"Listen to your teacher during class, and don't forget to ask questions. It will make the end of the term more bearable." Jennie lectured as she looked away from Roseanne's pretty face.
"Ok."
"Are you an engineering major?" Jennie had once seen her working with a drawing of some machine's frame on the computer. The nearby Hanyang University placed in the nation's top ten for mechanical engineering, so Jennie guessed that Roseanne was probably studying that major.
"Yeah, mechanical engineering."
"Wow, that's awesome." Jennie said, "Ok, please wait a bit. I'll start on your order after I deliver this to table three."
"No rush." Roseanne replied as she watched Jennie walk away.
Jennie returned to the counter and was about to make the coffee when she glanced at the glass pitcher full of lemonade that sat under the bar. Jennie personally preferred lemonade over coffee, especially when the weather was hot, so she always had a pitcher or two's worth of lemonade prepared beforehand. She had let this pitcher of lemonade sit for a while so that the ingredients could mix and settle. It should be ready now.
"Do you want to try a glass of lemonade?" Jennie lifted the pitcher of lemonade and removed the lid. A light, yet fragrant smell wafted into the air from the fermented lemonade. "I made it myself."
Roseanne nodded: "Sure. Thanks."
Roseanne was in her third year of university, so that meant she was around twenty years old, only about six to seven years younger than Jennie. However, her demeanor and speaking lacked the passion that many others her age showed. Even when Jennie tried to converse with her multiple times, she only responded with a few words at most.
As the store became more crowded, Jennie quickly poured Roseanne a large glass of lemonade and hurried off to tend to other customers.
With so many customers to serve, time flew by quickly. In a blink of an eye, it was already three.
Jennie took a break to catch her breath and looked up the weather forecast. The forecast earlier this morning had said it would be only 37-40° C. It was currently around 43° C (109.4 F). Not to mention, because this building wasn't near any shade, and the sun was notorious for being extra hot in Samcheong, it probably felt like it was closer to 50° C. Anyone stuck outside during this weather would probably die.
Scrolling through WeChat, Jennie's family group chat was quite lively. Her sister-in-law had just given birth to her second child in mid-June and had sent a picture of the cute little one-month-old in the group chat.
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Jennie couldn't resist commenting:
Jennie: The baby looks cute. 🥰
Immediately a reply popped up.
Cousin: If you hurry up and get married, you can have a baby as well!!!!
A few more people joined in as well, telling her to find a partner. All of the relatives around her age, both men and women, had settled down, some with children already. She was the only one left, and although people marrying late is a more common trend now; still very few took that route.
Not to mention, she was different.*
For people like her, forget marriage, finding someone was hard enough already.
During her university days, she had been in a few relationships, but each one had failed. The reality was not like the stories, just finding someone doesn't mean she'll fall in love.
This world is full of unexpected elements, with so many different twists and turns......
Jennie set her phone down and brushed a piece of hair behind her ear. She sat there wiping down the cups, silently.
She sighed and thought, how long has it been since I was in a relationship?
Maybe around the time when she graduated from university? That relationship ended in less than a month, and both parties never met again.
By that estimate, she has been single for about three to four years now.
Jisoo had often lectured her about it. Saying that she should enjoy her youth and live freely, doing whatever the hell she wanted to do. Otherwise, she would be like a nun in a convent, always restricting herself.
While the idea of "doing whatever she wanted" sounded easy enough, it was hard to put it into practice. Jennie sighed again and threw those thoughts to the back of her mind, choosing to focus on work instead.
———————————————————————————————————————
Around ten o'clock that evening, before she could even take her shoes off, Jennie received a call from Jisoo.
Jisoo asked Jennie for a favor. She wanted Jennie to let her cousin and the cousin's roommate stay at Jennie's place tonight.
Jisoo's cousin went to Hanyang University and had missed the curfew because she was out late partying. Hanyang University's had a strict curfew policy, so if the cousin and her roommate returned to the dorms, they would be caught, and disciplinary actions would be taken.
Jennie thought about it and agreed to the favor. She climbed downstairs to greet the troublemakers at the gate. The entrance was dimly lit, but she could make out two shadows, one tall and one short. When they came closer, Jennie was surprised. She recognized the tall one. It was Roseanne. She never thought that Roseanne would be the cousin's roommate and stared as they approached.
And Roseanne, her face half-covered by the shadows, stared back at Jennie.
