The glass walls were wiped thoroughly today. With the new menu announced, the café is expected to receive a large number of customers than usual. Jeongyeon made sure to clean every inch of dust there is.

      The glass let the morning rays pass through, illuminating the left side of the café while the small particles floating around in the sunlight. The wooden chairs were placed down from the table, occupying most of the space.

     Jeongyeon dashed to the kitchen to check the brewing machines whether they're operating or not. The machines are impossible to be damaged due to considerate care but Jeongyeon always puts the task of each assuring machine's condition up her to-do list.

     Once the machines were guaranteed to fully operate, the barista grabs another wet towel to wipe the counter.

     Cleaning a whole establishment is a handful, but it was one of Jeongyeon's favorite things to do. Keen organization within Dahyun and Chaeyoung's bags must be visible to the eye; the result of Jeongyeon's obsession with pristine objects and shiny surfaces.

     The establishment looks good as new, and Jeongyeon did that single-handed. Pride and satisfaction was the reward for her hard work.

     Since the café was ready to go, she puts aside her cleaning equipment and wears her apron. She rolls the sleeves of her white button-up shirt up to her elbows and placed her tiny notebook inside the pocket of her jeans.

     Jeongyeon reviews the environment once more before pacing to the main entrance to switch the sign.

     When Jeongyeon raised her head, a darkened face meets hers on the opposite side of the entrance. Although, the barista wasn't surprised since she gets to meet the same face frequently.

     From outside, Nayeon mouths, "Open up."

     Jeongyeon complies by opening the left door for Nayeon to enter.

     "You're early," Jeongyeon blurts.

     "Aren't I always?" Nayeon acknowledged, advancing to the counter as Jeongyeon follows.

     Jeongyeon enters the counter and retrieves a laminated menu from a stack below. She slides the menu to Nayeon's front and taps the surface to catch her attention.

     "What's this? New menu?"

     "New menu indeed. Order anything that catches your eye, be my guest."

     Nayeon eyes Jeongyeon's confident expression before she lowers her gaze to the menu.

     Breakfast — Ham and eggs, Sausages, Hotdogs, Soft Tofu Stew, Kimchi stew...These are surprisingly all good.

     Nayeon lowers the menu and asserts, "I'll try your Kimchi Stew. I'm curious if you're actually good at cooking."

     Jeongyeon raises a brow and sighs, "I can cook, of course. Don't doubt."

     The barista excused herself to the kitchen to swiftly prepare Nayeon's order. While Nayeon patiently waited, she grabs her phone from her purse to open the contact list. She scrolls to find a familiar name and soon pressing the telephone icon at the top right of their conversation.

     She waits for a while for the other line to answer the call.

     ("Are you at that cafe again?") The other line finally queries.

     "Yep. I thought you were coming with me? C'mon, the barista here is skilled and the food is the definition of high quality."

     ("We have a job, Nayeon...")

     "The trainees won't be able to take vocal training in two hours, Jihyo. Take a break sometimes, you know? What are you even doing this early?"

     ("Organize the trainee profiles? I don't know, work-related things. As long as I'm preoccupied and definitely not slacking off.")

     "Aish. Come here and have breakfast with me! The trainees would love to see you hyper from the coffee you drank," Nayeon chuckles. "And coffee is warm. Vocal trainers like us should drink warm beverages to soothe our throats."

     She hears the opposite line release a long sigh, humming afterward. ("Okay. Which café is it? This better be worthy.")

     "Pfft, what are you saying? This place is my kind of worthy. I'll send you the address in a bit. I'll hang up."

     And so, Nayeon hungs up to send the address of the café. She knows the location that well so it won't be a bother to recall where the café resides.

     Minutes later, Jeongyeon returns with a tray of Kimchi stew and mint chocolate espresso, Nayeon's signature order. The steam coming from the stew presents freshness and warm greetings.

     "That looks good," Nayeon admits while Jeongyeon places the stew and the espresso on the counter. She hands her a pair of chopsticks to use and puts the tray away.

     To initiate, Nayeon tastes the delicious and savory stew that made her eyes widen by surprise. "This is good!"

     She continues to eat, taking a sip from her espresso every now and then.

     "See? I'm not that bad of a cook," Jeongyeon claims. She exits the counter to sit beside Nayeon who enjoyed every second of her taste test.

     "You really are amazing. How in the world do you make every food taste great?"

     "Eh? Well...my dad is a chef and he holds this place. You can say I inherited his skills in cooking."

     "That sounds nice," Nayeon slurps.

     Jeongyeon smiles at the compliment. She raised both her arms to place it on the counter, her eyes still glued to Nayeon. She'd pucker her lips and release air playfully.

     After Nayeon finished the stew, she hovers her hand over her stomach, a sign of satisfaction. "God, you're amazing."

     "You're willing to say the same words all over again?" Jeongyeon chuckles.

     "Of course! I'm so glad to discover this place."

     "And this place is glad to have you."

     A moment of silence passed. Jeongyeon noticed Nayeon's non-existent espresso, so she asks in concern, "Do you want me to get you some water?"

     Nayeon nods as she reaches for the tissues from a basket. "Do I have to pay for it too?" she jokes.

     "All I can say is it's your lucky day today."

     
_____

     
     Afternoon.

     The orientation began half an hour ago. Apparently, the female students were determined to listen due to the handsome speaker while the male students sat back and sent silent glares. College attitude, they say.