Keiko Carlisle, a Korean born American immigrant, scoured the internet for months. Searching for a family that had long since abandoned her after a tragic accident compelled her mother to leave her home country. Of all the people she found, only Eun Sae Soon responded when she reached out. Eun Sae was Keiko's age. More like sisters than cousins, the pair were inseparable before a young Keiko had to leave Korea.
Eun Sae was in a similar situation. Her parents were disappointed to hear that she would not be following in her father's footsteps. That she had no desire to take over his business. She, like Keiko's mother, was abandoned by a strong conservative family that believed family was everything. And not following the family's way was the greatest insult.
She was at the end of her rope, nearly desperate enough to return to her parents, when Keiko reached her. Keiko's situation wasn't ideal either. The uncle that cared for her when her mother passed, had passed himself only recently. When he left that life, he'd left with the belief that she would keep the promise she'd made to him. That she would not throw her life away as he always believed her mother had done. He made her promise to chase her dream.
But the scandal his two sons, Keiko's two older cousins created, shook her to her very soul. They alone would ensure that Keiko would never be successful if she stayed where she was. Now that she had Eun Sae with her, she was certain that returning to her home country of Korea was the best option.
Online, Keiko found the perfect, recently vacated restaurant. Reasonably priced, in a busy part of the city, with an apartment on the second floor. But leaving America and returning to Korea was proving to be more difficult than she had hoped. Being delayed meant that she relied heavily on Eun Sae to inspect the property and purchase it on her behalf.
When she arrived, it would seem the pictures did not do it justice. The outside resembled a period of Korea that was long gone. Beautifully crafted architecture that once decorated the buildings in that city, had been consumed by the modern age. But the one she stood before, the one she owned, had remained virtually unchanged. The curvature of wooden roof, the terracotta shingles. The large windows and their showcases were new, but still created in a way that appeared charming and not commercial.
When she stepped inside, it took her breath away. The floor was made of dark wood and the panels of the wall a pale yellow. The molding at the top of the walls was a dark wood, carved to look like vines that crawled along the walls just below the ceiling, dipping down in places to nearly reach the floor.
The kitchen was more modern, but resembled the dining area enough to remind the baker where they were. That this was no chain bakery, but one owned by someone who would put all their love into their food.
A closer inspection of the kitchen revealed the…complications…of employing Eun Sae.
Of the five stoves, only one was functional. One would not turn on at all. Another, when turned one, would only click and sparked. The door fell off the third when Keiko tried to open it. And the fourth had no door at all. Which lead to a brief conversation with Eun Sae about how, despite what the realtor said, 'open air baking', was not a thing.
Then there was the faucet of the sink leaking and then blowing off the sink completely, leaving a mark where it hit the wall on the other side of the kitchen. The stove top that set above the oven with no door, appeared to be functional, but fell through into the oven after a pan of water was set atop it. The three light fixtures that popped the moment the switch was flipped. Half of the outlets in the kitchen were nonfunctional. The shower head in the apartment upstairs sputtered until it too flew from the wall and damaged the tile on the other side of the shower.
Through bathing in often times chilly water, as hot water was rarely available in the evenings after being used all day, watching countless MeTube videos to repair what she could on her own, and staying up well into the evenings and sometimes even into the morning to bake all of the goods the shop would need for the following day…Keiko proved to be quite formidable.
Her bakery boomed. Often running out of product well before the scheduled close of business. Her charm and her food drew the customers in day in and day out. In a month's time, she'd set enough money aside to expand her kitchen. In a week she would be receiving replacement stoves, new appliances, and she had already started the interview process to hire a few more hands to aid in the kitchen and serve her customers.
Then she received a text. One that would lead her to a mysterious apartment. A chatroom with six strangers. And could potentially ruin everything she had worked so hard for.
V: So, you'll stay there? Until we figure out who sent you?
V: It may not be safe for you to leave at least not right away.
707: If that hacker wants you there. They might be upset if you leave.
Keiko: I wish there was another way. I cannot stay away from my bakery too long.
V: I understand. But you should think about your safety.
707: I know you don't know me, but please try to trust me. I will figure this out as quickly as I can, so that you can return to your regular life.
V: In the meantime. Will you consider the party? If nothing else. It will keep your mind occupied.
Keiko:…truthfully…it does sound like it's for a good cause. I…think I'd enjoy helping.
V: Thank you Keiko. And I'm terribly sorry about all of this. I hope we resolve it soon.