Chapter Text
Jungwon had never cared for coffee half as much as the other officers from the station did. He tried to avoid the god-awful feeling of caffeine jitters as much as he could, thank you very much.
For him a cup of coffee had always been a means to an end. Their line of work demanded from them some sleepless nights, after all.
If worse came to worst he would have a paper cup of the shitty, watered-down coffee at the kitchenette of the police station. He would reluctantly down it all in one go, wincing at the horrible taste. It was definitely not a common occurrence, rather a last desperate measure for rough weeks.
The people at the police station would tease him about it, proclaiming he would come to love and cherish caffeine soon enough. Jungwon scoffed at them all. Love and cherish were words far too strong for him.
One night Jungwon was making rounds with officer Jake at one of the nicer areas of the town, when the older offered him to stop by a cafe he frequented for a pick-me-up. “I swear you’re gonna love it, Won. Sunny’s cafe is my favorite these days. The service is amazing.”
Jungwon, skeptical as ever, huffed at the comment but still nodded in agreement. How good can it be, he thought derisively as they parked in front of a small, homey-looking place. It looked unsurprisingly empty, although the lights were on.
As they approached the glass doors Jungwon caught a glimpse of a single person busying himself behind the counter. Jake knocked on the glass a couple of times. Jungwon peeked at the time on his wrist watch. 11:20 pm. The closing time sign at the door read 11 pm. Jungwon sighed.
“Hyung, they’re clo—”
“Sunny, are you still open? Can we come in?” Jake’s voice boomed over him.
Sure enough, that caught the attention of the person on the other side. The slender figure shuffled around for a moment, looking for something. As he approached the glass doors Jungwon was blinded by a vision.
Oh.
He— Sunny— was handsome. Pretty. Beautiful. Mesmerizing. All at once… The fuck?
“Hyung! Welcome, welcome~” The angel’s eyes crinkled as he smiled. “What can I do for you today? The usual?”
Officer Jake smiled back and nodded like an enthusiastic puppy.
“And who is this handsome young man joining us today? I’ve never seen a face like this before, I would’ve remembered” He winked. Jungwon lost a lung, he swore his lung was punctured.
“Ah, this pretty lad is Jungwonie.” Jake patted Jungwon’s shoulder. “I’ve been talking his ear off about this place and he just wouldn’t believe me how great your coffee is, so I thought to show him myself.”
“Oh, is that the case? Well then, I can't disappoint him now, can I? The blonde's honey eyes glinted below thick long lashes. “Come on in, get comfortable while you wait.”
They huddled close to the counter where the owner of Sunny's busied himself preparing Jake's usual order as they made easy chatter.
Jungwon learned that he was barely one year younger than Sunny's cafe owner. However the barista insisted on them to speak casually, Jungwon could not bring himself to cut out the hyung honorific out of shyness.
Jake whined over some pending paperwork waiting for him at the office after tonight's graveyard shift as the blonde finished his order.
Once done, the pretty barista turned to Sunoo with a bright chirp. “And what can I offer you, Jungwonie?”
Jungwon's heart skipped a bit, he felt like a middle school boy with a crush. And he had barely talked to the guy for a hot minute. It was ridiculous.
Jungwon stole a glance at officer Jake in panic to see if he had caught onto his blush, he’d never let him live it down if he did. Thankfully Jake was too busy texting and getting caffeinated for the night ahead to notice the blooming pink in Jungwon's cheeks.
“I uh, well, I don't really know. Not a huge fan of coffee if I'm honest. I usually just grab whatever is at the station when I need a boost.”
“Hmm I see, ” the blonde pouted, tapping his chin pensively. “I think I still have some hot choco if you’d like. Or, if you are open to experimenting I could make something I think you’d like. How about it?”
“It's okay, I'm not picky. I'm open to trying your recommendations.”
“Great.” The barista clapped his hands together with a bright smile. “Then I recommend the caramel macchiato, it's a popular one, and something I think that could suit your taste.”
“Cool.” Jungwon nodded.
“I'll get to it then,” the blonde chirped.
How Sunny's owner managed to have such a bright and cheerful countenance despite the late hour and long working day on his feet, was beyond Jungwon. His friendly, easygoing disposition felt genuine too, not merely server's etiquette. It marveled Jungwon to no end.
“Thanks for having us this late, hyung. I tried to dissuade him because of the hour but he wouldn't listen.” Jungwon grimaced, pointing an accusatory thumb towards his colleague, who he found had left his seat at some point to attend a phone call far away from privy ears.
“Oh, don't worry about it. It’s me who offered officer Jake and everyone in the department who comes here an extension on closing time,” Sunoo waved off, handing Jungwon his cup of caramel macchiato.
Jungwon brought it close to his lips for a tentative sip under an expectant honey gaze. It was hot and just the right amount of sweet. The drink was miles away from the god awful concoction that waited for him at the station.
It could easily be top five greatest beverages he’d ever had, for sure. So he didn't make haste to praise its quality, to the brilliant delight of the barista.
“Y’know, it's always nice to have company this late when I'm alone at closing time,” the barista smiled, undoing the knot of his apron.
He turned away, his back now facing Jungwon, and the officer's eyes couldn't help but follow the movement of the blonde's deft fingers as the strings hugging the small of his back came loose.
He snapped his gaze elsewhere when the barista turned back around, folding the apron neatly in his hands and storing it in a drawer.
“It's a vulnerable time for the business you see, easy prey for robbers. It helps to be friends with the police department to dissuade them from trying anything funny. That being said, I hope you too feel free to come by and say hi no matter the hour,” the blonde winked.
Jungwon’s whole face flushed hot as he choked on his sip of coffee. Of course. Of course. The barista's invitation made sense from an objective and logical point of view. He was extending special attention towards Jungwon out of intelligence and a win-win, business-minded approach. Nothing more.
Jungwon nodded, as he busied himself wiping his mouth with a napkin and then folding it neatly. The guy was smart and a charmer, no doubt about that. It made Jungwon respect him even more.
“Ah, sorry guys, had to leave to take a call. Important boyfriend matters.” Jake grinned. “Are you two getting acquainted? How was it? Do you like coffee now, Jungwonie?”
“He does, ” Sunoo interjected with a proudful smile.
“Yes, Victory! The guys at the station owe me.” Jake celebrated. “Thanks Sun, if anyone could convert him I knew it would be you.”
“Anytime,” the blonde beamed.
Caffeinated and ready to hit the streets, the two officers bid the pretty barista of Sunny's cafe goodbye.
Jungwon had to give it to Jake, he was right. Turns out the service could be the most satisfying part of that particular cafe experience. The barista’s smile seared into Jungwon’s mind.
For the rest of that tedious paperwork sorting and filing night, all Jungwon could see when he closed his weary eyes for a moment of reprieve was the vision of easy smiles and airy giggles of the cute owner of Sunny’s.
Soon after, as a regular, Jungwon came to understand very quickly what made Sunny’s cafe the rising hot-spot for tired office workers and carefree college students. He would try to squeeze in a visit at lunch time, most days. Sit back and observe from a distance, the magic that was Kim Sunoo in action.
One could become full just by the sight of the owner of Sunny’s diligently attending to the customers with smiles and friendly pleasantries. Most customers around lunchtime and evening seemed to be familiar enough with him to exchange friendly remarks and comments. There were a couple of men Jungwon would see linger most days. Which ticked the officer off to no end.
One could say new customers came to Sunny’s for the prospect of good beverages and sweet snacks and came back for a different type of sweet-tooth. The eye candy that was Kim Sunoo in barista uniform kept them coming back without a fault like bees to honey. Kim Sunoo was too sweet for his own good, Jungwon noted.
At a single glance the beauty and charm that effortlessly radiated off from Kim Sunoo would be enough to bewitch anyone, no doubt. Blonde, slicked-back hair, paired with striking, sharp amber eyes that knocked the air out of your lungs into embarrassing stuttering when ordering. White buttoned down shirts looked unfairly good on him, stretched tight by broad shoulders, milky arms exposed from rolled back sleeves.
And those damned, tight-fitting slacks. God. As if the apron wrapped around his figure didn’t accentuate the curves of his body in all the right places already. The sight of it stirred a warm storm inside Jungwon's body.
Those. damned. slacks. A blessing and a curse , truly. A piece of cloth that turned heads so often Jungwon worried some necks might snap (by his own doing, with his very own two hands). He had his sight set for his first victims on a couple of male regulars he saw lingering most days.
Those that didn’t bother conceal the lecherous ogling, and got inappropriately touchy, Jungwon hunted them all down. One by one. And if by the end of Jungwon's witch hunt, the male customer population had decreased fifty percent, well, they had it coming.
Jungwon would be a hypocrite if he denied his eyes didn’t stray down the expanse of Sunoo’s back. Stare locking at the mouth-watering curve of his ass, when the barista’s retreating form returned to the back of the counter after delivering his order with a heart-stopping smile.
Jungwon however, was seriously convinced he was different from the rest. The difference lied in how he actually cared about Sunoo. Too much at that. So much that he wondered if the other had noticed. It was difficult to tell apart Sunoo’s kind nature from genuine interest and inclination.
Jungwon had flirted with Sunny’s owner as much as the next ballsy customer, and been just as successful in garnering some kind of special response. Kim Sunoo knew himself to be desired and played just as hard to get. Good thing officer Yang never backed down from a good chase.
After a month or so of dancing around each other, Jungwon decided he had had enough of not getting anywhere. Self-assured that what Jungwon lacked in suave-ness he made up for in confidence, he chose a slow, easy day of the week for Sunoo to take his day off and make him a visit. Clad in civilian clothing and exuding expensive cologne, Jungwon marched his way to the counter as a man on a mission: getting Kim Sunoo’s number.
So when Sunoo inevitably complimented Jungwon's cologne, he wasted no time shooting his shot. Jungwon extended his hand towards him, demanding the device in Sunoo's pocket. "Give me your phone. I'll send you the link to where you can find it by text."
Jungwon caught the glint in Sunoo's eyes as his hand stuttered behind the keys of the cash register. Shit. In his tunnel-vision daze Jungwon had forgotten to address the handsome boy before him with honorifics.
Sunoo's beautiful plump lips parted at that, a retort on the back of his throat withering away under Yang's intense stare. Sunoo's lips tugged into a barely suppressed grin. His hand quietly acquiesced, reaching for the device in his pocket and handing it to him. Jungwon took it and smirked, the little shit.
It was a carefree, boyish expression that Sunoo had never seen on his face before. It suited him. After the exchange was done, Jungwon thanked him with a rather whiplashing "Thank you, hyung" in aegyo tone. Sunoo felt like his head would explode. Yang wasn't better off.
And so, after the embarrassing exchange was over, Jungwon scurried away to take a seat by his usual spot. An intimate corner with a loveseat and a coffee table by the window, and a bookshelf to his left to keep himself entertained as he waited for his order. He briefly wondered if Sunoo would bring it to him himself as he wiped the thin layer of sweat on his palms on his jeans. It was usually the case that Sunoo did.
And it was no different this time. Jungwon's heart rammed against his ribcage in anticipation as he saw the familiar figure approaching him some minutes later with his order in hand. His mind scrambled trying to come up with something witty to say, to no avail.
Sunoo's figure bent graciously over the coffee table, taking his sweet time placing each of the items on the table. A glass of sweet tea, a piece of strawberry and whipped cream shortcake. Jungwon watched in silent rapture as some of it got smeared on sunoo's fingers.
“You know officer Yang, customers these days have been saying the strangest of things to me, ” Sunoo commented, as if speaking of the weather. “They say I have a very intimidating and scary-looking boyfriend.” Jungwon's eyes snapped back to Sunoo’s face, and was met with a coy smile.
“Strangely, though, I am single as a pringle.” Sunoo pouted, as he placed the napkins and cutlery in an orderly manner. Jungwon caught someone behind them staring unabashedly at Sunoo’s back and sent a glare their way. When he looked back to Sunoo, he had straightened himself.
Sunoo turned around his hand smeared in whipped cream as if inspecting the most interesting piece of avant-garde art. He squinted his eyes at it and then knocked the air out of Jungwon's lungs by staring directly into his eyes. “I wonder where they got that idea from.”
Shit. Shit. SHIT. Jungwon felt like bolting and running away. Sunoo had definitely caught on to his bullying and intimidating the stalker clientele away shenanigans. It was no good. It was definitely not good. He was getting what he got coming. Sunoo was about to publicly chew him in and spit him out. Ban him from ever putting foot in Sunny's cafe again. Report him to the police station for authority abuse, you name it.
“Fortunately, some of the more bothersome clients have gone away thanks to this.” Sunoo shrugged, stealing a napkin and cleaning his hand away with it. Jungwon released a breath he didn’t know he was holding in. So they were good? Sunoo sighed in exasperation, hands on his hips. Oop.
“Too bad they were good money for the business.” Sunoo clicked his tongue, head shaking in disapproval. Jungwon stared at him, his heart on his throat, gripping the edge of his seat, looking like a deer in headlights. Jungwon couldn’t get a read on him, tried as he might.
Smart, witty, officer Yang was helplessly being cornered into a game of cat and mouse. Sunoo was taking his sweet time toying around with him, and Jungwon wanted nothing but the emotional rollercoaster to end.
“I’m very sorry to hear about that.” Jungwon cleared his throat, an apology ready at the tip of his tongue but Sunoo shot it down.
“Oh, please don’t be.” Sunoo grinned, a smile that reached his eyes. “It’s just... ”Sunoo's gaze strayed towards the strawberry shortcake. His deft fingers plucked away a juicy looking strawberry covered in whipped cream. “Someone has to make it up for me, in some way...”
Jungwon watched in breathless silence as Sunoo inched the strawberry close to his mouth. Jungwon swore he felt his mortal soul leave his body the moment Sunoo parted his lips and licked the fruit clean from the whipped cream in one go. “You know what they say, you get what you deserve.”
“Wouldn’t you agree, officer Yang?” Sunoo beamed, giggling at some kind of joke that went over Jungwon’s head. Jungwon’s jaw was on the floor. His brain had short-circuited on the spot. He nodded his agreement and ducked his head with the excuse of taking a sip of his tea.
Soon enough Sunoo left him alone to tend back to his business. Either out of being busy or getting his fill of whatever twisted emotional torture he made Jungwon go through. It didn’t matter. Jungwon could finally breathe then, even if he was left a completely bothered mess.
All too suddenly and at once Jungwon became aware of how his face was on flames, his skin all over was hot, and there was sweat pooling underneath his fancy jacket. Everything was overwhelming, the light from the window was blinding, and his senses were on haywire.
Jungwon was splashing some cool water on his face when he felt his phone buzz ominously in his pocket. Two texts. His hand was reaching for the device and unlocking the screen before he could think it through. The succinct message stopped his heart for the tenth time that day.
Two cryptic lines stared back at him through the screen. A promise of either heaven or hell: 'Meet me at closing time. Come with your uniform on ~ ;)'.
Jungwon's legs wobbled all the way home. His hands shook as he took the ironed out uniform in his hands.
Officer Yang never backed down from a good chase.