Park Mi Young stepped into the coffee shop out of the darkness of the winter night, shaking snow off of her loose black curls she sent a wave over to a few of the regulars that were seated in lush chairs in the corner. The coffee shop Mi Young worked in was small but very popular since it was owned by an Italian man and people would all but kill to get authentic european style coffee in South Korea. Tonight the coffee shop was slammed, they were nearing Christmas time as many couples and families were out shopping, filling the shop near to bursting. She could see the frantic faces of her coworkers as they tried to keep up with the pace, both in taking orders and making the drinks.

She knew that her boss, Anthony, wouldn’t call her in on her day off no matter how desperate the shop needed help, which is why she checked the schedule and called one of her friends that had been scheduled this evening, hearing the absolute desperation in her voice Mi Young had agreed to come help tonight. Mi Young was the best barista in the shop and had competed in local competitions with baristas from other cafes and had made drinks around all of them, leaving them in her dust.

Weaving her way through the crowd she pulled her hair up into a high ponytail and slipped behind the counter and into the backroom, pulling a black apron from her purse she locked her purse away for her shift. She was tucking her black button-down shirt into her waistband as she turned, seeing Anthony standing in the doorway with his arms crossed. She smiled warmly at him as he gave her a lasting glare before shaking his head.

“You didn’t have to come in.” He finally spoke in English, his Korean was only passable for how long he had been in Korea, but luckily Mi Young had excelled in English during her time in school and Anthony had learned English while still in Italy so it was their easiest means of communication.

“I obviously did.” Mi Young replied as she slipped her apron over her head and wrapped it around her waist to come and tie in a bow in the front.

“Mi Young-“ He sighed.

“Just tell me thanks when the madness has died down. I’m going to pull Jin Soo off of bar and have him help by stocking everything up again.” She flashed her boss one more smile before stepping onto the floor of the cafe. It was still as busy if not more now since the snow storm had gotten worse and people were fleeing inside to escape the cold.

“Jin Soo, I’m taking your spot, stock the bar back up for me and then do a lobby sweep and see if anyone needs anything.” Mi Young said as she slid up next to the young barista who nearly jumped out of his skin. Mi Young had a tendency to tread lightly enough that she surprised most people, especially when there was such a commotion around them.

“Of course, thank you for coming Mi Young-ssi!” He gave her a relieved look and a small bow before he was darting away, no doubt to take a moment in the back. Mi Young started to rearrange her espresso machine how she liked it, cleaning the steaming wand, running some fresh water through the espresso drip, knocking the old espresso grounds out of the drawer, She moved the bottle of caramel to the left and her shot glasses next to it. She pulled the next cup out of the line to see it was a caramel macchiato and she leaned down pulling the milk out of the fridge at her feet. She poured the right amount into the metal pitcher and slid the steam wand in and pulled down on the handle, a screeching came from the machine as it began to heat and aerate the milk. As soon as it reached 48 Degrees Celsius she set the pitcher against the machine and let the milk simply roll and heat up. She pumped a few pumps of vanilla flavoring into the bottom of the cup and pulled her shot glasses beneath the espresso dispenser. She started two spots of expresso to brew and pulled the now finished milk out from the wand, wiping it down with a wet cloth that was beneath her machine and pulling on the handle again to clear out any remaining milk that may be inside. Using one hand she held a metal spoon against the lip of the pitcher and poured the milk into the cup, keeping the foam out until the very end. As the shots finished she gently poured them over the top so they wouldn’t drop too far down from the foam and then pulled the caramel into her hand she began to make swirls in the foam with the caramel.

When she had more time she loved to make designs in foam, hearts, spider webs, cats, dogs, you name it she would make it, but when she was limited on time and people were impatient to get their coffee she would settle for simple designs, not like most of them looked under the lids of their to-go cups anyways. It was always the regulars that noticed the little designs she left for then and complimented her on her work.

She launched into the drinks making them as fast as she could ignoring the way the syrups sprayed up against her skin when she pumped them so fast. Her forehead was soon beaded with sweat as she continued to work at her fastest pace, reaching down and grabbing new milk jugs every few minutes, constantly shouting over her shoulder for something else she needed. Finally after what seemed like hours the crowd seemed to diminish, leaving only their late night regulars and a few stragglers.

Mi Young was taking a minute to wipe down the bar, scrubbing off all of the syrup that had flown all over from her furious drink making, and swiping the loose ice cubes on the counter onto the floor. The bell above the door gave a happy jingle and she looked up with a tired smile, ready to great the new customer, only to see a lone child walking in. She gave the child a curious look as the little girl, probably around the age of five years old, looked around the cafe, her face pinched in worry.

“Yah, Jin Soo!” Mi Young called over the other barista. “Will you cover the bar for a second?” She was already walking away from her machine, drying her hands on her apron as she walked around the counter and headed for the child. As Mi Young got closer she could see the very clear fright on the little girl’s face, her chin trembling and the start of tears welling in her eyes. Mi Young stopped in front of the child and crouched down, smiling as she came face to face with the little girl. She was adorable in her little pink coat and matching pink hat, her cheeks and nose were red from the cold.

“Anyoung haseyo.” Mi Young greeted with a soft smile not wanting to frighten the distraught child more.

“Anyoung haseyo.” The little girl’s voice cracked as she gave Mi Young a small bow.

“What is your name?” Mi Young could see her calming down slightly and decided to keep her talking.

“Choi Su-bin.” The little girl replied and Mi Young gave her a bright smile.

“It’s very nice to meet you Su-bin, I’m Park Mi Young. Su-bin where is your mom or dad?” Mi Young questioned, and Su-bin’s chin began to tremble again.

“I don’t know, I was here with my Uncle and I got lost.” Su-bin stumbled over here words as the tears finally spilled from her eyes. Mi Young reached forward and pulled Su-bin into a hug, standing up and propping her against her hip as Su-bin cried into her shoulder.

“Shh, it’s okay, I will help you find your Uncle.” Mi Young comforted as she held Su-bin close, running her hand against the little girl’s hair and softly shushing her. She continued to sob into Mi Young as she walked to the back of the cafe where the lush arm chairs were, giving Anthony a small smile as she passed, her boss shaking his head at her before returning to work. Mi Young sat down in one of the chairs, keeping Su-bin in her lap and letting the little girl keep crying until she had calmed down. She could only imagine what it felt like to get completely separated from your loved one, remembering a time when she had wandered off from her mother when they were at the market and the desperation and fear she had felt at that time. Luckily her mother had only been a few stalls back and they had quickly been reunited, but Su-bin had obviously wandered far from her uncle.

Finally Su-bin’s sobs began to fade into little hiccups against Mi Young and she pulled the little girl back slightly. She gave Su-bin a warm smile and leaned forward to grab some tissues from the table, drying her eyes and wiping her nose. Su-bin was still sniffling but her tears seemed to have stopped for now.

“Su-bin, do you know your uncle’s cellphone number?” Mi Young asked and the little girl shook her head. “Do you know your home phone number?” The little girl nodded her head and Mi Young shifted to pull her cellphone out of her back pocket, unlocking it and handing the phone to Su-bin. The little girl typed in the phone number and held it to her ear, waiting for a few minutes before handing it back to Mi Young.

“They didn’t pick up. They aren’t home.” Su-bin pouted and began to breath quickly as she began to get upset again.

“It’s okay.” Mi Young soothed as she pulled Su-bin against her again, smoothing her hair and rocking her slight. “We can keep calling until they get home.” She could feel Su-bin relax against her and her breathing slowed down once more. They sat like that for some time, Mi Young rocking Su-bin back and forth, before Mi Young suggested they try calling again. Su-bin dialed her home phone again, and again no one answered. Su-bin handed the phone back with a frown, but she didn’t begin to cry this time.

“Su-bin, do you want to do something fun while we wait to call again?” Mi Young asked and the little girl nodded up at her, her eyes still red from crying earlier. She stood up and settled Su-bin on her hip, grateful that although the little girl was older, she was small for her age and it hardly strained Mi Young to carry her like this. Su-bin wrapped her arms around Mi Young’s neck and pulled her close as she walked them to the front, smiling at the few customers that remained and were looking at them curiously.

“Anthony!” Mi Young called as she stepped behind the counter and peered into the backroom.

“Yeah?” He shouted back from somewhere in the backroom, followed by a loud crash. Mi Young flinched at the bang and gave Su-bin a small smile.

“I’m going to teach Su-bin how to do latté art.” She shouted back to her boss who rounded the corner, his entire front covered with milk, signaling that he had no doubt dropped and entire jug of milk.

“Su-bin?” He questioned as he grabbed a towel from above the washing machine to dry himself off.

“Choi Su-bin, this is Anthony, the owner of the shop.” Mi Young told Su-bin in Korean before switching to English and introducing Anthony to Su-bin.

“Is she a run away?” Anthony questioned as he looked at the little girl curiously .

“No, she just got separated from her uncle, we keep trying to call her home phone but no one’s home yet, so I’m going to keep her busy between calling.” Mi Young turned to give a smile to Su-bin who was looking at her curiously. “What is it Su-bin?”

“My uncle speaks that funny language a lot too.” The little girl said as she looked up at Mi Young.

“Ah so your uncle must speak English very well then.” Mi Young replied as she gave a small nod to Anthony and turned to head out towards the espresso machines.

“Yeah my uncle does a lot of things really really really well.” Su-bin boasted, perking up slightly.

Mi Young raised her eyebrow at the little girl. “What does your uncle do Su-bin?”

“He’s a singer!” Su-bin chirped a smile forming on her face.

“Ah a singer, he must be very talented for you to speak of him so highly.” Mi Young smiled at the little girl’s enthusiasm, she must really love her uncle, although she felt a pang of pity for Su-bin’s uncle who must be frantic searching for her right now. Mi Young had thought about taking her outside to look for her uncle, but it was late at night and now very cold and she didn’t want Su-bin to catch a cold.

“Do you like cat’s Su-bin?” Mi Young asked as she began to pour milk into a pitcher. The little girl nodded quickly and she laughed. “I’m going to make you a cat then.” Mi Young used one hand to flick the steam wand out and slid the pitcher under the wand.

“Su-bin, will you pull down on that handle right there for me?” She used her head to gesture to the silver handle that would activate the steam wand and the little girl reached forward the pull down on it, jumping when the wand began to screech inside the milk. Mi Young smiled and began to work the milk under the steam wand, making the foam reach higher and higher until finally it shut off. She set down the pitcher of foamed milk and wiped the steam wand clean. She filled a second picture with milk and slid it under the wand, nodding her head at the handle and Su-bin reached forward and pulled down again. This time Mi Young only let the foam build a little before she let the milk continue to bubble and heat up. She grabbed two porcelain cups from beside her espresso machine and pumped some chocolate into both cups. Normally she would just put shots of espresso into the cups and add the milk, but she felt that Su-bin was too young for espresso, and it was too late for she to have any herself, unless she wanted to be up all night, so instead she had settled on chocolate to color the milk.

Once the second pitcher of milk was done steaming she slid it out from the wand and grabbed a spoon, making sure to hold back all the foam she filled both of the cups, the milk turning the color of milk chocolate. Su-bin was looking at Mi Young curiously as she cleaned her spoon and the first picture of foamed milk. Slowly she began to scoop out little dollops of the foam and settled them into the cup, settling her spoon into the foam she grabbed a small metal pin and began to shape the foam, starting at the edge of one cup she began to make little circles around the edges of the cup out of the foam before moving towards the center and beginning to form the foam into two fish. Moving to the other cup she began to form the cat, making its tail and body before quickly lifting the foam over the edge of the cup into the other cup and making the head. She dipped the needle into the chocolate and began to use the drink to add details to the fish, putting designs on their tails and fins, and then adding eyes and a nose to the cat. Once Mi Young was done she adjusted so that Su-bin could fully see the design she had made for her and the little girl clapped excitedly, a smile splitting her face.

“Unnie it looks real!” Su-bin exclaimed, her eyes wide with wonder. Mi Young felt a swell of pride at not only how happy Su-bin looked but at also having the little girl call her Unnie.

“Thank you Su-bin.” She smiled brightly down at the little girl on her hip. The bell above the door chiming brought her attention up as she gave a smile to the new customer.

“Wel-“ The words caught in her throat as she was greeted with the sight of none other than Choi Seung Hyun, his hair was a mess and his breaths were ragged as his panicked face searched the cafe.

“Samchon!” Su-bin cried out and his attention snapped to them, his panic seeming to instantly disappear as he looked at the little girl in Mi Young’s arms. Su-bin began to wiggle in her arms and Mi Young let her down, her little legs carrying her around the back of the bar and to her uncle as fast as they could. Seeing Hyun swept the little girl into his arms, clutching her to him as close as possible.

Mi Young smiled and grabbed a tray from under the counter, using the metal needle that she had used to make the details she slid the foam cat back into one of the cups and then placed both the mug with the cat and the fish onto the tray. She walked around the counter to where the two were still reuniting. She gave them a moment more before interrupting, bowing slightly although neither of them looked up to see her do so.

“Excuse me, you have both had a long night, would you like to sit down.” Mi Young’s voice snapped Seung Hyun’s gaze to her and he nodded slightly, not setting Su-bin down as he walked to a pair of leather chairs, and sat down, keeping Su-bin in his lap. Mi Young followed and placed both of the mugs down on a table that separated the two chairs. Smoothing her shirt she sat down in the empty chair and looked up only to meet his gaze boring into her. Her eyes widened and she looked down again, a soft flush rising to her cheeks.

“Samchon, unnie was taking care of me!” Su-bin’s voice broke the silence and Mi Young dared to look up once again, meeting his gaze although it was less intense.

“Su-bin came into the shop about half an hour ago when she got lost, we have been trying to contact her parents but no one is answering the home phone.” Mi Young stumbled over her words as she tried to explain the situation to him. Never in all of her life had she guessed that she would meet an idol, perhaps if she had gone to fan meets or fan signs, but here at her work, never.

Suddenly Seung Hyun stood up, his chair scraping on the ground with his abrupt movement and he placed Su-bin on the ground. Mi Young looked up at his tall form curiously, perhaps he was upset with her for not calling the cops or maybe she had not handled the situation as well as she thought. Her mind was swimming with panic that she was taken by surprise when he bent nearly in half, bowing low to her. Mi Young jumped to her feet and met his bow with one of her own.

“Thank you so much for taking care of my niece while we were separated.” His voice was filled with relief as he kept his low bow to you for a moment longer. You made sure that he stood straight before you lifted out of your bow.

“It was nothing, Su-bin is a wonderful little girl.” Mi Young smiled down at the little girl who rushed over to wrap her arms around her legs.

“Unnie made a cat and fish for me!” Su-bin said proudly and Mi Young chuckled before pointing to the two mugs on the table. Su-bin gasped and let go of her to rush over and look at the mugs. Although she was a darling little thing, her attention span was short, and it was no wonder that she had wandered off from her uncle. Mi Young looked up as Seung Hyun moved back to his chair and gestured for her to sit first and she flushed again but sat down so that he could.

“I cannot thank you enough for taking care of Su-bin. I was worried sick over where she had gone, or if someone had taken her.” Seung Hyun’s voice was thick with emotion and she sent a small smile over to him.

“It honestly was nothing, I’m just glad I was here to help.” Mi Young was very glad honestly, Su-bin was adorable and they had bonded very well.

“Please, I would like to repay you for taking such good care of my niece-“

Mi Young cut him off by holding up her hand. “I want nothing, I only did what any decent person would have done in this situation. My reward is seeing Su-bin and you reunited.” She sent him a smile that conveyed how honest she felt these emotions.

“There must be something I can do to repay your kindness.” Seung Hyun pressed but Mi Young shook her head.

“Just promise that you will continue to be an amazing uncle to Su-bin and take care of her.” Mi Young assured as she stood up. “Please enjoy the hot chocolates that Su-bin and I made, I have to help finish closing up the store.” She gave him a low bow before turning and walking back towards her awestruck coworkers. “Get back to work.” She chastised soft, shooing them away from staring at the kpop star. She began to break down the espresso bar and handed off the pieces of it to be taken to the back, keeping the others busy and in the back so that they wouldn’t interrupt Seung Hyun and Su-bin who were now both enjoying their hot chocolates, smiling and talking in their chairs.

She continued to clean and break things down, sending them to the back to be cleaned, and once cleaned she put them back together again, starting to finally feel tired as the end of the night was near. A movement in front of her caught her attention and she looked up from reassembling the espresso bar to see Seung Hyun standing in front of her with Su-bin on his hip.

“Unnie!” Su-bin chimed and held out their two empty mugs.

Mi Young smiled and grabbed them from her. “Thank you so much Su-bin!”

“Excuse me.” Seung Hyun suddenly said and she turned her attention to him. “I just realized I have yet to learn the name of the woman that took care of my niece.”

Mi Young gave a small laugh and bowed slightly. “I’m Park Mi Young.”

“Thank you once again Park Mi Young for taking such good care of my niece.” Seung Hyun gave her a bow and began to head for the door, Su-bin twisting in his arms to turn around and wave at her. Once they were out the door Mi Young let out a breath and placed her hands on the counter, hunching over slightly. That was certainly more excitement than she had been expecting on her day off.

“I can’t believe you didn’t even ask for a selfie with him!” Jin Soo exclaimed as he walked out carrying more clean machine parts.

“Yah Jin Soo keep your nose in your own business!” Mi Young scolded him and shooed him to the back once more. While she knew that she would regret not taking advantage of meeting her first idol ever, she was just happy that Su-bin was back safe with her uncle. They continued to close down the store, the rest of the customers biding them farewell and finally they all left the store, locking the doors behind them. Mi Young mildly wondered if she would meet Sung Hyun ever again, but quickly dismissed the thought, it was already rare for idols to go shopping in public, let alone in the same place twice.

She walked home with a little hop in her step as the snow continued to fall around her, the grey clouds brightening up the night and her walk home. As she stepped through the front door she left her shoes just inside, since she would be working once again tomorrow she left them out to dry. She quickly found her bed and was fast asleep, a long day full of excitement had zapped her energy.

Notes

Hoping to make this into a multi chapter series but we will see.