Kiss & Clientele

Chapter One

Chapter One

An early morning ray of sun poured in through windows the size of a city bus. It's warmth combined with the rich, earthy scent of freshly ground coffee beans would be a pleasant enough wakeup to even the grouchiest of morning commuters. Standing at the register, only a couple of people in line behind them, a young woman began placing her order. The barista looked at her with longing eyes, devoting his focus entirely to the beautiful stranger. He stood tall, rolling his shoulders back as if to portray that he was no mere coffee shop attendant. Perhaps he wanted her to believe he was a prince in disguise, slumming it in a mid-city Starbucks against his parents wishes. Whatever the reason, she flipped her long honey-blonde hair over her shoulder. The loose curls bounced in slow motion as they brushed the dainty flutter sleeve of a rose colored sundress.

"Ummm..." She pondered, scrunching her perfect button nose, as she read from the menu. "What's the caramel macchiato like? Is it good?" The way her question finished with a giggle had the whole shop melting from her syrupy sweetness. Barista boy ogled her with hearts in his eyes like an old Bugs Bunny cartoon.

"It's so good." He mumbled, woozy with admiration. She crossed her arms, raising one hand to rest on her soft chin. Her eyes lit up with revelation.

"Oooh, but a vanilla latte also sounds good! What do you think," stooping slightly, she read incorrectly from his name tag, "Brod?"

"It's Brad." He corrected, ready to accept Brod as his new name if it meant making her happy. Another cutesy little giggle from the sundress girl sent him reeling.

"Brad," she corrected herself, "would that drink be better with skim milk or oat milk?" Her tone was so light and airy that it sounded like a song. Before Brod Brad the Barista Boy could answer, a woman broke in beside Sundress Girl. Every bit of frustration and tension she felt could be seen in the clenching of her jaw. Her hands hit the faux granite counter with an echoing slap.

"Hi," her voice steely and full of sarcasm, "as much as I just hate to break up the meet-cute, I'm going to need to speed this process up, okay?" Both Barista Brad and Sundress Girl blinked back at her incredulously. "I have a 9am meeting, and this little rom-com scene has put me 5 minutes behind schedule. Let's power through and make some tough decisions, shall we?" The juxtaposition of the bright, bubbly girl against the woman was startling.

Licorice red pumps tapped against the floor. Like a Wallstreet Cruella De Vil, her ensemble was modern, sleek, and intimidatingly fashionable. A crisp white blouse tucked pristinely into an ink colored pencil skirt, completed with a black Chanel necklace. The large statement piece reeked of money with its gold chain, pearls, and double C emblems. The pair, rendered speechless, stared at the woman with gaped mouths. Scurrying to evade her wrath, the girl settled for a regular vanilla latte and shot out the front door upon its completion.

Nora had arrived in Seoul not even two weeks ago and she already longed to be back in New York. She missed her Williamsburg apartment and all the familiarity of home. There was some level of optimism though, especially since she never expected to feel as attached to NYC as she did now. With coffee in tow, the commute from Hongdae to Cheongdam Dong began. Rattling through a mental checklist, her time of preparation was abruptly interrupted. The screen in the dashboard lit up Mr. Kim - HYPE. Seeing that it was her new boss, she activated the bluetooth feature and went into work mode. Nora was now tucked deep away within and Ms. Halston came to the surface.

"Good Morning Mr. Kim." She said pleasantly, but firm.

"Ah, good morning Ms. Halston. I hope your accommodations meet your requirements." His monotonous tone made her instantly want to yawn.