Chapter 1: Opening
The familiar smell of freshly roasted coffee wafted into Yunho’s nose as he walked into the open doors of Number 5. He inhaled deeply and relished the aroma. Punching in, he began to remove his grey scarf and folded it loosely.
He guessed that the bitter sweet smell of coffee beans must be the work of his youngest employee. He poked his head over the swinging doors, the kind you find in old Westerners, which lead into the kitchen and was taken back with the strong smell of coffee. Sure enough, he found the young teen working, stirring the contents of a wok slowly.
“You’re in early…” Yunho said and raised an eyebrow.
Changmins head popped up abruptly. He looked blankly at Yunho. “I thought I’d get a head start…” he said.
Yunho nodded. “I like your work ethic…”
“Thanks…” Changmin said simply as his gaze returned to the wok of roasting beans.
Yunho nodded and walked away from the kitchen door. He still found conversations with the young teen still awkward and stale. He never could hold a conversation with that boy for more than 5 minutes. Even reaching 3 minutes was a huge accomplishment.
Changmin was a quiet boy. According to his resume, he graduated university at the top of his class when he was only 17. Yes, Changmin was one of those child prodigies you hear about on TV, kids that play piano when they’re still in diapers or kids that solve mathematical equations that rocket scientists find impossible. He was one of them. Though, instead of contributing his genius to the scientific world, he decided to get involved in the art of the barista.
Honestly, Yunho did not take this resume seriously and threw it out the minute he finished reading it. What kind of idiot would believe a 19 year old, who hasn’t even entered college yet, be a world renowned barista? Certainly not Jung Yunho.
Though for his rash actions, he was unceremoniously plucked from the car park near his apartment by a very pissed looking Shim Changmin. He had viciously ambushed Yunho in the parking lot, pinning him against his car, demanding to know why he wasn’t hired.
Yunho, being Yunho, told him, which only succeeded in making the youth more pissed off than he already was. During which, Changmin threw Yunho in his car determined to show that he wasn’t the fake that Yunho had thought him to be.
And the rest was history. IF you know what I mean…
Yunho ended up hiring him. Part of the reason being that, the cup of coffee Changmin made for Yunho was the best he had ever tasted, the other being that Changmin was asking for less than what many of the other baristas were asking for, which meant a great deal to Yunho.
He could already see the dollar signs.
Yunho sighed as he tied on his necktie. Going through a traumatic ordeal like that just made it harder for him to establish a boss and employee relationship with Changmin. Even becoming mere acquaintances was a challenge.
“Things will get better with time…” Yunho mumbled to himself as he neatened up his hair.
Suddenly, the door of the locker room opened and in walked a very disgruntled looking Jae Joong and a perky looking Junsu. Junsu raised an arm in the air as a greeting.
“Good morning, sir!”
Jae Joong on the other hand just grunted and walked over to his locker without another word.
“Woke up on the wrong side of the bed, Jae?” Yunho asked.
“He’s not a morning person…” Junsu answered for the sleepy looking Jae Joong as he began to change.
Yunho smiled and looked over to Jae Joong, who definitely didn’t look too pleased about having to wake up at 8 in the morning. Jae Joong and Junsu were roommates. It’s quite complicated to explain their relationship at the moment as it goes way back, to about a year ago.
Junsu is an upbeat, warm-hearted, straight forward guy with little intelligence to speak of. Though what he lacks in brains he makes up for in heart and sheer work effort. His tendency to point out the obvious and see the best and worst in people is what earns him friends and enemies. Which is why he usually comes to work with bandages and cuts all over him from all the street fights he gets himself into. Although he swears he’s turned over a new leaf and wants to stop gallivanting and getting himself hurt every night, he wants to earn money to send to his sick grandmother in the country.
Junsu is one of Yunho’s oldest and most loyal friends, he was of the first that offered to give Yunho a hand when he was practically kicked out and disowned by his parents. For that, Yunho was grateful and indebted to him.
Now, for this other character, Kim Jae Joong. Yunho was a little weary of him, knowing of course that he and Junsu found him passed out in his own blood in the side of the street. Yunho being Yunho, wanted to mind his own business and walk away but Junsu, being Junsu of course, stopped him.
The young man, ended up as a permanent resident in Junsus super small apartment. Yunho hired him as a favour to Junsu, who had taken a liking to this amnesiac stranger. Yes, amnesiac. Jae Joong has no recollection whatsoever of what happened to him, who he was or where he is from. Also, Yunho hired him for his sheer looks.
Jae Joong had the features of an angel, plucked straight out from heaven. If Yunho didn’t know better, he would say that Jae Joong was a celebrity, but after doing research, that idea was quickly scrapped. Jae Joong was graceful on his feet, quick with his hands and quick to learn as well. This made him a prime candidate for a waiter.
“You wouldn’t believe what I had to do just to make him get out of bed!” Junsu whined as he put on his shirt.
“It’s not my fault you kept me up drinking!” Jae Joong protested.
“I wasn’t the one keeping you up! You were the one keeping me up!”
Yunho quickly exited the room, he didn’t want to be caught in the crossfire. That was the one thing that made him regret ever hiring them, they fought whenever they found the time to. However little, however insignificant, those two would always find a way to bicker about it and though they never seemed to make up, the two would become good friends again after a day passes.
In the hallway, Yunho bumps into his last employee, Park Yoochun. His job is to bake the pastries and desserts that they were going to sell. Yoochun is also a quiet person, almost a mirror of Changmin except that he has a sweet tooth, especially for girls. Yoochun graduated from a well renowned cooking school somewhere in France where he specialised in baking, mostly pastries and bread. But apart from that, the only other thing he knew about Yoochun was his birthday, blood type and religion, while everything else about the man was still a mystery.
Altogether, it’s only been a month since Yunho first hired these people to work for him at his cafe, The Number 5. Since then, they’ve slowly grown closer to each other, getting accustomed to each other’s unique traits and quirks. Slowly, Yunho had to admit, but surely.
Grabbing a cloth from behind the counter at the front of the cafe, Yunho began to wipe the tables and rearrange the chairs as he does so. Today, the Number 5 will officially open at noon. It will be their grand opening, their time to strut their stuff and shine.
Though, he may have a slight disadvantage, after all he majored in law not business, he was positive that his cafe will be able to make it big. He was sure of it.
Pretty soon, Jae Joong and Junsu joined him in cleaning the cafe and sprucing it up for the big event, while in the kitchen the smell of roasting coffee beans began to mingle with the sweet smell of cake and freshly baked bread.
Yunho took in a deep breath of the sweet aroma as he looked out the window that overlooked the somewhat busy street outside and grinned to himself.
“Heads up guys!” he called. “Here comes our first customer!
