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The scent of cinnamon and nutmeg fills Euijoo’s nostrils as he walks through the back of the house. He sets his water bottle and keys down on the small white counter and picks his apron off the hook. He diligently ties it around his waist and goes to clock in. After he clocks in, he grabs a couple of bows to fold and pushes through the cafe doors. It’s dead silent, not even the radio is playing. It’s going to be a long shift for him, he can feel it.
“Hey, Euijoo,” Jo, the other GSR closing tonight, faintly says. Jo is quiet and Euijoo likes that.
“Hey, Jo,” he replies. He really isn't in the mood to be here today. He has three papers due and desperately needs to work on his thesis, but he’s here; for the next six hours. It’s not a bad job, Euijoo would go as far as to say that he likes the job he does. It's simple, take the order and hand them the order. There is the occasion when he is in the back decorating the cakes but he doesn't mind that either, it's simple. But that doesn't mean he always wants to be at his job.
“Are you good? You look dead,” Jo points out. It makes Euijoo feel worse actually.
Euijoo shrugs, “I guess so. Just really tired,” he admits. Jo nods like he understands, to which he probably does since he is also a college student, just in undergrad and not graduate school. Just as Euijoo goes to ask Jo something the door opens.
“Hi welcome in,” Euijoo puts on his best customer service voice, something he is proud to say he has mastered.
“Hello, how are you?” The man replies. Euijoo finally notices him, and boy, is he stunning. His hair is jet black, half of it swept up, his fingers are adorned with all sorts of silver rings and his neck is equally decorated in silver chains. His outfit is simple in comparison to the accessories, but it still looks good. The one addition that Euijoo almost misses is the small girl standing slightly behind him. She’s adorable, her hair is long and black; matching her father. She has a strawberry dress on with pink sneakers.
“I’m good, what can I do for you?” Euijoo asks, the man seems nice.
The guy looks down at the child and then back to Euijoo with a big smile, “I’m here to pick up her birthday cake. It's under Nicholas Wang,” he rubs the top of the girl's head. Euijoo coos on the inside, it's nice to see things like this.
He punches in the name and finds the ticket, “It’s an eight-inch strawberry cake? Decorated?” He asks.
Nicholas nods, “That’ll be it. She hasn't seen it yet so it's going to be a surprise,” he tells him. This might be the part of his job that Euijoo likes the most, seeing the parents buying something nice for their kids. He prints his ticket out and tells Nicholas he’ll be back in a minute. He pushes back through the cafe doors and takes a right. He opens the door to the chiller and steps inside, looking for the same name that is on the ticket he printed.
Once he finds it and grabs it he walks back to the front with the cake in hand.
“Wang?” He calls, the man turns around and his eyes light up.
“Căo, look,” he points to Euijoo who holding the cake the little girl's eyes light up and she smiles, he pearly whites flashing.
“It's so cute!” She then turns to Nicholas, “Bà, it's pretty. Thank you!” She wraps her tiny arms around his leg. Euijoo loves seeing parents get cakes for their kids. He likes seeing the kids’ faces light up as they see the simple decoration placed on a cake. It’s cute.
Nicholas rubs the girls, his daughters, heads, “Of course, bee, now let's meet Yuma and Fuma for dinner, okay? I’m sure they're waiting to see the cake as well.” The girl nods and starts to head for the door. “Thank you,” Nicholas bows his head lightly and turns to follow the young girl out the door. Euijoo utters him a nice day and then turns to Jo.
“Jo,” Eujioo says, almost whining, to his coworker.
Jo nods his head, almost understanding what Euijoo is trying to tell him, “Yeah. He was so pretty,” he says.
Euijoo smiles widely and nods, “And did you see how he interacted with his daughter?! My lord that was so cute!” He falls onto the cool marble counter and looks at Jo.
“Who knew your type was guys with daughters?” Jo chuckles. Euijoo rolls his eyes but blushes anyway. There was truth to that but Jo did not need to know that yet. The door opens again and everything falls into place for the evening.
—
Jo finishes ringing up the last customer and Euijoo swiftly locks the door as it turns seven, the end of the day is finally upon them. They quickly divide up the closing duties and scurry off so they can get out of the building (even though they are both likely going to be back in the next day or so) Euijoo snagged the sweeping and case cleaning tonight, promising Jo that the next time they close together that he would mop (he’s not a monster). He quickly pushes the case cakes back wipes down the glass, and then swiftly foes the doors as well.
After a ridiculous five minutes of trying to find the broom and dustpan, he starts his sweeping out in the front. By the time he’s done with that Jo has folded all the bundtini boxes they needed to do, so all Euijoo had to do was put them up.
“Euijoo!” His closing manager, Kei, shouts for him.
“Yeah,” he responds back, not bothering to go up to him, there's no one in the bakery but those three.
“Can I get you to close Sunday, Taki has a school thing in the afternoon, so I have to take him so Heeseung will be with you,” he asks. Taki is Kei’s son, not actually, but they are cousins, so by and large, they're father and son. Or so everyone jokes.
“What time would I be coming in?”
“Would one-thirty work? Then you can leave at like five or six, there should be two others by then.”
“Yeah, that does.” More money is more money, which means that one shift that Euijoo can drop to sleep after finals week. Both Jo and Euijoo finish the remaining tasks and get their checkboards signed. Euijoo grabs his forgotten water bottle and his keys and clocks the hell out. He has a drama calling his name (and like three papers to write, he has his priorities.)
He parks his car in the parking lot and takes the elevator up to his floor. He moved out during his last year of college; sharing a space with a guy named Jay that was also in his graduating year. Then after a year of a paid internship and this job, he had enough to live independently to complete his master's degree. Euijoo hopes that after he completes his master's he can be done with shitty minimum-wage jobs.
He unlocks his apartment and walks right in, kicking his shoes off and sliding on his slippers. Euijoo treks through his apartment and makes a beeline for his bedroom. He strips down to just his underwear and then grabs his pajamas for the night. The steaming hot water cascades down his back and Euijoo lets out a guttural sound. He can feel his muscles destressing and unwinding themselves from the strained state they had been in.
Despite the comfort the shower brought him, he hurries up and cleans himself. He dries off and dries his hair and then heads to the kitchen to make something that he can call food. He can cook, reasonably; he’s not a five-star chef so it probably isn't going much past ramen and an egg, balance, he claims.
The food is decent enough, he should really learn how to cook. He’s in grad school for God’s sake. He cleans up after he finishes, the water splashing lightly onto his sweater. Euijoo casts a glance at the pile of textbooks sitting at his breakfast nook and they're taunting him, screaming his name. He should logically go and do his readings for the week since he’ll be back at work tomorrow anyway. He gives them too much of his time but the money is sustainable. With a heavy sigh, he sits down at his breakfast nook and cracks open his statistics book.
—
After a long week of classes, the last place that Euijoo would want to be is at work, but he still clocks in on time anyway. It's a midday shift today though, so he’s gone at five and he’s grateful for the small win.
“Hey Ej,” Taki–another GSR greets him as Euijoo walks through the cafe doors, still tying his apron.
“Hey,” he smiles. It’s empty right now and Euijoo can see the boredom bows that Taki had started folding. Euijoo chuckles lightly and grabs a mint one to fold for himself. Time passes slowly. The customers are fine, they're mainly just older people who need to have the menu explained to them, on the wrong day it would have pissed Euijoo off, but he’s feeling nice today. Taki says goodbye to Euijoo as he finishes up his last end-of-shift task and Euijoo bids him goodbye, it's slow enough that he doesn't mind being by himself.
As the cafe door swings close, the front door opens, Eujioo internally groans but doesn't look up to see the customer who walked in.
“Hi, welcome in!” He says, his cheery customer service voice on display. He looks up from his bow and sees the same man from the other day. This time though, he’s alone and is looking at the bundlets. “Nice to see you again,” he adds. It’s not an odd thing to say, he’s gotten acquainted with a couple of customers before.
“Ah, it's you! I was hoping you’d be here,” the guy–Nicholas– smiles. Euijoo knows his name, he can’t forget it. Nicholas.
Euijoo smirks, he can play that game, “Oh really?”
Nicholas nods, “Yeah. I wanted to thank you for yesterday and if I’m not overstepping… I thought you were cute, could I perhaps get your phone number?” He briefly takes his eyes off Euijoo, flickering to the case but then returning to Euijoo. And oh, he likes the way Nicholas’s gaze feels on him. “I just didn't want to do it in front of my kid though, just incense you know, reject me.” As if, I’m not stupid.
Euijoo nods, a blush on his cheeks, “Yeah.”
—
Surprisingly, Euijoo does not fumble the bag. He and Nicholas can keep consistent communication even with their busy schedules and have managed to find a day for the date. Saturday. Euijoo doesn't work that day (praise the bundt cake gods) so he takes ample time to get ready.
Like the clean man he is, he thoroughly showers, using the vanilla-scented soap and his tangerine hair care. Sue him, he loves smelling amazing. He delicately dries his hair and then styles it with a part down the middle. Keeping the makeup to a minimum, he applies a little shimmer to his aegyosal and smokes out the corner of his eyes. Damn, he looks good.
Padding his way back to his room he picks out some clothes. Black slacks that hang low on his hips (and showcase his waist) a white button-down that he tucks in, leaving the top two buttons undone. He dawns some silver jewelry, his small lowercase ‘e’ that his friend Sunghoon had gotten him, a watch that was a gift from his father, and a couple of rings some friends have also graciously gifted him. Once he slips his shoes on and looks over himself once again, he says bye to Bomi (the adorable cat he has) and walks out the door.
The train takes twenty minutes and then Euijoo walks another five to the small diner that Nicholas had raved so much about. Euijoo is not picky and if he doesn't need to dress up super fancy for a date, he’ll take it. Now, Euijoo knows that he is early, by ten minutes to be exact, but he didn’t expect to see Nicholas sitting outside the dinner, flowers, and phone in hand. He looked gorgeous, that was even an understatement.
Nicholas had taken the same approach as Euijoo, the black slacks, a button down (though he was pink and silk), and very nice boots. He looked like something out of a manhwa sitting unfinished on his nightstand.
“Woah,” Euijoo mumbles under his breath as he walks up to the other. Nicholas looks up from his phone and stares. Euijoo stops in front of him and they both just stare, each drinking in the look of the other.
Nicholas clears his throat, tearing his gaze away from Euijoo’s body and meeting his eyes, “you look amazing, like wow, I’m so lucky,” he says. Euijoo flushes red.
“You do too!” He says a little more enthusiastically but he rolls with it. “Uhm, should we head in?” He gestures to the door of the restaurant.
“Sure,” Nicholas nods and leads the way into the building. It's dimly lit, and a nice aroma of seafood and wine radiates through Euijoo’s nose. He can smell the high price of food already, and his wallet is crying.
“Reservation?” The hostess asks the two men, her eyes lingering on Euijoo. He shifts uncomfortably, Nicholas clears his throat and the woman looks back at him.
“Yes, under Wang,” Nicholas makes a bold move and grabs Euijoo’s hand, something that both the hostess and Euijoo take notice of. Eujioo chooses to ignore the hot feeling that blooms in his chest. The hostess guides them through the restaurant to the table that Nicholas had reserved especially for tonight. It's tucked in the back corner of the restaurant, something that Euijoo is thankful for; he may work in customer service, but he doesn't enjoy many people being around him, so this is nice.
They give the waitress their drink orders and Nicholas orders some bread as an appetizer.
“So, how was your day?” Euijoo asks, a little awkward for his liking but he really can’t think of anything else to ask.
Nicholas smiles, “it’s been good. How was yours?”
The conversation flows easily as they both look at their menus. The waitress comes back and gives them their drinks along with the bread. She swiftly takes their orders and their menus, leaving the two men with nothing to hide behind. Euijoo starts picking at his nails, it's a habit; something he picked up in middle school, and that has happened all the way into his master's degree.
“So, you're in college right?” Nicholas asks.
Euijoo responds with a nod, “Yeah I am.”
“What are you studying?”
“So I have my bachelors in biochemistry, and that's what I’m getting my masters in,” Euijoo responds.
“Ah, that must be a lot of work. So the cake store is just a temporary job then?”
Euijoo nods, “Yeah it keeps my bills paid and it allows me to have my campus job, and internship and still attend school.”
“Wow, you are one busy man,” Nicholas chortles.
Euijoo shrugs, “I’d rather have too much to do than not enough,” he takes a sip of his drink, “So what do you do?”
Nicholas sits up straighter, “I work for a company, it's just your typical corporate job, nine to five, the hour-long break, the long hours. But it pays the bills and it allows me to still speak Mandarin, so that's the bonus.”
Euijoo nods, “That must be nice. I wish I had a job in which I could speak Korean. There are a couple of customers but they really don’t speak much most of the time.”
Nicholas hums in agreement, “I get it. I never wanted Căomei to not speak Mandarin, I think I would rather speak only Mandarin than English, but she's proficient in both.”
“Căomei was the one you got the cake for right?” Euijoo recounts the memory of the little girl getting all happy over the strawberry cake. He smiles, it was cute; still is.
Nicholas smiles, “Yeah. I had her when I was nineteen, and her mom was twenty. It really put us both in a tight spot and then me in a tighter spot when her mother and I separated. But she’s my pride and joy. A lot like me too, according to Yuma,” he huffs out a laugh.
“She's cute. I thought it was adorable, her getting all excited over a cake,” Euijoo looks over at him fondly.
—
The rest of the dinner goes smoothly. They eat their food and skip the desert in favor of finding somewhere else. Nicholas pays (though Euijoo had put up a fight over that) and then they leave, hands linked loosely. The cool air of the spring night hits Euijoo with brute force, causing him to shiver even in his long wear.
Nicholas, being the flirty man that he is, takes the opportunity to slide his arm around Euijoo’s waist and pull him closer. “I’m running warm, I’ll warm you up,” he winks at Euijoo, and Eujioo flushes.
They walk down the strip of stores, looking in the windows of stores that were still open, the soft light illuminating their faces. They find a small ice cream shop and walk in. The sweet smell of the sugar cones and the syrup fills their nostrils, something nostalgic, yet comforting in a way.
“Hm, I can’t decide between strawberry and cookie dough,” Euijoo huffs, his eyebrows furring in confusion rather than frustration.
Nicholas laughs, “You can get cookie dough and I’ll get strawberry. I love strawberries,” he squeezes Euijoo’s hip. “Even named my kid after it,” he throws in a tidbit of information.
“Ah I like oranges, those two fruits go well together don't they?” Euijoo hums. Just as Nicholas goes to say something else, the teen worker comes out to the front.
“Hello, I’m Yujin, what can I get for you two tonight?” The boy is sweet and looks way too young to be working a job this late, but Euijoo gets it. Euijoo orders for both of them and taps his watch to pay before Nicholas can think about getting his wallet out.
“Hah,” Euijoo sticks his tongue out, “I told you I was gonna get it next.” Yujin scoops their ice cream and hands it to them in small bowls, bidding the both of them a goodnight. It’s not awfully cold outside so Euijoo suggests sitting at a bench that was just a little ahead.
They sit and eat their ice cream in silence, listening to the soft hum of the springtime bugs, Euijoo snagging a few bites when he gets sick of the cookie dough.
“You're just like Cao, she loves stealing my food,” Nicholas laughs at the other, “Speaking of her, that's something I’ve wanted to talk about all tonight.”
Euijoo nods, “I had assumed that you would.”
Nicholas clears her throat, “Cao is seven, so she's at the age where she’s aware that her mom really isn't in her life. She doesn't know why and I’m not telling her till she's older. But, when it comes to dating, you're gonna be around her a lot of the time, so I need you to understand that you might become like another parental figure to her. I know it's only the first date and I’m hoping this doesn't ruin the chances of having many more dates, but it needed to be said before anything got too serious, and yeah– I think that’s all,” he avoids Euijoo’s eyes after.
Euijoo shifts closer to him, resting a hand on his thigh, “Nicholas, this isn't going to ruin the chances of more dates. I understand that she’s an integral part of your life–hell I know she's your entire world. I get it. I promise that this doesn't change a single feeling that I have for you,” he gives Nicholas’ thigh a reassuring squeeze, “I may not know shit about parenting, but I can learn. If she wants me that way eventually, if not I’ll just be a cool uncle that you're dating, either way, is fine with me.”
Nicholas finally looks up at Euijoo, “You sure? Because this is a commitment and I don’t want to pressure you into anything.”
Euijoo nods firmly, “I’m sure.” They stare into each other's eyes, the soft light making shining down on them from the street light.
“Can I kiss you?” Nichols asks. Euijoo nods, not trusting his brain to give him the correct word (or really, any words at all) to speak. They both lean in before their lips connect softly. Their lips move in harmony, dancing the elegant waltz as if they had been partners for years. Euijoo’s hand finds solace on Ncihoals waist and the latter tangle in Euijoo’s hair, softly tugging at the reddish-brown strands. They part in the desperation for air, their breaths heavy in the night.
“Just so you know, I don’t kiss on the first date, so consider yourself special.” Nicholas’ forehead meets Euijoo’s and they laugh late into the night.
===
Euijoo is back at the bakery, this time, he feels lighter. Nicholas came to see him just before he had to leave for the closing shift, it was nice; it lifted his spirits. The smell of the store's signature chocolate chocolate chip cake welcomes him and so does Kei, who comes running at his full force with a shit-eating smile on his face.
“EUIJOO BYUN WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME YOU WENT ON A DATE WITH NICHOLAS?”
Maybe he should have called out.