ENOi as Café Workers ☕
LAON
owner and manager of the Starlight Cafe
single-handedly founded the shop, planned its name and concept, and recruited all of its employees
constantly working on ideas for new menu items or ways to improve the customer experience
a very hands-on manager who often gets mistaken for a regular employee because he works behind the counter so often
he insists it’s vital for him to be involved in the everyday work of the cafe in order to help it become the best it possibly can
which isn’t untrue, but honestly he just really loves interacting with customers as much as possible
DOJIN
a naturally talented barista
invents new drinks on the fly which end up getting added to the permanent menu because people love them so much
not one for much conversation but has the softest smile when he hands over drinks and knows all the regulars’ orders by heart
looks intimidating to new customers until they take a closer look at his uniform and discover a tiny turtle enamel pinned to his apron
asked Laon if they could set up a corner for people to sit and read while they enjoy their drinks
Laon agreed, so Dojin visits the local bookstore every month to keep their shelf stocked with titles he thinks people would find comforting
HAMIN
best latte art the cafe has ever seen
frequently offers to close up even when he’s not scheduled to so he can stay late and practice new designs for the next day
super smiley whenever he notices someone taking a picture of a drink he made
some weeknights when he’s not behind the counter he brings his keyboard and sings for a hour or two
it started out as a one-time occasion to celebrate the cafe’s 100 day anniversary, but the reaction from customers was so positive and Hamin enjoyed it so much they decided to continue it as a regular event
Laon swears they get 50% more visitors if they happen to leave the door open during one of Hamin’s music nights
they leave the door open a lot more now
AVIN
the type to ask customers how their day is going and genuinely be interested in the answer
if you tell him you’re preparing for a midterm or job interview, you can count on him to remember and ask you how it went when you come in again the next week
his apron has a growing collection of pins customers have given to him as gifts, and once they’re on he never removes them
thrives on busy days but personally likes the last shift of the night best, when there are only a few people in the cafe and the atmosphere is cozy and peaceful
in addition to working behind the counter, Avin is also the one in charge of the decorations and ambience of the shop
thanks to him, they partnered with a local florist to get fresh arrangements for their tables every week in exchange for promoting the flower shop (and gifting them the occasional batch of Jinwoo’s homemade cookies)
JINWOO
splits his time between baking pastries in the kitchen and preparing drink orders behind the counter
cheerful and energetic even if it’s 7 o’clock in the morning
usually people who come in that early are still waking up, but they always leave looking a little brighter after talking to Jinwoo
has lots of little habits that customers find endearing without him realizing it, like getting excited whenever someone orders a chocolate-based drink because those are his favorites, and telling them so
was really nervous about making a mistake or spilling something when he first started, but now he’s one of the fastest at fulfilling orders and even got some of his original drinks onto the permanent menu
thinks it’s the coolest thing in the world when a regular remembers his name and asks him how his week was
smiles for the rest of the day every time that happens
J-KID
friendliness level through the roof
asks customers if it’s their birthday and gives them a free cookie even if they say no
“every day is worth celebrating, even if it’s not your birthday :)”
regularly gets in trouble with Laon because of this
good at making conversation but doesn’t pry if it seems like the person is having a tough day, and ends up “accidentally” giving them an extra stamp on their stamp card instead
once he misspelled a customer’s name on their cup so he doodled a heart over it to cover it up
his mistake went unnoticed, and he’d inadvertently discovered a new way to make customers smile, so he started drawing hearts on everyone’s cups after that
GUN
was so shy when he first started working Laon almost wondered if he had to be worried about him, but he quickly proved to be one of the most natural at making conversation and helping customers feel at home
came up with the idea of hosting a board game night, which he plans every week with J-Kid
the customers loved it and it was an instant hit, with more and more people showing up every week
prone to pulling the occasional prank on slow days
usually on Laon
at the same time if someone ever asks him what it’s like working there the first thing he’ll talk about is how great his manager is
he loves his job so much, and this little cafe and the friends he’s made while working there mean the world to him