Café Latte | JUNGWOO

Chapter 4

"Don't you have better things to do?" Jungwoo asked as Doyoung walked into the café. Mark immediately turned his head at the sound of Jungwoo's words.

It was late in the evening. Doyoung must have just finished work. Jungwoo thought to himself.

"My sister's engaged and moved out so no, I don't have anything better to do." Doyoung said, making his way behind the counter. "Plus I'm hungry."

Jungwoo chuckled as he watched Doyoung hang his suit jacket up in the back before preparing a sandwich for himself.

Mark stood at the cash register, taking orders as they slowly came in. Jungwoo worked quickly, effortlessly brewing the various coffee orders that came in.

Once the customer flow had settled down, the two younger boys turned to face Doyoung who was happily munching on his sandwich.

"Oh, Hayoung came by earlier today." Jungwoo told him. "Coffee?"

Doyoung shook his head so Jungwoo brewed a cup for himself.

"Hayoung as in the girl you forgot existed until I reminded you?" Mark asked.

"That's not the point." Jungwoo said, waving his hand towards Mark. Doyoung swallowed his bite before eyeing Jungwoo.

"I made her come down here, she's been cooped up in her office for so long." Doyoung told him.

"Well she was weird. She seemed to have remembered the fact that we went to high school together and even insulted me for doing my class president duties." Jungwoo told him. A small smile on Doyoung's face.

"Hayoung is quite a character. She just takes a while to warm up to." Doyoung told him. Jungwoo scoffed.

"I was in her class for four years of high school and I don't think she's warmed up one bit. Good luck to whoever she gets married to in the future because they're going to have to deal with that br-" Jungwoo froze in his spot. That's when Doyoung's previous words finally registered in Jungwoo's head.

"Kim Hayoung the brat is engaged?!" Jungwoo exclaimed, making Mark and Doyoung giggle.

...

Hayoung could barely sleep that night. Yuta had invited some friends over and they were loudly blasting music from his room all night.

I could seriously use some coffee. Hayoung thought to herself as she waited for the elevator that would take her from the underground parking to the floor with her office.

As she stepped into the elevator, Hayoung decided to press the button to the first floor instead. Hayoung got off the elevator, making her way to the pink café that her brother owned.

The bell rang as she entered, and the boy with the white apron at the counter looked up, meeting her eyes as she made her way towards him.

"Jungwoo?" Hayoung said as she stared at him.

"The one and only." Jungwoo replied, resting an arm on the cash register.

Hayoung looked up at the menu but as she skimmed its contents, she knew there was only one drink on her mind.

"A regular café latte please." Hayoung told him. Jungwoo nodded, immediately getting to work without putting her order in.

"Are you not going to put my order in?" Hayoung asked, waving her card. Jungwoo looked up from the cup before shaking his head.

"No, you're Doyoung's sister so it's on the house." Jungwoo told her. Hayoung simply nodded her head, moving towards the pick up area.

She watched as Jungwo moved with ease around the various coffee machines. The Jungwoo in front of her was much different from the one in high school, which is probably why she didn't recognize him at first.

The Jungwoo from high school was small and wore thick glasses. He was always in perfect uniform, his dress shirt perfectly pressed. His black hair was short and badly cut.

The Jungwoo in front of her was much different. He was tall and broad, no longer wearing glasses. Under his apron, he wore a white t-shirt with a brown cardigan, black jeans, and white sneakers. His hair was also much longer now, his bangs covering his forehead.

Hayoung has to admit that she had changed quite a bit since high school as well. She had lost her baby fat, proud of her long and lean figure. She had also dyed her hair brown, often curling it in waves in comparison to the ponytail she always used to wear.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Jungwoo passed her her latte. Hayoung took a moment to admire his latte art before taking it from his hands.

"Thank you." Hayoung said, just as her stomach growled. She just realized that she has skipped breakfast as she rushed out of the house, trying to avoid Yuta. She hoped Jungwoo hadn't heard, but judging by his face, she was out of luck.

"Hungry?" Jungwoo asked. Hayoung gave him a weak smile.

"Ah, I just forgot to eat breakfast, I'll just snack on something in the office." Hayoung told him but Jungwoo shook his head.

"A snack isn't a good breakfast, just wait a moment." Jungwoo said. Hayoung watched as Jungwoo popped a croissant into the oven for a few seconds before taking it out, placing it into a pink paper bag. He passed it to her.

"Eat this instead." Jungwoo said.

"Thanks." Hayoung said taking the bag in her hands. She forced a smile on her face as she made her way out towards the elevator.

As she stared at her reflection in the mirror located inside the elevator, she noticed her cheeks were tinted pink.

"Ah, it's just a croissant, relax." Hayoung told herself, just as the doors opened. She got out, passing the receptionist before finally settling down in her office, where a small stack of folders was waiting for her.

Her stomach growled again, so she decided to take a bite of the croissant. Her eyes widened as she tasted the baked good. It tasted really good, perfectly melting in her mouth.

Hayoung made a mental note to thank her brother for the good food as she opened up the first folder, starting her work for the day.

...

Jungwoo didn't know what had made him decide to give the girl the croissant that morning. Maybe it was because he knew what it was like to skip breakfast in the mornings, and the pain it would cause later on. Maybe it was because he knew Hayoung's eyes were on him like a hawk the entire time he brewed her latte, and he wanted to keep himself busy to distract himself. Or maybe it was because he was a kind hearted soul and generally treated people as nice as he could as he knew that a person's time in this world was limited.

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Double update :)
Cuz im in a good mood today hehe