Chapter Text
April.
The first time Beomgyu lied to Danielle was during Nokji High School’s Sport Day, just a month after Danielle transferred there.
Danielle was still trying to adapt to her new life there and only know her big sister, who was a third-year student. Back in her old school, she would have written down her name to participate 100m dash and relay race but moving to a new place made her hesitant.
She had moved here to show her parents that she can be independent, but for now, she just wanted to go with the flow. Even if flow consisted of her sister writing her name as a volunteer to help run food stalls during sports day.
So now there she was, standing behind the stall’s countertop, both hands busy handing drinks to thirsty students.
Danielle’s stall was selling drinks and had the largest canopy so many students huddled underneath, eagerly trying to escape the unforgiving sun.
Beside her, there were only 2 students standing; another first-year student, Hanni; and Jungwon, a third-year student assigned to supervise and guide them. On top of the countertop, two large glass dispensers stood side by side.
One filled with golden, sunlit lemonade, slices of lemon floating inside; and the other brimming with deep brown iced coffee, swirling with ice cubes. The condensation on the glass hinted at just how refreshingly cold they were.
Time passed by quickly when you were busy and Danielle couldn’t agree more. By the time she realised it, their lemonade almost ran out. So Jungwon and Hanni both went ahead to get another cooler storages containing pre-made lemonade refills at the teacher’s lounge, leaving Danielle alone.
She took that time to arrange the paper cups beside the dispenser, when a sudden gust of wind blew and knocked half of them down. Surprised, she quickly bent down to pick all of them. It was at the same time she saw someone was walking towards the stall.
She raised her head and caught sight of an unfamiliar guy—he was standing stiffly as his eyes glued to his wallet, hands gripping it like it might run away from him. He stood there for awhile before his eyes scanned the stall quickly, as if searching for someone in charged, so Danielle stood up properly, careful not to hit the countertop.
His gaze landed on Danielle—finally seeing her.
Danielle blinked, almost unsure if he was real. She had never seen him before, yet something about him made her stomach flip. She didn’t know what it was, but for a brief moment, the world outside felt distant, as if she and him were the only two people existed.
He slowly took a step forward and her attention shifted to his movements. The guy was tall, a messy hair that looked as though it had been tousled by the wind, he wore the school’s athletic uniform and his headband slightly crooked. His posture was slightly off, as if he was more comfortable with the chaos of the field than standing here.
For a second, she thought he might say something.
But instead, he just stood there, staring at her before his gaze drifted to the dispenser in front of him.
“Excuse me,” he finally said, his voice low but warm, as if he had to push himself to speak.
“Yes?” Her voice came out quieter than she intended, a slight hesitation catching in her throat.
“I... um,” he glanced at the dispenser. “How much is this?”
“₩1,500 for small cup, ₩2,000 for medium cup and ₩2,500 for large cup,” she replied. “Would you like some?”
The guy nodded casually, a huge grin plastered on his face, “Large cup, please.”
It was such a simple request, yet something in his tone made her pause.
She turned to the dispenser, pouring it onto the large paper cup absentmindedly. She didn’t know why but with him standing there, there was an odd tension in the air. His presence, for some reason, made her hyper-aware of her every movement.
“Large Iced Coffee,” she handed it to him, “and that will be ₩2,500.”
“Iced Coffee?” His eyes flickered briefly to the cup, then back to her.
“Well uhm,” Danielle chuckled awkwardly and pointed at the mini chalkboard beside the paper cups, “Today’s main drinks are Iced Lemonade and Iced Coffee.”
The guy blinked, she noticed the brief shift in his expression—a momentary discomfort, but it passed quickly.
He took the drink with another smile on his face, “Thank you,” he finally said, his voice quiet. He fumbled with his wallet before finally handing her the money.
As she took the cash from his hand, their fingers brushed. It was brief, just a fleeting touch, but it sent an unexpected jolt through her. A strange warmth she couldn’t quite place lingered on her skin, and for some reason, she found herself holding her breath.
He took a step back, and for a moment, neither of them said anything.
His eyes lingered on her face for just a second too long, and she wondered if he felt it too—the strange connection she felt earlier. But before she could say anything, he turned away, his posture stiff but not rushed.
She tilted her head.
Did he not want it? Did she mess up his order?
“Wait,” Danielle called. The guy turning around to face her with a surprised look, “My friends prepared some pre-made lemonade and they went to get it at Mr. Jung’s desk. If you don’t mind waiting-”
“Ah, n-no, it’s okay!” he reassured her, “It’s not like you did something wrong. I... love coffee!”
Danielle squinted slightly. Was it just her, or did that sound… forced?
Before she could ask more, the guy suddenly took a sip, "It’s very delicious. Thank you very much," he said, flashing another grin before turning on his heel and practically speed-walking away.
Danielle watched as he disappeared into the crowd, his figure growing smaller and smaller until he was gone. She stood there for a moment, trying to process what had just happened.
“Wow, he did drink it,” a sudden voice said, startling Danielle. It was Jungwon, hands holding two jugs of pre-made lemonade and Hanni beside him holding a plastic full of lemonades.
“What do you mean?” Danielle asked.
“That guy earlier, Beomgyu, we’re both in same club,” Jungwon paused to place the jugs on the counter top, “and as far as I know, he hates coffee; believe me, I learned it the hard way.”
Danielle blinked—so that was his name; Beomgyu.
And apparently, he hated coffee.
She stared at the cash in her palms that he gave earlier, frowning. If he didn’t want it, why didn’t he just say so?
A small smile tugged at her lips before she realized it.
What a weird guy.