Cat Boy

03 | flashlight smile

Vernon procures the keys to the café from the back of his pocket, all too aware of how close behind him Daehyun stands. The sun's just beginning to break out from under the sea-foam clouds like a piece of glass polished by the sea, and its rays spark off the glass doors in front of him. All too poetic, until the light gets in his eyes and he throws his head back—narrowly avoiding knocking it into Daehyun's—and almost drops the keys.

He mutters a quick apology, blinking the stars of light that dance in the periphery of his now teary eyes. There's a tapping noise from behind the glass, and Vernon looks up to see a head of bubblegum hair bobbing in his vision from inside the café, accompanied by a smile so bright that he almost squints.

Vernon steps aside as Joshua pulls the doors open, and Daehyun gives him a mildly panicked smile before stepping into the shop. Joshua's eyes and mouth are smiling crescents, like a cookie that's been taken a bite out of. He ushers the girl to one of the tables—sleeves pulled up to her upper arms and a batman-patterned band-aid on an elbow, a sight so out of place in the comfy café that Vernon has to pause for a moment to swallow his surprise.

She sets the skateboard down on the floor, and Joshua's perfect smile wavers for a split second—he hates skateboards in the café—and looks at Vernon with a face that's clearly asking for help, and he's tempted to pretend not to notice. He's too nice for that, though, so he clears his throat and commences the introductions. "This is—"

"Jisoo," Joshua says, doing a tiny bow that makes his loosely-tied apron slip, and catches it at the last moment. "Or Joshua. Either's fine."

Daehyun glances at him with raised eyebrows, and Vernon knows what she's thinking. That's exactly what he said when she met him—with different names, of course. "I'm Daehyun."

"Hello, Daehyun," Joshua says, and before he can say something else, Vernon taps his shoulder.

"Aren't you supposed to be at home?" he asks, and clears his throat immediately after, realizing how quiet he sounds after his friend's admittedly charming introduction. Then he frowns internally, realizing that it doesn't matter.

"I was, but..." Joshua gives him a meaningful look, and Vernon's lips part as he nods in reluctant understanding.

"Um." They both look down at Daehyun, who's just made a sound that is equally human and animal. She clears her throat self-consciously, and Vernon notices that her shoelaces are untied. "Is there something I'm supposed to know?"

Pushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear, she gives the two of them a questioning look, fingers of one hand absentmindedly tapping away at the edge of her skateboard. Perhaps she remembers Joshua as the barista who attacked her date with sizzling hot coffee, and is a little afraid for her safety.

Joshua, though, doesn't seem like he remembers the incident at all, and dons once again the smile that he carries around like a free flashlight. It sure helps people see his perfect teeth better. "Ah, right," he says, and begins retying the apron around his waist. He doesn't even need to wear it, Vernon thinks. It's not like he needs to make something. It's probably just there to reinforce is innocent barista image. "Do you remember that your, er, your friend who was here yesterday?"

Daehyun stares at him, as if wondering how he thinks she might have forgotten the fateful encounter. "I do? I mean, I do."

Joshua nods, and a cowlick at the side of his head that he previously smoothed over bounces back up, ruining his entire look. Vernon considers telling him about it, but Daehyun doesn't seem to care, so he sees no point. "Are you still in contact with him?" Joshua asks, referring to the poor schmuck whose outfit he besmirched—Wonpil, Vernon remembers. "Or do you know anyone who is?"