"Ah, y-yeah." Minkyu laughs, albeit nervously, shaking her hand. She can probably tell he's nervous; hopefully his hand isn't gross and sweaty or something. What does Amelia do to make the atmosphere more relaxed? Sitting up straighter, Minkyu tries to look more professional and less nervous in hopes of making Mari feel calmer, only to realize he's still wearing his cosplay cat ears. A blush spreads on his cheeks. He must look really silly, trying to interview somebody like this.

"It's, um, a café. That Amelia and I started. And... the theme is "cat maids." There's not a lot to it, really." Minkyu shrugs, looking down at his hands before remembering that eye contact is important. He coughs, clearing his throat once as he tries to think of another question. Having never worked before isn't bad, and Café Crème wouldn't be the worst first job in the world, but what would Amelia say... What would be a good next question...

Honestly, after having spent a lot of time in Amelia's shadow, he feels a bit sad when Mari confesses she's "not good at much." He nods sympathetically, remembering all the times Amelia overachieved and Minkyu slipped behind in math, in science, in friends... Comparing yourself to what seems like the best and brightest big sister in the world is never good, but sometimes, he couldn't help himself. And it always hurt.

"Oh, I've got it," Minkyu says, then realizes he said that out loud and immediately turns bright red. "S-s-sorry. Um... How good are you with customer service? 'Cause I think that's what Amie is looking for. Since we are getting a lot of customers nowadays..." Come on, you must be good at something!

Mari nodded and listened intently at Minkyu explained a bit more about the restaurant. Or, really, he explained the things she already understood. There really wasn't much more to this place, though she hadn't expected anything more anyway. A cat-themed cafe with cute food was perfect enough for her! Everything around her was adorable, and it really made her filled with excitement. Could she really work at a place like this?

Her head tilted in confusion when he said he had something, but then he moved on to ask her another question. Feeling flustered, once again, she looked down at her hands which were balled into tiny fists on her lap. "I-I don't know... I-I'm sorry, I've never tried it... I can smile really well! And I like to help people! B-But, uh... I am not good at talking to others..." Her cheeks flushed red and she glanced up at him, nervously. Why wouldn't she stop bringing up things she wasn't good at? Mari's mother had told her that confidence was key in these situations.

"I-I'm willing to try anything, though!" Her face flushed red when the young girl realized how that could be interpreted. Frantically, she waved her arms. "Well, m-maybe not anything... But when it comes to this restaurant, I'm sure I can do my absolute very best with anything that needs to be done! Cleaning, bringing food to people, uh..." She paused, unsure of what else the job would entail. "..." What else could she say? Hopefully her determination was getting through to the barista in front of her.

Jet sighed at the comments to get out of the kitchen and smile to the customers, it wasn't something that he did spontaneously like the others. After closing his eyes for a second, he forced a smile. He didn't care if it looked better or even worse. They asked for a smile, they got a smile. His feet moved outside of the kitchen, while his eyes were searching for customers that needed something. "Whatever you meow", he kept on answering. Some women admired the guy because of his distant behaviour and others were annoyed by it. However, he did his job, so they had nothing to complain.

Megan had just passed on an order to the kitchen when Amelia asked her to make some éclairs. A big sigh out of relieve left her throat. She did like her job as a waitress, but she simply preferred to be a patissier. She immediately began with making the éclairs, while her smile faded away as she was concentrating on her work. Jet was probably very jealous at her, that she could take a break from talking to the customers. However, he couldn't cook or anything, so he had no other choice than being a waiter. Her glance moved upwards for a second and she noticed how Jet was having a hard time with some clingy women. She couldn't hold in her laugh as she was watching how he tried to push them away in a nice and friendly way. He didn't like to be touched and he didn't exactly know how to handle it when he did get touched. He had been like that for a long time, Megan remembered.

"Hey, no, don't worry about it!" Minkyu assures her, reaching his hand out before retracting it when occurs to him what he's doing. He's always been like this, doing things unconsciously; but he can't help it! She's just so... so little!! It just makes him want to protect her! And okay, perhaps this comes from his life-long wish of wanting a younger sibling, but she also reminds him of himself, with all the shyness, stuttering, and nervous demeanor. It's almost nostalgic. Come to think of it, they're still a lot alike.

Blushing (again, geez why is he so flustered?) once he realizes what he's thinking is a) weird and b) a little creepy, Minkyu waves his thoughts away and tries to focus on the present. Mari must be so scared, she's just a kid... He feels terrible. Amelia would be so much better at this.

"Determination is good," Minkyu mumbles, feeling slightly downtrodden. "And, uh, your clumsiness is... how do I say it... those sorts of characters are always really popular, right?" He doesn't really know from experience, but Amelia watches all sorts of anime, and there's always this cute, clumsy type of girl... Mari would fit right in.

"Why don't you put your contact info down here," Minkyu suggests, pulling out his beloved notebook and handing it to her. "And we'll contact you tonight. I can't make any decisions without Amelia, but... I can put in a good word for you." He wants to say hwaiting or something of the sort, but the former doesn't translate into English and latter could be cheesy. He settles for a thumbs-up.

@OliveYou @Rejoyce

A friendly grimace swept across his face, hand peeled back to rub his neck slowly, eyes darting at the hustle and bustle of the café. Amelia wasn’t lying, it really was rush hour! Almost intimidating. “Yeah, the joint sure is jumping.” Her suggestion, however, took him a little by surprise. The eternal smile was replaced with a plain default, eyes a little wider than previously.

“Heck, sure.” A hand rose to salute Amelia, grin slowly creeping back onto his visage. You could count on him, boss! He took enough time to shoot her a playful wink. His boss was super cute, he decided. Drifting along to the cabinet as directed, Dae-hyun started fishing for feline accessories, picking up one, twirling it… placing it back down. This inspection went on for several precious seconds, until the perfect headband was procured. Dark brown, went with his hair. Clapping his hands together once, Dae-hyun heat-seeked the closest table with dishes needing removal, carefully placing them atop a tray to take away, all the while baring a cheeky smile so wide that it half shut his eyes.

Briskly returning with used dishes to the kitchen, a moment was taken to simply stare at March, almost a little confused. Perhaps he recognised him from somewhere? Maybe not, but it was quite the intense look. “Man, you look so young. I’m feeling old just staring at you…” A withering sigh escaped him. Even he, at the ripe old age of 20, couldn’t escape the passage of time.

@OliveYou

Mari perked up a bit when Minkyu mentioned these kinds of characters were really popular. "R-Really?" She didn't watch a ton of anime, herself, but if that was true then maybe she really would be able to do this job! His positivity about her lack of skills could have been seen as just being polite, but the young woman was a bit naive when it came to these sorts of things. She was happy he felt that she would have a place at the cafe, though from the way he spoke she could tell he wouldn't be the one making the decision. It was all a bit strange, to her, the way things were ran... Still, he seemed very kind.

I know I really just need any job, but... I would like for it to be here. Mari was very quick to make decisions like this, and her eyes sparkled when he said that he would put in a good word for her. "Y-You would really do that for me?" She asked him, the rays of innocence in her practically blinding. Her hands moved to take the notebook, slowly, and she wrote down her contact info. This felt like a positive thing. Thank goodness! Her parents had said she didn't need to worry, and that work wasn't something she was suited for yet, but here she was... in an interview. And they were going to say it went well!

As she thought about it, a wave of relief washed over her, and without meaning to tears streamed down her cheeks and she gave small little hiccups as her shoulders bobbed. She hadn't meant to cry, but she was just so happy. "T-Thank you f-for being s-so n-n-nice to m-me..." She managed to squeak out, wiping at her eyes a bit. This wasn't the promise of a job, by any means, but Mari felt very reassured by Minkyu. Sniffling, she wiped her eyes and gave him a bright smile. "I-I am so happy I came here, today...!"

March, rolling his eyes at Jet's stupid smile, turns back to his cooking. March thanks goodness he doesn't have to work with customers--people aren't terrible, it's just that he's not exactly a people pleaser. (His uniform alone has been found deeply distressing to Amelia, mostly because it took him over a month to figure out how to tie the bow tie. He hopes to never anger her again. She's really quite terrifying when she's mad--honestly, March is afraid of her all the time, but maybe it's just because she's so outgoing he doesn't know how to speak.)

He sets out three more plates of special omelets and stops cooking to clean some dishes. They really need someone to wash dishes, so he makes a mental note to ask. Match doesn't mind extra work, but he doesn't want the quality of the food to decrease. Quality is the cafe's specialty, so he has to make sure he puts his all into everything! That's what his mom says, anyway.

He returns to his cooking, thinking up a schedule as he goes. Crepes need to be made next, and after that he needs to take the mini croissants for the sandwiches out of the oven. A voice he doesn't recognize interrupts the organization process.
“Man, you look so young. I’m feeling old just staring at you…”
March chokes.
”W-what?” He splutters, whipping around to face Dae-hyun. Alarmed by the intensity of the stare that is being given to him, he steps backwards and almost puts his elbow into the butter. After a second of regaining his composure, he pays attention to Dae-hyun once more.
“I'm not… not that young!” He mutters sheepishly, rubbing fingers through his hair in a messy manner. “And uhh… do I know you?”

“Careful there, you were almost mixin’ butter the old-fashioned way.” Astoundingly unphased by his own boldness, even having the audacity to shoot March some finger-guns with a tell-tale click of his tongue. Returning to his duties, the cups and plates were stacked into the washer. Sure, he could have hand washed them but erm, time, effort, that sort of thing.

Besides, he seemed quite taken with March, smile plastered on his face and watching the lad mess with his hair some. Perhaps out of sheer instinct, he returned the motion to himself.

“No? It’s a compliment then!”

Did he know him?

His mouth hung open in shock and awe. A hand braced to his heart, the other arm was outstretched across the dishwasher—and then swiftly removed because that baby was roasting hot. It was a motion of sheer disbelief. His lips trembled, eyes wide with some faint hurt that he was attempting to summon up.

“You were like, a brother to me… am I so easily forgotten…?”

He let out a dramatic sob, palm held against his mouth. If he could have willed it, his eyes would have been watering, but any chance of that was swiftly removed with the bobbing of his shoulders. He was laughing.

“I’m messin’ with ya. You don’t know me, but you might in time. Dae-Hyun, pleased to meetcha’.”

"'Scuse me, coming through!"

After ensuring that Dae-hyun wasn't going to lose his way in the back room and knew how to clear tables, Amelia is satisfied and returns to serving customers. Work today is exhausting, but no worries! They've had worse before! Like that one time Minkyu had to dress up and talk to customers because of the rush... It was good for him, but afterwards he got so upset he avoided Amelia for days.

My brother is a sensitive soul, Amelia decides, swiftly descending upon tables to clear them of dishes. Hopefully I haven't pushed him too hard with that interview... nah, that girl's worse than he is. They'll be fine. Actually, would that be a cute couple or what? Amelia considers it for a moment... then shakes her head, rids herself of any ideas concerning Minkyu's love life, and goes back to work. Poking her head into the kitchen (or, as she calls it, "March's Kingdom"), she notes that while a little strange, Dae-hyun is easygoing and gets along with everyone. He'll do well in customer service! (She's a genius.)

"Dae-hyun, let's not distract the cook, shall we?" she teases, more cheekily than anything, smiling wide to get her point across. "Just kidding, just kidding. March, don't make a mess of your uniform, okay?" Once again satisfied with her checkup of the kitchen and March's workload (not horrible, but a dishwasher would be useful), she waltzes out of the kitchen, plates in hand. Sharp eyes catch sight of Jet having some trouble with a particularly touchy customer, and so she expertly wedges herself in between the two to save Jet some trouble.

"Ma'am, let's not cause any trouble for the wait staff," she says cheerfully, but banking on the fact that her endless smiles sometimes get scary. Pointing to a notice on the wall, Amelia not-so-gently stares the patron down. "Touching the servers is strictly forbidden. Jet, why don't you take that man's order?" How to de-escalate a conflict: separate the problems and deal with them one by one.

Minkyu once called her a "force of nature", and as far as Amelia's concerned, he's right. Handling interpersonal relationships is difficult, but Amelia was basically born for this. This is the perfect job for her... Minkyu, not so much, but he's taken in all in stride.

(But he's still her baby brother. Always.)

As Mari cheers up, Minkyu lets himself relax, and even feel a little bit proud. He cheered her up, right? He did something good for once! Wait until Amelia hears about this! Speaking of which, won't it be hard to convince her to hire Mari, even if he pesters her about it? She's always so uncompromising when it comes to work, that girl has really high standards... but Mari's doing her best! He can just tell!

...Minkyu is very excited right now. If he had real cat ears, they would be perked up attentively. Since he doesn't have them, however, he ends up just smiling and nodding. Mari's good mood is certainly infectious, and Minkyu decides he feels very optimistic about the whole thing. Amelia won't turn her down, right? There must be a favor he can cash in...

And then she starts crying. Minkyu's smile slides off his face, replaced by a worried frown as he panics. Searching for a handkerchief and finding none, he compensates with a tissue and offers it to Mari with a shaking hand. He's horrible with crying girls, so Minkyu thinks it best to end the interview here before anything else embarrassing can happen. Besides, it's getting late. He needs to get back to work. Yeah. (That's a good excuse.)

"Thank you for coming by," he says, putting his notebook away. "Amelia and I will, um, contact you shortly. _{Please stop crying."} he adds quietly. _{"I'm going to go back to working now."} Standing up from his place at the table and re-entering the main room, Minkyu immediately goes to his happy place: behind the counter. Specifically, hiding behind it and pretending he totally just didn't make a girl cry. As he does so, a thought occurs to him. "Uhm, Megan," he mumbles, to get the attention of the hardworking pastry chef beside him. "Is the cat still outside? It's getting late, you should probably bring it home with you _{and also give it a name..."}

Mari gave a tiny bow of thanks as she took the tissue from Minkyu, feeling too choked up to muster a response. Everyone here was so kind. It felt wrong to get her hopes up, but she really hoped to be able to work with all of them! The environment seemed very welcoming, and it would be very fun to wear cat ears every day! The ones her interviewer wore actually helped to ease her nerves a bit. Quietly, she blew her running nose into the tissue and sniffled once again. "T-Thank you..." She murmured. Now that she was beginning to calm down, he seemed rather uncomfortable. She mentally smacked herself for crying, understanding that was why he felt that way. I don't know how to handle someone who's crying, either... Gah, I'm so stupid!

Even though the young barista hurried off, he did still seem rather pleased. It was almost cute the way he had perked up, before. Even with her crying, this overall felt like it went very well! "T-Thank you again for the interview!" She managed to sputter out as she shot to her feet. Mari bowed deeply as he left and then stood there awkwardly, for a moment. I, uh... I guess I should go, now? It was over, right? He had said they would contact her that evening. So, quietly, she wiped her eyes dry and walked back out into the main lobby.

The pink-haired woman seemed preoccupied dealing with a customer, so she would not intrude. Instead, she gave an awkward wave toward the dining room, for whoever might be looking, not anyone in particular, before slipping out the front door. Her heart felt full, and she practically hummed with happiness on the way home. I think even if I don't end up working there, I would want to be a customer... A cat cafe! It was even cuter than I imagined!

March watches with slight horror as Daehyun dumps more dishes on the growing pile. Confused by Daehyun’s odd behavior, March simply stares at the spectacle made—though whether good or bad, March cannot discern. There are some people in life that March simply has no idea how to respond too. Daehyun is one of them, apparently. March tries to act casual.

“I’m messin’ with ya. You don’t know me, but you might in time. Dae-Hyun, pleased to meetcha’.”

March messes with his hair again, because words elude him. “Uh. Yeah.” after a second of heavy awkwardness, he realizes he should introduce himself. Trying to make a quick amends, he splutters out “I-I’m March!” He feels like he ought to salute, but that would be weird. Especially with the cat ears.

Thankfully, Amelia saves him from further humiliation by chiding Daehyun. Upon the mention of his uniform, however, March glances down at it and hurriedly brushes off flour—it was never there, trust him—and straightens his bowtie. Again.

This moment might be nice to ask Amelia about a dishwasher, but the second he opens his mouth, she’s gone. Next he’ll be faster than her—if that’s even possible.

“It might be nice— Ah, never mind, he mutters, strangely self-conscious. In truth, not only would it be useful to have a dishwasher, it also would be nice to have another person working back here. It’s not like he’s lonely or anything, but he wouldn’t mind the company. (Okay, well maybe he’s a little lonely, but he’ll live.)

With Daehyun shooed off nicely, March is once again left to his own devices. He turns back to the slightly squished butter, cringing at his own awkwardness. He checks his elbow—very little damage done—rolls up his sleeves, and pulls the fresh batch of croissants out of the oven.

"Gooooood morning, ladies and gents! Today, I, Amelia Von Grado, will attempt to rouse my younger brother from his slumber! Watch, now, as I--"

Suddenly, and without warning, the impassioned speech is stopped by a soft, puffy pillow that flies across the bed to hit Amelia in the face. The girl, while obviously surprised, does not stop in her reign of terror, instead deciding to use the pillow against her poor brother, whacking him with it as he groans and rolls over.

"Don't do thaaaat," Minkyu whines, sleepily opening his eyes to the image of his twin sister looming over him, weapon of war in hand. "m tired. Lea'e me alo'e." His voice is muffled, face pressed into his one remaining pillow as he attempts to ignore her entirely. This, unfortunately for him, does not work, and in a matter of minutes Amelia has pulled his covers off, stolen both of his pillows, and promised him a cup of tea if he comes into the kitchen. Minkyu, after stretching in the most cat-like way, gives in and follows her. Thus is the Von Grado siblings morning--Amelia, always the overachiever, wakes up at the crack of dawn and then spends the next hour or so peeling her twin brother away from his bed and into the new day. Minkyu is not a morning person.

"Staff training today," Amelia reminds him, like he hasn't been thinking about it since last night. "Oh, and Naomi called in sick. Apparently her cat had some issues and she had to take him to the vet."

"Good thing we have new people," Minkyu mumbles, squinting at the bright light that streams in through the kitchen windows, cup of peppermint tea in his hands while he waits for his toast to pop. "You did call Mari, right?"

"Of course I did!" Amelia exclaims, acting offended even though she barely remembered to call before turning in. "We had a very nice conversation. I think I like her after all."

"Huh, really?" Minkyu rubs his eyes and considers this for a moment before dismissing it. Amelia is only slightly disappointed that he doesn't seem to be jealous. "That's good. I talked to Daehyun-hyung. He's Korean," he says, proudly, like it's a fact known only to him.

"Well, duh. With a name like Daehyun, what did you think he was? Japanese?"

"I-I didn't say that! It was just that... it was nice to know it."

"Yeah, I guess so. You're already calling him hyung, huh?" Checking the watch on her wrist, Amelia pulls the toast out of the toaster and goes off to do her makeup. In a few minutes, Minkyu will change into his work uniform and the two will leave house to open up the café, but for now, he eats in silence. Across town, or perhaps close to here, the other maids, butlers, and cooks are waking up and getting ready for the day ahead.

“Don’t you think that’s pushy!? Honestly, what were you thinking, being so intimate with someone!”

The scolding voice echo’d very clearly from the receiver of his phone. It was sat across the pale, blue clothed table, directly opposite the vaguely-tanned boy who munched idly at cereal. His head rested in one hand, propped up on the table cloth as bleary eyes watched nothing. The TV still flickered, screen unmoving since the night prior.

“I was just teasing him—"

“He’s your BOSS, and you’re trying to cajoul him into calling you Hyeong—You don’t do that! Ever, Daehyun. You need to keep that job, you can’t be so casual around your boss. He’ll think you’re a weirdo, a slacker, both!”

“…Sis, I love you dearly. I do. You’re everything to me.”

The chair screeched against the floor, and his finger hovered over the red ‘END CALL’ button without hesitation.

“But you’re not my mother.”

Beep.

While he fantasised about all the different methods his sister would utilise to kill him for that comment, Daehyun had to get ready! The scruffy hair was swept into something more presentable, as well as his melancholy expression. It wasn’t until he’d began brushing his teeth, did the smile crack momentarily. As he gazed into the mirror, he wondered aloud;

“…Maybe he was just being polite.”

Solemn thoughts, which travelled with him downtown. Minkyu was very polite, it seemed. The more Daehyun thought about it, the more it made sense. Yes, he was probably agreeing to hanging out only because it was rude to deny such a forward request.

He’d be there sharp and early, plagued by these worries.

March wakes up to the familiar feeling of someone on top of him and something cold and wet trickling down his forehead. Ah, mornings. What blissful joy comes along with them!

“Marchhhhhhhh,” a sort of moaning comes from the lump on top of March. “March wake upppp!”

“Go away Auggie,” comes the muffled reply. March would stay in bed, but the water that August no doubt poured all over his head has already soaked into pillow.

August pouts. At the young age of “just 10”, he has yet to learn what maturity is. Or how to practice it. “But it's Jules birthday and if you're late you can't get her a pastry from your weird cafe place and if you can't get her a pastry from your weird cafe place then I can't mooch any pastry off of her!”

“July will let you have pastry over her dead body.” This is very true. July, unlike March, has a huge sweet tooth.

The two of them banter back and forth for another 5 minutes until March is so tired of laying on his wet pillow that he stands up while August is still on him. August falls on the floor with a shriek of protest

Ah. Mornings. What blissful joy comes with them.

March feels like he ought to stay home, but since he's head cook and he doesn't know when Monty is coming back, he can't just call in sick. Sorry July, but your 13th birthday celebration must wait until this evening. It's alright though, he'll ask Amelia for the sweetest pastry before he leaves!

He drags himself through his morning routine, distracted only by a yelling 7 year-old and a rushed sister wrapping presents.

“Mar-mar, do you want me to wrap yours? April lays aside a present wrapped in bright green paper labeled “from Sep!!!!!”

March, in middle of making breakfast for everyone while also ironing his uniform, only grunts. “Yeah. Sure.”

The morning is only slightly more chaotic than usual, and it's just because July's birthday is today. Also because the whole family does everything last minute. March checks his watch, slides bacon and eggs onto the table, runs off to change into his freshly ironed uniform, and returns to a table already full.

“Happy birthday to me!” July cries, already stuffing her face with bacon.

March laughs and tosses her a tiny box. “Yeah, happy birthday to you. Open it quick ‘cause I gotta go soon, okay?”

Yes. The sweetest pastry Amelia has, if she doesn't mind.

In the morning, Mari was up bright and early. She had tossed and turned throughout the night, too excited to sleep because of this new adventure she was about have. Today she had her first shift at her very first job! It was all so incredibly exciting. And nerve-wracking. Would they like her? Would she be able to do a good job? What if she tripped, again? As her alarm chimed, the young girl allowed these worries to swirl within her mind. Surely things would go well! Her mother and father were worried, too, but she was determined to prove that she was good at more than just school! Once she had turned off the alarm, she stretched and rose from her bed. The rest of her family were late to rise, so she snuck through the dark of the early hours to brush her teeth, shower, and dress herself in a comfortable blue sweater and jeans. Her hair became wavy as it dried, and once she had styled it she was sure to place a cute, blue bow in her hair. Simple makeup was done and soon enough, she was ready to start her day!

You can do this... Just smile, be polite, and do your very best! As she went to go prepare a quick breakfast, she found her mother actually awake with a plate of eggs and bacon prepared. It was surprising, to say the least. "I wanted to make sure you didn't forget to eat on your first day. Having a job is a big responsibility, Mar... Are you sure you still want to do this?" Her hand placed gently on her daughter's back, Mari could feel the worry her mother felt. This was the first time their only child would be doing something on her own, after all. They knew how nervous Mari was, and how clumsy. They loved her, but they didn't believe in her abilities at all. Not yet, anyway. She would show them! "I'll be fine," She replied, finishing the meal and going to wash her plate. That was all she said before going to leave, but before she did she paused and went back to hug her mother. "I'll make you proud!" Before her mother could reply, she darted out the door and on to her new journey.

After breakfast and a short scramble to find the keys that had fallen under Amelia's nightstand, the two set out for Café Crème, uniforms on and Amelia holding onto a large cakebox with care. She makes sweets both at the café and at the apartment, and yesterday she tried out a new recipe, a peach mousse cake that refrigerated overnight. All things considered, it came out rather nicely.

When the twins reach Café Crème, the day is still early and spring wind is a bit chilly, making Amelia shiver as she searches for her keys. Minkyu, after a cup of tea and the roughly twenty-minute walk, is much more awake and has stopped blinking and squinting every second. As per usual, he inspects the outside while Amelia hands him the cakebox and unlocks the café doors (it's her turn today; they alternate).

"Ah, it's dusty today," Amelia grumbles when she opens the door, not bothering to take the cake back from Minkyu, who moves towards the back counter automatically anyway. "Set the cake down there; I need to cut it into slices and put it into the display case. Hey, do you think Mari could learn how to make sweets...?"

"I dunno," Minkyu mumbles, "don't look at me like that, I don't know everything..."

Amelia sighs, opening the box to uncover her masterpiece and start cutting it. It looks so good... She almost wants to take a slice for herself, but less slices = less profit, so she doesn't.

"Well, cook or not, she'd better be here soon. I have a feeling she'll be a little harder to train than that Daehyun kid..."

"Mari works hard! And besides, Daehyun is older than you," Minkyu retorts, then immediately regrets it when Amelia's face lights up.

"Ooh, so I can call him oppa~?" Mimicking the voice of a high-pitched anime girl, Amelia flutters her eyelashes and sighs dreamily. "Ah, Daehyun-oppa, you're so handsome! I love your--"

At this point, both Minkyu's flustered squeaking and the door's overhead bell would fail to alert the girl of a newcomer's presence in the café, and whoever was unlucky enough to walk in on her shenanigans would be treated to quite the embarrassing tidbit.

The subway ride had been a tense one. It was a bit rude to be on your phone in the subway, even if you were whispering, but… he had 4 missed calls from his Mother given his earlier cool-dude attitude with his sister. Everyone knew, especially from a Korean family, that the mother was…

Well, you answered on three rings or less. So, while he was drawing up the funeral plans in his head, perhaps some lilies, perhaps some solemn, macabre piano accompaniment, Daehyun ducked and weaved his way through the city streets to work. His official day at work, the first day, dressed in a slim-fit shirt, hair combed to one side. His mind was on important things, as he watched his appearance in the passing windows.

Did he look ok? Of course, he did, or so he told himself. He had asked Minkyu to hang out with him sometime, but it had dawned upon him, he had not SEEN Minkyu. What if he was… a dork? Massive glasses, braces and balding? No, surely not. If he was siblings with Amelia, then he should look half decent, attractive, Daehyun dared to say.

So, amidst thinking that his female manager was pretty and walking through the door to… that…

“…Ah?”

His forever-smile was plastered, but there was something almost deranged about it. His eyes were subtly wider, and cheeks immobile. Frozen in panic, blissful, smiling panic.

“I had a girl—HAVE, I HAVE a girlfriend. Well. It’s complicated. I’m flattered, and you’re uh, you’re very, very pretty but erm…”

A hand raised to rub the back of his head—and those eyes. Those dark, nearly black eyes locked onto Minkyu. The emotion behind him was inscrutable, but certainly expectant. Not wanting to stare for suspiciously long, the attention was quickly rerouted back to Amelia, eyebrows furrowed and smile vanished, mouth pulled to the side of his face.

"...You love my what, exactly?"

Whatever it was, he'd have to stop doing it.

---

---

Soft music gently streamed through a phone in an otherwise quiet apartment, playing its muted beats and serene tones to the sound of sleep.

And then that abruptly changed with an alarm that crowed itself awake, the phone screen beaming proudly into the cold night of its programmed time of 3:27 AM. A mound of blankets on the same bed the phone was resting on shifted and grumbled as a small hand snaked its way out and dragged the phone back into its lair where moments later the alarm stopped. All was quiet once more until the silence was again broken explosively as Rebekah suddenly shot out of the fleece mountain, finally remembering what day it was.

Adrenaline and melatonin fought with each other inside of Bekah's head as she moved to and fro inside her cramped apartment, throwing clothes, chilled ingredients, and toothpaste all over every flat surface that still had space. The energy didn't stop until she finally stood still enough to finish brushing her tooth which gave her enough time to be fully awake and ready to start her day.

After completing the rest of her daily morning rituals, she finally turned her attention to the variety of ingredients arrayed in a somewhat orderly fashion before her. Excitement glinted in her eyes as her stand mixer smoothly whirred to life, silently praying for forgiveness from her neighbors. After all, today was the day she'd finally start her professional career as a world-class baker.

---

---

Baking everything had taken her longer than she had expected, but she had done it. Alongside her resumé and portfolio of goods she had done in the past, she was carrying in both hands containers that proudly displayed her combed raspberry mille-feuille, earl grey choux au craquelins, and spring colored strawberry buttercream macarons. Unfortunately sleep still tugged at her eyes and yawned out of her mouth, mornings never having been her best time of day, but she had wanted to make sure everything went right today. Nothing in her mind beat freshly baked treats, and she'd be damned if she wouldn't give her all today.

It had only been a month since she moved into town and she knew could have applied to anywhere she wanted to, especially with her dad's connections, but the entire point of getting out and living by herself was so that she could start being independent of her parents (even if she still begrudgingly accepted their help with the rent). That, and as far as she knew, none of them knew any cosplay cafe owners, and she just had to apply to Café Crème. How could she not after hearing that their theme was not only maids, but catmaids. It was like destiny had called to her, and who was she to deny destiny when it worked in her favor anyway?

Thus, everything had to be perfect. New makeup, new shoes, new cute short red dress to show off the cat stockings she had bought ages ago (her first year of high school, to be precise), she had even brought the cat ear headband that perfectly matched her blonde hair at the moment, though that was safely hidden and tucked away. She didn't want to appear too excited.

It was then she bothered to check the time (after some shenaniganry to make sure nothing in her hands fell) to make sure she wouldn't be late only to find that she was, perhaps, a little too early. If she remembered correctly, the cafe wouldn't open properly for maybe another half hour or so, but she was practically already at their doorstep when she checked.

And yet what did she find when she arrived but someone just walking into the cafe in front of her, easy as can be, allowing the sounds of somebody giving a good ribbing to another person inside, in Korean no less if her ears heard correctly. Truly were all the gods telling her that today would be her day. The Korean also shouldn't have been too much of a surprise considering she read that the owners were part Korean like her, and the boy Rebekah sneaked quietly behind in wait for the perfect dramatic moment to pop out certainly looked very Korean.

Once lover boy finished speaking, Rebekah stuck her head out from behind him and said in Korean, "Well, I for one, love your sense of timing," the words navigating easily through her mouth.

She then stepped out from behind her new conveniently tall acquaintance (being short had some benefits), making sure her lovely creations were out in full display in their containers. She took a moment to view the scene before her, noting with great satisfaction how endearing the inside was and how utterly adorable the girl in the blue outfit was. The Shy little Bean that Cute Girl was fawning over was also likely her brother, which likely made them the twins that owned the cafe. She spared a glance to look at Lover Boy, just enough to see what he looked like before swiftly returning her attention back to the twins. Ultimately, Beks was here for one thing and one thing only.

"Helloo~," she said, smoothly switching back to English. "My name is Rebekah Byun, and I'm here to apply for a job."

A horrified silence descends upon the café as Daehyun makes his presence known, Amelia's banter ending shortly after Daehyun starts to talk. As the situation begins to escalate, one can almost see the gears turning in Amelia's head--and smoke beginning to come out of her ears, when she realizes she just embarrassed herself in front of not one, but two employees--one prospective, the other already hired!

In a sudden and surprising turn of events, the café watches in wonder as Amelia turns a very, very bright shade of red. Minkyu in particular watches curiously, because he's never seen his sister anything other than calm and composed.

"HAIR!" Amelia squeaks loudly, eyes darting from person to person in a very apparent panic. "I-I-I like your HAIR--I AM SO SORRY, MINKYU WHY DON'T YOU TAKE CARE OF THE SHOP FOR A MOMENT WHILE I GO CHECK ON SOMETHING IN THE BACK!?"

"W-wait--" Barely has Minkyu uttered those words before Amelia has disappeared in a whirlwind of pink hair and ruffled skirts, leaving the poor barista, alone, with two persons who do not fit into the usual "make them coffee" routine. Oh universe, if you're listening, please let the ground swallow me up where I stand so that I am embarrassed no longer.

"I am SO sorry," he says, performing the deepest of bows directly in front of Daehyun--if it was acceptable, he would even get down on his hands and knees. "She's not always like that, I swear. She j-just likes to embarrass me, y-you know how sisters are..." Straightening up to look Daehyun in the face, Minkyu is only half surprised to realize he is both tall and handsome. Just more insecurities to slap Minkyu in the face at his lowest hour! He almost feels his eyes sting for a moment.

Actually feeling a little upset at Amelia for ruining his chances at making a friend, Minkyu takes a few very deep breaths to hopefully calm himself down. After managing to collect himself somewhat, turns to Rebekah, bowing also to the girl and noting both her impressive display of sweets and her usage of Korean. Wow, it must be his lucky day to meet so many Koreans... No wait this is literally the worst day ever.

"A-Amelia-noona is probably the one you'd want to talk to, but I would give her some time to calm down before then," he supplies helpfully, though not without a tremor to his voice. "Else she might get mad, and she's really scary when she's mad. Anyway, umm..." Important info successfully communicated, Minkyu's voice proceeds to get softer and softer until he's practically cowering behind the coffee counter.
_{"...can I get you guys a coffee? Or anything? You can put your pastries here, no need to, um, hold onto them... and, um, Daehyun-h-h-h-hyung! We have your uniform ready... but it's in the back room so..."}

Minkyu wants to die.