Chapter Text
Huang Renjun believed in a multitude of things. He believed in aliens, ghosts, the law of attraction, the evil that was capitalism, and the circle of life that everyone was doomed to complete. He believed the world contained more amazing people in it just as he acknowledged there were problematic people too. He believed people were capable of learning and growing from the mistakes they made while others didn't care to learn from the error of their ways. Renjun also believed anything was possible with a healthy mindset, a clear viewpoint, and a steady motivation to keep pushing forward.
So, for the love of the whole universe, why could he not believe in his ability to not be an absolute mess whenever he dared to leave his home?
Granted, his lifestyle didn't permit him the pleasure of living a simpler life that would let him blend in more effortlessly. Renjun grew up surrounded by spirituality rather than being raised within a religious structure that was more popular or accepted. There were an array of pros and cons to growing up this way, as there were pros and cons in everything when it came to life. Being around Healers, proudly proclaimed Witches, and other individuals who preferred to be addressed as just spiritual had given him a wide view of the world with more understanding. He grew up learning a lot of the basics that could get him by in life but there were drawbacks.
It was difficult to make long-lasting friends when everyone had preconceived notions about crystals, charms, herbs, and strange books about the paranormal, supernatural, folk tales, and cautionary tales of summonings gone wrong. It wasn’t only friends that became difficult to keep, there were also family members who deeply disagreed with such things and cousins who were jealous of Renjun and his current lifestyle. There was only one cousin he could consistently rely on while the others always poked fun at him and it felt like the majority of his success in anything was written off as the result of manifestations or some sort of secret deal with the most atrocious forces rather than acknowledging that while he could manifest all he wanted, he did play an active role in sparking actions. His cousins shoved him out of the inner circle, purposefully leaving him out of group chats, video conferences, and never inviting him to do anything.
At first, he considered that perhaps he was doing something wrong but after many reassurances from his aunts, uncles, and cousins much older than him it was clear jealousy was the center of their actions. They didn’t like his ambitious dreams for his future and they especially hated that he was actually trying to turn those dreams into a reality. He tried not to talk about himself too much. Instead, he tried to help them in their endeavors and show his need for acceptance through favors, giving gifts, and sending as much unyielding and unconditional affection and support. They accepted these things easily but continued rejecting him. It didn’t change the way they treated him. They kept him removed from all activities and chats, only leaving the occasional message for a birthday or holiday. He learned the harsh lesson of feeling isolated and how to deal with that feeling.
Renjun found his life felt the most normal and simple when left to his own company. Hence how he began to run a success blog and a vlogging channel. Both of which were offering guidance about spirituality, the recent surge of popularity, and why it was important to recognize that it was not a trend but rather a respected way of living for many people. He never showed his face on camera and he never divulged his real name. It gave him the pleasure of feeling open and accepted when in actuality he could keep his most precious part of his existence to himself. However, he was still human at the end of all of it. A mere person dealing with human energies and trying his best to work in tandem with the universe to improve. Now that he was a young adult he was learning the richer details of various tools, rituals, and spells. He understood manifestation, the cycles of the moon, astrology, herbal teas, the tarot decks, the spirit boards, and the use of sound bowls. Recently, he started learning more in depth information and history about charms and basic potions. Yet, he was struggling to expand his knowledge and clear his mind and he was pretty sure he had a ghost in his apartment that he couldn't seem to banish and he wasn't sure if this would prove to be a friendly spirit or something more benevolent in time.
All these things weighed heavily on his mind as he pushed the door open to the café. The new shop opened across the street from his apartment building about three months ago but it was already gaining popularity. Renjun had planned to visit at the grand opening but found himself so consumed in his own life responsibilities and emotions that he didn’t make the time. He figured today would be the day he dragged his study materials and laptop across the street, order something, and fall into the world of knowledge with newfound hope. The café was far more charming than he expected and he understood why people seemed to enjoy filtering in and out of the establishment. There were gorgeous tables with enough space to spread out items, the chairs looked just as comfortable as the booths, and the lighting was incredible for photos. The color palettes were soft and blended into one another in pretty rainbow shades without distracting the eye of the customer. There was something else about the place that Renjun couldn’t put his finger on. It had energy throughout the place, a positive one, a vibrant one, but he couldn’t place what exactly made him feel that way. Stumbling into the line, he tried to keep from dropping all of his books and journals. Why did he have to carry so much stuff with him? Why couldn’t he just carry one thing? Why did they still reference particular books when they had the whole internet at their hands?
The line moved forward rather quickly and soon he was tripping his way up to the counter, too preoccupied with his items to bother looking up.
“Welcome to Café 7 Dream, what would you like to order today?” A deep and soothing voice greeted him.
“Um, an iced Americano and a slice of that cake to the far left would be good.” He huffed.
“You can sit your stuff down on the counter if you’d like.” The voice politely offered.
“Thank you!” He dropped the items on the counter, making more noise than he would have liked.
Flinging his bag into his view he started rummaging for his wallet. He thought he could hear the guy mutter a soft ‘wow’, but he was too busy fishing for his credit card to bother addressing whatever he was in awe of. When he finally pulled the card free and looked up to hand it over he faltered for a brief second.
Oh.
The barista was rather tall and handsome. Squinting at the name tag he nodded, practically imprinting the word Jeno into his memory. The barista had been staring at his books and journals while waiting for the other to find his card.
Oh, wait.
Oh, no.
The barista had been staring at his study materials! Renjun was sure it had to be startling to see a variety of books about summonings, ghosts, communicating with the dead, and a book on the degrees of houses in astrology and the differences between Western and Eastern methods. Then there was the loose-leaf paper with a written afternoon tea ritual his grandmother had suggested to him falling out of the thick black leather journal Renjun hauled around. Never had he ever wished magic worked the way it did in movies because he wanted to vanish on the spot.
“Your order will be ready soon. You can sit anywhere you’d like.” The black-haired boy smiled at him, taking his card.
“Uh, thanks.” He squeaked.
While his payment went through and Jeno started on his order he began gathering his books in a neat pile, trying to hide their titles. He wasn’t ashamed but he was cautious. He never knew what type of person he would run into and he didn’t feel like trying to desperately explain himself. He also was in a more fragile emotional state than he would usually be in and any rejection or criticism at the moment would probably push him into default of anger before falling away into tears.
Settling into a table he tried to redirect his focus on the important matters at hand. The books, the journals, and his overall goals for the next few months. He was so immersed in his own world he didn’t see the barista approaching his table until his order was gently placed in front of him. Renjun jumped, strands of honey blonde hair falling into his face from the movement.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” He apologized.
“It’s alright. Thank you!” He sheepishly answered.
“Enjoy.”
The young man walked away, not before eyeing Renjun and his books again. Yeah, he was never going to step foot in this store ever again. He didn’t feel judgment but he was sure there had to have been some. Ignoring his own insecurity he returned to the task at hand and enjoyed his beverage and piece of cake.
Haechan watched Jeno nervously fiddle with a rag behind the counter, awaiting new customers. The baker noticed a slight change in his mood. Glancing over at his partner, Mark, he found he was the only one to pay attention to the shift in Jeno. So, Haechan finished frosting the cake in front of him and leisurely took his time to bring it to the display window.
“Everything okay, Jeno?” He quietly questioned.
“Yeah.”
“Then why do you keep looking at the customer over there?” Haechan tilted his head in the blonde’s direction.
“Is it obvious?”
“No, but I’m very observant. Did he say something rude? Do I need to get Chenle?”
“No! No. I’m just intrigued by him, that’s all. He has a lot of unique books over there that I wouldn’t imagine someone like him reading.”
“Someone like what?”
“Oh, nothing. It’s just...he’s very pretty.” Jeno blushed.
“Are attractive people supposed to read specific things?” He laughed.
“No! I just... never mind.” Jeno pouted from the teasing.
“Well, if you’re fine. I’ll be back at my station.”
Jeno nodded, keeping his eyes focused on the counter before flickering them back to the front door. He tried to be subtle as his eyes fell back on the unique blonde eating away happily at his slice of cake and scribbling something in the big leather journal with the weird tree on it. He should probably be concerned that his initial thought when he saw the reading material was whether or not the blonde would look cute trying to banish a ghost. He had such a peculiar beauty that was soft, charming, and vibrant that Jeno couldn’t picture him banishing away entities. An hour and a half later when the young man got up from his seat to leave Jeno found his mouth moving on its own without much thought.
“Good luck with the banishing and I really hope you come again!” He blurted out, instantly regretting it.
The young man froze mid-step, the few customers in the shop giving him strange looks that turned his entire face pink. He swallowed, clearly flustered by the attention, and nodded his head.
“Thanks.” He very quietly answered, hurrying his way toward the exit.
As the door closed behind him, Jeno put his head in his hands with a groan.
“Did you just tell him-”
“Not now, Haechan.” He moaned.
“I can't wait to tell Jaemin you cost us a customer because of your reckless mouth!” The baker laughed, jabbing him in his side as he walked by.
✵
Renjun wasn’t going back to Café 7 Dream. He refused. There was no way in any dimension he could walk back in there after being publicly humiliated like that. Who did this Jeno think he was to say something like that to him? Deep down, he liked to believe it had been a sincere comment but the part of him suffering from flashbacks of lonely nights spent crying over being teased made him angry. The only other thing that made him further furious was the fact he was strolling up to the café’s door two days later. That damn cake! The cake was so good he couldn’t get it out of his head.
That’s the only reason he was coming back was for the piece of cake and to prove he wasn’t ashamed of himself. He totally wasn’t going with an excuse to maybe tell off the barista and prove his worth. No. He grew up learning to be above such petty emotions and carry on with positive energy. He was not going to be aggressive or sassy when he ordered. No. He would be polite and cool.
“Welcome to Café 7- oh! It’s you! Good! You came back!” The barista stood up straighter at the sight of the blonde.
“I want the same thing I ordered last time. I’m sure you can remember my order since you clearly remembered my light reading of the day!” He slapped his credit card down on the counter.
People often thought spiritual people had to be full of light and love at all times, failing to remember they were human with human emotions and impulses. He couldn’t always be a ray of sunshine and as much as he wanted to approach the counter with a level head, his sharp tongue decided to appear instead. He’d blame it on his Aries energy later.
“I am so sorry about that! I wasn’t trying to make fun of you! It just came out of my mouth!”
“I’m used to getting the judgment from low vibrational people, trust me.”
“I’m assuming that’s a diss. Listen, is there anything I can do to make it better? Do you want a discount? I’ll give you my discount!”
“No. I just want my order, thank you.” He sniffed at him.
“Then I’ll take care of it!”
“Huh?” He blinked.
“I’ll take care of your order for today. I’m really sorry. I just really wanted you to come back again and my stupid brain didn’t filter my words. I didn’t mean to embarrass you! Go have a seat! I’ll bring your order shortly!” He gestured politely to the available tables.
Well, that was not the plan of the day. Left speechless and unsure of what to do next, Renjun awkwardly shuffled away toward a table in the corner, his credit card still in hand. He didn’t wait for long before Jeno was rushing over with his drink and slice of cake. He noticed the cake was sliced slightly bigger than it was supposed to be but didn’t comment. He thought that would be the end of it but clearly, the barista had other plans, sliding into the seat opposite of him.
“Hi, I’m Jeno and I’m terribly sorry for what happened last time you were here. What’s your name?” He leaned forward.
He didn’t answer at first, his brown eyes widening, and his mouth failing to open up for a proper response. Jeno’s own eyes began to turn into the size of the plates, a flustered blush creeping up his ears and into his face.
“You don’t have to tell me! That’s a bit creepy, isn’t it? I just-”
“Renjun.”
“Renjun. Okay. I’m glad you came back! I was worried I ruined your experience here.”
“I wouldn’t say you ruined it but I did come back with a plan of vengeance. I was going to prove I’m not ashamed of my reading material.” He dragged the plate closer.
“You shouldn’t be ashamed! I thought it was a bit interesting and I just really wanted you to come back so I sort of blurted out anything I thought would be friendly but it did the opposite.” He grumbled.
“Why did you want me to come back so badly? You seem to have a lot of customers.”
“Yes, but not all of them have such distinctive beauty and vast interest as you.”
Renjun raised an eyebrow at the comment. Jeno continued smiling, his eyes doing this ridiculously adorable glimmer as he waited expectantly for a response.
“Excuse me, but are you a bit off-centered?”
“Pardon?”
“I came in here with books on summonings and talking to those who have passed and you’re...calling me pretty and saying I have vast interest?”
“Well, yes, I guess I am.” He shrugged.
“Perhaps this is the place I should be to quietly study.” He mumbled.
“Oh, we love having regulars! I’ll even remember your orders so you don’t have to recite them every time!”
“Well, thank you, Jeno for the cake and drink. I appreciate it.”
“Thank you for accepting my apology. You are accepting it, right? If not, maybe you could give me your number and we can come up with a more appropriate apology.”
“Don’t worry, I’m accepting your apology now.” He took a bite of cake.
“Then I sincerely hope you become a regular.”
“Jeno! I need you!” An employee shouted.
“I have to go but it was nice meeting you, Renjun. I’ll see you soon, yeah?” He asked getting up.
Yes.
“It’s a possibility.”
“Enjoy your cake!” He smiled, waving and jogging back to the counter.
Renjun slowly ate the dessert, staring out the window, and stealing glances at the barista. What just happened?