Poignant

Epilogue (Sooshu)

Soojin's POV

I stood on the balcony, nothing but a sweater and a warm cup of tea in my hands keeping me warm. It was a rather cold day, and the sun had been up for about an hour or so by now. The smell of morning dew was still strong, but the streets that were now bustling told me that it was time to open shop. I sighed, taking the last sip of my tea that had a little too many herb particles in it for my liking.

Time to get to work.

I went into my room, making sure to close the balcony door as I didn't want any cold air sneaking in. Then, I made quick work of my hair by tying it into a low ponytail and soon dressed up simply in a white dress shirt and black pants. I had long grown out of my hair dying phase. As much as I miss expressing myself through it, I think that I would probably miss my hair even more. So, it now just stays a stagnant black. Which, I didn't mind, as it made me look more presentable in front of all ages.

Can you imagine what would happen to a boomer if they saw bright blue first thing in the morning when they're coming in to get their morning coffee? I can't imagine the massacre. They're practically on the verge of death anyway. Especially with all of the caffeine that they pump into their bloodstream, acting like it's the cure to working their grueling office job that they should have retired from long ago. Besides, they already have a heart attack whenever they catch a glimpse of a tattoo.

In that case, I'm probably just a walking and talking bomb to them. Not that I mind because some of them feel entitled—to look down my blouse—for no reason.

Flipping the wooden sign over to "OPEN," I walked behind the counter and waited for the first customers to arrive. It usually didn't take too long for them to start flowing in. After all, my restaurant has been doing very well these last two years. During the early hours, it runs like a normal café. I take orders and do most of the work in the back myself. Once it gets later in the day, our menu changes into one that is more suited for dinner dates. We tend to be much busier during the night, so I tend to have a few workers on shift.

Upon hearing the bell ring, I promptly looked up and greeted the customer with the smile that I had gained from years of practice. However, it soon became a real one as I noticed who had come through the door. It was one of the regulars.

Her name was Liu Su-Wei and just last month, she celebrated her fourteenth birthday in our restaurant. Her mother tends to send her with some cash so she can get her morning coffee without being bothered and get one for her daughter as a way of paying for her travels.

"Good morning, Ms. Seo!" she boisterously said with a smile just as loud.

"Good morning to you too, Wei. What will it be today? The usual? Or are you wanting to try something new?" I asked, raising my brow.

"Uh..." she trailed off, taking a moment to think. "I think I'll just go with the usual."

"Perfect, it'll be right out," I declared, heading back into the kitchen to start making the coffee.

Soon, I heard footsteps follow me, and Su-Wei leaned against the counter, making herself right at home. Not that I really cared for it. She's always the first customer and usually keeps me up to date on all of the drama that it going on in her school. I swear it didn't used to be that eventful when I was in school. All I remember was passing out most classes as I had already known the material.

"So you remember Lee Chang? My bully?" I nodded. "Yeah. So apparently, he got dumped by his girlfriend because he was cheating on her! Can you believe that? Who would have such indecency? Anyways, he was caught kissing another girl at a party. A high school party. He was found getting drunk with the high schoolers and just got suspended yesterday! I heard a rumor going around that the school board was trying to get him expelled."