#loliwrites

Ha–eun leaned against the counter, completely bored out of her mind. She stared at the clock and groaned, 21:00. She stared out the window, her reflection displaying her negative expression. “The store hasn’t had customers in hours!” Ha–eun complained.

“Why am I even working right now? Who’s even coming to get coffee at 21:00 anyway? It’s an hour before closing!” Ha–eun moped and moaned: her hatred for her job blatant.

Ha–eun quickly straightened her posture as soon as a customer entered the store. Ha–eun zoned out meanwhile she stared at the person, she snapped out only after she realized the customer was snapping and waving in her face. 

“Hello?” the person crossed their arms, glaring daggers at Ha–eun. The person was clearly in a rush, their face showing a mix of disbelief and slight amusement. The customer spoke up again, their patience wearing thin. “Hello?! I’m waiting. Aren’t you gonna ask me what I want to order?!” the customer snapped.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Ha–eun quickly apologized. She shook her head as she tried to snap back to reality. “Hello, I hope you’re having an amazing summer’s night. Welcome to Gong cha! I’m Ha–eun, I’ll be your waitress today. What can I get started for you?” Ha–eun fidgeted with her apron, her nails scratching at the hems.

The person glanced at the menu, their eyes moving from option to option. Finally, they spoke up – their voice oddly soothing, “A Dalgona coffee, please.” 

“Coming right up.” Ha–eun spoke irritably with forced enthusiasm. She flashed the customer the fakest smile that she’d ever given anyone before — after all, she was drained emotionally and physically and couldn’t filter herself in the slightest. The customer waited for their drink grumpily, tapping their foot impatiently.

“What’s the name for the order?” Ha–eun questioned, her eyes not diverting from the coffee cup in her hands. The cup was hot, but Ha–eun barely acknowledged it, too hyperfixated on the task as she made sure the customer was pleased.

“Gong–ju,” the customer replied; their voice was firm but held an underlying hint of worry. Her eyes flickered from her phone in her hand to Ha–eun’s face with a calculating but oddly comforting gaze.

“I like that name,” Ha–eun complimented so gently that it was almost inaudible. She smiled genuinely this time as she wrote the name ‘Gong-ju’ on the cup of coffee. She finally lifted her head. Her gaze shifted to meet Gong–ju’s. Embarrassed, Ha–eun quickly diverted her gaze away whenever they accidentally made eye contact. Despite her attempt at being subtle, she couldn’t help but steal glances at Gong–ju.

“Thank you, Ha–eun,” Gong–ju smiled appreciatively. She reached out to grab her coffee from Ha–eun, her fingers briefly brushing against hers. “Thank you,” Gong–ju hummed in approval.

“Yeah, no problem. Have a great night!” Ha–eun exclaimed, her palms were clammy and her heart hammed against her chest. She quickly waved to Gong–ju,and her eyes followed as she walked out of the store.

Ha–eun stared at the clock distractedly, she waited for the clock to hit 22:00. As soon as the clock struck 22:00, Ha–eun flipped the sign to ‘CLOSED’. She opened and emptied the cash register and grabbed the cleaning supplies from the broom closet. Ha–eun busted the tables, swept the floors, cleaned the counters, washed the dishes, and took out the trash.

After Ha–eun finished, she changed out of uniform into the clothes that she brought with her to change into. She put her uniform in her locker and turned off the lights, and she quietly locked the door behind her. She let out a great sigh of relief, the weight of being depended on by her employer suddenly lifted off of her shoulders.

 On this particular summer night it was peaceful: the crickets chirped and the breeze blew through her hair. She looked up to see the stars that twinkled above her. She opened her phone and quickly called her roommate to let them know she’ll be home soon.

 Ha–eun took a shortcut through a dark alleyway in the city. As she continued down the alleyway, she caught sight of some men who were leaned against the wall with cigarettes that dangled from their lips. The black-clad men saw Ha–eun and just stared at her, then glanced back at each other. The men walked towards her, Ha–eun sped up. One man grabbed her and pushed her to the ground. 

“What the heck?! That hurt,” Ha–eun shouted in fear, she tried to stand up only to be pushed back down by the perpetrators. Ha–eun’s bravery faded as she realized that there’s no way out. Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke, her confidence gone. “Hey! Let me go!” Ha–eun shouted and her voice broke.

”Look at this beauty. What should we do with her?” a man spoke as he appeared from the darkness of the alleyway. The man had a sick, twisted grin plastered on his face: it unsettled her. The man’s grin grew wider as he witnessed a tear roll down Ha–eun’s cheek. “Are you scared?” the man laughed cruelly. He suddenly darted his hand out to condescendingly wipe the tear that streaked her cheek. 

Another man stepped up, his presence cold and unfriendly. Ha–eun’s eyes flickered to the dagger that dangled from the man’s hand, and her eyes widened. All of a sudden, a random voice broke through the quiet night. “Give her to me,” a voice called from the shadows. Although a voice was heard, nobody was seen — the darkness of night and the shadows obscured the person entirely.

Everyone turned to look towards the direction that the voice had come from. However, one guy shouted, “Come on, dude! What’s your deal?” The leader stepped forward, clearly not too pleased with being interrupted. But as the leader stepped up, the mysterious person appeared from the shadows. Gong-ju?! Ha–eun thought 

Gong-ju walked up to the man, her expression showed clear annoyance with the current situation. “Let her go,” Gong–ju demands, her eyes glared daggers into the men. With the dim incandescence of the streetlights, Ha–eun realized just how dangerous yet protective Gong–ju can really be. She looked up to meet Gong–ju’s gaze: although it was stern, it still held a hint of warmth.

“Why should we? Who are you to tell us what to do, man? Come on, we can handle this!” one of the self-proclaimed ‘gangsters’ shouted. It seemed that the man was defiant and reluctant to give up. He was pretty hostile and definitely not aware.

”I think we could take her,” one of the shorter men within the group suggested, as he grinned wickedly at the worry and fear plastered directly on Ha–eun’s face. Gong–ju rolled up the sleeves of her white button up shirt, her eyes narrowed dangerously.

Definitely a good fashion choice. Ha–eun thought as she subtly admired Gong–ju. However, she quickly attempted to shake the thought out of her head. Ha–eun quickly stood up, she pushed the man who was near her away quickly. She quickly ran over to Gong–ju, her legs weak and her knees felt like they were made of rubber.

”Are you going to hurt them?” Ha–eun whispered to Gong–ju, her eyes displayed a hint of fear and excitement. They’ll get what they deserve. Ha–eun thought to herself, clearly proud.

Gong–ju whispered in response, “Do you want me to?” Her eyes showed a hint of worry despite the dangerous situation. Gong–ju turned to look at Ha–eun, her voice firm and gentle, “I won’t do it if you don’t want me to. I promise.”

Ha–eun finally spoke up, her broken voice shattered through the subtle tension between the two. “Honestly,” Ha–eun paused, her eyes fixated on Gong–ju’s, “I could care less.” Ha–eun smirked at Gong–ju, a subtle hint of approval in her gaze despite the dangers.

”You don’t need to tell me twice,” Gong–ju smirked. She took the rubber band off of Ha–eun’s wrist and she put her hair up into a ponytail. Gong–ju smirked at her, “My good luck charm.” Gong–ju lunged at one of the men, effectively disarming him. Ha–eun watched in shock and pride as Gong–ju effortlessly won the fight.

“Gong–ju?” Ha–eun called out shyly. The humid summer’s night had turned chilly. Ha–eun shivered slightly as the cold air blew in her face. “You’re not going to kill them, right?” Ha–eun trembled.

”Obviously not,” Gong–ju growled dismissively as she returned her attention back to the men. The men, bruised and bloody,  apologized and begged for forgiveness. Gong–ju stayed vigilant, her expression stoic and showing no remorse whatsoever.

Ha–eun stood up from her hiding spot and she slowly walked towards Gong–ju. Ha–eun trembled in the dark alleyway, the cold air hitting her face once more. ”Are you almost finished?” she sniffled silently. Her lower lip quivered and tears started to form in her eyes as she witnessed the brutal scene.

Gong–ju stood up from her crouched position over one of the men and she spat on the one directly beneath her with disgust. She had a couple injuries and spots that would definitely bruise by morning, but other than that she seemed fine. Her knuckles, though, were bruised and bleeding and she had blood splattered on her clothes. Although, she seemed completely unbothered as if this were an every day occurrence.

The tall woman walked over to Ha–eun and flashed her a jubilant grin. ”Now I am,” Gong–ju boasted, “enjoy the show?” Ha–eun attempted to be stern, but a small proud smile peeked through, betraying her pride for her. Even though Gong–ju had some dirt and sweat on her face, Ha–eun found it oddly attractive.

Ha–eun finally gave up on her attempt to be stern, and she smiled proudly. ”I didn’t know you could fight like that,” Ha–eun praised in awe, her mouth agape. Gong–ju looked at her, a small chuckle escaping her. “Thank you for saving me,” Ha–eun paused, her expression turning to one of confusion, “but how’d you know that I was here?” Ha–eun’s eyes met Gong–ju’s.

Gong–ju shrugged, a small smile playing on her lips. “You’ll never know, Ha–eun,” Gong–ju implies mysteriously, using Ha–eun’s real name for the first time. Gong–ju reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind Ha–eun’s ear that had fallen into her face. Her touch was gentle despite the previous violence she had previously displayed.

Ha–eun checks her phone—00:00. “It’s getting late,” she frowns, “I should get going, Gong–ju.” Despite her words, she seems reluctant to leave. The wind has now noticeably strengthened, and she’s trembling more violently. 

“Okay,” Gong–ju slipped her bruised and bleeding hands into her pockets, “Have fun.” However, something about her expression makes Ha–eun pause. Her eyes flicker from Gong–ju’s face, to her hands, to her face once again. She starts to walk away, then pauses. Her eyes return back to Gong–ju’s hands then to her phone where the time is displayed.

As she slid her phone in her tote bag, Ha-eun slowly  Gong-ju up and down. Ha-eun stopped at her hands, “Gimme your hands.” 

“Why?” Gong-ju stared down at the girl, her hands rose to her chest protectively. 

“Give. Me. Your. Hands.” Ha-eun grabbed her hands and started to drag the taller woman, “I know I probably shouldn’t bring a random person home, but you helped me. It’s only fair if I help you too.” 

“Are you sure?” Gong-ju questioned, her brows furrowed. Gong-ju never pulled her hand from the smaller woman, instead, she let herself get dragged. She stared at Ha-eun, entranced by the woman. Gong-ju snapped out of her fantasy when she felt Ha-eun stop and pressed a button. 

“So, this is my apartment!” Ha-eun announced as she stepped inside with Gong-ju, “It’s kinda small, but that’s fine.”

Gong-ju glanced around the kitchen, her hands fell to her sides as she looked around the small kitchen. She heard a faint hiss from beside her, forcing her to look down.

“Oh! That’s Kitty!” Ha-eun gasped and cradled her kitten, cooing at the small feline. 

“I don’t think she likes me.” 

“She definitely likes you!” Ha-eun held out Kitty towards Gong-ju. She pet the kitten, getting a hiss and swat from Kitty. Gong-ju hummed. “If you sit down I’ll grab some things to help your cuts n’ stuff.” Ha-eun motioned towards two light pink, fuzzy beanbags in the right corner then left the room. 

Gong-ju sat down on the couch and patiently waited for Ha-eun to return. She glanced around the apartment, her eyes focused on a Hello Kitty plushie that was on a shelf, above a computer that sat on a dark wooden color desk.

“Okay, I'm back,” Ha-eun entered the room. The tall woman watched as the girl sat down next to her and rummaged through the first aid kit.