Chapter Text
It’s a warm Monday, the last whispers of spring lingering in the air. Sunlight spills over the sidewalk, hinting at the approach of summer. The breeze, carrying a rich coffee aroma, brushes past Daehyun’s nose. He takes a deep breath, savouring the scent, before pushing open the door, the bell chiming softly overhead.
“Welcome to La Chambre Café” - Jongup perks up, his voice soft and welcoming, only to get a small nod back from Daehyun, who is hovering mindlessly in front of the menu board.
“One mint choco mocha please, thanks, Jongup-ah.”
“You’re welcome hyung, please take a seat.” Jongup takes the order and starts preparing the drink. He takes a look around the café, noticing the few scattered customers enjoying their coffees.
Just then, an enthusiastic slap on the shoulder followed by an equally enthusiastic voice almost makes him drop the milk pitcher.
“Afternoon, my Uppie, sorry I’m late, my car broke down half way. You’re managing?”
“Hi, Youngjae hyung. It’s fine, there aren’t many customers today. I’m just preparing the drink for Daehyun hyung over there.”
“Oh, he came again?” Youngjae’s voice drops, he curiously looks at the direction where Jongup cocked his head.
“Why is he so gloomy all the time? I feel like he brings the cafe’s mood down.”
“Don’t be so hard on him, hyung. He’s contributed a lot to our sales lately.” Jongup smiles with a tone mixed with empathy and gratitude.
“I guess…” Youngjae driffs off “It’s not like it’s a bad looking scene either…” - He ponders upon the regular customer’s big, sorrowful eyes, sparkling as if they’re filled with water (but he never actually teared up), the pretty mole under his right eyes, the nose bridge so straight that Youngjae can probably play slide on, and his big, plump, juicy lips.
“What’s that now?” Jongup didn’t catch that last part.
“Nothing, focus, or you’ll have to do another cup again.” Youngjae teases him.
“It was only one time, hyung!” Jongup pouts.
Youngjae lets Jongup get back to work, and steals another glance at the handsome but gloomy customer.
Youngjae is not used to customer service, never was, actually. He had been struggling with a mediocre salary and a workload of four people as a team manager in a middle sized corporate firm, dreading the next day that he had to come to work, when he received a call from Yongguk, a friend he had made in the military.
“Youngjae-ssi~” Yongguk exclaimed, the bright and excited tone contrasting with his deep voice, making Youngjae a little envious “You finally picked up! It’s hard to reach you these days. How’s life?”
“Yongguk-ssi, I’m so glad to hear your voice.” He playfully responded, “I’m still… the same old me, sad and lonely… without you~ ha ha…”
“You sound… tired.” Yongguk’s smile faded and his voice turned serious. “Have you been skipping your meals again?”
“I mean… Do I really need to eat that often? I’m still alive…” Youngjae continued “I don’t have time anyways…”
“Youngjae-yah…” Yongguk sighed “That job is probably… draining you out. You told me before that you don’t sleep enough, and now you don’t even eat enough… Is it really okay for you to go on like this?”
“Don’t worry hyung…” Youngjae’s voice trailed off, sounding a bit apologetic as if he just got scolded by his dad “I’m just trying to meet this deadline, just this time.” Right when he heard Yongguk about to protest, he continued “But enough about me, hyung. How is your cafe doing?”
Yongguk was quiet for a minute, and then he spoke up,
“I’m thinking of opening a new branch…”
Youngjae jumped up from his office chair,
“Oh my god? Congratulations boss, business is booming huh?”
Only Yongguk’s laughter answered him.
“Hyung…” Youngjae continued “I wish I can do what you do… Eveytime you talk about it, it sounds like such a great environment… And if I open a coffee shop in Hongdae like you, will I be rich like you?”
Yongguk’s laughter echoed through the phone. After a moment, he asked,
“Well… do you want to?”
“What do you mean?” Youngjae answered with a question, puzzled.
“We will have to talk about this in person. But to open new branches, I’m also looking for some… investors, and most of all, a manager for my original shop.” Yongguk explained.
At that moment, Youngjae felt his heart starting to pick up the pace. He could see something ahead of him, maybe a new path that he’d never considered, maybe this was his chance…
“I’ll find you after work tonight, and we’ll talk about it.” Yongguk spoke up again, as if he could sense the wavering thoughts of his friend.
That night, when Yongguk came to see Youngjae, they talked for a long time. It was as much an opportunity as it was a commitment. Youngjae thought long and hard about his life, his work, everything he had achieved… It wasn’t an easy decision, but Youngjae was sure that he finally saw a way out. With a determined nod, he handed in his resignation letter, took two thirds of his savings to invest into Yongguk’s coffee chain, and became the co-owner and manager of La Chambre Cafe.
After about a month managing La Chambre Café, Youngjae finds himself enjoying the experience. He has a knack for communicating with people, the team is small and overall easy to manage, the workplace, workload, and environment is far more relaxed than his old corporate job.
It wasn’t all fun and games, though. When the new shop was established, Yongguk and Youngjae had to relocate the staff. Yongguk would take Mina, one of their baristas, and one server to the new shop, while Youngjae kept Jongup, the other barista and two servers back at the old place.
“We can do this.” Yongguk said, encouragement in his voice. “You just need to hire one more barista and one more server, I’ll handle the staff in the new shop. When it’s all settled, we will surely be able to take a breather.”
Youngjae nodded at him, trusting his friend's words.
Finding a server proved to be an easy task, but when it came to the additional barista, Youngjae stumbled upon an obstacle. Yongguk was undeniably serious about his coffee business, hiring only baristas with profound knowledge and excellent skills—those who were genuinely passionate about brewing coffee and creating latte art. Youngjae, however, had a different philosophy. He believed baristas should care not only about coffee but also about the customers who would enjoy it. He was obviously very fond of Jongup, not only because of his skills, but also his attitude and his attention to details. But between Mina and Jongup, Mina was always the talkative one. Jongup made exceptional coffee, and his kind, friendly demeanour captured the hearts of many customers. A lot of regulars liked him, but he was rather reserved around new customers and especially new colleagues. Youngjae wanted to find someone who complemented Jongup, but so far, his efforts had remained unanswered.
The doorbell chimes again.
“Hyung~” Jongup exclaims, all excited.
“Hi there.”A deep, warm voice fills the place - the owner is here.
“I’m here to drop off the new batch of beans” Yongguk nods his head to Youngjae, who returns the gesture.
“Are you managing okay?” Yongguk asks, the genuinity in his voice warms Youngjae’s heart. “I was afraid you’d be overwhelmed with having only one barista.”
“I have my ways, hyung!” Youngjae answers, brushing his hair back dramatically. “While Jongup was busy making ten drinks at a time, I always managed to entertain the customers with my phenomenal conversational skills.”
“The way I see it,” Jongup butts in, “It’s more like your face that’s doing all the work.”
“I see that you’re in love with me already” Youngjae turns towards him, batting his eyelashes.
Jongup makes a disgusted face, prompting laughter from the hyungs.
After having Jongup and the servers help with moving the coffee bags, Yongguk looks around, commenting on how quiet the cafe is today. Suddenly, his eyes meet Daehyun’s, he smiles and nods.
Youngjae’s gaze follows Yongguk as he walks towards the lonely customer. He watches them chat for a while, noticing that his boss seems pretty close with this guy. He’s never seen Yongguk being that friendly with a customer, especially knowing how shy Yongguk can be. But here he is, talking to this guy as if they’re old friends. And the guy, Daehyun, Youngjae never even catched a hint of emotion other than sorrow in his eyes, but now he is smiling at Yongguk. Well, it’s still a sad smile, but a smile regardless.