Chapter Text
It was a bright afternoon in the summer, the sun's rays beamed down relentlessly, casting a golden hue over the deserted playground. The heat was intense, making it scorching hot outside. The playground was empty. None of the kids wanted to play outside in this sweltering weather, preferring the coolness and the comfort of their homes or indoor activities.
Despite this, two boys, seemingly unfazed by the heat.
The sound of their laughter and giggles filled the otherwise quiet air as they swung back and forth on the swings.
One of the boys, with a wide smile on his face, exclaimed, "Yongbok-ah!" He swung his swing higher in excitement.
"Yes, Hyune?"
“I wish I could play like this with you forever," Hyune’s eyes shone with delight.
"I want to be with you forever too," Yongbok smiled softly.
Hyune stopped his swing abruptly. His excitement was evident. Seeking reassurance, Hyune extended his pinky finger towards Yongbok, a traditional gesture symbolizing a promise.
"Promise?" Hyune’s voice was filled with hope and anticipation. His eyes fixed on the other boy’s eyes.
Yongbok stopped his swing too as their eyes met. Without hesitation, he reached out and gently intertwined his rather small pinky finger with Hyune's, sealing their promise.
"Promise," Yongbok nodded and softly whispered. His smile slightly widened.
As the sun shone down on them, it became the sole witness of their heartfelt promise.
Little did they know that this promise would slowly fade into the recessed part of their memories, lost in the passage of time.
Ring,
Ring,
Ring.
The sound of an alarm jolted the man awake from his dream. He groggily opened his eyes.
"Huh? What a weird dream," he thought to himself, his brow furrowing in confusion.
As he sat on the edge of his bed, he tried to shake it off his brain. The alarm still continued to ring, piercing through the early morning silence. Finally, the man managed to locate the source of the noise and quickly silenced it.
With a sigh, he rose from his bed and stretched his arms above his head. It was time to start a brand new day. The morning breeze swept through the open window and he took a moment to enjoy the cool air on his face before starting his morning routine.
As he stood by the open window, he uttered a request, "Hey Siri, play me a song please."
The voice-activated assistant responded promptly, "Okay, here's 'Someone in Love' by Bruno Major on Spotify."
The soothing melody filled the room, creating a serene backdrop for his morning activities. As the song played, he proceeded to the bathroom to take a refreshing shower. After that, he made his way to the kitchen to prepare his cup of coffee, still humming along to the tune playing in the background.
The rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air, instantly awakening his senses. The man took a moment to savour the scent before pouring himself a steaming cup. As he took his first sip, the warm liquid spread comfortingly through his body, energizing him for the day ahead.
He took his AirPods with him as he started strolling with his beloved dog, Kkami. Enjoying the fresh air, he decided to take a sip of his hot coffee while walking. The warmth of the beverage was comforting, and he couldn't help but think how nice it would be if a good coffee shop opened in the neighbourhood. It was the only thing lacking in an otherwise perfect place.
In fact, the place was impossibly perfect. With its quiet streets, friendly neighbours, and beautiful scenery, he couldn't find anything to complain about.
His life seemed perfect at that moment.
He stopped in front of his own shop, a small flower shop that he took great pride in. Unlocking the front door, he entered and immediately set about his daily routine. He took a moment to sweep and mop the floor, ensuring that everything was clean and tidy.
As he finished, he made his way to his work desk, a sturdy wooden surface adorned with various tools and vases. Carefully, he placed a variety of fresh flowers on the desk, envisioning the beautiful bouquets he would create later in the day.
He walked towards the front door and flipped the sign from closed to open, signalling that his shop was ready for business. Checking his watch, he noted that it was 8:30 in the morning.
As he looked up in the broad window of his shop, he noticed something different today. The store across the street seemed to be undergoing renovations.
"Hyung, what kind of a shop is opening across the street?" He asked, his eyes fixed on the new shop.
"I don't know, Hyunjin. You should use your eyes to read the notice and find out," Minho, seemingly disinterested, replied nonchalantly while eyes were fixed on his phone, scrolling.
Although Minho was technically his employee, their relationship was more like that of brothers. Minho often treated Hyunjin however he pleased, and Hyunjin, despite his annoyance, allowed it to happen. Perhaps it was because Minho was the closest thing Hyunjin had to a brother figure.
Hyunjin let out a sigh of frustration.
"Hyung, listen to me," he said, trying to ask for Minho's attention again.
"Yes, I am listening."
"If it's a coffee shop, then it's destiny," Hyunjin continued, his excitement was obvious. "The universe knows how much I love coffee, and it's telling me that it is meant to be."
Minho looked at Hyunjin with a judging look, “Uh- can you not? I don't think I'm paid enough for this."
Hyunjin rolled his eyes but couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. He couldn't help but feel excited about the new shop opening across the street. He walked across the street towards the new shop, his eyes scanning the notice posted on the window.
It was a coffee shop.
It was indeed a destiny.
“Hey Hyune, am I special to you?"
Caught off guard by the question, Hyune's brows furrowed in confusion. He tried to process the question. After a brief pause, Hyune mustered a sincere smile and replied, "Of course you are."
"But why did you forget about me?"
"Why?" he repeated, genuinely perplexed.
Suddenly, the man's eyes shot open, and he found himself jolted awake from his dream. Disoriented, he struggled to make sense of his surroundings. The remnants of the dream still clung to his consciousness, leaving him with a lingering sense of confusion.
Hyunjin found himself grappling with the question that had been posed in the dream. "Who are you?" he whispered to himself.
Despite the lingering confusion, Hyunjin went about his day, heading to his shop. It was a typical day, filled with the usual hustle and bustle of customers coming in and out, the sweet scent of freshly cut flowers filling the air.
He couldn't remember exactly when he started dreaming of opening a flower shop. It just naturally came to him, like a whisper in the wind. But it wasn't an easy dream to achieve. Opening a shop required dedication, hard work, and sacrifice. It wasn't something he could do with the snap of his fingers. It had cost him everything, as he put his heart and soul into making it a reality.
He invested his time, his money, and shed blood, sweat, and tears along the way. He worked part-time while studying to save money. It wasn't easy, and even after he graduated, he continued to save money from working. Every penny counted towards his dream.
Then, one day, he stumbled upon a small corner shop.
This is it.
As if it were fate, he felt that this was it , the universe telling him to open his shop. He had barely enough money, but he didn't regret taking the leap of faith. It wasn't like him to do something without planning, but this dream was too strong to ignore.
He remembered, that after months of hard work, sleepless nights, and too many cups of coffee, Hyunjin found himself standing in front of his finished shop. It was a corner shop near his house.
A cozy little space filled with vibrant colours and fragrant scents of nature. Hyunjin had carefully curated a collection of unique and beautiful flowers, ensuring that each bouquet was a work of art.
While lost in he thoughts and arranging flowers, Hyunjin noticed a tiny speck of dust floating in the air. It caught his attention as it came from the construction site of the shop located right in front of them. He paused for a moment, feeling a mixture of annoyance and disbelief.
"What the hell?" he muttered under his breath.
The sight of the dust settling on the delicate petals of the flowers irked him.
"Hyung," Hyunjin turned to Minho.
”Hyung!” He screamed to grab Minho’s attention.
"I take back what I said before. There is no destiny if all that the shop gives us is dust. Look at our poor flowers."
He got up and marched towards the coffee shop, hoping to speak with the owner.
"I want to see the owner," Hyunjin demanded upon entering the shop.
However, he was informed that the owner was not present at the moment. Frustrated but unwilling to give up, he asked if he could get the owner's contact number. The shop employee obliged and provided him with the number.
Hyunjin dialled the owner's number, irritated. He demanded that the owner take immediate action to address the dust issue from the construction site.
"Can you calm down?" the coffee shop owner responded, trying to defuse the situation.
“Seriously?” Hyunjin scoffed in disbelief.
"Okay, fine. We will let the contractor know about the problem and make sure it gets resolved."
"Yes, you better do that,"
"And you may tell us if there's any loss we need to compensate for," the person added.
"Not at the moment," Hyunjin replied, his voice filled with annoyance. "Yet."
Hyunjin hung up the phone, feeling exhausted and frustrated.
"Ah, I hate him already," he muttered.
“Who? Felix?” Minho, who had been quietly listening, suddenly spoke up.
Hyunjin looked at Minho, puzzled by the mention of this name. "Who is that?" he asked, genuinely confused.
“The coffee shop owner.”
“Oh? His name is Felix? Yeah, whatever, the point is he’s rude.”
"Is he though? Or are you being dramatic?" Minho questioned, raising his eyebrows.
Hyunjin stared at Minho, contemplating the validity of his statement.
“I am dramatic, but-” Hyunjin began, before continuing to vent his frustrations like a child throwing a tantrum.
Hyunjin's thoughts wandered back to Felix.
Felix huh?
Who are you, Felix?
His voice felt strangely familiar.
Although it was impossible for him to be the same person.
After all, they had different names.
“No, Yongbok, you are special,” Hyune said. Both of them stood there, their hands tightly intertwined. Hyune looked deeply into Yongbok's eyes, his gaze filled with affection.
"Your very being makes me continue on living," Hyune continued.
Yongbok's expression suddenly turned sad. A sense of unease settled between them.
“You forgot about me, didn't you?" Yongbok asked, slowly letting go of their hands.
Hyune panicked. He couldn't bear the thought of losing Yongbok, of seeing him go further and further away. In a moment of desperation, Hyune tried to chase after him. His footsteps quickened with fear. His heart was pounding with the urgency he felt.
But no matter how hard he tried, Yongbok seemed to slip further into the darkness. It was as if his light was being swallowed by the shadows, leaving Hyune feeling helpless and lost. The distance between them grew.
“Yongbok-ah,” he called out Yongbok's name desperately. Desperately hoping to bring him back. But it only echoed back to him, mocking his futile attempts.
"No," Hyune whispered, shaking his head in denial. Collapsing to his knees, his entire body trembled, overwhelmed by grief. Tears streamed down his face.
"No, no, no," he repeated, his voice breaking with each word.
“Do you hate me now, Yongbok-ah?” he asked into the nothingness.
The silence that followed was deafening, leaving Hyune with nothing but his own torment and the weight of his unanswered question hanging in the air.
With a groan, Hyunjin stirred from his sleep, feeling grumpy and unrested.
"Again?" he mumbled to himself.