Chapter 1

               "Ugh! I'm exhausted!" Sulli whined while dropping herself onto one of the cushiony seats of the employees’ lounge found at the back of the cafe. It was half past 6 p.m. and the usual rush hour had already passed, so it was okay for them to rest for a few minutes until the next customers came around.

                "Me too!" Taemin did the same, dropping onto the chair in front of his friend's. “I guess that means it’s time to take a nap!" He was about to put his working cap over his face when he felt a pillow being thrown to his face instead.

                "How could you possibly be tired if you were slacking off for almost the whole morning?! I can't believe this guy..." The 'tired' boy could only groan in response. "Fey, I wus wurking toooo." [Hey, I was working toooo.] He couldn't find the energy to pull the pillow off of his face, so his voice was muffled by the foam. He also couldn’t help but wonder where the pillow resting on his face came from.

                “Oh please,” she said, pointing at someone who was watching their little spat from afar. “Onew sunbae had to take your place with me at the counter because you were stalling the whole service!” She had conjured another pillow from out of nowhere and threw it towards the lazy boy’s direction. This time, Taemin caught the cushion and threw both pillows in his possession right back at Sulli. Alas, a pillow war had erupted. 

                Onew, one of their co-workers and also their friend, laughed at his two companions. “Oi, quit it you two. If someone comes in and sees the lounge in a mess, we’re all going to get in trouble with the Manager.”

                One of the trouble makers replied while chucking his ammo towards his opponent, “Don’t worry, Manager loves me. I am her favourite nephew, after all. ”

                “Well, if her means of showing love is by pinching someone’s ear whenever he does something stupid, then I guess out of all of us here, she loves you the most!” turns out, all of the staff in the room was listening – just about eight to nine people – and they all laughed at that.

                “I guess you’re right,” he rubbed his neck embarrassedly. His eyes then shifted to Sulli, and he squinted. “Sometimes it’s like she’s the one related to her...” he mumbled with fake bitterness and annoyance.

                Sulli decided to give off a smug grin while saying "Hey, I can't help it if I'm that lovable." Giggles erupted from all around the lounge. After a few more minutes of bickering, they heard the slight ring of a bell, signalling the arrival of a possible customer. Onew peeked out the door of the lounge and smirked as he recognized who the customer was.

                “Well look who just came in,” he mumbled to himself with a smirk. “Sulli, I think you’d want to have this one.” He threw a knowing glance at her, and immediately, everyone figured out who had just arrived.

                A blush crept its way onto Sulli’s face. She made to dash out of the lounge, but not before asking her co-workers if she looked presentable. When she received the ‘ok’ signal, she made her way out and Taemin rolled his eyes amusedly.

                “G-Good evening Minho-sshi. What would you be ordering t-today?” Sulli tried her best to cover her growing blush by bowing her face to cover it with her working cap.

                “The usual, thanks.” Minho had a small smile on his face, one that made the girl’s blush turn a deeper shade.

                “Oh, the usual?  Alrighty then hahaha... one tall espresso coming up!”

                “Actually, ‘the usual’ is a tall black coffee, but an espresso would be fine.” There was a hint of a chuckle in his voice. Not a mocking one, rather a genuinely amused laugh.

                “Oh, right! Haha... mian…”

                “Who’s getting the orders mixed up now?” the blushing girl raised her head from her bowing position at the counter and looked to her left. What greeted her was Taemin’s smug face, his eyes b with laughter. She squinted her eyes and glared at him while making sure that the unattractive face she was making was unseen by the man in front of her.

                “Go away Taemin.” was the silent command on her face. The boy immediately did as he was silently told because he did not want to face the wrath of his best friend. He’s experienced it enough to know that he would not want to experience it ever, ever, ever again. Ever.

                Minho had walked to one of the chairs in the café and was unaware of the silent exchange between the two. Sulli looked at him and she saw that he was looking at her expectantly. ‘Oh yeah, the coffee.’

                She turned around to prepare the coffee, and in a matter of 30 seconds, it was ready to be served. ‘Things really are smoother when that pabo isn’t around.’ She thought to herself laughingly while walking hurriedly towards Minho’s table.

                “Here’s your coff— OH CR*P!”

                ...

                 After regaining her balance from her slip because of an unconveniently placed banana peel on the floor, she looked at the scene in front of her; hot coffee on the floor and the table plus an alarmed coffee-soaked man staring at her. Then she heard the slight ring of a bell.

                Scratch that.

                Hot coffee on the floor and the table, an alarmed coffee-soaked man staring at her, and the manager standing at the door.

                Couldn’t this day get any worse?  

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