“Can I get your name?”

 

Joohyun raises a brow, her lips pressed into a thin line. It’s not the first time she has been here and it’s definitely not the first time the barista, Kang Seulgi, has asked for her name with that darned cheeky smile—one that Joohyun begrudgingly admits is cute—as she holds a marker in one hand and a paper cup in the other. She considers herself a regular, frequenting the café every alternate weekdays and she sees this Kang Seulgi twice out of those three days for the past two months since the small establishment opened so why is she still being asked for her name when she’s always coming over on the same day and ordering the same menu? Kang Seulgi should have recognised her face by now and have her name memorised by heart.

 

“It’s Joohyun.”

 

“Huh? I thought your name was Irene.” Kang Seulgi looks genuinely confused which causes Joohyun to let out a small giggle.

 

So she does remember her name.

 

“And here I was starting to think if you have short term memory or maybe suffering from anterograde amnesia,” she teases the barista.

 

“That’ll be unfortunate if I do,” the latter frowns slightly. “I don’t want to forget meeting you for the first time and the other times including today.”

 

That is something Joohyun didn’t expect to hear coming from Kang Seulgi. Not only does she prepare good hot chocolate, she’s also good with her words? They’re definitely sweeter than the drink and carrot cake she usually gets from the menu. She can only hope that the barista doesn’t notice how her cheeks have turned a light shade of red out of shyness.

 

“Do you usually flirt with your customers like this?”

 

“Do I seem like someone who flirts a lot?”

 

Joohyun frowns. “I asked you a question first.”

 

“If it makes you feel better, you’re the only one.”

 

She regrets asking the question. Her cheeks are probably a darker shade of red now.

 

But wait…

 

“What do you mean if it makes me feel better?” 

 

“Did it not make you feel better?” 

 

There’s that same genuine look of confusion again. Joohyun can’t tell if this Kang Seulgi is simply messing with her or she really is confused. It reminds her of her kids at school when she’s trying to explain something as easy as possible but some of them still can’t understand. Though it gets frustrating at times when she has to repeat herself, she finds it cute. And right now, she’s feeling slightly frustrated yet can’t help but find Kang Seulgi cute with her expression like that.

 

“Just… make my drink already. I don’t want to be late for work.”

 

“What do you do for a living if you don’t mind me asking?”

 

Seeing how there aren’t any customers other than her at this time, Joohyun supposes they can have a chat while the barista prepares her drink. Moments like this are rare and she’s not one to miss such opportunities. She can probably get to know the woman slightly more.

 

“I teach at a preschool a few blocks down.”

 

“That makes sense why I see you quite often.”

 

Joohyun watches intently as Kang Seulgi makes her cup of hot chocolate—a weird choice of drink for the morning according to her fellow teacher, Sooyoung. Usually scrolling mindlessly on her phone as her order is being prepared, she only realises now how much more attractive the barista is as she does her job. With her sleeves rolled up just slightly above her elbows and hair put up in a clean bun, Joohyun can’t seem to keep her eyes off her.

 

“Should I be honoured that a hot teacher is checking me out?”

 

Heat instantly rushes up her cheeks again, her eyes widening in surprise the moment their eyes meet. Kang Seulgi has a smirk on her face that Joohyun wants nothing more than to walk out of the café and forget about her drink. However, Sooyoung will be angsty if she doesn’t arrive with her morning coffee so she definitely can’t do that.

 

“W-who says I was checking you out?” 

 

Did she just stutter a little?

 

“And here I thought our feelings were mutual.” 

 

God, where did Kang Seulgi get her confidence to say such things? Joohyun needs a little of that at the moment. She can’t let the barista win in this sudden game of flirting. (Is this even considered flirting?)

 

“So you’re admitting you have an interest in me, Kang Seulgi?”

 

“You made my heart skip a beat simply by calling me by my name, Irene. Seulgi is fine, by the way. You don’t have to call me by my full name. That’s too formal.”

 

“Joohyun is my real name.” She doesn’t know what’s compelling her to give that information out but she thinks it’s okay since she doesn’t mind people calling her either Irene or Joohyun. They’re both her names anyway. “Irene is a name my students call me because of my colleague.”

 

“I’m guessing the one that comes here with you sometimes?” 

 

“Yeah,” she answers, amazed that the barista remembers Sooyoung. “She’s the one that came up with the name.”

 

“Does she have a made up English name too?”

 

“Why not ask for her name the next time she comes with me?”

 

“Only if she’s the one ordering instead of you all the time.” Joohyun raises a brow. Seulgi notices that? “It’ll be weird if I asked for her name when you’re the one ordering, won’t it? She might think I’m interested in her or something.”

 

“It’s Joy,” she answers.

 

“Huh?”

 

“That’s the English name she came up with for herself. Did that satiate your curiosity?”

 

“That’s a big word for a preschool teacher.” The way Seulgi laughs when she lets out the loudest sigh that morning makes it hard for Joohyun to be annoyed at her. “Anyway, here are your drinks. It’s nice finally being able to have a short conversation with you. You should stop looking at your phone while waiting so we can have more opportunities like this in the future.”

 

“Why not ask me out on a date if you’d like to get to know me better and talk longer?” The preschool teacher has her head tilted slightly as a flirty smile coils up her lips. Two can definitely play this game.

 

“That’s unfair, Irene. My heart wasn’t prepared for that,” Seulgi pouts, looking defeated.

 

“So you’re going to stick to calling me Irene?”

 

“I’ll start calling you Joohyun after I get to know you better on a personal level. It might sound a little weird since this is the first proper conversation we’re having but I’m curious to know everything about you.”

 

God, she really lost this round, didn’t she? Joohyun couldn’t think of a good comeback, her mind having turned blank. If Sooyoung were to hear their entire conversation from start to finish, she’s sure she’ll be teased to no end. 

 

“I’m… gonna go first. See you on Friday?” she says albeit shyly.

 

“See you on Friday,” Seulgi nods, flashing her usual toothy smile. Joohyun likes how her eyes form into crescents whenever she smiles that way. It’s adorable. 

 

Maybe she could come to the café slightly earlier on Friday so that she can spend a little more time with the barista.

 

❆

 

JUHEON :)

 

The name reads on the cup in capital letters and written in the English alphabet. Of course Seulgi had to misspell her name again on her drink. The smiley face at the end is a cute touch but Joohyun can’t help but think as if it’s mocking her—as if it’s telling her that Seulgi had really purposely misspelled her name and that she was proud of it.

 

Sooyoung is laughing uncontrollably with tears in her eyes upon noticing the spelling error and Joohyun isn’t the least offended or embarrassed since this isn’t anything new. From the first day she stepped into the café, Seulgi has never spelled her name right. Whether the barista is doing it on purpose or she really can’t spell, Joohyun wouldn’t know unless she asks her about it. That can be a conversation for a later date.

 

“I see you’ve finally told your crush your real name,” Sooyoung teases.

 

“And yet as a fellow Korean citizen, she still spells my name wrong,” Joohyun huffs. “I swear she’s doing it on purpose.”

 

“So you’re admitting you have a crush on her?” the other teacher smirks.

 

“No!” Joohyun slaps Sooyoung’s arm and the latter only cackles in response. “Our kids are going to come soon. Behave yourself.”

 

“Yes, Ms Irene. Or should I call you future Mrs Kang— Ow, ow okay! Stop!” Sooyoung whines when Joohyun pinches her arm hard. “I’ll behave myself and stop teasing you.”

 

“As you should,” she huffs.

 

She’s never going to tell Sooyoung the conversation she had with Seulgi at the café.

 

❆

 

Joohyun visits Gomdori Café an hour early on Friday.

 

It doesn’t matter that she’s missing an extra hour of sleep. Since it’ll be the weekend, she can sleep in as long as she wants having made no plans for the next day. It’s also worth her time when she sees Seulgi behind the counter looking at her with wide eyes, seemingly surprised that she has come earlier than usual.

 

“I didn’t expect you’d be the first customer for today,” the barista says, eyes not leaving her. In fact, it’s Seulgi checking her out this time. “You look cute in those glasses by the way. They suit you.”

 

“I got too lazy to put my contact lenses on this morning so that’s why I chose to wear my glasses,” Joohyun says, feeling heat spreading across her cheeks at the compliment.

 

It wasn’t exactly a lie. 

 

She didn’t want to waste time putting them on if it meant that she could spend those extra few minutes with Seulgi.

 

“Did you miss me so much that you’ve decided to come as soon as Gomdori is opened?” 

 

“I still can’t understand how you’re able to say things like that so easily,” Joohyun crinkles her nose slightly. It’s not that she doesn’t like it but it makes her feel things—things that she has read in books and seen in dramas and movies. Things that her ex lovers had never made her feel before. 

 

“That’s probably because she learned from the best!” Another figure makes an appearance out of the kitchen and Joohyun giggles softly when she sees Seulgi puffing her cheeks as the former puts her arm around her shoulders and ruffles her hair. “I’m Byulyi, co-owner of this café alongside our Seulgi here.”

 

“I can see why Gomdori has a lot of customers flocking in daily,” Joohyun muses, her attention still on Seulgi. “Not only are the food and drinks good, they have good looking owners too.”

 

“I’m the better looking one, aren’t I?” Byulyi playfully wiggles her brows, earning a nudge on her side from Seulgi. “Aww, is someone jealous?”

 

“I’m telling Yong—” 

 

Byulyi presses her hand against Seulgi’s mouth fast, stopping her from continuing her sentence. “Why don’t I take over opening the rest of the café so you can spend time with Irene? You’d like that, won’t you, Seulgi?”

 

“That’s not necessary,” Joohyun says quickly. If anything, she doesn’t like to burden others. “I don’t want to interrupt any of you when you have work to do.”

 

“It’s alright,” Byulyi says, dismissing Joohyun’s words with a wave. “I can manage taking and serving orders alone for the first hour. There aren’t usually a lot of customers coming in at this time. Yerim is going to come in soon too so Gomdori will be fine without Seulgi until you have to go.”

 

“Is that so?” the preschool teacher asks, looking at Seulgi for confirmation. 

 

The barista gives a nod with a soft smile on her face. “Take a seat at any of the tables. I’ll prepare your hot chocolate first before joining you.”

 

—

 

Joohyun’s mouth waters at the sight of pancakes in front of her. They look fluffy and the scent makes her stomach growl having not eaten anything that morning. Seulgi seems to have heard it because she giggles softly before passing the utensils to her.

 

“I’m sure you haven’t eaten yet so I decided to make you some pancakes. It’s nothing much but I hope you enjoy them,” the latter says, rubbing her nape sheepishly. “You don’t have to pay because it’s on the house including your drink.”

 

“If coming this early means getting free food, I wouldn’t mind coming at this time every day,” Joohyun says mindlessly as she pours the maple syrup on the pancakes before cutting them up into smaller pieces. She takes a bite eagerly, a happy squeal escapes as she chews on the food. “I’m not sure if it’s because I’m hungry but this is soooo good. It’s one of the best pancakes I’ve had in a while.”

 

“I’m glad you’re enjoying them. It makes me happy seeing people appreciating my food.”

 

Looking up, Joohyun sees Seulgi gazing at her fondly. She has her chin resting on the palm of her hand, eyes filled with warmth that it’s making her feel fuzzy on the inside.

 

“I’m curious about something,” she starts a new conversation to avoid an awkward silence. “Why do you keep spelling my name wrongly every time? I remember spelling it out for you once and you still got it wrong.”

 

“I thought you’d never ask.” The way Seulgi’s expression instantly brightens up causes Joohyun to crease her brows in confusion, wondering why the barista seems oddly excited to talk about it. “It’s to get your attention of course. I had no plans of stopping until you ask me about it but it seems like I didn’t have to purposely misspell your name for you to talk to me. I just needed the confidence to talk to you first.”

 

“You don’t seem to have any problem talking casually with the other customers,” Joohyun points out, only to widen her eyes in surprise after she realises what she has said. “I-It’s not like I watch you interact with other people or anything but I’m just an observant person… yeah… I’m very very observant. You can ask Joy the next time she comes here with me. She’d agree with that. Also, I’m not jealous over that either! I’m just one of your many customers so who am I to stop you from talking to other customers? You can talk to anybody you want since this is your café and you need to be a good host to everyone who comes here to eat, drink or just hang around. Lord, I think I’m talking too much right now. I’m sorry. I just– just forget what I said?”

 

By then, she’s sure her cheeks are extremely red out of embarrassment. She really should learn how to keep her thoughts to herself sometimes. The preschool teacher has her  eyes casted down on the plate of half eaten pancakes, afraid to see Seulgi’s reaction after her sudden rambling. 

 

“You’re not just one of my many customers. Let’s get that straight first,” the barista says, her voice firm. “I wouldn’t be sitting with you like this if you were.”

 

“You wouldn’t?” Joohyun looks up, her expression confused once more. 

 

“Have you ever seen me away from the counter talking to a customer like this?”

 

“I wouldn’t know if you’ve ever done so since I only visit the café in the morning.” Joohyun is sure she’s made a point but with how Seulgi lets out a soft laughter hearing her reply, she juts her lower lip out slightly, crossing her arms against her chest. “What’s funny?”

 

“You’re cute,” Seulgi says. “It’s really nice being able to talk to you like this.”

 

“Do you really mean it when you say you’re curious to know everything about me?”

 

Seulgi’s expression softens, a warm smile curls up her lips. “I really do mean it. I’ve been wanting to get to know you since you started coming over often. Of all the customers, I always, somehow, get nervous to talk to you,” she admits. “Sometimes, I get a little jealous when I see how your friend can talk to you so easily while I’m here, struggling to think of how to start a conversation with you without coming off as weird. However, if it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be able to catch a glimpse of your pretty smile and laughter. I have that to thank her for.”

 

This revelation is making Joohyun feel weird. Not in a bad way of course. Seulgi is someone that, at first meet up, she wouldn’t have expected she would grow feelings for. Was Sooyoung right to say that she has a crush on her? Maybe. She can’t deny she’s feeling a certain attraction for the barista sitting across from her. “So how many relationships have you been in?” she asks boldly.

 

“Getting personal now, are we?” Seulgi teases but still, she answers the question. “If you meant serious relationships then I’ve only had two. I’m not ashamed to say I had lots of flings back then but that side of Kang Seulgi is long gone since the day this café opened. I realised I shouldn’t be fooling around anymore at this age and be more serious with life.”

 

“And how old exactly are you?” 

 

“I’m twenty-nine this year.”

 

Joohyun hums. “That makes you younger than me by three years.”

 

“You don’t look like someone who’s already in their thirties,” Seulgi says, gazing at her. “How many relationships have you been in?”

 

Fair enough that the barista is asking her the same question. “I’ve had three. No flings though. I’m practically a homebody that doesn’t like to leave the house unless necessary.”

 

“Honestly, when I first saw you, I didn’t think you’d be single with a face like yours.”

 

Joohyun laughs lightly, looking at Seulgi in amusement. “I’m very much single. I haven’t tried dating anyone since my last relationship ended a year ago.” How she is able to easily talk about this with Seulgi, she doesn’t know. It doesn’t feel awkward at all although this is the second time she’s having a proper conversation with the latter. “But that doesn’t mean I’m emotionally unavailable. I just haven’t found the right person to connect with.” Seeing Seulgi’s expression fall, she adds, “That's until you appeared in my life unexpectedly.”

 

Somehow, after saying that, Joohyun feels shy. She has never been the type to be very straightforward with words—always thinking twice before saying something so as to not hurt the other party. Yet, when it comes to Seulgi, she doesn't have to think hard about what to say.

 

“I know this might be too fast but…” Seulgi looks nervous as she rubs her nape with a shy smile on her lips. “Would you like to go out on a date with me?”

 

“Just so you know, I only go on dates with people who are serious about me,” Joohyun says sternly with her head tilted slightly.

 

“If I say that I can actually imagine my future with you in it, is that convincing enough that I’m serious about you?”

 

It catches Joohyun off guard hearing Seulgi say that. None of her exes had ever talked about their future together. It doesn’t convince her entirely but she supposes she can give the café owner a chance seeing how the latter is looking hopeful..

 

“Okay,” she agrees. “I’ll go on a date with you.”

 

Joohyun gets to see her favourite smile again as Seulgi does a mini celebratory fist pump.

 

How is she supposed to say no to that?

 

She’s going to keep this away from Sooyoung too.