Work Text:
CLANG!
The sound of the bell on the front door of the calm and quiet, beachside cafe chimes indicating that a customer has walked in. Dongju immediately runs back to the cashier from the back room, straightening his waist apron and neaten up his long blonde hair that was tied in a low ponytail. He exhales the distractions out and brought his best face in as he inhales. "Welcome to Dazzle," he said with a smile.
He is met by familiar-looking overalls on an equally familiar blond. There is a visible pout on the smaller man as he walked through. Dongju's smile falters. "Oh, it's just you," Dongju puts on his usual cool expression. "Why are you on this side? I thought you were dealing with Seoho-hyung?"
The man, Hwanwoong leans on the counter reading on the drinks menu that was set on it. He glances over the cakes and pastries that were on display on his left. "I'm a customer today. Give me all the cherry pastries here."
Dongju eyes him up and down, mouth hangs open. He sighs. "And all the cherry drinks too?"
"No, just that tall lemon-lime cherry mocktail," Hwanwoong answers, pointing to the name of the drink he is ordering. He hands Dongju his card as the taller man registers his orders.
Dongju rolls his eyes as he hands Hwanwoong the receipt. "You're being ridiculous."
"No, he is ridiculous! There's no way I'm going to lose to him." Hwanwoong replies, taking back his card and receipt before walking into the dining area of the empty cafe to find a seat. He sees a familiar customer that can always be found in the cafe. A tall and lanky young man, always in his best suit with few folders on the side of the table and a laptop that was opened at all times. The man is hunched over the laptop typing away, looking occupied from whatever he had played in his large headphones. From what he had heard from the cafe owners, that customer was job hunting while doing a side job of transcribing audios, so he rented the space, that was offered, in the cafe. Hwanwoong chooses a table for four opposite of the customer, next to the window.
Hwanwoong feels regret when he sees the table filled with sweets that he had ordered. Cherry pie, cherry brownies, cherry cake and even black forest cake. He could even feel stinging sensations in his teeth with the view alone. Dongju smirks as he watches the change in Hwanwoong's expression. "Enjoy your meal," he says, sarcastically.
Hwanwoong makes a short prayer before digging in. To his surprise, the pie is quite tangy, and the crust's saltiness mellows out the tangy sweetness of the pie filling. Before he could take another bite, he sees a familiar figure, wearing almost similar overalls, a bigger, taller male with black hair. Hwanwoong puts down his fork and glares at the man. The man doesn't seem to notice him. He kept on glaring even after the man had paid for his order and turned to the dining area. He walks straight to Hwanwoong's table with a sneer, knowing the man, Hwanwoong warns him. "No, go away. You are not welcomed here."
It does not stop the man from pulling the chair in front of Hwanwoong. Hwanwoong hurriedly stretches his legs and puts them on the chair to not give the man space to sit on. The man pulls another chair next to it and sits with a sigh.
"You sounded like an old man," Hwanwoong is still irritated by the man and decided to comment on every little thing he could. "Wait, you are an old man."
"And you are a child. That's why no one takes you seriously," the man, Geonhak replies, snickering when Hwanwoong sticks out his tongue. He notices a pattern in the desserts on the table and counts them. "Five. Five cherry treats. Are you trying to even the scores?"
Pathetic. Hwanwoong could hear that from the tone of Geonhak's weird low and gravelly voice. He rolls his eyes. He isn't trying to even the scores on their scoreboard. He is trying to win over Geonhak's score, but he hadn't realized he was one treat short. He should have ordered that cherry tea.
Dongju looks over his shoulder to see the shop's two fruit suppliers as he prepares the blender for Geonhak's smoothie and huffs. From the electrical glare he sees from Hwanwoong, the cafe's fresh cherries supplier to Geonhak, the fresh strawberries supplier, he swears if he comes near them, his hair would stand from the static. When Dongju thinks about the time he found out about the rivalry between the two, he thought it was normal. Two fruit suppliers, whose farms are opposite each other, somehow supply their produce to the same establishments. But after five months of knowing them, he learned that their rivalry is far pettier. They pick on each other's looks, compete over who can reach the stores earlier and even asked the establishments to keep tabs on which product sells more, including Dazzle. Dongju lets the whirr of the blender echoes through the empty open space.
Hwanwoong doesn't let his guard down even when he was cutting the black forest cake served in front of him with a fork. His eyes had never left Geonhak's. It is a silent game of who would look away or blink first. He had never won the game, his eyes always blink first, however, he is determined to win this time. His vision blurs as his physiology betrays him, tears have started to well and the instinct to blink the blur away is stronger than ever. Hwanwoong can feel a twitch but he is sure he had not lost the game yet.
Geonhak sneers. He has not won this game yet, but he is convinced that the game will end soon. The twitch in Hwanwoong's eye is always a good indicator that he will cave. Though his heart will never admit, Hwanwoong's eye contact game is stronger today. He could feel a sting in his own. "Hah!" he exclaims as soon as he sees his rival's upper lid properly touches the lower. He hears the usual string of curses like music to his ears. At the same time, Dongju, the cafe owner, brought his order to the table. He sips it proudly.
"Two wins," he says, shaking the strawberry smoothie that he ordered which coincidentally adds to his produce's sale for the day. He wipes the tears that run down his cheek after he claims his win and finally blinks after the game.
Dongju snarls as he sees the two men wiping meaningless tears on their cheeks as he serves Geonhak his drink. The older man gloats for a minute and leaves the cafe.
"Ugh, I hate him, I hate him, I hate him!" Hwanwoong chants, thanking Dongju for handing him the tissue to wipe his tears. "He is insufferable. He thinks he's all that. Yah! Where are you going?"
Anywhere but here, Dongju fast walks away from the table with a huff. It happens every time the suppliers are here at the same time. Dongju and Seoho are always grateful when one of them comes in late or one of them called saying they will deliver the fruits the next day. Dongju is tired of listening to their complaints of how they hate each other, he wonders how did Seoho handle the two of them while receiving the fruits at the back, it did bring them to the front to continue whatever they are bickering about. He could not understand why Hwanwoong is always so on edge whenever he meets eyes with Geonhak and he could not fathom why Geonhak would always accept what the smaller man send to him like a challenge when he has no reason to. Dongju tidies up his work station.
Just as he is about to wipe down the counter, he sees Hwanwoong gets up and leave the cafe doors urgently, from the corner of his eye, leaving the food, even the untouched ones without a word. Dongju frowns. He picks up a tray and is ready to clean up the table. But judging from the way Hwanwoong leaves, it doesn't seem like he has done eating. Dongju peers through the big window next to the table and sees three of their fruit suppliers talking.
Earlier, after Geonhak left to return to his farm. Hwanwoong's eyes follow the larger man as he makes his way to his van. That's when he sees the local peach supplier, who is known among the locals, the very friendly, Yonghoon. Hwanwoong sees the tall and handsome man stopping Geonhak to talk to him, even if he has just arrived at the cafe. Hwanwoong could not shake the unsettling feeling in his heart, so he decided to invite himself into the conversation.
Dongju watches as Hwanwoong approaches the two men. Yonghoon has his hands all over Geonhak's arm with the widest smile. Dongju wonders what could they possibly talk about given their personalities are far off each other. The only time when his hand leaves Geonhak is when Hwanwoong joins them. He ruffles with the shorter man's hair affectionately before going back to put his arm around Geonhak. It seems like Hwanwoong is trying to pull him away from the strawberry supplier. Dongju is intrigued and proceed to study their faces. "My word..." Dongju says upon realizing something.
"What?" he hears a voice and a faint warm of breath near his ear and jumps. He is too preoccupied with the latest discovery that he did not realize that Seoho was calling for him and had come next to him. Before Dongju could say anything, he sees the trio making their way back to the cafe. Hwanwoong pulling Yonghoon and Yonghoon dragging Geonhak with him. Dongju rushes to the counter, bringing Seoho along with him and does not say anything even after the older man asks a number of times.
"Order what you like, it's my treat," he hears Yonghoon says from the table that was occupied by Hwanwoong before. "You too, Hwanwoong-ah. These sweets can't possibly fill you up. I have to bring in the peaches to the back."
And with that, Yonghoon leaves. Dongju feels a sense of deja vu, another glaring contest between the two. But this time, rather than feeling annoyed, he feels amused. He turns to Seoho who is still looking at him for answers. Apparently, Dongju is smiling suspiciously wide.
"Hyung, it's jealousy!" Dongju tells Seoho. "They're like the webtoons that you read. Hwanwoong-hyung likes Yonghoon-hyung, but Yonghoon-hyung is interested in Geonhak-hyung."
Seoho's eyes light up at the mention of webtoons. "So the hostility is really just out of jealousy?"
"I wouldn't say 'just' since it is more than that, but this reason makes it more interesting," Dongju says, watching the two men fumble with their phones, ordering their food via the contactless system the cafe is run on.
"Seoho-ssi," a man, the cook, calls out from the kitchen, telling the man that Yonghoon is already waiting at the back.
Dongju spends about half an hour watching the trio, interest piqued once again, before the lunch hour rush begins. All this time, he had mistaken the rivalry between the cherry supplier and the strawberry supplier with sexual tension and had once or twice tried to meddle in, trying to be the wingman. It's no wonder that Dongju attempts to play cupid ended up with the two creating the scoreboard system and further causing them to openly bicker whenever they step into the cafe.
"If you think about meddling with them, please don't," Seoho's voice snaps Dongju out of his thoughts during closing time as if he knows what Dongju is thinking about. Despite it had been a few hours since the fruit suppliers left, he is right. Seoho walks to the cafe front door and checks to see if it is locked. Dongju does not have to wait for Seoho since they lived upstairs, he could just wash up first, yet he always waits.
"I'm not thinking of anything," Dongju defends himself, reaching out to Seoho's hand as they climb up the stairs, out of habit.
"But-"
"Dongju..." Seoho trails off. "It's out of our hands. It's a love triangle, which side will you be on?"
Dongju pouts, even when Seoho is right. But he couldn't shake the feeling off. Dazzle is rumoured to be the place where people find love and he had seen it all happened too, he can't have the fruit suppliers ruin the image that the cafe has. It will chase away the customers. Maybe...
"I've never heard of this," Geonhak protests, slamming the card on the ground. Hwanwoong usually would roll his eyes over the bigger's dramatic rage, but he is focused on the words on the card Dongju handed them.
"We thought we'd appreciate our fruit suppliers," Dongju says, picking up the invitation card and brushes the imaginary dust off of it before offering it back to Geonhak.
"You didn't celebrate my birthday," Geonhak mumbles quietly. "Not that I cared."
"And when was that?"
"Two weeks ago, the 26th," Geonhak continues to mumble.
"Hah! What a lame date," Hwanwoong chimes in after he finishes reading the proposal quietly. It's clear he's saying anything just to make Geonhak mad.
"And your birthday is..?" Dongju asks, tilting his head.
Hwanwoong reluctantly mumbles, even lower than Geonhak's voice. "...the 26th of this month."
"Hah! Who has a lame date now?" Geonhak returns the favour.
"I was born on the 8th month of the year, 8 is bigger than 7. Clearly, you're the lamest."
Dongju regrets this idea already. "Shut up. It is a request from my brother and his housemates. If the both of you want to, I can ask Youngjo-hyung to make the cake bigger to fit your names as well."
"And be celebrated the same as this pipsqueak? I'd rather not."
"Call me pipsqueak once more, you gorilla, I dare you," Hwanwoong pulls his sleeves up to his elbow making a fist, rotating it for impact. "Clearly, this guy doesn't want to be celebrated, just put my name and Yonghoon-hyung's."
"Yeah, leave the space for my name and put 'Marry me, hyung. I'm desperate'" Geonhak mocks Hwanwoong. The remark catches Dongju off-guard, so they are aware of it. "Not a chance, please include my name as well."
"You don't even like him like that, you're just doing it to spite me! Fuck you."
"I can learn to. He's a nice guy." Geonhak says as if his tongue is made of lead, heavy and unwilling to utter the words.
"Yah!" Dongju yells, impatiently. "I know I was wrong in asking you guys to distract Yonghoon-hyung and help set up his surprise birthday party."
"I'll help distract him. You can ask this himbo to help you with the heavy stuff," Hwanwoong answers.
"Himbo is a compliment," Geonhak replies and Hwanwoong sticks out his tongue to that. He folds his arms to emphasize his reluctance. "And I am not going to waste my day off."
"You're just going to pump iron and lift weights anyway, why not help Dongju?" Hwanwoong says, and as if on cue, Dongju pouts, bringing his lips up as much as he could while pushing the centre of his brows up.
Geonhak's eyes shake, trying to look away but couldn't. He grunts and huffs, before hanging his shoulders low. Dongju lips curls into a smile.
Geonhak, Dongju learns, is a really fussy person. He has the body of a titan but the personality of a tween. Dongju wants to pull his ears off his head and keep it somewhere soundproof because Geonhak has never stopped complaining since he arrived for the preparation. He does what he is told, sometimes even better than what was expected, given how much he complains. He and another big guy, from Dongju's twin's group of friends, Harin, were asked to move the pieces of furniture and hang way too delicate garlands. Geonhak could've sworn he had seen the guy before, at the local gym he frequents. Especially with those strong built as well as strong eyebrows, but he can't be sure because he rarely brings his glasses when he goes to the gym.
Dongju watches the cafe's interior transformed into a festive area, with garlands and streamers, along with his twin brother, Dongmyeong. He texts Hwanwoong to tell him that the place is ready and that's could bring Yonghoon here at any time. He gets a reply and laughs, he walks to his twin brother, Dongmyeong to relay the message. "Yonghoon-hyung's stopping by at the pizza place. He's buying pizza. For his own birthday party. I should've used the no outside food policy."
Dongmyeong rolls his eyes. "I'm really dreading this surprise party. Did you know, just this morning, he insisted that we celebrate his birthday here, in this cafe? After how me, Hyungu-hyung, Harin-hyung and Giuk had planned this a week ago? What are we supposed to say? Good thing Giuk is fast enough to put a time to when we should meet up. And then Hwanwoong-hyung came. We just left them there and came here as fast as we could."
Before Seoho had the chance to set a notice for a 2-hour break for the party, the frequent customer that always works at the cafe arrived. He looks flustered as he walks through the door and sees a group of people distracted by his entrance. He bows and apologizes frantically before walking out, but Youngjo, the temporary cook, who had just finished his work and was asked to join them grabs the tall man by the waist. "Can Keonhee join us?"
Hyungu, one of Yonghoon's friends with blue hair, looks at the group. They give him a nod. "Sure, the more the merrier."
Yonghoon and Hwanwoong arrive almost after Keonhee manages to find a spot way behind the group. He feels a bit out of place, but he is coaxed to sing along by Youngjo who never seems to leave him alone.
If anyone asked, Yonghoon did not shed any tear when he walks into the cafe, expecting just his group of friends with a small cake, but is welcomed by colourful streamers and a large cream cake with him, Hwanwoong and Geonhak's name on it. He didn't cry, but his eyes are perspirating a lot. "Oh, it's your birthday too?" he asks Geonhak while ruffling with Hwanwoong's hair, wishing him his birthday.
Dongju explains that since he asks them to help, the cafe decided to include their names too. "But that's the cake from the cafe..." Dongju trails off as he sees Harin behind him, approaching them with another small but tall cake. "...that, however..."
"Hyung, please don't cry," Giuk begs. "Everyone can see."
The party goes swimmingly well, Keonhee who seems to be a fish out of the water at first is now laughing and dancing silly along with Harin while Dongmyeong and Giuk try to stop them. Yonghoon notices that Geonhak had never touched neither cake from earlier, he tries to offer some but Geonhak politely declines, telling him that he dislikes them and is looking after his figure. Yonghoon insists he takes just one bite of the cake his friends made for him.
Hwanwoong pulls Yonghoon over to the corner of the area. "Hyung, I have something to give you," Hwanwoong pulls a box from behind him and he watches as Yonghoon's face lights up.
"Geonhak, are you okay?" Yonghoon and Hwanwoong turn to see Geonhak hanging on the side of the table, to keep him from falling. His nape looks bright red from afar.
"Are there cherries in the cake?" Geonhak wheezes the words out. "-allergic."
Yonghoon and Seoho run to take Geonhak's arms on each side. Dongju looks at Youngjo, and the cook denies that he had put any fruits in it since it is the basic white birthday cake with white icing. Dongmyeong's eyes widen as he hisses. "Our cake! It has a bit of cherry rum in it!"
"His must be severely allergic to it," Seoho inspects the hives on Geonhak's neck. "Come on, let's take him to the clinic. It's just around the block."
The group look at one another and decide to clean up, putting down the streamers and other decorations, but keeping the food on the table and music still playing in the background. Dongju hurriedly runs to peel the 2-hour break notice off of the cafe door as he sees two cars pulling over into the cafe's parking space. Youngjo and Dongju returns to their work station and Keonhee quietly find a space in the far corner of the cafe to work after finish helping the group clear up the disposables. Giuk changes the playlist to a more relaxing, lo-fi sounding song while Dongmyeong picks a random board game that is prepared for the visitors that wants to do extra activities apart from just meeting up with friends on the weekends. There is also a small two-tier bookshelf that is filled with best selling book titles of the time that piqued Hyungu's interest. Harin asks if Hwanwoong wants to join them play but he declines. He quietly drinks his drink and watches them play.
Not a half-hour later, Yonghoon and Seoho return with peculiar facial expressions on their faces. There is a long silence in the cafe and it brings Youngjo to pop his head out of the kitchen door. Yonghoon looks sullen, shoulders slump, while Seoho has an unreadable grin on his face which fluctuates between awkwardness and amused. Hwanwoong walks up to them to ask where Geonhak is, but before he could do so, Yonghoon drops his head onto Hwanwoong's shoulder.
"Where is Geonhak-hyung?" Dongju asks. Seoho lets out an awkward chuckle.
"He... He- uh. His boyfriend took him home," Seoho says.
Yonghoon doesn't lift his head up but brings his hand around to wrap Hwanwoong's shoulders. The taller man looks like he is folding in half by doing so, Hwanwoong pats his arm slowly, unsure of what to do. He looks at Yonghoon's housemates for help. The rest of them smile and give him a thumbs up. And then it hit Hwanwoong, what he had just heard.
"Boyfriend? He has a boyfriend?!" Dongju screams.
Seoho's actions look even more suspicious. He is looking away, fidgeting with his finger. "He didn't have a boyfriend before he left the cafe. But now he has one."
Dongju squints, trying to study what is going on with Seoho. "We have no idea what happened too. It just happened," Seoho adds. Hwanwoong can hear soft sobs from Yonghoon now.
"Dongju-yah, you know I'm bad at stuff like this. I can't explain what I don't understand and it's bad to speculate."
Hwanwoong hears a mumble from his shoulder. Yonghoon is trying to say something, but it comes out very soft and unintelligible. Hwanwoong tries to listen to what he says. He gasps at the information that is just dropped on him.
"Um. Yonghoon-hyung said some guy saw them bringing Geonhak-hyung into the clinic. And this guy keeps on worrying and following Geonhak with his treatment like a close kin, answering all the questions regarding his health history. After that, the guy confessed- What?"
Seoho nods frantically and pointed to Hwanwoong, gesturing that everything Hwanwoong says is correct. "That's right, it was very strange." Everyone in the space raises their eyebrows and the peculiarity of the story. Yonghoon continues to mumble into Hwanwoong's shoulder.
"Mingi?" Hwanwoong questions.
"Mingi?" Youngjo parrots, walking out of the kitchen. "Fisherman Mingi?"
Everyone looks at Youngjo, confused. "You know those young flashy fishermen that live nearby. They own that cool boat, with the jolly roger motif. He's the tall guy with the low voice. This cafe sourced fishes from them." Youngjo adds.
"Anyway, I've seen them around, Geonhak and Mingi. I think it made sense. It's sudden, but it made sense. They're really close." The whole cafe falls into awkward silence.
"So," Dongju says, breaking the silence. "Geonhak-hyung is okay?"
Seoho explains that the doctor gave Geonhak his epinephrine and observed his reaction to the shot. He showed some improvement and that was when the awkward event happened. That Mingi guy told them that he will stay with Geonhak and brings him home later.
"Hyung is heartbroken, Hwanwoong-ah." Yonghoon says, finally raises his head. His eyes are a bit red, but not swollen. Yonghoon did cry a bit but part of him is still processing what happened.
"Come, come, hyung," Hwanwoong brings Yonghoon to the table where his friends sit. "It's still your birthday, you're not allowed to be sad today! Come let's play a game."
Dongju is hit by deja vu when Geonhak walks through the front door of the cafe and orders a strawberry smoothie. The man eyes his rival, the cherry supplier, seated at the same table a few weeks prior, among the customers. As if on cue, Hwanwoong places his leg on the free chair across him, eyes locking into his rival's. Geonhak takes the other chair, similar to last time. Dongju rolls his eyes at them, as he gets the blender.
"So," Hwanwoong starts. "I heard you got yourself a boyfriend."
"So I did. You must be happy that I'm out of the way."
"I'm ecstatic," Hwanwoong emphasizes the word with widening his eyes with every syllable. "I heard he's tall, but Yonghoon-hyung is taller though."
"Are you kidding me, Mingi is definitely bigger, taller and thicker," Geonhak pauses for a moment, perhaps rethinking his remark. "Wait, fuck, are we competing over our partner's height now?"
Hwanwoong laughs first, Geonhak follows after. Hwanwoong stops to take a sip of his peach smoothie and take a bite off the sandwich he ordered. He offers the other half of the sandwich on the plate to Geonhak. The larger man looks at him, judging. He pulls the plate back to him.
"How long have you been allergic to cherries?" Hwanwoong finally asks the question he has been meaning to ask since he saw the strawberry supplier again.
"For a while..."
"But you've been eating them well before," Hwanwoong says, bringing up one of the oldest memories the two of them shared. Of when they were children, their families are friends and would always share their produce after the harvest. "Wait, is that why you said cherries are horrible fruits that day?"
Geonhak presses his lips into a thin line, bringing his hand to rub the back of his neck, looking away. "...yes. I fell ill a few days before that and I guess, I was traumatized when you offered again."
"Oh my God," Hwanwoong exclaims, bringing his hands to cover his face. He remembers how one day his friend, the strawberry farmers' son, Geonhak, frequently visited them to play together every summer, suddenly says the fruit that Hwanwoong had always known and grown up with, is horrible. It made sense that toddler Hwanwoong felt offended by it. But to have that fueling his feud with Geonhak until now is just embarrassing. And Geonhak did despise Hwanwoong for a while since he was the one responsible for always bringing cherries to their house even though it was not Hwanwoong's fault that Geonhak kept on eating them until his body couldn't take it anymore. As he grew up, he had learned that it wasn't anyone's fault. However, when they see one another, they have the urge to fight. The both of them had no choice but to laugh it out. "How long has it been?"
"I'm willing to put this behind if you promise we never bring this up ever again." Geonhak proposes between chuckle, holding out a hand for a shake.
Hwanwoong immediately grabs his hand and shakes them enthusiastically. "Deal."
"Aww, have you two made up?" Dongju comes up to them with Geonhak's order. Both of them nod their head with the same enthusiasm as their handshake. "What brought to this?"
"Age and maturity," Hwanwoong says nonchalantly.
Dongju hears a choking cough from the table next to them, he turns to see Keonhee is packing up his things into his bag and tidying up the stack of files and move it into a folder. "Oh, do you have an interview today, Keonhee-hyung?" Keonhee nods, smoothening his blazer as he stands up before picking up his things.
Dongju wishes him the best. "Fighting, Keonhee-yah", all three of them chant. Keonhee puts both hands out in a fist to show that he will do his best. Then he fast walks out of the cafe.
"What the hell was that? Are they children?" He breathes out, trying to calm himself down. "Never mind, Keonhee. We need to focus on our interview. We heard nothing, we saw nothing."