caramel coffee.
there’s nothing particularly interesting about his job. he clocks in at 6.30 am, puts on his apron, begins mixing beverages and serves them. special is not the word to be used when acknowledging it. everything is methodically arranged in a fixed routine, with no going out of line.
although, when nine girls walk into the coffeehouse, his life teeters on its straight axis - just the tiniest bit.
yuri
she sits by the window alone the first day she comes in. she doesn’t look sad per se but there’s a certain tinge in her eyes (it’s more dull and blank than anything else) that tips off the fact that she isn’t quite happy with whatever is going on.
“hi. what can i get you?”
he grins in a manner that is more upbeat than usual, eyes glimmering in the early morning light. she smiles back halfheartedly and tucks a lock of her jet-black hair behind her ear. “black coffee will do,” she says. “please and thanks.” nodding, he walks away toward the kitchen to pass along her order.
she doesn’t return the next day or the day after. he just hopes the one cup of coffee she had is good enough for her to come back - once she’s ready.
taeyeon
“there’s a fly in my caramel frap.”
eyes narrowed into a scowl, the petite girl places her hands on her tiny hips and glares at him from underneath crooked brown bangs. tapping her foot (covered in a soft-looking, butter-colored shoe) impatiently against the floor, she crosses her arms over her chest domineeringly. “well?”
stifling a laugh, he struggles to reply in a competent manner. “ma’am, that is a chocolate chip,” he eventually emits, lips pulled up into an overstretched smile. stunned and rather abashed, she huffs before regally stomping away with her nose in the air.
she glances back at him but quickly looks away when he catches her eye, nose wrinkled in distaste. he simply chuckles and returns to the cash register.
sooyoung
she peers at the display studiously, eyebrows knitting together in concentration. “excuse me? where are the chocolate chip walnut cookies that you guys have here? i’ve been told they’re good.”
“oh, we’re all out. i’m sorry about that. we sold the last piece twenty minutes ago.”
sighing in frustration, she frowns. then she proceeds to ask reluctantly, “are you sure?” nodding, he makes sure to answer as patiently (although it’s not even his shift anymore and he’s beyond drained) as possible. “very sure, ma’am. we do have another variety, though.”
ultimately, she settles for a slice of cheesecake and pays for it before making a quick exit. the look of disappointment on her face never left his mind, not even five weeks later when she comes back. but this time the chocolate chip walnut cookies are there, so it’s alright.
seohyun
“my boyfriend broke up with me.”
this isn’t what he expects to hear as he wipes tables after a long, grueling day at the café but he humors her nonetheless. “oh, i’m sorry to hear that,” he mutters. flapping her hand vaguely at him, her dazed eyes look around the nearly empty coffeehouse (she’s the only one left, all by herself) woodenly.
“he was a douche, anyway. it doesn’t matter.” she tries to sound brave but fails; her voice wobbles and cracks at all the wrong intervals.
he glances in her direction fleetingly. her eyes are red-rimmed and her initially coiffed hair is a mess. silently, he makes his way toward the kitchen and returns with a cup of what she ordered previously. “here. it’s on the house.”
hyoyeon
she isn’t exactly miss korea but she is surely attractive on some level, he muses.
“i hate coffee. my jackass of a colleague seems to think this whole charade is ‘chic’ so i’m forced to go along with it. tell me what to order, please?” she pleads (with imploring and wide eyes) as she leans toward him across the counter.
he laughs dryly. “i have no idea what you prefer,” he points out, “but i’d recommend the espresso if that’s okay with you. it’s the simplest.”
she agrees in a flash without any hassle, placing a wad of cash on the counter. after her drink is ready, she grabs it and walks away.
even before it happens, he snatches a washcloth as she trips and the brown liquid sprays all over the floor. shaking his head good-naturedly, he goes over to help her.
tiffany
do you know that it’s my birthday today? are the first words that come out of her mouth when he reaches her table, about to take her order. not quite knowing what to say, he manages a lopsided grin and states politely, “well, happy birthday, then. have a good one.”
wistfulness passes in her eyes rapidly before she fizzles into a quiet mumble. “i don’t know why i actually told you that. i must sound like a crazy person to you.”
shaking his head, he responds more sincerely this time (he sort of gets it now, so he can’t blame her) around. “i get why you’re excited. it’s a big deal, isn’t it? birthdays?” he leaves her side to fetch the cupcake she asked for. then he sticks a candle in its center.
“there you go…birthday girl.”
yoona
she has to be one of the prettiest girls he has ever laid eyes on but she also has to be one of the most careless (shoelaces undone, buttons missing on her cardigan, uneven ponytail) he has ever seen, too. it’s a breath of fresh air, really, so he asks the head waiter if he could take her table instead of donghae.
he’s about to tease her about her blatant boyishness - she’s a regular customer so it’s familiar territory - but something stops him in his tracks.
she sips her coffee with the delicacy of a woman; she picks at her muffin with surprisingly glossy fingernails, meticulously breaking it apart, small piece by small piece. cocking his head to the side, he strides toward the table, bearing the tissues she asked for.
“here, my lady.” he smirks and although she rolls her eyes, she sits him down for a quick chat.
jessica
“princess,” he mumbles upon setting his eyes on the woman who just entered the coffeehouse. she looks like a classic rich girl (huge sunglasses, designer handbag hanging by her elbow, whiff of some costly perfume) but there’s an undeniable air of insecurity surrounding her that pulls him in.
he greets her, leads her to a table and is about to hand her the menu but she stops him.
she stumbles over her words with a shy smile. “just tea, please. i’m only meeting a friend for a couple of minutes. are there any good restaurants around here? i’d die for some really good samgyupsal.”
“i like the way you think,” he teases but then a sudden cloud fills her eyes. “it’s been a while since someone has actually liked me.” the confession is soft and still; he feels the air around them break into tiny pixels. he just gulps and walks away quietly, leaving her fiddling with her thoughts.
sunny
it’s been a terribly, horribly long day. he overslept, had to skip breakfast, spilled coffee on a customer - heechul’s mother, no less - and had to clean the storage room. it’s no surprise that by 5 pm, he is exhausted and would snap at anyone at this point. he prays that a particularly pretty customer won’t enter.
the bell over the door rings lightly and there’s a girl, in all of her (brown-haired, sundress-clad, high-heeled) glory.
“hello. can i have a caramel coffee, please?”
appearances aren’t deceiving in this case. her sweet, demure voice doesn’t defy her elfin packaging (there are others who exceed her minimal beauty by leaps and bounds but he doesn’t care) at all but merely adds on to its splendor.
he stares at her, mouth agape, for quite some time, before she clears her throat. “my caramel coffee?”
“oh, right!” he exclaims. “sorry about that.” embarrassed and flustered, he passes her order on to changmin, who grins devilishly before disappearing, having witnessed the exchange earlier. she nods patiently and smiles, eyes disappearing into little crescent moons glistening black against her pale skin.
there’s an awkward pause before he blurts out, “you’re really pretty.”
if it is a random guy, she would’ve turned up her nose at him but this one - this man - is not only good-looking but also impossibly adorable (she’s seen a lot but he’s all of that lot packed into one) and undeniably attractive. he tilts his head to the side, mortification coloring his features.
“so i’ve been told,” she replies cheekily with a short giggle, raising an eyebrow. he breaks out into a relieved sweat and grins back. “well, it’s true.” changmin sidles over and places her coffee on the counter, eyebrows waggling knowingly at his colleague. the latter would’ve bitten him if he could.
she is about to grab the cup before he pulls it away with a breathy hold on. he goes to the station behind him and squirts more whipped cream into it. handing it back to her with a little shrug, he quips, “you look like you’d like it.”
“i do. thanks.”
(as she’s about to leave, he opens the door for her and she slips her number into the pocket of his apron.)