The days went by seamlessly and no one even recognized it’s my fifth month in the sharehouse. Yoongi oppa’s crew got so much money and he shared it with us, almost everyday we’re having a late-night drink. Jin oppa’s preparing for his exam to be a registered prosecutor/detective/lawyer/whatever, and Yohee and Jimin are coming home late as usual. Namjoon oppa’s calls are a bit lesser now, but then I don’t worry anything, because he knows I’m busy and he is too, so maybe it’s better this way now. I always trust him, anyways. Taehee got fresher and more blooming because of Taehyung, and the boys seemed happy to see her like that, though they don’t show it to her. For Taehee, the boys still can’t accept Taehyung. If only she knew.

 

The café where I’m working has a lot of customers. We have to work quickly, and still that’s not enough. We have to work quickly, address the needs concisely and speak to them friendly. The café is almost like Starbucks.

 

I’ve been wanting to request something to our manager, but he’s not always in here. When he shows up, that’s the time I am not here, or when the café needs to be renovated. Always, the seniors are the ones who facilitate the café and bark what to do, though they don’t have to bark anything because I already know what to do.

 

It is the most tiring day among the tiring days I had. My seniors shouted commands all the time, wanting me to run and help them accomplish anything. I am stuck with them for hours until I saw Taehyung coming inside the café. It’s like everybody stopped doing their work and looked at him, then bowed. I didn’t know what to do and just stared at him, long before one of my seniors pushed my head down with an apology for me.

 

 

“I’m sorry, she’s just a newbie here.” He said, and I have to crease my brow while my head is still facing the floor.

 

“Oh, it’s fine.” Taehyung replied, then my senior let go of my head. I looked at Taehyung, still having a quizzical look. He just smiled like he’s enjoying the whole scene. “Hey newbie, come here.” He said as he wave for me to come. When I didn’t take a step to him (because I’m too bewildered and amused by his actions), my senior pushed me. I’m about to snap at him for pushing me and ask why the hell are they acting like that when Taehyung suddenly pulled me outside.

 

“What the hell?” I suddenly asked. I developed this rough language to Taehyung because of the boys. They want us to stay as tough as we can be with Taehyung during the first weeks after they knew about him and Taehee. Now it’s fine to speak to him softly, though as they say, bad habits die hard.

 

“Sorry, nuna.” He smirked. He also developed a way to respectfully speak to me, though we have the same age. He said months ago that I act like an older sister for him and for that he called me nuna when he thought it’s safe already. I cannot do anything and just allow it. Anyways I always want someone for me to bark at, and no one is like that in the house.

 

“What’s happening in there?” I insisted. He shrugged, still smiling. Then suddenly it came to me. I didn’t know if my eyes bulge or not, but either way I continued to ask him, “Are you the manager of this café?” I can’t believe what blurted out of my mouth. What, the weird and free-spirited Taehyung is really my senior here? Oh no.

 

“I don’t want to be.” He said coolly. “If it hadn’t been my father’s wish, then I’ll just close it off or sell it or just demolish it.” This is also a reason why I allowed him to call me nuna. Because it’s like we have the same fathers.

 

“I’m hurt.” I said playfully. He knows how I wanted to have my own café.

 

“Then I’ll just give it to you.” He smiled. I smiled back and then he suddenly put an arm on me. “Nuna, I have to treat you like a staff there. What about that?”

 

“Just don’t hit my head. I’m still your nuna.”

 

“Okay, I won’t.” He said. He didn’t pull his arm off as we walk back inside, half-dragged me as we did so.

 

 

Now that Taehyung’s around, my work is impossibly much lighter. Maybe he asked my seniors to leave me alone. The day impossibly passed like a blink of my eye, and before I knew, it is already done.

 

 

“Good job everyone,” Taehyung said after we closed the café. I’m amazed that he knows pep talk, after all. “Our newbie here did a great job.” I saw him winked at me as he clapped his hands and the others clapped too, only a little lazily. I bowed nevertheless.  And then we all decided to go home.

 

 

When we’re the only ones who left, I bumped Taehyung on the arm.

 

 

“You’re pretty good too.”

 

“Pretty good only?” He pouted. “Aish, I should’ve known, you have high standards.”

 

“Right.” I replied, smiling small. “I have to go home.”

 

“I’ll walk you home.” He volunteered. When I’m about to refuse, he continued, “I didn’t see Taehee all day…”

 

I breathed. Then he showed his puppy eyes, and that’s it. “Fine.” While I sighed dismissively, he jumped as if he won on a lottery.

 

“Okay! Let’s go. They’ll kill me when you got home late.” He chuckled and walked me home.

 

“You know, if you always miss Taehee like this, then you should live with her.” I said when we got too quiet.

 

“You know, it’s a good idea.” He replied. “But eomma wouldn’t allow me.”

 

“You know, that’s the major problem.” I replied back.

 

“I know, it’s ‘how can I stay with my parents and with Taehee all at the same time?’”

 

“Sometimes it’s hard to choose, especially when the persons involved are the ones you love.”

 

“So how did you come up with a choice of leaving your parents?” I just looked at him after he asked that question, and gulped.

 

“Well, it’s a not a choice between my parents and my boyfriend. It isn’t as hard as that because it was a choice between me and them, and I chose me.”

 

“Sounds a bit selfish.” Taehyung remarked almost silently. I chuckled.

 

“I know I am, but maybe if I didn’t choose myself, I’ll be long dead, or maybe I’d crack up and stay in a mental hospital.” I breathed. “You know, I really miss my parents that I have to pull myself together every time just to look normal. The only thing that makes everything rational is when I think that someday my parents would be proud that I chose myself over them. I know someday they will be proud of me and my achievements.”

 

“You really think like a nuna.” Maybe he didn’t have anything to say but didn’t want to lose the conversation that’s why he said it. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

 

 

I didn’t know what he meant by that until the next day.

 

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