JaeHwa had hardly slipped through the back and changed into her outfit, a plain white shirt with the green plaid skirt that resembled her school uniform with a green apron, when the commotion in the shop started.
At first, she only heard the tinkle of the bell as the door opened (a common enough sound in the coffee shop) but the melodic noise was interrupted by the loud bellows of deep voices and amplified laughter.
The throbbing in JaeHwa’s head got worse and she squatted down to pretend to tie her shoes so she could take a break from it all. She didn’t need this, not now after Mr. Park and the boys and the everything…
“JaeHwa! Jae! Get out here right now!” her manager, TaeYeon, yelled at her, probably running around trying to keep up with the demands of the new group.
The girl sighed and peeled herself away from the floor, pressing a hand against her heart and feeling the scar on her chest through the apron and shirt before heading out to the shop and standing behind the counter with her boss and the other employee that worked her shift.
“Why are there so many people?” she asked HyeWon, staring at the line of boys and girls coming in one after the other and filling the usually peaceful shop with noise. “It’s only Wednesday!”
HyeWon shrugged, dumping the newest batch of muffins onto the display shelf and positioning herself behind one of the two cash registers. “Must be because of the boys coming to the school…” she said. She looked just as flustered as JaeHwa which meant that they were both going to be skittish and crazy until the end of the rush.
Person after person JaeHwa served, mind racing, heart pumping and energy ebbing with each coffee she poured or hot chocolate she mixed. It felt like every pastry and drink she made was sucking the heat out of her and taking the last morsels of her happiness away with it. She felt like collapsing and sleeping and giving up but she served on to try and get out of her slump, offering smiles and kind words like she was programmed to. By the end of the rush, when there were about five or six people left seated at the small tables and few couches strewn about the shop, JaeHwa had burned finger tips, cheeks flushed red and hairs sticking out of her pony tail. Despite feeling totally wasted of her energy, she felt a sort of satisfaction that came with a job well done.
TaeYeon, feeling the same for her workers, came up behind her and HyeWon to wrap an arm around their shoulders.
“Good job, guys! I know you’re not used to big rushes like that but you did well! If we can get the place cleaned up halfway by nine then I’ll let you guys go early,” TaeYeon said, ruffling their hair and going to the back room to fetch some things for close.
HyeWon hushed, rearranging her ponytail. She leaned against the counter by JaeHwa and offered her a smile. “You good, Jae?” she asked, brown eyes sparkling.
“Fine, it’s just been a long day, I can’t wait to get home,” JaeHwa said, laughing because she finally realized how ridiculous this whole day had been.
“I could tell, you seemed a little down today. I was getting worried that someone had possessed you.”
At this they both erupted into laughter, breaking the chatter that had been occupying the coffee shop.
“I’m fine unnie,” JaeHwa said earnestly. “I can’t let a bad day get me down right; I mean, it’s another day I’m alive.”
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Show Me the Way (A SHINee Fanfic)
FanfictionYou don't need eyes in order to be able to see into a heart. Onew knows this as he's been blind since birth. What he doesn't know is that some times even if you take care of that heart and feel it beat with yours, you can't always keep it going...
