packets of croissants to finish yet. I barely managed to concentrate on my work thanks to your frequent visits."

"Are you that annoyed about me visiting your place?" he complained. "I mean, I am just visiting my girlfriend whenever I am free. Would I get arrested because of it or something? Do you not like me enough?"

His words caused minor consternation to Ye Bin. She crossed her hands against her chest and tried to validate her point.

"Gosh, you are a handful." she fought back. "You can do it once in a while. I thought that you are mature, Han Ju Ho. You and I are both grown-ups. Should we ditch our source of income just because we are fond of each other? We need to fix a time or something to meet each other."

"I didn't mean to offend you. I just miss you every now and then." his face turned a shade lighter.

"I miss you too." Ye Bin lowered her voice. "We are both busy. We are not teenagers who can fool around all the time. Don't neglect your customers because of me."

"Actually, I'm planning to hire a part-timer. I can't handle such big crowds all by myself. I might fall sick if I get flocked everyday. I'm sorry if I have caused you worry."

"That's good." she nodded, approvingly. "It's high time you do so. Managing a big crowd requires more manpower."

"Ye Bin, I'm sorry for getting too clingy. You see, I would love to see both of us do well in our own fields. I promise that I wouldn't interfere when you're working."