Chapter Text
Sunoo isn’t normally in the business of coming up with the fastest ways to kill himself with the milk steamer, but between the mostly empty coffee cup hanging limply in his hand the and the actual coffee staining the (very) expensive coat of his customer, death by boiling milk is rapidly becoming more and more appealing.
The tall man seems to be in shock, much like Sunoo is right now, processing the split second it had taken for his pristine beige coat to resemble a piece of abstract art. Sunoo wonders, hysterically, if he can convince the man that the coffee stains make his coat better and more interesting instead of ruined and unusable.
“Oh my god, sir, I’m so sorry,” Sunoo blurts out, hand hanging uselessly. The napkins are right there in front of him, but there’s no point in trying to wipe the coat clean with these cheap tissues. Behind him, he can hear the sound of the door to the stock room opening and closing, no doubt signaling his co-worker Kyungmin trying to distance himself from the situation despite being the one who knocked into him in the first place. Sunoo swears he’s never doing a closing shift with him ever again, only to realize he might never be doing a shift again, period.
The man finally recovers some semblance of calm, looking down at the stains. Sunoo thanks whatever god is up there in the sky that it was an iced drink, not a hot one. Not only would burning a customer have meant instant dismissal from his job and a possible lawsuit, hot water would have probably fucked the coat up even more.
“Sir, I’m so sorry,” Sunoo says again, collecting himself and bowing deeply, if a little frantically. “Um - you’ll need to have it cleaned, right? Oh god, I’m sorry, of course you need it cleaned - I’ll pay for it, of course - ” Why the fuck did he have to offer to pay for it? Who knows how many paychecks he’ll need to combine to pay for something as fancy as that? Sunoo wonders if he can offer his first-born child instead; sure, he’s gay, but gay people have access to babies, right? Oh God, do orphanages require you to say why you’re adopting? Would he have to disclose that the baby was payment? Would they say no if he did?
The customer, who’s been worryingly silent this whole time, suddenly starts… laughing ? Oh god, he is laughing. Sunoo thinks he can actually physically feel his blood pressure shooting up, and he starts bracing himself for whatever meltdown this customer is about to have in the middle of the cafe.
“Oh my god, no, please don’t worry about it,” the man says. Startled, Sunoo blinks at him. “Sorry?”
“No, it’s - ” He breaks to laugh a little more, and Sunoo thinks his laugh is a little goofy for his sophisticated image, clashing with his tall stature and chic dark bucket hat and face mask. Then again, Sunoo has also made the mistake of assuming his roommate Jaeyun was totally normal and of sound mind when he first met him, only to find out he puts his milk in before his cereal and doesn’t separate his dark and white laundry like some kind of psychopath.
The man seemingly gets over his laughing fit, delicately wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. At least, that’s what Sunoo assumes he’s doing, since the bucket hat hides most of his face. “No, I’m sorry for laughing, I know that was weird,” he says, still giggling. Man, he giggles . What the fuck. “It’s just - okay, this is gonna sound stupid, but I’ve been looking for an excuse to get rid of this coat since forever.”
Sunoo gapes at him. “But why would you want to get rid of it? It’s such a nice coat.”
“It was from an ex,” the man says, voice filled with amusement. Sunoo gasps, suddenly intrigued - gossip is gossip, even if he doesn’t know any of the people involved. “I wanted to get rid of it when we broke up, but I felt bad about throwing it out, since it’s such a nice coat like you said. But now I can totally get rid of it with a clean conscience, so. Uh. I think this means I have to thank you.”
“Oh.” What are you supposed to say to something like that? “Congratulations?” Sunoo fervently wishes for some demon to crawl up from the fiery pits of hell and duct tape his mouth shut forever, and maybe haul him back with them as well.
“Thanks,” the man says, and for a split second, his eyes peek out from under his hat, although they’re narrowed into crescent shaped slits. He’s smiling , Sunoo realizes, relief suddenly flooding his system. He’s not getting thrown out of the cafe or giving away his firstborn after all.
“Although, um, I still want my coffee.” Sunoo blanches and looks down at the forgotten cup in his hand, still empty. “Can I order another one?”
“Yes, of course!” The man starts to walk back to the cashier, but Sunoo hastily puts out a hand to stop him. “Wait, sir, you don’t have to pay for it again, I’m the one who spilled it on you.”
“Are you sure? I don’t mind - ”
“Sir, it’s really fine. Just wait for your drink, I’ll have it ready quickly.” He pauses, looking up warily. “Could you stand a little farther from the counter?”
The man laughs again, actually leaning his head back as the laughter shakes his body. Sunoo’s struck by the sheer delight that’s obvious in the man’s voice, shaking his head again as he thanks his lucky stars that he’d spilled coffee on a forgiving customer instead of an obnoxious one.
He steps back obligingly from the coffee-making station, which Sunoo is grateful for. Iced americanos are easy to prepare, but in his anxiety-riddled state Sunoo feels like he’s playing a high-quality cafe simulator on the hardest level, minus the reward of virtual money bags. He thankfully finishes making the americano with no further incident and hands it over to the customer as if he’s a mother handing her baby to be baptized by a priest.
"One large unspilled iced americano," Sunoo says, immediately regretting it.
"Thank you very much - how did you know I preferred my americanos unspilled?" The man's eyes peek out from under his hat again, and this time Sunoo catches a twinkle of mischief. The little glint in his eyes stays there even as he walks to the tip jar and drops a couple of bills in it.
"What are you doing?" Sunoo asks, too shocked to use his customer service voice.
"Tipping you for great service. I get coffee and I get to move on. That’s a really great deal, if you ask me." His stance and voice get softer. "Listen, it's really okay. I'm not saying you should go around spilling coffee on customers, but this was… a big help. You helped more than you could understand."
He pats his stained coat and gives a little wave. "Have a good night, yeah?" And with that, he's gone.
Sunoo watches him go, his tall figure disappearing into the evening crowd outside the cafe. As he stands there, Kyungmin meekly makes his way out of the stock room.
“Are you gonna be fired?” he asks timidly, shrinking back when Sunoo looks at him, unimpressed.
“No. But I am going to be taking a thirty minute break,” he says flatly, enjoying the way Kyungmin’s shoulders sag in resignation. “Also, you clean up the coffee on the floor. Don’t call me unless there are more than three people in line.”
In hindsight, Sunoo should have known that such a stipulation would result in a very, very short break.
-
When he finally gets home, Sunoo basks in the feeling of having no immediate responsibilities and the prospect of just falling into bed and bumming around until his next class. That fantasy lasts for all of three seconds before he’s brought back to reality by the banshee-like screeching of his roommate from under his feet.
“JESUS CHRIST,” Sunoo screams, immediately yanking his foot back and nearly falling into the door. Jaeyun, disheveled and distressed, rolls away from him and clutches the part of his shoulder that Sunoo had accidentally stepped on. “WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING ON THE FLOOR?”
“WAITING FOR YOU TO COME HOME,” Jaeyun replies, equally loudly.
“WHY ON THE FLOOR?”
“I WANTED TO SURPRISE YOU BUT I FELL ASLEEP.”
“IN THE DOORWAY?”
“YEAH.”
Sunoo massages his temples, hysterical laughter threatening to escape his throat. “Hyung, I want you to thank every single god up there right now that I had work today and wasn’t wearing my Docs.”
“I already told you I’m a Catholic,” Jaeyun says pitifully, massaging his shoulder. “I wanted to surprise you because I made dinner.”
“You made dinner?” Now, that is a surprise. Their meals almost always consist of takeout or the occasional quick meal with the side dishes their mothers pile them with whenever they go home to visit.
"Yeah!" Jaeyun says brightly, as if he's already forgotten getting stepped on. His lack of laundry etiquette aside, he's truly one of the nicest people Sunoo knows, forgiving almost to a fault and quick to look at the bright side rather than the negative. It makes for a very pleasant roommate experience, so Sunoo simply turns a blind eye to his more harmless quirks.
Which, by the way, doesn't include his tendency to get distracted whenever he cooks. Sunoo cautiously sniffs at the air, trying to detect any hint of burnt food. "What did you cook?"
At that, Jaeyun's expression turns sheepish. "Well, I didn't cook ," he says, fiddling with his fingers. "I'm not gonna try any new recipes by myself. But! I found this really good instant pho at the grocery today! It's really good! Almost like the real thing!"
Relieved, Sunoo hastens to take off his shoes and go to the little kitchenette with Jaeyun. His roommate hops to the fridge to pull out cans of soda for them both, cola for Jaeyun and lemon for Sunoo. "Doesn't it look good?" Jaeyun asks proudly, gesturing at the still-hot bowls of pho. It does look good - Sunoo's only had pho a couple of times before, but he could swear that it looks and smells practically as good as the ones he's had in restaurants.
"Yeah, it really does. You found it at the grocery?"
"Mm-hmm. I bought a couple more packs so if you want some more you can just make it yourself. I put them in the ramyeon cabinet." That’s the other plus side of rooming with Jaeyun – he’s taken it upon himself to cover all their groceries, including snacks and toiletries. At first, Sunoo had felt bad about it, despite Jaeyun insisting that he gets really good deals at the grocery, dude, the owner’s a family friend so don’t worry about it! His uncertainty had quickly faded the day Jaeyun returned to their shared unit with an enormous block of mozzarella, happily proclaiming that he’d gotten it for free at the grocery. If they were willing to give away that much expensive cheese, Sunoo supposes it’s no trouble for them to give Jaeyun exorbitant amounts of ramyeon for free.
Once they’ve finished their food and washed their dishes, Jaeyun makes himself comfortable on their tiny couch, occupying most of the space even when he’s all curled up. Normally, Sunoo would join him from their carpeted floor, watching terrible shows on Sunoo’s Netflix account, but tonight he makes a beeline for the bathroom, wanting to get into his pajamas and lie down as soon as possible.
He’s brushing his teeth while pacing the living area when Jaeyun suddenly laughs, feet kicking around in delight. “Sunoo, Sunoo, look at this!” he says, waving him over. Sunoo motions for him to wait, quickly running to the bathroom to rinse his mouth before coming over. “What is it?”
“Look what Jongseong just posted!” Ah, Park Jongseong. Sunoo knows him to be one of Jaeyun’s favorite actors, a common topic for their recent conversations. Jaeyun’s been nagging Sunoo to watch his latest drama with him, but Sunoo’s never found the time.
Jaeyun shows him an Instagram post. “Read the caption!” he says, still giggling. “God, I hope Jongseong never changes.”
The caption is written in both Korean and English, a common trend for bilingual celebrities with international followings. However, the caption might as well be written in Greek for all Sunoo cares, his eyes unable to focus on anything but the picture as the blood slowly drains from his limbs.
The picture is a familiar beige coat, covered in familiar dark brown stains. Although there’s barely anything else in the photo besides the white bed sheet underneath the coat, there’s no mistaking whose coat that is.
“ Spilled coffee on my coat, sad emoji, crying emoji, that’s not very cash money of me ,” Jaeyun says in English, before bursting out in another round of helpless laughter. “No, ‘cos what the hell, he’s so funny, he just went and literally translated cash money into Korean! Why is he so funny without even trying? People who don’t know the meme would be so confused!”
“Yeah, I don’t get it,” Sunoo forces himself to say, adding a very fake giggle in for good measure. Oh, god. Holy shit. He spilled coffee on Park Jongseong .
“Okay so it’s like, um, cash money literally means like money, but the meme is – ” Sunoo quickly tunes Jaeyun out, unable to focus on his passionate explanation of some outdated internet meme. He spilled coffee on a famous actor. Oh, god. Suddenly, chills run through his spine, thinking how much worse everything could have been if the guy – if Park Jongseong – wasn’t as nice and forgiving as he had been. Forget being fired – he genuinely could have gotten into a full-blown scandal if things had gone even slightly more awry.
“ – and then look at the comments, I’m literally dying ‘cos Sunghoon – Park Sunghoon, the figure skater – commented below and he commented in English! Look at what he said, he said the only cash money around here is your laundry bill .” Jaeyun dissolves into laughter again, actual tears appearing at the corners of his eyes. Sunoo feels like crying too, for extremely different reasons. “I’m dying, I’m actually dying, Jongseong’s so funny.”
“No wonder he’s your favorite actor, hyung,” Sunoo manages to say, laughing weakly. “Remind me to watch that drama of his some time.”
“I’m always reminding you,” Jaeyun pouts, before brightening up. “Do you wanna watch some episodes now? Two episodes dropped last weekend and I haven’t watched them yet, but I wouldn’t mind watching from the start.”
“Maybe tomorrow, hyung? Today’s shift was kind of tiring.” Jaeyun coos over him in sympathy, quickly ushering him to his bedroom. Once the door is closed behind him and he’s sure that his roommate is otherwise preoccupied, Sunoo sinks to the floor, hands clutching his face.
Logically, he knows it’s pointless to make a big deal out of it at this point. Jongseong had clearly been fine with what had happened, and it’s extremely unlikely that he’d change his mind and register a complaint with Sunoo’s manager after the whole thing.
He knows that, but that doesn’t make it any less embarrassing .
“Only you, Kim Sunoo,” he sighs, shaking his head. He pats his still-warm cheeks and wills himself to calm down, unwilling to lose anymore of his free time to moping. There’s a messy bed and a playlist of cat video compilations with his name on it, and he’s not about to pass it up.
-
Enough days pass by that Sunoo forgets about the incident, filing it confidently away in his mental Anecdotes-To-Use-As-Icebreakers-At-Parties folder. He hasn’t told Jaeyun yet, still a little embarrassed over the whole thing, but he figures he can bring it up the next time his roommate mentions Park Jongseong.
Who, by the way, Sunoo has since looked up on his phone, furtively glancing at his bedroom door as if he’s making a drug deal and not lurking on Naver. He’s not really big on following actors, with most of the people he follows being idols or digital artists, so he doesn’t know much about Jongseong beyond what Jaeyun mentions.
The very first search result that had popped up was park jongseong net worth , and clicking on it immediately explained to Sunoo how the man could be so nonchalant about ruining such an expensive coat. Between his father’s international travel agency and what Jongseong makes from his dramas and endorsements, he probably has enough money to buy a small country, let alone one measly coat.
Sunoo had clicked on multiple interview clips, curious to see what he was like on-camera. If he was that playful and pleasant around some random minimum wage employee, he must be even more charming when he was actually trying.
He had kind of been awed at how… dorky Jongseong seemed on camera. It was clear that he was capable of being chic and cool - if his clothes didn't already speak for him, then his ability to speak four languages and his expansive knowledge about fashion certainly did. And yet, for as smart and opinionated as he was, he was surprisingly sweet and good-natured, always the target of fond teasing from whichever costars he was being interviewed with.
He certainly seems like the type of person who wouldn’t make a scene over a coat, even if it wasn’t a memento from an ex that he was trying to get rid of. Sunoo thanks whatever God Jaeyun prays to that of all the celebrities he could have made a fool of himself in front of, he’d gotten a nice one. His job at the cafe pays much better than his old one at a convenience store, and the owner had been kind enough to give Sunoo the shifts he’d wanted even if it made for an eclectic schedule due to his equally staggered class schedules. It would suck to have to leave.
Kyungmin still seems apologetic about knocking into him during their last shift, even if Sunoo’s reassured him that it was completely fine. That’s what Sunoo has gathered from watching his co-worker relentlessly clean the coffee station even if Sunoo had been the last one to use it, and offering to take over the cashier when he notices Sunoo sounding a little listless after dealing with three obnoxious customers in a row.
So, yeah. Sunoo’s having a great time zoning out and pretending he’s in a cafe simulator, making what feels like the hundredth iced caramel macchiato of that day. He’s even feeling gracious enough to offer to switch with Kyungmin again, only for the younger employee to beat him to the punch.
“Sunoo-hyung!” he hisses, looking panicked. “I think it’s the guy from last time!”
Sunoo raises an eyebrow at him, confused, before following his gaze to the line. There’s some university student at the very front, followed by a businessman, followed by some tall man in a mask… oh, fuck. That couldn’t possibly be Park Jongseong again , right?
“I’m sure it’s just some guy,” he says, trying to sound nonchalant, but Kyungmin looks close to crying in front of him. He’s barely younger than Sunoo, but he’s way worse with confrontation, even if he knows that Jongseong would have no reason to personally seek him out.
“You want me to take his order?” Sunoo asks patiently, to which Kyungmin nods quickly. “You sure?”
“Please! I’m going to end up apologizing to him and making things awkward and I’m going to feel the need to explain myself even if he has no idea who I am.” Put that way, Sunoo understands why it’s better for him to take over at the cashier. Sighing, he sets down the drink he’d been making, fixes his apron, and makes his way over to handle the line.
Both the university student and the businessman want lattes, so their orders are punched in and handed to Kyungmin in no time at all. By the time the tall man walks up to the cashier, Sunoo has hypnotized himself into a detached sense of calmness, ready to make the transaction as quick and painless as possible. “Hi, welcome to the Coffee Roost, can I take your order?”
When he looks up, he observes the man scanning the menu. It’s the same man, alright - Sunoo’s seen that face in enough videos by now to recognize him even behind a mask. Except, he seems a bit… off? He’d also been wearing a mask last time, but his eyes look significantly different now, looking unfocused at times as he takes much too long to choose a drink.
There’s no one behind him in the line, but Sunoo feels a bit awkward just waiting for him to make a choice. The longer they stand there, the more noticeable the potent aura of fatigue emanating from him becomes, which Sunoo can only sense because of his sagging posture and measured breathing. It’s a far-cry from the confident stance he had adopted in the videos he had watched.
He must be tired from work, Sunoo realizes. Well, it might not even be his job, but he knows the look of exhaustion well, having seen it in the mirror countless times before. Feeling a bit sorry for him, and mostly wanting to end the awkward silence, Sunoo leans forward. “Sir, do you like hot lattes?”
Jongseong blinks at him, momentarily focusing on his face. “I’m sorry?”
“Do you like lattes?” Sunoo hopes that he takes the question seriously instead of mistaking it as a terrible pick-up line, because he’s fresh out of funny punchlines if Jongseong chooses this moment to have a sense of humor. “What about flavored lattes? Like caramel, or mocha, or vanilla, maybe?”
The actor stares at him, as if trying to process his question, but he eventually nods. “I like caramel lattes,” he says, voice small.
“Got it.” Sunoo punches in an order for a large caramel latte. “Here’s your total. Cash or card?”
“Cash.” He starts to hand a bill to Sunoo, before abruptly yanking it back and looking at it. Sunoo stifles a laugh when he realizes he’s checking if it’s the correct amount. He hands it over, and Sunoo briskly hands him back his change and the receipt. “Sit down, I’ll bring you your drink.”
“Oh, wait, I wanted it for take-out - ”
“Do you have anywhere to be after this?”
Jongseong freezes, eyes searching Sunoo’s face. He wills his cheeks not to flood with color, even as he internally screams at himself for possibly crossing the line with a customer, never mind a famous celebrity.
“I don’t have anywhere to be tonight, no,” Jongseong finally says.
“Okay,” Sunoo says. “So go sit somewhere, and I’ll bring you your drink. There’s a table in the corner that’s kinda covered by this big plant, but if you don’t mind that then you can sit there, ‘cos it’s a bit more hidden than the other tables.”
“I - ” Jongseong shakes his head, laughing a little. Sunoo can’t explain how relieved he is to hear that small laugh, a reassurance that he hasn’t overstepped. “Okay. Thank you.”
He leaves, and Kyungmin timidly walks up to Sunoo once he’s gone. “Was it okay? Did he say anything about last time?”
Sunoo laughs and pats his head. “He didn’t say anything, he just took a long time deciding what he wanted. Did you already finish the two other orders?”
“Yeah, I did. What did he order? I can make it if you - ”
“Oh, it’s okay, I’ll take this one. Can you take the cashier in the meantime?” Kyungmin looks at him curiously, before nodding and returning to the cashier. Sunoo walks over to the coffee station and gathers the necessary ingredients. It’s not like it’s all that complicated of a drink - just espresso, steamed milk, and a couple of pumps of caramel syrup. But it’s going to be a special latte, Sunoo decides, and he hopes that he can cheer Jongseong up even through a small gesture.
Jaeyun-hyung’s going to flip out when I tell him about this , he thinks, carefully making a large white circle on the cup's surface with the milk. Maybe all of this is a sign that I should finally watch his favorite drama after all.
After a moment of hesitation, Sunoo decides to stick with his initial plan and draws a very simple smiley face through the milk, neatly rounding out the smile with some lines to indicate cheeks. It’s not his best or fanciest work by far, but he feels an inexplicable fondness for the childlike drawing floating on top of the coffee.
Kyungmin peers over his shoulder as he finishes it, clutching an order for another americano. “Oh, you’re making latte art!” he says admiringly. Kyungmin still isn’t adept at making images in his drinks, although he’s been improving the more he observes Sunoo. “Did he ask for a smiley face? That’s so cute!”
“Uh, yeah.” It’s easier to agree than explain his spontaneous decision to… make a smiley face latte for a multimillionaire actor.
Apparently, Sunoo’s really going all out with his impulsive choices, because he stops to pick out a cream puff from the display case beside the cashier. He picks out a smaller one, even though it’s unlikely anyone will notice one missing, and puts it on a small saucer before he can lose his nerve.
He finds Jongseong sitting at the table he had recommended, covered partially by the leaves of the cafe owner’s favorite plant. He has his back turned to the rest of the cafe, so Sunoo quietly says “excuse me,” as he approaches, so as not to startle him. When Jongseong doesn’t respond, he steps to the side of the table, just within the actor’s peripheral vision. “Excuse me?”
Jongseong jumps a little, pulling airpods out of his ears. No wonder he hadn’t heard Sunoo, then. “Sorry, I didn’t hear you - ” Whatever else he was going to say dies in his throat when Sunoo sets the cup in front of him, the goofy little smiley face still intact.
“I know you didn’t order a cream puff, but I thought you might like one,” Sunoo says, trying not to reveal how nervous he is while putting the pastry in front of him. Oh god, it’s too small, isn’t it? The sad little cream puff rolls a little on the saucer, so small that it barely takes up any of the surface.
Jongseong is worryingly silent as he looks at the coffee and the puff, and Sunoo wonders if he should just leave and spare them both the awkwardness. Before he can make a hasty exit, the actor finally looks at him, and -
“Thank you,” he says softly, and Sunoo is taken aback by his shiny eyes. Oh, god. Is he about to cry?
“You’re welcome, sir,” he says, his feelings a weird mix of uncertainty but also fondness. He suddenly remembers Jaeyun saying something about how Park Jongseong is really just a big softie underneath his designer clothes and actor persona, and he feels kind of lucky to be seeing that side of him now, even if they don’t know each other at all.
He bows politely and leaves, making his way back to the counter. Right before he steps around Kyungmin though, he peeks at Jongseong one more time. The angle makes it hard to tell for sure, but it looks like the actor is holding something, probably his phone, over his table. Sunoo can’t help the grin on his face when he realizes he’s taking a photo of his coffee.
“What, what, what is it?” Kyungmin asks, immediately spotting Sunoo’s smile. He cranes his body over the counter to see what Sunoo’s looking at, but Jongseong is all but impossible to spot from the counter if you didn’t know where to look for him. “Did something funny happen?”
“Your face is funny,” Sunoo teases, pinching Kyungmin’s cheek when the younger pouts at him. “Nothing, I just remembered something my roommate said.”
Kyungmin rubs his cheek, obviously dissatisfied, but he lets it go in favor of taking the next customer’s order. Mood lighter, Sunoo hums as he returns to the coffee station, the spring in his step never leaving even when the woman at the counter orders an acai refresher with about twelve modifications.
Half an hour later, with no new customers at the moment, Sunoo excuses himself to the back room to check his phone. There’s a text from his sister, some Instagram notifications, and a missed call from Jaeyun. He quickly calls his roommate back.
Jaeyun picks up after just two rings. “ Sunoo-woonoo! ” he says cheerfully, making Sunoo laugh. “Hey, hyung, sorry I wasn’t able to answer your call. I was at work. What’s up?”
“ Oh! Yeah, so I’m eating out with some of my classmates right now, so I’m not going to need any dinner later at the apartment. Do you want me to get takeout for you? ”
“Oh, that sounds good, where are you guys eati - ” The door suddenly opens, Kyungmin poking his head in. “Hyung!” he whispers. “The coffee man is asking for you!”
“Coffee man?” Sunoo repeats, confused. “ Coffee man? ” Jaeyun echoes from the other end of the line.
“Uh, I think a customer is looking for me right now, hyung. Don’t worry about getting me takeout, I can just pick something up on the way home,” Sunoo says, already getting up. “ You sure? I’ll get some chicken for us anyway, we can just put it in the fridge after .”
“Yeah, that works, thank you. See you later,” Sunoo says, hanging up. To Kyungmin, he hisses, “ What coffee man?”
Helplessly, his co-worker just steps out and gestures at none other than Jongseong who’s standing at the counter. Of course. “For the record, coffee man is a horrible code name,” Sunoo grumbles, stalling. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we’re the coffee men, ‘cos we make the coffee - ”
Kyungmin pushes him towards the cashier, before running into the back room and closing the door behind him. Rude.
Shaking his head, Sunoo walks to the cashier, where Jongseong is waiting, his mask already back in place. “How can I help you?”
“I wanted to know when your shift ends,” the actor says. “And if you’re free after.”
Sunoo blinks. Did he hear that right? “My shift ends in - ” he checks the wall clock, “ - thirty minutes.” He smiles almost involuntarily, cheered by the fact that his shift ends soon. But - “I’m free after. But why are you asking?”
“Will you have dinner with me?” Jongseong asks, and maybe it’s the question itself, maybe it’s the fact that it’s a really tall, really hot man asking, but Sunoo can barely suppress the sudden rush of warmth that floods his body. “I’m sorry?”
“Only if you want to,” Jongseong says, suddenly shrinking back. Sunoo cannot believe that he chooses now of all times to get shy. “I’m not going to pressure you into doing anything you don’t want to."
“You’re being serious,” Sunoo realizes. Oh, god. “You really are?”
“Yes, I am,” Jongseong says. “And I really hope you say yes.”
Sunoo is filled with the overwhelming desire to ask if he’s being pranked, if perhaps he’s on an episode of a candid camera show and his boss will walk out any minute and tell him he’s on a social experiment. And then he realizes, he technically shouldn’t know Jongseong yet. They’ve never introduced themselves to each other, and it appears that the actor doesn’t know that Sunoo has recognized him.
“I don’t even know your name,” he blurts out, panicking right after. It’s better this way, right? To pretend that he hasn’t spent at least an hour trawling through this man’s interview clips? To pretend that he hasn’t watched him do an admittedly good dance cover of BTS’s Dynamite?
Jongseong actually laughs at that, throwing his head back in a way that’s very reminiscent of their first meeting. “You can call me Jay,” he says, and Sunoo blinks, thrown off. Jay? “Jay?”
“Park Jay, if you want my full name.”
“Like the - ”
“Like the rapper,” Jongseong - no, Jay finishes for him, sounding amused. “Although I would hope I’m a little less controversial.”
Could this be a different guy? No, Sunoo’s positive that this is the same guy from last week, and he’s sure that he’s Park Jongseong. Then he realizes that “Jay” is probably a nickname, and it’s reasonable for the actor to avoid using the name he’s most known by. “Nice to meet you, Park Jay-ssi,” Sunoo says, and he can see Jay’s eyes narrow into happy little crescents. That’s... kind of adorable, actually. Really adorable. “My name is Kim Sunoo.”
“Kim Sunoo-ssi,” Jay repeats, and wow, his voice is really nice. How does he manage to make Sunoo’s name sound so… fancy? “Kim Sunoo-ssi, will you have dinner with me?”
Sunoo can hear the back door open, no doubt due to Kyungmin peeking out to see what’s going on. Oh god, what if he realizes that it’s famous actor Park Jongseong at the counter? Sunoo furtively glances behind him, and as expected, Kyungmin’s head is poking out of the door, a worried expression on his face. Okay? he mouths, eyes flitting towards Jay. Sunoo nods and then shoos him away.
“You said you don’t have anywhere to be tonight?” Jay nods. “So stick around until the end of my shift and ask me again.”
“Alright,” Jay agrees, chuckling. “Will you make me another latte, then?”
“Yah, too much coffee at night is bad for you,” Sunoo says without thinking. He blushes. “I mean - ”
“Okay, then I want… water.” Sunoo rolls his eyes. “Bottled or tap?”
“Which one is free?”
“Hey,” Sunoo snaps, pouting almost immediately. “It’s like you’re trying to make me say no to dinner.”
Jay’s eyes widen. “No, please don’t say no,” he says, and it’s really fucking unfair how he can turn on the puppy dog eyes even under a protective layering of mask plus bucket hat. “I’ll wait at the same table.” He hesitates. “...But I really do want water.”
Sunoo shakes his head and turns to fill a glass with ice and water, hiding a smile as he does so. “Here you go,” he says, handing it to Jay, before belatedly tacking on a sir .
-
sunoo
hyung i dont need dinner either im eating out w someone
not sure what time ill be back but ill text u
jaeyun
oh ok!!! have fun
i bought chicken but its 4 both of us so no worriez
who r u eating w????
sunoo
park jongseong
jaeyun
haha very funny sunoo
I know 4 a fact u dont even know his face
u cant reocgnize him in photos even
u couldnt pick him ot frm a polic lineup
sunoo
yes i do know him
u hav a big gay crush on him
u tell me evvry day
jaeyun
have fun w ur park jongseong
tell him he looked good blonde
even if he ws blonde for liek maybe 4 minutes
sunoo
okidoki
see u later!
jaeyun
see u!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
don’t get into a scandal!!!!!!!!