When Chan Yeol was a child, there was an old chicken farmer who lived down the road from him, and as often as he could, Chan Yeol would visit the farmer to play with the chickens in their caged off pen. The farmer did not name the chickens, and when Chan Yeol asked why, he responded that it was easier to kill them that way.

The farmer explained that when he had first started growing poultry, he made the mistake of naming the chicks and always referring to the animals by name so that, unknowingly, he had developed an attachment to them. When it came time to kill the adult chickens for their meat, he wasn't able to. It felt like he was killing his own children. From then on, he never named the chickens he raised. In that way, they remained objects to him. Without the emotional attachment, slaughtering them was like cutting wood. He was able to provide food for his table without feeling like a monster.

***

"So, you're only 20 years old and already you speak four different languages fluently, you graduated from university in Australia with a major in World History, and…" The stern looking man who spoke looked up from the resume he was reading with a suspicious stare at the individual sitting across from him, "you want to work in this coffee shop?"

Chan Yeol politely smiled. Actually, he spoke six languages, and he had a PhD in World History, but those facts had to be down played to make them more believable for his forged age of twenty. "Is that a problem?"

The manager, whose name was Go Chang Hoon, scrutinized Chan Yeol for a good minute, seeming to be under the impression that the over qualified person in front of him was trying to play a trick on his humble establishment. "No, I suppose not," Manager Go reluctantly replied. "But you don't have any prior experience as a barista and I only have openings for the early morning shift."

"I'm a fast learner and I prefer working in the morning," Chan Yeol claimed.

Manager Go still looked hesitant to accept, but shook Chan Yeol's hand anyways as he granted him the job. "I guess it's true what they've been saying in the news about the job market recently. You could have a PhD and still be working for minimum wage," he remarked with a shake of his head. "You start tomorrow at 7 AM sharp and don't be late. I don't tolerate any tardiness or absences without prior notification."

"Yes Sir. Thank you for hiring me." Chan Yeol left the store with a triumphant grin.

After following Jung Ah around that day from this coffee shop she worked at, to the library she checked out books from, to the hospital where he assumed she visited her brother (the receptionist did not allow him past the lobby as a visitor without actually knowing a patient), and then finally to a supermarket where she worked as a cashier, Chan Yeol realized that he could not continue to observe Jung Ah in this stealthy manner of approach, otherwise known as stalking. It was a crime if he was caught (one he did not have the power to compel himself out of) and it didn't really allow him to learn about Jung Ah's character and what kind of person she was.

His solution was to discreetly enter her life and her environment, which started with working the same shift as her at the coffee shop. It was probably a dangerous game he was playing by placing himself in the presence of the greatest temptation to his inner vampire. However Chan Yeol not only was finding it difficult to abstain from Jung Ah and her intoxicating blood, but he took the temptation as a challenge to his discipline. He would prove to himself he held control over his beastly nature and not the other way around.

Chan Yeol returned to the market Jung Ah worked at and kept watch from nearby until very late when her shift ended. He followed from a distance on her route for home, assuring that no harm came to her in the subway at the late hour or in the streets of the dangerous neighborhood she resided in, until he saw her finally enter the run-down structure she lived in.

***

In the back of the coffee shop on the next morning, Chan Yeol had just finished changing into his uniform in the locker room. He affixed his apron and then using the small mirror on his locker door, put in the brown color contacts he had bought. His eyes did not take well to them, being unnecessary for his super vision, but he ignored the pain they inflicted for the protection against the color change they did provide.

Even before she entered the locker room, Chan Yeol knew of Jung Ah's arrival when he picked up her scent entering the shop. He took one more glance at the mirror. His eyes which burned violet with thirst stared back at him with a normal, brown color. The door opened just as Chan Yeol shut his locker closed.

"Oh, I wasn't expecting anyone here," Jung Ah said.

Chan Yeol turned around to reveal himself.

Jung Ah immediately jumped back in shock, "You! What are you doing back here? This is an employee-only area."

Chan Yeol smiled, "I am an employee."

"What?"

Manager Go poked his head into the room and said, "Good, you both are here. Jung Ah, this is the new hire, Park Chan Yeol. He's going to work the same shifts as you. He doesn't have prior experience, so I'm counting on you to train him." He left just as quickly as he came.

Jung Ah sighed tiredly at the task which had just been sprung on her and walked over to her locker. She started taking off her jacket and was about to her shirt, but stopped and shot a look at Chan Yeol. "Do you mind?"

Chan Yeol turned around to give her privacy.

"I meant..." Jung Ah sighed and dropped what she was initially going to say. "Whatever," she mumbled. "Just don't turn around until I say so." There was a short silence except for the sounds of buttons being undone and clothes being removed and then being put on. "Okay, I'm done," she said.

Chan Yeol slowly turned back to find Jung Ah changed into in her uniform, pulling her hair back into a ponytail.

"So what, you were scoping this place out yesterday because you wanted to work here?" she asked as she tied her apron on.

"Something like that."

She raised a brow. "A bit overboard just to work at a coffee shop, don't you think?"

Chan Yeol shrugged, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. It's not like he could tell her the truth about what he had really been doing the day before.

"Well I guess we should head out. There's not much time before we open and I still have to show you the ropes."

Chan Yeol followed Jung Ah out of the locker room and to the counter where she pressed buttons on different machinery to turn them on. She started explaining the checklist of things which had to be done before officially opening up, like putting pots of that day's coffee roast specials for brewing, bringing out the milk from the back storage room, and filling the front display case with cakes and cookies.

"As far as making the drinks goes, there's a cheat sheet under the espresso dispensing machine you can use until you memorize how to make them," Jung Ah explained while steaming some milk. She poured the warmed lactose into a cup, added two shots of espresso and flavored syrup and then held the final product out to him. "This is a vanilla latte, pretty simple, right?" Chan Yeol nodded. "Good, think you can make one?"

Chan Yeol filled a metal jug up with milk and held it under the foamer. But when he pulled the lever all the way down, steam shot out in a big blast. Jung Ah immediately turned off the machine and started waving the smoke away.

She grabbed Chan Yeol's hand which should have been burned from the intense heat, "Are you okay?"

Chan Yeol clenched his teeth at her touch. This was the first time they had had physical contact and he was not prepared for the flaming desire it brought on to sink his teeth into her skin. He ducked his head so his mouth was hidden while he spoke, "I’m fine," he muttered while trying to keep his fangs retracted.

Jung Ah stared disbelievingly at Chan Yeol's burn-free hand. There wasn't even the slightest redness. "What are you, fire-resistant?" she jokingly threw out.

Chan Yeol tugged his hand back and cradled it in his other. He could still feel the lingering spark from where Jung Ah's fingers had wrapped around it. "Of course not," he said with a forced laugh.

Jung Ah returned to demonstrating the proper way of using the milk steamer just as Manager Go came out from his office room to unlock the front door and open the shop up for business.

Customers flowed in to order their morning caffeine on their way to work. Despite being his first day, Chan Yeol was able to keep up with the orders, thanks to his quick memorization of the drink preparations.

After two hours, the shop slowed down with the majority of its regulars now at their regular jobs, and Chan Yeol and Jung Ah were able to take a short break.

Jung Ah poured herself a cup of coffee and held out the pot to him. "Do you want some? It's free for employees."

He held his hand up. "I'm good; I'm actually not much of a coffee drinker."

Jung Ah gave him a flat look. "You don't like coffee and you're working in a coffee shop?" She shook her head and placed the pot back on the heating unit. "So what exactly made you decide to work here of all places then?"

Chan Yeol leaned against the wall and crossed his arms as he stared contemplatively at Jung Ah adding milk and two packets of sugar to her coffee. She seemed to like sweet things. "The people," he said in answer to her question.

Jung Ah threw her spoon into the sink and rested her back against the coffee maker unit, opposite him. "The people, huh? Well just so you know, Woo Ri only works the morning shift twice a week."

"Why do you keep assuming it's because of your coworker that I chose to work here?"

Jung Ah stopped sipping her coffee and stared up at him.

"Excuse me, can I order?" a customer said to them from the front.

Chan Yeol pushed himself off the wall to attend to him. As he passed by Jung Ah, he said, "She wasn't the only one working here yesterday."

For the rest of the shift, Chan Yeol noticed that Jung Ah barely spoke to him and avoided eye contact at every opportunity. He was beginning to think he might have come on too strong and scared her. If that was the case, he needed to salvage the situation between them; the whole purpose of him working with her was to get to know her and that couldn't happen if she ignored him.

Around noon, the next shift's employees came in and took over, relieving Jung Ah and Chan Yeol of work. While Chan Yeol finished up a drink for his last customer, Jung Ah went to the back first. He followed soon after, knocking on the door and then entering when there was no response. Jung Ah wasn't inside, but her locker was left partly open so Chan Yeol figured she had gone to the bathroom to change. He started changing himself in the locker room.

Chan Yeol had just fastened his belt and was about to put his shirt on when Jung Ah returned from changing. She immediately turned around upon seeing Chan Yeol's upper half, "Sorry, I didn't mean to -- I should have knocked -- I've never worked the same shift as a guy so I never had to -- Sorry," she babbled.

"It's okay," Chan Yeol said as he finished putting his t-shirt on, "I'm done."

Jung Ah hesitantly turned around and with a flushed face, went to her locker to put away her uniform and pull out her bag. She shut the metal door and biting her lip nervously, approached Chan Yeol.

"Earlier, when you said you chose to work here because of the people, did you mean -- "

"The manager," Chan Yeol suddenly interrupted.

"What?"
"When I said people earlier, I meant the boss." Chan Yeol elaborated on his lie, "He seemed like a fair person to be working for and that's why I chose to work here."

"Oh...the manger…" Jung Ah repeated. "I thought --" she stopped and awkwardly smiled, "I mean, yeah, of course you meant the manager." Her cheeks had turned a slight pink. "Okay, I should get going." She hastily made for the door.

"Jung Ah," Chan Yeol called.

She stopped and turned around, surprised that he had used her name in such a familiar way.

"The thing is, I'm back in Korea after being abroad for a very long time and I could really use some help getting reacquainted." He gazed hopefully at her, "Do you think you could show me around?"

Jung Ah shiftily looked away, seeming hesitant to agree, "Uh, well…"

"I don't really know anyone else here," Chan Yeol added.

Jung Ah pondered on the request for a while and then sighed. "Okay, I guess I can help you out."

Chan Yeol grinned and walked towards her. "Do you have time right now?"

"I have somewhere I need to drop by first, but after that I have a couple hours before my next job. If you want, I can meet you here in about an hour."

"Actually, if you're okay with it, I don't mind going with you wherever you need to go."

Jung Ah bit her lip and then reluctantly said, "Yeah, I guess you can come with me."

Outside on the bustling sidewalk they passed by a man wearing sunglasses, which spurred Jung Ah to ask, "What happened to your shades? I thought you said you had sensitive eyes."

Chan Yeol had almost forgotten he said that. "Oh, I'm trying something out to help with my eyes."

"Is it working?"

He glanced at her thoughtfully. After mastering his control over his thirst, he had never been tempted by human blood in the way Jung Ah enticed him.  But like the farmer who couldn't kill the chickens once he had developed an attachment to them, he hoped spending time with her would do the same for him, that by learning about her personality, her past, and her aspirations, it would keep the vampire in him at bay.

While Chan Yeol still had to keep a slight distance from Jung Ah and consciously remember to keep his fangs retracted, the burning in his throat was not as intense as the first time he had inhaled her scent. The thought made him smile hopefully, "Yeah, I think it is."

February 4, 2013, 8:05 PM