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Jihoon takes a deep breath. He can do this. What’s so hard about ordering coffee at a cafe? Well, having a month-long crush on the barista working there could be a problem. Add the fact that he literally doesn’t drink coffee at all, too.
It was an accident, really. Despite not being a coffee drinker, one fine autumn day, he was directed to a certain coffee shop he passes by every day on his way to work. He wasn’t, however, attracted to the smell of coffee or the visual striking pastries on display. As he was walking past it that day someone walked out and as they did, the door was open slightly ajar and that’s when he heard it. His song is being played at that cafe.
The moment the door opened wasn’t even that long, it was barely 2 seconds. But that fleeting moment was enough for Jihoon to immediately take action without thinking and before he knew it, he was inside the cafe.
There weren't that many people in the cafe, save for a couple in the back and a woman peering through the glass case of the pastries displayed there. Jihoon thought he must’ve been out of his mind and immediately regretted it as soon as the scent of coffee beans wafted into his nose. His nose scrunched up completely, eyes shut, the whole visage. The expression he wore on his face must be evident to anyone looking at him, obvious that he does not appreciate the nutty, acidic goodness of the scent of coffee.
“Hello, sir? How may I help you?”
Jihoon opened his eyes slowly and he swore a bus had hit him. That’s what it felt like, laying his eyes on Wonwoo for the first time.
The most beautiful man had appeared right in front of him, donning a familiar customer service smile but masks that smile by the genuinity in his eyes. It felt like there was something lodged in his throat, Jihoon couldn’t breathe . He steals a look below his eyes because he feels like he’ll pass out and drown in the honey brown orbs that are this dude’s eyes.
“Wonwoo ^__^” his nametag read. Suddenly clearing his throat, Jihoon looks back up to Wonwoo’s face and sees that the taller male is looking down at him with such expectant eyes, a little bit of worry evident in them, still expecting an answer. Oh, right. Words. How does it go again? He had to move his mouth and then words naturally formed, right? Why oh why was he suddenly self conscious over this discovery at that very moment?
“Uh.. no actually. I don’t need your help.” Wonwoo just blinks at Jihoon, puzzled, and cocks his head to the side in confusion.
“So you don’t want to order a coffee or anything on the menu, right?”
It’s Jihoon’s turn to blink. “That’s right… I don’t.” He still hasn’t moved from his spot.
Wonwoo smiled then, showing all of his teeth, so dazzlingly bright Jihoon stood there, paralyzed in awe.
“Alright then, take care, weirdo.” Shaking his head with a smile, Wonwoo turns around to go back to his post. Jihoon’s ears are suddenly working again and it is now that he suddenly remembers why he entered the cafe in the first place.
“Wait! Um…” Wonwoo turns around, his big, round eyes expectant and soaked with longing too. He seemed curious and thankful Jihoon called him back. Definitely not weird.
“Just wanted to ask you.. I heard you play Woozi’s song. Do you like them?” Jihoon is aware that he is blushing profusely now, his cheeks warm to the touch contrasting painfully to the air conditioned room.
Wonwoo smiles at his question. “Do I like Woozi or his songs?” They both blush at his question, even though Jihoon is sure that Wonwoo was teasing. Good fucking grief .
“I’m just messing with you. Of course I like his songs. I think anyone who hears it would like it, which is why I love being in charge of the cafe’s playlist.” The way Wonwoo is beaming, it’s like he’s talking about his own songs. Jihoon suddenly feels foolishly shy, hearing someone talk about his songs that way.
“That’s nice to hear. I’m sure he would be thrilled that you think of his songs that way. Okay, goodbye now. It was nice meeting you… Wonwoo.” Before Wonwoo has had a chance to give Jihoon a reply, he is speeding out of there in no time, having so many mixed feelings but mostly feeling shy.
Now, a month has passed and he is standing about 10 feet away from the cafe, contemplating whether he wants to enter or not. What would he say? Hey Wonwoo! It’s the weirdo from last month! Yeah, it has been a month since we last met… Oh how do I know? Pfft, it’s not like I counted every day to see how long I should go and see you again without seeming too desperate… Yeah, that wasn’t going to work.
God, Jihoon just realised how bad he is at flirting. Not even flirting, just having a normal conversation with the most beautiful human specimen he’s ever laid his eyes on. Now, writing songs about love was easy, envisioning it in his mind, making up lyrics. They were fine to talk about if it didn’t concern him. He laughs cruelly at himself, thinking how funny it is that he was a person who wrote about love in ways that people marvelled at. He’s read so many comments regarding his songs; how people were curious if he had a lover. How lucky his significant other would be.
Swallowing a bitter lump in his throat that just won’t go down, Jihoon suddenly feels restless. He didn’t want to be there, he couldn’t even get himself to move and face a person he was actually interested in. He was a failure, a fool in the eyes of love. He didn’t want to go there and make the poor guy feel bad with his butchered confession.
Taking one last look at the cafe, Jihoon turned around and almost fell over someone that was standing there, conspicuously quiet. Jihoon shook his head as his eyes widened when he realised that he was in the person’s arms, his own clutching onto the dear stranger’s forearms like a baby koala on a tree branch.
Scrambling to his feet in shock, Jihoon bows down repeatedly, mumbling apologies. The stranger in front of him chuckles with a voice that sounds eerily familiar to Jihoon. Finally being able to face the person in front of him, he can feel his cheeks warming up and showing different shades of red on his white cheeks, permanently painting them rosy.
“Wonwoo? What are you doing here?” He tried blinking repeatedly just in case he may have conjured Wonwoo up from the depths of his mind after thinking too much about him. He squints his eyes at the cafe behind them to see if Wonwoo was actually there in the first place and he just made him up in his mind.
“Hello, Jihoon. Or should I say Woozi-nim?” Jihoon froze. Eyes as wide as saucers turn to Wonwoo then, not believing his ears. Okay, now he has to be dreaming.
“You knew?”
Wonwoo shook his head, that damned smile never leaving his face. “Well, I didn’t know back then. But you seemed oddly familiar, as if I’ve known you forever. That night I went home and searched up Woozi’s picture online. There wasn’t that much to go through, you really are a private person aren’t you?” Jihoon smiles wanly. “But sure enough, there you were. Woozi, real name: Lee Jihoon.” Jihoon feels his heart skip a beat. Maybe even two.
“This is embarrassing to admit but… I’ve actually been waiting for you to come back,” Wonwoo scratches the back of his neck, eyes suddenly on everything but Jihoon.
“I put on all your songs every single day until my coworkers got sick of me. They’re sick of me by the way! Not your songs, they love it, I swear.” Okay. Jihoon feels like Wonwoo rambling on and on has got to be the cutest thing he’s ever witnessed in all his years of living on earth.
“What I’m trying to say is-”
“I like you.” Jihoon beat him to it. They both stared at each other, eyes big and filled with such affection, such longing. He didn’t want to point it out but Jihoon feels like both of the colours of their cheeks are the same and thought it was cute.
“I’m interested in you Wonwoo. I have been ever since I stumbled upon the cafe in the most unflattering way ever and made a fool of myself. I regret that day every day, honestly.” Wonwoo braves himself to grab Jihoon’s hands and shake his head vigorously.
“Please don’t. I think of that day as one of my luckiest days ever, it was such a slow day too but your presence made me excited to go to work every day.”
They both smiled at each other, the invisible tears coating their rosy tinted cheeks indicating that this was one of the happiest moments for the both of them, storing away this memory for when bad days were to surface in the near future.
Squeezing his hand back, Jihoon invites Wonwoo back to his studio to which he immediately apologises as he explains that he has a bit of work to catch up on.
One could practically see Wonwoo’s tail wagging to and fro (Jihoon could) and he nodded eagerly, excited to see the amazing Woozi at work.