someone // jiyoo

xxi

Minji was polishing the countertop with a cloth when the bell above the door sounded, and she whipped around in a flash. Smoothing out her cherry-colored apron, she greeted Yoohyeon with a bright smile.

'Good morning again,' she called happily, enveloping her in a hug. The younger girl appeared slightly flustered, ducking her head to avoid Minji's gaze before responding, 'Good morning'.

'You can hang your coat on one of those hooks,' Minji pointed towards the back. 'And here's your apron. Do you need my help putting it on?'

'No, I'll be fine. Thanks,' Yoohyeon gave a shy smile and disappeared into the staff room.

'She's cute,' Handong gently nudged Minji's shoulder, smiling knowingly when the older girl's face flushed the color of her apron. 'And she's becoming quite a regular.'

Minji was about to reply when Yoohyeon stepped out from behind Handong, prompting her to freeze. The younger girl had tied her hair up in a messy bun, and looked absolutely adorable in her oversized jumper and mint green apron. Minji realised that she was staring at her, her lips slightly parted, and she quickly cleared her throat before commenting, 'That apron looks better on you than it does on me.'

Yoohyeon blushed, shoving her hands into the pocket of her apron as she mumbled a soft 'Thanks'.

'Let's get started, shall we?' Minji excitedly led her over to the workspace. 'The cafe's closed, so it's just the two of us today!'

'Bro's acting like I don't exist,' Handong joked, settling down in the corner with a book.

Minji ignored her, instead shifting her attention to the other girl who was currenting eyeing the eggs tentatively. 'Go ahead and crack those,' She directed, watching as Yoohyeon cautiously cracked them open. 'Good job. Now we're going to melt the butter until it's nice and soft, then we're going mix it with the sugar.' Yoohyeon listened intently, her eyes wide and focused. 'This is vanilla extract,' Minji pointed to the dish of dark colored liquid which she had carefully measured out beforehand. 'It goes right into the bowl, along with the flour and baking soda. We're going to stir it until it's well-combined.'

Yoohyeon followed her instructions closely, her movements tense and calculated. 'Don't be nervous, Yooh. Relax.' She assured with a smile, patting her arm gently. A slight blush appeared on the younger girl's cheeks as she relaxed and shot Minji a grateful smile. 'You're doing great so far,' Minji remarked. 'But you might want to tilt the whisk a bit more. Like this.'

She moved closer to Yoohyeon until her chest was almost pressing against her back, and it was only until when her fingers met the cool skin of Yoohyeon's wrist did she realise what she was doing. Heat rushed into her face, and she noticed a similar red flush forming on Yoohyeon's cheeks as she bit back a smile. Nonetheless, she tightened her grip on Yoohyeon's wrist to demonstrate what she meant, beating the whisk around in a circular motion. 'Perfect. Here comes the best part.'

Minji grabbed the jar of chocolate chips. Noticing how Yoohyeon's face lit up, she made sure to add a considerable amount before screwing the lid shut, and the bright smile that formed on the younger girl's face as she did was worth it. 'It's time to scoop the dough out of the bowl and flatten them on the baking paper.' Together they pressed down the cookies with a wooden spoon before sliding the tray into the oven and setting the timer.

'Now we wait. That wasn't hard at all, was it?' Minji cheered as she tucked a loose strand that had fallen from Yoohyeon's bun behind her ear. The younger girl visibly flinched at the sudden contact, hurriedly lowering her head in an attempt to hide the redness blossoming on her cheeks. Minji was nowhere better off, a shy smile washing over her face as she looked basically everywhere but at Yoohyeon.

Handong smirked, observing them from afar. Their crush was clearly mutual, but considering how irritatingly dense the two of them were acting, it would take them a while to realise that.

She smiled to herself as she lowered her phone and added seven new photos to her gallery titled JIYOO.