Chapter Text
I can’t. I need that damn caffeine or else.
Minhyun was about to throwing his laptop across the room but he stayed calm and sighed, clutching the mouse on his Optimus Prime printed mouse pad. He was this near to snap his laptop into two or throw it through his dorm room’s window.
Being in Business and Management major made his body and soul drained, especially when he had to finish two to three assignments in about two weeks. He stretched his body and grabbed his phone, tapping on his KaTalk and sent a message to some of his friends that he thought were free.
‘Who wants to go grab some coffee with me, i’m dying’.
He waited for about 30 seconds before his phone beeping.
Onibugi : ‘ sorry, i can’t, tutoring Hyunbin right now, btw Minki went to buy some food a minute ago, he can’t reply since his phone is dead, i’ll bring you some snacks when i go home’.
Minhyun smiled at the reply, sure having an angel as a roommate was such a freaking blessing. He replied a thank you sticker and his phone was beeping again.
TigerBandit : ‘sure, btw Aron is asleep, let’s meet at the 1st floor’.
He grinned and typing ‘alright!’ before he rushed to get everything he needed and locked the room.
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Dongho was already stood in front of the dorm, waving lightly at Minhyun. Dongho looked like he just woke up, there were stubbles on his chin, his eyes were a bit swollen. He wore white t-shirt with a black bomber jacket with white tiger embroidered at the back, a black cap that almost covered his eyebrows, a black jogging pants and sports shoes. If people didn’t know who he was, he might be misunderstood as the local hooligan.
“Wow, you look like a vampire that hadn’t drink blood for a century”, Dongho laughed, showing his perfect white teeth smile.
“I don’t want to hear that from someone who looked like he murdered a gang member last night”, Minhyun snorted, started to walking by Dongho’s side.
“Hey, i didn’t get to sleep last night, this song composition is making me crazy”, the bulky guy yawned.
“Oh? It’s rare for you to say things like that, what is it this time?”.
Dongho was scratching his neck before he answered, “we get to collab with the freshman, like we have to prepare some arrangements together but before we get paired, we, seniors, have to prepare like five of them, in just a month? Even kimchis are older than that”, he was shaking his head tiredly, sometimes he didn’t know what his professors thinking.
Minhyun made an ‘ouch’ face and patting Dongho’s back, they were chatting along the way until they arrived at the cafe.
Smell of coffees and freshly baked breads were dancing around the guys’ noses. Minhyun sighed in relieved, felt better after he inhaled the heavenly smell.
“Go order first, i have to go to the toilet”, Minhyun nodded and queueing after Dongho left.
Summer breaks were near, a month or so, and this cafe already launched their new summer drinks. Minhyun was humming as he read the new drinks inside his head.
‘Hm...strawberry coconut tea, iced peach green tea...and wow, caramel popcorn frappuccino? It sounds really sweet, do people really drink that in summer? ’.
“Actually, yeah! The drink is quite popular lately!”.
Minhyun flinched in surprise when he heard a voice from a cute barista in front of him, smiling brightly.
“Uh, sorry, did i say that outloud?”, Minhyun laughed awkwardly, embarrassed by his own mumbles.
“It’s okay! I don’t mind the mumbling and humming to be honest”, he smiled and continued, “sooo...do you want to try the caramel popcorn frappuccino? I highly recommend that, it’s sweetness and the rich flavour of the special whipped cream are to die for!”, the barista beamed in excitement, explaining the product like he was the one who made the caramel taste.
‘It was kinda cute tho.’
Minhyun laughed at the barista’s energetic burst, he was shaking his head, “wow, it sounds really delicious, but sorry, i have to pass this time, i need so much caffeine so i’ll just take an iced americano, grande.”
The barista was almost pouting, “really? Aww...it’s a good drink tho, alright, one grande iced americano right away! For mister...uh…”
“Minhyun.”
The barista nodded, “one grande iced americano for mister Minhyun!”, he scribbled the order and name on the cup. Minhyun handed him the money and the cute barista left him to do the drink when another staff took the cashier part.
He was waiting for his drink on one of the stool chairs that faced the kitchen aisle where the barista going here and there to finish Minhyun’s drink.
Minhyun didn’t mean to staring but how could he not stare when a cute guy with big doe eyes and a smile that could melt a frozen heart with white shirt and apron that wrapped his tall and fit figure, making his coffee in front of him?
He gasped silently when the said barista shared a glance and throwing him a shy smile, like he was being caught off guard staring at his customer.
And it was not just once, it was like twice or thrice and Minhyun didn’t know what to do because he felt like his face was going red slowly.
The barista took a small walk forward and placed the iced americano in front of him, “here! Iced americano for mister Minhyun! Hope this will make your day!”.
He threw a bright smile and left Minhyun to greet another customer. Minhyun was still staring and jolted when he felt a big hand tapped his back.
“Yo, the barista i ordered my drink to was like seeing a ghost, i don’t know if it’s my imagination or something but he looks like he scare- huh, hey, you okay?”.
“Uh, y-yeah, Dongho, you’re back, um...what was it you say about this scared barista?”. Minhyun returned from his lala-land and gave Dongho a sheepish smile.
“You sure you okay?”.
The taller guy nodded, too embarrassed to tell Dongho that he was staring hard at a cute barista he could make burning lasers through his eyes.
“Yeah, so i was ordering my coffee when this barista that served me start to shaking and i don’t know, he looks like about to cry, i don’t even do anything, it was like he served a ghost.”
“Or a yakuza member, based on how you look this morning.” Minhyun giggled.
“Shut up, you modern vampire- huh, that’s an americano right? Your cup scribble sure is long for a simple americano”, Dongho pointed.
Minhyun confused and examined his cup. His eyes stopped at a bunch of little clumsy scribbles near the cup’s bottom part.
‘You should try Caramel Popcorn Frappuccino the next time you visit! :)’.
Minhyun’s eyes quickly scanning the kitchen aisle but the cute barista was nowhere to be found.
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Dongho’s story was true. It was really amusing to see Dongho tried to order a coffee without scaring the barista, and he snickered loudly when he saw the barista yelped as Dongho gave him the money, then he left hurriedly to make Dongho’s drink.
Dongho sat on the chair across Minhyun, “see? Is there something wrong with me? I even shaved and wearing bright clothes today”, he sighed and shaking his head.
“You look handsome today, man, maybe he just flustered at your handsomeness”.
“There’s no place for sarcasm this morning, just go away and order something from your cute barista, you playboy”.
Minhyun laughed and stood up, he didn’t think the cute barista would serve him today but he pushed his luck. He stopped at the order counter when he heard an ‘ouch! My finger!’ from the cute barista way, he kinda startled when he saw Minhyun but made a little jog to the counter anyway.
The younger was panting a bit but still gave Minhyun a smile that could rival the sun, “good morning! How can i help you today?”.
“Are you okay?”, Minhyun was eyeing the cute barista’s finger, there was a tiny cut on his index one. The cute barista gasped and laughed, “it’s okay! I’m strong enough to handle a tiny cut! So, i assume you will have an iced americano? Grande?”.
“I want to try Caramel Popcorn Frappuccino but yeah, i think i’ll have americano again, maybe i’ll try that next time”, Minhyun smiled and groped around his jeans pocket, searching for something.
“Ohhh, that’s too bad, alright! One iced americano, grande, for...Mister Minhyun, right?”, the barista smiled and held out his right hand to receive the money.
Minhyun chuckled, “yeah, here”.
Suddenly, Minhyun grabbed the cute barista’s wrist softly after he peeled a cute yellow chicks printed band aid that he got from his jeans pocket, wrapping it carefully on the barista’s index finger. The cute barista surprised at his customer’s action, and he just stood there, opening-closing his mouth like a dying fish.
“There, here’s the money, just put the changes in the tip box, please be careful next time, Seonho-ssi”, Minhyun smiled and left the barista agaped.
Too bad, he didn’t hear a shy and flustered ‘t-thank you.’
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It was evening when they went to the cafe again. It was a bit quiet and people there was busy on their own things. The atmosphere was calm and homey.
The scared barista wasn’t so scared when Dongho ordered his coffee, he even made a small talk and made Dongho smiled. He didn’t know what happened but he was glad their progress went to a good way.
Minhyun ordered an americano but it wasn’t the cute barista that took his order, it seemed he was busy at the inner kitchen. He sighed, he admitted that he was a bit disappointed that he didn’t get to see the cute barista today.
He flinched when suddenly someone placed a slice of green tea opera cake in front of him.
“I hope you like green tea.”
Then there, the cute barista with a sun of a smile, stood beside the coffee table, he was scratching his neck, somehow looking so flustered. Minhyun was looking for him everywhere but there he was, suddenly appeared, like how he popped in Minhyun’s heart.
“I like green tea.”
“Great! Because it’s on the house!”
Minhyun stared at the cute barista, admiring his adorable features closely, “why?”.
“U-um, because of this…”, the cute barista held out his hand, showing the band aid Minhyun placed proudly.
“It’s just a band aid, i know it’s free cake, but it still feels like i owe you thing.”
“B-but-”
“If you want to repay me, accompany me to try Caramel Popcorn Frappuccino, maybe after your shift over? Because i don’t think i can finish that super sweet drink by myself”, Minhyun smiled and congratulated himself for his boldness.
The cute barista gasped, his eyes widen, he smiled warmly his eyes turned into crescents.
“Then it’s a promise!”
“Yeah, i’ll wait here, Seonho-ssi.”