written about last month so excuse the timeline

There’s no customer in for a hot coffee today. It’s basically a free pay for Hayoung but honestly, it’s better to have ten or twenty than no customer at all. Because then she will have a distraction. When there’s no one in, she has no other choice but to observe the rest of the staffs. Which frankly, is just a bunch of weird adults.

“I’m not going to apologize.” Chanyeol and Chorong walk in, already bickering. Nothing new.

Chorong smirks behind him but the smirk doesn’t look mean enough as her bottom lip quivers. It’s the coldest day of the week today. “Okay then. But remember next time when you want to sprinkle salt in whatever he makes, I’m going to refuse to be your alliance.”

Chanyeol shakes his head, kind of look cold, kind of look scared, kind of want to look convincing. “I’m . . . I’m still not going to apologize.”

“And I’m not going to do laundry for you anymore even if you beg.” They waddle to the kitchen.

“I’m just not going to wear anything anymore.”

Hayoung grimaces.

“Are you really not going to apologize?”

“No.”

The last thing of their conversation that Hayoung can hear is about some high-school nemesis and more blackmailing. Does she know what they’re arguing about? No. Does she care? Also no.

“This is the perfect donut.” Bomi says lovingly before she puts a donut on the tray in the display rack. “This too.” She stares at another donut, smiling widely, and puts it beside the previous one. “Oh and look at you who did this to you . . . maybe I should eat you.”

Creepily, she’s talking to no one.

Talking about creepy, Jongdae has been recording a dubsmash video of himself acting like zombie since half an hour ago. It looks so pointless. Once it’s done, he’ll watch it and stomps his foot out of frustration and then he’ll record it again with the same action and angle and the cycle repeats.

“Let’s save that for the weekend.” Minseok walks out from Junmyeon’s room, tailing behind him is Kris. “I don’t want to end up like Exhibit A over there.” He points at Jongdae.

Must be about their plan to get drunk over the belated New Year celebration and celebrating Jongin and Kyungsoo’s birthday altogether. But the females are excluded, especially her, because they said it’s an adult semi-gay party. (Tao is the host, so that tells a lot).

“Please be nice to each other.” Bomi says to the donuts before bringing the tray to the kitchen.

“And this would be Exhibit B.” Minseok points at her as she walks pass them.

“I fall in love . . .” Enters Luhan, waltzing through the door to the centre of the café. “on the snowy day. Music cue!” He points to the air.

No one cares.

“Oh come on. I thought you have high tolerance. And it’s cold.” Kris insists.

Minseok lets out a dramatic tsk as he walks to the door. “You would be Exhibit C if you keep trying to pressure me.”

“Me? Not Luhan?”

Hayoung hears nothing more after the door closed. She glances at where Naeun and Yixing are sitting at the other side of the counter.

“That’s your birthday present to them?” Yixing shrieks.

“Yep. Acupuncture is great.”

Yixing frowns at her, his fingers nibble on a tissue. “But to make them have needles stuck all over their body on their birthday is kind of mean, Naeun. Don’t you think so?”

Naeun just smirks devilishly. And Hayoung knows that’s kind of her point.

Talking about birthday presents, she doesn’t get anything for Jongin and Kyungsoo yet. Maybe she should think about it now.

“It was slipping off the folder and they told me they have it with them. Can you drop by and get it for me on your way?”

Thinking of the devil, Kyungsoo paces back and forth from the kitchen to the counter, talking on the phone. Eunji is staring at him from the doorway.

“She said she left it at the front desk. You just pick it up.” He pauses and stops pacing. “Invoice. In . . . vois. . . It’s not a thing, Jongin – it’s a paper.”

Eunji snorts. “I told you he doesn’t know what that is.”

“. . . In and then vois which spelled like voice.”

“I’m not sure he can even spell voice.”

Hayoung is nearly butting in into the matter just to agree. Jongin misspelled his own name for more than one occasion.

“Not B. It’s V Jongin V. Voice. Voice like you’re singing and– “ He pauses again. And then there’s smoke coming out from his ears. “Foys? I didn’t say foys. What in the world is foys?”

“Are you talking to Jongin?” Luhan asks.

Kyungsoo nods half-heartedly and starts pacing again as he spells, “V for vendetta . . . no, you don’t have to know what is vendetta.”

“Great. Can you ask him to get me a sour plum and honey lollipop –“

“O for orange.”

“-in packet? I heard they have it in packet now –

“I for In as in your third name. Hold on.” He cups his phone and turns to Luhan.

“-and there’s about six in it.”

“Hyung, could you please – and I mean this in the most polite way possible – go the away? I’m not going to spell lollipop to him.”

“But he knows that lollipop. We shared it once. Just tell him Luhan’s lollipop, he will -”

Kyungsoo sighs, turning helplessly to Eunji. “Eunji.”

Eunji nods, rolling up her sleeves before reaching to Luhan.

“He knows, he knows!!” Luhan shouts from the kichen as he’s dragged by his hair.

Kyungsoo turns back to Jongin and starts pacing again. “What letter is the last? . . . okay, C for cat – god, I can’t believe I’m doing this for a twenty-two year old.” Before he’s moving back to the kitchen. “E for - Bomi, stop eating that!”

When Hayoung loses her focus, that’s when she hears the commotion starts from every side. For a no-customer café, this café sure is noisy.

“Naeun. I don’t think they would want tattoo too . . .”

“I’m. Not. Going. To. Apologize! You’re the one who threw it at me, why do I have to apologize when it’s broken?”

“You don’t just – oh my god – you don’t just ask if they have our voice! There’s an in- syllable at the front!”

“Brains . . . brains . . .”

“He knows that lollipop, I swear!”

“Bomi, stop ing eating that!”

"What happened here what happened?"

Hayoung sighs. She doesn’t and she shouldn’t care. At all. If she wants a brighter future ahead, she better stays in her lane.

Yep. It’s ironic how she’s the youngest, isn’t it?