The saying goes, it is rare to find two of a kind. However, Soyeon would beg to differ while watching her own two friends bickering endlessly over a shared ice-cream. These two are truly so similar that they can’t help but fight at every chance they get.

“Yah, I don't like strawberries.” Shuhua groaned loudly, glaring at the older girl sitting right next to her, maybe a tad too close, and also huffing like a mad dragon.

“And I said I don’t like red bean paste.” Miyeon retorted back, angrily pointing at the shaved ice cream flavour that Shuhua was about to order for them. 

Soyeon looked at the waitress awkwardly smiling at them, waiting for their order for more or less 5 minutes now. She felt extremely bad for the poor part timer as her friends’ antics can seriously be a pain in the sometimes. (Not sometimes, every single damn time)

“How about Shuhua and I share one. Miyeon gets hers for herself.” Soyeon tried to pacify the unending argument but not to avail.

“No.”

“Never.” 

There were both replies she got along with two very disapproving pairs of eyes directed at her for a split second before they refocused on the matter at hand : their shared shaved ice dessert.

Soyeon sighed before looking at the waitress who looked back at her, almost pleading with her eyes to save the situation one way or another. Which she did begrudgingly because it meant spending more.

“One strawberry and one chocolate. I’ll just get a coffee.” Soyeon ordered at last, finally freeing the poor woman from the torture that was Shuhua and Miyeon together.

The dessert arrived as the two hadn’t even stopped arguing, only brought back to reality when they saw their desserts placed in front of them, one each respectively.

“When did we order ?” Shuhua demanded in a very confused manner, eyeing the waitress who disappeared as fast as she could from their table.

“You didn’t, I did. Seriously though, I am inviting you both to eat dinner with me and you can’t even order properly.” Soyeon lightly scolded.

“But… we wanted to share one so the bill wouldn’t be too high for you.” Miyeon mumbled a little ashamed.

“I know it’s for a good reason, just eat up you both. I won’t go broke from paying for an extra dessert for someone.” Soyeon sighed before sipping on her coffee. Truth to be told, it did hurt her wallet a little since she was celebrating her very first pay as a self-working individual -Long gone were her days as a part-timer, now she had a real job-. She was already thankful that the rest of their friends couldn’t come tonight though they insisted on getting back at Soyeon and making her pay for their lunch some other day (which Soyeon will probably act like she never heard of to save her money from these hyenas called friends).

“Have some of mine-” the two said exactly at the same time before sending a glare at the other.

Soyeon prayed for it to be quick because she knew for a fact that when they start, it can last for a day. She knew she was in for a ride when she heard Shuhua speaking loudly in her broken Korean threatening to put a fist into Miyeon’s face.

There we go again.

____

Dinner ended (to Soyeon’s relief) on a brighter note. Well… not so bright but at least there were no threats anymore.The girls had taken turns to feed Soyeon a spoon full of their frozen dessert, almost making it a competition as the said girl could only wish for her brain-freeze to go away as she took yet another bite of the shaved ice. She may have eaten more of their desserts than they did themselves. 

She’ll always be surprised at how peaceful they get once the competition is over. Usually with Shuhua claiming to win and Soyeon having to agree because she knew that out of the two, Miyeon was less of a sore loser. Moreover, it was also about time where Miyeon is reminded of her older age and therefore lets the younger win to avoid the big tantrum that would be incoming otherwise.

While sure, they had that bickering essence as the main defining trait, their loud mouth was a close second. Soyeon never felt as embarrassed before, especially when Shuhua had loudly wailed upon something Miyeon had said and the latter exclaimed just as loudly afterwards. Truly embarrassing.

Unfortunately, Yuqi -one of their friends- was just as loud or perhaps louder than them and therefore not making this as their common characteristic. Anyway, the newly working woman could only hope that her walking two steps ahead from the loud duo behind made it look like she didn’t know them. However a tug on her elbow and the younger girl running away from the older one’s grasp made her sigh… they were her two very embarrassing friends and she couldn’t hide it for the life of god.

“Soyon unnie ! Miyeon unnie is pinching my cheeks !” The younger girl had complained right in her ears, making her wince a little at the high number of decibels, probably ripping a hole through her ear drums. Her cute accent also came forth by the way she mispronounced her name, which Soyeon found unfairly cute despite the loss of her hearing capabilities. 

“Miyeon unnie, keep your hands to yourself. I know you’re but no need to violate Shuhua.” And bam it was all settled. After a handful of years knowing both of them, she had learnt how to put the two under control as her sharp words were especially effective against the older girl who grew ten shades of red, sputtered a mess that should have been a coherent rebuke but ended up covering her face with her hands.

“Violet ?” Shuhua repeated confusedly, not knowing the intricacies of the language yet. Truthfully enough, it wasn’t the right term to use and Soyeon knew it but she didn’t find any better words to describe the obsession her older friend had to the poor Taiwanese girl’s cheeks and arms. Thankfully for them both, Shuhua, the innocent bean she is, was unaware of the implications behind Soyeon’s words.

“Oh, looks like we reached my place. Thanks for walking me home, I need to prepare for work tomorrow so I’ll leave now. Goodnight and get home safely ~” was Soyeon’s escape (she worked in her studio and didn’t need to prepare for anything, she was glad that the other two were too dumb to even notice that detail) as she awkwardly hugged Shuhua next to her and then Miyeon who was still red and probably rebooting the system that was her two functional brain cells. 

____

It was surely a weird combo, they weren’t of the same age and all had different backgrounds yet they still found in themselves a semblance of family. How they met was a fortunate trick by dear Miss Destiny which thankfully brought together these 6 individuals despite their vastly different personalities and interests.

Of course what was the glue to their team, the force driving them together and the string tying them into a tight knit group : being broke asses needing money.

Soojin owns a bar in one of Kongdae’s many appealing streets, she had worked there all her life and it was as ty as it sounds but it was enough for her to live a reasonable life. As the owner, she had decided not to work during the day, it being a bar made this decision easier since not many would get drunk during the day. The only time it would be open all throughout the day was during weekends or holidays. The bar was originally her cousin’s which he gave her full control of when he went to live abroad with his wife. So an 18 years old Soojin was in charge of the bar at night and also decided to become an instructor at a dance academy not too far during the day.

She obviously needed workers and she had plenty of part-timers under her care. During the first year of running the bar, a young music major flung the doors open and looked for Soojin who raised an eyebrow unamused. The bartender looked at the young intruder and gave a weird look at his boss before beckoning the young girl over.

“Are you of age to be in this place ? I can serve you orange juice.” The man asked, eyeing the short woman.

“Are you the boss here ?” The young woman questioned instead.

“Nope, that fine lady here is the boss though.” He replied while shoving a thumb towards a bored out Soojin wiping the counter. 

The young woman approached Soojin and locked eyes with her, a determined glint in her gaze. Soojin didn’t falter however, firstly because she was exhausted and didn’t process most of the situation and secondly because she didn’t care much. 

“Are you still hiring ?” The stranger asked while raising a paper, one that Soojin had stuck on a electric pole nearby when she was in search of a bartender.

“What’s your name ? I don’t hire strangers.” Soojin replied disinterestedly. She wasn’t in dire need for any workers but she didn’t mind taking in a new member to the crew.

“Jeon Soyeon, 18 and a music major. I’m looking for a part-time job.” The woman, Soyeon, introduced herself with a slight tremble in her voice and that was only when Soojin realised that the girl was gripping that paper a tad too tightly while sweating a little.

“I see…you can call me Soojin, we're the same age so no need for honorifics… But-” Soojin was about to speak before Soyeon cut her off.

“I’m sure I’ll fit well in this environment and will be an exceptional worker.” Soyeon reaffirmed her conviction and Soojin commended her determination. 

“I’m sure of that, I just wanted to ask you why you want to work here of all places. I’m pretty sure the 7/11 next door is also hiring.” Soojin said with a small smile.

“Oh, I flunked the interview there. And I need to buy… books” Soyeon answered as if it were natural, trying to hide the fact that a tight knot in her stomach made it hard for her to speak loudly.

“I.. see. Well, I’ll give you the papers to sign which I would like to get back tomorrow, your shifts are from 5pm to 11pm and we’ll discuss which days you’ll work. I will see you tomorrow again at 5, so don’t be late.” Soojin finished and went to fetch some papers in the staff room. From her peripheral view she saw Soyeon raise her arms in victory while mumbling to herself with a smile.

“I will finally buy the next One Piece!” Soyeon muttered happily but soon composed herself when she saw her new boss walk back in and the bartender laughing at her under his breath which she returned with her infamous glare.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, have a safe trip home.” Soojin said at last while handing the few forms Soyeon had to fill.

__

Soyeon, despite her strong appearance, has a rather reserved nature to herself and has trouble taking care of the more chatty customers. However, she was a proficient financial manager and effectively thought of several marketing strategies to improve the bar's profits which worked to a tee. It was hard to tell if Soojin was the owner and not Soyeon. The real owner was pretty disinterested in all the marketing stuff and just thought of selling drinks while chatting with some of her customers, this was as simple as it gets. Her same aged coworker, however, didn’t think alike, Soyeon was oddly competitive and with her ideas and management skills she successfully made their humble abode an attractive place to the young passerby of the busy streets of Kongdae looking for fun and adventure.

“I can’t believe that changing the name of our cocktails would make such a difference.” Soojin had once said after Soyeon cleverly changed all the menus with more appealing names. 

“What can I say, I’m a genius. You should call me captain.” Soyeon shrugged while looking at this month’s turnover. To her delight, the sales were 3 times higher than when she first joined the crew.

“Yes yes captain. However the boss is asking you to serve that man at table 3.” Soojin rolled her eyes and handed a glass of whiskey on ice to the grumbling shorter girl.

To their surprise, when it was almost closing time, the door opened showing a tall woman in a black hoodie with the infamous Disney character on it. 

“Are you hiring ?” The woman said and Soojin looked at Soyeon’s guilty face.

“What ? We lost our last waiter and you know how much I hate serving people.” Soyeon shrugged, she really was a mastermind after all and if she could escape from interacting with people she would gladly do so.

“You do the interview then, captain.” Soojin said in a teasing manner, leaving a flabbergasted Soyeon to deal with her worst fear : human interaction.

And that’s how Nicha or more commonly known as Minnie joined the group. Her reason being that her parents told her to get hands-on experience before joining the family’s business. Basically, she was on her own as a broke university student having to pay for her living cost although coming from a fairly rich background which she didn’t mind strangely enough. She found the whole idea intriguing and felt like this was an adventure of her own. 

This new addition to the team was a breath of fresh air for Soyeon and Soojin who both could live without having to interact with their customers, instead Minnie took care of all the social side of their job with glee and became a client’s favourite waitress as her amiable aura and easy going personality made the customers feel at ease. Something both Soojin and Soyeon had trouble with. She also opened social media pages and often posted on going sales, special limited prices and such which now attracted even more people to their small bar lost in Kongdae.

___

The fourth member to join the team was the loud and even louder Song Yuqi who was a year younger than Soojin and two years younger than Minnie. She was a student with an impressive record but just as impressive spendings. Therefore, she had decided to take on a part-time job to not only gain new skills but also because she thought that being a bartender in a famous bar was cool.

“Why do you want to work here ?” Minnie had asked her after both Soojin and Soyeon fled the place at the prospect of interviewing someone, leaving the newest member of the team to do all the talking.

“I needed a job and I always dreamt of making cocktails.” Yuqi had said with fire in her eyes which made Minnie chuckle.

“What is your experience with bartending ?” Minnie demanded next as the boastful girl in front of her flaunted her various skills such as singing, dancing, fishing and whatnot. So she expected her to have some sort of beforehand skills.

“I drank my first cocktail at the age of 3.” Yuqi had smiled proudly and they could hear Soyeon choking on her own saliva from the staff room as the other two were left stunned at the Chinese girl’s words.

“So am I hired ?” Yuqi inquired with bright expectant eyes.

“Uhhh…” Minnie looked over at the staff room and saw Soojin trying to pat Soyeon’s back as the latter was still coughing violently. But the energetic girl didn’t leave room for discussion.

“That’s a yes !? Oh my god, I’ll come tomorrow for work. Thank you Minnie-shi and see tomorrow.” Yuqi jumped up and down before gripping Minnie’s large hands in hers and shaking them while skipping her way out, leaving the girls dumbfounded. It was as if a hurricane had barged inside and exited the place just as quickly.

To their relief, Yuqi was a very friendly person though loud to no end. She indeed picked up the art of making cocktails quickly although god forbid she serves you one of her self made creations. Soyeon had drunk one of her concoctions before and, mind you, she spent the night in the restroom soon after. Apart from her cocktail creating skills that were left to be desired, she was the energy that the place was lacking and the bar became fairly animated with popular songs and several music bands playing there every now and then. She knew how to make a place lively and to turn up the music (and the amount of decibels too unfortunately). While regular working days were still the calm but fruitful shifts, weekends felt like a never ending party in the bar filled with young people unwinding from a weeklong pressure. 

This was a change that wasn’t as bad as the rest thought it would be.

_____

On a rainy Thursday night, the bar was moving leisurely and it was what Soojin liked the most. It has now been 2 years since she became the owner of this place. The last customer today had left 10 minutes ago and she rejoiced in the feeling of emptiness surrounding her. Yuqi on the other hand has been pretty moody by the lack of action as the gentle and mellow sound of jazz music barely made it through the thick silence. She only gripped the broom in her hands tighter and imagined herself singing  a rock hit song in the middle of a crowded stage. 

Minnie had left earlier because of the rain and promised to take an extra shift the next day which Soojin had waved off and told her it was no use. After all, it was a slow day. 

“Even you moving around is loud.” Soyeon had grunted as Yuqi stopped dance-brooming around the place. 

“What do you mean it’s loud ?” Yuqi asked and suddenly Soyeon regretted ever saying her thoughts out loud because now the real loud was about to crash on them.

“Just watching you feels like I’m in the middle of a rock concert.” Soyeon explained without backing down, to hell her social anxiety, she was about to verbally annihilate Yuqi.

“Yah-” The Chinese girl immediately fell into the trap, she had never won an argument against the wity Soyeon in the past, it wasn’t today that this would change as she was about to unload a bunch of nonsense as a counterattack like usual. Soojin only sighed since for some reason the captain has taken a liking to annoying Song Yuqi and then bickering until the latter would grumble and whine like a child. (But compared to another pair, these two were far from true bickering and Soojin will learn this the hard way in the future.)

The thunder rumbled which muffled the younger’s words as a light beam illuminated the empty bar in blinding white rays through the windows. Simultaneously the door opened in a loud bang which startled everyone present inside and even stopped Yuqi from yelling at their captain.

However, this short pause was quickly followed by several screams of terror as a dark shadow appeared in a flash. White dress, black hair, pale skin. Soojin's cry echoed loudly along with Yuqi’s and Soyeon who actually ran straight to the staff room in fear. The broom fell down in a thud startling its holder as Yuqi jumped and almost twisted her own ankle in the process. Meanwhile, the bar owner closed her eyes, still wailing for d