Wendy thinks baristas are really cool.

 

---

 

Irene had just transferred to coffee shop in Gangnam from her small town, Daegu. However, she wasn’t aware of the rules regarding the store’s regular customers.

 

She had been working weekend mornings, but only recently started working full time.

 

She was nervous to encounter the weekday customers, although the weekend customers had been typically polite, she already had grumpy business workers come in for their morning coffee.

 

“Goodmorning!” Irene greeted with a bright smile, “how are you today?”

 

“Medium signature roast, no room.”

The customer threw his payment onto the counter as he checked his phone, never once making eye contact.

 

Irene placed the coffee on the counter and took the exact change,

 

“Have a great rest of your day!”

 

He customer left without a glance.

 

This continued throughout the rest of the day, she realized much of the inner-city workers really just cared about their coffee. She felt like a vending machine, if she didn’t speak would they even notice? She made up her mind that she liked the weekends better; the customers were much nicer, and at least they said thank you.

 

But there was one customer in particular who went by the name of Wendy Shon and only came in the evenings.

 

Everyone in the café had known about the busy singer, she was one of the top singers from the company across the street. Her voice was warm, but her personality spoke otherwise. Everyone knew her regular drink, so no one had a reason to make conversation; she hated small talk, she had places to be.

 

Everyone knew this except for Irene.

 

She regained her confidence when a female customer entered the store.

 

Finally.

 

But quickly lost it when the singer approached the counter, eyes glued to her phone.

 

“H- hi! What can I get for you today?”

 

“The regular please,” she mumbled under a whisper.

 

For some reason, Irene had started to break into a nervous sweat,

 

“I’m sorry, I.. I’m new here-“

 

“It’s a Triple Grande Skinny Caramel Macchiato, made with lactaid and half sweet,” her sweet voice spoke with a slight annoyance to it.

 

She briefly glanced up from her phone as she heard Irene frantically tapping away on the till screen.

 

“C- can I grab y- your name, Miss?”

 

Wendy finally looked up and took a complete look at the nervous woman in front of her, a faint blush painting her cheeks as she pushed up the middle of her glasses.

 

Doe eyes stared back at her through the thin black frames, almost asking her to release her from her misery.

 

Wendy’s gaze softened immediately,

 

“it’s Wendy,” she flashed a small smile to the barista.

 

Irene’s nervous hands wrote on the cup as she walked over to the bar to begin preparing the drink. Although she was nervous at first, she effortlessly began to steam the milk. Her skilled hands moved around smoothly as she prepared the espresso shot.

 

“Are you the only one working today?” Wendy questioned as she glanced around the café, not noticing anyone else.

 

“Mm, we become a bit slow around the holidays so my manager let the other staff go for the day. He just wanted me to stay to train!”

 

Just as Irene finished her sentence, her said manager walked out of the backroom. Wendy never liked him because he always gave off a creepy vibe. She had been frequenting the café for as long as she could remember, but she always noticed that the staff were all female except for him. It unsettled her how he looked at them, like right now.

 

“Is everything okay here, Irene?” The latter flinched as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

 

“Yes! I- I was just finishing up Wendy’s drink!”

 

“That’s Miss Wendy for you,” he squeezed her shoulder lightly.

 

“No, Wendy is just fine.”

 

The tone sent chills down Irene’s neck, it was the same tone she used when she walked in.

 

“Ah- for sure, Miss! Irene here just transferred from a café in Daegu- “

 

“Thank you, Irene,” she gave her a warm smile once again, not missing the blush that returned to her soft cheeks.

 

Her smile disappeared when she sent the manager a cold glare.

 

As Wendy exited the café, the manager turned Irene harshly by her shoulders.

 

“That is Wendy Shon! You are, under no circumstances, to make conversation with her! You are to take her payment, make her drink, and serve it, no small talk! That woman has places to be, she doesn’t care about you or any of us for that matter, all she cares about is that she gets her Triple Grande Skinny Caramel Macchiato made half sweet with lactose free milk!!!”

 

Irene blinked as she was scolded by the manager, she was mostly confused as her encounter with the girl was nothing like her manager exclaimed.

 

“Oh, okay-“

 

“You are to memorize her drink and nothing else, she is one of our top customers and she’s a rising singer, we can’t risk losing her!!”

 

“Alright, alright I got it,” the petite girl threw her hands up in surrender.

 

The manager pinched his nose bridge and sighed out of frustration,

 

“Just help me close the store and you can go home.”

 

They closed up the café within an hour and Irene found herself walking home, shoving her cold hands into her pocket. It was mid December and the forecast stated that it was only going to get colder. She made a mental note to herself to buy some mittens sometime soon.

 

As Irene contemplated, she felt someone watching her as she walked home, subconsciously, she picked up her pace.

 

 

 

Wendy sighed out of exhaustion as she sat at the back of her chauffer’s car. It had been a long day and she just wanted to go home and rest.

 

As the vehicle pulled out of her company lot, she noticed the barista from earlier locking up the café.

 

The car arrived at a stop light and she observed the smaller girl, garnering some interest as she tried to warm her hands in the cold.

 

 

 

As the days started to pass, Wendy found herself visiting the small coffee shop twice a day, discovering things about the shy barista through short conversations as she made her favourite drink.

 

She spent her breaks in the café, enjoying Irene’s company for the short while.

 

 

 

One afternoon, she leaned against the counter as she watched Irene make her drink.

 

Sensing someone looking at her, Irene exchanged a glance with the intimidating yet charming singer.

 

She blushed and resumed making the beverage before handing it off, but the top of her hand was met with a warm palm.

 

“Thank you,” Wendy spoke gently, “you know I always thought baristas were really cool.”

 

She smiled and walked to her table.

 

As she took a short break from her laptop, it dawned on her that with the amount of time she saw Irene in the café, she’d never seen the hard worker go on a break.

 

She pulled an one of her airpods out as she called for Irene who was wiping a table not too far from her.

 

“Hey Irene!! Do you ever take a break?” A smile was tugging at the corner of her lip as she leaned back into her chair.

 

“Y- yeah! I’m actually scheduled for one after I finish up these tables, did you need me to grab you anything?”

 

“No just.. sit with me?”

 

Heat rose to her cheeks as she looked and nodded, pushing up her glasses again.

 

Wendy found this endearing, it was one of the things she noticed whenever the barista got nervous.

 

She turned around as she made her way to the back to take off her apron, her steps having a light skip to it.

 

 

 

It became a daily routine to spend their breaks together, it gave them more time to get to know each other and quickly became inseparable.

 

They both had learned that they lived by themselves, but their schedules made it difficult to meet outside of the café.

 

 

 

But Wendy had finished early one evening and texted Irene asking her if she was busy after work so that they could go for dinner. She sent a quick reply, sending a smile across Wendy’s lips.

 

 

 

I’ll pick you up at the café, just wait for me, okay?

 

Okay!! (:

 

 

 

She crossed the street as she saw Irene turning off the last of the lights. They found each other’s gaze as Wendy closed the distance between them, shy grins appearing on both of their faces as Wendy pulled Irene into a hug.

 

“I made reservations at a restaurant a couple blocks down, is it okay if we walk? We can always take one of the company cars-“

 

“No, it’s okay, we can walk,” Irene peered up at the brunette before she started walking. Soon she would regret her decision.

 

They had only walked a block and the cold had already started to engulf the girl. She tried to hide it from Wendy to avoid making her feel bad, but failed miserably as her nose started to turn red despite tucking it into her zipped up jacket.

 

“Irene, are you okay?” Concern was evident in Wendy’s voice.

 

The smaller girl nodded her head as they continued to walk, until she bumped into something soft.

 

“Your ears are turning red,” the singer had blocked her path.

 

She did not expect what was going to happen next as Wendy took her hands out of her pockets and warmed her hands a bit more before she pressed warmth over Irene’s ears.

 

“Ahh.. why didn’t you bring a toque?” She pulled Irene’s hood up, missing the blush furiously chasing the smaller girl’s cheeks, nose, and ears. “I’ll bring one for you next time.”

 

“Okay,” she managed out under a barely audible whisper.

 

If Irene wasn’t warm before, she was definitely heating up as Wendy took her ice cold hand into hers and interlaced their fingers in the pocket of her parka.

 

“I’ll bring mittens too, but honestly, I’m fine with this if you are,” She squeezed her hand gently as she gazed down at Irene’s blushing side profile.

 

“I like this better,” Irene looked up at Wendy as her smile met her eyes, her thumb rubbing small circles over hand. She giggled as she saw the singer’s breath get caught in ,

 

“Look where you’re walking, you’re going to slip and pull me down with you.”

 

Turns out Wendy wasn’t the only one who could make someone blush with her words.

 

“Is that so bad?”

 

Irene let out a laugh louder than necessary and shoved Wendy.

 

They both played around, throwing snow at each other and laughing until Irene almost slipped.

 

The playfulness left Wendy’s eyes as she worriedly looked at the girl in her arms, their faces merely inches apart. She didn’t miss how Irene’s eyes briefly dropped to her lips,

 

“....thank you.”

 

There was a short silence when Wendy her lips,

 

“I’ll always catch you,”

 

Irene laughed again at her greasiness and escaped her arms before running towards the restaurant.

 

Wendy chased after her with a mischievous smile as she pulled her into a back hug, causing the woman to squeal before she took her hand in hers again.

 

A host greeted them at the door, trying to suppress a laugh as Irene’s glasses immediately fogged up upon entering the warmth of the restaurant.

 

“Do you have a reservation with us tonight?”

 

Irene let go of Wendy’s hand to take off her glasses, she decided to just put them in her pocket for the rest of the night.

“Yes, it’s under Son Seungwan,”

 

The two followed the host to their table, a booth tucked away in the corner of the modest restaurant.

 

“I’ll come back to take your drinks,”

 

They nodded as Irene nudged Wendy’s foot under the table,

 

“Seungwan?”

 

“Y- yeah.. it’s.. it’s my Korean name..” She embarrassingly scratched her nape upon the mention of her boyish name.

 

“I like it,” she propped up her elbow on the table as she rest her head against her palm, admiring Wendy in a light that was different from the café.

 

“Mine is Joohyun,” Wendy’s eyes mirrored hers as she looked up, she was mesmerised by the girl across from her,

 

“.....Joohyun,”

 

The latter laughed lightly before answering in a teasingly tone,

 

“Yes?”

 

“You have really beautiful eyes,” She blushed for the nth time that night and looked away.

 

Thankfully their waitress had come to take their order, saving her from falling further into Wendy’s gaze.

 

The dinner went by smoothly, of course with exchanges of stares that held deeper meanings, neither of the two preventing themselves from acknowledging their feelings.

 

 

 

Wendy walked Irene home, holding her close to her body.

 

They arrived at her door and Wendy disappointedly pulled away from the smaller girl so she could get her keys out of her purse.

 

She turned the lock but before she pushed her door open, she turned to face Wendy.

 

“Thank you for tonight, for everything” she pulled her into a hug and buried her face into the warmth of Wendy’s neck.

 

Pulling away, she saw a look of disappointment on Wendy’s face,

 

“What’s wrong?” Her arms lingered around the girl’s waist.

 

“I’m sorry I can’t spend Christmas with you,”

 

During their dinner, Wendy had told Irene that she was scheduled to open at an multiple award ceremonies starting on Christmas day, but Irene assured her that it was okay, that they’ll see each other again before the new year.

 

“Hey, it’s okay,” she tried to find Wendy’s eyes.

 

“Wendy.. Look at me,” her sad eyes peered down into optimistic ones.

 

“We just spent Christmas Eve together and I’m so thankful that we could. Just do well, okay? I’ll be supporting you through the TV!!”

 

Irene raised her small fist to cheer Wendy on. The latter took her fist and kissed her knuckles, her eyes full of utmost sincerity.

 

“Thank you, I’m so thankful for you.”

 

Irene immediately hid her face in the crook of Wendy’s neck, memorizing the warmth as much as she could.

 

“You should get going, you really need to get as much rest as you can for tomorrow.”

 

She kissed Wendy’s cheek before turning to go into her home, but was stopped by a grip on her wrist.

 

Wendy’s face was just as flushed as hers as she leaned in to press her lips onto Irene’s cheek to return the gesture.

 

“Goodnight Irene,” suddenly the singer’s charming self was just as shy.

 

“Goodnight Wendy,” the barista smiled timidly as she pushed her door open.

 

 

 

The following days came quickly and Irene couldn’t wait to tell Wendy how much she loved the performance.

 

That day came when Wendy entered the café, and Irene greeted her with a smile, but Wendy looked grim.

 

“Don’t make my drink, when are you going on break?”

 

The seriousness laced in her voice startled Irene.

 

She took a quick glance at the empty tables, “I can go now,” she removed her apron, carelessly throwing it onto a hook in the backroom before meeting Wendy on the other side of the counter.

 

The day was especially slow considering it was New Year’s Eve.

 

“I missed you so much,” Wendy didn’t hesitate to wrap her arms around Irene’s slim waist.

 

The latter brought the soft palm of her hand to caress Wendy’s cheek,

 

“Did something happen?” Her tone was riddled with worry.

 

“No.. I just really missed you,” the singer pouted and it took everything in Irene not to kiss the girl.

 

“Wendy, it’s only been a few days”

 

“I know but you’ve become an important part of my day,” she pushed a few strands of hair that came out of Irene’s ponytail behind her ear.

 

“Can’t I miss you?” A familiar heat overcame Irene’s cheeks again, she never expected her and Wendy to be this close, or to be anything for that matter.

 

“Of course, I missed you too, but you always know where to find me.”

 

She pulled the pouty girl in for another hug, they stayed in each other’s embrace for a while longer.

 

“Why are you even working today? The store is normally closed on this day, there’s no one here,” her palms drew circles on Irene’s back.

 

“My manager said I could come in to pick up some extra holiday hours, but now that you’re here, I wouldn’t mind closing now,” her head resting just above Wendy’s collarbone.

 

She nuzzled further into her neck, enjoying the scent of Wendy’s fabric softener.

 

“Spend New Years with me.”

 

“Wh- I.. I don’t want to intrude on your plans!”

 

“Did you forget I live alone?” Wendy leans away with a smirk on her face as she tries to see Irene’s.

 

“Unless you just don’t want to spend it with me,” she was finally met with Irene’s wide eyes.

 

“No! No, I do!” She looked away, shy at her own eagerness.

 

“I’ll close up quickly then we can go to..” She didn’t really want to bring Wendy to her own home, mostly because it was too small, old and rickety. There was nothing romantic about that-

 

Wait, romantic?

 

“My place?” Wendy interrupted her thoughts that were about to make her flustered.

 

“We can see the fireworks from my living room!”

 

“O- okay!!” She disappeared from Wendy’s arms as she whipped around the café.

 

Irene managed to close the store within 15 minutes, there wasn’t much to clean since it wasn’t busy at all.

 

As she emerged from the backroom, she pulled her hair elastic out of her hair, allowing her locks to softly caress her shoulders.

 

Wendy was notably flustered, she’d never seen Irene with her hair down since she mostly saw her at work or after work.

 

Irene noticed this and tucked a couple of strands behind her ear, a tint of rose painting the tip of her exposed ear.

 

“Ready?”

 

“Uh.. yeah, I’ll go get the car,”

 

Irene’s laughter echoed throughout the café when Wendy turned around too fast and ran smack into the glass door.

 

She approached her and pulled her by the shoulder before going up on her toes to kiss the spot on her forehead that Wendy had hit.

 

She couldn’t help but laugh again at the dumbfounded look on the singer’s face.

 

“Let’s go get the car.”

 

 

 

Irene couldn’t stop teasing Wendy about her embarrassing accident the car ride home. The only time she shut up was when Wendy leaned over to unbuckle her seatbelt.

 

A smirk of victory appeared on her face that Irene wanted to wipe off with a kiss.

 

But instead, her thoughts were interrupted again by Wendy opening her door.

 

“Miss, are you going to zone out into the new year?”

 

She teased as Irene stepped out of the car.

 

 

 

The barista stood in awe at the singer’s apartment. She was on the 15^th floor and had a beautiful view of the city skyline; with this view, they would certainly be able to see the fireworks tonight.

 

 

 

Wendy made them a simple dinner before bringing them over to the living room to settle for hot chocolate in front of the TV.

 

They flipped through countless channels that were covering the countdown over several countries, until they found the right one.

 

A series of performances were taking place to kill time before the countdown, but Irene wasn’t interested. She took the remote from Wendy’s had and turned down the TV, Wendy looked down at the girl leaning against her with a look of confusion on her face.

 

It was 11:55 when Irene asked her to sing a song for her instead.

 

At 11:59, the quiet hum of the TV caught their attention as the host asked everyone to think of what they wanted in the new year as the countdown neared.

 

“Hold that to you dearly.”

 

And the countdown began.

 

 

 

10

 

The first firework startled Irene, she immediately brought her hands up to cover her ears.

 

9

 

Wendy noticed the small girl flinch beside her in her periphery, not knowing Irene was scared of fireworks.

 

8

 

She turned towards the girl and brought her hands over the one's covering Irene's ears.

 

7

 

A warm smile began to creep up on Irene’s face as she brought her hands to Wendy’s forearms instead.

 

6

 

Her gentle gaze washed away the concern in Wendy’s.

 

5

 

The singer found herself admiring Irene’s eyes again, getting lost in the way the light from the fireworks reflected off of the glistening surface.

 

4

 

They drew closer to each other, resting their foreheads together as their hot breaths met in between the small space between their lips.

 

3

 

Irene’s hands found themselves behind Wendy’s neck, encouraging her as she angled her head.

 

2

 

Wendy’s hands s around Irene’s waist, pulling her closer against her body.

 

1

 

Their lips finally met and moved against one another as sounds of celebration emitted from the TV, while bursts of color bounced off of the walls of Wendy’s living room.

 

 

 

Irene smiled into the kiss before pulling away breathlessly,

 

“Happy New Year, Seungwan,” her forehead resting against the latter’s.

 

“Happy New Year, Joohyun.”

 

---

Happy New Years everyone! Here's a rushed update because I promised one, it is a little late because I wanted to post this before the new year but hey, at least its here now lol. I hope you all have a blessed 2019 filled with happiness! Thank you guys again for the support, I hope you all enjoyed this one!

-a.r