Chapter Text
It starts like this:
He got off the cab in front of an alleyway in Hongdae when he saw Brian standing in front of a cafe. He hurried his steps and almost jogged toward the end of the alley when he noticed the name of the cafe. It almost stopped him in his tracks because it brought a certain memory to mind.
“Was it hard to find?” Brian asked, referring to the small alleyway behind him. Chris shook his head, “It wasn’t bad. Is this a new cafe?” he squinted at the name written on the glass window. It was a familiar name, which was odd since he was sure that he’s never been to this side of Hongdae before. “It just opened last year,” Nayeon, Brian’s fiancee, answered. Chris leaned in for a quick hug with her before taking another step back, trying to will his brain to remember why this name seemed so familiar.
His phone beeped and he fished it out of his pocket to find an email with the minutes from a meeting that he was currently missing. He was just about to scroll through the notes when Brian’s hand obstructed his view, “No work stuff.”
Chris rolled his eyes and made a big show of shoving the phone into his pocket, “Fine. No work stuff during this very important cake tasting.”
Brian nodded in approval. Truthfully, Chris was happy to be able to be part of this wedding in any and all capacity. Brian and Nayeon both were among his closest friends and when Brian invited him to this cake tasting, he eagerly agreed.
A wonderful smell immediately wafted in the air when Brian opened the door of the cafe. Chris marveled at the interior of the cafe which is both clean and sleek while still maintaining some earthy touches with the wooden tables and windowsills. The amount of silt green in the wall reminded him of a certain someone who would love this aesthetic. As his eyes wandered around the rest of the room, it landed squarely on a person of which the familiarity of this place reminds him.
That’s how he found himself staring at Shin Ryujin.
She didn’t notice him because she was busy wiping at the imaginary spot on one of the white plates on the table. He was willing to bet that that cake was already impeccable and that Ryujin is just being her usual perfectionist self.
She looked beautiful. She has always been beautiful.
She fussed about the table with the same ease that she has always had - with a touch of coolness that always set her apart from the rest. But at 27 years old, there’s an added confidence to her that he was witnessing for the first time. Her steps seemed more sure as she walked around the table, moving the cutlery so that it was even more perfect than it already was.
Chris knew that he probably looks ridiculous and he could tell that Brian clocked this as well. He could see Brian’s furrowed brows which will most definitely lead to an interrogation later during lunch (Chris was already mentally groaning at this because this means he’s gonna miss another meeting). He tried to neutralize his expression and that was when she finally noticed him. He watched her cycle through a host of different expressions and feelings until it settled into a tight, controlled smile, which broke his heart a little because it was an expression he hasn’t seen before.
“Chris…”
There was a certain warmth to the way she said the name that made him feel like he was eighteen again. So the smile that eased onto his face is a lopsided, dimpled one.
“Ryujin-ah…” It came out hoarse like he was still a naive university student with big pipe dreams. Like she was the person he thought that he would marry and be doing cake tastings with. Like he wasn’t about to drop everything and change the course of his life for her.
The sound of a throat clearing brought him back to the present and he found Brian and Nayeon staring at him with intent interest. He was still formulating an explanation, an answer that wouldn’t discount what she meant/means to him when she beat him to it.
“We went to Mel U together,” her words sounded neutral. She was always been better at that than him, better at not wearing her heart on her sleeves. So he nodded along, careful to keep the disappointment off of his face. He knew that her words were true and untrue at the same time.
“Shall we get this cake tasting going?” she motioned for everyone to take a seat.
Chris wasn’t surprised at all when he saw the three artfully plated cake slices before him. Ryujin has always been an incredible baker and photos of him during his university days could serve as proof of how much he has benefited from this (as much as he tried to exercise, his will was weak when it comes to baked goods). He looked around the cafe again to take it in and could not help but whistle. He said under his breath, “You finally did it.”
In a city full of cafes (and Hongdae specifically was not in short supply of them), one could argue that one has seen it all. Nordic-themed? Check. Industrial? Check. Green and lush? Check. Cartoon-themed? Check. Anything you could think of, South Korea could conjure up in the form of a cafe. But this space felt distinctly unique. The space was not big but it never felt constricting. It managed to look eclectic with the array of knick-knacks and artwork on the wall but familiar. It was both cool and warm at the same time. It was quintessentially Shin Ryujin to him.
She blushed at his compliment and nodded, “Yep. Do you recognize the name?”
He furrowed his brows for a moment before it finally clicked.
“En route,” he said quietly, his mind wandering back to a different place and a different time.
“You named this place?” Brian asked, his voice doing that high-pitched, teasing thing.
“Sort of…” Chris said just as Ryujin said, “Yes.”
They looked at each other for a split second before breaking out into easy laughter. He couldn’t stop the warmth from spreading across his chest. The sound of her laughter and the sight of the whisker dimples on her cheeks still did that.
“I owe the name to him,” she explained to Nayeon and Brian, “If it wasn’t for him, maybe this cafe would not be here.”
Chris wondered if it was acceptable for a 27-year-old to be blushing because he was and he looked away in an attempt to hide it.
“You said you guys went to Melbourne University together?” Nayeon asked.
Chris was still mulling over what to say when once again, Ryujin beat him to it. “We dated for a bit,” she said, keeping her eyes on Nayeon.
“Why did you guys break up?” Brian asked.
This time, Chris answered, which felt like it was the least he could do, “I was an idiot.” He could see a tight smile on Ryujin’s lips before she added gracefully, “We were young…”
Nayeon eyed him before turning to Ryujin, “I’m taking his word on this,” she smiled conspiratorially because of course she was already on Ryujin’s side despite being his friend. He completely deserved it though - he knew that.
“So the first cake is an earl grey with lemon buttercream,” Ryujin began as she pointed to a three-layered white cake with pale yellow frosting in between. She motioned to the three forks by the table and they all dug in.
“Oh my god,” Brian exclaimed almost immediately, eyes closed, “This is incredible,” he said when he opened his eyes. He always looked like that whenever food is concerned and while typically Chris would warn people to not take it seriously, he knew that this time the reaction was more than appropriate.
“It’s amazing,” Nayeon said.
“It is,” Chris added and he saw Ryujin blush slightly at the compliment. Cute, very cute… he thought.
“The second cake is vanilla with strawberry and basil preserves,” she explained and they dutifully dug in.
Brian, predictably, reacted like this was the best thing in the world (he was not wrong in this instance) while Nayeon and Chris agreed.
“The third one is chocolate with Kahlua-infused espresso soak and raspberry buttercream,” she said of the last cake and predictably, everyone oohs and aahs upon tasting.
“This is impossible,” Brian said as he leaned back on his chair, sounding legitimately dejected. Chris laughed at his friend’s dramatic flair. But he saw that Nayeon looked equally perplexed. “Is it ridiculous to have three wedding cakes?” Brian suggested, half genuinely, and was met with an eye roll from his fiancee.
“Just wait until she brings out the surprise fourth cake she has prepared in the kitchen,” Chris piped up, smiling knowingly at Ryujin who just grinned.
“Really?” Brian sat up straighter, leaning on the table. Nayeon linked her arms around Brian’s as she leaned forward too.
Ryujin got up and walked to the kitchen quietly before appearing with a plate containing what looked like a mini, three-tier wedding cake. The cake was sparsely frosted with white buttercream on the outside and was decorated with green leaves that resembled olive branches. It was simple and even just by the sight of it, Chris could imagine how well this cake will fit with the rest of Brian and Nayeon’s wedding. The aesthetic of it, at least.
“It’s an olive oil cake with honey buttercream,” she explained as she fished out three little golden forks from her apron pocket. The cake rendered Brian speechless and Nayeon just looked at Ryujin before saying, “This is it.”
Moments later, Chris found himself walking around the cafe, taking in every corner of the place while Nayeon and Ryujin talk specifics at the table. He felt Brian walk up to him and he braced himself for interrogation.
“I cannot wait to hear how badly you fucked up,” he whispered.
Chris pretended to be offended for a second, “Why do you assume that it was bad?”
“Pfft,” Brian scoffed as he glanced over to the two ladies as if the mere existence of Ryujin was enough of an answer (he was right but Chris was not going to give him the satisfaction). “Besides, I’ve never seen you this unsettled in front of a girl. You were calmer when you had to meet Kim Tae Hee,” he added. Chris shrugged in defeat because there was no use in denying it. If he was to make a word cloud with all the things he was feeling right now, it would contain words like ‘nervous’ ‘shy’ ‘scared’ ‘excited’ and ‘hopeful?’ In other words, Chris was a mess and it was clear as day to the guy next to him.
“What are you thinking?” Brian asked after a few beats of silence.
He sighed. “I don’t know,” he answered. I don’t know what I have the right to… he added to himself as he stares at the beautifully designed sign on the wall.