Chapter Text
Ding!
Yoo Joonghyuk stepped into the coffee shop, the sweet yet familiar aroma of coffee beans filled his nostrils. He looked around the small shop, noting the empty tables and chairs neatly lined against the far wall.
The coffee shop seemed like a pleasant refuge on even the coldest days; its walls were painted a warm, cheery yellow and it boasted large display windows that let in plenty of sunlight. Inside, mismatched tables and chairs provided the perfect spot to pause for a cup of hot tea or coffee. The air was always filled with the smell of freshly-baked pastries from behind an antique glass counter, which served as yet another invitation to stay awhile longer.
Yoo Joonghyuk stepped into one of the lines; they were never long, four or six people is what one could expect from this small business. Joonghyuk took his phone out of his pocket, wrapped with a leather case, checking the time.
[5:45 am]
The sun was barely up, yet all these people are here, in for their morning coffee or whatever. It was an interesting sight; some looked exhausted, dark bags under their eyes and others were up and about with a smile. Could one just come for one drink and call it a morning? No. Not for Joonghyuk at least.
“Next!”
Joonghyuk hadn’t even realized he had reached the front of the line; and surprisingly, no one had lined up behind him. Stepping forward, he couldn’t help but melt silently at the worker behind the counter’s smile.
“Ah, well isn’t it Joonghyuk-ah, our everyday customer?” Kim Dokja smiled at him, resting his cheek on his hand that was supported by the counter.
Joonghyuk scoffed. “Hello to you too, Dokja.”
“What can I get you today? The usual? Or something new perhaps?” Dokja asked with an amused expression even though he already knew what Joonghyuk was going to order.
Yoo Joonghyuk glared at him. “The usual, black coffee.”
“Oh, Joonghyuk-ah, always so emo.” Dokja rolled his eyes, clicking a few buttons into the screen. “Black coffee for that black soul of yours, isn’t that so?”
“…” Joonghyuk didn’t answer his no-really-a-question-question, converting his gaze to Dokja’s eyes which never met his as he punched letters onto the screen. “No extra sugar this time,” Joonghyuk nearly forgot to remind him. “And cut the whip cream in half, I’m not in a sugar rush this morning.”
…
“And how much is it exactly?”
Dokja waved his hand in dismissal. “Same price as usual.”
“…” Joonghyuk didn’t reply, instead quietly turning around to find his usual seat. He already knew Dokja wasn’t going to make his exact order yet it was always the same price. Why did he bother with telling him what he wanted for his coffee if he knew he wasn’t even going to make it the way he wanted?
To keep up the conversation, Joonghyuk’s mind answered itself before snapping. What in the world was his brain up to these days?! Why do I even care if I talk to him or not? He could feel his face getting invisibly hotter with every thought this brain shouted at him.
“Aaaaaaand….there he goes again,” a worker sighed loudly as she watched the man settle himself in his usual seat at a polished table near a large window.
“Aww, don’t be so upset, he just needs a little time. This is all new for him,” the other worker who was ‘eavesdropping’ with her smiled hopefully. “We just need to give time—”
“I’M LOSING MY PATIENCE HERE AND I’M ON THE VERGE TO GIVE UP YOU—”
“Sh! The windows aren’t fully closed!”
A hand was soon brought over the first worker’s mouth, muffling any more complaints she made.
“Mpmph—Why youph—!”
“Sh!”
“…Fuc youph!”
“Oh! He’s looking this—crap—!”
Yoo Joonghyuk turned his head to the window across the shop, but he saw nothing outside when he looked out, only the slowly rising sun in the horizon. Strange, I could have sworn I heard something.
“See?! You could have gotten us caught!” the second worker scolded the first. Thanks to her quick thinking, she managed to pull them both away before she could get spotted.
“Caught my ass! He obviously can’t hear a thing ,” the first worker snorted in response as she crossed her arms on her chest.
“What do you mean; ‘ can’t hear ’?! He OBVIOUSLY heard and almost saw us! And you're welcome for saving your butt!”
“You WOULD have needed to or else you would have got in trouble with me!”
“May you PLEASE stop being DIFFICULT for ONCE—?!”
“I am NOT BEING DIFFICULT YOU'RE THE ONE WHO…”
“WHO?! Who WHAT S—”
“Someone’s coming!” The first worker quickly shoved the second into a nearby alley without a second thought. Alright, maybe it couldn’t be called an alley with how small and cramped it was…
An old woman came around the corner where the workers used to be. She squinted, scratching her head. “…That's strange…I thought I heard something here…my hearing must be getting old. I should see a doctor.” She kept muttering to herself as she turned around to leave, her voice getting more quiet with every step she took.
Once the old woman wasn’t to be heard anymore, the first worker released a breath of relief, her shoulders relaxing once again.
“…Get off of me,” the second worker spoke up, wiggling in the small space to get out from her “uncomfortable” position. “Geez, why do you have to be so rough?”
The first worker couldn't help but laugh sarcastically at the sight. “Well I'm sorry for not having time to ask permission! You should thank me for getting us out of that—we could have been caught!”
The second worker groaned, knowing what she had said earlier was completely backfiring on her. “ You sound awfully smug right now! ”
“…I…do… not!” The first worker snapped, crossing her arms in defiance. “Smug my ass!”
“Well may you at least get off of me?! This looks very, very wrong right now!”
“Wrong my ass!”
“…" The second worker glared at the woman on top of her. “Listen, I know you think you did what was right by pushing me back here—OK maybe it was or else we could have gotten caught—but maybe next time try something less…aggressive?”
“Aggressive my ass !”
“…I hate whoever taught you to swear!”
The first worker couldn't help but chuckle at that, finally sliding off of her companion and standing up. “Fine. I'll try to remember that one from now on.” She said as she offered a hand to the second worker so she could get up. “But still—it was either this or getting caught! You should be thankful—”
“Thankful my…” the second worker trailed off, just catching herself with what she was about to say as she got up; did she just become the first worker?
“Hm? What? What was that? You trailed off,” the first worker smirked, crossing her hands across her chest.
The second worker shook her head and tried to keep a straight face. “No, nothing…don’t worry about it.” She said, hoping to distract from the almost slip-up she made.
“No no, don’t change the subject. What were you about to say? ‘Thankful my what?”
The second worker sighed, learning that if she wanted to get away from this conversation it wasn't going to be easy. “I said nothing! Come on! Dokja-ssi is probably looking for us!”
The first worker laughed loudly as she followed the second to the back door. How funny it would be to see her swear!
Yoo Joonghyuk set his gaze back to the window and continued watching the morning sun rise higher up into the sky. It was mesmerizing how its rays of light danced across the ground.
“Joonghyuk-ah!” Kim Dokja suddenly appeared in front of his table, carrying a wooden tray and nearly scaring the living shit out of Joonghyuk. “Here’s your drink! Made specially for our grumpiest customers!”
“….” Joonghyuk didn’t reply as he watched Dokja set a colorful fluffy drink on his table; rainbow colors filling the bottom of the fat swirl of whip cream, blending from red to purple.
Of course.
Since the day Joonghyuk entered this coffee shop and asked for coffee as black as his soul, the guy had been serving him sparkly rainbow and unicorn drinks. How mature of him. And yet I keep coming back, letting him do what he wants, Yoo Joonghyuk thought, his eyebrows furrowing. It infuriates me.
Before Joonghyuk’s face could turn red from his thoughts, he shot a glare at the worker, one that could pierce someone in half if it wasn’t Dokja. “Didn't I say to tone down the whip cream?”
Kim Dokja smiled innocently as if he didn’t know a single shit of what he was talking about. “I don’t know what you’re talking about Joonghyuk-ah…”
“…” Yoo Joonghyuk glared at him. “Do you have a death wish?”
Dokja waved it off dismissively as if it was more of a joke than a threat. “I do not.”
Joonghyuk hardened his glare, nearly able to burn holes in Dokja’s face. This man had quite the nerve!
“Give me my coffee now. I’m ready for it.”
And that’s how it always went: Let Dokja give you your colorful drink, glare at him, and wait for him to finally give him the drink he ordered.
“Oh about that,” Dokja scratched his neck, his features finally washing over with guilt. “Our coffee machine is broken.”
Yoo Joonghyuk stared at him, hoping he was just messing around with him.
He stared at him some more.
…
He wasn’t joking.
Joonghyuk inhaled in frustration, his veins seemingly wanting to burst. Great! Just how was he supposed to get through work now?!
As if God was answering him, an idea popped into his head.
“Show me.”
“Huh?”
“I said show me.”
Kim Dokja blinked at the customer, confusion running around his brain. “…You want to see the coffee machine?”
“I fix things,” Joonghyuk stated. “I fix people’s problems.”
Dokja stared at him before muttering. “I guess. I’m basically in charge as of right now.”
“Show me.”
“Dokja-ssssssi…” a worker trailed off as she saw Kim Dokja arrive in the kitchen with a customer in tow. She blinked at Yoo Joonghyuk, trying to make sense of who he was and what he was doing in the kitchen. “I’m so sorry sir, if you’re looking to work here, we are off limits as of right now; technical difficulties—we’ll be back with you though!”
Yoo Joonghyuk shook his head. “You must be mistaken, I am here to help with your coffee machine.”
The worker paused before looking back and forth between Dokja and Joonghyuk in surprise. “…You want to fix our coffee machine…?” Somehow the worker sounded light headed. Who the fck in their right minds would want to fix a coffee machine as a customer…?
“Yes.”
The worker blinked again, turning her gaze to Dokja. “Dokja-ssi, what kind of customer have you found..?”
But before Dokja could answer SOMEONE was calling from the maintenance room…
“ SAAAGAHHHHH !!”
Joonghyuk stared a where the sound came from. Who the fck was that.
“Ah, I’m so sorry. Please give me one moment,” the worker—Sangah—smiled at Joonghyuk before her expression completely changed to the opposite, turning her gaze to the door to the maintenance room. “WHAT IS IT, SOOYOUNG ?!”
A woman with hair as dark as the night sky poked her head out from the door. “YOU made the coffee machine WORST than it was BEFORE. NOW IT WON’T EVEN MAKE A SINGLE DROP OF COFFEE.”
“I NEVER laid a HAND on the coffee machine!” Sangah argued back. “Even WHEN it was BROKEN! YOU were the one who BROKE it—and YOU broke it even MORE now!”
“Ugh, whatever! Now it’s even more broken now,” Sooyoung got out of the room, dusting her hands, yet she stopped when she saw Joonghyuk, completely dazed. “What—hold on—aren’t you—what are you going here—wait— KIM DOKJA—EXPLAIN WHY YOU BROUGHT A CUSTOMER IN THE STAFF—AHEM— STAFF’S KITCHEN?!”
Dokja smiled, unfazed from the sudden outburst. “Don’t worry, everything is fine.” He wrapped an arm around Joonghyuk’s shoulder. “Guys, this is Yoo Joonghyuk, he’s a regular here. Joonghyuk this is Han Sooyoung and the ginger is Yoo Sangah, they’re workers here and also my friends.”
Yoo Joonghyuk gave a respectful nod in response, although his mind was elsewhere at that moment. He had female friends? When did that happen? The woman with the ginger hair—Sangah, looked especially beautiful...could it be possible that Dokja...? He shook his head slightly trying to shake away these thoughts and refocus on the conversation at hand.
Jesus.
Now what was he thinking now?
…And why do I care?
“To answer your question, Sooyoung,” Kim Dokja continued right as Sooyoung’s mouth opened to protest again. “He wants to take a look at the coffee machine— the one you broke—ahem .”
Sooyoung’s mouth snapped shut, her cheeks burning slightly. It was useless to argue with Dokja out of all people. “Right. I see…yup the coffee machine. Right in there.”
Joonghyuk nodded, making his way to the maintenance room. “If I do break something worse, it's yours to cover.”
“Don’t worry, he’s like that,” Dokja quickly interjected to the two other workers. Yet Han Sooyoung and Sangah didn’t seem to be too surprised at Joonghyuks comment.
“Oh, and Joonghyuk, you have our full permission here,” Sangah reported after with a smile. Dokja and Sooyoung exchanged unsurprised glances, but Sangah simply stood there, her gaze fixed curiously on Joonghyuk.
I can see now why anyone would want to be friends with that girl, Joonghyuk uncontrollably thought.
…
I hate this brain .
Sangah and Dokja watched as Joonghyuk did business with the machine in the maintenance room. He began tinkering with the machine, adjusting and replacing parts here and there and wherever.
“You know him, Dokja-ssi?” Sangah asked Kim Dokja, turning her head towards him.
“Of course. Joonghyuk and I are…friends,” Dokja smiled.
Sooyoung's eyes widened at the response. "Friends, huh?”
“He’s a regular here. He comes in every morning,” Dokja snickered. “A nd he always orders the same exact thing .”
“Is he expecting money?” Yoo Sangah asked, fiddling with her fingers.
“….I hope not.”
“ SANGAHHH !”
“…Well someone’s looking for you,” Dokja chuckled as Sangah bit on her tongue in annoyance.
“ WHAT, SOOYOUNG?!”
“GET YOUR ASS HERE NOW !” Han Sooyoung’s voice called back from the front counter.
“SOOYOUNG! There are CHILDREN HERE !” Sangah exclaimed, stomping off to the front as a stubborn scoff came from Sooyoung.
“Those two make a great pair, don’t they?” Dokja rolled his eyes with a grin spreading on his lips. The sight of Sangah and Sooyoung arguing back and forth…watching them felt nostalgic.
Joonghyuk continued to work on the machine, his hands still running across the parts he had taken out earlier.
Kim Dokja stared at the ceiling, leaning back on the wall with his arms crossed across his chest, Sooyoung and Sangah bickering at the front counter for some customers.
The shop wasn’t popular or huge in the town. You could expect most customers on the weekends or in the morning, but really, the shop was like their own little haven, filled with jokes, laughter, and chatter. It was nice being here; not only did they have a job, but they had each other to rely on too. A family indeed.
Though I do think that we serve the best coffee and food in town, Dokja thought confidently.
He had been working here when he graduated high school, looking for a job that could last him a while, so he was more than familiar with how it operated. But now, he’s 28, and he still worked here; and he had no intention of leaving. Sangah had joined a year or two later with Sooyoung following shortly after. Of course there were other workers and all of them knew each other by heart.
But the owner… Dokja frowned.
The face of the owner, who had employed them all those years ago, was a mother to him. He thought back to the first day he came here; how scared and anxious he was because it felt like walking into an entirely different world when compared to school or college. But the owner had been so welcoming and kind that he forgot all about his anxieties in an instant.
He knew they could never thank her enough for giving them this opportunity, but hopefully, their hard work meant she’d never regret it.
And though it wouldn’t be enough to express their utmost affection to her, they did believe that she ’d be proud of them too. That was all that mattered.
That warm glowing nature that the owner had, something they all cherished, and thought of as a mother figure; was now in a hospital bed and nursing home, plugged with all sorts of machines and tubes.
None of the workers couldn't wrap their heads around how quickly it had all happened. All the employees made sure to visit her as often as they could, bringing her small gifts such as chocolates, magazines or flowers; but nothing compared to their wish for her health.
She was growing old, really old . Everyone was aware of this fact, but it still came as a shock when she could no longer make it into work every day. It just didn't seem real that the woman who had been such an influence for them, had started to weaken by each passing day.
But she will get better.
She will.
The doctor promised.
She’d be back up on her feet in no time.
Until then, she had left Dokja in charge until her return.
That’s when Joonghyuk stepped out of the maintenance room, his hands dusted black.
“Don’t tell me,” Dokja muttered, transferring his gaze to him.
“Broken,” Joonghyuk reported. “I cannot fix this.”
Dokja sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair. He already knew that whatever Joonghyuk couldn’t fix, none of them could.
“Well, thank you for your efforts I gue—”
“I broke it even more.”
Dokja’s mouth fell open. “Seriously….”
Joonghyuk just shrugged. “I tried. The machine’s core is too old and worn out to work.”
Dokja stared at him. “…Not even a sorry?”
“I said earlier it was yours to cover.”
Dokja shook his head, unable to fight the smile playing on his lips. He was getting used to this attitude of Jooghyuk’s.
“Well…thanks anyways. I’ll get a professional to do this then,” Dokja rolled his eyes, leading Yoo Joonghyuk to the staff’s exit. “Nice having you here again, sir . Will I see next morning, pro gamer Joonghyuk-ah? ”
Joonghyuk glared at him once again. “You’re one to talk. I will always need my morning coffee. So I will be back. No matter what.”
Dokja’s face planted with a small smirk, leaning on the open door for him. “You will come back for other reasons . Do not pretend I don’t know you, Joonghyuk-ah… ”
Joonghyuk scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Do not push it, Kim Dokja .” He turned his whole body till his back was facing him. The sun was still a furry of colors in the sky, but Joonghyuk still had plenty of time till work.
“Until we meet again, Joonghyuk-ah~ ” Dokja smiled, waving as the man walked off into the sunrise.
“…” Joonghyuk raised a hand back in a small wave without turning around.
Idiot.