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Being an English professor is nowhere near easy.
Seulgi squints at one of her student’s papers, shaking her head in disbelief. “Is it really too much to ask for them to spell my name right?” The professor mutters to herself, clicking the end of her ballpoint pen in exasperation.
It’s moments like this where she questions her career of choice. She circles the word “Seulgi” in bold, red ink at the top left corner of the printed page before making a note to herself to dock off an extra point on the student’s grade.
“Kids these days, I swear to god,” Seulgi murmurs, running a hand over her tired eyes. She reaches out for the steaming coffee cup settled beside the neat stack of papers her students had handed into her during class yesterday.
The warm liquid revitalizes her somewhat bedridden state, sending caffeine coursing through her veins. Looking around the crowded coffeehouse, Seulgi found she could pick out other professors littered throughout the room.
Garden Variety Cup is one of the few places she’s deemed safe to venture out to without chancing upon one of her own students. The café is the perfect distance from both Yonsei University and Seulgi’s apartment to give that extra cushion of complete reassurance of isolation.
It seemed that she wasn’t the only one who had caught onto this observation. Without a shadow of a doubt, Saturday’s were every professor’s grading day. Returning her wandering gaze to her own workload for the morning, Seulgi sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.
She didn’t have high hopes for her afternoon, especially not after the first paper hadn’t even spelled her name correctly. The English professor took a deep breath, and dove back into the grueling work of grading. She silently prayed that the next paper would be better.
However, the college professor would discover later that she would need her back up pen, reserved only for special occasions where her students couldn’t seem to be able to open their own textbooks. On her tenth paper of the day, Seulgi gets up for another cup of coffee.
Two hours have passed since she first stepped foot in the coffee shop, and she still had a good chunk of papers left to grade before finishing. “Could I get another dirty chai, please?” She asks the barista with a small smile, setting her mug on the gleaming marble countertop.
She pushes over the exact change only to be waved away by the barista. Seulgi recognizes her almost instantly. “That’s alright, Professor Kang. I’m almost positive you’ll be back for a third,” the barista refuses. She lets out a soft chuckle before handing her money back.
Kim Dahyun was one of the few employees of Garden Variety Cup who worked weekend shifts. It was practically guaranteed that the fair skinned, raven haired beauty would be standing behind the barista counter, beaming and ready to take her order whenever Seulgi arrived.
The pair had formed somewhat of a friendship through Seulgi’s many visits to the café the course of the past year and a half while she’d been a professor at Yonsei. Practically every employee who worked there knew Seulgi's order like the back of their hand.
There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Seulgi was one of Garden Variety Cup’s most cherished customers. Dahyun’s radiant smile came somewhat as a relief to the downtrodden professor. “Thanks, Dahyun,” Seulgi cracks a sheepish smile, knowing that the younger woman was right.
“It’s no problem at all Professor Kang,” the college student replied with a wink, flitting off to ready Seulgi’s order. “Last semester I was a TA for my History class, I can feel your pain.” The two share a laugh as Dahyun puts the finishing touches on Seulgi’s order.
“At this rate, I might just be here until closing,” the professor joked, giggling. She swept her change into her coat pocket and gratefully bowed her head as Dahyun passed her another mug filled to the brim with her piping hot drink. “Thanks again, Dahyun.”
As she made her way back to the elongated oak table she’d stationed herself at, she noticed she had gained tablemate. The professor caught a glimpse of perfectly pressed eggshell blue scrubs, long and flowing black tresses, and a pair of brand new, blinding white running shoes.
As much as she wanted to take a better look at the other woman, Seulgi forced herself to hone back into her grading. Not even an extremely attractive doctor was going to keep her from finishing grading her papers this afternoon rather than in the ungodly hours of the night.
Five minutes later, just as Seulgi was reaching for her thirteenth paper from the pile on top of her leather shoulder bag, there came the sound of a cup crashing to the floor and the soft intake of breath.
Turning around in her seat, Seulgi realized that the doctor who she’d been sharing the table with had dropped her to-go cup of coffee onto the floor. She looked up at the doctor’s face and found herself shocked at the woman's beauty.
Even with pouting red lips, furrowed brows, and disappointment shining in her obsidian black eyes reflecting the spilt liquid, Seulgi understood immediately that the woman was gorgeous. Without even thinking, she sprang into action, leaving her stack of ungraded essays.
Hopping up from her seat, Seulgi’s main objective was to help the doctor clean up the spill. With her own coffee mug still clutched tightly in one hand, Seulgi rushed by where the other woman had spilled and expertly swept up a small stack of napkins from the barista bar.
After grabbing a hefty amount, Seulgi turned back towards where the doctor was standing, silently mourning the loss of her spilt coffee. The distinguished young woman looked more like a child who’d gotten caught with their hand in a cookie jar rather than a distinguished doctor.
Internally, Seulgi screamed because of the woman’s cute behavior. “Here,” Seulgi said, handing the doctor half of the napkins. The professor then stooped to the floor and set her own cup near the spill, then began mopping the blotch of dark brown as best as she could.
“Ah, thank you so much,” she heard the other woman say. Her voice was as gentle as the sensation of rubbing your fingers against fine silk. Doing her best to concentrate on mopping up the spill, Seulgi hardly even noticed when the doctor had joined in on her efforts as well.
“It’s no problem at all,” Seulgi said, eyes trained on her sodden napkins. She didn’t trust herself to meet the young doctor’s eye. The fierce blush covering her cheeks was reaching the tips of her ears. So far, so good. At least Seulgi hadn’t embarrassed herself yet.
“I’m sure they’ll make you another coffee free of charge since you spilled it. Heaven knows I’ve spilled my fair share of coffee here, too.” The professor glances up to catch sight of the doctor’s gleaming, grateful smile and she feels her brain beginning to malfunction.
Just as Seulgi straightens up from where she and the young doctor been kneeling, her foot collides with her own half empty cup on the café floor. She watches, petrified and eyes wide, as her cup goes sprawling sideways across the tile floor, spilling its contents everywhere.
So much for being the hero, Seulgi thinks to herself as she takes in the sight, sighing softly. A snort breaks her thoughts, causing the professor to look over her shoulder. The doctor stands behind her, leaning against the barista bar for support, laughing at the scene.
Sheepishly, Seulgi walks over to the trashcan and throws away her napkins. The she turns on her heel and reaches over the doctor’s shaking shoulder for more to mop up the fresh spill. A hand catches hers, halting her actions.
The pads of the doctor’s fingers are cold like ice, probably from working long hours in a hospital or clinic. But the other woman’s eyes are the complete opposite. They’re deep and dark, swirling with waves of warm chocolate. Seulgi’s reddens even further at the close proximity.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be laughing, you were trying to help me,” The doctor gasps out in between giggles. Seulgi watches, stunned, as the black haired woman releases her hand to a fistful of napkins herself. The doctor stoops to collect Seulgi’s stray cup.
“I’ll buy us both another round after this,” the doctor says, sopping up Seulgi’s chai with a grin, “I’m pretty sure we could both use the caffeine boost.” She laughs then, the sound light and airy. “I just got off of a twenty hour shift, so god knows I need it.”
“What’s the name for the order?” Dahyun asks in a friendly tone, ringing up the total for the large Americano and Dirty Chai Latte. Secretly, the barista remembered exactly what the beautiful woman’s name was, but she knew Seulgi would want to hear it for herself.
“Oh, right, it’s Joohyun,” the doctor replied smoothly, flashing Dahyun a smile as she fished for her wallet. Seulgi stood sheepishly next to her in line, trying in vain not to meet the barista’s trademark smirk.
“Miss Kang, funny seeing you around so soon again,” the barista commented offhandedly, swiping Joohyun’s card. There’s a pointed look about the college student’s eyes, silently cuing the English professor to make conversation.
“Well, Joohyun-ssi and I got into a bit of an accident,” Seulgi huffs, running a hand through her slightly unkempt hair. She does her best to ignore the weight that shifts upon her shoulders when she realizes she has Joohyun’s full, undivided attention.
“Looks like you were right about me needing a third cup after all, Dahyun.” The barista beamed at them and sent a wink Seulgi’s way, “I always am about these sorts of things, you know. I’ll have those coffees out for you guys in just a few minutes.” Joohyun tucks her card back into her black leather billfold and leans against the counter.
Joohyun tucks her card back into her black leather billfold and leans against the counter. Dahyun twirls away to begin fixing up their fresh beverages, but not before shooting one last lingering look in Seulgi’s direction.
The professor’s seen that face before on her other friends, one of silent encouragement, saying, ‘You better go after this one, Ddeulgi.’ “So, Professor Kang,” Joohyun drawls, lean figure leaning against the bar facing her as they wait for their drinks.
Her voice draws the professor out of her thoughts, and she turns to see that gorgeous smile splay across Joohyun’s face. “What is it that you teach, exactly?” Joohyun asked, eyes alight with curiosity. Seulgi smiled then, soft and sweet at the doctor.
Dahyun carefully sets their drinks on the bar and walks away quietly. The pair walk back to Seulgi’s stack of ungraded essays with their drinks in hand, and there’s one thing that’s replaying over and over in her mind as she can come up with before she replies to Joohyun’s question.
Thank God for Saturday Grade Day.