redamancy | yoonmin

three

「park jimin's pov 」

"one dolce latte macchiato for haeun!" i called out the customer's name and the girl stood up on her seat before approaching me.

she took the drink from my hand and bowed, "thank you!" i smiled back as a response and started cleaning the counters before another order will be made. as i wiped the blender with a clean towel, i started thinking about what taehyung told us yesterday about his roommate.

"when i tried greeting him, he was shy and stuttering a lot. it worries me somehow because he never goes out of his room, except when he goes to the kitchen to grab something to eat."  

it was unfortunate because namjoon was about to tell us the reason why taehyung's roommate was like that but jaemin interrupted and told namjoon that the cafe was running out of espresso beans, so both of them went to the stock room and left me and taehyung alone. i really want to know why, i thought and shook my head. curiosity filled my brain as i grabbed my phone from my apron's pocket and tried searching it on google.

no results found. i sighed and did a lot of attempts so i could get the answer i needed. i typed, "why do i stutter sometimes when i talk?" and the app loaded quite slowly. when the results were shown, i read the first one that made me a bit shocked.

anxiety? so taehyung's roommate has anxiety? my eyebrows furrowed for a minute and tried searching what anxiety meant.

"what are you doing?"

"oh shi—" i jumped so high due to too much shock and turned around. it was namjoon hyung, crossing his arms while giving me a questioning look. i quickly turned off my phone and kept it in my pocket. "ah, sorry hyung. i'm just... searching for n-new coffee recipes? yes, that's what i'm doing! hehe."

namjoon put his arms on his sides and eyed me suspiciously, "you know i can tell if you're lying or not, right?"

i pouted and was about to say something when he snapped his fingers, "ah, i get it now. that's alright, i know you're curious about it, so i'll just let it pass. now," he slided a pile of order slips and cups at the counter. "get back to work."

sighing, i nodded. "yes, hyung." 

this never gets old; one pile of orders after another, new type of drink every five minutes, and a new face every second as i give them their drinks. i wasn't complaining though, i really love being a barista! someday, i would build my own cafe for my parents back in busan, or probably just renovate our old cafe that wasn't touched for years after my great grandparents, the best baristas i've ever known. the history just passed from one another and it never ends.

despite the repetitive amount of work, i finally finished all of the orders for only thirty minutes. i was about to stretch my arms when namjoon gave me a new order slip. grabbing the sheet of paper, it read: "one black coffee, table #7." just a simple drink, then? i nodded slightly and started making black coffee.

placing it gently on the white saucer, i carried the drink and walked to where the table with the number seven was. my eyes roamed around until i found it on the far corner of the cafe. i saw a boy with fluffy black hair, wearing all black: shirt, jeans and a thin coat. his skin was really pale and as white as snow. he was busy writing on his notebook while listening to his earphones. it was a calm, rare sight.

i cleared my throat and approached the customer. "good day, sir! here's your—"

suddenly, i was surprised when the boy lifted his head up and met my eyes. completely mesmerized by his features, everything became in slow motion as we both stared at each other without doing anything at all. what is this feeling?  i was really awed at his beauty for a mere minute until i shook my head and placed his drink on the table with shaking hands. "... black coffee."

"oh, uh... um, t-thank y-you." he muttered. he was stuttering a lot, so when he looked at me again, i gave him a genuine smile to cheer him up. unfortunately, it didn't work. he didn't smile at all, but instead looked down with tomato-colored cheeks. i almost squealed at how cute it was, but i decided to clean the nonexistent dirt on my apron and went back to the counter.

oh my god, what the hell was that? i asked myself as i touched my cheeks that felt really warm. i fanned myself to let them cool, and namjoon was looking at me weirdly on what i was doing.

"are you alright, jimin? you look very red." namjoon asked, feeling worried.

in a state of panic, i answered. "yesiamokaydonotmindme!"

"does someone catch park jimin's eye for the first time?" namjoon asked in a teasing manner, smiling mischievously at me.

my eyes widened, "hyung! what are you talking about?!" i exclaimed as i hurriedly grabbed some ice in the freezer before putting it on my cheeks, trying to cool them off.

renjun and jaemin rushed out of the stock room, looking quite shocked. "what did we miss? tell us, jimin hyung! who is the lucky guy?" they simultaneously exclaimed.

rolling my eyes, i returned the ice back in the fridge and replied, "come on, guys. i am not in love with someone! just... mind your own businesses!" i threw my arms in the air frustratingly before going back to work, ignoring them completely. in my peripheral vision, the three of them exchanged each other's glances before leaving me alone. relieved, i let out a silent sigh before stealing a glance at the boy at the corner of the cafe.

    -●-    

"[gasps] is this the real life? is this a fantasy? is my best friend liking someone?!" taehyung panicked on the other line as i told him about what happened earlier through a phone call. "jiminie, you better do something about it? heck, are you ever going to see this boy again?"

holding my phone that was pressed on my right ear, i walked to my bed and sat down as the cushion sank below me. "i don't even know when, and i don't even know if it's just infatuation or not. but honestly, he seems... unique."

taehyung let out an "ooh" and uttered, "what's he like?"

"hmm, he wears all black on a casual friday as if he doesn't care about the weather. he's shy, a bit timid, as white as snow and for me, he's like a very closed book." i described as much as i can.

"you're right, but i think he's not like other typical guys out there who're chasing you. too bad, the boy you like is so lucky that—"

"okay, i need you to stop right there. i just met him informally, in the cafe i'm working at, and he's one of our new customers. this is probably just a one-time thing, tae." sighing, i lay down on my bed and stared at the white ceiling above.

i could clearly hear taehyung's disappointed whine on the other line, making me chuckle lightly. "you're really gonna give up, huh? park jimin who? i don't know him."

"why are you so extra?" i laughed, "just continue your thesis there, the deadline is almost near!"

taehyung shuffled and walked to god knows where since i couldn't see him, until i heard a door of the refrigerator open. "oh! i forgot to ask you; are you coming back to school?"

i stopped for a while, realizing that i haven't been gone to college yet. my parents supported me on being a barista and a youtuber, but i remembered their eyes when they granted my permission. it felt like they were hesitating not to scold me because i haven't finished education. i was saddened for a second, until i cleared my throat and answered. "i guess not, but i can take an online college course soon. it might be hard since i have to work as a youtuber, a barista and a student at the same time."

"i really hope you will! believe in yourself! just don't stress too much, chim. okay?"

my lips curved into a small smile as unknown tears started to form. "thanks, tae. i gotta go now. good luck on your thesis!"

"talk to you tomorrow! bye~" afterwards, we both hung up our call and i started to cry, the amount of different emotions started bottling up inside me.