I. sixteen

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The restaurant was not just quiet, but empty. Eunbyul was the first to arrive as she pushed through the clear glass door with the small ringing of the welcome bells hanging behind her.

She smiled over at the owner who stood behind the cashier register and greeted him. A small bow to her head while he quickly stepped away from the counter, to guide her towards a nice spot closer to the large windows that looked outside.

The streets ran lonely, too. With the forewarned storm, trickles of rain had already begun to come and go.

She pulled out a chair from the table and rested her closed umbrella against one of its wooden legs at her side.

"Slow night, sir?" Except for him, there wasn't any other of his usual staff either.

"Yes, it looks like it," he sighed. Taking a small notepad from the square pocket on his green apron, he grabbed his pen tucked behind his right ear. "Might have to close up early," he shifted to point to the news channel, "they're saying the storm will get bad closer to midnight."

From where she took a seat, Eunbyul followed the restaurant owner's pen in hand, to the small flat screen TV mounted on the opposite wall across from her table.

"Ah," she nodded softly in understanding, beginning to wonder if maybe she should call Mr. Hong and cancel instead. They could always do this another time, when there wasn't an impending stretch of dark clouds looming overhead.

Her gaze turned to stare out the window. Almost no light shined through from the obscured moon above. Only the few of dismal street lamps lit up the already wet sidewalks.

But before she had a chance to pull out her phone from her jacket's pocket, her adoptive father came into view along with the taller Italian lawyer.

"Would you mind waiting?" She glanced back at the old man who was ready to take her order, and explained as she pointed out the window at them, just across the restaurant now. "Those two are with me."

"Oh yes, of course," he nodded and put down his notepad.

She gave him a small smile and said, "Actually, we could start with a bottle of Makgeolli."

"Of course," he repeated and turned away to head over to his kitchen.

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Rain began to drizzle again, her smile remained while she watched the pair of lawyers hurry to cross the street.

Mr. Cassano reached the door first and opened it for her father to finally step inside.

𝕯 𝖊 𝖘 𝖕 𝖊 𝖗 𝖆 𝖉 𝖔 //  vincenzo cassano //Where stories live. Discover now