Jung Eunji.

So that was the name of this woman.

The person who wouldn’t stop bugging me during midnights.

The lady whose knowledge on coffees intrigue me.

The one who’s now having a glare-off with my boss-

Oh wait.

I was in the middle of being scolded by my boss when her voice suddenly travelled to both of our ears.

She seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, boldly cutting off the man with another interesting order choice.

“I said I’d like one ristretto, please.”

“And who are you to disrupt our conversation?” my boss immediately snapped back at her, making me gulp down my fear for what’s to come.

The man is known to be one of the grumpiest business owners in the area, and I have no clue to why I choose to put up with his crap.

To my surprise, however, Jung Eunji seemed to be unfazed by his irritation.

I would’ve tucked my tail in between my legs and fled the scene if I was in her position.

She was truly an extraordinary one.

“I’m an impatient customer who’s done with waiting behind you when obviously you’re not here for a delicious drink.” she replied with one eyebrow raised. “Also, I don’t think you screaming at a poor barista’s face and not giving her a chance to explain herself can be considered as a ‘conversation’.”

A nearby customer let out a snicker upon hearing Jung Eunji’s words, but quickly fake-coughed to mask away the fact that she overheard everything and totally agrees.

My boss’s cheeks were slightly red now.

“Well excuse you and your nosiness, but I am in fact her employer who’s visibly upset about her self-given extended shifts.” I heard the man grumble in annoyance. “ She’s practically forcing me to pay her more than she deserves!”

“Oh, so that’s what all this is about.”

“… What?”

I flinched when we made eye-contact for a split second before she refocused her attention back onto my boss.

“Well you’re just in luck, good sir. I believe you’ve encountered the real issue behind her extended shifts.”

The man’s eyebrows frowned upon hearing her words.

I could only stand there while trying to prevent my legs from giving up on me.

My heart was pounding.

What have I gotten myself into?

“Explain yourself.” he demanded, and Jung Eunji merely nodded.

“I’m the one who has been forcing your employee to make midnight coffees for me and close up later than you’ve planned.” she confessed ever so casually as if the man wouldn’t sue her or anything. “Basically, I’m the person you should be screaming at, not her.”

My boss has now turned his body so that he was facing her up front, crossing his short arms before his chest.

He was obviously not impressed.

“And to repeat my first question- who the hell do you think you are?”

Instead of feeling intimidated, the woman had a mischievous grin on her face.

I watched on in confusion as she leaned towards my boss’s face, whispering something into his ears.

The moment she was finished, his expression and attitude did a 180.

“I-I’m so sorry for my previous foul attitude, Ms. J-” he abruptly stopped his blabbering by physically slapping his mouth shut with his hands, lowering his volume before continuing on. “I-I’m incredibly honoured to have you as a regular guest of ours! Please accept my sincere apology…”

“I should be the one apologising since I created an issue between you and your employee. Is there a way for me to compensate for your loss?” I heard her chuckle back, my eyes now triple their original size.

I had no clue to what had just occurred despite it happening right in front of my face.

Both of them were acting as if my boss wasn’t fuming in anger a few seconds ago.

“Oh, there’s no need! We’re more than happy to adjust her schedule so that it fits yours.” my boss then glanced towards me, causing my body to flinch subconsciously.

Jung Eunji was now smiling at me as well. “Despite my selfishness of wanting to visit your lovely barista during midnights, I wouldn’t want to change anything without her own permission. She is the one working, after-all.”

“N-Naeun-ah!” the man spat accidentally out of eagerness, “Are you willing to extend your shifts permanently from now on?”

“H-Huh?” I blinked rapidly as my boss approached closer and whispered something into my ears. “I… I guess I could do it.”

“Thank you so much, Naeun-ah! You’re a life saver!” the man then grabbed hold of my hands and shook them violently out of pure excitement. “I’ll go prepare the new paperworks so it’ll be official. Make sure to check your phone for my text later!”

“Y-Yes sir…”

And with that said, the man ran off to do his business, leaving me with my most unusual guest.

I looked at her weirdly while she simply smiled at me.

That goddamn charming eye-smile of hers.

“So… can I get a nice cup of ristretto now?”

Although she got her drink and has probably finished it within 20 minutes, the girl actually stayed in her seat until every other guest left due to our café closing up.

… Which meant she’s been here for like, 4 hours.

“Isn’t your sore from sitting for this long?” I called out while I started to arrange the chairs so I could sweep the floor later.

She gave her back a long stretch before giving me a reply. “The sofa’s pretty comfy so it’s not too bad, but thanks for being concerned about my .”

I saw her giving me a cheeky grin for her own response.

I gave her a death glare in return as I proceeded on with my closing-up tasks.

She started to walk around now that there weren’t any other customers within the store, and I saw her locking the door up for me while I brought out the broom.

“By the way, what did you say to my boss earlier on?” I then asked curiously. “I’ve never seen him act that polite to anyone else other than his wife who visited our store once.”

“Is that so?” Jung Eunji chuckled upon hearing my words, “I simply answered his question though; I told him who I was.”

“You just said you were Jung Eunji?”

“Yup, that’s it.”

I snuck a peek at her before continuing on. “Are you like, a professional golf player?

She burst out into laughter upon hearing my new question. “That’s pretty random. Why would I be?”

“Because my boss is a huge fan of the sport. I thought that might be why he respected you so much.” I shrugged as I swept on diligently. “Your name doesn’t really ring a bell for me, though.

“I figured, and that’s why I find you intriguing.”

I glanced at her as I cleared out the dustpan. “So you’re actually famous?”

It was her turn to shrug. “Well, I guess you could say my voice is the thing that’s famous.”

I silently laughed at myself for this absurd situation.

So apparently, I’ve been hanging out with some sort of celebrity for more than a month without even realising it.

What is going on in my chaotic life?

Who on Earth is Jung Eunji?

“What do you mean by that?” I continued interrogating the girl as I went back to the supply cabinet to swap out my broom for a mop.

“I’m a singer, but I don’t show my face on any sort of media or platform.” she answered straightforwardly, “That means people can only recognise me either through my voice or my name.”

“And why don’t you show your face?”

I witnessed her giving me another gentle smile.

“In a society that’s unhealthily obsessed with our physical appearance, I want people to focus on my voice rather than my looks.” Jung Eunji explained, making me stop my movements as I listened carefully. “Since I’m working in the music industry, I want people to like me for the music that I create. There’s no need to put my face out there as it can’t assist me as a singer nor a composer.”

I hummed while slowly nodding to her words.

She sounded super sophisticated and mature- which made her seem pretty cool.

However, I still had no idea how to process all these new information I just learnt.

“Wait, then why did you expose yourself to me?” I pointed out after reminding myself to move as we talk, mopping on while I waited for a reply.

“Hmm?”

“Now I know what Jung Eunji looks like. Wasn’t that supposed to be some sort of secret?”

Her light-hearted laughter travelled to my ears once more, making me look up from the floor.

She was still staring at me warmly, making my heart skip a beat uncontrollably.

Stop it.

“It’s because I trust you.”

“Jung Eunji, we’re still practically strangers.”

“I’ve been to your house twice.”

“But we still know nothing about each other!”

“And that’s why I’m opening up to you right now,” she hummed, “in hopes that you’ll do the same someday.”

I caught myself blushing from her words and cursed underneath my breath because of it.

Son Naeun, just because she has verbally confessed about her weird feelings for you, doesn’t mean that’s a eligible reason for you to like her back.

That’s how people trick you into things like relationships.

She’s still a stranger.

Just a regular customer.

A weirdo who wouldn’t stop bothering me.

She’s just-

“Hey, let’s have a cup of coffee together, Naeunnie!”