"You can put that box down right over there”

"Over here?”

"Yup, thanks."

 

Halla dropped the box in the corner of the room with a terse grunt and began to stretch.  She faced towards the window wall and extended her arms over her head, exhaling deeply and letting the sunlight wash over her.

 

Maybe this isn’t such a bad place to work, after all she thought to herself.

 

Sure, she was a bit doubtful about the place since it seemed far from being a functioning café,  especially since that meant she had to do a lot of the heavy lifting and unpacking. Not to mention the fact that her boss seemed excessively carefree, leaving her directionless and confused half the time.

 

But the view.  The view definitely sealed the deal.  Out those huge paneled windows was a spectacular scene of Seoul from above, like something straight out of a postcard.  Due to the warm spring climate, the sunlight hit the skyscrapers and the Han River just right, so that they glistened in the day.  The hills and parks flourished with green and purple verdure, and the cherry blossom trees clumped together to create a beautiful pink array.  This breathtaking sight made the 400 meter walk up the steep and unkept road to work everyday worth it.

 

Halla also had to admit that although undone, the café had some character.  It was minimalistic and cute, with clean, white walls and tables made of light birch.  The chairs were also made of birch, matching the tables, with fluffy cushions varying in pastel colors on top of them.  In the center of the café were four counters creating a square, with the kitchen area in the center of it. Bar stools surrounded the counters, and colorful markers lay on top of the counters for customers to write cute messages on the surface.  A few photographs of famous landmarks and nature’s wonders decorated the walls with pastel frames around them. 

 

Yup, not a bad place at all.  I think I’ll like it here. Halla thought as she picked up a box labeled “utensils” and began walking towards the kitchen.  She heard the door open, followed by the sound of thumping feet quickly coming towards her and—

 

Crash

 

All of a sudden, Halla felt the box hit her face with great force and her hands instinctivley let go of it.  It felt to the floor with a loud thud.  Forks, spoons, and chopsticks fell out from the box, scattering everywhere with cacophony clattering.   

 

Spoke too soon.

 

Halla immediately began trying to gather all the utensils, with her hands and knees on the floor, gritting her teeth at the thought of having to wash all of them.  A voice was jabbering on, which she was trying to ignore, because quite frankly, she was pissed.    

 

"I’m so so sorry, I was in a rush to find my uncle because I’m late and he kinda scares me a little when he’s mad, so I was running and didn’t see where I was going, and I-”      

 

Halla’s eyes looked up to meet dark doe eyes, gleaming apologetically.  Those eyes widened in an instant, and Halla heard a small “woah” escape from the guy’s mouth.  She began to study the face those big doe eyes belonged to.  He had soft features to match his soft eyes, but his dark hair, sharp jawline, and deep voice made him appear more masculine.  Halla also noted that he didn’t have a bad body, with broad shoulders and toned muscles that peeked out of his t-shirt.  Too bad that body was clumsy as .    

 

Dumping all the utensils into the box and getting up, Halla placed the box onto the counter.  She was about to tell the boy to watch where he was going next time, when her boss entered the room.  

 

"Did something happen?  Sounded like something dropped.”

 

"Sorry Mr. Choi,” Halla bowed slightly, “I was just—”

 

"Oh!  Hey Seungcheol, nice of you to finally show up,” Mr. Choi said, stopping in front of the two.  “It was this kid’s fault, huh,” Mr. Choi pointed at the doe-eyed boy, apparently named Seungcheol.

 

"Hey! Why are you always assuming it’s my fault?” Seungcheol asked with an exaggerated look of offence plastered on his face.  

 

"Was it your fault?”  

 

"Well… yes.”

 

Mr. Choi signed and nodded his head, putting his arm around Seungcheol.  

 

"See, I only hire the best of the best employees to work at my place, using a rigorous interviewing process.  Halla would never cause an accident on the first day of work,” he boasted.

 

Interesting, Halla thought, because the only “interview” I had to go through was being asked if I wanted to work here and if I was available to work on weekdays.   

 

Seungcheol stepped closer to Halla and leaned against the counter, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

 

"Is part of the criteria for hiring your workers that they have to be stunningly beautiful?” he grinned slyly.  

 

Halla rolled her eyes.  She could feel the grease, as if his skin was oozing butter.   

 

"Hey!  No hitting on my employees.  You’re going to make them so uncomfortable that they won’t come to work,” Mr. Choi smacked Seungcheol on the forehead.  Halla gave Mr. Choi a smile of gratitude.

 

"What, was the pickup line not your type?” Seungcheol flashed another one of his greasy grins at Halla.  

 

"No, it’s not the pickup line that’s not my type.  It’s you,” Halla said while trying to imitate Seungcheol’s cocky smirk.  Mr. Choi snorted and Seungcheol raised an ambiguous eyebrow.  

 

Mr. Choi pointed at Halla, “I like you already.  I’m promoting you to head employee.”

 

Is that even a thing?  Halla wondered.  

 

"That’s not even a thing,” Seungcheol muttered, and turned to face Mr. Choi, “Anyways, I know I’m late, but I’m here to help now.  What do you want me to do?”

 

"Before I put you to work, I want to properly introduce you two.  Halla, this is my beloved nephew Seungcheol,” Mr. Choi said as he roughly messed with Seungcheol’s hair on the emphasis of beloved.   “He’s here to help set up this place.  And Seungcheol, this is Halla, my first and only employee, so don’t harass her.  I’m going to be working on getting the sink in the bathroom to work, so if you need anything, you can find me there.”   

 

Mr. Choi set off towards the bathroom, and suddenly stopped in his tracks.  He turned around, and said, “Oh, and Halla, Cheol is going to be helping me out occasionally here and there around the café, so it’s probably best to get acquainted with him now, as painfully annoying as that might be.”  He chuckled to himself and left the room.   

 

Wonderful.

 

→ 

 

A good half hour of awkward silence passed, with the only noise coming from boxes being moved around and supplies being put in their place.  Seungcheol, who detested the tense air, decided to try and break the silence.

 

"So, how did you find this gig?”      

 

"Found an ad online.”

 

Seungcheol noted that the short reply was an indication that Halla didn’t want to go further into conversation, but decided to probe out of curiosity anyways.

 

"Are you planning to work here full time?”

 

"Nah, I’m a college student so this is just a part time thing.  Just trying to get enough money to pay for books.”

 

"Oh, cool.  What year?”

 

"Sophomore.”

 

There were so many more questions Seungcheol wanted to ask: What major, what school, how student life was.  To say the least, he was intrigued by Halla and wanted to break past that line of defense he sensed around her.  He ultimately decided against it; it would be overkill to bother her that much on the first day.  He continued to set up the espresso machine, with no clue as to how an espresso machine works.

 

"Do you need help with that?” Halla inquired, noticing how Seungcheol was trying to twist a lever.  Although it was entertaining to see him attempt to put the contraption together, she was afraid it would break by the way he was manhandling it.    

 

"Even if you tried, I don’t see how you could get it to work.  This thing is like the world's hardest puzzle,” Seungcheol sighed with a look of defeat.  Halla found the box the machine was originally packaged in, and looked inside.

 

"There are instructions here,” she said, pulling out a large sheet from the box.  She dangled the papers in front of his face with a half-concerned, half-amused countenance.  

 

"Instructions are for chumps,” Seungcheol grumbled, still taking the instructions from Halla’s hands.  Halla giggled at his expression, and Seungcheol smiled at the fact that he was able to make her laugh, even if it was unintentional.

 

Seungcheol noticed that it was the first time he saw her smile— like an actual teeth-bearing, eye-crinkling smile.  He absolutely adored it.  Unlike her usual intimidating expression, her features softened and her eyes scrunched into little arcs.  All the stress that was apparent on her face seemed to melt away the moment the corners of lifted, and Seungcheol was proud to be the cause of that.  

 

"So, your uncle owns this place?” Halla asked.

 

"Yup!  I’m the boss’s favorite nephew, so ya better be nice to me,” Seungcheol beamed in a mockingly cute tone.  Halla scoffed.  She hated aegyo.  

 

"I think I’d rather just get fired.”  

 

"Whatever.  You don’t have to keep pretending you don’t find me cute.”

 

"Anywaysss,” Halla said, trying to divert the topic away from Seungcheol, a subject she was sure he loved, “Is this your uncle’s first time opening a café?”  

 

'Yeah, why?”

 

"Idunno… he just seems very relaxed for his first time opening a business.”

 

Seungcheol laughed and turned towards Halla, propping his elbow against the counter and leaning.  

 

"I didn’t say anything about this being his first time opening a business.  I said this is his first time opening a café.”

 

"Your point is?”

 

"My uncle is founder of Choi Tech.”

 

WHAT.  Halla’s head starting spinning.  My boss is the founder of one of the world’s largest technology companies?  Yes, she knew that her boss’s name was Mr. Choi and that Choi Tech was a big deal, but it never came across her mind that the two could be related.  After all, Choi was a common last name, and Mr. Choi hardly seemed CEO material.  Today he was wearing a tank top with pineapple print paired with bright orange cargo shorts.  He also dabbed the first time they met.    

 

"I guess that’s why he seems so chill to you,” Seungcheol chuckled.  “He just opened this place for fun, kind of like a hobby, so it’s not like he cares too much about how this place does financially.  You see all the pictures around this place?  They were all taken by him; he’s visited all of the sights in the photos.”     

 So... your uncle is pretty much loaded.”

 

"I guess you could say it like that, yeah.”

 

"Then why does he need you to help out?  Can’t he just hire somebody to do all of this?”  

 

"I’m helping out because I want to.  I think it’s cool that he’s opening this place and I wanted to check it out and spend some time with the old man.”  

 

That’s… almost sweet.

 

"Plus, what kind of good samaritan would I be if I stayed at home all day, without giving other people the blessing of seeing my face?”

 

Almost.

 

"Hey guys!” Mr. Choi yelled, charging into the room, “I was about to start painting the main sign for the café, when I realized I haven’t even named the place!  How funny is that?”

 

Seungcheol and Halla exchanged of concern.  The place was opening tomorrow, and he didn’t even know what it was called?  Halla couldn’t help but wonder if Seungcheol was pulling her leg about the whole CEO thing.    

 

"Do you have anybody or anything significant in your life that you want to name the café after?  Give the name some meaning?” Halla suggested.

 

"Ooh, what if I name the place after my bulldog, Paul?  Paul's Place?  House of Paul?”  

 

"Or maybe not,” Halla muttered.  

 

"Oh!  I got it, what about… Hilltop? Because we’re on a hill, ya know?”

 

What a stupid name, Halla thought.  She couldn’t help but cringe at the cheesiness of naming something after its location.  

 

"Hilltop café!  Final name.  Love it.  Truly genius,” Mr. Choi proclaimed proudly.  

 

After repeating it in her head a few times, Halla did have to admit it had a nice ring to it.  

 

→

 

It was almost the end of Halla’s shift and the sun was just about to set.  Mr. Choi, for the majority of the day, was working on the exterior of the café, making repairs to the rooftop and painting the sign, leaving Halla and Seungcheol alone to set up the kitchen appliances and decorate the interior.   

 

From the short conversations they’ve had, Halla was able to learn a few things about Seungcheol, such as the fact that he was dorming with a few of his friends.  That, and that he’s a five year old stuck in a young man’s body, with a face he believes to be the equivalent of Kim Woo Bin.  

 

The one thing that Halla was the most intrigued by was that she wasn’t able to squeeze any information about his social life out of him. She had asked him about his education and what he was up to, but he managed to dodge the questions so well that she was left with nothing.  She didn’t even know if he was a student or if he was already in the workforce, but she assumed he was a college student by the fact that he was older than her.  Probably a senior.    

 

With an hour of Halla’s shift left, boredom began to creep into her mind.  She was sure that Mr. Choi would be okay with her clocking out early, since they had pretty much finished setting up everything, but she craved to see the city at night from the café’s view and wanted an excuse to stay a little longer.  She suddenly remembered what Mr. Choi said to her when he first hired her, and got busy.  

 

"What are you doing?” Seungcheol asked, placing down the last table centerpiece.  He walked towards Halla and sat down on one of the bar stools across from where she was making drinks.  He folded his arms on the counter and rested his chin in the crook of his elbow, looking up at Halla with those puppy eyes of his.

 

"Experimenting.  Mr. Choi said that if I could make some cool drinks, he would add them to the menu,” Halla said, pouring various mixtures into the shaker.  She was excited by all the tools and flavor possibilities that surrounded her, feeling like a true bartender— or better yet, a witch brewing a special potion.  

 

"Ooh, are you making something alcoholic?”

 

"I don’t drink.  Here, try this,” Halla said, placing her first concoction on the counter.  Seungcheol obediently took a sip, grimaced, and spit whatever he took back in the cup.

 

"Are you trying to poison me?  What is this??” Seungcheol wailed in disgust.

 

"I honestly lost count after the first four flavors I added in,” Halla laughed.  Admittingly, she got carried away with all the bartender stuff.        

 

Okay, let’s try to make another one for real this time, she thought.  Halla took a glance outside, and began to create something, feeling inspired.  Carefully making sure to consider how the drink would actually taste this time, she produced something she was actually quite proud of and put it on the counter.           

 

"Drink,” Halla demanded.  Seungcheol picked up the drink, delicately spinning the glass around with an impressed expression.  The clear glass showed three distinct layers of red, orange, and clear.  Seungcheol turned slightly and held the glass up to the window to compare it with the view.  The sun was setting and the sky was painted with vibrant, warm colors that mirrored the drink.   

 

"I see what you did there,” Seungcheol smiled.  “What is it?

 

"It’s cherry syrup at the bottom with freshly squeezed orange juice on top of that.  Oh, and sparkling water to offset the sweetness.”

 

"It looks so cool, how did you do this?”

 

"I watched a video about layering drinks online, it’s pretty interesting!  To be honest, I’ve always wanted to try making drinks like this, which is partly why I got this job,” Halla answered enthusiastically.    

 

Seungcheol couldn’t help but keep grinning at Halla’s excitement.  It was absolutely, undeniably cute how giddy she was about something as simple as mixing juices.

 

"Hurry up and try it!” Halla urged.  “Oh wait, make sure to mix the drink first.”

 

Seungcheol mixed the drink as she said, and lifted it to the brim of his lip.  He looked up hesitantly.  

 

"Oh, come on!  I promise I actually tried on this one, okay?”  

 

He shut his eyes tightly, and took one big gulp.  Immediately, his eyes shot open, and his entire body froze.  

 

"What, do you not like it?”

 

"This.  Is the best thing.  I’ve tasted.  In my life,” Seungcheol beamed.  He downed the whole glass, and slammed it down on the counter, releasing a refreshed “ah”.  

 

"Gimme another one.”

 

"Wait, seriously?”  

 

"Yeah, I could probably drink a whole gallon of this stuff.”

 

"No, I mean… you liked it?”  

 

"I thought that was obvious,” Seungcheol chuckled at the disbelief in Halla’s face.  Her shocked expression quickly turned into one of pure happiness.  She began to jump around, overjoyed.  

 

"I made a good drink!” she exclaimed, still hopping around the kitchen.  

 

All of a sudden, Halla seemed to remember where she was, and she stopped in her tracks.  In an attempt to collect herself, she tucked her slightly tousled hair behind her ears and cleared .  

 

"I’ll uh, I’ll make you another one maybe another day.  They take kinda long to make and I should clock out pretty soon.”

 

"If I come back tomorrow to work and help out at the opening, will you make one for me?”  

 

"You’re seriously going to come here early in the morning and offer free labor just for a drink?”

 

"Yeah,” Seungcheol grinned.  “For the drink.”

 

---

 

[A/N] I really like it when characters break the fourth wall.  Hope you caught it ;) 

I plan to make the rest of the story pretty light-hearted like this, so I hope you guys like it!!  Next chapter will have more character introductions (maybe some seventeen members, ohohoho). I'll try to answer all the questions if you guys have any in the comments!