Living

Chapter 6: Some Firsts

It was an unusual morning for Se Hee, she was getting ready for her graduation ceremony, but also for her first day at the cafe for the start of her apprenticeship. She was not sure which of the two was more exciting for her. 

The whole family went with Se Hee for her graduation. It was just like Jin Hee's graduation for the them. They took flowers for Se Hee and on the way back from the ceremony, stopped at the photo studio to get portraits to be taken to commemorate the graduation ceremony. However, after Jin Hee's graduation, the family had went to a restaurant for a family meal, whereas for Se Hee, after the photo session, Amman, Jin Hee and Dong Hee went home and Appa and Se Hee went to the cafe.

When Appa and Se Hee entered the cafe, it still seemed big and intimidating to Se Hee. She was nervous and excited about her first day. The cafe told her that she can start at a later day to work a full day from the start, however Se Hee wanted to start as soon as she could. She was almost in a hurry to start learning and be on her new journey. 

Appa met the cafe owner and manager and exchanged greetings with the other staff that were present, told Se Hee "Learn a lot my daughter! Fighting" and left.

After Appa left, the owner immediately left Se Hee and the manager to greet two obviously important looking customers who were enjoying the coffee and biscotti. Se Hee felt a little less important, but what she didn't know was the owner had earlier excused himself from these guests and greeted Se Hee and her father, which didn't seem extraordinary to her, however the manager and present staff member noticed and registered. It was a huge exception, the cafe was notorious for serving the elites of Seoul and the owner knew which guests needed extra attention to feel imperious. The fact that elite liked to come to this cafe was because other rich and important people came there. And the two gentlemen that the owner excused himself from were the ones that the normal rich and powerful clientele of the cafe looked up to.  By this point everyone that worked at the cafe knew that this new kid was not like any other staff and had the blessings of the owner. Whether it was a good thing or a bad thing, Se Hee was about to find out.

The manager gave Se Hee a uniform to change in to, there were two other female servers in the cafe and they showed Se Hee to the staff room which was dedicated to the girls. It was a tiny room next to the kitchen however it provided enough privacy for two and now for three. Se Hee changed in to her new uniform and went back to the manager for work instructions. To Se Hee's surprise, she was not told to go and join the staff in the baking room, instead she was told to shadow the server, who she had met when she came to the cafe the first time with Amman!

It felt odd, but Se Hee started following the server, whose name was Heyong Sok and he had a very gentle demeanour, he greeted the guests with a polite smile, took orders with efficiency and served everything in a graceful manner. He was the epitome of hospitality, however, as soon as he would enter the back side of the cafe, away from the customers, his smile would vanish and he'd become chatty and gossip about everything. Se Hee was fascinated by his transitions. It was like watching a magician create illusions. One second he would crack a joke about the customers who pretend to be old money by holding cups with their pinky finger sticking all the while speaking in Satoori (country accent) and the next he would step out in the main seating area with the order to be served with a gracious smile and confidence. 

Heyong Sok didn't pay much attention to Se Hee but allowed her to keep up with him and she was thankful for that. After 5 hours, when the doors were closed for the cafe, all employees gathered for a final check by the manager. It was like an informal meeting, where everyone said thanks to each other, the manager checked the till for one last time and the employees said goodbye to each other and started to leave. Se Hee stepped out as well and as expected Appa was standing outside waiting for her.