Yoojun was tired of growing the dumb flower or whatever was inside the pot.
And Shizuka was not helping much.
So he decided to get another job.
It was at the little bakery where the old people rarely went due to it being the leading cause of their death. Though some still came there with stolen steps. Or so Shizuka said.
There was a little girl who decided to eat one of the donuts.
"Ah—the village owner's son?" She wondered out loud, a declaration rather than a statement.
"No."
"But on the will—"
"None of your concern." He raised his eyebrows, "How do you even know about that?"
"It's a small world." She shrugged as she swallowed the whole donut in one bite. She was a scrawny little thing of some ten years.
"True." Yoojun mumbled.
"What do you want?" She wiped her hands on her black shorts. Something Yoojun scrunched his nose at. His parents would have killed him.
"A job?" Yoojun questioned himself.
"Here?" The little girl furrowed her brow and made an incredulous expression.
"I can do it for free?" He said.
"Why? Like—-" She pointed towards the empty space.
"I can't figure out how to grow flowers."
"Okay, weird but who cares." She shrugged, everything was just another day—at least for her.
"Who is the owner?" Yoojun asked.
"Me!" She pointed her thumb towards herself.
"Where's your mum?" Yoojun asked in a softer tone.
"She went to heaven." The girl said, her eyes blacker than the night.
Yoojun was silent for a moment, "The old man–I mean Mr. Nakahara Satoru went to heaven recently too."
"Oh, maybe they met each other?" She tilted her head.
"I doubt so." He shook his head.
"Why?" She asked with her eyes bright with curiosity.
"Because the old man was mean to me." Yoojun smiled.
"Then my mother would definitely meet him." The girl smiled bright like the summer sun on a summer day.
There was a pause, the girl dragged out two chairs on one of the tables.
"You must not miss her then?" Yoojun asked as he sat down.
"I don't know," she sat on the chair.
"Do you like this bakery?" Yoojun asked, leaning back to the chair. It was clean despite the old appearance.
"No." She answers in the swift motion of a guillotine.
"Who takes care of you then?" He asked.
"No one." She looked into Yoojun's eyes.
"No grandparents?" He looked back into her eyes, taking it as a challenge.
"Nope!" She continued to stare unblinking.
"Wow." His eyes watered, he blinked. "How did you know your mum went to heaven?"
"Everyone told me so." She smiled, a cheeky smile as though a cat were playing around with its prey.
"But what do you think?" Yoojun asked.
"That she went to hell," she said.
"Oh, alright." Yoojun wondered for a moment, "The old man is definitely in heaven."
After a small pause she looked away and asked, "I didn't know the man died."
"So you do know." Yoojun's eyes perked up.
"I'm fourteen, not ten…just so you know."
She laughed.
"You never know?" Yoojun smiled.
"You must be stupid." She stood up, and went to the counter.
"I've been told." Yoojun mumbled, remembering Shizuka calling him a dimwit multiple times.
She laughed.
"What's your name?" He asked.
"Naoko." She took another sweet, a cupcake.
"I'm Park Yoojun."
"Can I still get a job?" He asked as she took a bite of the sweet.
"Sure—but no money." She said with a mouthful. Yoojun scrunched his eyes.
"Sweets?" Yoojun questioned.
"Maybe." She finished the cupcake and licked her fingers.