“I’m off the clock,” Ryujin shrugged her apron off, tossing it in one battered clump to Yuna. It was milk-stained and dotted with patches of flour that gusted into her face upon impact. She glared and received only a smirk in return as Ryujin left.

The shop was empty and slow following lunch-rush hour. A heavenly aroma of coffee brushed her nose as she stepped behind the counter. Another day, another dime. She nearly toppled over from laughter when she saw Chaeryeong hunched on the ground, hidden from the front. She was on her hands and knees scrubbing ground coffee beans fused into muddy splotches stuck between the cracks and crevices of the floor. A short stack of cups littered the ground next to her. It only contributed to the perfect scene of disaster.

“It’s been a long day,” Chaeryeong muttered, throwing her back into scooping and cleaning. A dark tint of brown soiled the knee caps of her denim pants.

Yuna whistled at the damage. “Looks like it. At least you didn’t spill a gallon of milk too.”

“That was last month!” She retorted, glowering. With Chaeryeong’s clumsiness, the three baristas made quite the dynamic trio. Ryujin as the shop’s senior barista who’s as mysterious as her delicious signature long black, Yuna as the bubbly smiling addition to the team, and Chaeryeong the ever-sarcastic employee with exceptionally slippery hands. Provided with their elusive manager, Taeil, who Yuna swore she’s only seen once in her year’s long tenure, it’s only smooth sailing from there. Right?

A familiar jingle from the front doors shot both of the baristas’ attention elsewhere. “! Hide!” Yuna nudged Chaeryeong under the counter with a particularly harsh shove, earning her a slap to the shin. Ignoring it, she smoothed down her apron with rapid, frantic hands and kicked a few more of the cups under the fridges. Slightly more presentable. So long as nobody looked any closer that was. She ambled towards the cash register, stumbling awkwardly around Chaeryeong’s body.

“Hi, how can I help you?” Yuna beamed, her smile wavering at the edges from her pounding heart. Sharp eyes roved her apron, past the splatters of milk and towards the name tag. She flushed, cursing Ryujin in her head.

“What would you recommend?” A velvety smooth voice tickled her ears. Yeji was a regular face at their store, a pretty one at that. Dressed to the nines in her brown cardigan and clean-pressed slacks with wide-framed glasses skirting the edge of her nose. A black leather bag slung heavy over her shoulder, clearly worn and well-loved. Her smile was as prim as her eyes. The only reason Yuna had caught wind of her name was when she had not so inconspicuously tugged the information out of Ryujin’s mouth after seeing her for the first time and swooning. It became an endless source of teasing after the fact.

The barista fumbled over her words, stuttering. “Um… I like the water! Or… I guess.” She gulped, eyeing the counter space where their menu was encased in bold lettering. Searching desperately for a better answer, she settled. A cough escaped her lips when she corrected herself weakly.  “Our loose-leafed teas are my favorite.”

Yeji, with a half-amused expression, replied. “Is that so?”

“Yes, yes!” The barista clapped her hands together, “our Dalla house blend is a mix of our lavender tea, ginger tea, and jasmine tea. It’s very refreshing. Not too potent and light on the astringency. It’s definitely worth trying out if you’re feeling adventurous.” Yuna nearly wilted out of embarrassment after babbling for so long. Her face was positively red.

“Then I’ll have that in a twelve ounce.” Yeji paid in cash and left a handsome tip. Shortly thereafter, she walked past the counter and settled into one of the ochre lounge chairs next to the windows of the cafe. Yuna nearly folded from the relief once there was enough distance between them, sagging against the cash register. That was one of her more successful encounters with the gorgeous academic who frequented the coffee shop every other day. Their first conversation involved a lot more bumbling, on Yuna’s end of course, and a necessary intervention from Chaeryeong. A rough hand tugged at hers and she went down with a quiet yelp. 

Chaeryeong was still squatted under the counter, pressed flat against the small amount of crawl space. Despite Chaeryeong’s pathetic position, it wasn’t Yuna who had the upper hand. The older girl snickered, “you offered water?”

“What else was I supposed to say!” Yuna cried out, tossing her hands to the air. “I was in a state of panic.”

“Gay panic,” the other barista finished. She stood up to stretch her legs. “I haven’t been that entertained in years. Thanks Yuna!”

“Mind your business,” she retorted. She leapt up to her feet and went to start with Yeji’s drink. Setting one