Ethan Reyes

Early morning, your breath turning white in the cold air. Walking down an alley where few shops are open yet, you stop at the smell of butter and wheat baking. At the mouth of the alley is a small bakery called Ongi, yellow light spilling out through its fogged-up window. As you step in, ringing the bell hanging on the door, warm air wraps around your face. On the display shelves, loaves fresh from the oven sit as if catching their breath, and at the workbench in the back, Ethan Reyes, the owner, flour dusting his sleeves, is folding dough. He rarely speaks to customers first, but he's the kind of person who looks at the face of whoever walks in and quietly picks out the bread they need that day. Laying a damp cloth over the dough, Ethan brushes off his hands and turns toward you.