Slow Morning - Eric

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-- SLOW MORNING --

eric tong // @shiina // words: 351

It was still early in the morning, the main lobby was pretty empty as the employees involved the morning shows were already working and there were no visitors yet. This was one of Do-Yun's favorite time of day because this meant that he could skip work without getting any reprimands and other warnings from his employers. He only started the job a few weeks ago but already developed the nasty habit of enjoying some coffee right after starting his day, some trick of his own to scrimp a few minutes of work.

The janitor arrived near the coffee shop counter with a huge smile on his face that gave away his excellent mood, obviously proud of his cleverness. Today, he had managed to wake up later than usual and still showed up on time, mostly because he saved time by wearing the same clothes as the day before, some big blue sweater and his favorite thick scarf to fight the cold weather. He briefly thought he'd pat himself on the back if he could, and ordered :

— One hot chocolate, please, he ordered in a cheerful voice. Boiling hot, it's freezing outside!

His hands rummaged through his jeans' pockets to find the exact change, that he put on the counter. To forget about the cold still clinging to his body, the young man started humming the tune of a famous pop song that invaded the radio waves for weeks. He enjoyed watching the employee preparing his drink while he was slacking off, it could even be considered a hobby by now. He could start to smell the chocolate in the air, something that made him even happier.
As he grabbed his cup, he examined the person handing it to him some more and realized it was someone he had often seen here but never spoken to. It seemed to be the perfect opportunity to start now, seeing how he was the only customer.

— Thanks! Say, do you have any tips to survive the cold? I've lived here most of my life but i'm always surprised at how much the temperature can drop.

template by eliza @ TB & THQ

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WELCOME TO A JOURNEY IN COFFEE HEAVEN

It was way before opening time. Eric hummed softly to himself as he began making the whipped cream for his new cake creation in the kitchen of his cafe. Since it's been getting cold recently, he thought it was time for him to make a new cake. A seasonal item always sold better especially if it almost happened to be a limited time thing too. He definitely knew how to capture the hearts of female customers, if not only their thirst for new and limited things. If only he was a little better at talking to them, it would be wonderful. He took two ripe apples from the fruit basket behind him and began to chop them up into small pieces for his apple pie.

He did love his job a little too much. A lot more than socializing or whatever you call that thing that people seemed to be really fond of doing. To him that was just a waste of time. He glanced at the clock hanging to the wall and smiled to himself. Just on time. Setting the apple pie in the oven to bake, he pushed the timer on the kitchen counter and took off his chef's hat. Ruffling his hair lightly, he made his way to the counter of his shop, waiting for his usual flow of customers to arrive for their coffees and breakfast. He enjoyed being busy. As he was readying the coffee and expresso maker, the chime from the front door would signal the start of the busy day ahead with his first customer.

The shop owner turned at the sound, at the same time putting on his work smile. He wasn't the least sociable and hated interacting with people. He hoped to be spared the small talk that many older people seemed to be really into making. As he saw the young man enter with a big smile on his face, Eric's heart fell. He knew all too well that the boy was far from quiet and the always cheery mood of his irked him a little. As he placed his order, Eric could hear the soft humming of a tune. Oh great, he's in an even better mood than usual. Eric focused on the order of hot chocolate at hand, insisting on giving customers the best of their orders. As the hot milk machine began to make its small hissing sound dispensing the creamy substance, he heard him try to make small talk. Oh here we go...

The counter had the fresh aroma of chocolate as he finished making the hot chocolate. Pouring the thick liquid into a paper cup, he was satisfied at how it turned out. Even though he'd made thousands of hot chocolates before, it was always about the quality. His name was on the line with every drink he made. And that was precisely why he was always a little hard on his staff as well. It was all about reputation in this city, with there being hundreds of coffee shops, he had to stand out. Eric handed the young man his cup with a little smile, only to be swarmed with a question in return. "Maybe wear more layers of clothes?" The obvious answer to his question. Eric was shy and sometimes a little dense.

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WORDS: 550 ● TAGGED: @doyunpark ● NOTES: Thanks for making the thread

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