Chapter Text
Everyone knew Kim Jongseob. He had won K-pop Star when he was only thirteen, and later, nearly won on YG Treasure Box — talents that made his name impossible to ignore. Of course, how could it not be? Such a young boy, who with his burning passion and raw skill stood out among people who had been in the industry for decades. And apart from his rapping skills, his pretty face and elegant stylized figure made everyone turn around whenever he walked down the streets.
Once again, eyes were all over him as he headed up to that one new café his friends had talked about on Discord last week.
It was rare for him to have time on his own, as his manager and staff always had his schedule planned; worldwide tours, hours at the recording studio, and business meetings with the production team. Even his so-called “free time” at home was focused on writing new lyrics. So, of course, he would take this opportunity to spend the day like boys his age usually do, at least once.
On his phone, the name of the café he was looking for: “A Sweet Piece”, just a few meters away. Music blasting through his wired earphones, he hummed along to Gorillaz’ “She’s my collar”, a song he was currently obsessed with.
Just as the song was about to end, he looked up, eyes leaving the screen to focus on the big sign with the café’s name, written in a pretty, yet minimalistic font.
“Cute,” he thought, as the sweet and inviting scent of coffee, bakery, and cinnamon surrounded him.
He walked in, eyes roaming all over the place. His usual playlist now replaced by Beabadoobee’s “Beaches”, a song that Jongseob had vibed along at least once or twice, that was now playing inside the café.
The place was small, with wooden tables and plants hanging from the ceiling. There weren’t many people, just a couple sitting by the window, and an old man reading the newspaper.
Behind the counter, a boy with pastel-pink hair was silently struggling to stack paper cups properly. One slipped and rolled to the floor as the pink-haired boy —whose name tag read Soul— let out a soft, clumsy “ah!”.
The sound made Jongseob’s eyebrow twitch slightly.
— Welcome! — the boy said with a strong accent, his voice soft yet uncertain. He bent down to pick up the cup, bumping his head against the counter on his way up. A clumsy smile on his lips as Jongseob was still standing there, scanning every one of his movements.
The blonde rapper blinked; this was not the peaceful afternoon he imagined.
— Uh.. One iced latte, please — he said. His snaggle tooth peeked as he spoke.
Soul froze for a second, eyes scanning the cash register, then smiled nervously.
— Ah–, Yes! One.. matcha latte it is? —
— No, just.. wait, what? — Jongseob mumbled. But the clumsy waiter was already halfway the process, focused and determined, as if mixing the orders was simply part of the recipe.
So just like that, Jongseob stood there, biting his lower lip in silence, with Soul totally focused preparing the matcha that he didn’t ask for in front of him, behind the counter. Soul’s big boba eyes stealing a few glances over the blonde haired boy, who seemed to just give up and was now staring at his phone as he waited for the drink, occasionally looking up to the japanese boy too.
After a few minutes, that soft voice made Jongseob snap out of his thoughts, putting his phone down as Soul placed the warm drink in front of him.
— There you have! — he announced with a bright smile on his lips. He seemed pretty proud of himself, his eyes sparkling as he handed the blonde boy the matcha he just prepared, which made Jongseob let out a soft chuckle. Somehow, Soul’s endearing bunny-like smile made the blondie just forget about his silly command mistake, now focusing on the sweet scent that the drink had.
— Yeah, uh.. Thanks — he shyly said with a smile, his fang visible once again as he spoke, which didn’t go unnoticed by the japanese waiter.
Jongseob lifted the cup slowly, bringing it close to his peachy lips. The sweet scent of matcha filled his senses, but the first sip made his expression falter just slightly. His eyebrows now frowned as the bittersweet taste of the drink still lingered on his tongue.
Big boba eyes darted between the drink and Jongseob’s face, reading the guy’s face instantly.
— Ah! You don’t like it..?! Gomen– ah…I’m sorry! It’s my mistake. I will make a new one! Chotto matte! — he blurted out words tangled in a mix of japanese and broken korean. His hands waved nervously as if trying to erase Jongseob’s reaction out of the air. — Chotto.. — he mumbled again, but this time low enough so Jongseob wouldn’t hear the embarrassment in his tone.
Jongseob blinked, a small laugh slipping past his lips before he could stop it. — No, no– It’s fine, — he said smiling softly; his fang peeked again as he added, — It’s actually not that bad —.
The pink haired boy froze for a second, cheeks dusted pink as he finally relaxed, letting out a shy lighthearted giggle of his own, laughing dumbfounded at his panicked reaction. He mumbled something under his breath –half japanese, half korean– before turning around to clean the counter, pretending to be busy.
The rapper stayed quiet stirring his drink with the straw. The faint sound of the coffee machine, the low hums of passers-by walking near the window outside the café, and the rhythm of Soul’s quiet movements behind the counter made everything strangely calm, even after the japanese’s exaggerated reaction from before.
For the first time in a while, Jongseob wasn’t thinking about the next show, or the lyrics waiting on his notebook. He wasn’t even paying attention to the notifications buzzing on his phone, probably from his manager team. Maybe it was the quiet hum or the smell of cinnamon, but something about this place felt... human again.
He just sat there, tasting the sweet bitterness of the matcha and the warmth of the small, hidden café, feeling glad that his friends told him about this place.
Maybe the matcha wasn’t that sweet — but somehow, that moment was.