Bring something found. Find something lost. The paradise island of Foxgrove hides a secret. It is said that a fox deity lives in the island's tallest mountain, Mt. Kitsune. At the foot of the mountain is an inn where, according to legends, one can find what they have lost if they trade something they have found, as long as the fox is pleased. Vivi is the granddaughter of the owner of the Chocolate Kiss Inn. She returns to the island with her little sister in order to help her grandmother manage their family business, when her peaceful life is suddenly disturbed by the arrival of a VIP guest. Leo, the VIP of Cottage 2, is a popular idol at the peak of his career. He visits the island to spend his vacation there and ends up getting close to Vivi. In truth, he is there in search of something. Will they ever find what they are looking for? Or will they find something equally worthwhile?
"Hmmmm?
Did the bell on the front door ring?
Ah! Welcome, esteemed guest, to Chocolate Kiss Cafe!
Enter and be transported to our rustic haven, where you can relax and have some quiet conversation.
Our coffee is the best, our cakes will leave you obsessed.
So come, sit down and take a break. Our service is the best, so no need to hesitate!
But a word to the wise, listen for I tell no lies.
If on your table a fox shall appear, take it with you, don't leave it here.
For the fox will grant a wish, to those who don't resist.
But a curse will be given to those who make the wrong decision.
Ah but I digress...
This one should let you rest.
So sit back and enjoy the bliss that you will experience from Choco Kiss!"
I watched as the Mad Hatter chanted his welcome before he ushered me to an empty table. He looked as crazy as ever with that smile of his that reached ear to ear.
It's been years since I've visited this place, which had always seemed like something straight out of a fairy tale. In fact, I was the one who named the attendant 'Mad Hatter' two decades back. It was because he reminded me of the character in Alice in Wonderland. And yes, he even wore the iconic top hat.
Back then, the cafe really had a fantasy feel to it. Walls and floors made of stone, wooden tables and chairs, oak barrels, and warm, dim lighting courtesy of countless candles on every table as well as scattered around the entire interior. Even the chandelier was filled with candles.
In the past, the customers seemed larger than life and, although I could only see their silhouettes, I knew they were not humans. Some were in the shape of a bear, some are small, like ferrets, and some had humanoid shapes but sported what seemed to me as tails. They talked in a language that I could not understand nor recognize. Thinking back, the words sounded very archaic.
This time around, the silhouettes looked like those of normal humans. So much so that I wondered if it was because of my childishness that made me see them as beings you can only hear in stories or see on TV.
I craned my neck a bit to listen to those at the table next to mine talk. I couldn't help but feel disappointed when I realized that I still can't understand a word they were saying.
"What would it be, Master?" the Mad Hatter asked me as he handed me the menu.
I glanced at him incredulously.
I have been to this place hundreds of times in my childhood and the sequence would always be the same, like a play being performed repeatedly. First, the Mad Hatter would sing his silly rhyme before giving me a table. Then, he would bring me a treat depending on the season. In springtime, it would be a tart or any fruity dessert. In hot summer months, it would be an ice cream sundae or a banana split. Autumn would be pumpkin pies and apple cobblers. And the cold winter months would mean smores, hot cocoa, and eggnog.
This was the first time the Mad Hatter had asked me what I wanted.
He looked at me with his bulging eyes and that wide smile that for a moment I wondered how I wasn't afraid of him as a kid.
I looked down at the menu and decided to choose the first one that caught my eye.
"I'll have a carrot cake and a cafe Americano."
The items appeared on the table in a blink of an eye.
As if to resume the script that had been used for years, the Mad Hatter made a quick bow and uttered the words, "Enjoy," before he turned around and left.
I glanced back at the food that had manifested themselves in front of me and wondered what caused such a change in the sequence. Was it because I am already grown up so I am now able to choose what I want? Or was there something more to it? Regardless, it was a small deviation from the usual script, but it still left a lingering unease within me.
I knew from the very start what kind of place I have drifted into. I had known back then, and I still remember it now. What I do not know, however, was the purpose behind all this. Why am I experiencing them again?
What I recalled next was one that made my heart beat fast. As soon as my mind had called upon that memory, I looked up from my table and saw the exact same scene that made my heart skip a beat even now.
There she was, sitting in front of the bar and looking as she had the first time that I laid my eyes on her twenty years past. It was as if she was stuck in a place where time had stopped and will forever be immortalized in that specific moment.
The only way I can describe her is ethereal. She exuded an aura as if she was not of the real world. There was no breeze yet her long white hair flowed like gentle waves on the ocean. There was confidence and power in the way she held herself.
She glanced at me and for a moment her image seemed to overlap with a white silhouette that was shaped nothing like a human. It disappeared as quickly as it came, causing me to doubt whether or not I had actually seen it. She had also looked away.
Even so, that one glance was powerful enough to capture my heart, whether it was my younger self, or the adult one. I have never been able to forget her face. Even long after I was no longer able to visit this cafe, her face was often in my dreams.
Finding the courage, I stood up, hoping that I had enough time to approach her. She took notice of me once again when I had finally reached her side. She looked at me for a moment, her fox-like red eyes slowly focusing until they reflected something that seemed to me like a hint of recognition.
"It is you," she said simply, and my heart soared at the sound of her voice.
So she does recognize me.
I wanted to say something, but the words were stuck in my throat. Behind her, on the countertop, a small mist had appeared and just as she turned around, it had solidified into a card that had a picture of a court jester juggling some balls in the air.
She picked it up, her eyes lingering on the image.
"The Fool," she muttered almost inaudibly before shifting her eyes back to me.
The jubilation that my heart felt at the thought of her recognizing me was short-lived as I saw her brows furrowed in confusion. Her gaze then became sharp and her demeanor cold.
"You are not supposed to be here, young one," she spoke in a manner that sent an icy shiver down my spine.
This time, the silhouette that hovered around became clearer and I could distinctly see the image of a snowy white fox overlapping with her body. Her body began to flicker between human and fox that it seemed like the glitching of an image in a computer.
"Leave this place at once," she hissed between her teeth and I could feel her temper escalate. Around us, the cafe seemed to melt like hot wax.
She began to laugh hysterically. "Are the gods trying to insult me by sending this boy to my realm?"
She looked at me and sneered. "Go back to your own world, boy. You should know not to listen to beings who toy with others for their own entertainment. Go home and never return."
I felt myself getting pulled away from that place and through a tunnel filled with blinding light.
I opened my eyes and the next thing I saw was darkness. Blinking to adjust my sight, I realized that I was back in my room.
The dream had ended.
It had started the same as it had decades ago, but the ending tonight was very different.
Feeling thirsty, I turned on the lamp beside my bed and sat up to grab the glass of water on the nightstand.
It was then that I noticed a card lying on the tabletop. It had a picture of a girl with one hand pointed to the sky, while the other pointed to the ground.
Written beneath the picture were the words "The Magician."
Kaelyn devoted three years tending to her husband after a terrible accident. But once he was fully recovered, he cast her aside and brought his first love back from abroad. Devastated, Kaelyn decided on a divorce as people mocked her for being discarded. She went on to reinvent herself, becoming a highly sought-after doctor, a champion racer, and an internationally renowned architectural designer. Even then, the traitors sneered in disdain, believing Kaelyn would never find someone. But then the ex-husband’s uncle, a powerful warlord, returned with his army to ask for Kaelyn’s hand in marriage.
The whispers said that out of bitter jealousy, Hadley shoved Eric's beloved down the stairs, robbing the unborn child of life. To avenge, Eric forced Hadley abroad and completely cut her off. Years later, she reemerged, and they felt like strangers. When they met again, she was the nightclub's star, with men ready to pay fortunes just to glimpse her elusive performance. Unable to contain himself, Eric blocked her path, asking, "Is this truly how you earn a living now? Why not come back to me?" Hadley's lips curved faintly. "If you’re eager to see me, you’d better join the queue, darling."
Eliana was framed by her best friend and her fiance into sleeping with a boy toy in the club and getting impregnated by him. Five years after she had given birth to twins, she returned home and worked under the Moran Group, where she met the CEO-- Maurice. Maurice was a brilliant businessman who did his job well. But in order to stay under the radar, he lived a double life. One as Maurice, and one as Preston. Fate brought the two together again, roping them in on an exciting love story. It all became more complicated when Eliana faced Preston, the man she had slept with before, once again. Now that she was being pursued by two men, how could she ever choose? When would Eliana uncover the secret of Maurice's identity? When was Maurice going to know that he already had two children of his own? How would Eliana face this man when the truth came to light one day? Come and find out.
She thought she was the love of his life, and he became the love of her life that fateful day she had seen him at the pack's party. Selene Grace was only a replica of Alpha Leo's real mate, and when he spotted her, Leo immediately claimed her as his Luna in order to suppress the rumors of him being mateless. Being unable to conceive turns Selene's marriage into a nightmare, and as if that wasn't enough, Alpha Leo finally reunites with his long time lover and mate, rejecting a pregnant Selene as a result. 5 years later, Selene, a now successful doctor, receives an invitation to the moon shadow pack in order to rid the pack of a deadly disease which has struck it. Will Selene return back to the pack which had caused her so much pain, and what would she do when she realizes that she is mated to the Alpha who had betrayed her in the past?
After three loveless years, Neil's betrayal deeply wounded Katelyn. She wasted no time in getting rid of that scoundrel! After the divorce, she devoted herself to career pursuits. Rising to prominence as a top designer, skilled doctor, and brilliant hacker, she became a revered icon. Neil, realizing his grave mistake, tried in vain to win her back, only to witness her magnificent wedding to another. As their vows were broadcast on the world's largest billboard, Vincent slid a ring onto Katelyn's finger and declared, "Katelyn is now my wife, a priceless treasure. Let all who covet her beware!"
On her wedding day, Khloe’s sister connived with her groom, framing her for a crime she didn’t commit. She was sentenced to three years in prison, where she endured much suffering. When Khloe was finally released, her evil sister used their mother to coerce Khloe into an indecent liaison with an elderly man. As fate would have it, Khloe crossed paths with Henrik, the dashing yet ruthless mobster who sought to alter the course of her life. Despite Henrik’s cold exterior, he cherished Khloe like no other. He helped her take retribution from her tormentors and kept her from being bullied again.