Between Books and Coffee

“You’re giving me more reasons to come back here,” Yujin said after taking the sip from her cup, successfully taking Gaeul out of her thoughts. Her friend raised a brow, a charming smile on her face that always showed the dimple on her cheek. “I didn’t know you could make coffee like this.”

Gaeul looked at her, observing her reactions, wondering if they were sincere or if Yujin was just saying it because she pitied her. “I guess you can blame my brother,” she answered instead, turning around to clean the spilled coffee powder from the table, remembering the nights she spent with Hoseok because he desperately wanted her to make coffee for him while he studied for the board exam. “I can’t even make anything elaborate,” she muttered after.

Yujin nodded thoughtfully, she leaned against the counter, and Gaeul could feel her gaze. “You can always just make something simple,” she said, as if she was so sure. “A simple coffee menu, for a simple bookshop, owned by a simple person.”

That made her stop, a crack of a smile forming on her face, but she chose to keep her back to Yujin. A part of her forgot this feeling of warmth from a friend. A part of her knew that it was still different. 

Yujin was her only friend since college. One of the only friends that stuck around. They met in a book club back in college. Yujin didn’t even read books; she was just there because she saw a pretty girl enter the club room during orientation. But even after getting subtly rejected, Yujin decided to stay.

Gaeul was honestly thankful for that. Because then college life would be lonelier. Yujin sat next to her, talked, and decided then and there that they were going to be friends. Eventually, Yujin introduced her to Rei, and it was just an unspoken rule between them that Gaeul was officially part of their circle. It had always been the three of them throughout the last years of college. 

Even though they didn’t have school to keep them together, Yujin and Rei still showed up. Rei was a grounding presence, and Yujin kept her promises, even if Gaeul wasn’t sure how to believe them.

It was the only reason why Gaeul allowed them in. They were consistent, honest, and loyal.

They didn’t want to leave.

But the only thing that made her wonder for so long was why she never caught feelings for Yujin.

They were close, they shared secrets, they spent a good amount of time together, with or without Rei. Because by the fourth year of their friendship, Gaeul expected herself to feel a little something from Yujin’s presence. She was good looking as well. Charming, boyish smile, with zero talent in flirting. But there were qualities about Yujin that would make her a great partner. 

But there was nothing. Gaeul felt nothing. 

For some bizarre reason, it was different, and Gaeul didn’t want to admit that it wasn’t the same. 

Gaeul met a good amount of people, those who chose to be close, those who she thought were good looking at the first look. But nothing. 

Why was Wonyoung different?

Gaeul let out a huff at the thought of Wonyoung. 

That was the last thing she wanted to do. Setting herself up for disaster by recalling the past, forcing the feelings she kept for so long back into its grave. She didn’t want to remember the events of yesterday. She didn’t want to think about how Wonyoung looked at her, how she spoke to her, the words. 

“I’m glad I did.”

Her chest ached. 

She grabbed the cloth she left on the counter and faced Yujin. “I’ll keep this,” she said, with more certainty. “I think serving coffee is good enough for customers that want to stay.”

Yujin nodded, agreeing already even if she didn’t know what was in Gaeul’s mind. “Perfect. And if they ask for any fancy drinks with foam art on top, I can tell them to fuck off.”

That got Gaeul to crack, a snort escaped her and she shook her head fondly. “That’s not going to help me.”

“Doesn’t have to,” Yujin countered back casually. “I’m here to protect this bookstore because it means a lot to you, and you mean a lot to me.”

She sighed, conceding. The sweet words hit her in different parts of her heart. The broken, missing parts were still untouched. “Alright, I get your point.”

Yujin reached for her pocket. “Shall I pay for the coffee then?”

Gaeul shook her head immediately. “No, it’s a taste test, you shouldn’t be charged for participating.”

“But it was good coffee.”

“Still.”

Yujin huffed. “Tough crowd. Can’t I do it to support you?”

Gaeul turned around, leaned her back on the counter and crossed her arms on her chest. “You are supporting me and I appreciate you for doing so.”

Her friend took a moment to respond, looking at her empty coffee cup, contemplating. “I’m making sure Rei makes time so she can try the coffee as well,” Yujin then said. “She has to try this.”

That made Gaeul’s chest warm, the kind that always surprised her. “I hope so too, I think she would like it.”

Yujin smiled, patting her head and ruffling it a bit. “You know she will,” she said, with sincere assurance in her voice. The kind that always made Gaeul feel a little bit better about herself. Then Yujin grabbed her coat and the cup of coffee. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“You don’t have to—”

But her friend was already out the door. “See you tomorrow, unnie!”

Yujin was always like this with her. Her compulsiveness reminded Gaeul that it was okay to take risks, but it also told her that she needed to be more careful with impulsive decisions. Sometimes it wasn’t the best thing for her. She wasn’t like that. 

Once the door shut, the bell chiming again, Gaeul let out a sigh. She faced the coffee machine again. What an expensive thing. But doing this was going to be a good idea. Customers need more reasons to stay, and having a hot cup of coffee while reading a book was so ideal, even Gaeul wanted to do it herself, despite not liking coffee.

But she was sure.

This was going to be a good idea.

The bookstore was everything she wanted. She even had something to help her on the side when funds were going to be a problem. But this was her life now, and she was doing something good for herself. This was the only thing that kept her going, and she found peace with that.

Gaeul was cleaning the machine again. 

Yujin and Rei already left. They tried the coffee, they loved it, but this time, they insisted on paying. Gaeul couldn’t argue with them even if she tried. They were just there to help and they were very persuasive. 

At least she knew that this investment was a good one. She needed to let her brother know. But she could do that later.

She continued to clean the machine so that she could make a fresh batch of coffee again, thinking she needed to do another one to be sure. There were customers around that ordered a cup—with the help of Yujin and Rei—and they might come back in seconds. Gaeul didn’t mind. 

Once the coffee started brewing, the aromatic scent of coffee beans filled her senses. That made her satisfied. So she went and did other things. Fix the containers that had the beans, the stack of paper cups, and throw away the trash she made. 

The sound of the bell chimed again. 

“Welcome,” Gaeul greeted softly as the person entered. But she didn’t turn immediately. She expected it to be anyone, like the usual customers that greeted her with a nod and walked past the counter to disappear between the shelves. 

But she went still when she heard footsteps approaching the counter. Sharp, hesitant. 

Familiar.

Like she heard them before. Very recent.