contains: caffeine

chapter 2 - drinking mocha while musing

musing:
1. (noun)
a period of reflection or thought

2. (adjective)
characterized by reflection or deep thought

mocha (noun)
a high-quality coffee from the port city of mokha, yemen.


minatozaki sana was ready to face day two of her second year of college. her mindset was strong, and she was prepared to find and answer to something that has plagued her psyche for years:

who was she?

who was minatozaki sana, and where does her path lead her?

sana did not know yet. she did not know who she was and what she wanted to do.

sana arrived on campus, feeling the buzz of students around her as she walked toward her first class. though she'd survived day one, she still felt that lingering uncertainty about her future, the choice of a major hanging over her like an unsolvable puzzle. her friends had met up before school started, exchanging stories of late-night cramming and first-day impressions.

"did you even sleep, mina?" sana asked, eyeing her friend's dark circles.

mina shrugged, looking entirely unfazed. "not really. ms. lee decided we all need to suffer together."

momo rolled her eyes. "its the second day of uni and teachers are already piling up homework. with the amount of sleep she's getting, mina's gonna forget that she even signed up for the class"

as they walked to their lecture, sana felt the weight of their conversation from yesterday. her friends were still trying to figure out their paths, but they seemed more certain somehow, more able to laugh it off. maybe it was just her that couldn't shake off the feeling of being lost.

lectures buzzed past her in a blur of words she struggled to absorb, and the uncertainty about her future only deepened. momo and mina had their own classes to get to, leaving sana to navigate the day alone.

as the clock struck four, she headed to musing, the small café where sana worked, tucked away in a quiet corner near campus. the smell of freshly ground coffee and soft indie music greeted her with a warm embrace. even if it was busy, sana loved the buzzing and bustling atmosphere, when it was less busy, she took comfort in the silence and tranquillity. the cafe was a calm haven for her—here, she didn't have to think about majors, essays, or the pressure to have her life figured out.

"you're late," chaeyoung teased as sana stepped behind the counter. her apron was already splattered with espresso stains, a sign of the busy afternoon.

"by two minutes," sana replied, rolling her eyes but smiling. "relax."

chaeyoung smirked, sliding her the schedule. "you're on counter duty today. think you can handle it, or should i call for backup?"

"funny," she muttered, tying her apron.

chaeyoung was a freshman who planned on being an art major. she was part of sana's nine member friend group consisting of nayeon, jihyo, jeongyeon, momo, mina, chaeyoung, dahyun, tzuyu, and sana. chaeyoung was an extremely talented first year, able to balance 2 jobs and heaps of homework.

the café was busier than usual. students hunched over laptops, regulars sipping from steaming mugs, and a few unfamiliar faces lingered in the corners. among them was a man in a crisp navy suit, seated near the window. he looked out of place in the cozy setting, his posture rigid and his sharp eyes scanning the room like he was looking for someone—or something.

sana did not notice his face first, instead studying his tailored suit and gold watch.

"a black americano, no sugar," he said, his tone firm but polite. he slid a crisp 500-won note across the counter. "keep the change."