A/N: this is another bonus chapter..?? very much just filler/a lil smnth smthn for the hyunwon & chuuseul fans out there !! but mainly hyunwon tho.. sorry! there's a reason why the chuuseul portion is short tho so .. hope y'all enjoy reading :]

 

 

 

 

 

[Before 1st Chapter]

 

"Is this a date?"

 

Yerim laughs out loud. "What the heck? I just wanted to check out the new dog café with you and Bbomi!" The puppy, upon hearing her name, looks up at Yerim curiously. "Oh, no, Bbomi-yah, keep walking."

 

Chaewon chuckles a bit. "I know. I just wanted to tease ya." She looks at their puppies occasionally bumping into each other as they walk through District 3. "Why couldn't Hyeju come with?"

 

"Why? Do you suddenly like her back now?" The younger girl's the one to tease now. "Sorry, Chae, you're kinda 2 years late for that."

 

"No!" Chaewon lightly shoves her. "Ugh, I can't even.. It's not that. I don't like her like that. I thought this was a lil doggy playdate?"

 

"Ahh, sure.. Hyeju's got a commission to finish up within today." Yerim shrugs. "Her client suddenly changed up the deadline last minute, so it's just us for now." She side-eyes the older girl. "Why? Don't you like my company?"

 

"What? Of course, I do—" Just as Chaewon's about to compliment Yerim and how she actually appreciates her as a friend, someone runs by, accidentally brushing against Chaewon, catching the girl off guard enough to let go of Bbomi's leash. Chaewon's world slows down as her puppy chases after the girl with a slice of bread between her lips.

 

"MY DOG?!?"

 

"YOUR DOG!!"

 

 

 

 

 

"Oh, wow, she really came as soon as—Why do you have a dog with you?" Vivi points down at Hyunjin's shoes getting chewed up by a white fluff ball.

 

"HUH?" Hyunjin immediately darts her eyes down and, lo and behold, there really is a dog chewing on her shoes. "Oh, c'mon," She groans, taking steps back. "Not again.."

 

"Again?" Heejin weakly quips in, raising an eyebrow at her friend. "Actually, no, don't explain. Is it really alright with you to take over my shift?"

 

Ignoring the puppy for now, Hyunjin places the back of her hand on Heejin's forehead then her neck. A frown makes its way onto her lips when she feels the older girl heating up. "Yeah. It's okay, seriously. Do you want me to take you home?"

 

The office's door slams open and there Yeojin and a slightly familiar girl emerges. "You!" She shouts, pointing at Hyunjin. "Dog-napper!"

 

"Woah, woah," Hyunjin nervously chuckles. She picks up the puppy and awkwardly hands it to the girl. "Here. Look, I didn't mean to take your dog.. I was in a rush, okay? Your dog followed me. Uh, I'll treat you anything you want here, if you forgive me?"

 

"Just say yes, Chaewon," Yeojin whispers. "Hyunjin's never this nice to people."

 

Chaewon takes short looks at the others in the room. Seeing the obviously sick barista, she breaks her resolve and nods. "Fine. You said anything, right?"

 

 

 

"Admittedly, I feel like I got scammed," Hyunjin sighs as she rests her cheek atop her fist. She looks over at Chaewon who looks like christmas came early for her with the table absolutely covered with plates of food and a pair of drinks for her and her friend. Below the table, there's the cloud puff and dust ball chomping on a dog-friendly meal.

 

Beside the younger barista, Haseul sighs too. "You costs us a lot of money because of your poor wording, Hyunjin."

 

"I know. Don't rub salt in the wound, Haseul." She sighs again. "She's lucky she's.. cute."

 

The older barista lets out a surprised noise. "You can get attracted to people?"

 

Hyunjin pulls back to squint at Haseul. "Wasn't it obvious..?"

 

"Eh. You just never found a customer cute before, or at least, you didn't verbally expressed interest."

 

"Oh." She looks on for a second longer. "Hey, wanna make a bet?" Haseul rolls her eyes, but the smile on her lips says she'd entertain the idea. "I'll bet you half my share of the tips, I'd get her number faster than you and that YouTuber."

 

The older barista stares at Hyunjin's hand. She looks up, meeting with the younger's determined expression and decides, 'yeah, why not' and shakes her hand. "You're on."

 

Nearly an hour later, Chaewon walks up to the counter, smug as ever with a full stomach. Hyunjin stares at Bbomi. "Stop looking at my dog. You don't have the rights to."

 

"Right." Hyunjin locks eyes with the blonde. She gives an awkward smile. "Hi."

 

Her nose scrunches up at the barista's.. smile-smirk? "Okay.. Anyway, my friend told me I should tip you guys. So.." Chaewon lazily takes out a couple bills and slips it in the tip jar. "There ya go."

 

"Wait," Hyunjin taps her foot. "Did you at least enjoy the food?"

 

"If the empty plates didn't drive the message home already.." Chaewon lets a small smile come out. "It was good."

 

"Will you come back?" When Chaewon nods after a pause, Hyunjin grins. "If you come back, can I get your number by then?"

 

She snorts. "Why don't you ask for it now?"

 

The barista shrugs. "Dunno." There's a moment of silence. "..Would you give it if I asked right now?"

 

Chaewon mimics her shrug. She crinkles up her nose bridge. Hyunjin doesn't know what it really means. A taunt? The barista can only wonder as Chaewon's friend, who's nice enough to acknowledge their presence, is waving them goodbye as she's being yanked out by the blonde.

 

"Did you get her number?" Haseul materializes from behind.

 

Hyunjin doesn't respond.

 

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately, Chaewon takes her sweet time deciding if she should come back to the café. Hyunjin's left wondering if the blonde dropped by when it just so happened to be her day-off today. (Unbeknownst to her, she does and so does that YouTuber. They somehow end up becoming friends because of Bbomi.) She doesn't really get to contemplate for long as Heejin's cough brings her back to reality.

 

"You're zoning out, again."

 

Hyunjin purses her lips, helping Heejin to sit up on her bed to bring a glass of water to her lips. "Sorry. I'm just thinking.."

 

When the older sighs, refreshed. She lays back on the headboard, smirking at Hyunjin. "Wow. You can actually use your brain?" The younger uncharacteristically pouts. Heejin lets up. "Nevermind. What's up, Hyun?"

 

Hyunjin just smooths out the blanket's wrinkles. "Remember that blonde with the dog?" Heejin nods. "Well, I kinda.. asked for her number."

 

"No way!" Heejin beams. She sits up straighter. "Did you get it?"

 

She shakes her head, disappointed. "I told her if she came by again, she'd have to give me her number. What if she did today, and I'm not there?"

 

"Then, we just gotta hope she's gonna drop by again." Heejin pats Hyunjin's hand. "If she does, then shoot your shot. She wouldn't come in a third time if she wasn't a tiny bit interested in you too."

 

Somewhat convinced, Hyunjin hums. "I guess you're right.." She gets up and offers a hand to the sick barista. "Let's go watch that green-haired demon baby Anime of yours.."

 

"HECK YEAH!"

 

 

 

---

 

 

 

[Sometime around the 3rd chapter]

 

yah

 

bbomi-napper barista: Hi <3

 

Gross.
come over
quick

 

bbomi-napper barista: oh ?? ?
bbomi-napper barista: y tho

 

dont ask y
jus come

 

bbomi-napper barista: K

 

Truth be told, Hyunjin didn't really know what to expect when she came over to Chaewon's place. Holding her breath as the door swung open, she gets greeted by a strange appearance of the blonde. "He..llo?"

 

Chaewon pulls her in and drags her into the bathroom. "Help me dye my hair," She requests, pointing at the bowl of hair dye. 

 

"Huh.."

 

"I can't trust myself. Just.. do it, please?"

 

Whipped for pretty girls, Hyunjin follows right away. She does her task quietly. Chaewon doesn't seem to worry about it as the barista spreads the dye along her scalp. The girl just hums a little tune, waiting for her to use up the remainder of the dye left in the bowl.

 

"Did you get it all even?" Chaewon breaks the silence. Looking at Hyunjin through the mirror, she gives a raised eyebrow.

 

"Um, yes." Hyunjin tilts her head to look over the girl's dye-covered head. "So.. we gotta wait now?"

 

"Yep," Chaewon says with a pop of her lips. She leads them out of the bathroom. Hyunjin takes a deep inhale. (She doesn't have the heart to say that the dye's unbearable stench was slowly killing her.) "Do you want anything to eat? Are you hungry?"

 

"Oh!" Hyunjin waddles over to the kitchen with Chaewon following her tail. There's a mysterious paper bag atop the counter. "I passed by a convenience store on the way and I got you BulMakChang and Cheese Bokki." She takes out the mentioned food. "I wasn't sure which brand you preferred, so I got both."

 

Chaewon gasps. She probably mentioned once or twice about her convenience store meal set through a short call with Hyunjin somewhere along the weeks the barista pestered her during shifts Chaewon didn't drop by the café. But here was Hyunjin showing that she attentively listens to Chaewon, enough to remember something she said without much thought.

 

Hyunjin expectantly looks at her, giving a small head tilt in confusion as to why she hasn't said anything yet. Chaewon finally parts her lips to say something, but her phone obnoxiously rings through. She lets out an annoyed groan, but hesitantly leaves Hyunjin to go fetch it anyway.

 

Shrugging it off, Hyunjin goes ahead to prepare the meal, making sure to keep it quiet as possible in case it was an important call. Halfway through her sprinkling the cheese powder in the Tteok, Chaewon comes back with an irritated expression plastered on. "Are you okay?" The barista asks, warily.

 

"Yerim and Yeojin are coming over uninvited," She spits out bitterly.

 

"And that's a problem because..?"

 

"Because," Chaewon huffs, "I wanted to spend time with you, alone."

 

 

 

 

 

---

 

 

 

 

 

[Sometime before the 2nd chapter]

 

"Just where are you bringing me?" Jiwoo asks within a giggle. She looks down their intertwined hands and gives the barista a little squeeze, earning one back right away.

 

Haseul looks back at her with a soft smile. She can barely see Jiwoo. Despite her being the smaller one, Jiwoo's made herself appear small behind a baggy hoodie, cap and a mask, leaving her eyes being the only thing visible to the barista. Haseul faces forward again. "Well, we can't really go out on proper dates, so I thought I'd bring us somewhere more hidden."

 

Jiwoo frowns. A twinge of guilt strains her heart strings. Kim Jiwoo, or more famously, Chuu is a well-known idol-singer and occasional entertainer on national TV. In all honesty, she only met Haseul by chance. She was out filming an episode for her YouTube channel and stumbled upon the 1/3 Café where Haseul just so happened to be the only barista with an empty line.

 

(Jiwoo struts up to the counter, flashing her dazzling idol smile to the short-haired barista. Of course, she quickly asks if it's alright to film inside and gets the green light for it even if the barista was confused as to why. Looking back at the camera, Jiwoo winks.)

 

(Haseul glances at the lens. She flinches a bit when Jiwoo turns back to her then she gets ready for the idol's order to come out. "Macha latte!" She says brightly, Haseul raises an eyebrow but writes it on the cup nonetheless. Just as she finishes writing the last letter, Jiwoo adds, "With 16 scoops of matcha!")

 

(If the barista got thrown off, it wasn't obvious. Jiwoo ever-so-slightly pouts. She waits by a small table and converses with her staff. As she does, she thinks, "I should come back, spewing out ridiculous orders to get a reaction out of her.." Meanwhile, Haseul is dealing with 2Jin and their concerns about the idol's taste. "What the.. Is that healthy for ? She's a singer, right?" Heejin looks at the cup weirdly.)

 

(Hyunjin ruffles Heejin's hair. "Yah, don't say anything.. We might get called out by fans when the video comes out." The older girl nods in little understanding. "Good luck with your.. mountain of matcha powder, Haseul..")

 

(Later, when Jiwoo leaves and there isn't any customers coming in any time soon, 3H recreate the drink and end up getting themselves into a fit of coughs for the rest of their shift. Vivi and Yeojin look at them weirdly each time they walked by and saw the baristas looking constipated, not knowing they're holding back their coughs.)

 

"C'mon, it's not dangerous. Trust me," Haseul reassures, lightly squeezing the idol's hand as she leads them into a hole in a huge bush dome around a tree. With closed eyes, Jiwoo waits until the barista tells her to open her eyes. She hears a couple rustling noises before Haseul takes her hands again and whispers that she can look now.

 

When Jiwoo's eyes flutter open, she gets greeted with a beautiful display. There's fairy lights wrapped around the tree trunk and the few branches inside the bush dome, then there's a little picnic blanket with a bunch of food and drinks laid out for them. Jiwoo doesn't hold back the gasp when she looks around the little space. "Oh, my goodness, Seulie.. You did all this?"

 

"Do you like it?" Haseul asks with a growing grin. She's a little nervous.

 

"Cho Haseul, there isn't enough words in my vocabulary to express just how much I love this." Jiwoo cups the barista's face and chases after her lips into a bruising yet tender kiss to convey her emotions without words. It takes Haseul by surprise. They rarely engage in physical affection anywhere else other than inside her or Jiwoo's place. But she melts into it and eventually a grin breaks out, causing the idol to pull away, reflecting the same expression. "Will you please be my girlfriend?"

 

Haseul parts in a muted gasp. "Ah, seriously, Kim Jiwoo.."

 

"Wh-why?" Her expression drops.

 

The barista pulls out something from her jacket's pocket and there she presents a little jewelry box. Haseul opens it, revealing a pair of matching rings to the idol. "I was gonna ask first.." She laughs when she spots Jiwoo's anxious face change back into her bright one. "I'm not gonna lie, I was kinda scared of asking you. Um, these are just promise rings, by the way. I had a whole script prepared, but okay, I guess we're skipping right into that question, huh?"

 

Jiwoo pouts. "No, no, no. At least say a bit of it? I just got ahead of myself! I wanna hear it."

 

"Oh, okay, okay. Just a bit.." Haseul takes in a deep breath. "Kim Jiwoo, I may just be a barista you met by chance, but I'm immensely thankful that out of everyone you've come across, you chose me... to annoy with those ridiculously long fake orders when all you wanted was iced coffee." She laughs, remembering the first time Jiwoo came in with a long order. "You made me question if I ever wronged you when all you wanted was a reaction out of me. Now, I stand before you, about to make a promise to, not only get a reaction, but an answer out of you."

 

"I promise you that you'll always have me. I'll be yours and yours only. I'll do what it takes to make you believe that you deserve this, Kim Jiwoo. I know how you and your mind works." Haseul takes the rings out and gets ready to slip it onto Jiwoo's ring finger. "This ring is my promise that I'll do my best to be a good girlfriend to you.. that is, if you'd let me be yours?"

 

"You already know my answer to that." Jiwoo pushes her hand forward. "Can I also make a promise?" She takes the other ring and slips it on Haseul's finger securely. "Cho Haseul, I promise you that I'll always be in love with you." Jiwoo takes a moment to appreciate their rings behind teary eyes. "Sorry," She hiccups. "You know how emotional I can get."

 

Haseul brings her hand up to cup Jiwoo's cheek. The idol subtly reacts to the cool ring coming into contact with her warm skin. She leans into her touch and closes her eyes as she lets out a content sigh. A tear comes out and Haseul wipes it away. She looks at Jiwoo before planting a kiss on her cheek. When the idol whines softly, Haseul instantly knows what she wants. Leaning in, she presses her lips against Jiwoo's.

 

"I love you."

 

"I love you too."

 

 

 

 

 

A/N: confession:

ive never gone on a date before