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ohmygirlexchange2016-12-25 04:19 pm
[multiple ships] I'll be there, I'm always in your heart (for Tiramissyou)
Title: I'll be there, I'm always in your heart (for Tiramissyou)
Rating: T for mentions of drinking
Characters/Pairings: Friendships between all members (Seunghee/Jiho, Mimi/Yooa, Mimi/Seunghee, Jine/Jiho, Binnie/Jine, etc)
Warnings (if applicable): N/A
Word-Count: 4496
Summary: A friend group forms from unexpected circumstances, at a time in their lives when big changes are occuring. College/barista AU.
Author Notes: Prompt was "Oh my girl, but their lives all intersect at the same landmark that means a lot to them, each with a different significance to them, and it's what brings them together."
I feel like I may have been too liberal w/ interpreting this prompt, and I meant for this to be more college AU but it turned into coffeeshop AU somehow, but regardless I hope you enjoy it! Happy holidays!
2017
December
Jiho scrunched her face up in disgust and spat out a mouthful of half chewed red slop. She looked up from her bowl incredulously. "Bae Yoobin! What is this? Your cooking is the worst! I’m calling the food police!!!" she whined.
"Sorry, I was experimenting, I guess... Did I put too much hot pepper in? It wasn’t- it wasn’t on purpose," Binnie coughed. She looked at the other girl apologetically, and stifled a fake laugh in an attempt to lighten the mood. All it got her was a distasteful look and a playful push on the arm.
Jiho had had a long day. And it was only noon.
"I'm going to cook ramen," Jiho grumbled, getting up.
The sun peeked out from under a cloud, shining through the window as her chair screeched against the floor. Jiho blinked and shielded her eyes dramatically before taking a moment to stare outside at the sparkling snow.
"...Do you want some too? Not sure you'd really want to eat this mess either, right...?"
Binnie smiled at the kind offer and nodded enthusiastically. In the distance, Arin yelled for her to come help with a math problem.
Jiho sighed with a halfhearted smile and waved her off. "I'll make enough for the three of us, then."
Her eyes were tired from staying up too late studying, but they twinkled as she watched the other girl walk away.
While the sounds of boiling water and a miniature lecture filled the apartment, the girl at the stove hummed a tune to the sound of her stomach grumbles.
----
Sha sha Shiah
Tues, Dec 19, 5:03 PM
Yooa: MY FINALS ARE OOOVVVEEEEEEERRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!! THE SEMESTER IS OVER!!!
Mimi: YEah!!!
Yooa: I'm so excited to be freed from the depths of hell
Yooa: Omg I can finally sleep peacefully for once
Mimi: ikr me too and like... actually have time do fun things
Mimi: do u wanna go see a movie? i still havent seen the new star wars
Mimi: have u seen it yet?
Yooa: No where would I have had the time??
Yooa: + I was waiting to see it with you!! :P
Yooa: Jk lol who r u again
Mimi: wow lame
Mimi: same though
Mimi: okay so I'll buy tickets for, 8? u wanna get coffee before we go?
Yooa: Yea sure!!
Mimi: meet outside oh my cafe @ 7 ish
Yooa: I'll see u then then
Mimi: thenthenthenthen
Mimi: hehghf
-----
Seunghee hates working evening shifts, for the most part. Occasionally, she can appreciate the busy nightlife of students and people living their lives, alone and together,all different, with countless unknown faces, etc. But most of the time, she's just tired - and today is one of those days where she'd rather not be here at all.
The tiny café is busy, but not overwhelmingly so; she's just not in the best mood. Her boss went out to run errands, so she’s really running the whole establishment. But someone's gotta do the job! If not her right now, then who else!
She tries telling herself these things as a pick-me-up. She's not sure if it's ever really worked.
"What are you guys getting? I heard the brownies are good."
"Oh my god, Arin, you've never had their brownies before?"
"I.. No... I've only been here twice before...."
"Dude what the hell.. Have you tried the strawberry latte? This place has so much good stuff, you've really been missing out, Arinnie! You have to try-"
Seunghee felt her fatigue begin to fade away as she watched this unwarranted promotion session unfold. She'd never taken notice of the girl in question before - but then again, she’s kinda new, and usually her boss is at the front.
From beside the two bumbling about, a girl with short hair came forward.
"I'd like to order a regular coffee, and a blueberry muffin as well, please," she said, with an air of forced confidence. She rummaged through her bag for her wallet and snuck in an amused glance at her friends.
Seunghee nodded, smiling politely, and asked for her name. Yoobin, she answered. It suited her.
The café's newfound head of marketing had calmed down and was reviewing her choices with a quiet smile on her face. Her friend Arin ordered a peppermint hot chocolate. Seunghee’s joy didn’t feel forced to her anymore when the last girl stepped up to order. She got a latte and a cookie, and her name was Jiho - Seunghee giggled when she heard it. It was a boyish name, and one that suited her seemingly excitable personality. She seemed like a real fun kid, alright.
Two bundled up girls stepped through the doorway, lightly stomping their snow-clad feet on the mat before looking at the menu.
“Hi,” one of the girls said, “Could I get a hot chocolate? With extra whipped cream? And a cookie as well, please.”
“Yep, sure thing! And for you?” Seunghee continued, gesturing to the other girl, who was wearing a nice red beanie and square glasses. Her face seemed familiar.
“I’ll have a salted caramel mocha, please. All to go,” she added. Their names were Yooa and Mimi. Again, it seemed like they had met before - maybe she they had a course together? Seunghee took their money and got to work on the coffee. She handed the two girls their drinks and a slice of cheesecake and wished them well as they stepped back out into the snow. As she went back to pouring and stirring and mixing the younger girls’ drinks, the enthusiastic one from before spoke up.
“Your job is SO COOL,” Jiho blurted. She seemed nervous. “I wish I could be a barista, it looks really fun. I don’t have any experience, though. What’s it like? Do you enjoy it?”
Seunghee’s lips pushed up into a proud smile. “Yeah, it’s fun,” she shrugged, “But it’s just as taxing as any other job would be. The fun part is getting to see so many different people! And coffee smells nice.”
Seunghee began to clean up the area after giving the girls their orders. Her eyelids drooped and she shook her head, blinking dazedly.
“Oh,” Jiho said, “I don’t think I ordered hot chocolate?”
The sentence jolted Seunghee back to her senses. “Sorry, did I mess up on something? I’m so sorry, it’s been a long day, I- What do you have?”
“A very fluffy hot chocolate.”
“Okay… Do you two have the right thing?” she asked, a worrying thought beginning to grow in her mind.
“Yeah,” Binnie said, “I think you might have mixed up the order with one of the girls that were here just now.”
Seunghee hardened her resolve and shrugged on a coat and scarf, telling the girls to watch the shop for a second. Not exactly the best plan, but they seemed trustworthy enough. Jiho was a regular, after all, she guessed.
A snowstorm raged outside, whipping nothing but pure cold around and into Seunghee’s body. She spotted the girls walking back towards the café and ran to meet them.
“Are you guys okay?” Seunghee breathed, retreating into her thin scarf for even a tiny bit more warmth.
“We’ll be fine,” Yooa replied, “But why are you here? Are you okay? Is something wrong?” She started walking again, gesturing for the other two to get moving.
“I came to find you guys, actually. I messed up your order…”
Mimi looked rather taken aback.
“Hey, just ‘cause you messed up a someone’s order doesn’t mean you should go out into a FULL BLOWN STORM TO FIX IT! P-please take care of yourself,” she stammered, words barely audible over the wind.
They trudged back in silence until it dawned on her. Seunghee lifted her head up to look at the girls at her side, and shouted weakly, “We have a class together! The mobile media course! I just realized…”
The other two nodded at her silently, knowing it was useless to compete with the wind.
They reached the door and quickly entered into nice, heated, warm air. Seunghee turned to face the girls and apologized profusely. They insisted it was okay and filled the empty seats next to the 3 friends at the counter. The café was mostly empty aside from them and a few stragglers.
“Were you guys going anywhere? The weather sucks, I’m so sorry,” Seunghee pouted.
Mimi made a face, taking off her gloves and adjusting her hat. “We were going to see the new Star Wars movie! But the buses were late because of the storm, and the movie would have started already before the next one came, so.”
Yooa shook her head at Seunghee’s distressed expression. “It’s fine! Really. We can always see it another time! And, I’ve only been in here once before. I can take this time to get to know the place,” she said, propping her elbows up on the counter to support her head. “It’s really nice here... Cozy.”
Seunghee let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you guys for being so understanding. I’m glad you like it here.” She moved back behind the counter. “I’m going to make the right drinks for you two now.”
“That’s okay,” Jiho mumbled, “I’ll keep this. It still tastes good! I love the floof. Besides, wasting is bad, and all that.”
Binnie nudged her friend proudly at the statement. “She’s right. It’s very bad for the environment.” Arin cackled at Binnie’s response.
Yooa nodded. “I’ll keep mine too, it’s okay. Please, take a break,” she urged.
Seunghee ran a hand through her hair and allowed herself a worried smile. “Alright, hold on,” she shouted, running into the back of the shop and bringing out a foldable chair. Seunghee put the chair down, and told the remaining few customers that it was reaching closing hour. She turned the sign on the door so that it would say CLOSED from outside; Oh My Café was done for the day.
“You guys can stay for as long as you need, of course.” Seunghee plopped down onto the chair and looked at the girls in front of her. “So,” she began, “Let’s talk? No, that is such a bad way to start a conversation. Jiho, Binnie, and Arin, do you guys go to the college nearby? I’m a music major, in 4th year.”
Binnie nodded. “That’s cool! Jiho and I are in 3rd year, and Arin’s a freshman.”
“I’m in kinesiology, Arin’s in... engineering,”
“And I’m a film major,” Jiho interjected. “I mean, ‘Cinema and Media Arts’.”
“Oh, hey, me too,” said Mimi, reaching out for a high five. “And so is Yooa. We’re in our 4th year.”
Yooa laid her small head down on top of her folded arms. “I don’t want to think about school for the next 50 yearsss,” she pouted.
Arin laughed lightly at that and murmured words of agreement. The door jingled and a short woman shuffled in, carrying boxes full of decorations. Seunghee ran out to help her carry them.
Jine’s ears were tomato red. “Oh, what's this? You guys having some sort of meeting?”
She put the boxes down and shivered exaggeratedly. “Cold outside,” she bumbled, “Winter! Woo! Not woo, opposite of woo. What’s kept you guys here?”
“The storm, mostly,” Seunghee answered, “But we’re having fun bonding time, too. We all go to the same school, so.” The other girls nodded affirmatively.
“Ah, yeah, that’s right. I can drive you guys to where you need to be later, if you’re okay with that. It’s hell out there,” Jine said, shivering again. She took an assessing look at the girls.
“It’s nice to see you, Jiho! Been a while. I hope your finals went well, and everyone else’s too.”
Jiho’s face eased into a big smile. “Yeah, I think they went well,” she laughed, “I bet it’s from you sending me random cat pics throughout the week. Very motivating, I appreciated it a lot~”
The rest of the girls watched this exchange in awkward silence. Seunghee tried to mask her laughing with coughs. “You guys know each other?”
“I know ALL!” Jine boomed, “But yeah, Jiho’s a regular here. And I also know… Mimi!” She began to open the boxes as she spoke. “The rest of you guys should stop by more,” she added. “It’s nice to get to know people.”
“I think I will, probably,” confessed Binnie, “It’s really nice here. You guys are way too nice. Do you need any help with that?”
Jine nodded as she pulled out a string of christmas lights. “If we do this together we can all go home earlier. By the way, if you want anything, just ask. Oh! I also have candies for you guys, on the house. Take as many as you want,” she said, gesturing to the bowl of peppermints on a table.
Arin excitedly got off her chair to look through the decorations, picking out nice sparkly ornaments and gauging where they’d look nice. Mimi had an idea to decorate the signs and menus with festive doodles. Jiho popped way too many peppermints.
5 girls went into a café to escape from the cold that day, and left feeling warmer than they could have ever imagined.
-----
Frienememes
Fri, Dec 22, 11:37 PM
Jiho: Do you think it’d be weird if i got her a christmas present??????? D:
Arin: who?
Binnie: Is this about the barista at Oh My Café again?
Jiho: Uhmmmmmmmmm NO
Jiho: Maybe
Binnie: That’s cute! If you do, you’d better figure one out soon
Arin: do it!!
Arin: if she doesn’t seem to mind you hanging around during all of her shifts, in every bit of spare time you get,, i’m sure she wouldn’t mind a gift!
Binnie: LOL
...
Jiho:
Arin: ….???
Arin: ?? jiho unnie wtf how did you do that?? lol why is it blank??????
Jiho:
Binnie: …
Binnie: Okay, I’m ending this conversation before it gets any worse.
Binnie: Goodnight, sleep well
Arin: oki
Arin: btw we should meet up some time soon, I miss you guys;;
Arin: i hope u all have good breaks
Arin: gn!
-----
“Decaf mocha for Nayeon,” Jine called, a cheery smile adorning her face. She handed the customer a small peppermint along with her drink, excitedly telling her it was on the house. “Have a merry Christmas!” she shouted, waving goodbye.
Puffy coat-covered shoulders shuffled past the exiting customer; a mitten closed the door hastily, making the bell on the door jingle. Jiho held a nicely wrapped box close to her chest with her other hand.
“Jiho!” Jine exclaimed, “Merry Christmas! If you’re here to see Seunghee, she’s not here... she has a short shift later today, though.”
A tall boy standing next to Jine behind the counter walked into the storage room.
Jiho fumbled with her gift and tried to hide her disappointment. She let out a suppressed breath of air. “It’s okay, but I have to leave Seoul after this, so I guess I’ll just leave it with you…. Oh yeah, I have a present for you too, Jine,” she chimed, pulling a keychain ring out of her coat pocket. A small star-shaped charm dangled from it, metal sparkling with reflections of the christmas lights in the shop.
Jine gasped and replied fervently with ‘omg why’s and ‘you didn’t have to’s. She walked out from behind the counter and smushed Jiho with a giant hug. “Thank you,” she sputtered, “You’re the best!”
Jiho patted her on the back humbly.
“It’s all I could do to make up for you having to put up with me all the time, Jine,” she laughed, “Thank YOU, really.”
Jine made eye contact with her and giggled. “You’re always welcome here, you know. Hey, do you want anything? It’s on the house! Along with the free candy everyone else gets too.”
Jiho grinned. “Eyyyy… You have got to stop giving away free stuff all the time. It’s not good for business!”
“But…. could I have a cookie?”
-----
Jiho
Mon, Dec 25, 3:11 PM
Seunghee: Hey, thank you so much for the gift!!
Seunghee: You should have texted me to ask when I’d be in ;__; but I guess you had to leave anyways so it’s alright
Jiho: OMG IM SORRY… I was too nervous to and I wanted it to be a surprise I guesS
Seunghee: It’s okay omg don’t be sorry!! I love it so much how did you know I needed a new scarf
Seunghee: Is ur name actually Kim Magician? Icb u lied to me
Jiho: ;A; I’m so glad you like it OMG and no magic here just an eye for practicality ☆
Jiho: MERRY Christmas!!! Happy holidays!!
Seunghee: Thank you! I’ll have to get you a late present or something omg
Jiho: ;;; You don’t have to I’m just happy you like what I got U!
Seunghee: I’m going to anyways try and stop me! Hehe
Jiho: Omg
Seunghee: Lol merry christmas Jiho and thank you again for the gift ♡♡♡♡
Jiho: Merry christmas!
-----
2018
February
“Hey!” Mimi greeted, patting Seunghee on the shoulder. “Where are you headed?”
Seunghee’s eyes wrinkled with a smile. “I’m going to get some food and go to work, you wanna come along?”
The two girls walked side by side, passing cherry trees which were just about to bloom. Pidgeons flew up from the sidewalk as they passed by.
“That was the best review session I’ve ever been to,” Seunghee gushed, over a mouthful of a wrap. “I’ve never had a TA who was that useful before.”
“I know, right?? Hyojung- I mean, Ms. Choi is the best, I’m pretty sure no other TAs could ever be nicer,” Mimi replied.
Seunghee shot her a curious look. “Hyojung?”
“Yeah, haha, I’ve talked to her personally a few times, and she told me to call her by her first name. It’s kinda weird, though.”
They reached the front of the shop. OH MY CAFÉ, read big block letters attached to the front window.
Jine welcomed them as they walked in, and Seunghee fistbumped her coworker as he gathered his stuff up to leave. It wasn’t too busy at the moment, just a few people studying or on their computers. Mimi sat down in front of the counter.
A familiar voice came from behind her. Mimi turned around to see Binnie attentively writing down notes as someone explained something to her. A tutor? Binnie finished, and they moved to get up. Mimi craned her neck to take a better look. Oh!
“Hyojung?” Mimi exclaimed, a goofy expression on her face. “You tutor, too? And hi, Yoobinnie.”
Hyojung smiled like the sun. “Yeah, I do. You know Yoobin?” Mimi nodded.
The tutor and her student moved up to sit next to Mimi. Binnie seemed flustered. She thanked Hyojung for the session, and fell silent as she looked at the drink that had magically appeared in front of her.
Mimi laughed. “What were you learning about?”
“Chemistry. Difficult chemistry.”
“Oh. I, uh, don’t really know much about that. Not my strong suit… I hope things are going well for you though?”
Hyojung wrapped an arm around Binnie’s shoulders. “She’ll get it. I believe in her,” she sung. She tried to get Binnie to look at her, but the younger girl’s face was dark, and stuck facing downwards.
Binnie put her face in her hands, short black hair swinging forward to brush her wrists. “I’m gonna faaiiiiilllll,” she whined, “Why is it so hard?? I thought I was good at chemistry, I’m good at studying, so why- Ughhhhh…”
Hyojung patted her on the back and murmured words of comfort. “Things will be okay,” she said. “I know how you feel. We all do. Things happen sometimes-” Yoobin took in a deep breath. “-But it’s only temporary. You have to let yourself off the hook sometimes.”
Mimi made eye contact with Seunghee, who looked relatively dismayed at the scene. Her eyebrows furrowed with worry, and she had a small frown on her face. But Mimi could tell she was thinking hard, about something other than this, beneath her sympathetic expression.
“Are you okay?” Mimi asked Binnie, to no response. “Maybe have some of your drink?” Hyojung continued patting her back.
Jine cleared her throat purposefully. The other girls looked up at her, a little startled, waiting to see what would come next. Jine smiled and scratched her forehead. “I went to college, for a year,” she laughed, “but it wasn’t for me. I wasn’t doing well… and I didn’t enjoy it.”
She glanced around at the space around her and the numerous people that filled it.
“I like making others happy, and that’s when I’m at my happiest. Some people might say it was stupid of me. Of course, other things are important too, and enough money is necessary to live a decent life, and all that; but I didn’t want to be stuck doing something I don’t want to do. I’m not strong enough.”
Jine stared outside at the tips of grass blades poking through melting snow. She pushed her hands into her jean pockets, and tucked the corners of her mouth into a tight smile.
“What makes someone happy is different for each and every person,” Jine lamented. She took her eyes off from the door, and brought her gaze to meet with Binnie’s. “Don’t think it was easy, though~! I went through a lot to get this place up and running, y’know. Entrepreneurship is a difficult field to be in. I might be the youngest shop owner you’ll ever meet. And I know you like learning, so, please stay in school.”
Binnie’s starstruck expression made Jine burst out into a single laugh, the rosy apples of her cheeks bouncing upwards for a fraction of a second.
That night, as Binnie wrote in her planner, she made a note at the bottom of the page, surrounded by stars.
Sometimes, caring too much can backfire.
If it’ll make you happy in the end, it’s worth it.
She looked at the page pensively, and added another sentence.
Don’t forget to take breaks when you study, Bae Yoobin. ♡
-----
April
Fallen cherry blossoms lined the path to Oh My Café. Some had wiltered and been flattened into brown mush, some lightly tread on, and new petals joined the fray with each passing second.
Jiho let out a deep sigh after spitting out many frustrated words. “Anyways. How are your finals going so far, Arin?”
“Ummmmmm… Not too great?” Arin cringed.
“Honestly, I think I might switch my major,” she admitted. “But I’m not even 100% sure about to what…… I’ll figure it out, I guess…”
Her housemates made excessively sad faces at her. “Aww Arinnie, what are you going to do when we’re gone after next year? Are you gonna be okay??” Jiho yelped; Binnie added, “We’ll come visit you, I believe in you Yewon, you’ll-”
Arin poked them both in the arm - hard.
“I have other friends too, you know. And I’m not 5 years old!” She stuck her tongue out. “But, you’re right, I will miss you guys…”
The sign on the door said CLOSED, but their friends could be seen inside, talking. Arin opened the door, and they greeted each other with Hiiiii’s and big hugs.
“I missed you guys,” Yooa said. Mimi grinned, her gummy smile warm and light.
Hyojung looked at them as they sat down at a table. “Are your finals going well?”
Jine and Seunghee poured them glasses of beer, and the sun sank below the horizon as they chatted away. The shop was decked out with flower decorations, a big light up cherry tree standing by the entrance. Jiho has no idea how Jine finds these things, and how she has the money to buy them, either.
At some point, Yooa had ended up passing out on Mimi’s lap, after rambling passionately about finals and boy bands and how misandry didn’t exist.
Eventually, the chatter became silence. Seunghee pouted the way she always did, and examined her friends.
“I’m really glad to have you guys,” she muttered, breathlessly. “It’s always been kinda hard for me to really connect with people. I just had a lot of acquaintances who liked me,”
She rested her chin on the counter.
“But nobody I could fully confide in.”
Binnie looked at her lovingly. “We’ll always be here, Seunghee. And to everyone else, too. I’ll always be there for you.”
Hyojung’s eyes welled up with tears. “I love you guyssss,” she laughed, her smile bright as always.
Mimi looked like her mind was somewhere else. She stared at Yooa’s head in her lap, and then looked at the flowers she drew on the menu on the wall.
“I don’t know what I’ll be doing a few years from now,” Mimi started, “But I hope we can stay friends…”
Jiho nodded exuberantly. “She’s right, you guys, the future is scary, I’m really. Not ready to face adulthood! At all!!” Arin nodded, making several strange faces. Binnie didn’t seem to be listening. Hyojung looked at Jine piercingly, as if to ask, why did you give her alcohol when she’s underage. Jine looked up from her spot and mouthed that she didn’t, it was juice.
Jine had been doodling absentmindedly on a piece of paper for the past few minutes. She yawned, and flipped the paper over.
“You know, the whole saying of paths diverging in a road, or whatever,” Jine said, voice sweet, but not too quiet. “Let’s say, that this is the road we were on before.” She put her pen to the paper and drew a straight line. The girls gathered around, watching her.
“Then this,” she continued, drawing a box with a triangle on top, surrounded by flowers, “is this place we’re in right now.”
“If the road diverges from here on out-” Jine drew 8 lines coming off from the house. “-Then even though you’re on the road, you can always just turn around and walk back, right!”
She drew a little person at the end of a line, and then traced it back to the house.
“See, it’s not too far. Just a few steps. My point is,” Jine said, laughing at her diagram - “Oh My Café will always be here. Maybe not forever in person, physically. But, it will always be here for you, for you to walk back to, when you need it.” Jine circled the house with her pen as she spoke.
Yooa sat up from her nap, jabbing Mimi in the leg with her elbow, and looked at the paper everyone was staring at. “What is that,” she whispered, giddily.
Binnie burst out into a laughing fit. The others followed suit, and before long the walls vibrated with the sound of 8 young girls’ voices. Cherry blossoms rustled in the night wind outside, the falling petals barely visible by hidden moonlight. The lights of a tiny coffee shop wedged in a corner of town shined bright as the night wore on.
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(Anonymous) 2016-12-26 03:28 am (UTC)(link)also i burst out laughing at arin getting confused at jiho's blank messages ksjdfs
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(Anonymous) 2016-12-29 01:26 am (UTC)(link)