Gomi arrived at the café just as the first rays of sunlight peeked over the horizon. She spotted Seong through the glass doors, fumbling with a stack of cups. The way his curly brown hair hung halfway over his round glasses made her wonder if he could see clearly.

“You’re early,” he said, looking up as she walked in.

“I usually start my day at daybreak.” She set her bag down and began unpacking a box of tea canisters next to him.

His eyebrow raised. “That’s rare for students nowadays.”

Gomi laughs softly. “It’s just become a habit that’s hard to break now.”

“Well, I’m not complaining,” Seong replied, turning to grab another stack of cups—only for one to slip from the pile.

Without thinking, Gomi lunged forward, catching it midair before it shattered on the floor.

“Whoa.” Seong’s eyes widened. “Not only are you strong, but you’ve got some insane reflexes.”

Gomi shrugged, her cheeks tinged pink. “I trained in Taekwondo with my dad since I could walk. Reflexes are kind of second nature.”

“Remind me never to get on your bad side,” Seong joked, grinning.

Gomi chuckled softly, opening a new box. Inside was a pristine tea set, the kind that looked like it belonged in a museum. And this specific crafting style was unmistakable. The black-and-white ceramics gleamed under the soft café lighting, each piece perfectly handcrafted.

She froze, her breath catching. “This… This is Jeong Joon’s work, isn’t it?”

Seong glanced over, impressed. “You’ve got a good eye. How’d you know?”

“My mom has one that looks just like this design. It was a precious gift from a close friend who passed. I didn’t expect to see something like this here.”

“Ah.” Seong nodded, leaning against the counter. “This one belongs to my business partner. He’s the real collector. Though your mom must have some connections. I remember him mentioning that this one was extra special.”

Gomi pursed her lips. Her mom did take extra care of it, but she had never treated it like it was priceless. Gomi couldn’t help but reminisce of the many times her mom taught her how to brew tea using the set–her fingers brushed along the smooth edge of a teacup softly.

The similarity of the set was so striking that this set could be considered the yin while hers was the yang.

Gomi made sure to carefully store the set in the box and tucked it into one of the cabinets. They continued to unpack the boxes and organize the storage room for the next few hours.

By mid-morning, Seong had her in front of the espresso machine. He demonstrated how to make an iced latte with brief instructions. “Alright, barista-in-training, let’s see what you’ve got.”

Gomi crinkled her brow. “You’re just going to abandon me to this thing?”

“I believe in you,” Seong said, shooing her forward.

Despite her initial hesitation, Gomi got the hang of it after a few tries, managing to make two respectable lattes. Seong nodded approvingly.

“You’re a natural.”

She laughed. “I’m better at making tea.”

“We’ll have to save that for the next time.” He smiled. “I’m sure you’ll pass by my standards, but my business partner is a bit more… particular. It took me years before he would even finish a cup of one of my brewed teas.”

Gomi stared around the empty cafe. “Will he be coming here anytime soon?”

“Well… ” Seong rubbed the back of his neck. “His current situation is a bit… complicated, so it’ll just be you and me in the meantime. But I’ll make sure you’re up to his standard before you two meet.”

Gomi laughed and thanked Seong before taking off with the two practice lattes she made.

Gomi met Jenny outside their lecture hall, handing her one of the lattes.

“Wow, what’s the occasion?” Jenny asked, taking a sip.

“I got fired from the convenience store,” Gomi said with a sigh. “But I found a job at a café, so… silver lining?”

“Thank goodness.” Jenny sighed in relief. “I never liked the idea of you working at a convenience store. There’s always too many sketchy people.”

Before Gomi could respond, Jenny’s gaze shifted as she noticed students staring.

Gomi glanced around. A few students whispered behind cupped hands, their eyes darting toward her.

“What’s their problem?” Gomi muttered.

Jenny hesitated. “There’s a rumor going around about a ‘pretty freshman’ who’s rude and arrogant.”

“That can’t be about me…” Gomi frowned.

“Something about being the only one who didn’t attend a class gathering.”

Gomi groaned, realization dawning. “It’s probably because I turned down Nayoung and Jun.” She spotted the duo not far away. “That’s actually them over there.”

Jenny’s eyes followed her hand. “You should fix this. You don’t want a bad reputation this early in the year.”

Gomi sighed but nodded. The last thing she needed was extra attention, especially if it was negative unwanted attention. “I’ll talk to them.”

Nayoung and Jun looked up as Gomi approached, their faces openly frowning.

“Hey,” Gomi said, managing a polite smile. “About the other day—I’m sorry for leaving so quickly. I had an appointment I needed to get to. But would you like to hang out sometime?”

The two exchanged a glance, their skepticism melting into matching smiles.

“Are you free tomorrow afternoon?” Nayoung asked sweetly. A bit too sweetly.

Gomi hesitated but forced herself to nod. “Yeah, I am.”

“Great. We’ll send you the details of where to meet,” Jun said, her grin widening. “It’s just a small gathering.”

Gomi agreed and exchanged numbers with them before walking back to Jenny.

“So, what’d they say?” Jenny asked leaning in closely.

“I agreed to meet with them tomorrow afternoon for a small gathering,” Gomi said.

Jenny patted Gomi on the back assuredly. “At least it’s an afternoon meeting. Imagine if they met you as Bomi…”

Gomi shuddered at the thought and shook her head. "They can't know about Bomi."

Because if they do, I can say goodbye to any chance at a quiet and normal college life.