Woo Me, Wooyoung ~ WooLix

~ Chapter 3 ~

I blinked my eyes in confusion, wondering what was going on. Who was this guy? I looked around in bewilderment and noticed a mug of what looked like hot chocolate on the table in front of me. That explained the noise I'd heard. Surprised, I turned back to the stranger to thank him.

"Th-thank you, but..." I trailed off, unsure of how to continue.

The guy – Wooyoung – chuckled lightly. "You're probably wondering why a complete stranger is bringing you a hot chocolate and introducing himself out of the blue."

I nodded nervously, absently carding my fingers through the dog's fur.

"Well, it's not actually as random as you may think," he continued. "You see, I work here..."

Slightly shocked, I focussed on him again. Only then did I notice the name tag on his shirt, and the black apron tied around his waist.

"Oh..."

Wooyoung smiled brightly and then gestured to the seat across from me. "May I?"

I returned his smile and nodded my head. "Sure," I murmured.

As he sat down, I took a sip of the hot chocolate. It was warm and seriously creamy, and I couldn't resist closing my eyes as a long "mmmm" spilled out of my lips.

When I opened my eyes again, I was greeted with a delighted smile that seemed to light up Wooyoung's whole face. His eyes were sparkling, and I found myself immediately falling for his charms, despite my initial wariness.

"I noticed when you walked in, that you seemed to know this place already, as if you'd been here lots of times before. But I hadn't ever seen you in the two-and-a-half months I've been working here. Pepi seemed to trust you straight away, too, so you were definitely at home around dogs."

The little bundle of fluff in my lap raised its head slightly, took one look at Wooyoung, then lay its head down again with a yawn. This, then, must be Pepi.

"I admit that I was intrigued... so I kept an eye on you, to see what would happen. I was pretty shocked when you suddenly burst into tears like that... But I knew a hot chocolate would fix it, so..." he gestured to the mug in my hand, "...it's on the house."

I smiled at him shyly. "Thanks," I said again, "it's amazing! I used to get a hot chocolate here every time I came, but they were never this good!"

Wooyoung raised his eyebrows slightly.

"So I was right ... you have been here before!"

"Yeah, I used to come every weekend with my mum," I told him, taking another sip of my drink.

He gazed at me curiously. "So why did you stop coming? If you don't mind my asking..."

My mood became mellow as I looked down at the sleeping dog in my lap. I stroked her fur gently for a minute as I fought the sudden urge to cry again.

I sighed deeply. "My mum ... she- she died ... three months ago..."

A single tear rolled down my cheek and Wooyoung reached out and covered my hand, which was lying limply on the table.

"I'm so sorry ... I know what it's like to lose your mum. My mum died when I was 10. It's been 12 years now, but I still remember her vividly. She's the one that taught me how to make hot chocolate like that."

I looked up at him and smiled, then. "She sounds like a good mum."

"Yeah, she was," he replied wistfully. "But yours sounds nice, too! I mean, bringing you to see the dogs every weekend..."