The bustling atmosphere of Lattea, a cozy, small yet popular cafe, filled with faces, young and old, slowly drains the life out of a young man as he finishes purging a steam wand, signaling the end of the final wave of the morning rush.
"Hey Sun, you're moving a lot slower this morning." A voice scolds from behind.
"Sorry, Manager Han, it's the middle of mid-term week, and I haven't been getting the best sleep. I'll try not to burden you further." Sun responds, lowering his head in a courteous bow.
Manager Han, staring at Sun's head, taps it lightly, making Sun raise his head to meet his manager's eyes.
"The circles under your eyes are getting worse..." Manager Han scolds, pulling at Sun's dark eye bags with her thumb. "I need you to take better care of yourself. I hate to say it, but you bring in a lot of the women clientele, so I need you to look your best."
Sun brushes her hand away from his face, as he fully stands up to face the espresso machine, pressing a couple of buttons to make it whir to life as he proceeds to make a drink for himself.
"Ash just got in, so after you make that, go ahead and clock out, and I'll see you on Friday." She states, her eyes following his face to read his expression without avail.
Sun proceeds to make a simple caramel-flavored quad shot of espresso, cleaning the porta-filter and cups before pouring it over ice and walking towards the backroom of the cafe.
Sun proceeds to take off his apron and walks towards his designated cubby, labeled simply with tape and some Sharpie, contrasting with the other neatly and exaggeratedly decorated cubbies of his fellow coworkers.
"Ya' loo' like shit Sun." A loud voice booms from Sun's side.
"Thanks, Ashlyn, it's midterms this week," Sun responds sarcastically.
"There ya' go again, I kee' tellin' ya's to call me Ash! It sounds weird when ya's call me by my full name." Ash scolds. She walks up to give Sun a playful smack on the arm. Sun retreats slightly, without much success, due to his larger frame being crammed between the wall and Ash.
"For a big guy, you're quite the wuss!" Ash jokes, "Well, get on then! I know you got class!" She waves off, the conversation ending with Ash tightly winching her apron across her hips and greeting a couple of the oncoming customers.
Sun takes leave, stabbing a small straw into his cup as he exits through the back of the cafe. The crisp air of dawn hits Sun's lungs, a slight wince of cold, followed by a hint of maple. He spaces out slightly, his daze broken by the haughty laughter of a group of kids walking past. He looks back, reminiscing about a distant, hazy memory.
A bespeckled girl, with a bright smile, is making fun of his buzzcut, something caused entirely by her. His thoughts are broken by his own reflection in the glass entrance of the university staring back at him, his hair longer. Eyes, tired, hidden behind the slight fog in his glasses, and a slouch that would make Quasimodo jealous. He straightens up his posture, jerking his bag over his shoulder to position it more comfortably before walking up to the senor that opens the sliding door of the university.
Sun tightens his gaze slightly, adjusting to the lighting of the main hall before taking a deep breath and continuing his stride through the crowd of university students. The constant banter, whispers, and small talk drain the energy out of Sun, despite the highly caffeinated drink working its way through his bloodstream.
As Sun weaves his way through the crowd, he feels a slight bump on his chest, looking down and realizes he had a small collision with a woman, around his age, who is accompanied by another woman slightly younger than the one who still has her face buried into his jacket.
"Hey, you fucking giraffe, your head is so far up in the clouds! Watch where you're walking!" A voice bellows from below him.
"Da-eun! Shut up! I can't have you getting into a fight with the other students!" Another smaller voice reprimands.
Sun apologizes, lowering his head on instinct. Da-eun rubs her nose where she made contact with Sun's chest. Da-eun adjusts her glasses on the bridge of her nose, meeting Sun's gaze as he raises his eyes to meet hers. A flash of memories, an electric shock even, strikes Sun as he begins to distinguish the woman in front of him with familiarity. His face contorts between shock and curiosity, before settling on a quiet but ferocious anger.
"S-Salem....?" He mutters.