PROMPTS

Coffee Lover - 8

"Se-ri-ah, could you come visit this weekend for lunch?"

Se-ri didn't need to check her calendar. She was free because she had been avoiding Jeong Hyeok for a few days now and her weekend, which she would spend with him for the past couple of months, was now wide open.

It's all good. It wasn't good to neglect family anyway. "Yes, Abeoji."

"You don't sound well, Sweetheart. Is everything alright?"

Hearing the concern in her father's voice almost broke her but she did not want to bother him with a non-issue. "No worries. Just a lot of stuff at work. I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Alright. We'll have your favorite food prepared."

A couple of days later, Se-ri walked into the sprawling mansion that she called her childhood home. After a nice lunch where she and Se-jun kept teasing each other who was their parents' favorite and who was better in school, she asked her parents if she could stay the night.

As their staff prepared her room, she strolled in the garden with her father. "Now, are you going to tell me what's bothering you, my princess?"

"Abeoji, I'm starting to consider your offer before. To arrange my marriage. But I want strict terms in the contract in case the marriage ends in divorce," Se-ri told him.

Yoon Jeung-pyeong, her father, pondered on her declaration in silence. When he finally spoke, he said, "Your brother and some of my friends told me you were seeing one of our shop owners. Did that not work out?"

"Oh, I will kill Se-jun," she threatened in jest.

"It is true, then," her father noted.

"We're not together, Father," Se-ri said.

"And why is that? If he's not smart enough to commit to my daughter then I do not want him for you," Yoon Jeung-pyeong commanded.

"He's very smart and he's great at the business!" Se-ri defended. "It's... it's me that's the problem."

Her father stopped walking to face her. "You? You're perfect, my princess."

Se-ri had to smile at that. She had always been a daddy's girl and this show of support was unsurprising but much welcome in this moment. She admitted to her father her worries about what comes after the honeymoon period of love and there would be more challenges that romantic moments. "I'm afraid I'm going to ruin it. I've done it before."

Taking his daughter into his arms, the elder man cooed. "Oh, my darling. It's good that you recognize your issues. That is the first step."

"Yes. The next is getting past it and that is a lesson I can't seem to learn," she admitted.

"You know, I used to put your mother in a pedestal. She was the most beautiful woman I ever met and I felt so lucky that she wanted to be with me," Yoon Jeung-pyeong started. Pulling back, Se-ri looked at her father before he continued. "The longer we were together, I found out more about her and when you're with someone long term you realize there are a lot of things that are not perfect."

"Like what?!" Se-ri asked, affronted about what he was going to say about her beloved mother.

Yoon Jeung-pyeong chuckled. "Princess, at some point someone farts in the worst possible time. Farts never smell like roses, even your mother's. Also, my feet sometimes stink, it's not a walk in the park for your mom to put aside my shoes then."

Se-ri's eyes widened then she fell into a fit of giggles. "Abeoji!"

"It's true. You don't realize at first but those things pull you back down to reality that you are both human. Unpleasant things will happen. And then you have to decide... do you have enough of a foundation to make it?" Her father continued. "Thankfully, we found that we are both good and kind people and we liked each other a lot. We valued loyalty and family above all else and at the end of the day, we still wanted to be with each other."

Stroking his daughter's hair, he closed the discussion with, "I found that, rather than having your mother on a pedestal, there was a better place for her."

"And where was that?"

"Right beside me."

Se-ri hugged her father. "But you and mother are amazing people. I am not."

Her father chuckled. "I wouldn't say that. There are many other people who adore you, and this man is one of them. I think it is up to you to decide. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with having standards and making sure the man meets them because you are precious. But when he meets them, how about you try to take a leap?"

Se-ri smiled at her father but said nothing, her thoughts now filled with the face of the man she missed

"Take the leap, my darling. You deserve a great love."

*

Mi-yeon dropped by the coffee shop. "Hi Jeong Hyeok! How have you been?"

"I'm good. You?" He asked, smiling even though the brightness did not reach his eyes.

"Alright. I'm having my boyfriend come over since Se-ri is with family this weekend," she shared.

Jeong Hyeok's movements in preparing her cup temporarily stilled. "She left?"

Mi-yeon smiled. "Her family home is not far away. She's coming back."

Jeong Hyeok couldn't help but wish that meant she wasn't only coming back home to the apartment but also to him. However, right now that was uncertain. "May I... ask how she's doing?"

Mi-yeon nodded. "She's confused. Just give her a little time to sort things out."

He nodded. Handing her cups, he added, "I have some stuff for her. Would you mind handing it over for me?" When she agreed, he got a bag from his office. "These are rice cakes from a restaurant she really liked. I just thought she might like them."

"You're a good man, Jeong Hyeok. I hope you wait for her," Mi-yeon said. "She's just scared because of everything she's been through."

Jeong Hyeok nodded. "I fully intend to."

As he closed the coffee shop that night, he took his phone and pulled up her name. It had been two days. Too long, he berated himself. Typing in a short message, he hoped it conveyed how much he missed her and how he waited for her to comeback.

He was yearning.

But right now, all he could do was wait.

"I'm still here, Se-ri."