#omg askjfds; no worries at all !!!!

[dvpendable]

the words spill from his mouth, and danbi makes a mental note to secure more sashimi lunch boxes in the future for their afternoon meals - it's rare for fresh fields to have them these days, as the aisles are full of more festive foods, all sorts of holiday-themed items lined up on the shelves, but if yellowtail leans more towards being one of his favorites, then she'll make sure to do what she can to get the same arrangement next time. maybe, if she's lucky, she can even get one that has it exclusively. or, if she's feeling particularly brave, she can simply ask one of the staff to create one. it'd be a nice surprise to have one custom-made for their lunch hour - she's hopeful that it wouldn't be too much trouble, and of course she would pay whatever cost they saw fit for such a favor.

"don't worry about me," she chirps, feeling that warmth in her chest again as he voices his concern. it's not necessarily a white lie, as she had eaten earlier before her shift began, but she feels full enough being able to see hajoon indulge in his own lunch. there's something fulfilling about caring for others, and her heart expands a little more with each passing second. she's glad to see him eating, as she's sure he's been preoccupied the last few hours with the morning coffee rush. "i had a big breakfast," she continues, reaching over to take a piece of salmon. she doesn't saturate it as much as he does in soy sauce, not always the biggest fan of salty tastes, but does gently dip it ever so slightly into her own sauce container - it's a bit funny when you take into consideration the contrast between them, and danbi can't help but giggle a little as she pops the sashimi into her mouth, chewing a few times before swallowing. "it hasn't been all that busy today, actually - probably the calm before the storm, since it'll be the weekend soon."

she takes another piece or two of salmon, leaving the yellowtail mostly for hajoon before she sets her chopsticks down, busying herself with another sip of water before deciding to tackle some of the rice and soup at her side before it gets too cold. "how has your day been?" she asks after a few heartbeats, curious on how his shift has been thus far - she figures it's been busy, especially as it gets colder and more and more people crave something warm in their hands as winter approaches. "oh, by the way, my coworker said he stopped here this morning and was really impressed with your espresso skills. the best he's had, and that's saying something considering he's tried every coffee shop in town."

danbi can't help but beam, somehow feeling proud when she'd heard the older man bragging about his beverage in the breakroom this morning. she didn't want to boast and let him in on the secret that she knew hajoon personally, but couldn't help but feel the swell of excitement bubble in her chest. she admired hajoon's craft, even if she wasn't a coffee drinker - something he had sworn he'd work on changing, though it hadn't been all too successful when her first love was, and always would be, matcha. "you should think about opening up your own shop one day," she says brightly, the ends of her lips curving upwards. "you'd get a lot of regulars! and i'd be happy to be one."

the brief retelling of the great battle of fresh fields extracts a huff from hajoon, adjacent to a laugh. the fickle wood of his chopsticks crackle as the breaks them apart, rubbing them between his palms as if starting a fire. he has troubles imagining a five foot something danbi fighting tooth and nail to defend their lunch, but he’s willing to play into her fantasy as a token of gratitude for the meal before him. “my bad, i’m sure you fought bravely,” he corrects his statement. the plastic of the soy sauce satchel is a bit unrelenting at first but it eventually caves in for hajoon to pour it into the cornered valley of the plastic lid for them to dip the sashimi into. he hums as she explains how she actually came about the highly sought out goods. it comes to no surprise that danbi’s nature invites others to care for her, to make cuts and create loopholes for favors. she’s the type you want to protect and nurture, a kind and bubbly spirit that is rare in this world nowadays. all the sillier does he feel to be taken care of by her. it’s tough to explain, but their connection feels like second nature. hajoon can’t shake the feeling that he has experienced this before, in another life. whenever he enjoys danbi’s coexistence, the blurry memory of sitting around the breakfast table with his family becomes clearer. he swears it’s almost tangible, the presence of his sister right next to him becomes so real, he can feel the body heat of her arm brushing his shoulder. he shudders whenever that sensation washes over him, an odd familiarity that feels eerie and reassuring at the same time. isn’t he taking too much? that’s what runs through his head at times. although he reciprocates the sacrifice of nourishment by bringing danbi the calorie bombs that are left over at the café by the end of the day. pistachio croissants, chocolate croffles, twisted donuts with powered sugar that turned translucent over the course of the day, bagels filled with red bean paste, salted butter bread, and sometimes even injeolmi rice cakes. on days where they sold out, hajoon returned home with a bad conscience gnawing on his brain, even though danbi had never expressed the need for any reciprocation. besides, the lunch deliveries are secondary, a small fraction of what she actually gives him. her presence is comforting, it envelops him like a warm blanket. even without him saying out loud what’s weighing on his mind, danbi always finds the right words. as trivial as they may be. perhaps she doesn’t even aim to alleviate his worries, but she still manages to do precisely that, with ease even. hajoon assumes it is in her nature to simply be a carefree spirit, bound by no weight to the earthly concerns like the people around them. whenever he tries to steer the conversation into the depth of her mind, she makes sure to change the course, stay on the path of im hajoon. he reprimands himself to not let himself sway by her so easily, but it’s hard. and also, it’s good. good to receive balm for the soul. ”i think yellowtail is underrated,” he says as his chopsticks reach for the neatly arranged yellowtail slice before giving it a soy sauce bath. “are you sure you’re not hungry, though? you must have been on your feet for hours.” he gives her a glance before plopping the slice in his mouth, it’s as smooth and buttery as he imagined it.