Not Perfect Night, Doomed Night -[BBANGSAZ AU]

14.) New Hair, New Tee

Minji's POV:

I'd been texting Haerin all morning, and let me tell you, that girl is usually a black hole of delayed responses. But today? Today was different. She was actually replying almost instantly—well, as instant as Haerin gets. Sure, her texts were a bit on the cold side, but hey, I'll take what I can get. It felt like I had finally cracked some kind of cosmic code. Maybe the planets aligned just right, or maybe it was a glitch in the matrix, but whatever it was, I wasn't about to question my luck.

All morning, as I prepped for my first day at Bambina Café, I was bombarding Haerin with a mix of anxious and excited questions. This was my first-ever summer job, and I was flipping between being hyped and being absolutely terrified. My mind was spinning with a thousand what-ifs, and my room? Let's just say it looked like a tornado had done a quick visit. I had three outfits laid out on the bed, none of which seemed right, and I swear, my mirror had seen more wardrobe changes than a Broadway show.

10:57 AM Minji: What should I wear?

I was staring at the clock like it owed me money. Three minutes later—ding.

11:00 AM Haerin: Something that won't look like you just rolled out of bed.

"Okay, fair," I mumbled to myself, glancing at the rumpled pajamas I was still wearing. I had a brief, intense stare-down with my reflection. Sure, I hadn't technically rolled out of bed—more like crawled out and face-planted into the bathroom—but details, right?

11:01 AM Minji: I'm not that bad...

I shot back defensively, rummaging through my closet like it was a thrift store sale. The clock ticked away as I flung clothes left and right, trying to find something that screamed "I'm a responsible adult" and not "I barely know how to function before noon."

11:05 AM Haerin: Sure, sure. Just get dressed and meet me at the café.

I could almost hear her smirking through the text. Haerin had this way of making you feel like she was rolling her eyes at you, even over text. It's a talent, really. She should get an award for it.

11:06 AM Minji: How should I style my hair?

My hair was another story. It had a mind of its own, doing whatever it wanted regardless of my efforts. I had spent a solid ten minutes trying to tame the wild mess into something resembling a hairstyle, and I was one more failed attempt away from just putting a hat over it.

11:08 AM Haerin: It doesn't matter.

"Wow, okay," I muttered, eyeing the curling iron like it was my nemesis. I swear, I could hear Haerin's voice in my head, all nonchalant and indifferent. It was her trademark move—masterful indifference.

11:10 AM Minji: What about makeup?

I wasn't sure if I was supposed to go all out or keep it simple. My makeup bag was sprawled open on my desk, and I was debating whether to go for a subtle "I woke up like this" look or a full-on "I'm ready to slay" vibe.

11:12 AM Haerin: No.

That one-word response was so brutal, it almost made me laugh out loud. I mean, she could have at least given me a reason or a suggestion. But no, just a simple "No." As if makeup was the least of my problems. Which, okay, maybe it was, but still!

11:13 AM Minji: Seriously?

I stared at the mirror again, one eyebrow raised, half a lipgloss swipe on my lips. Did I dare to challenge the queen of minimalism herself? Haerin probably just rolled out of bed, threw on whatever was closest, and looked effortlessly cool. Meanwhile, I was sweating over whether I should wear the pastel blue top or the safe black one.

11:16 AM Haerin: 👍

The thumbs-up emoji. Classic move. It was like she was tired of my bullshit and just wanted me to get it over with.

By the time 11:45 AM rolled around, I had managed to pull myself together. Presentable, clean, and with just a touch of that "I'm trying but not too hard" vibe. The plain black T shirt won out in the end, paired with my best black jeans—the ones that made me feel like I had my life somewhat together. My hair? It was doing its own thing, as usual, but I had at least managed to wrangle it into something passable. The makeup? Just enough to not look like I'd spent the last hour stressing over it.

I grabbed my bag, gave myself one last once-over in the mirror, and took a deep breath. Time to head to Bambina Café, my very first summer job. As I walked out the door, I couldn't help but laugh a little at myself. Here I was, worrying about everything under the sun, when in reality, I'd probably just end up doing small tasks in the back.