Sooyoung's steps look so weak when she climbs three stairs at the back door of a building. She nimbly slipped in and heaved a sigh of relief. Walking for fifteen minutes in the morning seemed a new activity that demanded Sooyoung not to lose her breath.
"Oh, you've come, Sooyoung-ah!" A cheerful voice greeted the newly arrived Sooyoung. A woman is wearing a black apron with a pink cup logo of roses waving from the end of the aisle.
"Big-sis!" Sooyoung replied with a nod, "Good morning."
"Seems you're a little late today? It's okay, get ready and go straight ahead, okay?"
The woman named Park Ahreum is the owner of the cafe where Sooyoung works. She is Seungkwan's ex-girlfriend, who still has a good relationship with him. Even when Sooyoung wanted to work at this cafe, Ahreum didn't refuse her at all.
Sooyoung rushed to grab her apron, then tied her walnut-like brown hair into a beautiful ponytail. After that, as Ahreum said, Sooyoung went to the front of the cafe and flipped the closes board open. She also flipped open a menu board in front of the cafe so that pedestrians were interested and decided to stop by.
At least because there is work, Sooyoung forgets her pain. Being busy with many activities is enough to help her forget, and that's ten times better than sitting in a room with dozens of evil thoughts in her head.
"Hey, I'm going to check the inventory in the back. Can you look after yourself here? I know you're experienced with all the machines and menus here," Ahreum blurted out behind the counter. In her hand was a tablet she was staring at.
In this cafe, there are only three employees, including Ahreum herself. So she plunged right into almost all activities.
Sooyoung nodded. That's not a problem. Coffee machines and drinking utensils are her best friends.
"I'll have Jenny accompany you after she helps me in the back!" Ahreum said before her body disappeared behind the door.
Jenny is another cafe employee who is Sooyoung's age. That's good news because Sooyoung really doesn't want to be alone.
After half an hour of Sooyoung packing and clearing the counter, Jenny came. The girl had flashy red hair, and her eyes immediately sparkled when she saw Sooyoung.
"Sooyoung!" Jenny greeted, then took her position next to her partner.
"Where's Big-sis Ahreum?"
"A few ingredients were missing, so she went to the store to get the rest," Jenny replied, glancing at the coffee machine, "I've been told to pick up the boxes this morning. I'd better make an Americano."
"Americano in the morning?" Sooyoung chuckled when she saw Jenny start to take the cup and start waiting for the espresso to come down from the coffee machine.
"Iced Americano is Big-bro's favorite, you know," said Jenny.
"Who?"
"Hyunwoo from Hexagon! Gosh, that guy who came down from heaven really likes Americano!" Jenny squealed with joy, then grabbed an espresso glass and poured it into a cup filled with ice while dancing a little.
"Ah." The corners of Sooyoung's lips lifted. Hexagon is an idol group from SYG Entertainment. Sooyoung knows more or less about them because her brother Seungkwan is one of their managers.
"Isn't Hyunwoo twenty years old? You're older. Why call him Big-bro?" Sooyoung asked.
Jenny took a sip of her Iced Americano, then pouted wittily, "What's wrong with him being younger? As long as they don't know, it'll be fine."
A week of getting acquainted with Jenny made Sooyoung know that she is a HONEY, a fan name for the Hexagon idol group. Seeing how infatuated Jenny was with the group made Sooyoung keep reminding herself not to say that her brother worked for SYG Entertainment. Of course, to avoid Jenny's madness if she asked for something weird.
"Just remembering Hyunwoo allows me to continue and survive in this cruel world. And what's more fun, I can work in this cafe!" Jenny continued her chatter.
Sooyoung got the point. Besides Ahreum being a kind-hearted boss, the small cafe is located in the same area as the SYG Entertainment building that stands right at the end of the street. Infrequently, Seungkwan came to the cafe to check on his sister's condition even though he ended up chatting with Ahreum.
"Oh, shit. I remember something else too," Jenny said suddenly, then leaned against the edge of the long table behind the counter. Once again, she sipped her Americano aggressively, then heaved a long, frustrated sigh.
"The ring that Hyunwoo mentioned was sold out before I managed to get it," Jenny complained, her face turning gloomy, "If my husband bought a ring, I should have too!"
"Gosh, I'm sure Hyunwoo has many wives in this world," Sooyoung snapped, then laughed loudly at her joke.
Jenny snorted in annoyance, but she knew all too well about it so that she couldn't protest any further. Moreover, their conversation was interrupted by the repeated tinkling of the doorbell. The first two customers came.
They were two men wearing black jackets and hats, with masks covering half of their faces. Sooyoung immediately got ready behind the cashier, observing her new customer. After all, it wasn't the first time she'd seen people with mysterious looks like that.
"May I write your order?" Sooyoung asked.
The young man on the right lowered his mask slightly below his nose, revealing the perfect line of his nose. His slanted eyes glanced at the menu on the table, then replied, "Six Iced Americanos and two Grapes ade in size M takeaway cups, please."
"Alright. Twenty-five thousand won in total." Sooyoung ran her fingers on the cash register, then pulled out the receipt.
The second young man held out a credit card without saying anything, then Sooyong accepted it and finished the payment process. Beside her, Jenny was already nimbly preparing espresso in the coffee machine and scooping ice cubes into plastic cups.
Feeling a strange atmosphere that was awkward because neither of them spoke, Sooyoung took the remote and turned on the television in the front area of the cafe. The TV shape is large and very close to the counter so that everyone can see the display that appears clearly.
What appeared first was breaking news. A serious-looking female reporter looked ready to read the information, but the crowd and the building behind her back made everyone in the cafe turn heads.
"Officially being a fugitive, the manager of the idol group DOMINO, KSH, is wanted by the police because he was proven to have taken away one hundred million won in company money. SYG Entertainment, as the company that suffered losses, chose to remain silent when asked for an explanation."
Everyone stares. As the show continued, there was the screeching sound of tires and asphalt colliding with each other, as well as the sound of long horns ringing each other. On the street outside the cafe, there had been a traffic jam at the end of the road. Without even looking, Sooyoung knew that in front of SYG Entertainment, there were reporters from various television stations.
Jenny approached, shifting six Iced Americanos, which distracted Sooyoung. She immediately put the six plastic cups into two cardboard holders, then moved them in front of two young men who were also frozen with their eyes fixed on the television.
"Sir?"
The two youths gasped, turned their heads simultaneously and looked at the cups of Iced Americano. Then unexpectedly, the young man whose mask was lowered immediately grabbed the cup holders and pulled his friend's hand. The two turned around and walked away as fast as they could. In an instant, the two of them vanished from Sooyoung's sight, leaving the girl in extreme confusion.
"What the— How about this Grape Ade?" Jenny screeched from the side. Ice cubes creaked in two plastic cups filled with liquid and fresh green grapes in her hands.
"They left without saying anything," a surprised Sooyoung replied softly while looking out the cafe window. But the figure of the young man was not seen again.
Next side, Jenny mumbled to herself as she placed the two plastic cups on the counter, just in case the first customer would come back.
Sooyoung, who couldn't help but sigh because the customer had run away—but relieved that at least they had paid—felt something vibrate in her apron pocket. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a phone with the screen on. A short message appeared there from Seungkwan's older brother.
[I'm sorry, Sooyoung looks like I can't go home tonight. You've seen that news, right?]