Liza: Meeting Eun Oppa

Liza: 19 years

Location : South Korea

Beep. Beep. Beep.

I wake up and walk towards the window drizzled with drops of water. Cold splashes of rain hit the glass pane and onto my hands making me shiver.

I wash up and make my way down the stairs to the kitchen, packed with the aroma of freshly baked pastries and cakes.

"I don't think we'll have many customers today." I tell Eun oppa, frosting the cakes he had assigned me to decorate.

I met Eun oppa a year ago while I was struggling to find myself a job here at Seoul. He owned a little bakery which was attached to his home and was on the lookout for an assistant to help him out. Even though I had no baking skills, Oppa hired me as his assistant.

My job here at the bakery include helping oppa out with deliveries, frosting the cakes, and catering to the customers' needs. Even to this day, I still have no idea what potential he possibly saw in me to be hired as his assistant, but nevertheless I'm thankful that he did.

"Oppa...what are you..Oh my God.... Woww..that is such a beautiful sketch." I was starstruck seeing oppa's painting of his new tasty masterpiece.

"Is it THAT beautiful? Really??". Oppa chuckles.

"It's more than beautiful. Its so very intricate. Oppa, this is a masterpiece. So delicate and life like. Wow, I didn't know you could sketch like this." I anwer examining the exquisite art, riddled with a scenary of pastel colours.

" Oh really? " Oppa says raising his eye brows.

"Yes really!!! I've not seen you being so focused like this before. Is it for someone special?"

"I guess, it is for someone special or rather someone who used to be special". Oppa answers with a deep sigh.

"An ex lover?"

"Yes and no. Well more like...mmm.. what do you kids call it now days? Bff's? Best Friends Forever???" Oppa smile, scrunching his nose.

"Hey!!! I'll be turning twenty soon. I'm not a kid...okay....and what do you mean by 'yes' and 'no' ?? That makes no sense." I question, puzzled by his response.

"Well to be more precise, it was purely one sided. I..uhh...I...I..... never confessed." He sighs again.

Eun oppa was handsome, humble, kind and well mannered. Women would wage wars and kill to have a boyfriend or husband like him. I wonder why he never opened upto the one he loved.

"Why didn't you ?" I ask him with eyes of curiosity.

Oppa peers at me with a tender gaze. Then he gets up from the chair, close the sketch book and walk out the room without responding to my question. This is the first time, I'm seeing oppa act this way. My curiosity must have upset him. I know I should've just kept silent but I wanted to know the reason, because in a way he reminded me of myself.

I open the book that lay on the table and examine the sketch of the wedding cake that oppa had drawn in the book. Something in my heart seem to whisper that I would be able to help him out and the key to saving him lay in the sketch.

Eye soothing pastel colours of lilac, peach, mauve, pink, lavender, blue and teal adorned the five foot tall cake painting embellished with sugar crystal flowers. I see some scribblings on the side note. Game, ocean, school, festival, dorm, kiss, snow.

The word 'kiss' was stricken off, but it was still visible through the numerous black strikes. Although I was no Sherlock Holmes, it was clearly evident that this special person was Oppa's school friend and that he loved that person so very much.

I sit there, lost in thoughts, wondering what 'kiss' meant and what must have prevented him from making his love confession.

Suddenly I felt something hard hit my head. I look up.

It was Eun Oppa, holding a book in his hands.

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**Oppa is used in Korean culture by a female to a male, who is older than her by the boundary of 10 years.