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A deep sigh.
Ten closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then he tried pressing some keys on his keyboard and playing some notes on his guitar.
Another sigh escaped his lips.
At times like this, he missed being an amateur youtube cover singer the most.
Two years ago, Ten started his youtube channel with the simplest intention: to upload his song cover videos so that they don’t crank up his phone storage. All he had were his keyboard, his acoustic guitar, his phone, and a tripod. He didn’t even have a proper microphone, let alone a filter. He simply relied on his phone’s built-in microphone when he recorded his first videos.
Anyhow, a golden voice would still sound golden, no matter what.
Honestly, he didn’t expect that his song cover videos would blow up. Each of his videos was full of comments on how amazing his voice was, how the audiences loved his facial expressions, how they were mesmerized by the way he played his piano and guitar, and even more positive comments that keep coming up until today. To say that Ten was happy is an understatement. He was over the moon . He already loved singing and playing music in the first place. To know that people loved his cover songs had definitely become a great dollop of icing on his cake.
The icing had become thicker when this one particular record label for indie musicians approached him on Instagram and offered him a contract merely one year ago.
The company gave him the freedom to produce his own music. Ten was very thankful that the company simply asked him to show them his self-written-and-produced songs that he would like to include in his first mini-album, and they helped him choose the songs that would be suitable for the theme of the album. The album was considered pretty much successful for a new indie artist, and the company decided to extend Ten’s contract so that he can release two more mini albums as well as two full albums with them.
The deadline for his second mini-album was in two months, but Ten still needed three more songs to fulfill the quota of song choices for the album. The more he tried to crack his brain for more ideas, the more he felt confused and dissatisfied with the outcomes.
Is this what a songwriter's block feels like?
Ten finally put down his guitar, took his wallet, and put his mask on.
He needed his night walk. Pronto.
_____
“Tell me again why our boss decided to open a 24/7 coffee shop.”
Kun stopped his yawn midway, then looked at Hendery in confusion, “You’ve been having night shifts with me for a year , Heng, and you decided to only ask such a question now ?”
“I mean,” Hendery pointed at the empty sitting area, “It’s mostly empty! We only have three visitors at most, and they’re mostly drunk !”
“Hendery, I’ve been working on night shifts much longer than you have,” Kun stopped to yawn (again) and rub his eyes. The long-overdue sleep was definitely needed after spending two sleepless days because of the huge assignment project that he just submitted this afternoon. “And trust me, the cafe was always crowded at nights before the pandemic. There were always students coming here to burn their midnight oils, or to just simply spend time after going back from a party or midnight movies. We used to have four staff running the midnight shifts because of how crowded those nights were.”
“Then why did he decide to just continue night shifts when it’s like… this? I mean, isn’t it better for him to only have morning and afternoon shifts instead of the whole three 24/7 shifts? I believe it’s going to be more profitable for him, right?”
Kun shrugged. “Honestly, I am not sure. The university is opening again soon though, I have seen students moving back to the dorm again, so I think it’s going to be useless if our boss decides to cut out the night shifts now,” Kun tapped Hendery’s shoulder gently. “Let’s just enjoy our peace before things get busier, hm? If you’re that bored, you can just do some stock inventory at the back. It’s better to do it now so we can just go back right after we close up the cafe.”
Hendery huffed but he nodded nonetheless, and soon after he was already at the storage room, accompanied by the sound of boxes being shifted here and there as he began the stock inventory.
“Uhm, excuse me?”
Kun jumped slightly and quickly turned around, only to be met with someone standing near the cashier. When on earth did he enter the cafe?
“Oh, hi, good evening. How may I help you?” Kun asked softly, cute dimples popping out as he showed his customer service smile.
The visitor slightly gasped, but (lucky for him) it went unheard by our sleepy barista.
“U-uh… can I have one latte, with an extra shot of espresso?”
Kun smiled again as he was punching the numbers on the register, “For here or to go?”
“To go, please.”
Kun took a paper cup and its lid, then he started working on the visitor’s order. Hendery usually was the one who made the coffee, while Kun was the one in charge of manning the register, but a simple cup of latte is never a problem for Kun. He was also trained and pretty much used to make every basic cup of coffee in their extensive menu, anyway.
Too used to it, he even tried his best to bite back a yawn while waiting for the machine to heat the milk.
“It was pretty much a long night, huh?” The visitor started a friendly conversation.
“A-ah, so sorry, I didn’t really mean to yawn just now-”
“It’s okay dude, I totally understand. Midnight shifts can be tough for some people,” The visitor added a kind smile, trying to show that he didn’t mind that the barista was being sleepy on his job.
“So sorry, I usually wasn't this sleepy. It’s just that I was too busy with my assignment for the past two days… I think my head has been missing the pillow too much today,” Kun scratched his head sheepishly.
“Assignment? So you’re still studying?” The visitor asked in wonder. Kun simply hummed in affirmation. “Wow, that’s awesome, dude. Isn’t it too much for you to take the midnight shifts? What about your morning classes?”
“My classes this semester are all after lunch hours, so midnight shifts work better for me instead of the afternoon ones. I can just sleep once I get back home until lunch hours, then I am ready to go to my classes.”
The visitor smiled again. “Seems like things work out well for you, then.”
“Except for the days when I was pretty much defeated by my assignments, of course,” Kun chuckled as he put the lid on the fresh cup of latte he just made, “Here is your cof- ah !”
Kun swore he never, ever , dropped any coffee orders before.
That night, he almost dropped one, if not for the visitor’s fast response to catch the cup, safe and sound in his hands.
“Oh my god, I- I am so, so sorry again, and thank you for catching the cup on time-”
“Hey, hey , it’s okay. I understand, no worries,” The visitor gave a soothing smile. “So, how much will this coffee be?”
“It’s on the house, don’t worry. I have caused you too much trouble tonight-”
“ Nonsense , you caused no trouble at all,” The visitor took a look at the menu behind Kun to check on the price of his order, mumbled the calculation quietly, then dropped the exact amount of money in the tip jar. “Hope you can have your much-needed rest real soon!”
Kun was still rooted in his place when ‘The Kind Customer’ (Kun always gives nicknames to his customers, and he never named any of his customers as ‘kind’ before today) left the cafe.
Might as well open the register and consider this as a payment, then.
_____
‘The Kind Customer’ was only back again to the cafe around ten days later, also during Kun’s midnight shift, but he brought a friend this time around.
“Never knew that you have a thing for droopy, barely alive men, Ten,” The friend whispered to The Kind Customer’s ear.
“Shut up, you gremlin, or I won’t pay for your coffee,” Ten whispered back quietly, hoping that Kun wouldn’t hear their conversation.
“Technically, I wouldn’t need the coffee if only you didn’t wake me up in the middle of the night like this only to be your cover as you meet your loverboy-”
“Xiao Dejun,” Ten glared at his best friend-turned-manager-that-also-happened-to-be-his-housemate, “What did I say to you about shutting the hell up ?”
“Hello, good evening,” Kun greeted them once they reached the register, looking slightly more awake than last time, “What would you like to order?”
“Uhm, hi, one latte with one extra shot of espresso, please.” Ten turned his head towards Dejun, “And you?”
“Same with him, please.”
Kun nodded understandingly as he punched in the numbers, like usual. “For here or to go?”
“For here, please.”
Kun smiled as he took two empty cups and their lids, “You can have a seat first, I'll deliver your coffee and your receipt very soon.”
“It’s okay, he’ll wait for the coffee. I’ll go find a seat for the both of us. Please entertain him or something, thanks,” Dejun said dismissively as he walked away, ignoring the sharp glare that was directed at him from Ten.
Ten looked at Kun in apology, “Please don’t mind my friend, he’s always like that when he doesn’t have enough caffeine running in his system.”
Kun chuckled. “Don’t worry, I completely understand. A lot of people can’t live without caffeine, including me.”
Ten snorted. “I believe you won’t be as grumpy as him, though.”
Kun laughed as he closed the cups with their lids, then put them both on a tray, together with a piece of receipt (luckily, with no nearly-dropping accident this time around). “Here you go. You can just leave the payment on the tray once you’re done and I’ll get it later.”
Ten thanked him before getting the tray and going to the seat near the window, where Dejun already put his head on his arms and was close to falling asleep.
“Dude, try this coffee, it’ll wake you up, trust me,” Ten pushed one cup of latte and poked Dejun’s right arm with it. Dejun groaned, but he took the cup nonetheless.
“Oh,” Dejun said after sipping the latte. “It’s surprisingly good!”
“Told you,” Ten smiled triumphantly. “I knew you’d love it.”
“So,” Dejun added as he had another sip, “What’s next with your loverboy? Go there over the counter and talk to him! He doesn’t have anything to do, he is even close to falling asleep, you might as well talk to him, at least it’ll make him awake!”
“Ugh,” Ten let out a similar groan that Dejun did earlier, “It would be so creepy. Isn’t it going to be weird if I come here with you, but I talk to him instead?”
Dejun sighed, “Then why did you ask me to come with you, you idiot?”
“I don’t know!” Ten exclaimed. “I need you to be my wingman! My support system! Think of something else!”
Here comes Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul as The Dramatic Loverboy , Dejun rolled his eyes then looked around, trying to find some ideas that might satisfy his best friend slash artist. His eyes suddenly stopped at the receipt on the tray next to Ten’s coffee.
Eureka.
“Do you bring any pen?” Dejun asked.
Ten’s eyebrows furrowed, but he nodded as he took out a pen from his small bag and put it on the table. Dejun quickly snatched the receipt on the tray and put it next to the pen. “Write your number behind that receipt. Nobody else will read it besides him, he is the only one here anyway.”
Ten’s eyes brightened instantly. “This is why I love you the most, Xiao Dejun.”
Dejun grimaced, “Euw, don’t say that. Don’t want your loverboy to hear that, do you?”
Ten grimaced back, “Don’t say loverboy again oh my god, it’s so corny!”
Ten quickly wrote a simple hello, it’s me Ten, can you please call/text me at +xxxxxx? behind the receipt, then he flipped it back and put his payment on top of the receipt. Mission accomplished, so they both left the cafe bringing the half-full coffee cups back to their apartment. Ten didn’t forget to wave Kun goodbye, with a little hope blooming in his heart that Kun would call or text him soon.
_____
Ten diligently checked his phone almost every hour, but sadly, no call or text from Kun was received even until two weeks after, though.
Maybe he’s not interested , Ten thought gloomily.
(Little did he know that Kun was too sleepy to check the back of the receipt, and he simply threw the piece of paper away after taking Ten’s payment and putting them into the register)
_____
After Dejun put some (a lot, actually) sense into Ten’s head, telling him countless times the possibility that Kun might miss the number that Ten wrote on the back of the receipt, and reprimanded Ten not to give up so soon, Ten was back again in the cafe two weeks after his last visit with Dejun. Dejun even prepared him a plan: order a cup of latte, to go this time around, and ask Kun if Ten can have his number. As simple and as efficient as that.
Things didn’t always go according to the plan though.
One, the cafe was unusually crowded. Ten checked on the news, and he found out that a soccer game at the nearby stadium had just finished. Knowing that the cafe was the only place that was still open at such an hour, it was no doubt that people chose to drop by the cafe to have some coffee, release some of the remaining tension, or celebrate, especially when the visitors were all the supporters of the winning team (judging from the attire that they wore).
Two, Kun was not alone. Another barista was with him, and both of them were very busy making coffees and taking every customer’s order. Ten heard them apologizing to the customers a few times when some customers received their orders late. Fortunately, everyone was in a good mood, so they understood that it was difficult for only two baristas (suddenly) to serve a throng of people coming to the cafe that night. Things went pretty smoothly most of the time for Kun and the other barista, though.
Ten decided to sit down at one empty seat near the entrance before approaching Kun. He didn’t want anyone to hear his attempt to get his crush’s number, no thanks .
“Ge,” Yangyang, the name of the other barista, whispered as he poured some milk into the machine next to Kun’s register, “I am not sure if you’re aware, but have you seen that guy sitting near the entrance? He keeps looking at you since he arrived.”
Kun subtly lifted his head and tried to take a quick look at the guy that Yangyang told about. He’s mildly surprised to find that The Kind Customer’s eyes were looking back at him.
“You look surprised. Do you know him, ge?” Yangyang whispered again.
Kun nodded slightly, “He came here a few times during my night shifts. I guess he’s looking at me because he recognizes me from his previous visits.”
Yangyang squinted his eyes a little, “I can’t see clearly because of his mask and cap, but do you think he’s someone… you know, dangerous ?”
Kun quickly shook his head, “I don’t think so. He’s been very nice to me during his previous visits. He even gave me a lot of tips.”
“ Oooooooh ,” Yangyang wiggled his eyebrows, “Someone’s crushing on our gege, it seems?”
Kun’s cheeks quickly turned into a deep crimson color upon hearing what Yangyang just said, “W-what? No way! What the hell, why are you saying such nonsense? Go away, go back to your coffee!”
“But the coffee machine is here next to you though?” Yangyang said cheekily.
“Ugh, just be quiet then!” Kun said exasperatedly.
The crowd thinned out around half an hour later, with only around three to five people remaining in the cafe.
Including Ten.
He looked around and once he realized that the cafe was no longer as crowded as before, he took a deep breath and then walked to the register. There, Kun was ready to greet him with his dimpled smile.
Oh god, those dimples.
“Hello, what would you like to order?”
“One latte with-”
“An extra shot of espresso, am I right?”
Ten relaxed a bit and smiled widely, “Wow, you’ve memorized my order by now! You must have a really good memory, then.”
Kun cursed himself for blushing because of such a small compliment. If only Yangyang didn’t say such nonsense.
They spent the rest of the time chit-chatting about how crowded the cafe was. Kun said he didn’t expect that the cafe would be so crowded, and it might be the most crowded the cafe had ever been on a night shift during his whole stint of being a barista for the past two and a half years. Ten was mostly listening to Kun’s story, adding responses, and throwing a few questions here and there. He only interrupted Kun’s story when he asked for Kun to ring his payment his advance, and Kun agreed to the request before going back again to Ten’s coffee.
“Okay!” Kun closed the lid on the cup and passed the cup of coffee to Ten, “Here you go! Sorry to keep you waiting, I see that you were here for a while, but it must be too crowded for you, right?”
Ten felt like he wanted to cry. How is he so nice??? A set of killer dimples, a handsome face, a great body, a nice personality, how could someone be this perfect???
“Actually,” Ten cleared his throat. “I was about to ask you something.”
Kun tilted his head in confusion, “And what is it? It’s okay, you can always ask away!”
Ten cleared his throat once again, “Can I… can I have your number?”
Time suddenly stopped for the both of them.
“S-sorry?” Kun asked Ten again to make sure.
Ten’s face suddenly flushed red and he quickly said, “I am sorry, just forget what I said!”
Ten rushed out of the cafe, and suddenly it was like dejavu. Kun was left still rooted to his place behind the register. He was also still gaping in disbelief.
“Oh my god,” Yangyang suddenly said from where he stood next to Kun ( when did he get there? ), “Did The Ten Lee just ask for your number?”
Kun frowned in confusion, “H-huh? The who ?”
Yangyang snapped his fingers in front of Kun’s face, “Hello? Ten Lee? That famous soloist? That famous song cover Youtuber? Does that ring a bell?”
Kun simply shook his head. Yangyang facepalmed. “Ge, please, please , don’t tell me that you don’t know him?”
Kun shook his head again.
Yangyang groaned. “You can listen to him on Spotify! Or check out his youtube channel! Find something new to watch besides those cooking channels that you subscribed to!”
“Hey!” Kun exclaimed as Yangyang walked away to the storage room to have his 10-minute break. “I subscribe to travel vloggers too, okay!”
“Boo,” Yangyang answered from the storage room, “You’re no fun, old man!”
_____
Sleep didn’t come easy to Kun when he went back home after his shift, especially after the little incident that happened at the cafe earlier.
If he’s a soloist and a YouTuber, then he must be famous, right? Why did he ask for my number? Why… why me?
Kun let out a deep sigh, then he took his phone from the dresser next to his bed. He started typing ‘Ten Lee’ on his Spotify and found one mini-album under his name.
Even the first song already got him enchanted.
‘Great’ wouldn’t just cut it. Ten’s voice is… beautiful . It’s silky smooth and unpretentious, and it fits very nicely with the songs in his album. Kun then decided to search for Ten’s youtube channel. He was surprised knowing that Ten had been covering a lot of songs, although he didn’t do many song covers lately, especially after he released his first album.
That night, he fell asleep to Ten’s mesmerizing voice singing Don’t Dream It’s Over.
_____
Just like what Kun predicted, the cafe had slowly become more crowded during night shifts, especially after midnight. It still wasn’t as crowded as how it used to be, but the number of people had been increasing so much that the owner already decided to add one more staff to each set of baristas serving during the night shifts.
On one particular night, Kun, Hendery, and Yangyang had just finished cleaning the cafe and refilling sliced cakes into the display cooler, and their shift had only just started. The cafe was not that crowded, with only two men, all dressed up in dress shirts and slacks, sipping their coffee and having a little talk after finishing their overtime work.
“Oh my god,” Yangyang gasped as he poked Kun’s arm repeatedly, with eyes still rooting to the cafe's entrance, “Is that Ten Lee?”
Kun’s eyes bulged, especially after seeing Ten walking into the cafe with his eyes looking down. A tall man with a stern face was walking behind him, and he kept pushing and asking Ten to walk faster to the register.
“Who is that with him?” Hendery whispered to Yangyang.
Yangyang shrugged his shoulders, “No idea. He looks… tall and intimidating. His bodyguard, maybe?”
Hendery ooh-ed and nodded in agreement.
Both Ten and his companion finally arrived at the register. Ten’s eyes were still looking down, meanwhile, Kun was gulping in nervousness.
Yangyang and Hendery swore the tension was so thick it could be cut with a sword.
“Hello,” The man behind Ten greeted Kun with a deep voice, “I am actually waiting for Ten to introduce me because I’ve never met you yet, but since this baboon just kept quiet-”
“Excuse me, baboon ? Is that a nice thing to say by a manager to his artist?” Ten whispered angrily.
“Yes, I am your manager, but I am your friend first and foremost,” The Tall Man rebutted. “So, back to me again, I am Winwin, and I am one of Ten’s only two friends. I am sure you already met the other one some time ago.”
Kun only managed to nod.
“Okay, enough of me then. Now, you two, talk.”
Ten finally raised his head and looked into Kun’s eyes. Kun looked back at him and smiled warmly. “Hello Ten, long time no see.”
Ten was taken aback, and he scratched his head, “Ah, y-yes… long time no see…”
Kun cleared his throat, “Actually, I would like to apologize.”
Ten frowned. To be honest, he did not expect that to come from Kun. “Apologize? What for?”
“For not answering soon enough before you left the cafe last time,” Kun said earnestly. “I am sorry, I was taken aback at that time. I didn’t expect you to ask for my number, heck, I even thought that I was only imagining things because I was too tired of serving so many customers right before that. I… I would like to give you my number, if you still want it, of course.”
Ten was still gaping like a goldfish when Winwin suddenly broke into a wide smile and patted Ten’s back (“oh my god, he actually could smile!” Yangyang said in disbelief).
“See? I told you not to jump too fast to conclusions! Ahhh, Dejun and I are always right, indeed. Okay, I need to have a seat. Oh, and I want an iced americano, please. Thank you! ” Winwin said as he walked to one of the empty tables, finally waking Ten up from his stupor.
Ten stuttered for a little bit before he finally managed to compose himself, “So… yeah, that’s… that’s Winwin for you.”
Kun smiled, “I can see that your friends really care about you.”
Ten mirrored Kun’s smile, then he finally extended his hand, “Time to properly introduce ourselves, shall we? You can call me Ten. I happen to love singing and making music, and I also happened to be on a night walk because of a songwriter block when I visited this cafe for the first time.”
Kun shook Ten’s hand warmly. “I am Kun. Final year student and I happened to have my sleepiest night shift when you visited this cafe for the first time.”
They both chuckled.
“So,” Ten started again, “You’re a final year student, right? I assume you’re studying at the university on the main street right there?”
Kun nodded.
“Perhaps… are you free around 12 pm tomorrow? Your classes are after lunch hour, am I right?”
Kun hummed a little, trying to remember his classes on Friday, then he nodded again in affirmation.
Ten smiled sheepishly, “So, are you… are you free for a lunch date… with me?”
_____
Besides great music, Ten was always one to appreciate great food.
He used to always have his own adventures in searching for the most affordable food that would be able to please his taste buds, and the more of a hidden gem the place is, the happier he would be. Ten could see that Kun was the kind of person that would appreciate good food as well, so he decided to bring him to a hole-in-the-wall diner not too far from the cafe, that Kun didn’t even know existed.
“How… how did you find this place?” Kun looked around in awe. “I have been a barista at the cafe for the past three years, and I even passed this street sometimes, but I don’t think I had ever noticed this place before!”
Ten laughed as he pushed one empty glass and a water jug towards Kun, “My friend actually told me about this place. Her boyfriend is this place’s co-owner. I fell in love with this place instantly, to be very honest. Wait until you see their menu.”
Right after Ten said it, a waiter came over and brought them two sets of the menu. Kun opened the first page and his eyes bulged in surprise.
“This place serves Chinese food as well?”
“And authentic ones at that,” Ten smiled triumphantly (and feeling one step closer to winning Kun’s heart). “The Kung Pao chicken tastes really close to what my nai nai always makes, I still can’t believe it until today.”
Kun’s eyes brightened. “Oh, really? I would have one set of that, please!”
“Me too, thanks,” Ten said as he returned the menu book to the waiter.
“As you can see, I am not from around here, so it gets difficult sometimes when I miss the food from my hometown, especially the authentic ones,” Kun started the conversation.
“Yeah, I agree with you. What do you usually do when you can’t help missing the food so much then?”
Kun smiled, “I don’t mean to brag, but I think I cook pretty good authentic Chinese food. My mom always sends me packages of seasonings and ingredients from our hometown, so they actually help a lot in making the food taste authentic. My friends also said that they loved the food I made, but I am not sure if they really meant it or if it was because I gave them free food.”
“Oooooh, then I have to try it sometime!” Ten said enthusiastically.
“Of course! You can just let me know when you’re planning to drop by the cafe, I’ll prepare the food beforehand and put them in containers for you so you can just reheat them!”
Conversations just flew so smoothly for them, as if they’d known each other for years. Kun was able to know Ten more beyond his image as an artist, as a musician. Ten is an only son, and he has one younger sister who’s studying to be a fashion designer. He came from a family that highly values art, as his dad also plays music and his mom paints. He has two cats that he calls his ‘forever babies’ namely Louis and Leon, and he spoils them rotten.
Ten was also able to know Kun more beyond his image as a friendly barista. Kun is an only child, but his family never spoiled him. He was taught to always work hard, although he came from a wealthy family, which explains why he decided to take a part-time job as a barista. He’s studying to be an aerospace engineer, which started from his fascination with planes, helicopters, and other aircraft ever since he was little. He likes cooking and playing the piano (and he had pinky-promised Ten to play some music together sometime).
Although it was gone unvoiced, the both of them couldn’t deny that the chemistry was there. The sparks were there.
And Ten decided to take a leap of faith.
Kun was about to leave for his class when Ten suddenly called him, “Kun.”
Kun zipped his backpack and looked at Ten, “Yes?”
“I…” Ten took a deep breath. It’s now or never. “I think it's pretty obvious, but I am still going to say it anyway. I like you, Kun. I like you so much.”
Kun was frozen.
He is not stupid, of course, he could see that Ten was interested in him. He just didn’t think that Ten would be… serious about it. He thought that they would just be on friendly terms with each other because of how different they are. Ten is an artist, meanwhile, he’s a mere part-time barista and a struggling final year student.
“I… wow, this… this is such a surprise for me, I am sorry,” Kun chuckled awkwardly. “And… thank you for liking me, Ten. I appreciate it, but…”
Ten already started frowning. He didn’t like where the conversation was going.
“….I don’t think it will work. I am so sorry, Ten.”
Ten blinked a few times, but then he let out a long sigh. “I… I understand, Kun. Please don’t feel pressured. We… we can stay as friends, right?”
Kun let out a similar sigh, more out of relief though. “Of course. To be very honest, I can really feel the chemistry between us, and I’d like us to be great friends if that’s okay with you?”
Ten gave him a soft smile, then he nodded.
The both of them remained quiet as they walked to the cafe’s entrance, where they had to separate ways because Kun was going to the uni, meanwhile, Ten had to go back to his studio.
“Kun.”
“Yes?”
“I… you said that you felt the chemistry between us, right?”
“Yes, I did.”
“Please… be honest with me. Don’t you… don’t you like me too? Or are you, at least, attracted to me, even just the slightest?”
Kun was taken aback. Again.
Warmth started radiating from his face, and he looked down, trying to hide the blush as much as possible. He neither wanted to lie nor to tell the truth.
“It’s okay. I already know the answer.”
Kun looked up in surprise, and he was even more surprised seeing the wide smile adorning Ten’s face, “Huh? But… I didn’t say anything though?”
Ten smiled even wider, “Your face already tells me everything that I need to know.”
_____
Kun didn’t expect to see Dejun and Winwin walking into the cafe two days later, during his usual midnight shift, looking all sleepy and tired.
“Yeah, we look like shit, we know,” said Dejun as soon as he was in front of Kun at the register.
“Um, are you two… okay?” Kun asked carefully.
“Well, as you can see, not really,” Winwin answered sleepily. “What is the strongest coffee that you have?”
Kun looked at Dejun and Winwin pitifully, “I can add extra shots to your americano if you want?”
“Yes, please add extra two shots of espresso to my americano. Do you want americano too, Jun?”
Dejun shook his head, “I want a latte, but with extra two shots of espresso, please. Thank you.”
Kun nodded, then he quickly moved to the coffee machine to work on their orders. It might be his ears deceiving him, but he heard them whispering to each other, saying something along the lines of ‘stupid Ten didn’t even give us Kun’s number and ask us to come all the way to the coffee shop only to be his messenger, damn I am not paid enough for this’.
Kun frowned. Messenger? For what message? What is Ten planning to do?
“Here are your coffees!” Kun said as he pushed two warm cups of coffee toward Dejun and Winwin.
“Thanks, Kun. Oh, if you’re free later during your break or after you finish your work, please watch Ten’s latest upload on his youtube channel,” said Dejun as he sipped his latte.
Kun’s eyebrows furrowed. “And may I know why?”
“Because he’s a romantic,” Winwin answered (which didn’t answer the question, at all), “And please let him know once you’ve watched it so that he can appreciate our effort to walk all the way here and deliver his message to you.”
Kun was dumbfounded. “….Okay then.”
He couldn’t wait until his shift was finished, so when there was no customer around, he crouched down behind the register and opened Ten’s youtube channel.
A new video was uploaded two hours ago, and Kun started feeling his chest tingling after reading the title of Ten’s new song cover.
I Won’t Give Up by Jason Mraz.
Ten’s cheery voice quickly filled the silence in the cafe, “Hello, guys! Long time no see! I am sorry that I haven’t been really active here on my channel, wow I can’t believe that the last video that I uploaded was five months ago! And here I am back with a new song cover, but it’s a little bit different today…
…because I am dedicating this song for a special someone.”
Kun suddenly believed that his heart had a brain on its own because it beat even faster upon hearing such a sentence.
“And to that special someone, if you’re watching this, I hope you know that I will try my best to make it work. I promise that I won’t give up. I will never, ever , give up on us.”
Kun smiled softly, then he chuckled in disbelief.
How on earth did I fall for someone so stubborn, so persistent?
Kun started sitting down on the floor and closed his eyes. He wanted to listen to Ten properly, listening to every word he said, every melody he sang. He found love in each note that Ten was singing, and it made him fall for Ten even harder.
Once the song was over, he closed the youtube app and then opened his WeChat. He quickly typed a sentence and sent it to Ten.
“Since you promised not to give up, then I won’t give up on us either.”
Two minutes later, Kun’s phone was ringing. A smile immediately made its own way to his face when he read ‘Ten The Kind Customer’ written on the caller ID.