Sipping his bottled milk, Haneul leans against his chair, pressing the space button to start the video he received from the lecturer - a reenactment of a classic Korean theater by the performance art students. He knows there is supposed to be something really deep he should analyze here, something symbolic, but he is already halfway through and yet nothing meaningful comes to mind. Honestly, if he has a choice, he will not be caught watching this 3-hour video with some traditional songs sounding as if they have nothing better to do other than screaming, monotonously but, he doesn't and so, he will have to interpret the play and write a review of it. Of course, he can always just look for someone else's work and copy it to get the minimum passing mark but if he has to torture himself and watch this thing anyway, he would rather ace it.
Yawning, stretching his body as he tries to keep himself awake, Haneul looks at the clock. He is already at his limit. Right now, he cannot process anything. Old Korean language is already confusing as it is, his lack of focus just turns his ears into shields and prevents all the information from reaching his brain.
Guess he needs to takes a rest.
Haneul turns his head to look around for something to do besides staring at the computer screen. Everyone is in their own world minding their own business. No sound can be heard except for a few whispers the moment he takes his earphones off. He doesn't expect anything less from being in a library, but this also means his only choice of distraction is either sleeping or reading books, and he cannot do the latter because his brain is already overloaded. And he doesn't want to sleep here either.
Taking out his phone to check for any new messages from his friends, he turns it off again when he realizes there is none. Obviously because one is at home with his girl and the other one is working so…
Owh, Sangcheol is working at the café today.
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Sangcheol ties his apron as he makes his way to the front, telling his senior he is ready. The dishes are finally done, the ingredients stocked and all the preparation for tomorrow done. He is now ready to take over the front until the end of the shift. It is a weekday so by dawn, there will usually be only a few customers, one staff can handle the café alone. And today, that will be him.
Passing the latte to the two ladies, Sangcheol hears the bell rang, noting the customers leaving. As usual, he takes the cloth and walks to the table they occupied; cleaning it for the next customer.
"Haneul?" He calls softly, finally noticing his friend sitting on one of the sofas, his brows furrowed deeply as he stares at the screen. With no reaction from the omega, and him realizing the man has his earphones on and a notebook with him suggesting he is working on something, Sangcheol decides to leave the man be.
Returning to his spot, the young alpha cannot help but smile at how focused his friend is. It is almost as if, the man is a really good student. And today is a Thursday too - if he is not mistakes, the day he first saw Haneul coming back from the club. The fact that the man is here instead of the club… does that mean he actually changed his lifestyle?
Pretending to be busy as he notices the omega glancing at him, trying his best to ignore the pretty man's presence, Sangcheol starts to rearrange all the stocks before returning them to the initial places. He would usually just sit at the cash register playing with his phone on days like these but he won't want his friend to think he is slacking off, would he?
Just as he is about to go to the back and whip some cream he wouldn't need just because, he hears the door signifying incoming customers. A group of very well-dressed men came, Sangcheol can tell they are from the modelling agency nearby or something similar. Secretly thankful for the work they brought with them which means he won't have to sit idly, he starts taking their orders as usual and makes them.
"Owh look at that, the very beautiful Yoo Haneul." One of them starts talking loudly, the others joining him while some chuckle softly, enjoying the situation that is about to happen. "Haven't seen you in a while. We kind miss you and your lovely scent gracing us."
Sangcheol finds himself getting really tensed at the teasing. He is really curious about their relationship with his omega friend, but seeing that Haneul is completely ignoring them, he reckons they are not close. Although, it might also be possible the man didn't hear them either due to the earphones stuffed in both his ears. But curious as he might, this is not the time to start prying. He is, a staff, and Haneul and the pack of alphas, customers. It is not his place to say anything nor do anything stupid. Because, obviously, there might also be a possibility that Haneul actually knows these fucke- customers.
"Yah," the alpha in red leather jacket, obviously the main alpha, calls out to Sangcheol. Smirking arrogantly, the man points towards Haneul, "Send your best coffee to that pretty omega for me, will ya?"
Sighing inwardly, forcing a smile as he states the total and receives the money given by one of the man's lackeys, Sangcheol rolls his eyes the moment he turns his back. He really doesn't want to do this - delivering drinks to customers like this, because one, this place is self-service which means they should take their own drinks at the counter and two, this place is not a fucking bar they can send drinks to random people. This is a damn café where people come to relax!
After a moment of dilemma in which he realizes he has no choice as he is still on the clock, Sangcheol decides to do as he is asked and hopes that the action will not offend Haneul because he would be, if he is to receive something from that particularly smug alpha.