disclaimer: might be slightly confusing but basically y/n thinks jimin and karina are different people
"Here you go. Have a nice day!" you said as you handed over the order to the customer.
Today was your first day of a part time job you took up while on semester break. It just so happens to be a barista in the cafe of a building called SM Entertainment.
You weren't into Kpop due to college but you heard that SM was one of the huge entertainment labels that houses numerous famous idol groups.
"Hi, can I get an iced americano to go please?" a long haired girl muttered out, approaching the counter.
"Sure, may I know who this is for?" you asked.
"Jimin" she responded.
You quickly scribbled her name on the cup and started making her drink. Mouthing a quick thank you, the girl collected her drink and exited the cafe.
As the first day of work wrapped up, you discovered that most of the store's customers consist of either company staff, aspiring trainees or established idol singers. Of course all of that didn't matter to you. Doing your job did.
*timeskip*
Over the past few days, you noticed that Jimin would always enter the cafe at exactly 9am and order the same cup of iced americano.
You heard from the store manager that she was a regular in the cafe. "She's probably a trainee or something" you thought, unaware of her identity.
After a whole week, you were exhausted from the full day shifts. You were heavily contemplating whether you should request for lesser shifts. However, this meant that you had lesser chances to see Jimin.
You weren't exactly a morning person. Coming to work early was definitely a struggle but seeing Jimin did make your mornings much more bearable.
She might just be a store regular, but she was definitely much more than that in your heart.
There was something about her deep gentle voice and her soft features that made you look forward to each morning.
Later did you know Jimin was looking forward to seeing you everyday too. She thought that you were pretty cute, especially when you flashed a smile at her. She could feel her heart fluttering whenever you did that.
As both of you saw each other more frequently, Jimin naturally struck up a conversation with you while waiting for her drink.
You told her that you were currently a college student on break while you learnt that she loves dinosaurs, which you found to be quite adorable.
Jimin wanted to know more about you and you were feeling the same way too. However, she had her schedules to attend to and you had your job to do.
*timeskip*
You didn't notice it until the manager pointed out that Jimin had been visiting the cafe more often.
Jimin usually only swung by in the morning to grab her coffee
Nowadays, you observed that she visits the cafe during teatime to order a drink of your recommendation and sometimes a slice of cake.
It wasn't that busy in the late afternoon with little people in the cafe. You were going around sweeping the floor and cleaning tables.
"Do you listen to Kpop?" Jimin asked. Jimin was curious whether you knew anything about Kpop, specifically her group. You shook your head in response.
"But you must be one of the trainees here right?" You replied.
" Yea...Yeah!" she sounded convincingly, realising that you were unaware of the fact that she is in one of the biggest Kpop girl groups.
Jimin had mixed feelings about what she just learnt. On one hand, she wanted to tell you that she is a famous idol and see your reaction to it.
On the other hand, she wanted to keep it a secret. She kind of liked how things were right now and she was afraid it would change once she revealed her identity.
Furthermore, it proved that you had genuine interest in her when she had those little interactions with you.
*timeskip*
As weeks go by, the friendship between Jimin and you was blossoming. She knew everything about you while you knew everything about her. Well almost everything except her idol career.
Aespa's comeback was around the corner and the girls were practicing hard to perform their new song.
"Time to head over again~" Jimin thought as she happily skipped over to the cafe for the umpteeth time this week.
Despite how busy Jimin was, she still made the effort to visit the cafe during breaks. The drinks were just an excuse to see you which made her forget all her problems.
Meanwhile, the members were noticing Jimin's frequent trips to the cafe and her considerably happier than usual mood.
"Good afternoon, Jimin ssi" You said as you saw her strolling through the entrance and started making her drink.
"Good afternoon, y/n" she replied. Jimin sat at a nearby corner table and stared at you, getting lost in her thoughts.
She was definitely falling for you. It was the little things you did. Writing a small heart sign beside her name on the cup. Asking how her day was. Talking to her like she was a normal friend.
"Jiminnnn, your drink is ready." You softly called out her name and waved at her to get her attention.
You definitely had Jimin's attention when you looked in her direction and saw her staring deeply into your eyes. You swore she could see your whole face turn pink as she quickly snapped out of her trance.
Jimin mouthed a quick thank you before she grabbed her drink and dashed out of the cafe. "Never knew it could get this hot indoors" Jimin thought while fanning herself and recalling what just happened.
When Jimin got back to the practice room, the members were waiting for her to resume practice. After what seemed like endless hours of practice, the members were done and ready to head home.
As everyone tidied up the room, Winter saw an unfinished drink left behind by Jimin. Picking it up, she spotted the heart sign written by you.
"Jimin unnie, why does your cup have a heart sign next to your name?" Winter questioned as she lifted the cup and showed the members.
"Crap. I forgot about the drink" Jimin thought as she started panicking internally.
"Erm it's nothing. Let's go home" Jimin replied, grabbing the cup and throwing it into the bin. She quickly ran out of the room to escape the situation.
The remaining members looked at each other and smiled as they figured out the reason behind Jimin's frequent trips to the cafe.
"How about we pay a visit to the cafe and see who is the one that captured our leader's heart?" Ningning smugly suggested as Giselle and Winter nodded their heads in agreement.
*next day*
Today was an unusually busy day for the cafe. You were too busy serving the morning crowd to notice the time.
By the time you got a breather, you noticed that it was already past 9am. By now, Jimin would have stopped by for her morning coffee.
Unknown to you, Jimin decided to lay low and avoid visiting the cafe for a while to avoid the members' suspicion.
You can't say you weren't disappointed but she probably had her reasons. Maybe it was getting real busy for her or she was on break.
Seeing Jimin daily had become part and parcel of your job and you sort of missed it. More specifically, you missed her.
You probably should have confessed to Jimin when you had the chance but you had no courage to do so. Neither did she.
Waiting for each other to make the first move was a mistake and your relationship with Jimin was at a stalemate until someone was willing to make a move.
This was when the other members came into play. They were about to play cupid for the both of you.
Just as you were organising your thoughts, three girls were seen walking through the entrance and stopping in front of the counter.
"Do you work here everyday?"
"Yes? Is there something I can help with you" You replied despite the random question.
The girls glanced at each other, confirming that you were the one Jimin was obsessing over. After staring at the menu for a while, they were ready to order.
"Hii, can I get two iced americano, an iced green tea and a cold matcha latte please?"
"Sure thing, can I have your names please?"
"Karina, Winter, Ningning and Giselle."
You wrote their names down and quickly got to work making their drinks.
As the girls headed to the practice room with the drinks in their hands, they handed the cup of iced americano over to Jimin.
When Jimin saw her stage name on the cup, her eyes widened and she hopped off the floor she was sitting on .
"You all went to the cafe?"
"Yep! And we saw the thief that stole your heart too!" The youngest exclaimed.
"Did you all tell y/n who I was?". Jimin panicked as she thought of the possibility of her identity being exposed.
"Nope. So y/n is his name, he's quite cute... and handsome too" Giselle teased.
"Yeah..." Jimin replied as she stared at the floor embarrassed.
"Don't worry unnie! You both will look good together! Get ready to have a boyfriend by the end of this week!" Winter smiled and said.
Jimin blushed at the thought of you being her boyfriend.
"You must really like him huh"
A plan was hatched to set Jimin up with you and practice was wrapped up early to execute it.
The girls had to dye their hair for their comeback and Jimin had hers dyed blonde and cut short. This was the perfect disguise for Jimin to avoid getting spotted by you.
The plan was simple. The girls were going to give you a copy of their latest album while sneaking in a handwritten confession letter by Jimin.
Next, Jimin would express interest in you and get you to exchange contact numbers with her all while maintaining her disguise as Karina.
Finally, when you opened the album and saw her letter, you would piece everything together and ask her out. The end.
Everything was going smoothly and all that's left was the letter. Writing wasn't as smooth as Jimin wanted it to be. She was able to talk to you about almost anything but right now she couldn't think of anything to write.
As the night went on, she pulled an all-nighter to write down everything she wanted you to know,
*the next day*
As Jimin woke up and got out of her shared room with Ningning, the girls were waiting for her in the kitchen.
"Today is the big day!"
"Morning all" Jimin walked over to the kitchen with her hair in a mess and dark circles under her eyes.
"Couldn't sleep?"
Jimin sighed and nodded. She was too nervous thinking about what was going to happen later today.
"It's okay. Everything will be fine!"
Jimin forced a smile and tried calming herself down while the girls were all excited to see their ship sail.
The girls arrived at the cafe with an album containing the letter and wore masks to hide themselves. Jimin even wore a cap to hide her face.
"Good morning, may I take your order" you said.
"Hi y/n ssi." Giselle smiled and waved at you.
"Do I know you girls?" you asked
"Maybe but you might have heard of us. We are Aespa, one of the groups here in SM" Winter replied.
"Sorry, I don't really follow Kpop. Is there something I can help you all with today?" You said with a puzzled expression on your face, wondering why a girl group would want anything to do with you.
"Nope but here is a special gift from us. Specifically from Karina. Our friend over here is very very very interested in you and would like to exchange numbers with you". Ningning giggled as she handed over the gift-wrapped album and pushed Jimin in front of you.
You bowed as a sign of gratitude and received the album.
"Karina? Ohhh, you were one of the names from yesterday" You said while remembering all the names you wrote on the cups. Ningning nodded her head.
"hii y/n... I 've been liking you for a while now... Is it possible to have your number..." Jimin muttered out while hanging her head low. Never had she felt so nervous. Not even when she was performing in front of everyone.
"Erm I don't really know what to say but firstly thank you for the album" You said. This wasn't the reaction the girls were expecting from you.
You were genuinely flattered that a girl group member liked you. but your mind wandered to Jimin at that very moment. How you interacted with her and how she made you feel.
You realised your heart only had a spot. And it was reserved for Jimin, no one else. Unknown to you, she was right in front of you confessing.
"Erm Karina ssi? It probably took a lot of courage for you to stand in front of me and confess. I would love to get to know you better but I'm really sorry. I am kind of interested in someone else right now but maybe I can be your fan in the future?" You tried to force a smile and lighten the tense situation.
The other members were frozen in their tracks as they saw their plan crumble apart. It took Jimin a lot of self restraint and strength to not break down in tears right there.
" it's okay if you don't like me back. yyou can always be my fan right? ggood luck on getting the girl of your dreams." Jimin mumbled while holding back her tears from falling.
She quickly exited the cafe before she couldn't control her emotions. The remaining members chased after her as you stood there speechless.
Jimin ran to an unused practice room and locked herself in, proceeding to bawl her eyes out.
The members managed to find her and saw her crying through the small window.
Never had they seen their leader in such a fragile state before. Karina was always the tough and steady leader that Aespa could rely on. However, behind the facade was a soft and vulnerable Jimin.
"Maybe we should give her some space." Giselle suggested. The girls agreed in unison, giving Jimin some time to calm down.
All the moments you shared with Jimin flashed before her eyes. Was it all just wishful thinking on her part?
Maybe she had assumed a kind gesture from you to be something much more. Maybe you were just doing your job and never had feelings for her in the first place.
"It's not okay that you don't like me back. I don't want you to be my fan. I just want you to be mine" Jimin whimpered as she hugged her knees and felt her body getting weaker.
Meanwhile, back in the cafe, you were unsure of what to do after what just happened. The incident did make you realise your feelings for Jimin.
You wanted to talk to her right now but you had no way to do so. Feeling dejected, you headed home while holding the special gift from Aespa.
As you reached home, you received a message from your store manager.
"I heard what happened, what do you mean you rejected her? I thought you liked her" The message wrote.
"But I don't like Karina. I like Jimin." You typed a quick reply and headed to the shower.
As you came out of the shower, you saw a response from your manager.
"You just don't get it, do you? Maybe you should open up the gift you received"
You wandered over to the gift that was sitting on your desk and unwrapped it. To your shock, the first thing you saw was Jimin on the album cover.
As you flipped over the cover, a letter dropped out between the pages. You started reading its contents:
To my favourite barista:
Hii, you must be surprised right? >.< The fact that I am in one of the biggest girl groups. The fact that I am known as Karina to the world but only as Jimin to you.
Regardless of which name you call me, I just thought I should be more honest with you. I wanted you to know that I really really like you.
Ever since you started working at the cafe, I find myself visiting it more often than ever. Maybe it was the way you called my name when my drink was done. Maybe it was how your hobbies and interests mirrored mine.
Everytime you called out my name, I felt light headed and giddy inside. Is this what love felt like? I just saw myself falling deeper and deeper for you. Before I knew it, I was in a hole too deep to climb out of.
I know we are two worlds apart but I am willing to fight for us. I hope you feel the same way too! Text me when you see this letter! I'll be waiting! :)
(we exchanged numbers! right?)
From the one and only Jimin/Karina 💙
After reading the last few sentences, you felt tears dripping all over the paper. You ruined her confession and any chance to be with her by unintentionally rejecting her.
You laid in your bed tossing and turning the whole night, unable to fall asleep.
Maybe it wasn't too late to make amendments.
Morning came and you rushed over to the cafe.
"Sorry manager, can I get the day off today. I have someone that I need to attend to urgently." You asked.
"Go and get her." the store manager smiled while wishing you luck.
You quickly brewed up some drinks and brought them up to the SM building.
"Hi, I have a drink delivery for Aespa?" You told the receptionist.
She nodded and directed you to where they were. Reaching the hallway, you saw the girls staying with Jimin from outside the room. She had locked herself in since yesterday.
As you walked up to them, they noticed you and gave you a staredown.
"Sorry, can I get a moment with Jimin? I'll try to talk to her. Some of the drinks are for you all" The girls nodded as they made way for you.
"Could I also get Jimin's number?"
As you peeked in through the window, you saw that Jimin wasn't exactly in the best state. She looked as if she hadn't slept or eaten since yesterday.
You devised a plan to get Jimin's attention. You placed a cup of iced americano and a bag of muffins in front of the room. You knocked on the door before hiding in the room beside Jimin's, repeating this as many times as it took.
Meanwhile, Jimin was getting annoyed with the persistent knocking on the door after finally calming down. She twisted the door knob and was ready to raise her voice when she saw no one in the hallways.
Looking down, she saw the food you left and weakly grabbed it. You took the opportunity to barge into the room before she could close it shut. You were the last person she expected to see.
"You should probably eat up" You said and sat down beside her, looking at her with concern.
"Thank you" She muttered out, gobbling up the food and finished the drink before seeing what was written on the cup: "Karina <3"
Memories started flooding into Jimin's mind. Looking up confusedly, she saw you staring straight into her eyes.
"I read your letter. Every single word of it" You told her while wiping the tears off her face.
" sorry for bothering you... You should be with the girl you're interested in". She whispered while trying to avoid your eyes.
" I am. Talking to her right now. You might want to check your messages" You replied as you saw her eyes widened. She took out her phone and opened her messages.
To my favourite customer:
You could have just told me you were interested in me as Jimin. I would have accepted your confession.
Now you are just making me look like the bad guy by confessing as Karina. :( You know I don't listen to Kpop right?
Here I am to make up for things by exchanging numbers with you and texting you back. I feel the same way too! Maybe you would like to go out on a date sometime? >.<
From the one and only y/n / your fan 💙
Jimin brightened up after reading your text. "Do you really mean it?" She asked. You smiled and nodded your head in response.
"By the way, I am more of a fan of your old hair compared to your new hair" You confessed.
"Me too! The company made me do it... Next time, I'll keep my hair black. Just for you." Jimin pouted while staring at your lips.
You thought she looked real cute at the moment. Leaning forward, your lips touched hers as you heard the girls squealed in excitement peeking from outside.
Both of you pulled away from the kiss. "I'll never let go of you. Maybe you can be my fan and mine after all" Jimin smiled as she hugged your arm while linking your hand with hers. Jimin walked out of the room together with you. Happier than ever.
The girls were sorry to Jimin for trying too hard to get involved in her love story but congratulated you two for finally being together.
Truth to be told, The promise was fulfilled but the plan didn't work. Jimin did have a boyfriend at the end of the week. It just wasn't how the girls imagined it to be.
the end
*thank you for taking the time to read this story*