STVWK | Ch 04

Episode 4

On Plumeria Street, there’s a cute little café that also sells flowers.
In spring and fall — and on cooler summer days — they open the big windows wide and put tables outside. The inside is full of plants, so passersby always stop and peek in. It’s not a noisy street, and most customers are older folks, but the place does a decent business.

They serve good coffee brewed from solid beans, lots of herbal teas made from the owner’s own plants, juices made with seasonal fruit syrups, and even alcohol if someone asks. That unusual little shop is run by Rania.

Rania had shut the shop for a few days after her fiancé drama, and then yesterday she couldn’t open because of her hangover. Today, she was finally back.

When familiar regulars came in to ask what had happened, she calmly told them, “Could you move the potted plants, please… outside. Over there. And pull out the cups, too. The step stool’s under the counter — watch your back.”

The drinks she’d been guzzling were strong, so one day wasn’t enough to get rid of the hangover. Rania didn’t remember that she’d kept drinking into the early morning, so she just felt like her liver was acting up.

With customers’ help she got the place ready to open. Then she asked an old man at the counter for a cup of honey water.

“Just one cup of honey, whatever, please. My s, stomach’s upset.”
“Honey’s… over here?”
“Yes, on that shelf.”

It was funny — the owner and customer roles were totally reversed for a moment, but that wasn’t unusual here.

Rania sat slouched on the bench, sipped the honey water the old man made, and let out a long breath. Plain water still tasted like booze, but the honey water cut through it. For a while she couldn’t think about her fiancé or the one-night mistake — no time for that.

After a bit, the regulars started asking, “So what really happened, Rania? You didn’t just drink the whole time, did you?”
“Not exactly…” she replied.
“You were about to get married, you should be careful.”
“…”

She’d already been talking a little too cheerfully about everything before remembering. Her face hardened. She swallowed the honey water in one gulp and slammed the cup down.

“I broke the engagement.”

She hadn’t planned on making a big announcement, but she was done. Even if the man begged on his knees, wrote a promise to change, she wouldn’t forgive him. It was about trust — finding out his real self before marrying him felt like a gift from the heavens.

The older men’s eyes widened at her cold tone. Especially shocked was the refined old lady who spent days sitting in the sunny corner reading and sipping herbal tea.

“What?! Why?!”
“What happened?”

Rania gave a bitter smile. How could she explain plainly that her fiancé had other women in his house, rolling around in his bed? She couldn’t say that in a normal voice.

“That bastard cheated on me. And I was the other woman. That son of a—. Calling him a dog would be an insult to dogs. He’s not even worth dog poop.”

Rania’s face had lost its calm. Her sharp, careless words shocked the patrons.

“Oh my goodness. He cheated? He—he—he had a side girl? Two-timing?!”
“Oh heavens… He begged and begged to marry you, and then did this?”
“Told you not to fall for looks! Pretty faces come with a price, always have.”

The café’s usually peaceful vibe turned into a ruckus. Rania laughed at everyone getting angry like it was their own fight.

One customer whispered to another: “Then what about ugly men?”
“They should shut up.”
“…Sounds like the same thing either way.”
“Anyway, if I see that bastard, I’ll smash his head with my cane!”
“R-Rania.”

Rania’s smile faded when a familiar voice called out. She looked up coldly.

Her ex-fiancé, Robel, stood at the shop’s entrance with an unapologetic expression. He was blond and handsome, with reddish-brown eyes — the kind of guy who’d turn heads. Rania had liked him partly because of his looks. She was weak for attractive people.

Robel had acted sweet and gentle when they first met as café customers, but it didn’t last. He’d clung to Rania, whispered sweet things, and crossed several lines. Rania, inexperienced in love, had been charmed at first, but when he pushed for marriage so quickly she put up a boundary. They’d only been together a few months, yet he insisted, “I want to wake up beside you every morning,” and pushed marriage on her.

Turns out he’d already been close with another woman and had faked the ring. His intentions were obvious.

The café crowd stared at Robel. He forced a stiff smile. Rania sneered and shot back, “What do you want?”

“I— I need to talk… Can we talk for a minute?”
“Go ahead.”
“No, not here… Can you come out?”
“Why? You want to say things in private that you can’t say here? I don’t like that. I don’t have time to waste. Just get lost.”

The hangover made Rania snappier, and the memory of his betrayal made anger bubble up. Robel blushed as the customers’ cold looks felt like mockery. He pushed in, marched over, and grabbed Rania’s wrist.

“I said I have something to say! Come with me!”
“You bastard! Hands off! Let go!”
“Hey, committing a crime in broad daylight — what a scoundrel!”

Before Rania could react, the regulars moved. But everyone here was old, and Robel knew that — that’s why he’d come in without hesitation. The café turned chaotic in seconds.

While Rania flailed, wondering how to make him pay, a pair of figures watched from a distance.

“Jerel. If I show up now to help Rania, will she be moved?”
“A frank answer with a cold lie — which do you want to hear?”
“Ah, whatever. You’re a boring guy. That’s why nobody likes you.”

Enoch clicked his tongue and mocked Jerel. Before Jerel could say anything, Enoch leapt down the stairs and into the café. Nobody nearby noticed Enoch approaching. Even Robel didn’t sense him until Enoch’s hand clamped his neck.

“W-what—!”

The sudden young man stopped the chaos fast. Enoch kicked Robel between the legs, knocking him down, and then — in a move Rania never expected — stepped on him like it was a mistake.

His neat black hair was a rare shade in the empire, and his red eyes were even more striking than Robel’s. He had a rare face — handsome enough that if the usual Rania saw him she might have been dazzled and gone further. For a moment their eyes met and Enoch’s narrowed slightly.

Rania froze white. Wait — that man was…? She recognized him somehow. Enoch waved his hand as if t,o greet her.

“H,i—”
“Hey, you! Who do you think you are! Let go!” Robel screamed, cutting him off.