As someone who has a strong distaste for coffee, one might think it's odd that my occupation was a barista at the nearby coffee shop. I thought the only insane thing about that was that I had been running on empty for almost two days at this point. It didn't help that brewing station was right next to the pastry counter. On top of that, the cost of anything we ate would be deducted from our paycheck, so the macarons and éclairs became nothing more than temptations I had to ignore every shift. In short, I was screwed.
"Keira-ssi, are you even listening to me?"
"Hm?" I turned my attention from the cup on the counter before me, looking to the girl nudging my shoulder. "Sorry Jaehee, what were you saying?"
She tucked a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear, the edge of her pink lips dipping to a frown. "You're really out of it today, aren't you, Eonni? I asked if you could take my last table so I could head home and get a head start on my studying."
That's right, Jaehee mentioned before that she was a university student studying in a medical field. I couldn't even begin to imagine how much work that must have been for her. "Sure, go ahead."
She gave me a quick squeeze on the wrist. "Thanks, you're the best! I owe you a coffee for this," she told me before slipping around the corner and out the back door.
My eyes trailed after her, but I didn't bother telling her that I didn't actually like coffee. To me coffee was simply too bitter, and I preferred something more like a hot chocolate or green tea. But then again, I rarely drank those, too. Perhaps in the winter I might brew myself a cup or two, but never during the middle of spring as it was when I first started working at the café. Despite the warm weather outside, I was scrambling to brew and decorate various kinds of hot beverages, and serve them to the customers before they cooled down. I never understood why people felt the need to make themselves even warmer. Was global warming not doing that already?
With a sight, I brought the freshly brewed cappuccino to a customer, and pocketed a tip from another table. Then, I made my way across the coffee shop, to the only table in Jaehee's section that was occupied. Two young men sat at it, but neither one noticed my approach.
The first was older than the second, and staring at something outside the large window making up the wall beside him. His hair was blonde, though I doubted it was his natural colour, and his thin lips were a pale pink. A pair of black glasses framed his dark eyes, and silver piercings marked each of his ears, catching sunlight on their metallic surfaces. He fiddled with his hands in his lap, concentrating on the people passing by the window. Though, if I had any money, I'd bet his mind was elsewhere.
The second almost seemed to be an opposite reflection of his companion. Whilst the first's gaze was scornful and tired, the second glanced around with piqued curiosity and wonder. He twitched in his seat, reacting to something outside the window with a smile etching his lips, whereas the other remained impassive, uninterested, or both. If the first were the moon, than the second was very much the sun.
His skin was tan, contrasting to his companion's paler, more pink skin tone. Dark bangs swept across his forehead, falling just above his narrow brows. His eyes, trailing movements beyond the window, were the colour of dark chocolate; his lips a darker shade of pink. Much like the first, earings hung from both of his ears, some black, others silver. He also had a larger frame than his companion, though he wasn't quite as big as Jihun. I wouldn't have been surprised if they were similar in age, either.
When I cleared my throat, the two men finally turned their attention to me. I smiled. "Have you made your decisions on what you would like to order?"
The blonde nodded. "Medium coffee, black."
"I'll have the same," said the other.
The blonde man raised an eyebrow towards him. "Are you sure you'd be able to handle that, Jungkook? The coffee here is quite strong, and you've only had coffee maybe once or twice in your life."
The other - Jungkook, frowned. "I'm not a baby, Hyung. I think I know what I can and can't handle."
"No, you chose the same thing as me because you didn't want anyone thinking I'm the only man at this table," the blonde replied.
"Yoongi, there's no way that's even possible," Jungkook stated, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I'm just as much a man as you are."
"Whatever you say." Yoongi sighed, turning to me. "Make that two, then."
I nodded my head, and headed back to brewing station. Slipping around the counter, I grabbed two mugs from the shelves and placed them down next to a full kettle, which I flicked on. As the water began to boil, I scooped some of the roasted bean powder into two paper filters, and placed them on the brims of the mugs. Then, I removed the kettle from the heating pan, and poured the water into the mugs. I waited a few seconds for the powder to stain the water dark, before gripping the edge of the filter papers, dipping them in the water once more, and tossing them into the trash bin. With a silver spoon, I stirred the solutions, and placed the mugs on a tray. As I carried their drinks towards the table, I noticed Jungkook paling slightly at the sight of the tray. This'll be interesting, I thought to myself.
As per protocol, I waited for the customers to sip from their drinks. Yoongi gave a nod of his head to reassure the coffee was to his liking. Jungkook, however, cringed and faught to swallow the bitter beverage. He glared at Yoongi, quite possibly for how effortlessly he drank his coffee. "I told you, didn't I?" Yoongi chuckled, taking another sip from his mug.
"Shut up."
It was raining when I returned home. The rain wasn't particularly heavy, more like a light drizzle. There were very few puddles when as I rode my bike to my apartment, but the roads and sidewalks seemed completely abandoned in the downpour. It seemed odd to me, but then again, the rain was always a reason to go outside when I was a child.
My grandmother used to always tell me that one should never get used to working in easy, comfortable situations. It makes people lazy, and unable to succeed when a challenge appears before them. I'm not sure she meant for me to take it that way, but I started running in the rain shortly after the first time she mentioned that to me. I struggled at first; the rainwater made the ground hard for me to find proper footing, and freezing water shooting down from the sky is difficult to navigate through (No surprise there). Eventually it became easier, and running during pleasant weather was no longer a chore. In fact, without the rain it had become quite boring. It's funny how some things work out like that.
Looking out my bedroom window, I smiled at the memories. My fingers twitched in anticipation as I slipped a sweater over my head, and pulled my hair back with an elastic. Slipping into my shoes, I yanked the hood over my head, and locked the door to my apartment behind me. Sticking to the protection of the eaves of the buildings, I walked past the coffee shop and corner store until I reached a park. Much like the roads and sidewalks, the park was completely vacant, save for a few species of small mammels darting between the trees. Even the animals seemed to hate the rain. Nonetheless, I took to one of the park trails, and began jogging.
The growing hunger I felt faded with each stride I took.
YOU ARE READING
Try-Hard, Sin Harder
RomanceBTS X OC! Fanfiction. They were seven boys trying to face their pasts, and I was the girl that time forgot. Every single on of us were broken; trying to fill our missing pieces with each other. In the end, we'd become each other's lifeline, obsessi...
