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Minho did not believe in soulmates, or love at first sight. In fact, he was very passionate about not watching romantic movies and adamantly sticking to only horror or thrillers.
His best friend, Han Jisung, ran into a man called Hwang Hyunjin at a party and went around claiming they were soulmates just because they immediately hit it off. Jisung strongly claimed that there were actual sparks when Hyunjin's hand brushed against his, to which Minho could only scoff. He was happy for his friend but all this soulmate talk was just a bit cringy.
Minho was not paying much attention the first time he saw him.
It was around 7pm when Minho was headed to meet Jisung at their usual café after work. He could feel a headache coming and was in some desperate need of coffee.
"It is Hyunjin's birthday soon." Jisung said once Minho reached.
"Nice to see you too." Minho replied.
Jisung rolled his eyes as he followed Minho into the café. "I need to surprise him and need your help. It is his first birthday with me."
Minho sighed, not replying to him but took his phone out to search for the best birthday surprise ideas.
Jisung grinned behind him, knowing very well that his best friend would do his best to help him despite his silence and anti romance personality.
Minho headed to the counter, taking his wallet out of his pocket while scrolling through his phone. He was about to give his order when he first heard him.
"What would you like to have today?"
Minho was not exaggerating when he said it felt like an angel's voice. His heart automatically did a flip and he slowly looked up from his phone straight into the warmest brown eyes he had ever seen.
It was ridiculous. The way the rest of the café faded out for a long second, coming back clearer and louder and brighter.
Minho found his mind blanking out, as he stared at the barista in front of him.
The barista looked like he was around Minho's age, with faded pink hair that was styled nicely, wearing a white shirt that fit him so perfectly and a brown apron. This whole outfit was what every barista in the café was wearing, however somehow, it looked even more beautiful on this man.
He saw the man's lips move, asking him something, but he couldn't hear anything.
The moment came to an end when he felt a hard shove from the back.
"Yo Minho!" Jisung yelled, bringing Minho out of his reverie, "If you're done ogling at the barista, can you order already? The line is getting longer."
It's always the ones closest to you that turned out to be your enemies.
Minho could feel his face heating up as he saw the corner of the barista's lips turning upwards, looking away bashfully and Minho got a glimpse of the man's dimples.
"Uhm." Minho croaked out, "One iced americano please."
The barista nodded before tapping away on the register, extending his hand out for payment. Minho quickly gave him his card, their fingers brushing against each other just the slightest but Minho felt the other man let out a tiny gasp and Minho knew he felt it too.
The sparks.
The sparks that Jisung had spoken about and the sparks that Minho had scoffed over and called non existent.
The barista looked up as he gave him his card back after swiping, meeting his gaze once again.
"What's your name?" The man asked him.
"Why?" Minho blurted out, and the man's eyes started twinkling.
"To write on the cup." The barista explained as he raised the cup up, gesturing at it and Minho wanted to face-palm.
Why was he acting like he had never ordered coffee before?
"Minho." He said as he took his card back.
The barista smiled at him before nodding and writing the name on the cup.
"It's time for you to move, Romeo. Let us order now." Jisung said before shoving Minho lightly to the side.
Minho turned to glare at Jisung before moving to the side. He could see the barista still smiling as he took Jisung's order. Jisung gave his name to the barista before asking suddenly.
"Hey! What is your name?"
The barista looked at him, his forehead creasing as he tilted his face to the side, which made him look even more attractive.
"You don't have to know that." The barista replied, a teasing smile on his lips.
Unfortunately, Jisung was a man who never gave up. He leaned on the counter before gesturing at Minho. "My man here never ever gets spellbound by anything but I just saw him freeze for a whole ten minutes just by looking at you." He pushed Minho away who was pulling Jisung and trying to shut him up before continuing, "So please?"
Another voice spoke out from the back of the line, loud and booming, "For God's sake please give your name to this guy so we could all get our coffees!"
Minho thought about how this was the perfect moment for aliens to invade Earth and save him from this embarrassment.
He could see the barista turning to face him before clearing his throat.
"I am Chan."
Minho's eyes darted up to his, nodding before looking away as he tugged on Jisung's shirt.
Thankfully, Jisung did move away from the counter, taking their drinks and proceeding to a table.
"Are you in love, Minho?" He asked once they were seated and Minho had taken a sip of his coffee, making him splutter as he tried to swallow before he could spit it out.
"Jisung, what the fuck?" Minho retorted as he took a napkin and wiped his lips.
"Oh so now you can speak again. I saw how you were fumbling back there." He said as he smirked at him.
"He was an attractive man and I was just appreciating him. That's all." Minho said firmly.
"Appreciating how he would look with you, right?" Jisung said, a playful glint in his eyes.
"If you don't shut up, I'm taking this straw and poking your eye with it." Minho warned him as Jisung poked his tongue out at him.
It was almost closing time once they were done with their drinks, and they got up and headed to the door. Minho tried to avoid looking at the barista, but just as he was about to close the door behind him, he heard the sweet voice again.
"See you again, Minho."
Minho looked back to see the barista staring at him, a cup that he had been wiping, in his hand while the other hand was waving at him.
Minho gave him what he hoped looked like a smile, before waving back slowly. He turned around and followed Jisung out, trying to ignore the way his heart rate was escalating, filling him with confusion.
After that day, Jisung would annoyingly call him up every day after work to go to the café and Minho would get the same iced americano from the attractive barista who would always be there at the cashier, with the same pink styled hair, white shirt and apron. It wasn't like iced americano was Minho's favourite drink, he just couldn't come up with words whenever he came face to face with Chan.
Minho would then sit down at the table and pretend to listen to Jisung while he would actually be observing Chan work the coffee machines like a pro.
Minho also had to sit through an outing with Jisung and Hyunjin where Jisung recited to Hyunjin an exaggerated version of Minho's first meeting with Chan.
"Oooh Minho got himself a charmer." Hyunjin teased.
"Oh oh oh!" Jisung bounced on his seat excitedly as he continued, "The C in Chan's name stands for charmer!" He said and both Hyunjin and he laughed at it like it was the most genius joke that had ever existed.
However, Minho never mustered the guts to talk to the barista, even though the man would always smile at him knowingly, flashing those dimples that didn't help the butterflies in his stomach.
"Go talk to him!" Jisung would hiss once they were seated and Minho would snap back with, "About what?"
"Anything! Instead of staring at him so intensely." Jisung chided.
"You're intense." Minho retorted weakly as Jisung rolled his eyes.
This continued for ten days until it changed.
Minho entered the café with Jisung and there was already one man ordering from Chan. Minho went to stand behind him, avoiding how the barista's gaze moved to land on him.
"Hey Channie!" The man who was ordering called out, making Minho's heart do a flip, causing a weird sensation.
The man was probably a close friend of Chan's since he was calling him 'Channie.' The man's voice also seemed very familiar but Minho couldn't pinpoint just where exactly he had heard him before.
The man said something and Chan started laughing out loud which in turn made Minho's stomach churn as he wished he could be the person making Chan laugh instead.
Minho turned around to Jisung before whispering, "Quick, pretend I said something funny and laugh."
Jisung's eyes widened before they darted between Chan and the other man before he broke out into a loud laughter that sounded more fake than real.
Minho sighed, shaking his head and contemplating his choice of friends as he turned around to see Chan's friend looking straight at him, before turning and leaning across the counter to whisper something into Chan's ears.
Minho watched as a hint of red crept up onto Chan's cheeks as he shook his head, "Changbin, I will talk to you later." He said as he made shooing gestures with his hands.
The man, who is called Changbin, turned to face Minho, his face breaking out in a wide grin, "Hey aren't you the man who took way too long to order coffee that day?"
Minho felt like he had heard this voice somewhere and was busy wrecking his mind until Changbin answered it himself, "I was the annoyed customer who told Chan to give his name so we could all get our coffees. I am his bestie."
Jisung popped into the conversation uninvited, "Ooh I am the friend that asked for Chan's name!" He sighed dramatically before continuing, "I guess we just have to do all the work for them huh?"
Changbin's grin broadened as he replied, "Tell me about it. Chan wouldn't shut up about the handsome interesting looking man who comes in to always buy the same not so interesting coffee."
It was fascinating to watch Chan's face turn more pink as he fumbled over his words. "Changbin, you're keeping my customers waiting, please go and sit." Chan glared, the tips of his ears a crimson red.
"There are just two customers." Changbin grumbled under his breath but proceeded towards a table.
Minho took a step forward, and realized that Chan's eyes was fixed to the ground.
"Iced americano?" Chan asked.
Minho cleared his throat, knowing very well that this had to stop. He was clearly attracted to this barista and it seemed like Chan was attracted to him too. "No." He watched as Chan looked up, meeting his eyes in confusion and Minho felt a smirk forming on his face as he continued, "Why don't you make me one of your specials."
Chan continued to stare at him before his lips slowly turned upwards into a smile, "Sure." He said as he waved away Minho's hand. "Special barista coffee on me." He beamed before turning his face to the side and yelling, "Seungmin! Can you take over the cashier for me?"
A man who resembled a puppy came running out from the staff room, tying an apron around him. "Sure, Channie. I thought you told none of us were to use the cashier around this time?"
Chan looked flustered as he shushed Seungmin, "Just get to work." He muttered before giving Minho a sheepish smile.
Minho watched as Chan got to work. The man had beautiful hands, he realized. He watched as Chan's slender fingers went to pick up a cup and tossed it up so it flipped a couple of times before catching it.
Minho was impressed.
He continued to observe as Chan poured in several syrups, milk, ice and coffee into a blender before pouring into a cup and then finishing it with whipped cream.
"Tada!" Chan said excitedly as he presented his drink in front of Minho.
Minho chuckled at the man's cute antics before wrapping his hand around the drink, his fingers resting on Chan's and once again, Minho could feel the sparks shooting up his hand, rippling through his body.
He saw the way Chan's body shuddered slightly before removing his hand, and knew the man felt the same. Minho picked his drink up and took a sip.
It was heavenly. The sweetness of whatever syrups Chan had poured in blended perfectly with the bitterness of coffee and creaminess of the milk, making this a perfect drink.
"Wow." He gasped, taking another sip, "What is this called?"
"Bbang!" Chan said as he laughed softly, "Because it hits you with a bang and also…" His eyes trailed up to meet Minho's gaze, "My name is Bang Chan."
"Cute."
Minho didn't realize he said that out loud until he saw Chan look away. He thought it was impossible for Chan to turn redder but he was wrong. The man's ears a bright red as he scratched his hair shyly.
Minho took his phone out before placing it on the counter. "Can I get your number?" He continued as Chan looked at him questioningly, "So I could meet you in a place where you are not working and where," He paused before gesturing around at Jisung, Changbin and even Seungmin who were staring at them, "where people wouldn't be gawking at us like this."
Jisung laughed as he smacked Minho on his back, "What a charmer, I am proud of you, my boy!"
Chan's cheeks were dusted with a pretty pink and he took the phone and typed his number away before giving a missed call.
"It's Lee Minho, by the way." Minho introduced himself again and Chan smiled at him, his dimples more prominent than ever.
"Oh! This is the infamous Minho people kept talking about." Seungmin said as he laughed, seeming proud that he cracked the code by himself and not realizing that he had made Chan more flustered than before.
"Ignore them." Chan said, his eyes wide and Minho felt all his fear and shyness fade away, replaced with a need to tease the barista.
"So, you talk about me a lot, I see." Minho said, filled with newfound confidence.
"Hey Minho!" Jisung exclaimed suddenly, "Why don't we call them over to Hyunjin's surprise birthday party that you were supposed to help me with but you were too busy simping."
Minho groaned as his hands came up to clutch at his hair in embarrassment before giving Chan an apologetic look.
"And you simp a lot, I see." Chan shot back, his eyes crinkled up with laughter.
"Anyways…" Minho started, trying to steer the topic away, "It is next weekend and we have time, don't worry." Minho reassured Jisung before turning to give his attention to Chan once again. "Would you like to come to the party? I can send you the address and you can bring Changbin and Seungmin too."
Chan bit on his bottom lip, pulling it into his mouth as he thought about it.
"Go for it, Channie!" Seungmin said, "We can always get someone to replace our shifts."
Minho stared at Chan hopefully until Chan shrugged, "Sure!"
"Yay!" Jisung cheered as he punched the air, "I guess this wouldn't be a 100k slow burner then."
Minho turned to give the ugliest look he could muster at Jisung before facing Chan again, "I am so sorry that my friend keeps embarrassing us like this. He is just a bit too excited." He apologized.
"Don't worry." Chan laughed and god the sound was so sweet to his ears. "I am used to it, thanks to Changbin over there and my lovely staff that I have to work with."
"I can't wait to text Felix and Jeongin that you finally managed to muster up your guts to talk to your coffee charmer." Seungmin giggled and Minho looked at Chan, an eyebrow raised.
"Uhm, they call you coffee charmer here…" He trailed away, fiddling with the marker in his hands, "See? You are not the only one that have to apologize for your friends."
Minho smiled at him, before taking his drink, and stepping hard on Jisung's foot as he opened his mouth. He knew Jisung was going to tell Chan about how they said the C in his name stood for charmer and Minho felt like he had reached his quota of embarrassment for the day.
"You can invite them all to the party." Minho suggested, his heart feeling warm when Chan thanked him before he turned and headed towards a table.
Maybe, just maybe, he was thankful to Jisung and Changbin for helping them pick up the pace. He was really interested to know more about Chan, and felt a weird feeling creep over him, like he wanted to protect the man.
How was one man able to change his entire opinion and thoughts on love and soulmates? He could see Chan’s bright smile everytime he closed his eyes, like it was permanently etched onto his mind. He could still hear the tinkling of Chan’s laughter in his ears, the way the man’s hands would come up to cover his face when he laughed. The way a normal white shirt and apron could make Chan look so ethereal. The way Chan would scrunch up his nose and move his head when the café plays one of his favourite songs. Minho shook his head, chuckling to himself as he realised that unknownst to himself, he had been noticing and appreciating the little things about Chan within the past ten days.
He sighed as he sat down, thinking about what the future would hold, and if the party was even counted as a date.
“Hey Romeo, since your boyfriend is coming to the party as well, can you please put in more effort in helping me prepare for the bestest party ever?” Jisung called out, snapping his fingers in front of him and interrupting Minho’s thoughts.
Minho wished he could throw his coffee at Jisung, but this was specially made by Chan and he didn’t want to waste it. Also, Chan heard what Jisung had said, and was laughing softly to himself, which was an endearing sight, so maybe Minho could forgive Jisung once again and help him throw the ‘bestest party ever.' He ran a hand through his hair, leaning back on his chair and stared at Chan until he caught his eyes. The barista beamed at him gesturing at Minho to meet him during closing time. Minho smiled back at him, giving him a thumbs up before focusing on Jisung.
"You are gross when you are simping." Jisung groaned.
"This is what I put up with when you found Hyunjin." Minho smacked his arm lightly, feeling lighthearted.
Sometimes Jisung might be right. Soulmates might be real after all.