Chapter Text
Day 1
The day starts off like every other, I help my manager open shop and begin taking orders. It’s a small coffee shop, across from some rather important looking buildings. Our regulars consist of overworked employees, elders, and my favourite regular Jaehee.
She usually comes in around 2, as my shift is ending, for a cup of coffee and some light conversation before heading back to work. She has never explicitly told me about her job, but I’ve gathered that she’s overworked by someone in one of those buildings.
As 2 rolls around, I begin to look for her in the crowds crossing the street. Usually when I see her face I begin to prepare her cup, that way I can hang up my apron and sit down with her for a bit. Today was different though, the clock got closer and closer to 2 yet I couldn’t find her at all. The shop bells rang, alerting me of another customer, and I made my way to the front to greet them.
My hopes of seeing Jaehee crushed when instead I saw a tall and handsome man looking around the shop, somewhat confused. He wore a lovely black suit, rather overdressed for this coffee shop, his dark hair framed his face well, his handsome light grey eyes connecting with mine as a small smile formed on his lips. He made his way up to the counter and I felt my heart skip a beat. “Hello Sir, may I please take your order?” I say with my customer service voice like always. He pulls out a small notepad from his jacket pocket and flips through a couple pages before stopping to look back up at me. “I’m not too sure, my assistant comes by here often. Today she is quite busy, so I offered to grab her what she wanted… but her order makes no sense.” He looks back down at the page, yet again confused.
“Well Sir, I know almost the entire menu by heart, so if you have a general idea or maybe if I can see the notes,” I don’t want to seem demanding, but I’m not about to stand here for an hour trying to figure out what this rich guy needs to order. “I should be able to figure it out from there.” He looks at me, confusion flashing through his eyes. He hands me the notepad and instantly I recognize Jaehee’s order. “Oh! Jaehee! She’s one of my regulars, I’ll get on this right away. Is there anything you would like?” I ask, bringing the order up on the till. He shakes his head slightly. “Alright then Sir, it’ll be $3.75.” I say, handing back the notepad.
He hands me the money and soon I get to work. I can tell he’s watching me work, whenever I turn around to check for more customers he turns away quickly. I overhear whispers from the other customers as I go to grab a cup, something about ‘executive director’ and ‘Mr. Han’. Obviously this guy was well known. I write ‘For Jaehee, I missed you today. I hope to see you tomorrow <3’ on her cup before giving it to her boss.
“Here you go Sir, thank you for stopping by.” I say, the customer service dripping from my voice. “Yes, thank you Miss…” he trailed off, squinting to look at my name tag, “MC.” I cut in, my handwriting is rather small. He looks back up at me, “Mc…” He says, thoughtfully as he flashes a gorgeous smile at me before he turns to the exit. A part of me wants to see that smile over and over again. I smiled to myself as I hung up my apron.
I come across all kinds of people in my line of work, especially handsome men, but none of them seemed to interest me as much as he did. I wondered if he would ever return, although a man like him, he probably has people to bring him much more extravagant coffee.
I make my way down the streets, weaving my way between people as I make my way back to my apartment. My afternoon walks home are always rather rewarding, as I always pass by some flower shops, and ever so often buy a small bouquet for my office. My apartment was cozy, the windows were usually open to let in a breeze while I paint. I have never released my works to the public, but one day I hope to be able to live off the earnings from my art.
My dreams of becoming a famous artist had always been there, in the back of my mind, hoping that one day I could flourish. About a year ago I found myself at an art show that was showcasing a famous photographer's works. I ended up meeting him, and when I confessed my own desires he asked to see my work. We ended up talking for a while and before I went home we exchanged work emails. Recently he contacted me, offering some spots at his next show, and of course I said yes.
I continued to work into the evening, but as the sky grew dark I realized my mind began to wander off to the man at the shop. Curious, I grab my phone and take a break from my still-life piece. I go to my search bar and type in what I remember the customers saying. Soon my page was filled up with news headlines about ‘Jumin Han’ the executive director at… C&R? Jaehee works for this guy… the.. Son of the Chairman? Huh? Why would he come by my small coffee shop for Jaehee? So many thoughts flew around my head as I realized who I met. ‘So when he smiled at me… was that because he was a womanizer like his father? Am I just an object in his mind?’ My worries were pointless, he was insanely rich and famous, he would probably never even come back to the shop, I mean if I was in his position I wouldn't.
I put my phone down and begin putting my paints away. My debut show was approaching rather fast and yet none of the paintings I wanted to showcase felt finished. I sighed and moved my canvases to the living room so that they could dry. I really didn’t want to disappoint V, but I was starting to think that it would be better if I pulled out of the show.
I shut off the lights to my apartment before crawling into bed, going over the day in its entirety. My interactions with Mr. Han still fresh in my mind. His radiant smile was like a prize to be held. In almost all the news photos I saw, he never graced them with that look.
Day 2
I got up at 4:30 am, making my way to the kitchen for some toast before taking a shower and getting ready for my shift. I usually leave my house around 5:30 and often find myself watching the sun rise as I make my way down to the shop. My manager often recommends that I get a car, offering to pay me more if I don’t have the money, but to be honest, the sounds of the city waking are music to my ears.
As I made my way into the shop around 5:45, I began my shift by organizing the cups and preparing all the machines for the day ahead. I always feel prideful as I switch the sign from ‘Closed’ to ‘Open’ and watch as people begin to make their way in. Today felt busier than usual, probably because The Jumin Han was here yesterday and everyone wants to stand where he stood. I couldn’t complain though, this was very good for the shop.
Soon noon was rolling around, I felt myself begin to tire, the people wouldn’t stop pouring in and I was beginning to wonder if this would become a regular occurrence. The traction began to slow down around 12:30, and I was making my way to the back for more supplies when I heard the door open again.
“I’ll be there in a minute!” I call out, grabbing some more cups. I wish my manager hadn’t left the shop after opening, I feel so bad leaving the customer but I hope they’ll understand. I rushed back out to see him. There he stood in all his glory, looking expectantly at his watch. “Sorry Sir! It’s been rather busy today, should I prepare the same thing as yesterday?” I ask, putting my stuff down and going back to the register. “Is it only you? Why doesn’t your boss hire more staff?” He asked, as if I hadn’t even spoken. “Ah… We don’t normally have this many people in the shop, my manager and I usually open together and then I work till 2 and he takes over till 10 when we usually close. Now, what can I get you?” I press, hoping he’ll understand. He looks up at the menu, confusion crossing his face. “Right, I never usually come to coffee shops,” ‘I thought so’ “What do you recommend?” he asked, his eyes coming down to meet mine. “Well Sir, I think I make a mean cappuccino. Care to try and prove me wrong?”
I was determined to show this rich guy my talents. I don’t know what came over me but suddenly I wanted to prove that my coffee was better than what he normally has. He seemed almost offended with the way I spoke to him, but he began to smile. “Is that so? Well, I guess I’ll have to try it then, won’t I?” He said, grabbing his wallet. I rang up his total, “$2.50 is your total, Sir.” He handed me some change and I began to prepare his order.
I could feel him watching me work again as I wondered what could possibly have brought him back to the shop, he wasn’t even buying Jaehee her coffee today. I put his cup on the counter, watching as he put the lid on it before bringing the cup to his soft lips. His face remained almost perfectly emotionless, but there was something that crossed his face. I could’ve been dreaming but I think he was impressed. “Not bad,” He said with a small smile, “I think I might just have to come back someday.”
And with that he made his way out the door, I was still grinning like a fool when my next customer came in.
My shift continued without any more excitement, and soon I was getting ready for my manager to come back. “MC!” A voice called, I must not have heard the door open. I turned around to see Jaehee standing there. I grinned and made my way over to the counter. “Jaehee you’re here! How are you? Are you alright? What do you want? I can pay for it, maybe a croissant? I baked them fresh about an hour ago!” I smiled at my friend.
“Woah woaah woah, I’ll just have my regular,” I began to get to work preparing her order as she continued, “I’m fine, I was just busy yesterday, I’m so sorry. I hope my boss didn’t cause any trouble for you, he seemed rather confused when he left. And I guess, if you’re paying, maybe a croissant would be nice.” I gave her a thumbs up as my manager walked in.
“MC, how has business been?” He asked, grabbing his apron and preparing my order I usually have when Jaehee is here. “Much busier than usual, since Jumin Han came by people have been flocking to the shop. Some of them got to see him too, he came by again around noon.” I said, giving Jaehee her cup and croissant. I grabbed one for myself and paid for both our orders. “Well at least he has been bringing in more service, but if it ever gets too much, give me a call and I will start to make arrangements to hire someone else.” He said as I hung up my apron for the day. I reassured him that I was okay and grabbed my frappe.
Jaehee and I grabbed a table by the window and discussed our days. “I’m so sorry about Mr. Han,” She started, “he offered to grab my coffee since I was extremely busy, but I didn't think he was going to come back.” She took a bite out of her croissant and smiled at me. “It’s fine, I was surprised too when he returned. Honestly though, he’s brought pretty good business, so I can’t really complain can I.” I smile a little and finish my drink. “When he came back to the office with a cup from your shop I was so confused. Originally I had thought it was for me, but he just passed by me and made his way to his office.” I laughed a little, glad that he seemed to enjoy my creation. “So what’s new with you? Anything going on in that painter's mind of yours?” She asks.
“I have a show coming up in a few days,” Jaehee glared at me, “don’t give me that look, I know, I didn’t tell you… I’m… Still unsure on whether I’ll attend.” Jaehee’s face softens as she finishes her coffee.
“Who’s hosting it?” She dabs her face with a napkin, and then places it on her lap.
“You remember that photographer I met a while back?” She nodded, “He’s hosting another show and has offered a couple spots for my art. I agreed because I thought it’d be an amazing experience, but now I’m just worried people won’t like my art, and then it’ll reflect on V… I’d feel horrible. He’s such an amazing photographer, I don’t want him to look bad because of me.” I mumble. “Oh- Well… I don’t… well…If V has offered you the spots, that means something for sure. Don’t feel pressured to attend, but I think it will be an amazing opportunity. I’m sure you won’t disappoint him. If it makes you feel any better, I have tickets to attend, so I’ll be there to cheer you on.” She began to clean up, her break would be over soon. “Thank you, Jaehee, thank you.” Her words would definitely help me decide what to do. “You know, We haven’t even exchanged numbers and yet I consider you one of my closest out of work friends,” she said while handing me her phone, “please put your number in, I’ll text you after my shift.” I smiled as I took her phone and made myself a contact.
We left the shop together and I waved to her as I turned and headed home, her words giving me a lot to think about.
I worked hard on my paintings all afternoon and into the evening. I focused most of my time on one of my larger pieces, it was from a photo I took on my last vacation, the trees fascinated me and this piece challenged me to focus on the details that I loved so much.
Jaehee texted me, saying that she was thankful for today, and saying that we should start hanging out outside of work. I smile and reply back saying that I would love that. I go to bed with a smile on my face, actually feeling good about the show.