Nocturnal Buddies ✩ Yang Jeongin

Chapter 79

Hyunjoo was quietly humming to herself as she brought some freshly baked muffins to the front. She greeted her co-workers, congratulating them on getting through rush hour. The girl continued to interact with them, sharing a laugh, as she carefully displayed the delicacies in the glass case. Since there weren't a lot of customers, she felt comfortable taking her time. Her attention would be drawn towards the door when the bell sounded.

"Welcome in," Hyunjoo greeted the incoming customer out of habit.

She froze a little in her spot, eyes widening in realization, before panic started to take over her expression. Hyunjoo quickly turned on her heel and hastily made her way to the back. Her nerves were running rampant as she tried to calm herself down, hoping the person that entered didn't know who she was. She decided to distract herself with preparing the next batch of cookies.

As time passed, she started to calm down and enjoyed Hyosung's company. The older woman would excuse herself after a while, before Taeyoung entered the room. Used to his random visits throughout the day, Hyunjoo cheerfully greeted her friend. He returned the smile before going over to her. They held a brief conversation about what she was making next before silence fell around them.

"You know that customer you greeted earlier?" Taeyoung mentioned.

All of the girl's actions came to an abrupt halt, the memory dawning on her in a matter of seconds. She was starting to forget about it until he brought it up.

"What... about them?" she asked back before slowly returning to what she was doing, unsure where the conversation was going.

"They said they're a fan of Stray Kids, and wanted to give you their support. As said by them, 'I'm sure you're getting a lot of hate right now, but you shouldn't listen to them. Just follow your heart and do what makes you happy, the real fans will always be here to support you. As long as you and Jeongin are happy together, we're happy for you.'"

The second Hyunjoo heard that, she felt her heart swell up, melting at those words. She couldn't help the smile that pulled at her lips, unable to express the gratitude she felt from those words alone. It meant a lot to her, especially since she felt like the whole world was against her sometimes. Hyunjoo thanked the boy for delivering the message and he smiled in return, happy that the fan could make her day.

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ

"Do you want to take the leftovers?" Taeyoung asked as he was wiping down the counter.

"You don't want to give them out to the homeless?" Hyunjoo asked back while placing the chairs onto the table.

"I was thinking you could give some to your boyfriend and his friend," he answered. "I'll take the rest with me and give them out as per usual."

"Sounds like a plan then," she hummed. "By the way, have you heard back from your interview yet?"

"Not yet... I don't think I'll hear back until next year," he answered, sighing a little out of anxiety.

"Really? That long?" Hyunjoo replied in a surprised tone, shocked by his answer.

"Yeah, normally for med school, they'll line up all the applicants and see which ones they want to enroll," Taeyoung explained. "That's why they hold off until they interview everyone- see who is more reputable."

"Ah, that actually makes a lot of sense," she muttered. "Well, I hope that you get in."

"I hope so too, especially since I worked really hard to get into that school too," he helplessly sighed, practically crying on the inside at the thought of his hard work going down the drain.