Cafe {KITTYZ}

Chapter 9

It was a peaceful Saturday morning and Haerin and Hyein were making their way through the relatively quiet streets of the city amidst the morning bustle. The weather was nice today, and it was getting hotter. The sun was out, the birds were chirping and the cars actually provided a peaceful backdrop of some sort, which was weird because Haerin always thought that the cars ruined the peace.

Soon enough the siblings were standing in front of the 'Honey cafe', its sign still unchanging and welcoming. The little bell rang as they entered and they caught sight of the group sitting at a nearby table, books sprawled messily around on the surface. It was the busy exam time of the term, so they decided why not study together?

Haerin hated this time of the term and just didn't understand why all the exams and assignments all have to be crammed into one period of time. It was like the education system was trying to torture you. It was outrageous to Haerin, but she's gotten used to it over time. High school is truly a mood.

"Hey guys!" Hyein exclaimed, sitting next to Leeseo and Eunchae. Haerin sat next to Minji and Danielle, who welcomed her with smiles. Soon the table was silent as the group delve into their studies, each focusing on the subject that messed with their brains the most. Most of the time it was the subject they hated the most and just didn't understand why it even existed. For Haerin, it was history. She read her textbook, hustle and bustle of the tranquil cafe providing a backdrop for her studies. Haerin always hated the idea of studying at a cafe, but this one was perfect for such a thing, no doubt.

The day continued on, people coming and going as thei studies whirled around the group. They memorised keywords and formulas, hastily scribbled down notes so they wouldn't forget and mentally slapped themselves when they made a mistake. It was the typical drawling process of a high school student's studies. Quite the process, but getting an A was all worth it. Well, they probably couldn't care less but their parents certainly will. 

"Oh, Hanni!" Minji suddenly exclaimed, waving somewhere. Haerin allowed her tired eyes a break from the words boring into her brain splattered all over the page that was now starting to look like nonsense. Hanni had walked into the cafe, a white hoodie over her work uniform as she hastily fixed the tissue in her nose that was visibly red. Her nose was bleeding.

"I think you should take off your hoodie Hanni Unnie," Leeseo suggested with concern. Hanni nodded gratefully as she rushed behind the counter and thanked the person before they left. Today was not the ideal day. She had woken up with a headache and a bleeding nose, and she lost track of time when she was studying and she had asked a friend of Minji's, Rei to cover for her shift while she studied, since Rei was already in Uni.

Life really wasn't with her and she was really tired of it all. But she was just being selfish, so she had no right to feel that way. Hanni carried through her usual work at the cafe, serving people with warm smiles and trying to get study done in between. The day soon morphed into evening as the group who had occupied the same spot all day finally stretched and began to pack up. Minji got up and made her way over to Hanni who was resting her head in her arms on the counter.

"Han," Minji said, tapping her friend on the shoulder. Hanni looked up and gave the other one a quizzical look as she rubbed her eyes sleepily.

"Did you want to come have dinner with us? We're planning to do karaoke, I know you love singing," Minji smiled, hope sparkling in her eyes like a puppy dog. Hanni returned the smile as she turned to her phone.

"I need to ask my parents first," she replied, tapping away on her phone. After a few seconds Hanni turned her phone off and gave Minji a small smile. "I can go," she said. Minji cheered and went to go tell the others.

At the karaoke place, it was lively yet calm as everyone munched on their food and talked about funny moments and things that had been happening in their lives. Hanni didn't eat much because she didn't have an appetite. She wasn't comfortable eating in public in front of her friends anyway. She was afraid that maybe she'd be judged. 

Eunchae and Hyein started them off by singing a lively song, which was none other than 'Idol' by the famous boy band BTS. Their energy was unmatched as they sang passionately into the microphone, adding their own playful choreography to it. Leeseo and Minji went next, singing a more calming song, 'Promise' by Jimin of BTS. It was a sentimental song. Haerin got up, ready to sing her round when she turned to Hanni.

"You want to sing together?" Haerin asked hopefully. Hanni looked hesitant but everyone was looking at her, practically begging for her to do so. Minji especially. But Hanni didn't really want to so she shied away and shook her head, averting her gaze to the ground. 

The next day, Hanni was greeted by the arguing of her parents.

"WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS SO MANIPULATIVE AND CONTROLLING?! IT'S LIKE I CAN'T SAY ANYTHING TO YOU!" her mother's voice boomed through the living room. Hanni leant against her closed bedroom door to listen to the exchange.

"I AM NOT, YOU'RE THE ONE WHO MANIPULATES PEOPLE WITH EMOTIONS!" he father retorted angrily, his voice 10x louder.

"YOU JUST DON'T CARE! YOU JUST PLAY GAMES ALL THE TIME AND EXPECT PEOPLE TO BOW DOWN TO YOU! YOU WON'T EVEN TAKE THE KIDS TO THE CHURCH!" her mum vented.

"IT'S YOUR RELIGION, NOT MINE," her dad growled.

"WHY DON'T YOU JUST KILL ME, LIKE YOU TRIED TO BACK THEN! MY LIFE IS NOT WORTH ANYTHING ANYWAY!" her mum sighed, seemingly giving up on trying to sound tough, but her voice was still in shouting mode.

"ME TOO MATE! IF I WANTED TO KILL YOU I WOULD'VE DONE SO ALREADY!" her dad said, empathising but also not.

"YOU JUST CONTROL HANNI BECAUSE YOU KNOW SHE WILL LISTEN TO YOU, UNLIKE CHAEWON AND YUJIN!" her mum randomly said. Hanni's heart skipped a beat at the mention of her name. 

It was true that Hanni was too soft for her own good in this household and that her father seemed to like that, but her mother too as well liked it. Her older sister, Chaewon and her younger brother Yujin were different though. They would argue back when asked to do something.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a knock on her door.

"Ok Hanni, so you heard what she said. I'll ask you questions and you need to answer honestly since she thinks I manipulate because you're soft," her dad said calmly, but you could still see he was riled up from the argument. Hanni trembled a little as she tried to keep her composure.

She hated having to choose sides.