Water Heart | P.Sh

| 3 |

I quietly watched Sunoo knead the dough between both of his hands, using his knuckles to create deep holes into the pale sandy colored mass.

"Tell me," Sunoo urged as he glanced up at me before directing his attention back to the dough and sprinkling it with some more flour.

"Hm?" I hummed and raised my eyebrows at the same time my chin lifted from my palm.

"You're too quiet, so something is going on in your mind," Sunoo excused casually with a shrug, "and apparently we tell each other everything and a bit more... so you must tell me."

"I invited Lin to come over for your evening bunch," I admitted and his hands stopped kneading the dough, and once I looked up at him he just stood staring at me in shock, "you need to make a move. She can't and you know that."

"Why must this be a society where women making the first move is considered slutty?" Sunoo sighed deeply as his eyebrows furrowed together, only causing me to shrug.

"She seemed happy when I offered her the chance," I excused with a shrug and placed my chin back in my hand.

"So you're weird because she isn't here?" Sunoo questioned and turned back to his work.

"Mmm I don't think so," I murmured and cocked my head to the side as he threw a cloth over the dough after having shaped it in a circular motion.

"So what is it?" Sunoo sighed and leaned his hands on the table edge, "why are you so weird this evening?"

"There's a funny ship in the harbour," I admitted and he hummed as I dropped my hands to fold together on the table in front of me, just watching as I picked at my nails, "I met one of the crew men earlier... but he was... a thief."

"Stole your heart?" Sunoo chuckled in amusement, sending me a small smirk.

"No," I shook my head quietly, "a necklace."

"Oh... so an actual thief," he realized and I nodded at him, "well... what does it have to do with you being all beside yourself?"

"We had... a happening," I excused and he hummed as his eyebrows knitted together on his forehead, "I guess he was being chased and because I thought he had dropped something I somehow... got involved with him."

"No one saw you with him, did they?" Sunoo immediately asked and I shook my head.

"He pushed me into an alley to hide both of us... but he... I keep thinking about that ship," I admitted with a small sigh, "it had a red flag... what ships sail with red flags?"

"I don't know..." Sunoo shrugged casually, "probably just a ship from one of the other islands. I don't think you have to ponder about it so much, besides I need you to be all cheery and costumer minded when you go out with the evening bunch."

I smiled slightly as Sunoo reached over and dusted off one of his fingers on my nose, probably leaving the tip covered in white flour. He always knew how to put me in a better mood, that was probably the reason why we were so good business partners.

"I'm terribly sorry I am late. I tried to come earlier but Pa wished for me to finish my piano lesson," a voice spoke hurriedly as the door to the bakery opened and closed.

I didn't have to look at the person to find it out who it was. All I needed was to see how Sunoo's ears immediately turned a bright red and his eyes flickered to me, to know that it was Lin who had happily entered the bakery.

"Am I too late?" Lin questioned and as I looked at her she gave me an apologetic and worried look.

"Not at all," I shook my head with a small smile, "Sunoo just finished kneading the dough, it's set to rise right now. You'll be here for the forming and baking process."

"Oh... that's fine," Lin smiled before looking over to Sunoo, "if it's alright with the baker of course."

"Or-of course," he immediately stammered out before looking at me with wide eyes that was obviously cursing at me, but probably also thanking me. At least I'd like to imagine he was also thanking me.

"Perhaps I should go and find the basket and cloth," I excused and straightened up.

"Oh... but they were just outside," Lin excused and I mentally cursed at myself for not finding a better excuse to leave the two alone.

"You uhm... would you like to help me form the bread?" Sunoo questioned making Lin look at him in shock.

"Oh but I'm not sure if I would be capable of that," she hurriedly excused and flattened the skirt of her dress.

"It's not that hard, really," Sunoo assured with a small soft smile, "I'll teach you, I promise."

I happily smiled as Lin immediately nodded and Sunoo waved her over beside him, checking the dough under the cloth he had thrown over it.

"Eh, should be good enough," Sunoo shrugged and Lin frowned.

"Doesn't it have to rise more?" Lin questioned in cnofusion and he immediately shook his head.

"I don't have a certain point it has to rise to. That's why my bread is so good," he waved it off with a small smile and pulled the dough over to himself, rolling it out a bit, "so I like to cut off a bunch about this size," Sunoo started as he cut off a lump of the dough, "roll it a bit, tug it and... you have a loaf of bread."

I could understand why Lin looked at him the way she did. He had worked way too fast and given too little instructions on how he actually made it have the perfect loaf form.

"Here... I'll help," Sunoo offered and cut off another lump before walking over behind Lin, placing the dough in front of her.

"Give me your hands," Sunoo murmured and extended his hands in front of Lin.

"What?" she murmured in shock before Sunoo softly grabbed onto her wrists, "oh..."

I watched as Sunoo softly murmured the instructions and made Lin's hands move around to form the loaf in front of her. It seemed like they had forgotten that I was in the room too.

"Would you like to keep the bread?" Sunoo questioned, still holding onto Lin's hands as he moved a bit away to look down at her.

"I'll pay for it," she nodded, only making Sunoo smile softly as he slid the loaf over in front of him as he stepped up besided her again.

"You don't have to," he shook his head quietly making Lin look over to me in shock. All I could do was just shrug at her, if that was what Sunoo said then that was just how it was gonna be, "we'll just cut a small heart into it, so we can recognize it after they've been baked."

A small smile spread on Lin's face as she watched Sunoo grab his small dagger and cut the heart into the loaf of bread in front of him. Her cheeks slowly turned a bright red as she watched in silence.

"There... we'll bake it with the rest and you can get it with you home," Sunoo smiled happily before looking over at Lin, who just silently smiled with rosy cheeks. This had caused Sunoo's ears to become a bright red color and for a small giggle to escape Lin once she had realized so.

"Thank you..." she murmured quietly making Sunoo just happily smile at her.