hyejin
as i was prepping for the morning rush, the door opened, and to my shock, it was jungwon who walked in. he looked a bit sheepish but deadass determined.
"jungwon?" i asked, my surprise evident. he nodded, scratching the back of his neck. "yeah, i know. i didn't expect to end up here either. but your café has a good reputation, and my cousin jungkook thought i'd be a good fit."
i took a deep breath, trying to process the situation. jungwon was good at a lot of things, but i have never ever pictured him making coffee.
i mean, didn't he only ever mention about being fond of watching movies??????? but damn it he's jungkook's cousin ... it's only fair for me to only ever accept this happening.
"alright, let's get started." as we went through the basics, i couldn't help but notice how quickly jungwon picked things up.
it seems like he's got a natural talent for coffee-making, even if he didn't look that passionate about it.
but what caught me off guard were his constant suggestions. "you know, if we adjust the grind size just a bit, the espresso might have a smoother finish." he said, not in an arrogant way but more like he genuinely wanted to help.
i glanced at him, feeling a bit defensive. "i've been running this place for a while, jungwon. i think i know what i'm doing."
he raised his hands in kind of a mock surrender. "it was just a thought. you're the boss." despite my initial annoyance, i had to admit that some of his ideas were actually good.
the customers that just passed by seemed to like the changes i let him make, and so far, business is still going strong.
+ ° . ๑・° ⊹ . + ° . ๑・° ⊹ . + ° . ๑・° ⊹ . +
jungwon
i didn't think we'd work so well working together to make coffees, but we actually did. hyejin's been such a great teacher, despite all my non-stop suggestions.
without even noticing, we've been enjoying each other's company. "so, what do you think about ghosts?" hyejin suddenly asked, taking me back from all the times i've had to deal with one of their kind at my clearly haunted house.
i chuckled, shaking my head. "long story. let's just say i'm not a fan, but i'm actually dealing with it now." i respond, obviously not yet ready to show my unmanliness to a woman.
the conversation shifted to more personal topics. to my surprise, hyejin and i shared similar views on a lot of things. our perspectives on life, ambitions, and even our taste in music—everything seemed to align.
while experimenting with a new latte art design, our hands brushed as we both reached for the milk frother.
i felt a jolt of electricity but quickly brushed it off, focusing on the task at hand.
another time, while we were closing up the café, hyejin was leaning against me as we watched the sunset through the large windows. that was probably the closest we've ever been since the day we've ever met.
"it's nice to have someone to share all the same workload with." she admitted quietly. i glanced at her, a soft smile on my lips. "yeah, it's been ... surprisingly nice." i do not know where the hell that came from btw.
there were other moments too, like when we laughed over a shared joke or when i'd subtly fix her apron strap without saying a word. each time, there was a flicker of something more, but we both quickly moved past it, unfazed. i've always felt like saying something about it ... but i just couldn't.
