Running a Coffee Shop | Johnil

Sorry We Don't Serve Homophobes

I hope you're all doing okay today!

It's your faithful narrator Lee Jeno. I apologize if this narration is a little off today. I had a tough day dealing with a couple of my peers, for work and for my own personal life. But, that's enough complaining and excuses from me.

Our wonderful baristas, Johnny and Taeil, have begun yet another day at their small but well-off coffee shop. It's late-morning, nearing early afternoon. 

__________________

Johnny carefully fits the lid onto the portable coffee cup, giving the tired looking college student her drink with a bright smile. "Try not to stress too much over your school work, have an amazing day!" The college student gives a thankful smile back, bidding the barista a small but happy 'goodbye' as she walks out of the door. 

He dusts his hands off of his apron, and looks over at the register to see another boy standing there looking extremely nervous on the other side. He looks at Taeil and gives the older a distainful look as he sees the other munching on one of their freshly baked cookies in the backroom. He rolls his eyes and makes his way to the resgister, giving the boy another one of his infectious smiles. 

"Sorry for the wait, how can I help you?" The boy smiles nervously and looks at his phone, most likely reading his order off of his notes, and Johnny blinks in surprise as he notices a small bisexual flag enamel pin on the boy's shirt collar. Cute he briefly seems to think. 

"I'd like, uh, mocha frappachino with no whip and almond milk please," the boy recites carefully and Johnny writes down the order on his notepad, quickly calculating the price for the retraction and additions of the specially ordered drink.

 It didn't take long, seeing as how Taeil and Johnny had spent close to two full days doing exercises for these types of orders so they wouldn't take forever to calculate the price. Especially seeing how they didn't have enough money to get a touch pad to calculate the price for them. 

"That'll be $4.00, can I have a name for your drink?" Johnny asks politely, ignoring Taeil's glare boring into the back of his head for lowering the price. The boy pulls out a five dollar bill and blinks at the question, maybe not having prepared himself for this. 

"Oh, uh, it's Mark, well Mark Lee o-or Lee Mark if you want to put the surname first," the boy nervously rambles on and Johnny cuts him off with a wave of his hand, smiling again as he does so.

"I'll put it under Mark Lee," he decides for the boy who nods, clearly already beating himself up for the slip up. "I like your pin by the way." He compliments and Mark looks confused before going bright red and looking down at the pride flag on his shirt.

"O-oh thank you!" He smiles, clearly elated at the compliment and Johnny nods with a wink, turning to begin fixing Mark's drink. He already feels Taeil creeping up next to him.

"Johnny you have to stop lowering the drinks for every LGBTQ+ person who walks through the doors, we're going to go bankrupt!" Taeil hisses in his ear and Johnny pouts as he continues making the drink. 

"But he's so cute!" Johnny protests and he gives Taeil a look that was asking him to say different. Taeil looks over at the boy sitting at the counter, hands fiddling on the surface, and his face softens. 

"Alright, I'll let it slide this one Seo," Taeil waves a threatening finger at Johnny before smiling, "But he is really cute." Johnny and Taeil both look over at the same time, catching Mark's attention and his cheeks go red again as the duo gives him a small wave, too obvious that they had just been talking about him. 

Johnny begins to hum along to the jazz music playing, percussions lightly swaying along to the soothing brass tone of Nina Simone. His day was going absolutely amazing so far, that was, until he overheard the conversation of two ladies sitting right next to Mark at the counter.

"I just don't get why they have to shove it in our faces, you don't see me shoving my straightness into their faces," an older lady complained, much too loudly and Johnny's eyes shot over to Mark's face which had gone from happy to upsettingly uncomfortable. 

"I'm sorry ma'am do you have a problem with something?" Johnny smoothly cut into their conversatoin and the ladies gave him an apprehensive look before one of them gestures over to Mark with her eyes. 

"He's just making me very uncomfortable," she said loud enough for the boy to hear and Johnny grit his teeth, trying his best not to crush the cup in his hand. He was going to have to deal with this situation today? 

"But, excuse me for saying this, he's just sitting there," Johnny protests softly and as politely as he can. The first lady gives him an offended look. 

"It's just, he's gay, you know? I feel very unsettled around his kind," the second lady protests a bit more firmly and Johnny saw Mark flinch at the harshness of her tone. Johnny turns around, his anger beginning to boil over and he give Taeil a pointed look, the other having been standing by listening to the conversation. 

Johnny walks away and carefully puts a lid on Mark's now finished drink, sliding it over to the boy who gave him a grateful look. Johnny gives him a smile and gestures over to Taeil who was about to give the two a piece of his mind. 

"Ladies if you would please look up at the clock, can you tell me what time it is?" He points up at the clock resting on the wall and the ladies give him strange glances, not answering his question. "Well if you aren't going to respond I'll tell you."

Taeil takes sunglasses out of his pocket and slides them on. "Ladies it's Taeil time and that means there are absolutely no homophobic comments allowed in this establishment so I'm going to have to ask your crusty asses to leave my store before you get your baby powder flavored lotion all over my nice and clean counter." 

The two ladies' mouths drop open along with Mark's while Johnny stiffles a laugh. 

"Well I never!" The two ladies immediately got up, grabbing their hand bags and giving all three of the boys dirty looks. They were almost to the door when Taeil called out again.

"You'll do good to remember that Taeil time is all the time, have a horrible day," he gives the two a mocking smile and a wiggle of his fingers as they huff, complaining loudly as they storm out of the door. Johnny finally let's out his laugher and bends over as he struggles to breathe, Taeil sporting a proud look on his face as he tucks the sunglasses back into his apron. 

"Thank you guys," Mark's voice pulls their attention to the boy with slight tears in his eyes and Johnny beams as Taeil slides the boy a free cookie. 

"Don't worry about it, you can come back anytime and we'll always have your back," Johnny feels pride well in his chest as Mark smiles happily. "I hope we didn't keep you long." 

"Oh don't worry about it, my work is just a couple blocks down so I'm in no rush, thank you for the cookie," Mark bids the two a sweet goodbye and heads happily out of the door, sipping on his cold drink. Johnny watches as Mark turns right and heads down the street. 

He jumps when he feels a hand come to rest on his shoulder. He looks over to see Taeil giving him a warm look. Johnny feels his face unintentionally go warm and he prays that his cheeks aren't burning red. His wish, however, goes unnoticed as red swims up his neck and covers his ears. But Taeil as oblivious as he is, or perhaps pretending to be, doesn't point out the flustered state as he speaks. 

"That was good of you to stick up for the kid, although I am glad I stepped in before you punched the old crabs and we would be dealing with the police." Taeil gives a hearty laugh and Johnny laughs as well. The two exchange another brief look before Taeil rushes off to finish baking some mini cakes and Johnny greets another customer at the counter. 

And so their day continues, a little bit brighter after having helped kick homophobia in it's horrible and ugly face. 

While I'm sure we'd all be happy to continue watching the duo work to help their customers (the nice ones anyways) I will leave our narration at that. I'm sure Mark will tell me more about it later. I wish you the best of days. 

~Lee Jeno, your narrator. 

__________________________