midnight oil
@hscharoen — CANOLA, closing
(...)
shoulders shimmy as she’s satisfied by the bop and starts for the bar. on her way, she takes a rag from the small apron around her waist and wipes down a table, flipping the two chairs on the lips of the surface. once behind the bar, she’s then grabbing a beer from underneath in the small fridges. she’s learned a trick working at canola, and places the edge of the beer cap on the bar. with the butt of her palm, she smacks downward hard, the cap popping off with a fizzle. the beer’s fresh and cool on her tongue as she takes a taste.
“you want one? they’re on me!” (she’ll put a couple bills in the register later).
“bye-bye! see you tomorrow!” gijin waved lazily from behind the bar, a kitchen towel thrown over one of his shoulders as the last guests were leaving. the place fell silent once the door behind them closed and the long-haired male couldn’t help but sigh in relief. it wasn’t like the job was overly demanding, neither physically nor psychically. factually, it was one of the greatest jobs he’s ever had - he loved how social it was, how people of various walks of life would strike up conversations with him, how strangers could connect over a glass of beer and maybe even become the best of friends for the night. however, just like any at any other workplace, he was grateful once his shift was over.
walking around the bar, he began collecting the glasses, beer, and soju bottles and putting them on a tray that he held in one of his hands. “i don’t know actually”, he replied to the female as he took the last two shot glasses with his free hand, shrugging a little in response. “i’ve never taken part in a scavenger hunt before so i’m not the right person to ask”, he chuckles a little as he passes by the female, flashing her a smile.
it was actually nice to have someone around for the closing up shift. he liked to have some time for himself after a whole day of talking to strangers and tending to their needs. he’d usually put on some music, just like charoen did moments before, singing along to the lyrics or even dancing a little as he cleaned everything up. yet there was something about just having someone around, even if it was just to chat for a little in between their chores. and - what was most likely the biggest plus point in his view - the work that had to be done was split in half, so he didn’t have to do everything.
“uh-” he glanced at the female as she grabbed the beer for herself, pondering for a second or two whether to get one for himself as well before replying, “you know what, yeah, give me one too”. once she handed him a bottle, he clinked it with hers in a quiet toast of victory, for surviving another day on this planet and took a big gulp of the beer.
as he went back to his chores, he began to silently sing along to the song playing in the background before lifting his gaze up to the female and asking, “hey, did you think about joining that scavenger hunt? i’m actually kinda curious about those statues.”