Stray Kids One Shots

Closer- Han Jisung

After a full year of working at the Sleepy Owl cafe, I was one of the most experienced employees. I was the one that customers would come and say 'I'll have the usual', because they know I'd remember their orders. I was trusted with the keys to every room in the small cafe, along with the cash. The manager considered me his little assistant, taking in my opinion whenever a big decision was being made for the cafe.

But this position had its cons. I was burdened with most responsibilities, covered the other employees' shifts, especially late into the night, and any mistake the younger ones make was blamed on me.

But I had fun at the Sleepy Owl. The smell of coffee, the chattering with my coworkers, the overall homey ambiance had grown on me.

But the customers were what made this job so enjoyable.

Each person in the room had their own stories, their own worries, their own lives. High school students procrastinating on their essays, office workers stopping by for a quick shot of caffeine to keep them awake while working overtime, the readers cuddling up in our bean bags, separated from the rest of the world.

But the regulars were the best.

Some customers have been visiting the cafe for quite a while, and I had a habit of conversing with every one of them. There was Seo Dalmi, working on her start-up business for automatic cars to drive the blind, Jeon Sooyoung working as a manager for an idol group about to debut, famous ice skater Park Sunghoon, and secret author Min Yuri, working on her newest book.

To think so many hidden talents were all gathered in this small room, and each one of them had their own stories to tell.

Now, other than the long-time regulars, there was another boy I suspected had a similar story to tell. He had found the cafe last week, and had come over for the second time today. He seemed young, a college student like me. But with his brown dyed hair and 'hoodie and sweats' dancer get up, I suspected he was an idol trainee. He had peculiar eyes, those who reminded me of a squirrel. With his chubby cheeks, which he stuffed adorably with cheesecakes, he was the perfect image of a human chipmunk.

He was cute.

He always had his headphones on, along with a notepad and pen, and his laptop. It seemed he was working on music, which fortified my guess. Whenever I'd pass by his table, I'd hear him humming melodies under his breath, scratching out what seemed like lyrics on his notepad. He had bags under his eyes as if he hadn't slept for weeks.

I was curious, about his story.

Well, I had many opportunities to serve the boy, because he ordered seven iced americano's, one after the other. And he finished all these seven tall cups of coffee in the five hours he stayed.

The Sleepy Owl's specialty was that we were open till midnight, providing a haven for night owls. We used to be open throughout the night, but due to staff shortage, we had to close up.

Now this caffeine rushed boy decided to take full advantage of this fact, and soon, he was the only customer left.

I had sent the younger part-timers home at 9 pm, so they could get home safely. I was the only one at the cafe, and the boy didn't seem to notice. He was so absorbed in his work, I doubted he even checked the time.

As I wiped the tables, I saw him reach for his empty cup again. Looking up at me, he signaled for another refill.

I sighed and headed towards his table.

Without I word, I filled a cup with water and placed it in front of him.

He thanked me without looking up from his laptop, and brought the cup to his lips, sipping the water. His round eyes widened in confusion as he realized it wasn't coffee.