thus probably why she wakes up not with a smile but a frown on saturday morning, the first day at her new workplace. she shouldn’t be complaining; at least she managed to find a job which was somewhat a miracle to begin with, considering that almost all part-time jobs get filled in the first two weeks of a new semester and it’s already october. still, the thought of having to work in an environment that simply stresses her out is rather unsettling; who would want to work in starbucks as a self-proclaimed anti-coffee person?
you sense it, too, the nonsensity of that.
and yet, qri stays true to herself when she enters the café five minutes earlier (just in case) than she’s supposed to, her outfit being on point with a pair of dark colored skinny jeans, leopard pattern decorated oversized sweater and a white, fluffy scarf lazily thrown around her neck, golden tresses tied up in a low, messy ponytail. making sure that her steps seem confident enough, qri struts through the space between the entrance and the counter, her mind echoing unpleasant thoughts regarding her not-so-nice opinion saying how disgusting it is that so many people spend their mornings and money in a place like this only to have a cup (or more) of some sort of brown, gross liquid that is not only unhealthy but extremely not yummy as well. she’s aware that starbucks sells other products, too; but she has never really seen anyone come here to get something non-coffee because people with common sense go somewhere else to spend their precious money much more wisely.
between similar thoughts appears someone dressed up in starbucks-uniform right in front of her, causing her inner pondering to end and qri immediately bows (manners come first), flashing a tiny, charming smile at the boy who seems to have gotten the luck to order qri around that day.
“song miyoung?” the boy asks with a voice much more hoarse and deep than his young appearance would suggest; but qri just nods, her smile growing a little bit wider.
“yes, that would be me.”
“go into the office in the back, you’ll find your uniform there,” the man says, his face not having even the slightest hint of a smile. “i believe you told my boss that you do not need any training whatsoever, so i assume you can start right as soon as you change into your proper clothes.”
qri bites back the words that threaten to escape her about how “the clothes she’s wearing right now are proper, too” and just nods, the cold aura of the man and the fact that they’re doing all this talk where every customer can hear and see turning her off and causing her a slight twinge of anxiety, something she experiences way too much lately but never actually shows off; today’s no different.
“right away, mister!” miyoung chirps and scurries off into the office, relieved that she can leave that boy behind but fearing that they would at one point have to work together, though she puts that thought aside for now. what concerns her is the actual uniform, the plain as hell black t-shirt along with the ugly ass green apron that makes her think of women in their mid-age having a full-time job as housewives that’d already be a reason good enough for her not to wear them. but it’s not like she has a choice; so she just simply heaves a sigh before folding the pieces of clothing off herself to make room for the uniform.
once she goes back, the boy is nowhere to be found but there is a small piece of paper waiting for her; it says that the boy whatever his name was would come to work only in the afternoon and until then, it’s all qri’s job to take care of whatever chaos would be waiting for her.
qri makes the mistake of sniffing into the air because the scent of caffeine is suddenly so strong she feels like fainting. she turns around to look at the coffee machine behind her and starts to have doubts whether she’d actually survive working in a place that makes her sick to her stomach.
but we all know – and especially, qri herself knows – that she wasn’t the type to just give up like that.
