The doorbell chimed as Young Mi entered the warm café. She quickly found Jiwoo behind the counter serving a customer their coffee and pastry. Although the girl was preoccupied, Young Mi caught her quick glance and nod towards the table in the corner. Taking the hint, Young Mi quietly headed over to the table and set her bags down, scanning the room as a soft smile graces her lips. The cozy atmosphere enveloped her, drawing her into a warmth that is Café de Rêves.

            “I’ll be right with you, Young Mi. I just have one more order to make and I should be free for a bit,” Jiwoo called out from her work station. Her dexterous hands swiftly move around as she worked on the latte in front of her, an unconscious smile on her lips as she made the next order. Her hands danced across the counter, reaching and grabbing at her ingredients and utensils. Her eyes never leaving the cup as her muscle memory is activated from her years of experience. Her motions were confident yet smooth and elegant like a cup of perfectly extracted espresso. Bold, daring, and rich.

            Finishing off the order, Jiwoo handed the cup to the waiting customer before she scanned the tables and patrons sitting in the store. Everyone was preoccupied with their own conversations, so Jiwoo headed out from behind the counter. Her heart began to pound as she joined Young Mi at the table with two cups of coffee.

            “Here you go. I figured you’d need something given your travels,” Jiwoo laughed, sliding the cup over to the older woman. Young Mi smiled and nodded as she took the cup and sipped the bittersweet beverage.

            “Tastes even better than I remember,” Young Mi commented, curiously looking into the cup hoping to see any differences in the dark liquid.

            “That’ll be the new beans I’m sourcing! I’ve been wanting to bring in different harvests, and am currently testing out some samples. I’ll make a note that this one is good,” Jiwoo beamed. She hadn’t expected people to notice the differences since most coffee shop dwellers really don’t pay attention to the fragrances and tones of their drinks. But when they do, she couldn’t help but feel excited and accomplished.

            “So, let’s get right to the point, shall we?” Young Mi asked. She didn’t wait for a response before she continued, “I want you to cater for events. We’re looking at large conferences with at least 100 people in attendance. Some could be up to 500, but it really depends on when and where these conferences will be held. So far so good?”

            Jiwoo stiffly nodded her head. There really wasn’t much room for discussion, as Young Mi continued dictating her plans. Jiwoo really didn’t know what to do or expect out of these jobs, so she quietly nodded along in silence. Though she ran a business, Jiwoo could never work out the logistics of networking. Luckily, Young Mi seemed to have a good enough idea of how things could work.

            “Do you have any questions? Concerns?” Young Mi asked. Jiwoo smiled and quickly shook her head as she fumbled to take a sip of her coffee. She had zoned out for a moment and it seemed like she missed several main points. Embarrassed, she looked into her cup and avoided Young Mi’s glance.

            Young Mi’s expression softened as she lightly closed her notebook. She did it again; she went in too fast and too hard on her client. From the way Jiwoo was avoiding her eyes, she could tell that the younger girl was feeling overwhelmed with all the information coming at her. Young Mi didn’t blame her for feeling that way though because she had been a bit overzealous with her plans like usual.

            “Hey, I know this is a lot of information that I’m throwing at you. Do you want a copy of my notes to look over instead? Of course, you can take all the time that you need to read through and understand the specifics of this catering deal. Just give me a call and let me know when you want to meet next. Feel free to make notes and suggestions directly on your copy. I would love to hear your feedback,” Young Mi said, handing over a stack of papers to Jiwoo.

            “I’m sorry. We can continue. I just got a bit overwhelmed is all,” Jiwoo apologized, sliding the notes back to Young Mi as she shook her head. She didn’t want to be a burden and inconvenience others before the business relationship even started. And yet, here she was being a complete inconvenience.

            “Hey, don’t worry. I would rather you be comfortable with the terms and conditions, and take your time to go through it carefully instead of me talking at you. You’re not being a burden, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Young Mi chuckled, sliding the papers back to Jiwoo.

            Jiwoo glanced quickly at Young Mi, eyes wide as she gingerly took the papers. She nodded her head appreciatively and set the stack off to the side, her eyes shifting back and forth between the papers and Young Mi. Just when she thought she had herself all figured out, all it took was an outsider to remind her that she really didn’t know what she wanted.

            “I’ll get back to you once I finish reading through the documents. Most likely by the end of today, depending on how busy the store gets,” Jiwoo sighed, looking around at the customers in the store.

            Lately, the weather was getting warmer and brighter out. And, unfortunately, that meant less people indoors, and more people exploring outside. As much as she wanted to convince herself that it would be a phase and that business would pick up once more, she knew that that wouldn’t be for a while with the weather warming up.

            “Great. I can’t wait to hear from you then. Anyway, I’ve got a couple more errands to run, so I can’t stay and chat for too long,” Young Mi sighed with a reluctant smile. Jiwoo jumped up from her chair and swiftly walked behind her counter.

            “Would you like a latte for the road?”

            “I wouldn’t say no.”

---

            Jiwoo set the documents onto the counter with a sigh, rubbing the fatigue from her eyes. The dark alleyway greeted her as she did a double take at the clock on the wall.

            Where did the time go?! I thought I just started reading this. How is it already midnight? Scrambling to the front door, Jiwoo bolted up the locks and drew the curtains. Glancing out the entrance, she checked for the yellow light overhead before shutting everything off in the front room, kitchen, and back room.

            Her gaze ran over the entire store once more before she scurried up the stairs into her bathroom. She rushed through her nighttime routine, going through the motions for the sake of doing them. Wiping her hands on her towel, Jiwoo shuffled out of her bathroom and made her way to her bedroom where she quickly changed into her pajamas. Sweet slumber summoned her as her eyelids grew heavier as the seconds passed, lulling her into the darkness. She drifted into the dark embrace as a distant bell tolled through the night after her, clearing her woes with its echoing peals.

---

            “Thank you for coming to Café de Rêves!” Jiwoo smiled at the customers, nodded her head at them as they turned to leave. The spring air swept past the patrons as they exited the store, stirring the leaves of her plants as the wind danced through the room. The earthy notes lingered in the air as Jiwoo went around the counter to clean the tables and chairs, tempting her to close up shop. She longed to go outside today, but knew that there would not be enough time for that. After today, her shop was going to encounter some big changes. Whether they were good or bad changes, Jiwoo was going to have to wait to find out.

            The bells chimed as Young Mi walked through the doors. She met Jiwoo’s gaze and waved at the younger girl who returned the wave with one of her own. Young Mi pointed to her usual table before she headed over with some paperwork in hand.

            “I want to add this new drink to my menu. Do you mind giving it a try?” Jiwoo asked as she joins Young Mi at the table. She carefully placed the cup of coffee on the table all while trying to balance the paperwork in her other arm. One would think she would have better hand eye coordination especially with her skills behind the counter making drinks and food on the daily, but thus, not everything was perfect.

            Young Mi quickly snatched the folder before it toppled out of the girl’s arms, chuckling as she observed Jiwoo struggle to sit down in her chair with a huff. She helped Jiwoo settle down at the table before taking a sip of the new drink. Although she was dying to know what the younger girl was thinking about the business proposal, she knew she couldn’t rush her for an answer on something that could potentially change both their lives and futures. Swallowing her anticipation along with the delicious concoction, Young Mi waited for Jiwoo to initiate the conversation.

            Jiwoo, on the other hand, was trying to think of every possible way to drag out the time. She wasn’t quite ready to give her answer just yet. At least, her mind kept flipping back and forth between agreeing to go through with the business proposal, or to reject it completely. Either way, both choices brought about changes that she was not quite sure she was ready for.

But, changes need to be made. What’s the worst that could happen? Jiwoo nodded to herself before taking a deep breath. Although she felt ill prepared for the what the future might hold for her, she knew it was a step worth taking for now. And, although she didn’t want to admit it, a part of her wanted to try this for herself.

---

            I formally accept your offer…

            The last week had been a whirlwind of emotions and movement for Jiwoo and Young Mi. In accepting the offer, Jiwoo had been preparing for the catering event and things had not been going as planned.

            She truly did not anticipate the amount of energy needed to prepare for the event. The food and drinks were the easy part. She was used to that type of preparation and found solace in planning out cooking times and packaging. Those things she could handle in her sleep. Other things, though, were keeping her awake at night.  

            “So, if we want to get the food here for lunch, we need to leave at this time to avoid the traffic,” Young Mi said, writing down the hours into her planner as she scanned the maps on her laptop. Jiwoo sighed and looked at the approved menu that the company gave her.

            “Yes, but if we leave then, the drinks that they want will sit well past their optimal times. They won’t taste the same by noon, and I’m not going to compromise the flavor. My drinks mean more to me than food,” Jiwoo replied. “The logistics of this entire thing is not working. Maybe we should just…”

            Young Mi does not give Jiwoo the opportunity to finish before as she slammed her pen down into her book. “We will not be having those thoughts again, Jiwoo. I already told you, we’re going to figure this out. Trust me.” Young Mi abruptly stood up to stretch out her back and motioned towards the back of the shop. Jiwoo silently nodded as she watched Young Mi head to the washroom for a quick break.

            Jiwoo sighed as doubt crept up behind her, enveloping her in its dark embrace. She wasn’t concerned much about the delivery and travel of the food and drinks. She was more so concerned with the integrity and quality when they arrive to the company. It didn’t sit well with her if everything arrived on schedule, but does not meet her standards.

            She had a reputation to uphold, even if she was an indie shop on the outskirts of the city. Her pride rode on the fact that she would never sell anything she wouldn’t eat. This event was testing her though. Sure, on paper the calculations and timing look perfect. But it was only theoretical numbers. There were far too many other factors that come into play that could affect the outcome of this event. What if the traffic was worse that day? Or better? There was no way Jiwoo and Young Mi could control and manipulate these things, and it honestly stressed Jiwoo out more than it should.

            But, it does nonetheless and she couldn’t help but slide down the spiral that began to consume her. The chiming of the doorbell pulled her out of her trance and she looked up at the door, a smile unconsciously spreading across her lips as she greeted the new customer. You can think more about this later, Jiwoo. Now you need to get back to work.

            Young Mi came back to the table to find it vacant of the shop owner. She knew all too well that Jiwoo was behind the counter and glanced over to find the younger girl working at the espresso machine, her back turned to her. Even though her hands moved gracefully across the counter, Young Mi could tell something was bothering the younger woman. Her shoulders were slightly slumped forward, an invisible weight bearing down on them as she shuffled from one end of the work bench to the other, her steps a little bit heavier than the last.

            Although she so badly wanted to help Jiwoo, Young Mi knew the only way to get through this situation was to push forward. There was only so much they could plan for, and only so much they could anticipate. The unknown is unknown for this very reason. People are meant to discover and try and fail in order to learn. Having this fear of failure will only hold one back from learning and growing.

            Young Mi didn’t know whether it was fear that Jiwoo harboured, or some other unknown anxiety as she watched her slouch around. Either way, it wasn’t a good look on her.

            “Hey, I’m going when you’re done there, I think I found a way to solve our timing problem.”

            “Ah, right. Okay. I’ll be over in a second,” Jiwoo replied as she handed over the drink and pastry bag to the customer. “Thank you for your patience. I hope you enjoy your day!” Jiwoo waited for the customer to leave the shop before she made her way around the counter to join Young Mi at the table. “So, what’s the answer to our predicament?”

            “We already agreed to have a refrigerated truck for the delivery, which will work fine for the food items. However, your issue is that the drinks won’t last. You’re afraid that the drinks will…what exactly are you afraid of? All I know is that you’re worried about the flavour,” Young Mi asked, dropping her gaze with a little cough. She fidgeted with her pen while she waited for Jiwoo’s response.

            “Oh, right. I never really told you, did I?” Jiwoo said, lightly knocking herself on the head. “Well, the list of approved drinks that the company wants is all iced. Again, I don’t know why they want all iced drinks, but it is what it is,” she sighed. She grabbed the menu and scanned through the names. “Most of them are regular iced drinks with a few blended ones. Regardless of what they are, they won’t last the whole trip without melting. Melted ice will dilute the coffee. And we can’t add the ice later because the longer and espresso sits, the quicker it will oxidize and go bad. You’ll lose the crema as well and it just won’t taste the same,” she sighed and dropped the list back onto the table. She leaned back in her chair and looked up at wall, eyes mindlessly tracing over the décor. She continued, “I can’t add the ice too early, but we also can’t add it too late. I’m also not going to be there to double check since I can’t leave the store. So, you see my dilemma here, right?”

            Young Mi echoed Jiwoo’s sigh as she, too, leaned back in her seat. She forgot about that tiny detail, of Jiwoo not being at the venue the day of the event. It definitely made things more difficult for her to set things up, but she couldn’t jeopardize an entire business for the sake of her own business. That would be selfish of her, and she couldn’t do that to someone who put themselves on the line for her. Although, her job was also on the line as well given her involvement in the recruitment and planning process of the conference. She couldn’t let things get too out of hand or else who knows where she’ll go after this.

            “So, what do you think we can do then?”

            “Honestly, I don’t even want to try at this point. But, I know I won’t be able to learn from this experience if I don’t, right? How about we try this…” Jiwoo pulled her notebook towards her and began to write down some instructions for Young Mi. She tried to push away that small voice in her head telling her the plan won’t work, but it was difficult to ignore the warnings when pride and determination clouded her better judgment.

---

            “Okay, everything is set. All the drinks are in the ice boxes. Please do not open them until you get there, no matter what happens. They should be secure enough to not need to be checked on,” Jiwoo instructed the driver and his assistant. He shot a wary glance at his assistant before nodding his head hesitantly. His assistant avoided his glance and, instead, double checked the latch of the trunk and securing it once more before jumping into the passenger seat.

            “Yes, ma’am. We’ll try to be careful,” he said as he bowed his head at her and entered the driver seat.

            “Thank you! Oh, and this is for your ride since it’s quite early in the morning,” Jiwoo said as she handed over two cups of steaming coffee. The driver gladly accepted the drinks and cracked a small smile. He handed one cup over to his assistant and they both took a sip, sighing at the delightful taste of coffee embracing them. Its warmth cut through the crisp, morning air, heating them up from the inside. Jiwoo smiled at their reactions and received their silent praise with a humble bow. “Please to remind Young Mi to contact me when you get there. It would be much appreciated.”

            “Of course. Thank you for the coffee, ma’am. We will be heading out now.”

            Jiwoo watched the truck idle forward before sputtering down the alleyway and disappearing around the corner. Not wanting to prolong her unsettling feelings, Jiwoo went back inside her shop to open up for the day. She reached into her pocket for her phone and the ringer, then placed it behind the counter below the till. The sudden anticipation for Young Mi’s call suddenly dawned upon her, and she felt her heart twinge at the thought of things not going as planned.

            Nerves and anxiety began to seep into her thoughts and soak her with concern and worry. They consume her with worst case scenarios that play through her mind like a broken record, repeating and replaying like a recurring nightmare. She couldn’t seem to break herself out of the funk and pull herself back out to the present, to her place of comfort. Even though she knew better, she couldn’t help but fall down the same spiral as the days prior. Where the unknown kept dragging her down to the darkness that consumed all the light in her life.

            Jiwoo knew that this feeling was momentary, fleeting. Yet, she couldn’t seem to shake it off. Quickly, she grabbed her phone and moved out from behind the counter to the front door. Her hands move on their own accord, twisting the locks and shutting the blinds on reflex. She turned off the light above the door and stumbled through her shop up to the second floor. She isn’t sure of how she got into bed, nor did she know when she had buried herself under her blankets. Either way, she burrowed deeper into her safe haven, breathing slowly in and out to calm her nerves.

            So much for working the shop. I should have just gone to the venue myself.

            She waited for the call with bated breath, the silence around her pressing in on her ears like a vacuum chamber the oxygen out on the unsuspecting victims inside. She wasn’t too keen on this anxious feeling, and hoped to hear from Young Mi soon, but soon isn’t going to be for another hour at least.

            “Please just let things go as planned…please.”

---

            “Hello? Jiwoo? Are you there?”

            Jiwoo sat up in her bed, hands scrambling to hold her phone against her ear. “Yes, hello. Hi. It’s me,” she responded. She unconsciously held her breath as she listened for Young Mi’s update.

            “I tried calling you earlier, but you didn’t pick up. I figured you were busy with a customer or something, so I waited to call back,” Young Mi said, catching Jiwoo off guard.

            Jiwoo pulled her phone away and glanced at the screen quickly before bringing it back to her ear. She was shocked to see it was well past noon and is nearing 2pm. The conference was already over and Jiwoo didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the fact that she slept through Young Mi’s call. Tuning back into the conversation, Jiwoo balled up her fist as she replied.  

            “I’m sorry, yeah, it got a little busy and I couldn’t get to my phone in time. How was the event?” Jiwoo asked. A little white lie isn’t going to hurt anyone, right?

            “Do you want the good or bad news first?”

            “Now why does everyone feel the need to say that every time someone asks how things went?” Jiwoo questioned. Young Mi laughed in response, but Jiwoo could sense some tension in her voice and prepared herself for the worst. She opted to her the bad news first.

            “Well, first of all, the drivers got stuck behind an accident. They arrived an hour later than scheduled,” Young Mi started, instinctively sighing as she recalled her boss’ angry face storming towards her. “You and I had planned ahead for at least a half hour delay, but not a whole hour. The food was fine. They were kept cold enough during the trip here.”

            Jiwoo put Young Mi on speaker and dropped her phone on the bed with a muffled sigh. She rubbed her hands over her face, catching the tears as they slowly pooled at the corner of her eyes and rolled down her red cheeks. She knew exactly what is coming next and didn’t want to hear it, but it was inevitable with the direction of events.

            “I guess you can already tell what the other bad news is then? The drinks didn’t make it. Well, they did. They arrived completely fine in the coolers. However, much like you had anticipated, they didn’t taste like the way they were supposed to,” Young Mi said.

            The other end of the line was silent and Young Mi didn’t know whether or not Jiwoo was still there. She could hear some movement and could only imagine what the younger woman was going through on her own. It hadn’t been the outcome that they were hoping for, but it wasn’t all bad news at least.

            “Hey, I know that probably wasn’t what you wanted to hear, so I’ll gift you with the good news. Nobody could really tell the difference in the quality of the coffee. In fact, most of them were really pleased with their drinks aside for a few people who really know their coffee. The boss was angry at first, but he was rather pleased with the food and drinks. So, even though there was that one setback, we did okay, Jiwoo.” Young Mi paused and listened to the other line. She didn’t want to hang up in case Jiwoo had something to say. Also, she didn’t want to leave Jiwoo alone with her spiraling emotions. And so, she waited.

            Jiwoo pressed her palms against her eyes, taking in slow, deep breaths to try and calm herself. Although Young Mi’s words of assurance were meant to lighten the mood, Jiwoo still felt the creeping of inadequacy soak through her being and drag her down into her pool of dark thoughts. The waves of incompetence lulled her further into her thoughts of failure and ineptitude. The only positive light there could not bait her back to the surface, to breathe in the fresh air above.

            “Jiwoo, if you don’t respond in the next 5 seconds, I’m coming over there myself,” Young Mi snapped, quickly counting down.

            “Hm..” Jiwoo mumbled, “I’m sorry. Please give me a minute to collect myself.”

            “You have a minute. The timer starts now.”

---

            Young Mi pulled up to the café, a scowl adorning her usually stoic face. She slammed her car door shut with a huff and threw her keys into her purse as she made her way towards the entrance. The alleyway was already crowded with vendors and wandering patrons, the warm, spring air lightly guiding the scents and sounds throughout the narrow street, a stark contrast to Young Mi’s cold aura. Pushing through the packed alley, she reached the entrance of Café de Rêves and roughly opened the door, startling the customers inside as the bell clanged overhead.

            “Seong Jiwoo. How dare you screen my calls,” Young Mi snapped as she stomped over to Jiwoo. She slammed her purse down onto the counter and glared menacingly at the unsuspecting Jiwoo who stared back at her doe eyed.

            Jiwoo’s eyes flickered between Young Mi and the whispering customers and, for a split second, she had no idea what to do. She never expected to Young Mi to be this upset about the whole situation, but here she was now standing face to face with a woman who looked like a force to be reckoned with. She let out a nervous laugh as more customers started to look over at the fuming woman, curiosity hanging tense in the air around them.

            Young Mi stood grounded at the counter, her arms folded across her chest and her gaze locked in on Jiwoo. She was extremely upset and annoyed with the her for ignoring her calls over the last few days, and she hoped Jiwoo knew it.

            “Well? Do you have anything to say for yourself?” Young Mi barked as she stepped closer to the counter. Jiwoo let out another nervous laugh and instinctively took a step back, widening the distance between the two of them. Even with the counter and everything separating them, Jiwoo wasn’t sure she was going to survive Young Mi’s attack if she decided to lunge.

            “Uh, maybe we should take this conversation somewhere more, uh, private?” Jiwoo squeaked, pointing to the kitchen as her eyes scanned the shop. Unfortunately for her, the majority of her customers were now tuned into their exchange, silently waiting for what the two women would do next. “Unnie, follow me. Please?”

            Young Mi tilted her head at Jiwoo, startled with how she addressed her. They had never established the formalities between them before, so hearing Jiwoo call her by the respectful term definitely caught her attention. Lowering her guard, Young Mi bowed her head to the customers and grabbed her purse from the counter. She followed Jiwoo through the double doors into the kitchen, expecting to stay in the room to chat. However, she was surprised to see another set of double doors leading to another room as Jiwoo disappeared behind them.

            “Uh, have a seat. I’ll be right back with some drinks,” Jiwoo mumbled, motioning for Young Mi to sit on the couch as she pushed her way back through the double doors.

            Young Mi slowly walked around the small parlour, taking in all the art and small trinkets Jiwoo had on display. The simplistic design reminded her a lot of Jiwoo and her quiet yet classic personality. Splashes of colours dotted around the mainly white room, similar the quirks Jiwoo had. Circling back to the couch, Young Mi quietly took a seat and waited for Jiwoo to return.

            “Here’s a latte for you. I didn’t know if you were hungry or not, so I brought some snacks just in case,” Jiwoo said, gently placing a plate of both sweet and savory food onto the coffee table. She dropped some coasters onto the table and carefully placed the drinks down on them before taking a seat in the armchair next to Young Mi. “So,” she started, “how have you been?”

            Young Mi scoffed and rolled her eyes as she grabbed her latte and took an extra-long swig of the drink. Obviously, things were not well given her entrance into the shop today, so the rhetorical question was even more peeving than usual.

            “What do you think? Why haven’t you picked up any of my calls? I know you’re ignoring them, Jiwoo,” Young Mi huffed. She grabbed a cookie and munched on it, washing it and her anger down with a sip of her latte.

            “I’m sorry. It’s been a little busy here, so I haven’t been able to catch your calls,” Jiwoo replied, her eyes shifting around the room, looking at everything but Young Mi.

            “Ugh, you really are a terrible liar, Jiwoo.”

            Jiwoo paused before softly responding, “I know.”

            The two sat in silence and sipped on their coffees. Neither knew what to say or do, both waiting for the other to initiate the conversation. But the conversation wasn’t going to happen without one of them stepping into the zone of discomfort, to address the current events that some would say was successful while others claimed they were a failure. And by others, Young Mi knew it wasn’t her who thought so.

            “So, are we going to have a grown-up conversation about the catering or are we just going to avoid it like children?” Young Mi asked, raising an eyebrow at Jiwoo. She watched as Jiwoo pulled up her legs onto her seat and hugged her knees close to her chest, drawing herself into the smallest ball she could. “Look, I know it’s an uncomfortable topic, but we have to discuss what happened and figure out what to do next time.”

            Jiwoo sighed into her legs, burying her face further into her arms. She wasn’t in the mood to be having this discussion, but she also couldn’t run away from it anymore. Young Mi was already going out of her way to talk to her about it, so she couldn’t disappoint her. Slowly, she lifted her head up from her arms and rested her chin on her knees.

            “It was so bad, unnie. Nothing went as planned,” Jiwoo murmured, turned her head to look over at Young Mi. She couldn’t stop the tears from forming and also didn’t have the energy to try and stop them from falling down her cheeks. “We even put in safety measures, and yet everything that could have went wrong did,” she choked out, rubbing her eyes against her arms in a subtle attempt to wipe her crying. “I’m sorry. I hate being emotional.”

            “It’s okay. You have the right to feel the way you do. And you’re right, nothing went as we had planned,” Young Mi agreed, earning a startled look from Jiwoo. Young Mi nodded and continued, “Yeah, it didn’t go as planned in a theory, but we still ended it successfully. The CEO was rather pleased with the quality of the food and drinks. He didn’t notice the ‘compromised flavours,’ as you have described it.”

            “Yeah, but others did.”

            “Okay, but they’re irrelevant. Who cares about the opinions of the office staff? What matters is what the boss says, right?” Young Mi asked. She noticed Jiwoo’s expression darken slightly.

            “I guess that’s where you and I differ then, Young Mi,” Jiwoo replied, looking directly at the older woman. “You worry only about the opinion of those who ‘matter’ to you. I, for one, care about all the opinions, especially the more ‘insignificant’ ones. If we cannot please even the smallest individual, then why do anything at all?”

            Young Mi remained silent as she processed Jiwoo’s curt response. A wave of shame washed over her as she finally understood why Jiwoo was so upset about the whole event. She recalled their previous conversation about why Jiwoo opened up her café. Her café was more than a dream. It was a feeling, an emotion, a memory. It was a sensory experience that was built to leave a lasting impression. And, the impression that a few people had was not the best. That was what bothered Jiwoo the most.

            “Oh…I see,” Young Mi breathed, “you’re afraid of how people will remember you and your shop, am I right?”

            Jiwoo looked over at Young Mi and gave her a small nod. “Yeah, that’s one way to put it. I’m just upset that not everyone was happy is all,” she sighed. “I know it’s such a trivial thing. Like you said, it was rather successful from what I can tell. But, I can’t get over the fact that some people were not entirely happy with their experience. Call me sensitive, but it’s something that will always bother me.” Jiwoo paused for a moment before thinking aloud, “Maybe this whole catering thing is a bad idea. It was doomed from the start anyway.”

            Young Mi brought her coffee cup to her lips, taking a sip to hold back her thoughts, albeit unsuccessfully. “Doesn’t it get tiring to constantly think about what other people might think or say about your store?”

            “It is,” Jiwoo quietly replied, flinching at how direct the question was. “But I can’t say I could do things any other way because a lot of what I’ve done, my personal successes thus far, is all due to that mentality. Like I said, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get over not pleasing everyone. But, it’s also because it’s been like this for forever.”

            “I see. Wouldn’t you rather make some mistakes though? Everything works in theory. But, the practical work is what matters more. I believe you should take this opportunity now to grow and to make changes and to improve on expanding this part of your business. Kind of like with your new source of beans,” Young Mi said. She glanced over at Jiwoo to find her deep in thought, her eyes clouded over gazing off into the distance.

            They continued to sit in silence as Jiwoo sorted through her thoughts. She couldn’t deny that Young Mi was right about one thing – growing pains bring about new changes. Sure, it was daunting to go into something without knowing that it would end exactly how it was planned. The thought of not having 100% control of the outcome triggered her flight reflex, but in the grand scheme of things, it was exactly what she needed to do to grow, explore, and experience new things.

            Her café, in a way, served that same purpose for many people. They always went in without know what to expect, to go in with a plan but possibly leave with something else altogether. Jiwoo sighed as she realized how limiting she had been with her mentality of mapping everything out and planning out all routes and sticking to it. How many opportunities, then, had she missed due to her lack of flexibility? How many connections could she have made?

            Maybe it’s time to honestly and genuinely embrace the new changes.

---

            “So, what are your plans, then?” Young Mi asked, placing her cup into the sink in the kitchen. Jiwoo joins her from the back parlour and drops off her cup as well, shrugging in response.

            “At this point, I don’t really know. I think I need to think about it more,” she replied. “But. there’s one thing I do know. I think it’s time for me to let go of the reins a little bit. I don’t need to control every little aspect of every little thing that I do. At least I’m going to try to do that. It’ll definitely be a slow start, that’s for sure.”

            Young Mi turned back to Jiwoo with a grin and thumbs up. “That’s the spirit. It’s okay to take it slow, though, so don’t feel the need to rush to make drastic changes.”

            Jiwoo nodded as they both headed back out to the front. Her shop was empty at this point, with maybe one or two people sitting in their own little worlds. The remnants of the earlier customers were neatly stacked in the cart of dirty dishes with only the tables needing a quick wipe down.

            “Would you like to have anything for the road, Young Mi?” Jiwoo asked, heading behind the counter to wash her hands. She looked over her shoulder to see Young Mi shake her head.

            “No thank you. I have the day off tomorrow, so I don’t need any more caffeine for now,” Young Mi replied. She adjusted her purse on her arm and reached for her keys inside. As she rummaged through, she turned to towards the exit to take her leave for the day. “I’m glad we were able to talk today. I hope you seriously consider what you said and think about the new changes that you want for your store and for yourself.”

            “I will. Seriously,” Jiwoo said. “Thank you for dropping by, Young Mi.”

            “It’s not a problem at all,” Young Mi replied as she reached the door. She stopped and turned to look back at Jiwoo with a grin, “Also, call me unnie from now on. We’re friends now, aren’t we?” Without waiting for a response, Young Mi waved behind her as she headed out the door and into the cold night.

Oof. So it's been a hot minute, huh? I've neglected all my stories for far too long, but it's been a wild year. I definitely had a lot of catching up to do in the mental health department and had to clean up some personal matters in my career, so I apologize if anyone was actually waiting for this. I hadn't the slightest bit of motivation to write during the peak of this whole pandemic, so this chapter was sitting in limbo for quite some time. The pandemic is far from over, so please do your part and wear a mask. I can't say it's the same all around the world, but it's been pretty bad here with no end in sight. We need to think and work as a collective to help lower the fatalities. 

Anyway, I'll try to keep up the writing. It brings a bit of joy in my life, but I'm also a ball of anxiety when it comes to the reception of each chapter. Regardless, writing is an outlet and whether people respond to it or not is just a choice that I can't manipulate. Where am I going with this thought?

If you got this far, thank you for reading my brain dump. It's all over the place, but hey, who's sane in this upturned world that we're living in right now?