Yeji is given a glimpse into a different life — one where she chose love over fame. But the more real this world becomes, the harder it is to remember which life truly belongs to her.
Mornings weren’t supposed to feel this quiet. Yeji stood by the counter, watching the coffee drip slower than she expected, like the machine itself wasn’t in any rush to start the day. She checked the time out of habit. Still early. Earlier than she needed to be. She had arrived twenty minutes before opening. No one had told her to, no one expected her to. But it felt wrong not to.
So she wiped the counter for the second time, adjusted the chairs that were already straight, and checked the shelves like something might’ve changed in the last five minutes, even if it hadn’t.
“Do you usually come in this early?” I asked after a while, still leaning against the doorframe, watching her move like she was already behind on something that hadn’t even started yet.
“Usually,” Yeji replied, glancing at me for a second before going back to what she was doing.
“And you stay late too?”
She hesitated just a bit. “…Sometimes.”
I let out a quiet sigh. “That sounds exhausting.”
“It’s not,” she answered quickly. Too quickly.
I pushed myself off the doorframe and walked toward her, flicking her forehead and reaching past to grab a cup of coffee from her brew. One sip in and I already regretted it. “Maybe for you,” I muttered, making a face, “but watching you work this early is exhausting to me.”
She frowned slightly, a small pout forming. “It’s just how I work.”
I shook my head lightly. “Figures.” I took another sip anyway before glancing back at her. “What about you? You’re not the type to clock in early. Why are you here?”
“You’re right,” I said, shrugging. “Couldn’t sleep.”
That part wasn’t a lie.
I pulled out a sandwich from the plastic bag I brought and held it out to her. “I made it. Your favorite.”
She blinked, then took it without much resistance. “…Thanks.”
“You keep moving around,” I added, watching her already shift like she was about to start cleaning again. “Sit still for five minutes and eat.”
“That’s unproductive.”
I sighed. “See? That’s the problem.”
She looked at me, clearly not convinced. “How is that a problem?”
I raised a finger like I was about to make a serious point. “First of all, you’re going to upstage me at this rate.” She stared at me, unimpressed. I couldn’t help but grin. “And second—you stayed late yesterday to close the shop. You’re not even giving yourself a break.”
“It’s better to be prepared,” she muttered.
I tilted my head slightly. “Prepared for what?”
She opened her mouth, then stopped. No answer.
I didn’t press. Instead, I took another sip of the coffee and made a face again. “Aish… your brew is still too strong for me, Yeji.”
“But I made it the usual way,” she said, watching me.
“Yeah,” I shrugged. “Still too strong.”
“Then why drink it?”
The answer came out before I could think about it. “Because you made it.” I took another sip anyway.
When I looked back at her, she had already turned away slightly, avoiding my eyes. “Pabo…” she muttered softly. “You could’ve said something.”
I just huffed a quiet laugh. “Alright,” I said after a moment, setting the cup down. “Compromise.”