Work Text:
park chaewon's not very comfortable being the center of attention, especially when it's an awkward encounter with a stranger. but sometimes life just wants to stir things up and she felt that life was shitting on her at that moment.
starting from the morning christmas eve to the night of christmas day, the holiday drinks of starbucks were sold at a big discounted price. events like this would crowd the place and customers would have to wait in long lines. chaewon didn't particularly enjoy being surrounded by dozens of people but she's determined to get her favorite drink, the peppermint mocha.
as soon as she heard the event, she woke up earlier than usual and went to her favorite branch located inside the campus to be the first in line. when she arrived, she wasn't the first one but the 6th in line, and the store hasn't even opened yet. most of them were college students like her, broke and desperate to get a discounted coffee. when the store staffs came, the number of people waiting in line has already quadrupled.
when chaewon received her peppermint mocha, she felt proud of herself for successfully getting her favorite drink. she was so excited to indulge in it but she had to carefully travel through the crowd and go outside before enjoying her drink. she took small steps and held onto the venti cup for her life. she was so sure she can reach the door safely, dodging every person, until a guy beside her suddenly bumped her, causing the drink to fall out of its lid towards the person in front of her.
the people around them stared for a few seconds and went back to their own business. chaewon immediately apologized to the guy, and because she was in so much panic, she found herself returning the apology of the guy who bumped her. the guy who bumped her was equally started as her, while the guy who she spilled on had a vague expression. she couldn't tell if he was mad, shocked, or totally fine with it. the guy whom she spilled on quickly took some tissues from his bag and she followed, using the tissues along with the drink.
"it's fine." the guy spoke and he looked okay with it, which left her even more confused but also thankful that he didn't cause a bigger scene. she was mentally preparing herself to get yelled at.
"i'm so sorry. please forgive me. it was unintentional." she couldn't stop apologizing.
"it's really fine. i can clean it-" he stopped midway after seeing chaewon trying to wipe the spilled drink that landed near his belt. she then realized the awkward moment and stood back up.
"again, i'm sorry. if there's any way for me to make it up for- uh- this situation, i will do it."
she's not really sure in what way she can make up for it, but she couldn't just walk away. now that her favorite drink was also half-empty. for the first time, she made eye contact with the guy and she felt even smaller. how dare she ruin this cute guy's shirt? he stared back at her, thinking of a reply to her request.
"maybe you can treat me a meal? in some other place than this, i mean." he noticed her think about his offer and glanced at his coffee-spilled shirt. "oh, don't worry! it just spilled on my sweater. i'll take it off outside."
her mind kept spiraling around of the idea that he's asking her for a date or not. but how could she say no? other than finding him cute, she was also indebted to him. "sure. uhm, where do you want to go? even if it's pricey, i'm totally down for it."
they both smiled after she agreed and went outside the cafe, without any of the discounted drinks they were initially going for. it was sad to think about it and chaewon thought it was going to be one of the worst days of her life, but there's still a chance it can be saved.
"i almost forgot to introduce myself. i'm kim seungmin. i'm in the education department of this campus. you?"
"park chaewon, from the fine arts department." they briefly shooked hands.
the two of them walked to the restaurant seungmin suggested that was along within the campus too. they felt comfortable during the whole conversation, which lasted throughout the walk and the meal they ate. it felt like a natural connection. she found out that he's the same age and year as her, which made her felt closer to him. he often initiated topics, ones that are never boring, and she would try to match his enthusiasm. when they stood outside the restaurant after their meals, they exchanged numbers and social media contacts.
"i also feel bad that you had to pay for your drink and it was partly ruined. can i see you again tomorrow? i'll treat you this time, with a perfect peppermint mocha." his smile grew wider after seeing her nod and smile.