Peach Blossoms | park jinyoung

Chapter 5 - This must be a dream

Sooyeon propped her elbows up on the counter and sighed. It was only 2 hours into her shift and she still had 5 to go. It was a very hot summer day, so customers were not inclined to leave their houses to visit cafes. She wiped the countertops absentmindedly, planning out her schedule for when she got home.

The familiar sound of the bells at the door rang, and Sooyeon immediately went into customer service mode. "Welcome!" She beamed. She opened her eyes wider to keep herself from falling asleep. Two tall gentlemen with masks and baseball caps walked over to the counter. One seemed to be dragging the other inside, which made Sooyeon smile a bit. It's so hot, how are they wearing masks?

"One iced latte and an iced Americano please," the man on the right ordered. Sooyeon looked up from the ordering screen in shock. Even though his voice was muffled through the mask, she felt like she recognized it. I swear that's JB's voice...

Sooyeon shook her head. She must have been more exhausted than she thought. Why would JB be here? Of all places? Blinking several times, she punched the order into the computer. "That will be 13,000 won." She processed the payment routinely. "Here is your buzzer," She handed them a buzzer with the number 7 on it and smiled, her eyes becoming little crescent moons. Number 7 was her favourite number. The man on the left chuckled softly when he saw the buzzer.

Sooyeon turned her back to the customers and started scooping ice into a clear plastic cup slowly, lost in thought. Could that actually be JB? No way... I definitely heard wrong. This area isn't even popular... She stirred the espresso absentmindedly. As much as she wanted to confirm the man's identity, she was too shy to ask him to remove his mask. Sooyeon peaked over the counter in the direction of the men's washroom. She had overheard him say he was headed there. The man on the left was sitting by the window seat, staring outside.

Sooyeon pressed the button for number 7 and started placing sleeves onto the two coffee cups.

"Here's your coffee sir," she began handing the two coffees to him.

"Jinyoung-ah," the first man called as he was exiting the washroom. Sooyeon immediately froze at the sound of that name. It was as if the world had come to a complete stop. That tone of voice was all too familiar; it was Im Jaebeom. And the fact that he called for Jinyoung could only mean that......

It was like all muscles ceased to function in Sooyeon's body. Her mind went completely blank, and she found herself unable to shut her jaw. Cold sweat pooled at the base of her neck as she felt the blood drain from her face.

She wasn't sure how much time passed before a muffled sound occurred and voices around her responded in surprise. Her eyes drifted and she saw everyone in the cafe looking at the front counter. She looked down to see coffee spilled all across the floor.

"Oh my god!" Sooyeon yelped, regaining her senses. "I'm so sorry!" she rushed around the counter, seeing that the man's shoes and pants were covered in the iced liquid. Her mind had blocked out her previous revelation as she panicked slightly. The man chuckled softly under his breath.

Sooyeon bent down, trying to clean up the mess on the floor as well as his shoes. "I'll be sure to dry clean this for you, please just leave me your contac-"

He gently grabbed her wrist to stop her actions. Sooyeon stared intensely at his hands on her wrist, heart beating fast. Both of them were crouching on the floor. Is this who I think it is? No way.... This is a dream.

"It's okay..." He glanced at her name tag. "Kim Sooyeon?" Sooyeon froze again, hearing his voice clearly this time. At this point she wasn't breathing anymore. His eyebrows furrowed together. This can't be happening to me right now. Someone please tell me my instincts were wrong, this isn't the man I'm thinking of right now. It's all just a coincidence right? Right.

He slowly lifted her wrist up to reveal a cherry blossom tattoo. "OH, Kim Sooyeon!" He exclaimed, eyes widening.

"Who are..." Sooyeon still refused to believe in her delusions. She had to ask who he was.

The man looked around suspiciously, still holding her wrist. "It's me Sooyeon-ssi," He pulled his mask down halfway and gave her his eye smile.

Sooyeon fell backwards on the ground in shock. She continued to stare at Jinyoung crouched in front of her, with a concerned look on his face. Jaebeom decided to crouch next to him, both of them looking back at Sooyeon.

"Do you know her Jinyoung?" Jaebeom asked, looking at him.

"Don't you remember her from the fanmeet? The one who sang 'I Don't Love You'," Jinyoung answered. He turned back to Sooyeon and extended his arm out. "Do you need help getting up? Are you okay?"

Sooyeon was still not breathing. Wait, he remembers who I am? How...?

Jaebeom shot up from the ground and clapped his hands together. "Ahh! I remember her now. This is that girl?" Jaebeom smirked at Sooyeon. "You're a Jinyoung fan aren't you,"

Sooyeon blinked. Is this real life? JJ Project is literally having a conversation in front of me.

She looked over at Jinyoung's outstretched hand and began to think it was rude if she didn't take it. She grabbed his strong yet soft hand, and he pulled her up. Sooyeon wobbled a bit as she stood, but caught her balance before falling into Jinyoung. There was no way she was letting that drama cliche happen.

"Here, why don't we go sit down, she looks like she's in shock," Jaebeom said, looking at Sooyeon's pale face. His leader instincts were kicking in.

This must be a fucking dream.