Nocturnal Buddies ✩ Yang Jeongin

Chapter 37

It was five in the morning by the time Hyunjoo and Dohyun left their house. Although she had gotten used to the exhaustion that constantly overwhelmed her, her younger brother was quite the opposite. At first, the car ride consisted of him trying to converse with his sister, even though he was too tired to talk coherently. But at some point, their conversation fell short and the quiet music was quick to replace it.

Hyunjoo's eyes flickered from the road to the rear view mirror at the little boy's silence. Her lips automatically spread into a smile when she noticed he was starting to doze off. His eyes fluttered open and closed as he desperately fought to stay awake. A few seconds would pass by before his head fell to the side, losing the battle against his tiredness. She couldn't help but quietly chuckle at how adorable he looked, eyes shifting back to the road shortly after.

A few more minutes would pass by before Hyunjoo pulled into the parking lot of the closed café. She grabbed her belongings from the passenger seat, before going over to Dohyun's side. After quietly opening the door, and unbuckling the little boy, she hoisted him into her arms. The sudden action caused him to stir a little in his sleep, prompting her actions to quickly halt. When the boy's head slumped against her shoulder, she waited for a few seconds.

Once she was sure he was still asleep, she headed inside with him in her arms. The sound of the bell drew Taeyoung's attention, who was busy cleaning up the counter. His eyes flickered from his friend to her brother, and then back at her. They exchanged a quiet greeting before Hyunjoo made her way to the back. She laid Dohyun on the sofa in the break room before returning to the front. After putting on the apron she grabbed along the way, she pulled her hair back and tied it into a ponytail.

"Did Dohyun wake up early to accompany you today?" Taeyoung inquired when she returned.

Hyunjoo's lips spread into a smile as a brief chuckle fell from her lips. She nodded her head in response as she started pulling the chairs off the table, and placing them onto the ground.

"Yeah, he insisted on coming today since he missed the café," she explained.

Taeyoung hummed in acknowledgement, unable to control the way his lips pulled up into a smile at her words. "We should tell Areum and Jaehyun that he's here, I'm sure they'll love to hang out with him," he suggested.

His words caused the girl's eyes to light up in response. They locked eyes after Taeyoung looked up from what he was doing, his smile widening at her obvious excitement.

"You're right, we should," she hummed contently, immediately fishing her phone out of her back pocket.

Taeyoung's chuckle echoed throughout the quiet café, shaking his head a little at how endearing the girl was. After sending a message to their group chat, Hyunjoo started a conversation with the boy about anything that popped into her head. Their voices and quiet laughter filled the calm environment as they prepared to open up for the day.

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Despite the café returning to its usual environment, Dohyun managed to make it lively with his presence. He spent most of the day greeting new customers and going to talk to them, while also making sure not to bother those who weren't in the mood. Everyone's mood lit up at the little boy's energy as he interacted with them, unable to control the smile that tugged at their lips.

When no one was around, he would play with his sister's friends, who were also his friends. Even after playing with them for the majority of the day, Dohyun couldn't seem to get enough of them. He even got sad when Areum and Jaehyun bid the three goodbye. Fortunately, Taeyoung was able to keep the little boy company while Hyunjoo and their co-workers accommodated incoming customers.