Moving On With You, Jinjoo

3: One Step Forward

With a thick hardcover book in her arm, Minju pushes the door open, ringing its bell.

Chaewon was busy tending to a customer but caught the brunette slipping into the back kitchen. She smiles at the lady. "I'll call you when it's ready." She tore the receipt off the machine.

Minju swiftly puts on the apron, tying the string around her waist. She looked up to see Chaewon approaching her while she tied her hair up into a bun.

"Slow down." The older girl could feel the rush from her actions.

Minju snickers. "If you treated me like the others, I probably wouldn't get paid." This isn't the first time she's late for her allocated shift.

Chaewon scoops ice into a plastic cup. "If I treated you like the others, I'm afraid I might get a lawsuit from the customers saying I'm pushing a med school student too far." She made her point, taking the jug off the blender filled with strawberry smoothie.

"They won't even know I'm one." Minju read the receipt stuck to the top of the coffee machine, doing up an order Chaewon hadn't done.

The older girl glanced at her. "You know, you can take a break." She worries about those eyebags that are appearing under the latter's eyes.

"This is my break," Minju insisted. "I'm almost done with my revision anyway. This is nothing."

"That's not what I mean."

"What do you mean then?" She packages the drink nicely, handing it to Chaewon who chucked two beverages into a plastic bag.

She called the customer and gave them their order, thanking them on their way out.

Chaewon slipped a hand into the apron pocket, shoulder shrugging. "Some time for yourself."

"I'm fine."

"Are you?" The older girl would prefer that Minju be truthful when it was just the two of them. "I want to think it's the lack of sleep and not something else." She clearly detected how strained Minju's eyes were.

For all she knows, this was the first heartbreak the brunette was going through. Minju just didn't want to realise it.

Before they could say another word, the chime of the bell disrupted their conversation. They both turned to see a familiar face.

Yujin gave her little smile which made Chaewon return an amused one as she headed to the cashier. "Odd to see you here in the evening." A midnight customer she'll always recognise.

Yujin glanced at Minju who was by the coffee machine. "Class ended early," she said. "Here's on the way back so..."

Chaewon turned to Minju who came to collect the receipt that was getting printed out for deliveries. The brunette goes to make the orders. Yujin was a little baffled, unsure why she expected a word from Minju.

"What can I get for you today?" Chaewon asks. "Iced Americano?" Not only was it a drink Yujin had ordered before, but it was the most common drink around.

Yujin saw that Minju was busy but nodded at Chaewon's question. "To go, please." She waits before tapping her card on the reader, receiving a receipt from Chaewon.

Yujin goes to the side, sitting on a chair by the counter. She fiddles with the receipt in her hand, a faint smile tugged at the corners of her lips as her eyes remained fixed on Minju

Minju moved with a graceful efficiency behind the counter. Her movements were practised, each action purposeful, whether she was pulling espresso shots or delicately crafting foam art on lattes. Yujin admired the way Minju's brow furrowed in concentration, her focus solely on creating each drink to perfection.