Simply because we love each other

Chapter 1

Love takes courage.

I had found mine. I had been brave enough to run toward him.

But what about him?

There was a time when I had completely lost faith in love. For a girl who had once been hurt, one heartbreak was enough to leave a scar that could last a lifetime.

I became afraid of smiles, of those lingering, meaningful glances from men. I hated being touched. Most of all, I was terrified that if I ever allowed something to begin again, it would only end in another kind of pain—the kind that tore your heart apart.

So I withdrew into myself.

I had always been small, but after that, I seemed to become even smaller in this enormous world.

But nothing lasts forever.

There came a time when I desperately needed money, so a friend recommended a part-time job to me. I sent in my application and went for an interview at a cake shop. Everything went surprisingly smoothly. Since the shop had only recently opened, I was asked to start almost immediately.

My shift ran from five in the afternoon until ten-thirty at night.

Everyone at the shop was sweet and easygoing, and somehow that made me grow attached to what was supposed to be only a temporary job.

Before I knew it, five months had passed.

One evening in September, after finally escaping a nightmare of rush-hour traffic, I arrived at the shop at exactly five.

I had barely finished changing into my uniform when A, one of my coworkers, tugged excitedly at my sleeve.

“Daria, look! That guy over there—he’s ridiculously handsome. Definitely luxury-grade.”

I followed her gaze.

She wasn’t exaggerating.

He really was luxury-grade.

What surprised me even more was that I recognized him. He was the guy who had helped me at school a few days earlier.

Since I had run into him again, I really ought to thank him.

But he probably didn’t even remember me anymore. Wouldn’t it be awkward if I suddenly walked over and started talking to him?

Lost in my thoughts, I stood there staring at him far longer than I should have.

He was wearing a white shirt and jeans that day—simple, yet somehow effortlessly elegant. In the fading sunlight of an early autumn evening, there was something strangely soothing about the sight of him sitting there, completely absorbed in his laptop. Every now and then, he would take a sip of cappuccino and lightly lick the foam from his lips.

It was an oddly pleasant scene to watch.

Especially when the guy in question happened to be incredibly handsome.

“Why are you staring at him like that?” My friend nudged me lightly, laughing. “He’s been here since three. Looks like he’s really busy. He hasn’t stopped working since he got here.”

“Really?”

I answered absentmindedly, my eyes still drifting toward him.

Then, without warning, he looked up.

And turned toward me.

Our eyes met.

For several seconds, neither of us looked away.

The thought of thanking him suddenly came rushing back to me. But for reasons I couldn’t even explain, I panicked. I quickly lowered my head and pretended to busy myself arranging the table.

My face was burning.

I could feel the tiny twitch of a nerve in my forehead. It always did that whenever I was nervous.

Was I nervous?

It had been so long since I’d felt this way.

Suddenly, I sensed someone standing in front of me.

I looked up.

It was him.

He held out the bill and said,

“Could you ring this up for me?”

Then he smiled.

Just a small smile.

“Ah… sure.”

My mind went completely blank.

He has such a beautiful smile, I thought.

“Your total is eighty-five thousand.”

I gave him my brightest smile in return.

He handed me the money, then turned and headed toward the door.

I watched him leave.

But just before he stepped outside, he suddenly turned around.

He looked straight at me, smiled, and said,

“See you tomorrow.”

And from that day on, he came to the shop almost every evening.