Chapter Text
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As usual, Jang Gyeo-ul starting her job again today.
Working as a part time barista in a café not too far from Sejong University in Seoul. Ah no, she’s not longer a part timer anymore. She’s full time barista of this café right now. A few months ago, she was an Art Theory student in Korea National University of Arts. But now she’s in leaving because she wanted to take a rest from her tired college life for a while. Yes, she’s that kind of girl who could easily get bored with something that must require a routine thing. She doesn’t like if her daily life will always stay the same without anything special inside them. There is no meaning in her daily life as an ordinary college student. She needs something new in her life.
And how about her job as a barista in this Cafe24 now?
When Chu Min-ha, her best friend was offering her this job, Gyeo-ul was really excited as hell. Because she finally could do something different exclude studying arts theories in college. She really interested and challenged to studying about coffee and barista things. Her heart fluttered when she found out that this job is quite interesting for her. She even got her barista certificate not for a long time because she loves to learn something new in her life. A thing that might be influential for her skill to doing some things that she might be doing it again someday. The things that she would not know she will be good at. Some things that might be useful for her future life. Who knows, right?
And became a barista is a new thing that make her heart fluttered at first. But after a few months worked in this café doesn’t feel the same anymore. This job doesn’t make her heart fluttered anymore. She doesn’t even know why she always feels this way, either with her college life or her job life. She needed something new in her life. But unfortunately, she doesn’t even know what she needed for in her life. Now she is not easily satisfied to do any activity these days. She can’t even enjoy herself anymore.
‘Oh, God… I think I need another job, its really getting bored every day!’ she thought.
Gyeo-ul is standing behind the counter and she’s getting ready for work today. She wears an apron to cover her body then she cleans the counter and a few things of coffee maker. Now she’s typing something on a computer, the one that was used for inputting the customer’s order. After getting ready, she’ll take the orders from the customer, make some coffees, ring the bell as a sign that their order is ready to serve, giving them the drinks, and will say ‘enjoy your drink’ to the customers as usual.
That was what she did almost for every day in this café. Twelve hours per day, with a day off a week. That feeling is come back again towards her. She feels bored with her routine as a barista. Until a thing that will make her fluttered again is coming to her. On its way.
“Welcome to Cafe24!” shouted Jang Hong-do, a part timer who works along with Gyeo-ul, when he saw someone entering the café.
A man entered the café while looking around looking in all directions as he looking for a seat for him. Jang Gyeo-ul is still busy ponying her hair in black hairband that are shaped like a telephone wires. She’s not realized that the man is walking towards her now.
A tall figure with a really broad and wide shoulders. He is wearing a black short-sleeved t-shirt that shows the muscles on his arms, completed with blue-colored jeans, brown-colored boots, and also a backpack that hangs on his right shoulder.
Jang Gyeo-ul stopped tying her hair until she felt that her hair ties were strong enough and she prepared to take orders from customers who just came. Then she found him there. Gyeo-ul blinked several times as if in disbelief at what she saw now. Her eyes could quickly scan the figure from top to bottom. While working at this café, Gyeo-ul has met hundreds of people every day and made orders for them. But this time she felt different when she saw the man walking towards the counter right in front of her.
He looks… Fine.
I think I never saw him here before…
Is he just a person who happened to stop by this café?
or is he just moved around here?
He looks young, maybe a few years older than me?
Or maybe is he one of a student of Sejong University?
Who the hell is he?
Why is it just now that he come to this café?
She thoughts.
But quickly she came back to her senses and started doing her job.
“Let me take your order, sir.” she said.
The man who was standing in front of her, raised his face to read the menu in the café while Jang Gyeo-ul was still staring every inch of the man's face.
‘Oh… If I can touch that jawline…’
OH MY GOD, WHAT DID YOU JUST THINK ABOUT, JANG GYEO-UL?!
She was sure that the man whose eyes were still staring at the menu board had said something because his mouth moved as if he was talking. But Gyeo-ul couldn't hear any voices on her ears. She was still too focused on staring at the man's face that their eyes met. The man looked back at her. Oh, I forgot about the order! Gyeo-ul thought.
“I’m sorry, what is your order, Sir?” she repeated her question.
“A cup of hot latte for take away, please.” He said. That voice of him, she thinks she would like to hear that voice again.
“It’s 5,000 won. Do you want to add anything else?”
The man shook his head and gave her a credit card to pay for the order. Gyeo-ul quickly finished the payment transaction and returned the credit card and receipt back to the man. She held the credit card and receipt in both hands and reached out to the man.
“What is your name, sir?”
The man's eyes widened when he heard her question. What's with the barista in front of him right now? Is she trying to flirting on me? He thought.
“I’m sorry?” he asked nervously.
“Ah, I need to write your name here, Sir. It’s a service of our café to write down the customer’s name on this cup. “ Gyeo-ul showed him a white paper cup on her left hand – the special packaging for hot drinks, that she took it from a shelf not far from her.
“Ah. I’m Ahn Jeong-won.” He smiled a little bit. Jang Gyeo-ul swears that was the best smile of her customer that she ever saw since the day one she worked here.
So, this handsome guy in front of her is Ahn. Jeong. Won. She keeps repeating his name on her mind to make sure that she will always remember it.
Ahn Jeong-won.
Ahn Jeong-won.
Ahn Jeong-won.
Gyeo-ul wrote his name on the cup and started to make a cup of hot latte as his order. She took a look on him for a few times while making the coffee. The man, Ahn Jeong-won looking at his phone while waiting for his hot latte in front of the counter.
“Your order, a cup of hot latte!” Gyeo-ul said. Jeong-won turns his head and immediately slips his cellphone back into his pocket. He took the hot latte from Gyeo-ul’s hand carefully.
Touched…
That cup of hot latte mediated a small touch between their fingers. Gyeo-ul's eyes widened, she could feel that little touch was the reason why her heart suddenly beating so fast. Gyeo-ul looks back at Jeong-won’s face, hoping that he doesn't notice the change that just happened to her.
“Thank you, Jang Gyeo-ul ssi.” The man smiled again at her before sipping his hot latte. Ahn Jeong-won walked out of the cafe immediately and Gyeo-ul was frozen behind the counter. She stared blankly at the man who just kept walking away.
What the…
“Please come back later!” said Hong-do who was standing next to her.
“Right? He must come back here again, right? Jang Hong-do??”
The girl gripped Hong-do’s shoulder and she staring at his eyes excitedly.
“Noona, what happened to you?!” asked Hong-do who just staring back at Gyeo-ul confused. Gyeo-ul immediately removed his grip from Hong-do's shoulder.
“That guy called my name!! ‘Thank you, Jang Gyeo-ul ssi’!! Just like this?!”
“So what?”
“Is he like me or something?”
Hong-do looks thoughtful for a moment as he looks at Gyeo-ul.
“No… He doesn’t like you, Noona”
“Why?!” Her expression is looked a little bit serious and disappointed by hearing Hong-do’s honest answer.
“Because he must be looked at your nametag here! Come on, Noona! I know you’re getting bored with your job, but please don’t think about anything strange, okay?!”
“Okay…”
Hong-do’s right. Gyeo-ul shouldn't think about strange things just because she's bored with his current job. But one thing is for sure, for a suddenly she just got a reason to keep staying here, working at Cafe24. Ahn Jeong-won, that man. She should keep working at this café so she could see him more often. Even if she doesn’t know whether the man would return to that place again or not.
‘I hope he’ll come back here again. Soon or later…’
The meeting with Ahn Jeong-won is suddenly become her hope for a while.
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