➳ author's note: I had recently taken down "pretty boy", and I deeply apologize for offending some of the readers with my insensitive and inaccurate portrayal of one of the characters in my scenario. Here's a new and revised version with the original plot line of Hyunjin as a barista.
—
Inspiration was hard to come by. Hence, being inspired to write was completely out of the question for you.
The comfortable ambience of your bedroom was too cozy for you to develop any coherent ideas for your essay on The Great Gatsby, with your bed constantly luring you to jump in. The living room was too distracting, with your cousin screaming with his friends over Fortnite.
"Why don't you go to the Parisian cafe? It's only a short bus ride away," your brother said as he noticed your writing block.
Your eyes lit up upon the mention of the cafe a few blocks down. It was a weekend, so it shouldn't be too busy without the flood of high school kids stopping by after class.
"Woojin, you're lucky that you don't have to take this class anymore. My brain is seriously fried from coming up with a list of themes," you complained, burying your head in your palms.
Woojin chuckled, rolling his eyes at your dramatic behavior. "Hey, that's only the first of three essays. You'll pass the class," he suggested.
You pursed your lips and replied, "The question is 'will my GPA be completely wrecked?' This class is worth six units, and a B would plunge my grade point average."
"You chose the college," he shrugged as he left your room.
"Because that was the best out of the ones I got in," you mumbled to yourself, rethinking your life choices.
You reached over your bed and grabbed your grey Jansport backpack, stuffing your loose notes and laptop into the bag before walking out the door. As much as you despised this essay, you needed to start writing.
—
"Hello, how are you?" the barista asked, wiping his hand on the apron around his waist.
You smiled and responded, "Good, how are you?"
His eyes twinkled as he reciprocated your smile. "Business is a bit slow, but other than that, I'm great. What can I get you?" he asked, maintaining a polite eye contact with you.
"Yeah, you'd think that the weekends would be busy, but everyone's probably sleeping in. I would like a hazelnut latte with a chocolate croissant please," you ordered, your hand reaching for your debit card.
"Five-fifteen please." He held his hand out and you gave him your debit card to swipe, your fingers brushing his in the process. Not thinking much of it, you pulled your hand back and averted your gaze just a bit.
He's really attractive.
The barista handed your card and directed, "Take a seat in one of the tables and your order will be with you as soon as possible."
You zeroed your eyes on the name plaque on his white dress shirt. "Thanks, Hyunjin."
Glancing around the cafe, your eyes were immediately drawn to the seat with a lamp fixture above it. It was an island in the middle of the shop with a tall chair; the table consisted of a blend of several different types of wood. There was cherry, pine, and oak. You walked over and tossed your backpack onto the chair beside you and climbed up onto the high chair, pulling your laptop out in front of you. Pulling the light switch, you saw the lamp fixture above your head turned on, creating an ambience that was just perfect for your eyes.
I better get started on this essay if I want to leave by nightfall.
With that, you brushed your hair away from your face and began typing the thesis statement.
—
This Daisy character is seriously giving me a headache.
You gave your sore back a long stretch and sipped what was left of your hazelnut latte. Placing the mug down, a yawn released from your mouth.
The sky outside the window had already turned dark. You looked around the little cafe. There were miniature models of the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre near the cashier. The ceilings had little light bulb lamp fixtures hanging from it. Pictures of nature were displayed in crisp white frames throughout the entire cafe. Although the designs were minimal, they gave off very comfortable and soft vibes. No wonder you were able to spend more than three hours in this cozy Parisian cafe. Plus, you had pretty boy to look at.
Not only was he attractive, he knew how to make a hazelnut latte. Most cafes usually made it overly sweet where the syrup overpowers the coffee or made it with excessive water where the espresso is heavily watered down. The one Hyunjin made was a perfect blend of milk, syrup, and espresso.
"How's your essay going?" Hyunjin asked as he began wiping down the tables around the cafe. You were the only customer left.
"It's tedious...wait, how did you know I was writing an essay?" you questioned skeptically.
He stopped what he was doing and pointed over to your book on the table. "The Great Gatsbyright? Do you take ENG 10A with Timothy?"
Your eyes widened and you gasped into your hand. "You're in my class? How come I never saw you?" you gaped at your own bluntness.
Hyunjin chuckled, "It's a pretty big lecture hall. Plus, I sit in the front so I don't fall asleep when he goes on and on rambling about his life," he replied.
"I'm really susceptible to falling asleep, so I also sit in the front. Maybe it's because I don't really pay attention to my surroundings," you figured, scrolling down the pages of your essay.
"I just finished my essay yesterday," he started, "I probably have to go through two rounds of revision before I turn it in. The deadline is tonight right?"
You ruffled your hair and sighed. "Yeah, I barely finished, and I still need to go through with proofreading. Last quarter, I got a C on my last paper. Do you know why?"
Hyunjin shook his head innocently.
"Because I forgot to proofread, and I accidentally spelled 'how' as 'hoe'. I was going to redeem my grade by emailing the TA, but then I reread my essay," you paused, "I deserved the C."
The barista boy cracked and laughed at your clumsy mishap. You tossed a crumpled piece of paper at him. "Don't laugh at me. I had finals that week," you huffed.
"So did I? What gives you an excuse?"
"Hey hey hey, Netflix is addicting."
You realized that Hyunjin was about to close. "I'm sorry for the hassle. I'm delaying your closing shift, aren't I?"
Hyunjin shook his head in response. "We still have ten minutes till closing, so take your time."
Closing your laptop, you placed it into the compartment in your grey Jansport. "Thanks for keeping me company. I'll see you around. In lecture maybe?" you suggested, jumping off the tall chair.
"Actually, my shift is over in a bit. Do you want to proofread together? I'll look over yours, and you can look over mine. Y-you know, if it's okay with you. You don't have to if you're not comfortable, " he asked bashfully, his eyes trained on the floor in front of him.
You smiled and tucked a piece of hair behind your ear. "I would love to. The diner across the street? I'm a bit hungry," you accepted as you locked eyes with him.
Hyunjin's feet shuffled nervously. "I never caught your name," he mumbled quietly.
"Y/n. It's Y/n."
"Give me five minutes. I need to change out of this mess," he said, motioning towards his white dress shirt and black work pants.
What mess? You look perfect.
You chuckled at his cuteness. "Sure thing."
