The rattling sound of keys echoed down the empty halls. With a small sigh, Jongin twisted the doorknob open and entered his safe haven–his home. Why was he so tired today? He thought about the possible causes of this fatigue he was suffering. The time he went to bed: eleven pm, as usual. His breakfast: a cup of coffee, an egg, sunny side up, and a buttered toast. Nothing unusual. He yawned softly as he plopped down onto his couch and looked around. As expected, there was nothing but this familiar silence and his soft breaths. Soon, the ticking of the wall clock caught his attention and he averted his gaze to it. It was six in the afternoon, three hours before his night shift at the local pub. He thought about how he should manipulate those three hours and all he could think of was a novel and a nap. With quiet footsteps, he walked over to his bedroom, grabbed his favorite novel at the moment, and settled in his bed.
It was 8:34 PM, the summer skies were darkening and the neighborhood was coming alive. Jongin woke up, his novel face down next to him on the page he was reading. He reached over for his phone and checked the time. Breathing a small breath of relief, he got up and rubbed his eyes. He took a shower, got dressed in his usual monochromatic clothing, and checked the time. 8:48 PM. He walked out of his comfort zone to the night streets for his night shift, mentally preparing to converse with customers, who were practically strangers. Talking was not his forte, but the stories his customers ranted about were quite interesting and all he had to do was listen, nod, and smile. It was entertaining, actually.
It was 8:54 PM when he arrived at the back door of the pub. He entered it, officially marking the start of his night shift. He pinned on his name tag, printed “Kai” in a black font on a goldish base. From now to the end of his shift, he was Kai. He went behind the bar counter and began to wipe the glasses, waiting for customers.
There were many things Min could probably have been doing on a Saturday night that was more productive than going out to the pub, but she'd had a relatively long week and the idea of wasting a perfectly good weekend by focusing on her studies or doing chores around her home sounded like a tragic loss. So, despite feeling the urge to nap once she arrived home from work, she instead decided to have a little night out to treat herself and unwind that way. Even just a drink and some casual socializing for a couple hours was better than staying inside, that was her belief. By the time she had freshened her makeup and changed into a more acceptable choice of clothing, night had already fallen, and it was nearly 9 in the evening when she walked into the pub, having taken the trek herself on foot so she didn't have to drive home later if she decided on a second drink.
Instinctively, she kept an eye out for the female bartender she usually saw, and while mildly disappointed that she was nowhere to be seen, she easily recovered and brightened once more as she saw who was in fact working on this particular night. She never did get many words out of him, but he was familiar and not entirely repelled by her attempts to make conversation, so as usual she didn't hesitate to bound up to the bar where he stood cleaning glasses. She never was a shy one anyway, but with certain people, her bubbly nature seemed amplified; and oddly, it was more with the quieter people. Perhaps it was a need to overcompensate for the quiet on their end.
"Hello there," she greeted warmly, before she reached out to touch the boy's nametag, tilting it her way to read the nickname as if seeking to refresh her memory. "... Kai." She remembered him, but initiating contact was part of her usual, overly-friendly routine. "How are you tonight, hun?" Fixing him with a smile, she glanced up and down the bar, seeing it was surprisingly not as crowded as one would expect on a Saturday night. Shrugging her shoulders, she turned back to him, deciding it was perfectly fine to go ahead and order, "Can I get a cosmo, please?"
