Ch. 7: Mimosa

• Champagne
• Orange Juice

            I rushed over to the client from behind the bar. I thought this was going to be like some of the earlier clients who just had some restrictions. Evidently, I was wrong.

            Just as the kid passed out, a man with bright pink hair entered the shop. He also rushed to… What was his name again? Changkyun.

            “Oh my god! What happened to him?” the new customer asked.

            “He passed out,” Wonho replied. I knew that wasn’t the whole truth. I opened my mouth to say something, but the words wouldn’t form.

            “I’m sure he’d appreciate it if you made him some food,” Wonho continued. “The poor kid is malnourished as well.”

            After the customer ran to the kitchen, I asked, “Do you know him?”

            Wonho nodded. Then he went back to the bar while I kept watch on Changkyun. His half-finished grasshopper sad on the table in front of me.

            I wondered for a bit what it was that Wonho had done. The haze had nearly blocked out my view of the table while they were talking. Now, it seemed to have changed from a greyish blue to a pearlescent periwinkle.

            The longer I sat in that booth, the more the haze seemed to collect around the kid and the door to the kitchen.

            Eventually, the pink haired man came out of the kitchen, carrying a plate of what I’m pretty sure were potatoes. The smell of the cooked butter mixed with the sweet smell of the shop.  The combination made my nose scrunch up and my stomach flip a bit. Pinky seemed unbothered, even if the muscles around his mouth were tense.

            “Is he going to be alright?” he asked.

            I wasn’t sure myself, but something told me he needed to be reassured.

            “He’ll be fine,” I said. “Who are you?”

            “I’m Kihyun,” he answered, eyes still on the kid. “You?”

            “My name’s Hyungwon. I’m a recent hire,” I replied.

            Changkyun stirred then. He sat up, holding his head. His eyes seemed unfocused.  That is, until he saw Kihyun.

            “Here, you should eat this,” Kihyun said. “How are you feeling?”

            “Like someone decided to take an eggbeater to the inside of my head,” he replied.

            “That’s… rough. What happened?”

            Changkyun thought for a moment. He chewed a potato, waiting to remember.

            “I… don’t really remember,” he said. “I was drinking that grasshopper when I just kind of… passed out.” He gestured to the drink as he spoke.

            “You were probably dehydrated. I saw you playing outside the restaurant all day,” Kihyun replied. “Hyungwon, can you get him some water?”

            I left to get another glass of water. Changkyun seemed fine, even if he was missing some memories. Something still didn’t seem right though.  I wanted to ask Wonho what happened, but something told me he wasn’t going to answer.

            “What is your name, anyway?” I overheard Kihyun ask.

            “I am IM,” Changkyun -- IM -- replied. “That’s the name I remember, anyway.”

            Oh. That’s what was wrong.