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0.4

Lee Minhyuk

"So you're telling me that after being off for a week and a half due to-"

"Personal reasons."

"..right- you got into a fight on your first day back which is why you're applying for a job here, since you were suspended. You're also a student."

"Yes, postgraduate Law." I said, doing my best to keep eye contact with Sunhee, the owner of the cafe. She, however, was busy writing on a notepad until she suddenly met my eyes for a beat, then looked to Jooheon, who was nodding beside me.

"Do you have anything to do for the next two hours, Minhyuk?" I shook my head. "Fantastic, work a trial shift. I'll see how I feel about you; take 15 minutes to get ready then grab an apron from the staff room and come meet me," she turned to Jooheon, pinching his cheek. "and you can do whatever, I suppose. I'll bring you a hot chocolate."

"Thank you," He smiled, and she walked away with all the power she seemed to have, turning heads by doing absolutely nothing. "aren't you excited?! Come on, I'll show you the staff room."

"How do you know this place so well?" I asked curiously as he led me through a door near the counter that immediately led to a set of stairs, the staffroom on the left. It seems cosy; a medium room with a table, chairs and a couple couches, a fridge & kitchenware. Much like downstairs, the colour scheme stuck closely to cream, beige and brown.

"I worked some shifts for extra money at the end of my major, plus Sunhee is my friend's cousin," he shrugged. "that was successful, you might have this in the bag."

"How exciting." I replied monotonously, shoving my jacket and belongings into the only available locker, twisting the key and putting it in my pocket. It was then that I was suddenly swivelled around, each of Jooheon's hands seizing my shoulder and shaking me.

"Cheer uuuuuup!" He whined, and I offered him a sheepish smile. "There! Wasn't so hard, was it?"

"Whatever, now lets go; the quicker I start the quicker I can leave and return to moping around my house." I sighed defeatedly, wrapping a dark brown apron with a sun on the corner around my waist and following the boy back downstairs.
He offered me a final smile and something close to a squeal, and for a few moments, I wondered how the hell he managed to stay so happy at all times. His life must be great.

It wasn't too long until I was beckoned to the coffee machine behind the counter, and after a few minutes of being shown what the multiple levers and sounds it produced stood for, I was sent to collect and deliver orders around the shop floor.
As I did so, I noticed Jooheon curled up at a table by the window, staring absentmindedly at the condensation on the glass. He raised a finger, drawing a smiley face before his eyes flicked back down to the book in his hands.

"You're doing well." Sunhee encouraged me as she walked past..just rather monotonously. I responded with something awfully close to a grimace, preparing to take more orders.
The steady stream of customers seemed to half roughly around an hour since I started the trial shift, that was, of course, until lunchtime hit, and they poured in like the world was to end if they didn't get their hourly fix of caffeine and a muffin on the side.

"How's everything going?" Jooheon appeared by the counter, munching on a cheese toastie; not that I was paying attention, but given by how countless strings of cheese would stretch from each of his bites of it, I could guess.

"Not too bad; finally got a hang of the coffee machine, but will I ever be able to do latte art? We will find out in the next episode."

He smiled. "It's okay, one thing at a time. My first time I just did a blob, to be fair."