METICULOUS,

jian's sitting just off to the side of her apartment building’s entrance. she's close enough that she really could get up and go inside, but she hasn't. both of her legs are stretched out in front of her, her head tipped back against the wall with her eyes closed. from a distance, she could pass for someone asleep sitting up. the only indication she isn't is the faint movement of her feet moving and the soft hums coming from her. she doesn't really know how long she's been sitting there. the last thing she remembers clearly is dropping her bag near the door followed by the soft spill of its contents. she'd crouched down to gather everything, and then… never stood back up.

it’s the sound of footsteps that breaks through the haze and pulls her out of it. immediately, she registers how she must look to whoever it is, and her chest tightens. worst case scenario, it's someone who's close to her parents and make it something she'll hear about later whether she wants to or not.

her eyes open almost instantly at the thought. she slightly relaxes when she realizes it’s not who she thought it might be, but the relief does nothing against embarrassment begins to quickly creep in. jian stands, a little slower than it should be for someone her age.

"oh," she says softly, followed by a slow blink. "hey." for someone who usually has something to say, she doesn't really know what to say to make this look any better than it was. "i didn't…" she stops the explanation before she can fully get it out. "i just got back," is the explanation she settles on instead. jian has no idea if the other buys it, and she's not really trying to make them.

her fingers tug lightly at her sleeve and she shifts her weight from one foot to the other. she kind of wants to head inside and act like this didn't happen, but a part of her is worried about what the other may think of her, and that alone has her feet planted in place. she glances at them briefly, then away again, debating whether to say anything else at all.

she just needs to get there.

but, as she's walking along the sidewalk leading to the apartment building's entrance, she steps on something unusual. something that rolls under her foot, upsetting her balance. "shit!" she exclaims as she stumbles dumbly. luckily, she manages not to fall. she takes a deep breath and looks to see what had tripped her: a pen. she bends to snatch it off the ground, prepared to recount the story with physical evidence. but in her resumed path, she finds jian looking... kind of out of it. she stops again, looking at jian for a couple seconds, wondering if she should do something or just keep walking.

before she decides, jian moves. and then she's on her feet, explaining herself despite the fact that daeun hadn't even asked. she's squinting slightly at the younger girl, doubting the genuineness of her explanation. she hadn't seemed to be doing anything wrong, but she has the demeanor of a kid who's been caught.

"you sound suspicious as hell," she says, staring straight at jian and ignoring her question. not that she really cares what she was up to, or not up to. daeun likes her well enough to probably not gossip about her, and she hadn't seemed to be doing anything wrong... but then again...

some people might think it's ridiculous that the route from nari's place to oni cafe is path she often takes in the morning instead of the one leading to her actual job. even on the days nari left her place halfheartedly commited to going to work, somehow she'd still end up in front of oni cafe. if you ask her, there's a brief explanation about avoidance for the reason why that happens, but it's easier if she just blames her frequent appearance on her sweet tooth.

nari steps into oni cafe, immediately spotting daeun, and makes her way over to the counter.

"unfortunately, i won't be staying long today," she says the moment she reaches it with a certainty that sounds almost convincing. "and i really mean it this time!" given her track record, it's very unlikely to be true, but at least she can say there was an attempt. her attention momentarily drifts as she scans the store, finally taking in her surrounds and who else might be there this early. not that she really cares to strike up a conversation with anyone other than daeun at the moment, but it's something she should still be aware of.

her focus is back on daeun the second she finished checking her surroundings, and she leans into the counter. the only thing saving her from looking like she's already contradicting her earlier statement and planning to stay is the fact that she's still standing with her purse hanging from her shoulder instead of being set down like it usually would be by now.

she gives her a disbelieving look when she claims that she won't be staying long, but keeps her comments to herself; she likes nari's company and has no desire to push her to prove herself. maybe she'll make a joke about it when nari does decide to leave, probably well after opening time for sanbit stones.

"yuna!" she calls into the mostly empty cafe, setting the finished drink on the pickup counter. she makes brief eye contact with the customer, already on her way to grab her order, but quickly gives her full attention to nari.

"you don't even know," she starts, rolling her eyes. "i started training a new employee yesterday. some kid who just graduated from high school. he doesn't want to work. his mom came in here begging for me to give him a job, and i felt bad for her, so i did. but the kid sucks. he spilled a jug of cocoa powder in the back, like, twenty minutes into his shift, then busted his ass on the wet floor when i had him mop. by the time he left, i wanted to kill myself."

maybe she shouldn't be talking about her employees like this. but considering yuna has already left the store, and the only other customer is a middle-aged man with earbuds in, and her morning shift had decided not to show up, she gives herself grace this time.

She drops off her fortune at the communal pile on her way over to the drinks table, mind wandering to her actual restoration duties — confirming volunteer scheduling, making sure the mayor showed up on time — until she’s had a first sip of the drink handed to her and looks up to thank her counterpart. “Oh.”

She knows Daeun’s name, of course — not in a creepy way, please, but purely from the proximity principle. Oni cafe has perfectly acceptable coffee in the morning — except for when she’s manning the machine. The first time is an accident, the second is poor quality control, the third is another barista; the laundry list of explanations has surprisingly few repeats that it’s honestly impressive. Or would be impressive if the victim wasn’t her.

”Thanks — this is nice.” She says, and then because she can’t help herself: “Did one of the other employees make it?” It’s only lemonade, to be fair, but with Daeun’s success rate she wouldn’t put it past her. Clearly the possibilities are endless.

but she isn't looking for trouble.

she's off the clock. meaning, any interaction she has with bitna is unpaid. meaning, when she sees bitna approaching, she has a cup already poured. saving herself the trouble of any idle conversation that might ensue if bitna has to linger for any longer than absolutely necessary. she could just walk away, but she's not quite ready to return to her station yet, and besides, she's never been good at just walking away.

so she stays put, passing the cup to bitna without so much as a word. it could be as easy as this—but it never is.

"it's nice?" she asks, mock-surprised. "no, i made it. i'm impressed you don't have something to complain about." like bitna's complaints had ever been unwarranted. like she'd ever shown her any reason to believe that she's good at her job.

Friday mornings are no exception. This Friday, like every Friday for the last six-odd years, she finishes her horse ride, showers, and changes into a fresh set of clothes⎯ did she wear this outfit last week? She can't recall⎯ and makes her way to meet Daeun at work. Truth be told, she doesn't care much for coffee; her taste buds are more immature than she'll admit, and she doesn't enjoy the bitter taste and harsh notes of an Americano. However, Daeun is here, and it's all par for the course.

Hyein walks in, says a polite hello to the barista, orders the same hazelnut latte, drinks half, and waits for Daeun to finish her paperwork and sit with her.

This week, the latte is more bitter than usual, the barista has burnt the beans, and there's a harsh aftertaste that sits on the back of Hyein's tongue. Maybe she'll only drink a quarter of it today, if only to be polite. Wrinkling her nose, she folds her hands on the table in a bid to be patient, but the poor taste in her mouth. Instead, she calls out to Daeun.

"I don't think I ever finished telling you the news about Minji." Her voice seems to resound in the somewhat empty cafe, though it falls on deaf ears. Save for the barista, there's no one else to hear them. "Her mom was telling my mom that she attempted to try it on with her boss, and the guy's wife found out. Apparently, she's gotten fired from the clinic, so they wanted to borrow some money from us to give to Minji."

The gossip is a part of the act. Hyein leans back in her chair and takes another sip of her coffee. It's honestly reprehensible at this point, and cringes again before putting the drink down.

"I don't care if my mom is her grandmother's sister," Hyein clarifies, "asking us to pay for her mistakes is a bit much, isn't it?"

it isn't bothering her much. she leaves the door cracked to catch the movement taking place outside; between the barista's shoes squeaking as she walks back and forth, intermittent bursts of running water as she rinses mugs, and then the sound of ceramic clinking when those mugs are stacked, she hardly notices the buzzing.

the bell above the front door chimes. it's nosiness that brings her to her feet and pushes her to peek around the corner. it's luck that brings hyein into her sightline. the days pass in a blur, and it's friday again already. she knows hyein will visit on fridays, but then friday comes and it's always a pleasant surprise.

she holds her index finger up, signaling one second, and disappears into her office, where she really, truly intends to wrap up her paperwork. but then she hears hyein's voice ring out, and she decides payroll can wait. she leaves her office again, closing the door on the idle hum.

"her boss?" she asks loudly, not yet having reached hyein's table. when she does, she pulls out the chair across from her, indelicate; the legs scrape sharply against the floor. she takes her seat in the same way as always—sideways, legs crossed, one elbow on the table.

seo daeun is incapable of maturity. she looks at hyein, trying very hard not to smile like a middle school boy who's just learned a dirty secret, and asks, "well, was he into it? before the wife found out, i mean."