AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I'm aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

I'll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month

....

"Soobin, where's the order for table number 8?" The manager exclaimed. It was a busy day at the cafe Soobin worked at. There was a football match at a nearby stadium and many people from the match came over to the cafe after it ended for refreshments.

"It's ready sir!" Soobin replied.

The upscale cafe she worked at was situated a few blocks away from her school. It was a spunky place for teenagers to hang out at or have coffees with dessert and other savory items. There were several pool tables and also an arcade gaming center where many students from nearby areas came to enjoy. The owner was a middle aged lawyer who resided in the States so it was managed by Mr. Kim, Soobin's boss. He had hired her a few months ago because she was friendly and had experience in catering in cafes.

Since Soobin was still a student, she worked from 6 PM to 11 PM from Thursdays to Mondays. On the rest of the days, she worked at Hobin's chamber or babysat Miyoo.

She wrapped the burgers in foil and put them on a plate along with fries. Picking up the tray, she carried it towards table number 8.

"Apologies for the delay!" she told the customer.

"I was waiting for almost an hour!" the customer claimed. Soobin knew very well that he was waiting only for twenty minutes but she put on a friendly smile.

"I'm sorry again, sir! But I assure you that the delay is worth it because the buns are freshly baked! You will enjoy it very much, sir."

That seemed to have calmed the customer and he gave her a disgruntled nod. Soobin bowed and moved on to another table to take their orders. She was busy all throughout her shift, not even getting the chance to sit down.

"Girl, you go and take a break!" Mr. Kim told her. "You've been on your feet for hours!"

"I'm fine, sir!" Soobin quipped. "I can manage all this."

But Kim shook his head. "Go to the back area and rest," he ordered her. "Take a short break, kid. There are other servers here. Go!"

Soobin sighed and went to the back kitchen where the staff room was situated. She sat on a chair, massaging her thighs. It was hard to notice when she was busy but now that she was resting, she felt them ache.

There was no one else at the staff room with her at that moment. Soobin shivered a little because it was really cold there.

"Today sure is busy!" she mumbled. "But there's a test next week at school. Maybe I can cram a little in between…"

She headed to her locker and took out her English book. Laying it in front of her, she began to do some quick practice so that she could be prepared. Even though school was closed for a few days, she decided to keep studying for the tests to stay ahead.

Scribbling on her notebook, Soobin was so engrossed in her work that she did not notice that the temperature kept on dropping. She ignored the chilly air brushing her thighs, trying to focus on her studies until she began to shiver.

"What the hell?" she muttered.

She was sitting at one corner of the room where a desk and chair had been placed for the students who worked there part time. Behind her were a series of lockers belonging to the staff members. The room was lit with several white tube lights, reflecting on the grayish green walls around her.

Soobin was now feeling extremely cold to the point that she could see her chilly breath. Did someone turn down the temperature of the AC? She wondered.

Getting up from her seat, she searched for the AC's remote and was about to turn it off when she noticed that the AC was already switched off. There were no windows in that room so she was puzzled.

"Where's the air coming from?" she frowned. It was summer. How could it be so cold at that time of the year?

BANG!

Soobin screamed in fright when the door behind her suddenly closed. She ran towards it and tried to open it but to her horror, it was locked.

"Mr. Kim!" she yelled, banging on the door. "Mr. Kim, open up!"

She turned the knob but it would not budge. Soobin looked around for the key but it was nowhere; the manager might have taken it. She headed back to the desk and tried to call through her phone but there was no network.

"Shit!" she muttered. Raising the phone above her head, she tried to find a signal.

"Come on!" she prayed. The bar was still at zero. Soobin was trying not to panic but she could not help it. She banged on the door several times to no avail. No one was responding to her at all.

"Mr. Kim!" she shouted again. "I'm locked in here!"

Silence.

A slow sound was buzzing around her ear. The light above her flickered on and off. A strange eeriness was settling into the room, making her alert. Soobin was not sure what was going on but something was not right.

The buzzing sound was getting louder, gripping her heart with immense fear. She scanned the area for the source of the noise. It seemed to be coming from a small ventilator located on the bottom of a wall.

Soobin cautiously approached the ventilator, trying to keep herself calm. It's probably just a bee, she told herself. Her heart was beating fast but she ignored the fear in it and slowly stooped down. Peeking through the grid, she could only see infinite darkness inside the ventilator but the sound was coming from there. She checked inside but there was nothing.

"Maybe, I'm imagining things- AHHHHHHHH!"

A swarm of bees burst out from the ventilator, attacking her. Thousands of large bees emerged from it, bouncing at her as they attacked her face and body. Soobin screamed and tried to cover her face but there were too many of them, stinging her everywhere.

"AHHHHHHH!"

The door burst open and the manager barged in along with some of the staff. They heard Soobin's screams and came running.

"Soobin?" he yelled. Soobin was lying on the ground, scared and shaken. Upon seeing the others, she quickly crawled towards them.

"Mr. Kim!" she gasped. "The bees…"

She was pointing at the ventilator which was completely empty. Everyone was murmuring, wondering why she was screaming. Mr. Kim told one of the staff members to check the ventilator.

"There's nothing here, sir," the server replied after thoroughly checking the ventilator. But Soobin was still sobbing, confused by what happened.

"B-But, there were bees!" she claimed. "Look at me! I was stung on the face-"

"Soobin, your face is fine," Mr. Kim told her. He took out his phone and turned on the front camera for her to check her appearance. To Soobin's shock, her face was completely fine. There were no bee stings on it. Instead, her expression was of panic but otherwise she was unhurt.

"I think you had a nightmare," Mr. Kim said kindly. "It happens. I told you not to overwork. Why don't you take a few days off? Spend time with your friends and come back when you feel well?"

"I-I'm fine!" Soobin claimed but Mr. Kim shook his head.

"Go home, Soobin," he told her. "And rest."

A few of the servers helped her to stand up and they convinced her to take a small break.

Maybe I am working too hard, she thought. A break will be good for me. I can work at Doctor Ohm's clinic for the next few days and learn more from him.

With that, she changed out of her uniform and decided to go home. She debated whether to tell Yoonmin about her hallucination or not but decided against it. She did not want to bother him with such a trivial matter. He fussed too much over her anyway.

I'll meet him later, she decided.