Chapter 58: Clean Up This Mess!

Thursday | April 11th, 2024 | 12:41 PM

I had to fight back the urge to shout in public as I celebrated my mini-victory. I was standing in the parking lot of the boba shop, having just arrived for work, when I let out a loud laugh. 

It was just that ever since I suggested the idea of bringing a change of clothes to work, I would check Ningning's car every morning just to see if she followed through. 

Today, there it was. A pile of clothes sitting in the front passenger seat.

This was good news. This was really good news. My excitement could barely contain itself. I needed a win now more than fucking ever.

All I had to do was wait for clumsy Ningning to just make a mess of herself. The second she swaps clothes, the second she turns her back, I'll make a beeline for her used clothes. 

Now, if she were to put her clothes into the car, that'd be trouble. I figured I could learn how to unlock a car while there were no customers, or call up Nakyung to see if she somehow had some secret grand theft auto skills I never knew about.

The plan wasn’t solid. Far from it even. There were many cracks I could think of off the top of my head. For instance, what if Ningning didn’t even bring a change in underwear. Or what if I get caught on camera trying to shuffle off with Ningning’s clothes?

Still. It felt nice to have my head out of the academics gutter for a change. Maybe this little distraction might do me some good. Especially since this was finally a heist that was back under my control and not like the shit that happened with Tzuyu. Even now, I still think that what I did to earn her panties was a bit too much.

This one had to be a victimless crime.

The door of the boba shop opened with a light tinkle, a sound that heralded a wave of noise and the scent of sugar syrup. In the front, Ningning was setting up at the register with Chungha who was busy restocking some pearls into a plastic bin at our work station. Karina must've been in the back doing prepwork as I didn't see her anywhere in sight, but I'm sure we'll see her once things get a little busier.

A smile came to me as I let the door close behind me. "Morning, ladies," I sang, walking towards the front counter.

"Morning, babyface," Chungha called out, her back still turned to me.

"Babyface," I repeated in a murmur, "I'd like to put in a complaint, can't you come up with a better nickname for me," I said as I hopped over the counter.

"Maybe when you use the door for the front counter instead of hopping over it every single day," she replied without looking, a small smile playing on her lips. She finished with the bins of pearls.

"What does that have to do with anything?" I said, moving towards the back kitchen to potentially greet Karina. I passed Ningning at the register and she only gave a slight nod of her head as a greeting, her concentration on something on her phone screen.

I poked my head through the curtains leading into the back kitchen and kitchen area. Karina was indeed there, humming along to some soft music playing from the small speaker in the corner. She carefully sliced a block of jelly into little cubes with a steady hand.

"Morning, Karina," I announced.

She jolted slightly, turning to me with a smile, a small blush spreading across her cheeks. "Morning, Minjae. You scared me. How are you today?" Her smile was genuinely sweet.

"I'm feeling great," I gave her two thumbs up, "How are you feeling?"

"Doing alright," she replied as she turned back to the jelly, continuing her task. "Feeling better now."

"Right, right, that's good to hear."

Karina's smile deepened as I watched her work for another moment, and then she finally spoke again, "I almost forgot, thanks again for, you know, making me feel better about Kwangmin."

"Oh, c'mon. Anytime, Karina." I chuckled, walking over to the racks where our aprons hung. "You would've done the same for me," I told her, taking my apron off the hook.

"In fact, you have, so I'm just repaying the favor," I added, throwing the apron over my head and tying it off at the back. "Let me know if you need help with anything else."

"Will do," she said. I saw her throw a small wink in my direction before I disappeared back behind the curtains.

When I came back to the main floor, Chungha was leaning up against a counter, her phone in her hand as she scrolled through her screen. Ningning was still on her phone, but looked up once the bells above the entrance jingled, announcing our first customers of the day.

It was nearly the perfect scenario. First customers of the day, Ningning was cold starting which meant she was more prone to making a mistake. Throw on a group of customers all at once, how can she try to multi-task every drink?

The only problem was it wasn't a large group that had come in. Two, three people at most. Ningning wasn't clumsy on a slow day.

For the next half hour, the store remained slow. Not completely empty, but a manageable trickle of customers kept me in a state of low-key anticipation. I'd glance at the clock, then back at Ningning, then out at Ningning's car in the parking lot. Patience. It had to be an accident. Premeditated mess-making was harder to pull off, and more likely to be noticed.

"You can keep staring at that window, it isn't going to make the customers come any faster, loverboy." Chungha was beside me suddenly, wiping down the counter next to where I was bent over. My head snapped around to see her sly little grin.

"I'm just waiting for today's rush," I said with a non-committal shrug, my attention back to Ningning's vehicle.

"Oh, c'mon. You know we don't get that busy," Ningning chipped in from behind the register.

"Besides, we get paid hourly, so I'm perfectly fine with the pace right now," Chungha added.

"I guess," I said with a little shrug as my eyes looked away from her face and over to Ningning. They're right, we almost never get a rush whenever we work together. If I wanted Ningning to get dirty, it'd be during a rush. I mean, she's still clumsy enough to make a mess without it, but what are the chances of that happening today.

It happens out of nowhere, I can't really predict when she'll drop or spill something. I can only hope. I sighed and rested my head on a closed fist. This sucks.

"Cheer up." I heard Chungha ask as she leaned over the counter. "This is great, we don't have to move. We just loiter until the time to clock out comes."

"But our tips are shot. That means less money at the end of the day," I said as my head raised to face Chungha's.

"Like you need it," she rolled her eyes. "You get paid to go to school."

Karina emerged from the kitchen, possibly overhearing our conversation and wanting to be a part of it, "I'm jelly. I'm going to be paying my student loans for the next ten years."

"See, should've been like me and skipped the extra school," Chungha drummed her fists on Karina's shoulder as she walked past and joined us.

Ningning jumped in, "You both make good points. I don't know what to do now that I'm here." She looked up at me and Chungha with an undecided look, "Should I finish college? Should I take a gap year? Should I drop out?"

"Finish, Ning. Don't be like me," Chungha wagged a finger at Ningning. The older sister act was in full swing again, and I took a mental pause to admire the skill. She had it all down. The gentle condescension, the "l've-been-through-it-so-you-don't-have-to" wisdom, it was all there.

"But college is so much..." Ningning tried to get her thoughts together. “Work.”

It happened like this.

The bell above the entrance door chimed. The next customers of the day came in so we immediately dispersed back to our work stations. I stood at the register to take the orders while Ningning stood in earshot to work on the drinks as they came in.

This group was bigger. Eight high school girls, in their school uniforms, all chattering loudly, their orders a confusing mess of "half-sugar, no ice," and "can I get extra cheese foam." I typed it all in with forced cheer. It was a perfect storm for Ningning, these types of orders with so many bells and whistles. She was bound to spill or drop something.

The grin just found itself on my face as I ended the order with a friendly "Alright, it'll be ready soon." I looked over to see how Ningning was doing, waiting to see the moment it all fell apart in front of her.

The rush from the sudden influx of customers had my mind racing with possibilities. Maybe she'll slip on some water that wasn't there before. Maybe she'll spill a cup onto herself, I thought as I imagined a sweet, sticky splash of taro milk tea all over that nice white shirt she was wearing.

Geez, I hope she's wearing a nice set of panties today.