June sat on a bench as he scrolled through the photos Hana had sent. Indeed, the photo that Doctor Kim used in his livestream was most likely fake.
"Ice cream! Mister, would you like some ice cream?"
A cute voice interrupted June's solace, and he was ready to tell off the interrupter when he saw two large eyes staring at him. It was a girl, no more than seven, with a mop of unruly curls and eyes that sparkled with innocent curiosity.
June pursed his lips and swallowed his harsh words. Alright, this kid was pretty cute.
"What did you say?" June asked, his voice sounding softer than he had expected.
"Ice cream," the little girl smiled, showing off a toothless grin. She tugged at June's sleeve, her voice high-pitched and filled with excitement, "Mister, would you buy some ice cream from my papa? It's the best in town!
June raised his eyebrows in inquiry.
The little girl pointed to a very pink ice cream truck. It was only then that June saw a middle-aged man with an ice cream hat looking at the passersby with a welcoming smile,
The truck looked a bit run-down, but it was filled with cute little decorations. A sweet, repetitive tone came from its busted megaphones, causing June to cover his ears.
"La la la, Ice cream makes me scream! La la la, A sugary, sweet daydream."
It seemed like his ears had become more sensitive after he acquired the music production skills.
"My dad sells ice cream," she said. "And he's sad because no one is buying."
"Tell him to improve his marketing strategy," June said.
"What?" the little girl asked, confused. "I'm just sad since my papa is sad."
June clicked his tongue as he looked back and forth between the little girl and the pink truck.
Why the hell was he born with an innate soft spot for children?
As June's eyes fell upon the kid, with her face aglow with hope and wonder, he couldn't help but feel admiration for her. Children should be worry-free, lost in the splendors of their youth, not peddling ice cream for their fathers on a busy sidewalk.
However, even with those worries, the little girl managed to smile with such genuineness. As much as June didn't want to say it out loud, it softened his heart.
June reached inside his pocket and retrieved a few crumpled bills. "Fine," he grumbled, standing from the bench and walking to the beat-up truck.
"Yay!" the little girl cheered, her dimpled cheeks creasing into a radiant grin. The little girl held onto June's wrist, causing his heart to soften even more.
It was a good thing June wasn't a serial killer. Otherwise, this kid would have been long gone.
As June walked to the truck, his ears started hurting more as the music became louder.
"La la la, Ice cream makes me scream! La la la, A sugary, sweet daydream."
He clicked his tongue and massaged his ringing ears. "Umm, can you tone it down a bit?" he asked.
The man, who appeared to be the same age as his father when he was still alive, smiled apologetically and turned the music down. However, the tune continued to evade June's eardrums even after that. Thankfully, it didn't make his ears ring anymore.
"Lila? What are you doing there?" her dad asked, looking at the child with alarmed eyes. "I'm so sorry for that, sir," he said. "Come back here now, my daughter."
Lila pouted but eventually let go of June's wrist and entered the truck.
"I'm really sorry for my daughter," he apologized. "Their classes were canceled, so I had no choice but to bring her here."
"It's fine," June said.
"Well, what can I whip up for you today?" he asked, his voice joyful because June was his very first customer.
June looked over the menu and frowned when he saw the words written beside the colorful ice cream. What the hell was this?
"So….do you see anything you like?" he asked in a hopeful voice.
June pursed his lips. There was no way he'd say these menu items.
'Ticklish Tummy Tornado'
'Funky Monkey Monkey Business Sundae'
'Ridiculous Rumplestiltskin Ripple
'Hootin' Hooligan Hootenanny'
"You're going to buy something, right?" Lila asked, looking at June with wide eyes.
June let out a long sigh before saying through gritted teeth, "I'll have the Befuddled Bubblegum Bonanza Blast," he mumbled the menu item.
"What was that?" the man asked, leaning closer. "I'm getting old, so my hearing's been getting pretty bad."
"This one," June quickly pointed at the menu item.
"Hmm, I'm sorry, customer. I can't base orders based on pointing. I've made plenty of mistakes because of that. Can you say it out loud once more?"
With annoyance coursing through his veins, June loudly said, "The Befuddled Bubblegum Bonanza Blast!"
"Oh," the man said, a bit shocked by the young man's enthusiasm. "I'm surprised. It's mostly children who love that flavor. One Bubblegum Blast coming right up!" he said, going to the back of his truck to make the ice cream.
June slumped his shoulders as he waited for his ice cream. Who knew saying a menu item would be so exhausting?
Right now, he was left again with the little girl, who hadn't stopped staring at him since earlier.
"Do I have something on my face?" he asked.
"Nothing," she beamed. "I really like your eyes! You're like a cat."
June clicked his tongue and shook his head. His cat reputation had now transcended even to the younger generation.
"Here it is!" the man emerged, giving June a generous serving of pastel pink and blue soft serve ice cream. It had a pink heart on top and a stick of blue candy on the side. Overall, it seemed pretty generous for a 2-dollar ice cream.
"Here," June said, handing them the money. Then, he removed his mask so he could taste the ice cream.
"Wow, you're a handsome kid," the man complimented, and Lila nodded in agreement.
A small smile of acknowledgment appeared on June's face.
June had always been fond of sweet things, so it wasn't that hard to impress him with dessert. However, as he took his first bite, his taste buds exploded in a symphony of flavors.
The ice cream was a sweet, cool embrace, causing him to close his eyes.
At that moment, it felt like he was transported back to the days of his childhood when the local candy shop was his sanctuary. The bubblegum-infused ice cream was a time machine, and it felt like he was a wide-eyed child once again.
Before he even knew it, a sweet smile appeared across June's face, like a child who had discovered a treasure trove of candy.
However, June's thoughts snapped back into reality when the man spoke.
"I'm glad you like it," he said. "Seeing you smile brightened my day, young man."
