"Huh? A part-time job?"
"Yes. I'm actually looking for one. Do you have any suggestions?"
Certainly this was not the topic that you were expecting to discuss once Rei called you to meet up with her on that day. It's only been a few weeks since you two became friends, yet she already is full of surprises.
The two of you were walking home together after another ordinary school day had ended, and her words made you think that this was the reason why she looks so serious these past few days. Regardless, this got you curious about it.
"Sure I can help you with it. Still, I have to ask you this if I may. Do you need it to earn some extra income for yourself?" You asked her, and she immediately saw your worried expression afterwards.
To your surprise, she simply smiled at you in return, hinting that she has other reasons.
"There's nothing for you to be worried about, Y/N. I'm doing fine, and my parents always made sure to provide for me when I ask them, and there are times when they give me more than what I need, which makes me happy and grateful to them."
"Okay then. But you still didn't answer my question though."
"The reason why I wanted to have a part time job is because I simply wanted to know what it's like to have one, for I always wanted to try and do a lot of things that a lot of ordinary people do every single day. Simply put, it's the experience that counts for me, and I'm always looking for any opportunities once it comes by."
"I understand. Judging by what you said just now, you already did a good number of part-time jobs before, yes?"
"Mhm. I worked as a cash register at a convenience store just a few months ago, and before that, I also worked for a ramyeon house as well. Both of those jobs were really fun and interesting in my opinion."
"I'm glad to hear that. As long as you're having fun and not overworking yourself, then I guess it's fine for you to look for another one." You said to her, as she heartily agreed in reply, feeling glad that you understood her as well.
For this, you managed to see another side of Rei, one that even you did not expect from her. Your initial impression of her is that she's simply a normal and quiet girl who lives her everyday life in a very simple but fulfilling manner. But now, your opinion of her has indeed changed.
Now you know exactly why you saw her looking at the various job posters while the two of you are waiting for the train to arrive, which she has been doing for about a week. Even though you find her reasons to be plain and straightforward, you have to admire her diligence.
After all, a person of your age who is not afraid to gain more knowledge and insight outside the campus halls is always an admirable thing.
"All right. I think I can help you this time, Rei-chan. But you'll have to wait until tomorrow for it. Meet me at the school gates after class, and I promise that I won't keep you waiting. Well, even if I did, I'm confident that it's definitely worth your time. All you need to do is to be ready for an interview, as she tends to have a very high standard when it comes to hiring potential employees. Are you up for it?"
"I don't really understand, but I trust you. Sure I can wait for you tomorrow, Y/N."
"Then it's settled then. I'm certain that you're going to love working there." You assured her, as the two of you went on to talk about other things before you part ways.
True to your word, you met up with Rei the next day. You expect her to be nervous after you mentioned an interview the day prior, but the look on her face once you saw her says otherwise. It's a good sign that she's mentally prepared for the interview, and her being able to work on previous part-time jobs may be a good reason why she's feeling that way.
"Well if you're ready, then let's go. We'll take the train like always, then it'll be a short walk to the place after we get off."
"I see. Lead the way, Y/N."
The two of you took the train like you said, and after a twenty-minute ride, you arrived at the station. You then walk with her until you reach the street where your sister's coffee shop, The Soulful Barista, is located.
"Well, here we are, Rei. Are you ready?" You asked, as you saw her admiring the exterior of the shop which is indeed very pleasant to look at.
"This place is.....wow. I never thought that you'll be taking me to such a very famous place, Y/N. Will I really be able to work here?"
"Of course you will. All you need to do is to pass the interview, and after that, you're all set. Come on, let's head inside. The owner is already waiting for you."
"All right. I'm ready now."
Just to be sure, you didn't tell Rei the truth just yet, for doing so would somehow spoil the surprise that your sister Miyeon owns and manages the shop.
When you informed her that Rei is coming by the next day, she assured you that she'll conduct the interview as usual, with no special treatment whatsoever. You were glad to hear this, as this is exactly what Rei would have wanted.
As you enter the establishment, the fragrant coffee aroma instantly greets you, and it would seem that the shop only has a few customers at the moment. Wasting no time, you asked one of the other employees where Miyeon is, to which she said that she's already waiting inside her office.
"I'll just wait for you outside until you finish, Rei-chan. Don't worry. The owner is uhh....a good acquaintance of mine, so you'll be alright. Good luck to you."
"Thanks, Y/N. Here I go."
You then waited for her for a while, as you took one of the empty seats and ordered your favorite mocha latte like usual. While you were sipping your drink, you can't help but wonder if Rei is really going to be fine throughout the whole interview. Considering that Miyeon had rejected a good number of people for the vacant position before, you began to doubt whether your friend truly has what it takes to fit your sister's standards. However, such thoughts started to fade the moment you saw Rei heading towards you with a serious look on her face.
You were surprised, because Miyeon's interview always took more than thirty minutes to finish, yet your friend was already done after a mere fifteen.
Rei then took a seat opposite you, then she snatched your drink away before asking you a question of her own.
"Y/N....."
"Y-yes? Umm, did everything go well?"
"It did. I passed the interview, and I will start working here by next week."
"W-well that's good then! Congratulations!"
"Thank you. But then again....."
"Hmm? Is there something else you want to tell me?"
"Yes. Still, I didn't know until now that your sister owns this coffee shop, pabo!"
Rei frowned once you began laughing at her, as you realized that your sister already told her the truth about you being her younger brother. After a few seconds, she too began to laugh with you as she gave you your drink back, with her prompting to order the same. Once she received her own drink, you continued the conversation.
"Thank you for helping me this time, Y/N. I promise that I'll work hard to repay you and Miyeon-unnie."
"That's great. I'm sure that- huh? Miyeon-unnie?"
"Yes! She told me that one of her conditions was for me to call her that way whenever I'm here."
"Did she really say that? Hmm, she must really like you then. But still, the fact that she only interviewed you for merely fifteen minutes seems odd to me. I'll find out later. For now, let's celebrate. Our shop not only takes pride in the quality of our coffee here, but we're also home to the finest desserts too. I'll order some for us, and it's on me."
"Are you sure? I can pay for my own, Y/N."
"Don't worry about it. Consider this my apology for hiding the truth from you since yesterday."
Afterwards, you then bought a couple slices of cake for the two of you, with Rei looking in awe at how wonderful they looked. Together, you both spent some time conversing with each other, with her gaining some knowledge as to how Miyeon started this business. She also got to know a little bit more about yourself, and how you two treat each other as siblings. It goes without saying that Rei was indeed impressed and happy that you two are getting along.
Before the sun sets, Rei then bids goodbye to you as she leaves the shop first, telling you that she still has something to do before she goes home. Wishing her well, you went back inside the shop and went straight towards Miyeon's office.
Knocking at the door, you then heard her saying that you can enter. As soon as you stepped inside, you noticed that she's busy not with her work, but watching a famous Korean drama instead.
"It seems you're done with all the work today, noona." You began.
"Yup! By the way, is Rei-chan still here?"
"She just left, but she thanked us for having her work here at the shop. Speaking of which, I'd like to know about the interview that she had with you."
"Sure, what about it?"
"Aish, you know what I'm talking about. Whenever you do job interviews, you always tend to act like a mean boss with a take no prisoners attitude. Yet Rei passed like it was the easiest thing she had done. Why's that?"
"Hehe. It seems you know me too well Y/N, as expected. Nonetheless, Rei answered my questions well, and that's the important thing. I observed her like I usually do throughout the entire interview, and I find her to be a reliable girl who's perfect for the position. Plus she's really cute, which will undoubtedly gain us more customers."
"Huh. Why do I get the feeling that the last sentence pretty much sums up your reasons for accepting her, noona."
"I can't deny that, but everything I said about her is true. We can count on her, Y/N. That aside, it's the first time I saw you being friends with a girl. Now spill the beans. Is she your girlfriend?"
"This again. How many times do you have to pester me about that? She's just a friend who I happened to meet just a few weeks ago, all right? Don't make a big deal out of it, please."
"Okay, okay. If you say so, then I'll take your words as fact, for now. I'll find out the truth soon enough, more so since I'll be seeing her around here pretty often."
"Whatever. If you're done, then let's go home now. It's getting pretty late."
"Sure thing. I'll buy something for dinner since I'm too tired to cook. Will that be okay?"
"Of course, noona."
From that point on, Rei began to diligently work for Miyeon as she promised, with you coming by at least thrice a week to see how she's doing.
For the most part, your sister's intuition was right about her, as Rei was always doing her best not just for her, but also for the customers she's serving.
There were also times when she's teaching Rei the basics on how to be a proper barista, and you will never forget the wonderful smile on her face once she managed to brew her first cup of exquisite coffee. Well, after countless trials of course, since it's always tough to appease Miyeon's palette when it comes to her coffee.
However, there are also days when Rei can't keep up to the pace, especially when the shop is packed with customers. It was during these moments when she gets clumsy, mixing up orders while her mind is overwhelmed thinking which table is she going to serve next. Even with your help, it proved difficult. But like always, you are there to assure her that it's okay to make mistakes, as it's part of her learning experience.
All in all, her being there did help in making the shop more popular than it already was. Thanks to the many customers that come by, word began to spread about Rei and her charming personality. Soon enough, this earned her a lot of "adoring fans", who go out of their way not just to have a cup of coffee or to have a dessert, but to see her in person. Among these people were students from your school, who were surprised when they saw how pretty she looks when she's not wearing her school uniform.
Jealousy filled their minds when they witnessed how you act so familiar towards her, as they wished they could have seen this side of her much sooner.
With this, the so-called Naoi Rei Appreciation Club was formed, and surprisingly, they gave you the title of club president even though you didn't ask for it.
In the end, you were just happy and thankful for having a friend such as her. The more time you spent with her, the more you got to learn and understand the kind of person she is. While she may not know it herself, Rei taught you how to always be at your best in whatever you do, just like she does. In return, you showed her how reliable you are, being the very person who reached out to her first, hoping to be her first friend, which you did.
The Soulful Barista, Present Day
"I'll get going now, Y/N. Please tell Miyeon-unnie that I'll be free to work during the weekend too." Rei said to you, as she was about to leave.
"Sure, I'll tell her that. But are you sure? I mean, noona and I don't want you to overwork yourself again. Remember what happened last time?"
Rei frowned after she heard what you said. She remembered the day when she suddenly collapsed while in the middle of service, as her co-workers and even the customers looked concerned when they saw it. This led to you and Miyeon having to take her home immediately, with you having to spend your night at Rei's place while helping her recover from a fever.
"Y-yes. Don't worry, Y/N. I'll be alright this time. I promised to you and unnie that I will take care of myself better from now on, so that won't happen again."
"I see. Well I'm happy that you said that, though I still prefer you to rest instead. I'm sorry if I won't be able to go home with you today since I have to wait for noona to finish her work."
"That's okay. So umm, I'll see you tomorrow at school, right?"
"Of course, Rei-chan. Take care."
Once she's gone, you went back to the cashier to continue your work, as you still kept on thinking about Rei's tendency to push herself too much.
While you were thinking this, one of the employees called your name, telling you that Miyeon is calling you for something important.
You then went to the office immediately, thinking that your sister needs your help.
"I'm here noona. What is it about?" You said, as you took a seat at a chair near where her desk is, with Miyeon looking at you with a straight face, until...
"Y/N, I'm going to need your help with something. You see, it concerns Rei, and it's very important for you to handle this task personally."
"Huh? I don't get it. Is she umm, getting fired from her job here?"
"WHAT? Of course not, pabo! Don't you remember? In just a few days from now, it's going to be her birthday!"
Truly, it's during these moments when your sister becomes the perfect embodiment of a trickster, making you think that something significant and serious is about to take place. Although this time, you can't deny that she's right.
"Well of course I remember! To be honest, I was actually planning to do something nice to her next week, and I was hoping that you'll be able to help me with it."
"Perfect. Here, take these first."
Miyeon gave you a small envelope, along with a travel guide which got you curious.
Once you looked at what's inside, your eyes widened at what you saw.
"What the heck? This is more than enough for me to buy an entire collection of Revengers action figures! What's the meaning of this, noona?"
"Aish, is that all you're ever going to think about? Look here, if I see you spending this money to buy those, then I will decrease your allowance for the rest of the year!"
"Ya, I wasn't thinking that. So then, you want me to use this for her birthday, correct?"
"That's right. Use that magazine as a guide, and I'll let you handle the rest. Consider this not only as our birthday present to her, but as a way to thank her for always doing her best."
"Okay, I understand. Well then, I suppose I should take a look at this first."
You then opened the magazine Miyeon gave you, and you were surprised to see a lot of good options for places that you can visit. Among those, the one which got your attention was...
A. A date at the Han River park. (bike ride, fishing, picnic)
B. A tour date. (museum, watching a musical, shrine visit)
C. A mall date. (watching a movie, bowling, arcade)
Just like before, name your choice at the comments section. The next chapter will be on February 3rd, which is also Rei's birthday. After that, we'll proceed with the next character arc. Thank you for reading.