---M&M Chapter 1: Was it Matcha?---

 

㎡

 

Not quite the morning person, Son Chaeyoung wiped the traces of her good night sleep from the corner of . She yawned, stretched, and sat staring sleepily at the wall clock that was positioned just across her bed. 7:45 AM. The coffee and tea shop where she worked opens at 8:00 AM sharp, as what the manager would always remind the staff every single closing time, ever so often pointing an accusing finger at Chaeyoung longer than the others, like she was some kind of a lousy barista. Chaeng scoffed at that thought. She, after all the warnings, was going to be on her 4th streak of being punctual, if arriving 2 minutes before they open is considered punctual, that is, if and only if she could manage to bathe, get dressed, be presentable, and cycle her way to the cafe in 15 minutes time. Realizing the minuscule minutes that she had on her palms, she bolted from her bed to the showers in an unbelievable speed, being athletic certainly had its perks. She wasn’t particularly meticulous with anything, as long as she does the job right it was already great for her.

 

It was already 7:56 AM when she exited her apartment. Hopping to the old yet trusty bicycle that she cherished, she pedaled hysterically, not caring anymore if she’s presentable to the public or not as long as she wasn’t late. She smoothly moved through the traffic, easing her way out with the shortcuts that she discovered from the multiple times she had to race with time and, in very unfortunate occasions, with the big dogs from the alleys in which Chaeyoung swore were only unfriendly to her. Big bullies.

 

She could feel her sweat cascading on her back, making her work shirt glue itself on it. There was only a minute left and the shop was just a few steps to her right, she skidded to a stop just on the spot for her bike to park, another skill her persistent tardiness unintentionally taught her.

 

Not bothering to lock her ride, she dashed inside to check in. Just seconds after her, their manager arrived with a glare. Uh-oh, Chaeyoung gulped, though she wasn’t technically late, she was still under strict observation. As if her body sensed she was about to be scolded, she grabbed her apron and attended the customer that was already in a booth. Wait, was she already there before me? Chaeyoung wondered, shrugging it off when she was already approaching the counter.

 

“Morning, got your choice?” She asked, a practiced smile on her face, not really looking directly at the customer. She was pretty sure beads of sweat were visible on some places of her body.

 

There was a brief silence before the lady spoke up, “Good morning,” she politely said, making Chaeyoung look up from her notepad, “I’d like a 16oz Matcha tea with honey and lemon.”

 

Chaeyoung was a little bit shocked from the greeting, especially since she probably reeked of perspiration and was, undoubtedly, a visible mess. was slightly open as she unconsciously stared at the lady. The customer smiled at her awkwardly before peeking at the pad that Chaeyoung was unknowingly scribbling her order.

 

“Uh, can I add an oatmeal cookie on that?” She shyly pointed on Chaeyoung’s note.

 

Chaeyoung blinked several times as an irritated cough was gaudily made behind her, it snapped her back from the fleeting trance that she was in, “Yeah. Sure. Uh, cool.” Lame, she cursed herself, “Would that be all?”

 

The customer nodded, handing her exact payment to the employee. Chaeyoung cautiously took her cash, sneaking a glance. She punched it in their system, and then cleared to catch the lady’s attention.

 

“Name?” Chaeyoung nonchalantly asked. Feigning innocence on her eyes that was eagerly dancing with mischief.

 

“It’s Mina.” She smiled before nodding to signal her departure.

 

Chaeyoung snuck a few seconds of staring before turning on her heel to produce the order. She discreetly chuckled to herself.

 

“What a liar. Have you no shame?” Her co-worker shook her head with disbelief.

 

“I don’t know what you mean,” Chaeyoung coolly retorted while making the tea, “I’m just doing my job, Dahyun.”

 

Dahyun scoffed, “Yeah, you sure are,” she patted her shoulder, “I just don’t remember asking customers their names as part of our protocol around here. You think we’re working in Starbucks or something?”

 

“Come on, what I did was polite, okay? And besides, it’ll be totally uncool to directly ask for her number before I even know her name.” Chaeyoung defended.

 

“Let alone, her preferences for dating, ever considered asking her that?” She smirked back.

 

“Look, all I did was ask her name. It’s not like I’m gonna ask her out a few times then ditch her and never call her back. I don’t do that-”

 

“You literally just did all those last week!” Dahyun hissed.

 

“-anymore,” Chaeyoung lamely added.

 

Dahyun scoffed at her again. She just shrugged back at her friend before exiting to bring Mina her order. She heard Dahyun mention something about the order but she chose to ignore her pale-skinned co-worker/friend.

 

Chaeyoung plastered the most charming smile she has, evidently showing her dimple. Game face on. She took her time placing Mina’s order on the table since the brunette has her focus on her phone; she was playing some sort of mobile game. Chaeyoung racked her brain in search for information about it, positive that she knows someone who also plays the game. She smugly smiled to herself after remembering it.

 

“You play PUBG, huh?”

 

Mina tore her eyes off the screen to smile politely to her, “Yes, I do,” She then turned back to her game.

 

Chaeyoung felt a wave of heat pass in her body as she stared at her wide-eyed. Was my advance just neglected? Not even a: do you play this, too?! This was all new to her. She just stood there like a statue.

 

Mina noticed the awkwardness of the situation. She looked curious more than annoyed as to why she was still standing there. Suddenly feeling dry up because of the weird tension, Mina absentmindedly took a sip from her drink, wincing after realizing it was different from what she ordered.

 

“What’s wrong, Miss?” Chaeyoung flinched after seeing her react that way.

 

“This isn’t what I ordered,” Mina tried hard not to scrunch her face into a scowl as she dabbed a tissue on . She saw as the employee reluctantly reach her hand to her, as if wanting to take something.

 

“I am so, so, sorry!” Chaeyoung bit her lip as she mentally slapped herself, “I’m gonna get that Mocha for you.”

 

Before she could turn, Mina tugged on her shirt lightly, looking very awkward, “Matcha tea, I ordered Matcha tea. With honey and lemon.”

 

Chaeyoung apologized again and was about to excuse herself when Dahyun appeared behind her with a cup, “Here you go, Miss.” She handed the tea with care, “ Sorry about this,” She gestured to Chaeyoung who was leering at her with an evident frown, “She’s a bit ditzy but she’s determined to learn from her mistakes.”

 

Mina chuckled as she glanced at Chaeyoung, then said her thank you to them, and assured the smaller of the two that it was alright.

 

When the employees reached the counter, Chaeyoung huffed at herself with disappointment, glaring daggers at Dahyun who didn’t bother to hide the amusement from her face.

 

“Damn, I can’t believe I messed that up,” Chaeyoung palmed her forehead.

 

She felt like a loser, having planned the whole scene. It was supposed to happen in these scenarios respectively:

 

She was to deliver her order charmingly Have a small talk with her; show her the dimple Make sure she sees the tissue that has her name and number on it Wink Leave, but gesturing to call her before doing so

 

“I rarely got a chance to see you all flustered like that,” Dahyun laughed, “This is such a blessed day.”

 

Chaeyoung rolled her eyes, “Shut up.”

 

“How long do you think she’ll notice that she literally wiped your name and number on her lips?” Dahyun teased, “Score!”

 

Chaeyoung playfully shoved her away, shooing her since there was a customer waiting to order. She was pretty much trying to look at this positively, thanking the heavens that her manager wasn’t there to see all that. She was not going to hear the end of it if he was here. An audible sigh escaped from her, it felt like her soul was also taken out.

 

Chaeyoung didn’t know how long she was moping around until she realized that half of the tables were already occupied; she was working subconsciously, making orders and delivering them. She spared another sneak peek if the brunette was still there but was only greeted by a set of loud youngsters making their way into the booth that was now empty. Chaeyoung rolled her eyes at the complete turn of the atmosphere. She checked the time and was dismayed; there was still a couple of hours till their shift was over.

 

 

㎡

 

 

“You’re really bothered by it, aren’t you, little one?” Dahyun called out the exact thoughts that were fumbling and tumbling in her mind.

 

“I so am not..” Chaeyoung retorted, gritting her teeth out of frustration, “I was wondering what to get for dinner.” Lie.

 

They were heading to the back part of the cafe, relieving themselves off their aprons and work clothes. Since lockers were situated for the few staff that worked there, it was convenient for them to leave some spare shirts and for other sanitary needs. Chaeyoung found herself staring blankly at her unopened locker. Now that she blurted out dinner, she felt her stomach growl in approval making her wonder if she had lunch or not. And as if reading, again, her very thought, Dahyun spoke up.

 

“No, you didn’t have lunch,” She complacently said after