His Obsession Began After Losing Her-Chapter 29: Thirteen Years Ago: Noran’s POV (1)

A/N: The following is written in Noran's POV – His memory of how he met Shuri.

...

"Noran, look! Look at this! Isn't it cute?"

I opened my eyes to find a bag of cookies right in front of my face.

Roy was holding it before me.

As usual, he had entered my practice room without permission and disturbed my rest.

"One of your admirers wants me to give this to you. She said it's called Noran cookies. I found a few more bags of the same cookies outside your practice room. Apparently, they've become quite popular because the cookies look like you..."

I was half-awake and couldn't quite grasp what Roy was chattering about.

He kept going on and on about some cookies.

To be honest, I didn't care about cookies or what he was saying.

Why do all these people keep coming to me?

The girls at school kept giving me gifts with love letters, and when they couldn't find me, they would leave them outside my practice room, blocking the way.

And Roy, the second son of Lyndon Lloyd, the head of the Lloyd family, would often stick to me at school.

My parents had asked me to befriend him because the Lloyd family controlled much of the media, which could greatly benefit my future.

They probably had my future planned out, but I couldn't care less.

"Are you listening to me, Noran? I heard the café owner who baked these cookies is your fan! She even plays your music in her shop regularly. You must be so popular that even commoners know you..."

Despite being in modern times, the term 'commoner' was still widely used by those around me to refer to people from less privileged backgrounds.

Roy still wouldn't stop talking.

"But I heard the owner is really beautiful. The girls who visited said she looked like a doll! Even though the café is a bit far from our school, I know a few guys who go there and wanted to get her number, but they got chased out by the co-owner."

I didn't reply to his blabbering and just stared at the bag of Noran cookies now placed in my hands.

I realized that each cookie was perfectly baked and shaped like a miniature version of me, complete with detailed features and a golden-brown finish.

However, I wasn't interested and tossed the cookies aside.

"Tsk, you're so boring, Noran. All you ever do is lock yourself up in the practice room and play the piano. You need a life!" Roy commented, shaking his head.

"I'm sleepy. Come back after school," I said uncaringly, ready to lie back down.

Please, just go away and let me have my peace.

However, as usual, Roy never listened to my request. "School is already over! Let's go!"

Roy was someone who did whatever he liked, and unlike me, he seemed to be interested in everything and anything.

When he found something new, he would drag me along like today.

I found it troublesome to argue with him, so I'd just follow.

Besides, I didn't care where he was taking me.

Anywhere was the same to me.

Before I knew it, we were standing in front of a humble-looking café with a small sign saying "Eversweet" hanging on its front door.

Unlike the high-end restaurants I was used to, the exterior was simple but rather inviting.

The café had a cozy brick façade with large windows framed by cheerful flower boxes.

The door was painted a warm, welcoming shade of green, and a few rustic tables and chairs were set outside on the sidewalk.

The bell hanging on the front door rang as we entered the café.

I looked around after stepping in, still not quite used to the simple interior decorated with greens and potted plants.

Instead of the luxurious furniture I was used to seeing, the tables and chairs were made of wood.

The walls were adorned with tasteful artwork, and the café was playing a piece I had recently performed at the famous Capital Hall.

With only a few customers around, the atmosphere was quiet, allowing my music to be heard more clearly.

A lady at the counter frowned as she looked us over.

She seemed unwelcoming as she glared at us and said, "If you rich kids are here to hit on my sister, you're not welcome."

I was wearing a mask and a cap, so she didn't recognize me, but she didn't have a good impression of us and immediately judged us based on the uniforms we were wearing.

"What if I came here to hit on you, pretty?" Roy teased as he walked over to the counter fearlessly.

The young lady looked even more agitated and growled in reply, "Then I'd hit you right now!"

She really meant what she said.

I saw her cracking her knuckles and wanted to approach Roy, but a gentle voice stopped her. "Lene, stop being rude to the customers."

The girl called Lene immediately appeared less angry as she turned around and pouted at the person behind her. "But sis, maybe they're here to cause trouble."

"You shouldn't be so quick to judge someone. Anyway, please help me with Mr. David's order. I'll handle the new customers."

Lene's sister didn't give her any chance to protest, finally stepping out from behind Lene and meeting us for the first time.

"Sir, will you be dining here or taking it to go?"

I observed her smiling politely at Roy in front of me and thought that if angels were real, they would probably look like her.

However, it wasn't her ethereal beauty that captivated me but the way her large, round eyes widened in surprise when she finally looked at me.

Her expression shifted from disbelief to awe, a look I often saw in my fans.

Yet, there was something different in her gaze, something more.

It was as if she could see right through me.

Did she recognize me?

She nodded and smiled warmly at me before turning back to Roy to take his order.

"Do you like your coffee hot or cold, Sir?" she asked politely.

"Cold, please. You're making me feel so hot right now," Roy, as usual, gave his lame and nonsensical reply.

But the girl didn't seem to mind as she turned to ask me, sounding a little more enthusiastic. "What about you, Sir?"

"I don't have a preference," I replied bluntly.

She just smiled at my reply and ushered us to a quiet corner before leaving in a hurry.

"Those guys are right. Both of them are really pretty," Roy stated, his eyes twinkling with excitement.

He leaned back in his chair, a grin spreading across his face.

"The girl who took our order—did you notice how she looked, especially when she smiled? Wow, she puts all the models I know to shame.

But I still prefer that girl called Lene more. She's not just pretty, she's gutsy and fierce. I've never seen a girl with such a daring attitude..."

Roy went on blabbering before asking me, "What about you, Noran? Who do you like more?"

"I don't have a preference," I gave the same standard reply.

Roy frowned, looking displeased. "You always answer like that. Don't you have anything or anyone you like or dislike? It almost seems like you have no interest in anything."

He was right. I didn't have anything I wanted or liked.

Every day, I'd just eat what was given, attend to what was needed, and do what I was told.

Learning anything new was never difficult for me.

I could easily excel at anything others found hard. Whether it was music, sports, academics, or even mastering a new language, I could do it all with ease.

It didn't matter what the challenge was; I always seemed to rise to the occasion without much effort.

Naturally, because of this, there wasn't anything in my life that seemed interesting to me.

Until—

"Here are your orders."

The young girl from before placed a glass of iced coffee in front of Roy, and two cups of coffee before me—one hot, one cold.

"Sir, since you don't know what coffee you like, I thought you could try both and decide for yourself. I hope you'll find something you enjoy today."

She smiled warmly at me.

Feeling a little lost, I stared at the two cups of coffee in front of me.

This was new.

She seemed to understand me.

"I'll only charge you for one coffee," she added thoughtfully. "And don't worry about being seen. This corner is a blind spot, and there aren't many customers around at this time, so you can take off your mask and relax."

With that, she turned to leave.

As I watched her go, Roy raised an eyebrow with a curious grin. "Wow, such good service. Do you think she knows who you are?"

I didn't reply to him and simply took off my mask to take a sip of the hot coffee, pausing for a moment before trying the cold one.

Roy looked at me, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "So, which do you prefer?"

Without giving his question a thought, I replied, "No preference."