Sweet Caffeine | Park Sunghoon ◇

Chapter 2

Timeskip
(The next day, at the cafe)

Sunghoon's pov

I was sitting on the high stool on my phone until a girl I've never seen before walked up to the counter. I thought she was here to order, but I was wrong.

“Hi, I'm here to apply for a job here. I heard this cafe was in need of staff and are open to hires”
She told me nervously, and I was confused.

We never needed new staff, definitely not after the one that just resigned.

“We're not hiring. You've mistaken this cafe for another one”
I told her directly.

“Oh really? I'm pretty sure this cafe the lady told me about”
She mumbled to herself.

“What do you mean we're not hiring? We most definitely are!”
The familiar voice spoke from behind me.

“Mrs Hye! You work here??”
The girl looked surprised.

“I run this cafe. And that means I have all the right to hire you. Come here”
Mrs Hye replied.

Mrs Hye invited the girl behind the counter and put the blue apron over her, tying it. I took a moment to scan her from head to toe. I don't know if I was ready to have someone else around when I'm working again.

“There, now your work starts now. Your colleague will assist you in learning how to use all those machines and take orders. Have fun”
Mrs Hye tapped her shoulder and left us.

The girl was about to ask me something when one of our regulars came up to the counter. I quickly went to make her iced coffee. As I passed it to her, she purposely brushed her hand against mine.

Average occurrence…girls left and right.

The girl then looked behind me and gave my new colleague a glare before leaving the cafe. I then went straight to the same stool and went on my phone as an attempt to avoid her.

“Um..I'm Hoyeon. What's your name?”
The girl stood near me.

“Read the name tag”
I simply replied, not stopping to look at her.

“Park. Sunghoon. Okay, could you teach me how to make coffee? It's my first day if you didn't already notice”
Hoyeon crossed her arms.

“If you convinced Mrs Hye to hire you just to get together with me, I'm telling you now that it's never going to work. And I'm busy”
I looked up at her.

“How could you stoop so low? I'm here because I want experience as a barista, not to date a rando I just met”
She frowned.

“But fine, if you don't want to help I'll figure it out myself. It shouldn't be hard anyway”
She told me.

Hoyeon walked over to the machine and grabbed a coffee cup, beginning her experiments on the foreign machine. I ignored her, distracting myself with my phone. It shouldn't be my problem  because she chose to work here.

I was already fully engaged with the device when I heard the coffee machine made a shaking sound it shouldn't. Hoyeon was frightened and backed away while I quickly stepped in to power off the machine.

Many eyes were on me, but I was trying to find what made it shake so vigorously. I checked all the compartments and saw that the coffee beans were in the wrong one.

“It's your fault, you didn't teach me”
Hoyeon said.

“That doesn't mean you try to break the machine for my attention”
I scooped out all the coffee beans and cleaned the compartment before putting it back in.

“I wasn't! Well, guide me for goodness sake. I don't care what your deal is with having a new worker, but it's common sense to help someone who just joined”
She told me as calmly as she could.

I sighed and gave in. I went over the purpose of each button, lever and compartment and let her make a basic cup of cappuccino.

“It's pretty good for a first cup”
She tasted it and was delighted.

I didn't react to her and went to take an order from the customer. I wished Hoyeon was never hired, let alone any girls out there.

If it was a regular customer who came to swoon over me and go, I wouldn't be bothered, but having Hoyeon around means that I'll be with her my entire shift, and that..doesn't sit right with me.

I gave the customer his cup and sat back down.

“Thanks, lizard. Looking forward to the other drinks you'll teach me to make in the next few days”
Hoyeon leaned her hips against the counter opposite me.

“Excuse me? Did you just call me a lizard?”
I was appalled.

Never in my 18 years of living have I ever been called a lizard.

“Yeah, you're cold-blooded like them”
She chuckled, but I knew she was also speaking her mind.

“Don't get smart with me. If you would, leave me alone”
I said.

“Oh come on, we're going to be working together for the next few months. Put that phone aside and share a thing or two about yourself”
She complained.

“If you want to know something about me, it's that I like to be left alone, and that you ruined the peace I once had”
I stared at her disappointed face.

“Fine, stay a loner”
She scoffed and let me be.
__________________

Timeskip
(6pm)

Mrs Hye just closed the cafe and we headed home together. Mrs Hye was my grandmother, and my only family.

“So, how was the day with Hoyeon?”
Mrs Hye asked in high hopes of a positive answer.

“Felt like a full 24 hours instead of 8. She almost broke the machine if you really want to know”
I replied, shaking my head.

“Sunghoon, you should've guided her properly. That's what you were there for. And she's a nice girl”
Mrs Hye nagged at me.

“You know I haven't recovered from what happened. Why did you hire Hoyeon when you know I'm still adjusting to change?”
I asked.

“Last night I came home late and that was because I almost got hit by a motorist. A girl came in and blocked me to protect me, but luckily the motorist stopped in time”

“I learned that her name was Hoyeon and she carried my groceries as she walked me home, talking about how she couldn't get into the companies she wanted so I offered her a place in our cafe”

“I know you're not used to it, but I thought this would not only help Hoyeon, but also distract you from whatever the past has scarred you with”

-Mrs Hye

I was shocked that Mrs Hye almost lost her life, and at that, Hoyeon risking her own life protecting someone she doesn't know.

“Who was the motorist, why did you let him get away with it? I almost lost you without saying goodbye. I'm not letting you buy groceries alone again”
I told her.

“Okay, under one condition. You treat Hoyeon well. Don't neglect her, and teach her how to make the different kinds of beverages, properly”
She agreed and anticipated my answer.

As long as I don't get attached, right?

“Fine”
I agreed.

And that's solely because I could never bear to lose the only family I have left.