Chapter Text
Yoona really wanted the girl in front of her to hurry up.
Considering the crappy day she had had so far, she realizes stepping out to get coffee may not have been the best idea. However, she had ten more boxes to unpack and no spare willpower, which translates to: coffee is the only way I can actually finish setting up my dorm by the end of the day.
Fast-forward to now. She stares at the back of a black bob, watching the girl in front of her seemingly order for the entire city.
"Can I please have six cappuccinos with oat milk ….. three mochaccinos with regular, low-fat milk and …… yep! Two Americanos? All will be size medium!" she quips, her voice lilting with a brand of happiness Yoona does not possess at the moment.
She watches as the cashier's eyes loll slightly, a state of shock momentarily taking over his body. Yoona's eyes drop to his name tag: Leehan. Must be his first day. Yoona quickly glances behind her — oof. The line is out the door. Not a fun situation to be in.
Despite her impatience, Yoona feels sympathetic towards the cashier, knowing she herself is in the same predicament of "ending it all" hopelessness. That’s why she waits patiently for the cashier to resurrect, knowing his state was caused by Annoying Girl anyways.
The cashier finally snaps out of his stupor, eyes refocusing on the screen as he awkwardly laughs. He finishes taking down the order on his screen and glances back at Annoying Girl.
"Anything else?" he asks, his voice so strained it comes out more like "Please go away."
"Yes, actually!"
Yoona feels a sigh so deep she thinks it came from the core of the Earth. Of course, she has more to order. But what confuses her more is the expectation she would hear a collective groan from everybody behind her. You know, those type of moments that seem straight out of a movie. Except, she glances behind her and realizes that …. nobody seems to care.
In fact, they seem perfectly content with the fact that Annoying Girl is ordering for an entire soccer team smack dab in the middle of Seattle rush hour — 8:30 am.
Why is Yoona the only that cares? Is Yoona ….. a buzzkill?
Honestly, yeah. She owns it — she is a buzzkill. However, in this situation, she also has the moral upper hand. This entire situation is 100% an impediment to the lives of many. Yoona is confident that many of those in line have work or class or THINGS TO DO. So, why … is she the ONLY person who seems to care that Annoying Girl has been ordering for the past fifteen minutes? Yes, Yoona has been keeping track to document how ridiculous the situation is. After all, she is clearly the only sane person in line.
"Can I have six avocado chicken sandwiches and five tomato cucumber sandwiches as well? Half of my friends are vegetarian, so gotta accommodate for the crowd, right?" Annoying Girl chuckles, cheerfully slapping her card on the monitor as cashier Leehan swivels it around.
Hardy har har. Man, Yoona is so lucky, she ended up right behind Seattle's funniest person! This is the best day of her life!
Yoona rolls her eyes hearing the cashier force himself to laugh along, once again feeling a pang of sympathy for him and for retail workers at large. Yoona thinks that she’d consume more coffee than the customers themselves if she had to deal with someone like Annoying Girl every day.
Annoying Girl FINALLY finishes the transaction, grinning at cashier Leehan as she steps aside. Finally, Yoona thinks. She can order!
But then, her relief leads her to do something a little … stupid.
"Wow, I'm surprised. I thought I wouldn't get coffee before the end of the year," she mutters, stepping around the girl and gearing up to order.
Annoying Girl glances back at her.
Oops. Yoona may have messed up just a little bit.
Then again, this girl should know that her inconsideration DID affect others. Yoona is doing a public service, really, by letting her annoyance be heard. So, Yoona looks at Annoying Girl, ready to stand her ground against anything this girl says.
Instead, she is faced with a sunny smile and gentle eyes. Along with 67 (SIX SEVEN) inches of height.
"Oh, I totally get you. These lines can be so long, especially now that the school year is starting and college students come here in the thousands," the tall girl laughs, as if she had no idea Yoona is being sarcastic and is choosing to play dumb on purpose. Except, it seems she genuinely has no idea Yoona was being spiteful. Her face is completely earnest, devoid of any snark or condescension.
Yoona's heart gives a traitorous thump.
Big brown eyes, round cheeks, genuine smile. This girl has the brightest, most sparkly eyes; the light in them is almost blinding, despite the fact that it's been raining for the past four hours Yoona has been a resident of Seattle.
For the first time since 4:30 that morning, Yoona finally feels the flabbergasted wonder one expects to feel upon arriving in a brand new city. I guess there is something magical about moving here, Yoona thinks, dazed by Coffee Girl’s kind gaze, messy hair and earnest smile.
“Uhhhhhh. I-” Yoona stutters out, then trying again, “Yeah, totally. September, right? Well, I’m gonna order now,” Yoona says intelligently.
She winces internally, but she has no time to rectify her mistakes. She needs to exit this conversation as soon as possible.
Pretty Girl laughs and nods, unperturbed by Yoona’s abomination of social skills. It’s as if she meets haughty introverts every day, which wouldn’t be surprising if she always engages in spontaneous conversation with random strangers the way she is doing now.
"For sure! I’m just gonna be over there,” she says, pointing to the seats by the window as if inviting Yoona to sit with her.
Yoona had no idea what to make of that, so instead, she swivels to face Cashier Leehan, who is fighting down a smile, though for what reason Yoona doesn’t know.
“Good morning! What can I get you today?" he says cheerfully, looking at Yoona with a glee uncharacteristic to someone working in customer service during rush hour.
“Hi, good morning. I’d like one medium Americano with extra espresso please. Thank you,” Yoona says, squinting her eyes in pretend thought at the menu to avoid the cashier’s gleeful stare.
Cashier Leehan’s smile widens almost instantly, a terrifying joy sitting in those pearly thirty-two teeth. If Yoona didn’t know any better, it almost seemed like Leehan knew something Yoona didn’t. But that could hardly be true for someone Yoona had just met and only shared brief moments of internalized sympathy with.
“Is that all?”
"Yes please.”
"Okay, one medium Americano with extra expresso along with the previous girl’s number. I’ll get that ready for you in a jiffy!”
"Thank you — excuse me, what?”
Yoona, who had started walking away (not to the windows), swivels back around, seeing the cashier snicker at her surprise. Truthfully, Yoona was lost — she wasn’t exactly sure what Leehan was trying to imply and how that was relevant to Yoona getting caffeine in her body as soon as possible.
“Oh, come on! You totally have a crush on the girl who just ordered,” Leehan grins, leaning in conspiratorially as if they were friends gossiping over brunch. Eugh, brunch, Yoona thinks.
“You mean Annoying Girl? Who I literally just met fifteen seconds ago?” Yoona drawls, mustering up her best “you are crazy” look. Leehan chuckles at that, tilting his head in mock scrutiny.
"Awww —” he croons, “You even have a cute nickname for her! See, you’re totally crushing on her. The good news is I’m positive she likes you back. The way she was looking at you? She’s super into you! You should totally go and sit with her,” Leehan affirms, tapping Yoona’s arm and pointing to the windows, where Just Girl was scrolling on her phone.
Yoona, once again at a loss for words, looks back at Leehan and smiles awkwardly. “Thank you, but I think I'm just gonna wait for my coffee over there.” She swivels around, trying to tune out Leehan’s delighted laugh in the background. She pointedly walks away from the windows, leaning against the wall opposite to the pick-up station. As if on cue, her phone buzzes in her pocket. Seven new messages from Lily. Yoona has never been more thankful to have been friends with Lily Morrow in her entire life.
ill see you there lily morrow
DUDE IM GONNA KILL DONGMIN
he signed the band up for battle of the bands
BRUH I DONT WANNA SING IN FRONT OF MY PEERS
or worse in front of my roommate
i NEED her to like me you dont get it
she’s so cool she definitely thinks im basic for liking taylor swift
she’s gonna think im chud if she sees me performing like a jester in front of my classmates
what did haewon say
SHE BETRAYED ME
she think it’s good “exposure” for the band
we dont need exposure we have a loyal fanbase
*fan
im the only one who listens to your music
anyways haewon is right
dont kill dongmin
im #noticing
you side w him more than you side w me
man i either side w logic or whoever promised to buy me overwatch skins
in this case minnie is more logical
also the two of us have the 04z allyship so
ive known you longer
by two minutes
im your best friend
unfortunately
also dongmin is my best friend too
yeah but im your best best friend
alright vro
also why aren’t we texting in the gc
don’t tell me you’re actually mad at him
no dumbass
he’s in class and i dont want him to mute the gc again bc of us texting
we can text in there if you want
but you’re gonna have to
bear the consequences later
#dramatic
but yeah i need to talk to all of you about this
ABOUT WHAT
OH MY GOD SPILL GIRL
dont call me girl
lsd business from hong kong
so
minnie mouse:
im in class stop the yapping
that went well
ill see you there lily morrow
ok ig we’re gonna have to talk in here
ill just tell the rest later
told you so
wait
WHOOPS
gotta get to class
my music prod prof is strict ash
i hate both of you i need new friends
Yoona sighed, rubbing the crease between her eyebrows. She really needed new friends. Now, she had to larp on her phone to avoid looking like she was available and therefore, open for conversation. She opened her Instagram and aimlessly scrolled through her chats with Haewon, Kyujin, Dongmin and Lily, hoping she looked busy enough. She was too scared to look in Pretty Girl’s direction, so she had no idea if she was looking her way or worse, coming over to talk. The nerves were making Yoona more distracted, preventing her from keeping up the act of being busy.
This was too stressful — all Yoona wanted when she left her dorm was coffee. Now she had one new problem and a renewed loathing for her friends.
Just as she was about to put her phone away and accept her fate, she got a Message notification from Dongmin.
minnie mouse
alr my psych class is FINALLY done
what’s up
how far are you on unpacking
probs not far since you havent slept since like yesterday but
coffee should fix that
THATS THE PROBLEM VRO
its so wraps
is coffee banned in seattle or sum
i wish it was
then this wouldnt be happening rn
also can you stop getting mad at us every time we text you in class
just dnd your phone like everyone else
i cant dnd my phone what if i miss oasis reunion notifs
you are not real
yeah youre right im actually a holographic simulation
lily felt too bad to tell you but
you have an imaginary friend
yeah well jokes on you
im actually zarya
yk what that means?
you send your song demos to your overwatch main
i dont main zarya anymore
dude ik you’re lying
we lit played overwatch two days ago
a lot has changed in two days
oh did oasis reunite
uncalled for
ANYWAYS
this was about you
why are you stressed over coffee
ok so like you said
i kinda had zero energy to unpack
so i decided to go and get coffee from this local shop
i walk in
long ass line
then the girl in front of me
orders 11 COFFEES AND SANDWICHES
she legit took twenty minutes to order cuz she was straight up thinking for the first ten
so i made a
comment
when it was FINALLY my turn
she heard and had no idea i was being sarcastic?!
gen thought i was making a joke and started engaging in convo w me
obviously i was flustered and so i just awkwardly tried to exit the converstaion
i go to place my order
then the fucking CASHIER leans in and starts talking about how i have a crush on this girl
who i have nicknamed annoying girl by now btw
adding that “i want her number” to my order and everything
and he’s gossiping about how this girl likes me back too
what alternate universe am i in
ive been trying to larp on my phone for the past five minutes
JUST so that girl doesnt talk to me
LMAO WTFFFFFF
FUNNIEST MOMENT OF THE YEAR
HALL OF FAMER
oh like when you didnt get tickets to mcr’s tour
leave me alone
anyhoobs
i get the embarrassment and awkwardness
the cashier is … interesting fs
but the girl herself doesnt seem to really care
she seems nice enough
so i wouldnt overthink too much
i get why its easy to overthink
and id do the same thing normally but
this is your first day in a new city
its a new chapter of your life!
dont let this ruin your mood more than it already is from
unpacking and all that shit
alr ig
do you wanna facetime later
once packing is done
nah i dont really wanna see your face
no its because you said you’re zarya
i wanna see zarya irl
who even is seol yoona
the public wants zarya
The corner of Yoona’s mouth lifts slightly. She’d never admit it to either of their faces, but it sucked she’d have to experience college without her best friends. Haewon and Lily had already left a year before Yoona, Dongmin and Kyujin, so Yoona had gotten used to their absence in a way. But now, Dongmin and Kyujin were going to the same college and were in the same major as both Lily and Haewon, meaning the four of them were in one place and Yoona was in another, very far, place.
Really, Yoona should never have become friends with four angsty musicians who “needed to go to the same college” to preserve the band’s “musical cohesion”.
Now, the rest of her friends would see each other every day, while Yoona is halfway across the country getting into coffee altercations with handsome girls.
k bro wtv you say
hm nonchalant
i approve
anyways dont think too much
just do you
bruh idek who i am
how am i supposed to do me
we’re 18 none of us know who we are
just do what feels natural is what i mean
ok…..
also fr do you like this chick
dude
idek her name
find out then
also you’re fs larping
you like her i know it
you even gave her a nickname
bro thats what the cashier said
wait this cashier knows whats up
he’s cool i like him
his name is leehan
how tf do you know his name and not annoying girl
THE CASHIER HAS A NAME TAG HOP OFF
wait nvm i forgot you hop off overwatch every time you lose
you hop off social interactions
…..
you got me there
anyways just figure her name out
i gotta go
ive got class
bai sully
dont f this up
encouraging words
as always
Yoona had zero purpose for knowing Girl’s name. She was probably never gonna see her again, hopefully — no, definitely. So, Dongmin’s advice was useless and there was no reason to follow it. Yoona was just gonna stand here and get her coffee and leave and finish unpacking and finally sleep.
"Order 99 and 100!” Cashier Leehan announces. Yoona checks her slip — she’s order 100. Thank god, Yoona thinks, relieved that she can finally put an unhealthy amount of caffeine in her body and invigorate a temporary sense of productivity.
As she steps up to the pick-up counter to get her Americano, she is once again faced with the terrifying jubilation of Cashier Leehan’s smile.
“Uh….can I help you with something?” Yoona squints in confusion, lost on what he could possibly be happy about this time. Then, it clicks. If she’s order 100, that means that order 99 is….
“Thanks for taking an order so big! I know Seattle rush hour can be crazy, so I appreciate it,” Handsome Girl steps out from behind Yoona, smiling at Cashier Leehan as she awkwardly gathers the paper bags and coffee caddies in her hands.
“No problem! That’s what we do here at Extraterrestrial Coffee. Though, I have to ask, do you need any help?”
She waves her hand dismissively, immediately yelping as the motion almost causes the coffee caddy to tumble out of her hand. She makes a joking “oops” expression as she looks back at cashier Leehan.
“Though it looks bad, I do have a friend waiting outside, so it’s fine. I just have to tough it till the front door,” she laughs, shrugging slightly as if it’s no big deal.
“Alright! If you’re sure,” he smiles politely, before looking back at Yoona with that same cheerful-menacing grin he’s been sporting for the past ten minutes.
“You must be order 100. Here you go.”
"…Thanks.”
Yoona hesitantly grabs her coffee, side eyeing Leehan as she turns to leave. Once she’s fully swiveled around, she sighs — she’s finally free, ready to put this sequence of events far, far behind her.
“See you around!”
Yoona glances back at Leehan in confusion.
"Oh, your t-shirt? I’m starting at UDub next week too! So, it’s really nice to meet a classmate,” he smiles, throwing a mock salute before returning to the register.
Well, isn’t that just fantastic.