Nocturnal Buddies ✩ Yang Jeongin

Chapter 31

It was a fairly relaxing day at the café, especially since it had somewhat returned back to normal. The attraction had died down after Stray Kids failed to show up for a month straight, prompting fans to stop coming by.

Hyunjoo was humming to herself as she wiped the counter, cleaning up the mess left after rush hour. Her attention shifted towards the door shortly after hearing the bell ring, announcing the arrival of a new customer. She did her usual greeting, lips curving up into a friendly smile, before she hurriedly finished what she was doing.

"What can I get for you?" Hyunjoo asked as she approached the cash register, wiping her hands against her apron.

The female didn't answer, seemingly distracted, as she scanned the café with hopeful eyes. Her attention would shift towards the cashier after Hyunjoo called out to her.

"Miss?"

"Oh, um, can I have a caramel frappuccino with extra whip cream?" she said, still clearly distracted.

"Of course, would you like anything else?"

"No, that'll be all," she muttered, eyes continuing to trail the small café.

"And the name for the order?"

After the female provided her name, Hyunjoo repeated the order back to her, despite it being one item. She followed it up with the price but failed to receive a response from the customer, who had gotten distracted again. This time, however, she was looking at the sweets displayed in the glass case.

"Can I actually get a chocolate chip cookie too?" the female added.

Hyunjoo nodded, adding it to the order, before announcing the new price. Despite paying for her order, the customer continued to linger around the front as her drink was being made. Although confused, and highly uncomfortable by the customer's obvious staring, Hyunjoo ignored it and did her job.

"Have any of the Stray Kids members been here lately?" the customer asked, almost too nonchalantly.

The question caused Hyunjoo to freeze for a while, before she continued what she was doing. Her eyebrows furrowed in response as she shook her head.

"Uh... no...?" she answered questionably.

A hum of acknowledgment came from the customer, who remained at the front.

"Um, you can take a seat while you wait for me to finish up." Hyunjoo gestured to the empty tables that Taeyoung cleaned minutes prior.

The female simply shook her head in response. "Just hurry up, will you? Coming here was a waste of time."

A little taken aback by the customer's words, Hyunjoo wordlessly nodded her head in response, unable to control the way her eyebrows furrowed at the sudden demand. Once the drink was completed, she packed a cookie into a paper bag, bringing the order to the customer right after.

"If they come here, contact me," the female said after receiving it.

Hyunjoo wordlessly accepted the card being held towards her. She simply forced a small smile and nodded her head, assuring the customer that she'll definitely let her know. Without a single thank you, the female swiftly left the café. Hyunjoo disappeared into the back shortly after the customer was out of view, scoffing a little to herself as she looked down at the business card.

She pushed open the door leading to the break room, immediately noticing Taeyoung relaxing on the sofa alone. Her friend's eyes flickered to her, a simple smile gracing his lips. His eyebrows would soon furrow when he watched her toss away, what seemed to be, a business card.