long story short (chaennie)

address the letters (to the holes in my butterfly wings)

Fall in Jeju is rarely a pleasant season in Jennie's opinion. The icy drizzles, the howling winds, the wet leaves that cling to the bottom of boots, the wet boots that track mud on the floor of the town's diner; Jennie hates it all. And does it matter if she puts two signs at the entrance pointing toward the doormat? Hardly. Still, she mops the floor with the same diligence each morning, knowing very well her fine work will be ruined as soon as she opens the diner—forty minutes from now, at 6:30AM sharp.

When the floors are done and the tables are set, when she glances at her watch and realizes she has only twenty minutes left before Jisoo strolls into the kitchen, Jennie walks up the hidden stairwell to her warm apartment. By the time the diner floor is dry, she's showered, killed her fatigue with coffee, and pulled on her jeans and long-sleeved top.

She spots Jisoo in the kitchen, her hair not yet in its ponytail and net. She rolled out of bed ten minutes ago—that much is obvious. Jisoo leans out the serving hatch with a small brown envelope in her hand and a smile much too bright for this time of day.

"Did you purposefully ignore the mailbox again?"

Jennie eyes the envelope before starting a pot of coffee. "I'm still waiting on your supply list. Order goes out tomorrow."

Jisoo groans, pretending to crumple on the counter. "Come on, you're not even a little curious?"

"I'm working," Jennie dismisses.

"Can I open it?"

Jennie quickly snags the envelope out of Jisoo's hand. "No. Don't you have bacon to fry?"

"You know, there's actually a woman out there who wakes up earlier than you. If that doesn't spell out soulmate—"

"Please stop."

"Poor chick; you must've really messed her up."

"I didn't do anything. And for all I know, it's a guy."

Jisoo barks out a laugh. "Oh Jennie, no guy is this patient."

"It's juvenile either way. I don't have time for games. If this... woman really likes me," she tosses the envelope near a stack of napkins, "she can tell me in person."

The bell dings as the glass door swings open, announcing a whirlwind of messy blonde hair and damp clothes. The woman dumps her purse, beanie and scarf on the counter before sitting on a stool.

"Please tell me your coffee's ready," she implores with a whine.

Jennie looks at her with something akin to resignation; clearly used to this brand of chaos but not especially amused by it.

"Hello to you, too, Chaeyoung," Jennie says. "Please, feel free to sit down before opening time."

Chaeyoung straightens up, glancing at Jisoo behind the serving hatch. "Did she mop this morning?"

"Oh she mopped all right."

Chaeyoung looks back at Jennie. "I thought you agreed mopping makes you grouchy."

"Lia is late."

"Oh. Maybe you need a new waitress."

"Hey!" Jisoo protests. "I vouched for that kid. We're not firing her after four months."

"Sorry, Chu. Please don't spit in my eggs."

"We'll see," Jisoo says before disappearing in the kitchen.

Jennie glances at the clock and then back at Chaeyoung. "You couldn't wait two minutes?"

"Jennie, have you been outside? My nipples were about to fall off."