Jimin never liked coffee. 

It was just too bitter for her pure and sweet soul, as Yizhuo would put it. No, seriously. Jimin actually doesn't mind the aroma of coffee — she even enjoys smelling the aroma of coffee, it just smelled so… charming . No, her only problem was the taste of coffee. Again, it was much too bitter for her liking. 

To say Jimin cannot stand caffeine was inaccurate and ironic, considering the fact that she can drink ten cans of Coke in just one sitting, completely ignoring the fact that they would be her stepping stones to dying a very painful, early death.

Now, Yizhuo, on the other hand, could never go a day without drinking coffee. Jimin used to chastise her a lot for drinking too much coffee and how the blonde girl's insomnia stemmed from her extremely dangerous consumption of coffee, but eventually gave up when Yizhuo refused to listen to her, retorting back to Jimin about her terribly unhealthy addiction to soft drinks, claiming that if Jimin kept it up, Yizhuo would live a much longer life than Jimin, ultimately shutting Jimin up.

She often wondered how Yizhuo could even down a cup of black coffee in just one go without glowering at the bitter taste. Maybe the younger girl's hyperactivity was due to her abnormally frequent consumption of the grim drink. It didn't have to be black coffee, as long as it was coffee, be it an americano, espresso, latte or a cappuccino, it was guaranteed for Yizhuo to consume it while it was guaranteed for Jimin to puke if she ever gets so much as even the smallest sip.

No matter how hard you try, you could never get Yoo Jimin to drink a warm cup of joe.

Well, maybe that would change soon.

"Ning-ah, you know how much I don't like drinking coffee."

Jimin shuffled her feet begrudgingly, glaring at the small blackboard outside of the coffee shop they were about to enter — Having trouble espress-ing yourself? Get our Latte Extreme-presso, our newest best-seller among those in love-tte! Come get one now! — cringing at what it read.

Yizhuo rolled her eyes and pushed past the glass doors of the establishment and Jimin grumbled when she took in the scent of coffee brewing — suddenly, she hates the aroma of the cursed drink more than anything now — and Yizhuo proceeded to the back of the short line, with Jimin following closely behind. 

"And you already know how I need a friend with me whenever I want coffee," replied Yizhuo. "Otherwise, I'd empty my wallet by ordering way too much coffee at once and probably die from caffeine overdose," joked the blonde.

"That's not funny," Jimin said with a frown. Yizhuo shrugged and fell in line, hands in her pockets. "Everything's not funny to you, Jimin-unnie."

"Hey! I find a lot of stuff funny! Like… er… penguins? You know, the way they flap their wings and walk…" she rambled on awkwardly before she could stop herself, scratching her nape. Yizhuo snorted, shaking her head.

"Suit yourself, Penguin Girl . You sure you don't want a cup of coffee with tons of milk and sugar in it, at least?"

Jimin sighed. They've discussed this several times— actually, no. They've discussed this at least a million times before, with Yizhuo always insisting that it's not fun if you don't drink some coffee. Jimin begged to disagree. Even if you put a lot of sugar and creamer in her drink, she would still not drink it. Honestly, she doesn't understand how Yizhuo always seemed to have a cup of Starbucks in her hand everyday.

Yizhuo viewed Starbucks as some sort of coffee heaven while Jimin thought of Starbucks as a below average and severely overrated company. 

The line's moving at a small pace and Jimin opted for examining the café. She's not sure if she's been here before — honestly, all of the coffee shops she's been to with Yizhuo all feel and look the same anyway — and she glances at the menu, hoping for any decaffeinated options for non-coffee enthusiasts like her. To her delight, she finds tea, hot chocolate and soft drinks at the bottom right corner of the menu. She glanced around the café and finds seven other customers minding their own business. She felt someone pinching her arm and she hisses, glaring at the shorter blonde girl beside her. It didn't take much time for her to realize that they were already in front of the cashier.

"Unnie, are you sure that you don't want to buy anything? Have a donut, at least."

Jimin shook her head, praying that Yizhuo doesn't hear the grumbling of her stomach, because what she's about to say will contradict what she's actually feeling.

"I'm full , Ning-ah. And besides, it's not like there's anything here that I'd like—"

Her words were cut short when she glanced up and met the wide brown eyes of who she believed was the cashier. Blinking, she steps back a little and hears a hiss of pain from Yizhuo. (Jimin assumes that she accidentally stepped on Yizhuo's foot or something)

When she takes a deep breath and takes a proper look at the woman in front of her, she was at a loss for words. 

Call Jimin corny, but this girl was everything the word 'beauty' failed to define.

Dark brown hair tied into a slightly messy bun, the color of her hair and her wide, curious eyes reminded Jimin of espresso — Jimin momentarily forgets about her hatred for coffee, suddenly a little too hyperaware of the scent of strawberries that probably came from the cashier and not the bitter, strong scent of coffee she was accustomed to by now — and her full pink lips were drawn into a small, warm smile. Jimin fails to realize that the woman was asking her a question until Yizhuo nudges her ribcage too hard.

"Ow! What was that for?" berated Jimin, glaring down at the younger girl, who rolled her eyes and nodded towards the cashier, who was evidently about to take down Jimin's order. Ears turning red at the realization, Jimin cleared .

"S-Sorry… could you- uhm, repeat what you just asked m- us?"

The brunette giggled — Jimin's not sure why her heart's beating so quickly in her chest, blaming it on her inhalation of caffeine — tiny whiskers sinking into her cheeks as she laughed lightly.

"Welcome to Espresso Yourself , what can I get you two?"

"Iced venti blonde roast for Ning Yizhuo," Yizhuo quickly said with a cheeky smile as she ran her fingers through her blonde hair (Jimin mentally facepalmed), winking at the cashier, whose lips twitched for a moment, as though she was about to laugh, nodding as she wrote Yizhuo's order down.

Jimin's eyes flitted down to the cashier's gold nameplate. Aeri, it read. Cute name for a cute lady.

… Wait what—

"And my friend here would like—"

If there was anything in the world that Jimin hated other than pigeons — the cursed birds — it was the most bitter coffee to ever exist in the world. 

And maybe Jimin hated herself too much that she asked for the most bitter coffee they were selling here at Espresso Yourself.

"What's the bitterest drink you have here?" asked Jimin before she could stop herself. She cringed at her words internally — is there even a word called 'bitterest'? By now, Yizhuo was downright staring at her in complete disbelief. Jimin ignored her, patiently waiting for the pretty cashier to answer her. The brunette's smile faded, a thoughtful expression painting her face as she pondered out loud, "Well… most of the customers here usually ask for the sweetest option here. They're not huge fans of the bitterness of coffee, you see."

Jimin had to resist the urge to step on Yizhuo's (poor) foot when she heard the girl snort loudly, urging Aeri to continue with a smile, though she's pretty sure that it looked strained.

"But yeah, I'll get you the," Aeri paused, before grinning at Jimin playfully, " 'bitterest' coffee we have here."

If Jimin thought that her ears couldn't get any redder than she thought it could, she was gravely wrong, catching a glimpse of her crimson face on the glass display, ears redder than the red velvet cake on display.

Jimin's not even sure why she, for the first time ever, was ordering bitter coffee of all things. She's pretty sure that if she glanced at Yizhuo, Yizhuo would look dumbfounded, though.

Mumbling a small thank you, she was about to waddle towards a vacant table as Yizhuo took care of the payment at the cashier when Yizhuo called her back. Grumbling to herself, Jimin waddled back to the cashier.

"What?" Jimin asked Yizhuo irritatedly, growing more irritated when Yizhuo sneers. When Yizhuo nods towards Aeri, the pretty cashier lady , Jimin gulps a bit. "Yeah…?"

"What do I call you, Miss…?"

Jimin hated the way Aeri was calmly smiling at her as she patiently waited for Jimin to answer, her black ballpoint pen hovering above the notepad in her right hand. She hated the way Aeri looked so frustratingly gorgeous in that white long-sleeved shirt and black apron and—<