Work Text:
The familiar heavenly scent of roasted coffee beans wafts out the moment Jongdae opens the door to the café. The soft melody of the piano along with the gentle and almost quiet conversations of the few customers inside add tranquility to the place — a breath of fresh air for the university student. Just exactly what he needs. It feels calming and comfortable especially after having an exhausting day filled with numerous exams and long, dragging hours of discussions. He feels his head is about to burst with all the information it needs to absorb but he fortunately survives. Coming back to his safe haven, other than the dormitory he now calls his second home, Jongdae once again feels glad to have accepted his friend's offer to work in their family business.
"Hi hyung," a tall brunet standing behind the cashier greets him. He gives Jongdae a small wave and a smile as he does so.
Jongdae reflects the same warmly, greeting back, "Hi Sehun."
"You look tired. Has uni been awful?" Jongdae only nods at that. No truer words but a man has to learn and live.
"When is it not?" he jokes to the younger workmate who immediately laughs at that. Jongdae hears him agree, as well.
Just like him, Sehun is also a struggling university student; most of them who are working in Starbaeks are part-time workers balancing both work and college.
"I'll just change so you can leave early," Jongdae tells him, entering the employees' quarters.
"Take your time, hyung. I still have 20 minutes left before my shift ends, anyway."
"Yeah well" — Jongdae turns around to look at Sehun and flashes a smirk — "We don't want you running late on your date, do we?"
"Yah!" Sehun calls him rather loudly, breaking the silence of the café. Realizing what he's done, he lightly bows at the customers, and whispers, "How did you know?!"
Jongdae laughs. "I have my sources."
Not telling Sehun anything, Jongdae gets inside to change. He comes out a few moments later dressed in his white button up shirt paired with black pants and covered in a cinnamon-colored bib apron with tortilla straps. The coffee shop's logo — Starbaeks written in white using a fancy cursive font with the first letter 'a' replaced with a cute doodle of a star — is printed on the middle of the apron. Jongdae looks at himself in the mirror one more time, making sure he looks decent and pleasant, before he starts helping out to attend to the new customers.
Aside from drawing and building stuff, another thing that Jongdae enjoys is making coffee. Personally, he likes drinking teas more but growing up with an older brother who enjoys coffees anytime of the day, Jongdae has also grown to love making them. Coffee now gives him the sense and comfortable feeling of home. Sometimes, when he misses his family, the smell of coffee is all Jongdae needs together with a short video call for him to feel warm and happy again.
"I'm leaving." Jongdae turns his head away from the machine to see Sehun dressed casually. He gives him a tiny wave and a meaningful smile which the younger obviously doesn't miss.
"Have fun!" Jongdae teases.
Sehun brings his finger to his lips, telling him not to say a word. Jongdae only laughs. His friends have never been really subtle with all the flirting they've done so it isn't really a secret.
Jongdae gets busier as the clock hits the rush hour. More customers are coming in, getting their after-shift doses of caffeine. It isn't until thirty minutes before closing time does it finally calm down. Jongdae smells like coffee, almost as if he has used it as perfume, an aftermath of making countless cups. He's gotten used to it, though.
When the last customer finally leaves with a smile, he starts cleaning up the machines and the counter while his workmate starts cleaning the tables and the floors. Turning off the lights and making sure the doors are locked, he bids goodbye to his workmate.
The air feels colder tonight as fall comes. Jongdae pulls his jacket tighter to keep him warm while he strolls on his way home, dreaming of his warm, cozy bed. Fortunately, his dorm is just a good 10-minute walk away from the coffee shop. Although he loves his job, he still can't help but feel exhausted. It's a pretty draining work; takes a lot of arm and leg strength, too, from standing too long. Right now, all he just wants is to rest his body, mind, and soul under the comfort of his favorite blanket and maybe listen to Baekhyun share all about his date with Sehun. He's sure it's gonna happen, even if he doesn't ask — he's Baekhyun's best friend. Baekhyun's lucky Jongdae's class has been given an assignment-free night today; not that school works are going to stop him, anyway.
Jongdae passes by the park on his way home which is still pretty lively even at nine in the evening. There are people walking with their dogs. Some are riding their bicycles around; some are skateboarding. Others are flocking around what seemed to be a performance and it pretty much gets his attention. He hasn't seen a crowd like that in this place before. Curious, Jongdae walks closer to see what the commotion is about. There he sees a tall man sitting on a stool, holding his red acoustic guitar. The first thing that Jongdae notices is the man's ears poking out of his cap. He thinks it's adorable.
The man then starts strumming his guitar to a familiar tune. It gets him strangely excited.
When you were here before
Ba-dump!
Jongdae feels his heart skip a beat. The man has only sung the first line yet and Jongdae is already captivated by his attractive deep voice. Probably the deepest he's ever heard.
Couldn't look you in the eye
You're just like an angel
Your skin makes me cry
He watches the man close his eyes, the edge of his lips curling a little as he sings. Jongdae finds out he has a dimple on the right. Cute , Jongdae finds him even more attractive now.
You float like a feather
In a beautiful world
I wish I was special
You're so very special
He changed the lyrics, that's cute, Jongdae thinks to himself, smiling.
The singer opens his eyes as he reaches the chorus. They leave Jongdae breathless.
But I'm a creep
I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doing here?
I don't belong here
Jongdae doesn't move, as if his feet are glued to the ground. He stays, enjoying the comfort the singer's music and the gentle breeze brings him. He's suddenly forgotten about his cozy bed. It's almost as if a day's worth of exhaustion has been taken away by the stranger's wonderful rendition. It's only after he receives a text from Baekhyun does he decide to leave, but not without leaving a few bills for the busker as thanks for making his night.
Jongdae passes by the same park the next day. He sees a few people crowding around someone yet again and this time, a smile appears on his face as he walks closer. He's ready to give all his attention to the same busker.
Maybe his homeworks can spare him just an hour.
The busker says his gratitude for the people showing him support and tells them how happy he feels to see them that evening.
"I hope you'll enjoy my songs tonight," the busker tells them with his handsome smile and Jongdae hears the female high school students beside him giggling. Totally relatable.
He starts strumming his guitar.
This is the most expensive solo concert in the world
Damn, Jongdae inwardly curses because, can someone really look that good when smiling while singing with his eyes closed?
I'm the singer and the audience is just you
The busker opens his eyes again. Jongdae briefly wonders if he's imagining it or have his eyes actually met with his?
Before the curtains are drawn
Just be careful of a few things
The man continues singing his beautiful acoustic rendition, swaying sideways lightly. Jongdae unconsciously does the same.
I'm gonna make your heart flutter so much that you can't sleep
The time is now, shout out loud
The lyrics are right. The barista does stay wide awake that night with 10cm's Phonecert on repeat, heart beating twice as fast as he remembers the busker.
He eventually falls asleep but not without wishing he'll see the man again.
He steps out of Starbaeks the following night with a wish granted. He sees the busker again on his same spot with his trusted guitar with him.
Perhaps it is Jongdae's lucky day. The busker has just started playing one of his favorite songs.
Look at the stars, look how they shine for you
And all the things you do
Their eyes meet again. The busker smiles.
And they were all yellow.
Oh, just the perfect timing to be wearing a yellow shirt tonight.
As the singer continues, Jongdae suddenly feels anxious of the crowd, scared they might hear his heart with how hard and fast it's beating. Thankfully, he survives.
He adds an extra two thousand won to his usual drop.
It has now become a part of Jongdae's routine. Every time he passes by the park on his way home, he stops for a while to listen to the busker. He's probably Jongdae's favorite now, although Jongdae hasn't exactly seen a lot. Perhaps he doesn't need to see more because this man is just that talented, there's probably no other like him. Somehow, the barista wonders where all these talent scouts are and why they're not in the park with him. He's sure the busker will make it big as a celebrity, given his godly features and melodious voice. He hopes someday he will be discovered, but for now, Jongdae will continue to enjoy his wonderful performances while he can still afford them.
Maybe except tonight.
A pout makes its way on Jongdae's face as he sees his favorite busker packing up. He has gotten off work later than usual as the winter season comes close. More customers have been coming for some hot beverages to keep them warm amidst the freezing near-winter winds so the coffee shop decides to extend their operating hours to accommodate them. Jongdae is upset that he misses his performances for the first time. He reminds himself to choose the earlier shift to catch him next time.
He walks past the singer with a frown.
"Hey." Jongdae turns around and is surprised to see the busker jogging towards him.
"Did you get off late?" the busker asks him. Before Jongdae can answer him, he speaks again, "That might sound creepy, I'm sorry. I was just… wondering because I didn't see you tonight."
He blushes deeply. Has the busker noticed him all this time?
Jongdae gives him a small nod. "The coffee shop is a bit busier than usual these days."
It's probably just the streetlights but Jongdae sees the man's eyes twinkle, "You're a barista?"
He nods again. "Part-time."
"Wow!" He sounds so astonished, Jongdae suddenly feels shy. He briefly wonders what's so amazing about his job.
"Hey, since you miss tonight's performance," the busker says as he puts his stool back on the ground. He sits down and takes his guitar out of the case. "Do you have any requests?"
Jongdae blushes more. Is the busker about to give him a special performance? Just for him?
"Don't worry, it's for free." The man grins.
Strange how a busker's smile can tug his heartstrings like that.
Jongdae sits on the nearby bench, still struggling to keep his insides calm.
"Are you sure?" he asks.
"Yep. Come on, tell me your fave."
Jongdae also reflects a smile. "Surprise me."
The busker smiles wider, sweeter as he starts plucking the guitar strings to a beautiful melody.
You never know when you're gonna meet someone
He looks at Jongdae in the eyes.
And your whole wide world, in a moment, comes undone
Another smile.
You're just walking around then suddenly
Everything that you thought that you knew about love is gone
You find out it's all been wrong
Jongdae starts gently swaying along, enjoying that familiar feeling of serenity whenever he listens to the busker sing. He may not admit it out loud, especially to the person in front of him, but this part of the day is what he always looks forward to.
I know that it's gonna take some time
I've got to admit that the thought has crossed my mind
That this might end up like it should
The singer closes his eyes again, feeling his music. Jongdae does the same.
And I'm gonna say what I need to say
And hope to God that it don't scare you away
Don't want to be misunderstood
He slowly opens them, just as the busker opens his.
But I'm starting to believe that
Then their eyes meet. Jongdae suddenly finds it hard to breathe as he finds himself getting lost, mesmerized.
This could be the start of something good
The man finishes his song with a smile that Jongdae has probably grown to like seeing by now. Then, Jongdae is caught by surprise when he extends his hand to him.
"I'm Chanyeol, by the way," he introduces himself, hand awaiting Jongdae's.
Chanyeol , even his name sounds lovely to Jongdae's ears — like a melody.
He also reaches out and shakes his hand. "Jongdae."