The Crown | myg

two

As planned the previous day, Chanyeol is waiting for me when I arrive at the shop. Though we agreed he would show up at eight thirty, he shows up at eight just to help me start and finish baking as quickly as possible.

With the two of us working and, with an hour of work, we have a good quantity of each dessert prepared and on display for when the tourists begin to arrive. As the clock strucks nine, I burst through the kitchen doors and walk to the front door to change the sign to open.

"Are you ready for this?" Chanyeol asks as he rubs his hands along the front of his apron.

"Ready for tourists and journalists?" I ask, the both of us awkwardly looking toward the door, not once looking at each other. "I can only be so ready for that."

Within a few minutes of the sign being switched, tourists begin to flood through the streets, cameras in hand, ready to take pictures and explore the things they've never seen before.

The doorbell rings and I step forward to stand at the register, waiting for the woman to look through the options and come to me to tell me what she wants.

"Hello?" The woman says as she approaches the register. Her accent is thick, English is definitely not her first language.

"Hello," I respond in English, a smile on my face. The woman looks as if a huge weight was lifted off of her shoulders when I respond to her in English rather than Korean. "How can I help you?"

The woman turns to the glass casing once more, reading over the cards placed in front of the baked goods. I watch as her eyes move over the hangul once before she shakes her head and reads the English writing.

"Can I have two dozen of the cotton candy macarons, please?" She turns away from the glass casing and begins to dig through her purse for her wallet while I walk to grab her order.

With the bag in my hand, I approach the register once more and place the bag down beside it, waiting for the woman to have her wallet in hand.

"That'll be ten dollars," I say with a smile, reading the price carefully off of the screen on the cash register.

The woman is quick to pull the money from her wallet and place it in my hand, a wide smile spreading on her face as she pulls the bag from the counter and takes a bite of half of a macaron.

"Oh my!" She exclaims, her eyes filling with pure joy. "This is the best thing I've ever tasted."

"Thank you, ma'am," I say as I bow to her respectively, though she does not bow back, for she is unaware of Korean customs.

"My name is Angelika Beker," she says as she outstretches her hand to me, a gentle smile on her face. I take her hand firmly. "I was sent here from Germany to review your bakery specifically. You've been a topic of conversation worldwide for over a year, now. How does that have an impact on your life?"

Angelika pulls a tape recorder from her purse and places it on the counter, her eyes filled with kindness. I feel my heart begin to race, I wasn't expecting to be interviewed first thing in the morning, especially a surprise interview.

"The publicity I have gained has impacted me greatly," I respond, clearing my throat. My hands begin to shake with nervousness, but I ignore it. My posture straightens as I speak. "Never did I think that I would be known worldwide for something as simple as a bakery."

"If I may ask, how many employees work here?" Angelika asks as she looks around the room. Her eyes land on Chanyeol working in the kitchen. "Is it just the two of you?"

"I am the only official employee," I respond, looking at Chanyeol through the kitchen window with a smile before turning back to her. "If it's busy or I'm not feeling myself, my friends come in to help me."

"Do they get paid for their work?" Her eyebrows crease gently.

"They don't let me pay them," I chuckle as I shake my head. "They do, however, get to eat as much as they want when they work."

"May I interview the gentleman in the back?" Angelika looks at Chanyeol through the window again before turning back to me.

"Of course," I respond before walking to the kitchen doors. "Chanyeol," I whisper. "Come here."

Chanyeol turns around and frowns. "What?"

"The lady at the front is a German interviewer sent here to review my bakery specifically," he smiles at my words. "She saw you in the kitchen and wants to interview you."

Chanyeol runs his fingers through his black hair and adjusts his apron before walking out to the front of the bakery. With a smile on his face, he stands in front of the lady and bows.

"Hello, ma'am," Chanyeol says in a polite tone, his English better than I remember. "My name is Park Chanyeol."

"Nice to meet you, Chanyeol," Angelika says with a smile. "I was hoping to ask you a few questions about working at Sugar Momma Bakery with Hyuntae."

"Of course," Chanyeol agrees with a gentle smile.

I watch with a proud smile as Chanyeol answers questions about his experience working with me. His professionalism makes me feel proud to have him as both a colleague and my best friend. The way he speaks to her with complete eye contact, trying his hardest to speak only in English as to not confuse the woman he is speaking to.

After a few questions, Angelika says goodbye to us before grabbing her macarons and her tape recorder. With a smile, she leaves the building and disappears into the tourist-filled streets.

"That was eventful," Chanyeol says as we stare through the front window, our bodies stiff.

"I'm just scared to see the article she writes," I say, my voice laced with fear.