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It was just seven in the morning, yet Jungwon was feeling tired already. He’s been up since three since he had early rehearsals for today’s show. His blood is already filled with caffeine, but he still feels very tired and sleepy.
Early morning run throughs weren’t new to him due to the fact that he became an idol at a very young age. Being a trainee at the age of 12 made him become used to the fact that a lot of his sleeping time will be put aside.
It’s not like he’s complaining. He dreamt of this, don’t get him wrong. He liked being an idol. He loves every single bit of it. There were just moments where his body just screamed at him because he was very much exhausted from all the work that needed to be done on-stage and off-stage.
He was woken up in his trance when the producer said to the mic that rehearsals were over and they are given time to rest before the actual recording of the show. He bowed towards the staff before proceeding to his designated dressing room and laying down on the couch there.
Jungwon debuted as a soloist when he was seventeen. He kind of wished he had someone to share the debut with, but nonetheless, he was very grateful. Not a lot of people get the chance to live their dream of being an idol singer, especially in the competitive world of entertainment. He has idol friends and they all share the same dream, same passion, and same conditions. None of it really mattered to him though. He was just glad that he could do this for himself, for his family, and for his fans.
As soon as he laid his back on the said couch, his eyes immediately shut and not a while later, he fell fast asleep. That’s how tired he was. It has been two weeks since he got some proper rest since song recordings, producing sessions, and dance practices got in the way. Jungwon wanted to show his best for everyone, that’s why he worked really hard for his comeback. It all paid off, and everyone seems to love what he put out. Haters and antis won’t be totally gone, but there was more love and support that he got than the hate, so he didn’t even bother.
—
Jungwon had woken up from the most sleep that he got this week. He checked his phone and saw that it was just eleven in the morning. It was just a couple of hours, but his sleep felt like a whole eight hour sleep, maybe even more. He felt refreshed and relaxed.
And not gonna lie, he felt hungry too.
He got up from the couch he slept on and stretched his limbs before wearing his jacket, bonnet, and mask. He plans to get himself something to drink and of course, his daily fix of coffee. He walks to the door and gets out, just bringing his wallet and phone since he doesn’t plan on staying in a cafe or restaurant for his privacy.
As he paces through the hallways of the studio, he meets his manager walking by while holding his outfit for later’s show. “Manager!” The idol says while waving at his manager.
The other looks at him and beams. “Jungwon, you’re up!”
“Just took a power nap for later.” The younger smiles despite it being hidden due to the mask while nodding. “I’ll just ask if I can go outside? I want to buy some lunch.”
“I can do that for you, Jungwon. What do you want?” His manager mumbles while taking out their phone, ready to jot down the younger’s order.
Jungwon shakes his head in disagreement before continuously waving his hands. “Thank you for the offer, but I can get it for myself. I also feel like taking a walk.”
“Are you sure?” His manager worriedly asks. He gets this a lot from them, and Jungwon honestly finds it endearing. His manager was just really concerned for him and wanted to portray his job well. The idol just nods at his manager.
“Alright, but if there’s anything like paparazzi or something, contact me okay? And be back immediately, your hair and make-up will start at one.” The older one reminds him and he nods as the other talks. “Text me where you’re going so I can fetch you if you need me to.”
“Got it, boss! Thank you!” Jungwon exclaims and bows at the other before going his way. It was seldom that his manager lets him get his own food and leave him alone to walk outside in the fear of him being bombarded with fans or followed by sasaengs. He knows that they’re just concerned about him, that's why he does that, and he understands that it’s a part of their job. He just wants some alone time for him now to unwind even for a short period.
He walks out of the building and proceeds to the nearest coffee shop there is. He doesn’t opt for other places because of the time constraints. Jungwon looks around his surroundings. Thank god no one’s there following him, and thank god the people who were passing by seem to not know him. It works on his advantage.
He enters the coffee shop (cliche since it was a starbucks but he won’t complain) and he lines up to the queue in the counter. Since the line was long, he just took out his phone and scrolled down to his twitter account (the public one).
When he reaches the counter, he orders his usual dark mocha iced frappuccino and two pieces of glazed doughnut before walking to the end of the station to wait for his drink. He continued scrolling while waiting since there were many orders that were being made before him.
“One dark mocha frappe for Jay?” The barista says at the top of his lungs. Jungwon looks up from his phone and walks closer to the station to get his drink.
As soon as he reached for his cup of coffee, instead of feeling the cold cup, he felt someone else’s warm hand. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion before looking at the owner of the hand.
“Oh sorry.” Jungwon says and lets go of the cup. He didn’t realize that the other guy let go of the cup as well, making it fall down on the station, some coffee spilling on both of their shirts.
Jungwon hears the other man be apologetic. He feels the cold drink seeping through his shirt, but his mind seems to be the one that froze. He shakes his head, waking himself up before getting some tissue to pat the liquid on his shirt. Good thing he was not wearing his clothes for later’s show or else, he’d be dead. “I’m sorry, I thought it was my drink! I didn't hear it quiet well.” The other guy keeps on apologizing and Jungwon just chuckles to himself.
“It’s a small thing, don’t worry.” Jungwon lets out a small laugh before getting his other orders. “I thought we had the same order, so I let go of the cup. Turns out it was just mine.”
“I’m really sorry, oh my god, I feel embarrassed. You even got some coffee on your shirt.” The other guy says while scratching his neck.
Jungwon just shakes his head and gives a short chuckle before speaking. “You got some on your clothes too, so I guess it’s just fair.”
“I’m really in a rush now, but…” The other guy takes out his phone and gives it to Jungwon with the contacts app showing. “Can you put your number? I really want to make it up at another time. I’ll pay for the laundry of your clothes too.”
Jungwon doesn’t know what happened after, but he finds himself putting his (actual) number on this stranger’s phone.
—
He comes back to the dressing room with a soiled shirt and doughnuts on his other hand. The stylists looked at him in horror while he was removing his jacket and mask. His manager entered the room and their eyes grew wide at the sight of the idol looking like this.
“Jungwon! What happened?” The manager worriedly says to the younger and he just gives them a sigh.
“Someone just spilled their drink on me, no biggie.” Jungwon nonchalantly mentions. “No worries, no one noticed it was me and no one followed me to and from here.”
“That’s good to know.” The other seemed to relax at what the younger one had said.
“We have a coffee dispenser outside if you need some. Just tell me. Your rice meal is there on the table. Eat now, so you can start your preparations for later.” The manager reminds him and he just gives an obedient nod before proceeding to the table to eat his lunch. He invited the other staff to eat with him, but all of them seemed to be done so he ate his food alone while watching a tv series he’s hooked on.
After eating, he just brushed his teeth before sitting on the chair in front of the mirror for his show appearance. Lots of things are happening around him. Someone is applying makeup on his face, someone is blowering his hair, and someone is steaming his clothes. Everyone seemed to be busy working while he was there sitting on the chair, feeling bored. He just took out his phone to play some game to distract him.
A lot of time passed by, and he didn’t even notice it. He just looked up when he heard someone shout, “Jungwon, all done!” He thanked all of the staff that worked and gave them a courteous bow before walking to the studio where the performance is being held.
While waiting for his turn beside the stage, he fixes his lapel microphone with shaky hands. Damn pre-show jitters.
His manager seemed to get a hold of his nervousness, so they walked closer to Jungwon and helped him fix the wires behind him. “You’ll do great, Jungwon. You practiced a lot.” The younger feels grateful for the older, but all he can muster is a smile so that’s what he gave.
He was preparing himself and shaking his hands to get rid of the nervousness when he heard his cue to go on stage. “...Please welcome, Jungwon!”
And from then on, it was his time to shine.
—
It was seven in the evening when Jungwon got home in his own dorm. He was all done with all the performances and the interviews he was scheduled for the day. Finally, it was his personal time. His time to rest and relax.
He was just sitting on the couch, watching random shows and eating his ramen when his phone suddenly beeps.
From: Unknown Number
> Hey, this was the guy from that Jay fiasco.. Err, I find it weird that I’m texting you, but hey, I meant it when I said I want to make it up!
> If it’s not weird, can I do it now?
> You can totally say no!
> I’m not a weirdo or a psychopath, I swear
> I just.. I’m not busy right now and I still feel bad about what happened earlier
Jungwon can’t help but cackle because of this person. He seems to panic while typing these messages. He decides to relieve the person from the nervousness.
To: Unknown Number
> Chill out, I can sense your panic from here
> I’m free now, I think I can go out
From: Unknown Number
> Great! Just text me the location where to go and I’ll go there
> See you, coffee guy! :)
It was a very brief interaction, but there is something in Jungwon that tells him this meeting will turn out good.
—
Jungwon texts the other guy that they’ll meet at a cafe not far from his place since they just plan to get some coffee. He didn’t bother dressing up. He was just wearing some sweatpants, hoodie, and his staple mask to cover his identity.
He walked through the streets and when he reached the cafe, he sat down at the farthest corner, waiting for the other person. As usual, he just took out his phone to ease his boredom and to let the time pass by while he was waiting.
Not long after though, someone entered the cafe and walked close to where Jungwon was. “Hi, are you.. Jay..?” The other guy hesitantly mentions and he just looks up, giving the other a nod.
“Please, sit down.” Jungwon chuckles and fixes his sitting position. “And my name’s not literally Jay. I just use that as a substitute. I’m assuming that’s your name?”
The other nods and snickers. “Yeah, and about earlier, I’m really sorry. It's not always that you get someone’s drink in Starbucks, right?”
The idol nods before looking right back at Jay. The other looks at him puzzlingly. “Won’t you remove your mask? It’s kinda hot in here.”
Jungwon was a bit hesitant to do it. He looked around and noticed that there was no one but them in the cafe, so he decided to remove his mask and the hood of his hoodie.
Jay looked at him with wide eyes at the realization of who was in front of him. Before he can say anything, Jungwon gestures that he zips his mouth. Good thing the idol did because he was about to scream.
“You’re Jungwon, the idol?! Oh god, I spilled coffee on a famous person.” Jay scream-whispers. Jungwon was having fun watching the reaction of the other in the revelation.
“Chill out, we’re normal people like you, no need to be so frantic.” The idol grins at the other guy, who was still having a hard time processing what was unfolding in front of him.
“Here, so you won’t panic.” Jungwon says before offering his hand to Jay. “Hi, I’m Jungwon, an ordinary person.”
Jay shakes his head before taking a deep breath and a chuckle to calm himself and his nerves. He (albeit hesitant) takes the younger’s hand and shakes it. “Hi, I’m Jay, an ordinary person as well.”
"That wasn't so hard, right?" Jungwon then unclasps their hands and leans on the comfortable chair he is sitting on. “You said, you owe me coffee.”
“You’re famous and yet you want free coffee from an ordinary person.” Jay snickers and shakes his head playfully. They’re already throwing banter at each other like they’ve known each other for several years. Jay was shocked, sure, but after that initial shock, he realized that Jungwon was right. He was just a person just like him.
“I told you, I’m an ordinary person!” Jungwon huffs with a slight pout and ironically, Jay found it adorable. “Besides, I won’t let free food pass by. I’m not that stupid.”
“Okay, fair enough.” Jay grins.
“Then ordinary person, let’s get you some coffee as payback for earlier.” Jay says and they just smile at each other, happy that they found that small connection despite that unfortunate accident earlier that day.