Chapter Text
In–ho was dead tired after an exhausting day at work as the CEO of hwang.corp — Today had been a mess for him, piles of unorganized documents, a new intern coming in, Kang Daeho spilling more coffee in the staff lounge, and a bunch of staff members getting the flu.
He swore he never had this much to do until his assistant , Hyunju had decided to take a week off to celebrate her anniversary with her partner. He never knew she had it this bad.
In-ho was in his jet black SUV, ready to head home after all the chaos he’s handled in one day.
“...shit”
His car’s tire popped. At this point he would have called a car service in this situation, but it was already 2 in the morning. 2:12 in the morning to be exact.
In-ho swore he felt a vein popped from the amount of stress he felt.
As he was about to slowly accept his fate of possibly having to walk back home, he spotted a dim light a few blocks away. As he moved his feet towards the light, it started to be clear that it was coming from a small bakery.
“Seong Cafe.”
In-ho stared at the bakery’s giant, flashy header, but soon turned his gaze towards the sign stuck to the door. “Open!”
Who the hell opens a bakery till 2 in the morning..? In-ho kept the thought to himself. Afterall, he had no other choice and decided to check the place out. Maybe even swing in for a coffee or two.
*Ding* The door swung open with a soft chime as In-ho stepped inside.
The cafe’s atmosphere was warm and cozy, filled with the faint scent of roasted chestnuts.
As In-ho looked around at the cozy atmosphere of the cafe, a sudden voice which sounded like a grown man’s called out to him.
“Ah Welcome to Seong Cafe — How can I help you this evening, or morning, or whichever you prefer of course.” The tone of the voice was bubbly , with a hint of excitement.
A grown man who looked to be in his 40s popped out of the counter, he had neck length hair and a bright smile stuck to his face. In-ho read the tag on the man’s apron that had the name, “Seong Gi-Hun”.
“Right, just an iced americano please.” The shorter man replied.
“Coming right up!”
In-ho soon went to sit down at the nearby table, all he wanted to do was just close his eyes and take in the peace and quiet ... .which didn’t last long..
"Hey, mister! Up late, huh? We don’t get many customers at this hour—maybe once or twice... or was it three times? Ah, I forgot. But hey, company’s always nice!"
The barista’s chatter broke the short-lived silence. In-ho considered ignoring him but decided against being rude.
—
"Order’s ready! For... uh, mister—?"
"Hwang In-ho. Just call me In-ho."
With a sudden burst of energy Gi-hun loudly announced, “Alrighty then! One iced americano for the handsome In-ho!”
In-ho was taken aback by the sudden compliment, he even started to get a light pink tint on his skin.
“Ah..right, thank you very much Mr Seong.”
Gi-hun jumped over the counter, closing the bigger space between the two of them.
“Oh please call me Gi-hun — anyways what is a fancy looking guy like you doing in a time like this?”
In-ho was just about to answer him until he remembered — His car was still broken. His expression stiffened at the realization. In-ho let out a long sigh which caught Gi-huns attention.
“Hm, Something wrong?” Gi-hun tilted his head, leaning in slightly.
Inho sighed, rubbing his temple. “Yeah.. basically I just remembered that my car broke down a few blocks from here.”
Gi-hun let out a low whistle as he heard about the situation. “At this hour? Man that sucks..Have you tried calling tow service?”
“Ah no, they’re all closed.” In-ho admitted. He hesitated for a moment before glancing at Gi-hun who was looking at him with a face full of empathy. “Do you perhaps know a thing or two about cars?”
Gi-hun’s expression lit up, “Well you're in luck cause this good ol’ barista does know more than two things about cars! Let me help you out, In-ho.”
—
In-ho shivered as the cold cut through his jacket. He glanced down at Gi-hun, who was half-buried under the car.
“Almost done there?” In-ho asked, his breath visible in the night air.
“Geez, patience fancy guy,” GI-hun teased. A few more clanks and a happy satisfied hum later, he slid out from under the car wiping his hands on his shirt.
“Alright go ahead and try starting it.” Gi-hun said proudly tapping his chest.
In-ho stepped into the driver’s seat and turned the key, the engine spluttered for a second before roaring back to life.
Gi-hun leaned against the hood with a big smile. “Told you you were in luck today.”
In-ho opened the car window further down and gave him a small nod. “I owe you one.”
“Ahh that was no biggie, but if you want to really pay me back you should treat me to a drink.” Gi-hun jokes.
In-ho’s lips curved into a small smile “Haha, sure.”
Gi-hun looked surprised at the sudden charming smile, even if it was a slight smirk. “Get home safely, ya?”
In-ho hesitated for a second before nodding again. "Yeah… thanks, Gi-hun."
With that, he slipped into the car, the warm interior a stark contrast to the biting cold outside. As he drove off, he caught a glimpse of Gi-hun in the rearview mirror—hands in his pockets, watching him go back inside.
WIthout realising, In-ho drove all the way back home with a smile.