Chapter One

Jennie •••

I jiggle my key in the broken lock of the glass door and scrape my snow covered boots on the welcome mat before entering the dark space. The empty street outside is illuminated when I flip on the light switch of my cozy bookstore café.

The familiar smell of fresh pages turns into the sweet aroma of coffee beans when I walk past the bookshelves and into the café area. I round the counter and keep my coat and purse in the storage room. Just like everyday, I put my waist apron on, tie my hair into a neat ponytail, and prepare the shop for opening.

This is my everyday routine. I have to be at the store by six o'clock in the morning to be ready to open at seven sharp. It has been this way for me for four years, since I started working here. It was a challenge in the beginning because living a station away meant having to wake up at five to make it on time. That is, without having breakfast before leaving. Though, I always made it a point to be on time because I was being paid by the hour.

My uncle, the founder of the cozy bookstore café, was generous enough to pay me ₩6100 ($5) an hour. I worked from six in the morning to three in the afternoon, which totaled up to around ₩50000 ($40) everyday, earning me $280 a week.

It's a hefty amount of money for an 18 year old to make off of her relative who employed her, but it was out of my pockets just as quick as it was given to me.

The hospital bills were expensive and I was coming up short.

So I worked everyday from six to three in my uncle's bookstore café, making freshly brewed coffee and serving various kinds of dessert with no fail. Even after my uncle passed away two years ago and passed the shop to me, I stuck to my routine.

The business continued its stability when I took over. I was twenty-one and the only business experience I had was watching my uncle calculate profit and manage the budgeting of our supplies in the tight storage room that served as his makeshift office. He taught me well enough to manage a B list café like ours.

Coffee Pages is what he named it. It speaks for itself. I stuck to it in honor of him, but had to change the interior of the shop before it went out of style. Korea is fast paced and we set the trends around the world. I wasn't going to let chipped wooden furniture and rusted picture frames be the downfall of the business.

Minimalistic was the way to go. Clean white walls, abstract paintings, and white painted bookshelves seemed aesthetically pleasing. Plus, with pottery as a hobby, it means not having to buy decorations.

Over the years, other employees came and went. It wasn't because they weren't paid well, but because no one wanted to work as a barista all their life. The only loyal employee we have is Wendy. She has been working with me behind the counter since I started, but only for a few hours within the day as a part time job. She didn't mind closing the shop when she had to take late hour shifts because she liked the space as a study area when there were no customers. She's an English major at Hongik Univeristy. This time of the year, though, Wendy and I get to spend more time together because of her winter break. I trust Wendy, so I let her close the store on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, while I close on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and the weekends.

"Morning, Jennie." That's Wendy, chiming through the door in her favorite baby blue coat wrapped around her.

"Good morning, Wendy." I greet from where I wipe down the last table. She enters the café area and keeps her belongings in the storage area.

"The snow is crazy today. The sun hasn't even gone up yet." she sighs, putting on her apron and tying her hair.

"I know. Remind me to shovel out some of the snow by the front." I tell her and go back behind the counter to wash the rag.

"I'll do it. You've been working too much." She walks over to the corner of the room and opens a closet, taking out a shovel big enough for the snow.

"Wendy, we work the same hours."

"Yeah, for three weeks of the year. That's nothing compared to how much time you put into this store."

"I'm used to it."

"Tell that to the bags under your eyes."

Wendy may be my employee, but she's also been my close friend for just as long. She's been around long enough to know everything about me. I just wish she didn't have to see me in those times I bottomed out because then she wouldn't have to remind me everyday not to put too much pressure on myself.

I don't attempt to take the shovel from her hands because it would just be a waste of energy. It's been a practice of mine to exert all my efforts into only the important things. Waking up, serving customers, and taking care of the store. It all has to be perfect if I want to be a successful, high rated café in the heart of Seoul's urban art and indie culture, Hongdae.

The hour passed quickly and the sun began to show as it slowly rose in pink and orange colors. I switched on a Christmas playlist, flipped the sign to open and awaited for customers with Wendy behind the bookstore counter.

We have the most customers in the mornings because coffee is our specialty. My uncle's recipes are craved by the customers and many return almost every morning to get the coffee they love. While I work at the café counter, Wendy sits behind the bookstore counter until more people file in and I'm in need of her help.

"Lemon cold brew to go?" I smile as I punch in Irene's usual in the register.

"You know me." she winks and hands me her card. "Any specials for the holiday?" she eyes the desserts on display.

"Chocolate Tiramisu is a favorite."

"I'll be back for that later." she says adjusting her cap and mask. "I'm running late."

"Working this early?" I speed up the process of her coffee as to not add any more time to her tardiness.

"The label wants me to prepare a song in time for Christmas Eve. What kind of company forces that on you a week before its due?" she expresses her frustrations while wiping the cold frost on the glass of refrigerated desserts.

"Gotta give the fans what they want." I shrug, handing her her order. She pulls down the mask and mouths a thank you before rushing out the shop.

I made sure to put extra lemon in the drink for her liking. Being an idol is no joke and I'd be happy to give these simple pleasures to my friend any time. Speaking of idols...

"I need a hot Americano asap." Jisoo props her elbows on the counter to hold her heavy head with her hands.

"Good morning to you, Jisoo." I chuckle at her distressed look despite the mask covering her face. If only she brought sunglasses to cover the red circles under her eyes as well. I punch in the order and make the drink swiftly.

"Good? I highly doubt Mr. Yang would think the same." she groans.

"What's up?"

"He's not happy with the promo video we shot for my upcoming album. He wants me to redo the whole shoot even if everyone is supposed to be on break for Christmas!" she stands up straight and crosses her arms. I can tell she's pouting from behind the mask.

I add another shot of espresso as the simple pleasure.

"You're not ditching our sleepover on the 23rd are you?" I ask, handing her the hot cup. She holds on to my hand clutching the drink and pulls me closer to her, making me look at her dead in her tired eyes.

"I swear to god, Jennie, I will do everything in my power to be there. I promise." she says seriously and releases me to drink her coffee. I let out a chuckle at her statement. "I finish work at 7 tonight. Wanna grab some chicken for dinner? You're not closing today are you?"

"I'm free, it's a Wednesday." I reply and she pinches my cheeks in excitement for her chicken. "Yah, how many times do I have to tell you stop pinching?" I rub the pinched area.

"I just love your mandu cheeks."

She had to leave in dread after that. Knowing Mr. Yang, it would be tough for Jisoo to get away with this one.

And here it is again. The what ifs come flooding my thoughts. This tends to happen a lot, especially when I see my friends so busy and active with their work. I always end up wondering- What if I never quit? What if I carried on with the training for the last year and debuted?

These questions always came with the same answer.

No one would have taken care of my mother.

"Jennie, do we have any more wrapping paper?" Wendy brings me out of my re-occurring thoughts. I nod my head and point to the storage room, where she goes over and gets the paper and walks back to the bookstore.

By the time morning rush hour is over, the café is empty by noon, and we'll be lucky to expect after lunch visitors at around one o'clock. Though by the looks of it, there aren't many people out in the streets because of the heavy snowfall. Wendy might have to get back out there with the shovel.

"A lot of people are coming in to buy books as Christmas gifts." Wendy tells me when I approach the bookstore counter.

"Have you thought of which one to give to your boyfriend?" I ask, leaning my front over the table.

"One, he's not my boyfriend. Two, he's not a reader." she chuckles and goes back to highlighting her thick copy of some novel I don't recognize.

"Right, because him coming to spend his Monday, Wednesday, and Friday nights here until you close doesn't fall along the lines of dating."

"How do you know that?"

"Don't worry. At least now I don't have to come and check up on you through the door." I tease and head back in the café area, ignoring her yelling for me to come back.

I carry on with work and wipe down the empty tables. It might surprise you that Coffee Pages hasn't made it to the A list of cafés in Hongdae when A list celebrities come visit. And the only logical explanation for that is because I make sure no one recognizes my friends when they come. There is a strict rule that goes by, All best friends, that of very high popularity and demand of public appearance, of Jennie Kim, humble owner of Coffee Pages shall wear a cap and/or mask or any alternative disguise when visiting the store.

This is an unwritten rule and one that I made very clear to my friends when I took full responsibility of the store. I even made Wendy swear that she wouldn't tell any of her college friends that idols visit often. I wouldn't want people crowding to get a picture or even just a glimpse of them while they're trying to have a comfortable drink of coffee. I wouldn't want my friends to stop coming here either in case fans would stalk them and wait outside for them to come. On that note, they're my only friends. And this is our spot, even if it has to be in secret.

As expected, the place is empty from noon up until around 1:30 pm, when I hear the bells chime on the door. I walk up to see another friendly face in a cap and mask enter. "Oohh..." she rubs her arms up and down her thick coat as she shivers. "This has to be the coldest it's ever been in Korea."

"Get over here." I pull Rosie into my arms to warm her up with my body heat.

"Oh, this is nice." she sinks into me fully that I have to steady myself firmly. "I love your warm cozy bookstore café."

"You say that every Christmas time."

"And I'll say it every Christmas time for the rest of my life."

I pull away to rub her cold hands and I lead us into the café. "Hi, Wendy!" she greets the college girl highlighting her book away. She greets her back.

"Hot chocolate?" I ask and Rosie nods her head repeatedly with a cute jump to her skinny legs. She takes a seat at one of the tables and pulls down her mask, waiting for me to bring her her favorite hot chocolate, which I top with her favorite strawberry flavored mini marshmallows. "Here you are." I give it to her and she sighs as the heat warms her hands.

"Could I get one of that, too?"

I spin around so fast that I almost get whiplash.

"You're here!" Rosie squeals from behind me.

You might think I'm being dramatic, but time must have stopped. The snow must have paused mid-air and the music must have disconnected from the speakers. I myself must have lost all senses but sight because I can't quit staring.

The person in front of me almost doesn't seem real. Like this should be the first time I'm seeing this face, but it isn't. Like I shouldn't recognize this girl, but I do.

"It's been a long time."

God, she's beautiful.

She extends her hand to me, "The store looks great, Jennie"