Author's note: If you like, play ChilledCow beats to study radio or playlist since I used that as background music while writing this. Enjoy!

The little two story coffee shop was so quiet at that time in the morning, so peaceful, the smell of freshly brewed coffee invading every corner of the tiny place. I was grateful I found that part time job so close from home, at the time I was trying to get some extra money for college expenses and was giving up on finding something that fits my schedule when I found this place. As I entered, I saw the manager getting things ready to open, he noticed my presence and smiled softly at me, so I returned the smile and walk towards him.

I remember thinking "First day Yuqi, don't ruin it."

"Morning Yuqi-ah, ready for your first day?" The manager said as I approached. He's the owner of the cafe and is close to one of my friends.

"Yes!" I said enthusiastically.

"Ok, then. You know what to do, so I'll leave you to get the first few orders of the day."

"I'll do my best boss." I said, saluting like a soldier ready to work.

"Just call me Jin, I'll finish baking this pastries and come back to give you a hand. Ok?" he said before going back to the oven and checking on whatever he was baking. It was starting to smell so good.

A couple of minutes later, I head the door open. A young woman walked towards the counter, my first customer, I tried my best to contain my excitement but a shy smile managed to make its way through. She was short, with a strong presence and glorious silver hair.

"Welcome to Muse Cafe, can I take your order?" I said as she got to the register.

She stares at me for a bit before replying. "Oh, you're a new face." Curious eyes met mine before Jin quickly interrupted what could have become a bit awkward.

"Soyeon-ah, I'll take your order, it's her first day." Jin said patting my shoulder signaling me that he was taking over.

"Oh, I see." She said, then smiled before saying. "Then let's test her training."

"Sure?" Jin asked.

"Yeah, absolutely" She said immediately.

"Bring it, I can make anything here perfectly" I said, trying my best to sound confident. If this girl wanted to challenge me I was more than ready to nail whatever she threw at me.

"Then the usual" She said with a slight smirk. I looked at Jin confused. That totally caught me off guard.

"Ah... Manager nim, what's the usual?" I finally asked.

Before Jin could answer me, the young woman added. "Mocha Frappe, add chips on top"

After a couple of minutes and the supervision of the manager I managed to complete the order, making sure it looked perfect. I had practiced before with the manager during training but this was the first time making something for an actual customer.

"Thanks for your patience, hope you like it." I said as I placed the drink over the counter.

She took the frappe and took a small sip with a straw then stayed silent for a bit before letting a small smile out. "Not bad for a first try" She finally said.

"I can make you another one if you like." Said the manager with a tone of concern.

"No, no, it's fine. She kinda nailed it." She took another sip of her drink before adding "I'll see you tomorrow then." She paused for a second to lower her eyes to look at my nametag and then back up. As our eyes met, she smiled before saying my name and leaving the coffee shop.

She came back the next day and the next one, until it became a routine, she came 3 or 4 times a week, at different times. Some of them she just ordered and made small talk for a bit before leaving, but some days she stayed. The store had this small second story with just two tables, people rarely went there unless they wanted some privacy and it's exactly where she stayed every time. On those occasions I would forget she was there, she stayed for hours and wouldn't show up until she wanted another drink or some snack.

As time went by we started becoming comfortable with each other, teasing her about whatever crossed my mind became a thing and as time went by I realized that the fierce young woman I first met had a softer side. She was actually kinda shy, I liked making her embarrassed by calling her cute, cause well she was. She's the cutest when she laughs.

She's passionate and dedicated to her craft, she likes working here where her roommates are not being noisy. Sometimes I walk upstairs to check on her, offer her a drink, she's always working on her laptop, headphones on. It was on one of those occasions that I found her playing with her phone, seemingly tired, we started talking. She's a music production major, she told me to sit beside her and gave me her headphones. It's just a few seconds but I liked how it was turning out. The song was fierce just like her.

One day she came by just as I was ending my shift, she ordered the usual and asked me if I wanted to hang with her for a bit. It had been a rough week for both of us so just relaxing together was a nice change of pace. We ended up at her place watching movies and ordering pizza. I wanted a healthier option but turns out veggies are her nemesis. That's something new to about.

I'm sure it was that day that I realized I was falling for her.

Sure, I knew she was cute and had this cool aura but hanging with her, just laughing and feeling comfortable around each other. It made me fall slowly but steady before I could even realize. Over time I got to meet her roommates, and it became a thing for us to hang out every week or so. Sometimes we just wanted to relax together after a long week, others we felt like drinking and having fun with her roommates. Soojin and Miyeon are fun, they're definitely more talkative than Soyeon and they got along with my friends after we all met.

It was winter, we had known each other for a few months by then. She came to the cafe late in the afternoon that day, gave me a smile and told me if I could get her usual order upstairs. I had never seen her so tired, school work kept her busy but this time it made me sad to see her like that. She looked like she hadn't been sleeping.

Around midnight that day, I finished cleaning my space and headed