Sunrise at Midnight | Iljae

Chapter 9 - Fix Yourself

It was currently Friday evening and the time was slowly inching closer until Ilhoon could finally fling off his apron and get back home. The boy was stood behind the cash register at the café that he works at, plastering a fake smile on his face and serving the busy people demanding their orders.

"Um, Excuse me! You forgot to put the sugar in my coffee! I specifically asked for 1 and a half teaspoons of sugar and there isn't any at all! What kind of service even is this?" A short girl in a pristine pantsuit scowls up at Ilhoon.

The boy just sighs, not even paying attention to the woman's whines about how poor the service is and how rude the staff are. It's been a long day. And frankly, Ilhoon was anything but in the mood to be working here right now. All he wants to do is snuggle up into the warm refuge of his bed and be alone; maybe even get a little bit of sleep considering Jisu is now staying with him.

Anything, but stand here getting bossed around.

"Sorry ma'am, here's the sugar." The boy grumbles, placing the sugar packets on the counter a bit harsher than needed.

The woman in question huffs, "and now I have to put the sugar in myself. How ridiculous!" She says with a roll of her eyes.

"Wow, what a shocker- the pretty lady has to use her own hands." The boy retorts so low that it's almost impossible for the grumbling woman to catch what he said. The lady puts the lid back on the cup and gives Ilhoon a once over with a click of her tongue.

"I'll be sure to follow this up with the manager. This was just absurd."

Ilhoon shakes his head, his annoyance clearly evident now. The fake smile that was previously strewn across his face was now long gone. The boy picks up a dirty plate from one of the tables and proceeds to walk towards the dishwasher in the back before getting stopped by Eunkwang.

"Eun-"

"Ilhoon. This has been the seventh complaint I've gotten from a customer about you in just three days. What has gotten into you lately? I know you really need this job, but you can't just keep acting up like this. Word spreads around; you know. The least I want is for my brother's business to lose customers. Please. Can you just sort out what's going on with you at the moment? Come back to work on Tuesday, and I expect there to be absolutely no more customer complaints, okay?" Eunkwang says as he gives the boy a reassuring pat on the back.

The boy mutters and nods in affirmation.   

"Good, now I'll see you on Tuesday. Don't forget to rest and eat well."

The boy half-heartedly nods his head and takes his apron off, finally being free to go back home and clear his mind.

...

Ilhoon is stood in the hallway of his house being greeted by none other than a very stern looking Jisu.

"How many times do I have to keep on telling you? It's like you just expect your house to magically clean itself- or, you wait for me to come over here and clean it for you." The scary woman says with her hands planted on her hips.

"Hello to you too."

"Jung Ilhoon, I'm being serious! How do you live like this? Is it really that hard just to pick up a cloth and wipe down the table?"

"I get busy."

"Busy doing what? Sleeping?"

"Jisu that's not funny."

"Neither is your lazy ass continually waiting for me to clean your house for you."

"Touché." Ilhoon finally gives in. He can never win with this girl anyway, so why try?