Chapter 33: Take a Good, Long, Look at Yourself

Tuesday | December 26th, 2023 | 4:53 PM

"Your order number is 49," I said as I ripped out the printing receipt and handed it over to the lady standing at the register.

"Thank you," the lady smiled, taking the paper and stepping aside.

"Of course," I grinned, dipping my head down and looking at Ningning and Karina, both of them working around each other to fill out the drink orders. The boba shop was finally busy, the shop filled with friends and family coming in for the holiday break.

"Order 42, one large green tea, 50% sweetness, and less ice," Karina read out the drink ticket and set the cup down on the counter while she waited for the customer to come pick it up.

The day was a little chaotic, and I had to work harder to keep up, but it was a nice kind of chaos. It was busy, and there were plenty of customers, and we were working hard. But, it was the type of busy where you were so occupied, and time flew by fast.

I liked this type of busy. Definitely beat the days where the clock felt like it was ticking slowly, and every minute dragged on forever. Chungha was back in the kitchen, making food and filling out meal orders while Ningning, Karina, and I worked on the floor, taking drink orders and serving drinks.

The bell above the entrance rang, and I looked over. Three new customers entered, a young couple and their child, walking together. I put on a smile and greeted them, "Hello, how can I help you?"

I was helping the new customers when Karina leaned in behind me, her lips by my ear and her hands on my shoulders. "Hey, when you finish with them. Can you come help Ningning? I think she's getting overwhelmed. She looks stressed." I gave Karina a subtle nod, and her hands lifted from my shoulders, and she went back to filling out orders.

"Your total is $23.45," I announced to the couple, and the father stepped forward and handed over a credit card. I swiped his card and handed it back. My fingers drummed against the counter while the printer pushed out their receipt, "Your order number is 50. It should be ready shortly."

"Thanks," the man said, tucking his wallet into his pocket and taking the paper. His wife and child moved over to the waiting area, and the two of them sat down. Their daughter was bouncing on the chair, excited. After clearing the line, I let out a breath and took a glance over at the drinks station.

Karina was right, Ningning looked like she was moving slow and unsure of what to do next. I moved around the counter and headed over to her side. Without saying a word, I glanced at the tickets she was working on and snatched up a cup and started working on the drinks.

She shot me a small look and a nod, "Thanks."

"Of course," I hummed, flashing her a quick smile. It didn't take long before we fell into a comfortable rhythm, even with little bumps and mistakes, the two of us worked well together, and eventually, we were back on track.

Ningning had a bit of a learning curve and struggled with the process. She had a hard time multitasking and mixing the drinks correctly, and she would accidentally switch up the order tickets out of order.

She was still new, so it was to be expected, but I didn't mind helping her, especially since Karina was always there as support, and the two of us worked well together and covered her.

After some time, the pace of the customers died down, and it became less hectic, and more manageable. We had a good flow going, and the three of us were working around each other well. The customers had slowed down, and the shop was mostly empty, save for a few regulars sitting at the tables, typing away on their laptops.

I poked my head into the kitchen, which was an absolute mess. If there was a part of the job I wish I never get during a rush like that, it would be the kitchen. Working by yourself as orders flooded in, your sense of cleanliness gets thrown out the window as you start leaving dirty utensils and open containers everywhere, and you can't bother to clean up as the orders pile up.

Chungha's face was red, and her hair was sticking to her forehead, "You good?"

There was another thing. With all the cooking surfaces around you, it gets absurdly hot in the back. I could just feel the heat hit me as I walked inside. "I'm great," she said, a forced smile on her face. She was sitting on a little box close to the ground, fanning herself with her apron as sweat trickled down her neck. Her shirt was stained, and her arms were covered in sauces and food crumbs.

Her head was tilted back as she breathed, and her chest rose and fell. She looked absolutely drained, and tired. And, kind of, erotic. Not that I was looking at her chest, but the way her shirt was clinging to her body, and her face was flushed, her hair a mess. Fuck, it look like she just got finished getting roughed up.

I couldn't look away, and it wasn't like she was stopping me. Her closed eyes told me she didn't even realize how long I was staring at her. It was like watching a car crash, and the blood was rushing through my veins, the tips of my ears turning pink, and a blush creeping up onto my cheeks.

"Uh," I mumbled, my mouth dry, "You need help cleaning?"

"Hm," she hummed, her eyes fluttering open, and her gaze meeting mine. "Please," she breathed, a tiny smile tugging on the edges of her lips. I was a little lost in her stare, and the world was still. Her sharp gaze felt heavy, and her dark eyes were intense. I didn't know if it was the exhaustion, but the way she was looking at me was so fucking attractive.

"Sure," I nodded, swallowing, the sound thick. I forced myself to tear my gaze away from her and focus on the trays piling up by the sink. I couldn't waste any more time. There was a lot of dishes to do. I started the tap and began washing the load, my fingers slipping under the scalding water.

It was the type of pain that made me bite the inside of my cheek, but it wasn't bad. The feeling kept me distracted, and the thoughts swirling around my brain weren't about Chungha. They weren't about her and the way she looked so disheveled and messy, her face and her body so lewd, her breathing deep, and her legs parted, her shirt tight around her chest.

Fuck.

I couldn't get the thoughts out of my head, and the way her lips were parted, and the way her eyes were half-lidded, and her eyelashes were so long. She had been working so hard, and the way she looked was making my dick throb.

No.

Fuck, I couldn't.

We were at work.

This was not the place.

My brain was telling me to calm the fuck down and to get a grip. This wasn't the time nor the place. Now wasn't the time to be thinking with the lower half of my body. I splashed hot water onto my face and hissed, the burn jolting me awake. I couldn't let Chungha see me like this.

"Shit," I grumbled, running a hand through my hair, and a sigh slipping out. "Focus," I whispered. While Chungha took care of the occasional food order, I moved around the kitchen and cleaned up the counters and surfaces, keeping her station tidy for her. As I finished up the last few dirty dishes, Chungha slipped out from the kitchen and came up beside me.

"Thank god, the rush is over," she muttered, grabbing the rag off the counter and wiping her hands, "I'm beat."

"You okay," I asked, my hands still submerged in the sink.

"Yeah," she nodded, leaning against the counter and giving me a once over. She smiled and tilted her head, "Are you? You look a little flushed."

"Oh, no, I'm good," I replied, flashing her a smile.

"Okay," she hummed, raising a brow, a smirk on her lips. "You seem a little stressed. Let's not make you stress any further." She left my side and disappeared to the front of the cafe.

My jaw clenched, and my shoulders tensed. Fuck, was I being obvious? Was it written all over my face? C'mon, Minjae. Get your shit together.

Once I finished with all of the dishes, I pulled the plug and watched as the water swirled down the drain, the bubbles fading. I took a moment to breathe, letting the cool air fill my lungs. It helped clear the fog in my brain, and I felt a little calmer and my body was no longer in heat.

I slipped the rag off the edge of the sink and dried off my hands. I wiped down the surface around the sink and set it aside. Once everything was cleaned and put away, I gave the kitchen one last look before leaving.

Dude, what the fuck.

The first thing I saw was Ningning's midriff, and I couldn't help but pause, my jaw falling a little slack. She was holding out her shirt as she used a rag to wipe some stain on it. The smooth, pale skin of her stomach was on display, and my mouth was dry, and my pants were starting to feel a little tighter.

There was a slight pause, and she looked up, our gazes locking.

"Sorry," she squeaked, dropping her shirt. Her face flushed a dark shade of red, and her gaze fell, and she turned away, her arms dropping to her side. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and ducked her head, and I was stunned for a second.

Fuck.

She was cute. So was her tummy. Nope, nope, cut those thoughts out.

"No, it's fine," I quickly reassured, stepping forward. She looked up at me, and our eyes met again, her expression was shy. Karina and Chungha were by the front counter, the two of them in their own state of recovery from the afternoon rush.

"And that's why we wear aprons," Karina sighed, patting Ningning's back. Ningning looked up and glanced at her coworker, her eyes warm, "But, I don't want to look ugly."