stardust [choi soobin]

[01] lacuna.

lacuna

(n.) a blank space; a missing part.

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KIM TAENA

The cold air rattles in with Taena as she enters the quaint little coffee shop on the corner of her lane. She unwinds her scarf from around her neck as the smell of espresso takes over her sense. She can already imagine Mr Lee, the owner of the shop, shuffling around at the back, pulling and pushing the trays in and out of his oven, each with its own variety of pastries and baked goodies that make her mouth water.

She doesn't understand how she has time to work, but she knows that she needs to. With her dad's company telling their employees telling them to expect retrenchment any time soon, she really needs to save every won that she could so that she could still be able to go to university next year.

Today, Mr Lee has given her the four to ten shift. It works perfectly for her, she thinks as she drapes her apron over her waist. She doesn't have a specific uniform, none of them do. As long as they wear their caps, Mr Lee has no issues with them, but then again, Mr Lee rarely has any issues with them.

"Taena, you're here!" Mr Lee shuffles out cutely, holding a silver tray between his glove-clad hands. Taena can see the steam rising from the cream puffs that were freshly dusted with powdered sugar.

"Hi, Mr Lee! Busy day?" She ties the bow behind her neck and puts her cap on backwards.

Mr Lee gives her his signature gummy smile and laughs slowly. "As busy as ever, Miss Kim." Taena looks around the shop - there are four people seated, all on their laptops, some with their phones pulled out as well. Taena wishes she could do that; her friend had messaged her about her having a pre-quiz tomorrow and them giving them a manual to study beforehand.

She grabs the dishtowel and begins to wipe the counter as Mr Lee happily recounts tales and the local gossip that the housewives filled him in on whenever they came around during the day. "Mrs Bo said that her flowers were being stolen from their pot plants, and then Mrs Kim said that her gnomes were also being taken."

"Maybe the thief wants to make his own garden," Taena comments, earning a laugh from Mr Lee. "Perhaps so. Ah, Mrs Choi's only son is back from boarding school."

Taena barely remembers.

The Choi's had moved into their quiet neighbourhood four years ago, and she had never really got a chance to get to know any of them. "Okay, and I'm sure you're going to tell me why he's back." Mr Lee nods with a grin. "He's a first year at Seoul National University, he's going to become a doctor."

Taena's eyebrows shoots up into her forehead - surprise is one of the multiple emotions she feels. Pre-med students were a rarity; she would know - her brother had been one of only one hundred people accepted into the course. He was currently in his last year, and then Taena would have nothing to worry about. But, until then, she had to work.