After-Globe

S e o u l

"Krystal, we have a guest!"

Victoria's piercing voice echoed from the pantry she was working on and greeted the ears of Jung Krystal, the barista of a small coffee shop located in the heart of Seoul.

Krystal opened her closed eyelids when she heard the shout, tsked as she pulled out the lemon flavored lollipop she was eating from her mouth.

She was having her mini resting time in the café's back office, cooling herself down from the summer heat with the 16 degree air conditioner. Victoria's shout had just successfully ruin them all.

"What kind of customer come to buy coffee in such a hot weather?"

The black-haired girl hissed while heading out from the room and back to the cashier. Her eyes squinted when she caught a figure of someone standing in the order taking table.

It was a man, probably around her age, wearing sunglasses with a brown leather backpack slung on his right shoulder.

"What's the order, sir?" Krystal asked, with a bored expression on her face. It's 15.12 PM and she has been tired of faking a smile for 8 hours already.

"Iced macchiato." The man replied without looking up from the phone he was holding. "Less sugar."

Krystal punched the order onto the raptor and flatly replied. "3500 won."

He took out his wallet, pulling his money out and handed it to Krystal.

Krystal, without further words, took the money and shoved it onto the cashier machine. Her eyes then caught the man's black headphone, hung around loosely on the other's neck.

K A I

A classic handwritten styled font marked the edge of the headphone, seemingly the name of that man.

Krystal's eyes darted from the headphone to her customer's face.

He was looking at the phone again with troubled expression which was still could clearly seen on his face even when he had that sunglasses on.

Expressionlessly, Krystal tore her gaze and started to make the order. Her hands moved fast to serve the coffee and in less than 5 minutes she had handed the iced macchiato to the customer.

"Enjoy."

The man received the coffee's cup, murmured a silence thanks before turned around and walked out of the coffee shop.

Krystal sighed and glanced at the big box of ice cubes. She took one and popped it onto her mouth, skillfully chewed on it as she headed back to the pantry where Victoria spends her working day at.

"Unnie,"

The black-haired called out while opening the door. She spotted Victoria in the middle of the room, busy frosting cupcakes.

"Why Luna is not here yet? My shift has ended, and I am suppose to go home now."

Victoria looked up from her cupcakes, glanced at the clock then hummed. "I don't know. Try to call her."

"She won't pick up the call, it's my fourth time already." Krystal whined and leaned on the door's frame. "I still haven't packed anything yet. How could she do this to me?"

Victoria chuckled and continued her job. "She's probably sulking, because you are going to leave us for 2 weeks."

Krystal just grinned when she heard that. Thinking about her sweet escape away from her boring routine just lightened up her awful feeling a bit.

"Don't forget to bring a lot of vitamin to Japan. Don't get sick in the middle of the journey and remember to get back working once you are back in Seoul." Victoria warned, already knew how rebellious her little cousin could be.

"Yes, I understand, madam." Krystal said in a sing-sang tone, seemingly didn't really care about what Victoria was saying.

Suddenly, the door of the pantry was pushed open, revealing a petite girl with her blonde hair tied up high walked in.