apartment block 17

[ 037 ]

jam jam café

"sorry about yesterday, wonwoo," the café manager apologised as his worker entered the establishment. "i didn't know we'd have a sudden health inspection."

"it's alright. but i have mingyu with me today, since he couldn't come yesterday," he replied.

wonwoo had always been a quiet and diligent worker, which gained him the approval of his manager and coworkers. he wasn't necessarily shy, and was able to deal with customers quite skilfully, but tended to keep to himself most of the time. his coworkers had learnt to respect that.

it puzzled the manager as to why someone like kim mingyu even had contact with jeon wonwoo. upon entering the café after wonwoo, he brought in an aura of cheerfulness and joy that seemed far more appropriate for a kindergarten, not a high-end coffee shop. the manager had met mingyu on occasion as wonwoo's new roommate, but how their relationship worked out was still a mystery.

"hi, i'm mingyu!" he greeted boisterously, bowing a full 90 degrees. the manager nodded his head and shook mingyu's hand firmly.

wonwoo didn't have a shift that day, since it was friday, but he negotiated with his manager to let him work the shift to make up for the one lost yesterday. because the café had been closed for a health inspection, he had spent a majority of his afternoon playing mario kart with mingyu. he hated to admit that he got a little too into playing the game with his roommate; it had been a long time since he'd played mario kart with someone else.

unsurprisingly to wonwoo, jam jam had passed the inspection with flying colours. the fact that the place was always kept impeccably clean was one of the reasons wonwoo liked working at jam jam. it was also one of the reasons wonwoo hesitated on letting mingyu work there - the boy was an accident waiting to happen.

"today, we'll just let you help out at the register and perhaps some odd jobs around the place. have you ever worked as a cashier before?" the manager asked as he led mingyu behind the counter. the café was already bustling with customers seeking a late-afternoon coffee. wonwoo noticed several girls from his university eyeing mingyu inconspicuously from where they sat at a corner table.

"no. but i'll try!" mingyu said, determined.

"you'll keep an eye on him, won't you, wonwoo?"

"yeah," he assured his manager. "i'll make sure he won't break anything. hopefully."

by the time junhui arrived for his shift two hours later, mingyu had managed to spill five coffees, collapse a shelf in his quest to grab another bag of sugar, accidentally key in an order for fifty pancakes instead of five (much to the chef's annoyance) and pour salt instead of sugar into multiple orders of coffee. wonwoo was exhausted from having to apologise to both the customers and his manager (though if there was something mingyu was good at, it was apologising).

"hey, mingyu! how's the work?" junhui greeted, slapping on his jam jam apron and joining them behind the counter.

"great!"

"terrible," wonwoo said simultaneously as he furiously scrubbed the counter, cleaning up another one of mingyu's spills. junhui chuckled as mingyu rubbed his neck sheepishly.

"it's a lot harder than i imagined," mingyu admitted, grabbing another rag and helping wonwoo.

"money doesn't come easy," junhui said.

"i hope i get paid overtime for all this work," wonwoo muttered.

"stop being so grumpy, wonwoo. mingyu's trying his best!" junhui laughed, patting mingyu on the back.