Chapter Text
The door to Cafe 86 swings open at half past ten. The tables have been wiped squeaky clean, the chairs neatly tucked in, and the floor freshly mopped and dripping in the morning sun. Piercing through Lena’s meticulously crafted cafe playlist, a glimmering wind chime announces a customer’s entrance.
Behind the counter, Lena lifts her head and smiles.
A young man in a black sweater, black pants, and black boots walks in with a hand coolly tucked into his pocket. He’s accessorized himself liberally—face mask, glasses, a black beanie with a logo at the front. When he gets closer to the counter, Lena notices a few rings glinting across his slender hands.
Even though the stranger has made every effort to cover up his face, Lena can just tell—from the way he walks, the way he opens that glass door, the way he makes such a simple outfit look stylish—this is a dangerously attractive man!! I should tell Annette later… Lena swallows, and opens her mouth. “Welcome to Cafe 86!”
The man doesn’t spare a glance at the menu (Lena put all her heart into the chalk art, by the way). Nor does he check the perfectly baked goods under the display glass. He doesn’t even acknowledge her greeting. He just heads straight for the till, where Lena stands.
“What can I get for you today, sir?” Lena speaks again, her voice perfectly bright and clear. It is only at this proximity that she sees the crimson behind those lenses.
“Um, hey, Lena.”
Through the mask, out comes a soft-spoken voice. A deep yet boyish timbre that doesn’t match his stolid tone. It belongs to a boy around her age, a person she hasn’t seen in months…
“Eh…?” Lena tilts her head to the side.
The stranger’s eyes widened as if in realisation. He takes off the mask and smoothly removes his beanie, revealing a head of jet-black hair, a familiar face. “Sorry. Hi,” he says, running a hand through his hair. Each and every strand reorganises itself to perfectly frame his face.
Lena leans forward slightly and examines the man curiously. “Sh… Shin!?”
It really is him. Shinei Nouzen. The fellow part-timer that worked with her here for two years, before handing in a sudden resignation. Shin is a few months younger than Lena, so she always doted on him, just a tiny bit. He did his job well and kept to himself. A man of few words. He never even told her why he resigned, or where he was headed next.
“How’ve you been?” Shin smiles, bemused by all her staring.
Rather, it’s the shadow of a smile. He wears it beautifully. Something about Shin has changed, Lena thinks, slow-blinking at Shin as she ruminates on her hypothesis. It’s the way he carries himself. The subtle touches in his outfit. The lack of hesitancy as he sustains eye contact.
“Good…!” Lena blurts out. “W-Where have you been, Shin? What’re you up to?”
“It has been busy for me,” he replies softly. He glances down at the rows of cakes, sandwiches, and desserts, a distant look lingers in his eyes before he looks up at Lena again. “Just wanted to drop by. I’ll see you again.”
“You have to go already? You won’t get a coffee? It’s on the house, and I can make it very quickly, of course…”
Shin always made an americano for his shift drink, so Lena assumes that to be his favourite. Americanos take such little time to make, so how come Shin can’t even stay for that…? She can’t help but pout at the boy.
Shin’s already putting his disguise back on, carefully sliding on his beanie and looping the mask’s straps around his ears. “Next time,” he says. “Promise.”
“O-Okay, busy boy…” Lena crossed her arms grumpily, watching Shin walk away. “You better show up, or else…!”
Inside the convenience store, Lena leans down and inspects the display of cold treats in the freezer, like a nymph viewing her own reflection on a lake.
“That’s him, right?”
“It is!”
“Ah, I certainly see the appeal…”
Her classmates whisper behind her. Lena pays no mind and picks out a condensed milk soft serve, grinning to herself at the prospect of enjoying sweets after a long day of class. She worked hard on her paintings and made sound progress. After all, why shouldn’t she? Why shouldn’t she enjoy a snack? When she determinedly turns back to her friends, they have their eyes glued to the screen mounted to the ceiling corner.
“What’re you two looking at…”
Lena peers up, following the direction of their gaze. The screen is playing a music video, as always.
“Shin,” says Kurena.
“Shin?”
“That’s him,” Anju points to the figure in the middle of the shot. However, the video cuts quickly to a solo-shot of someone. Then a few more scenic wide shots. Then, Lena almost misses it again—she catches a glimpse of him.
A very pretty boy standing in a vast paddy field—an endless expanse of green—looks right into the camera as a gentle breeze catches his seemingly unstyled hair. The video cuts to a group shot before Lena can react. She has to see it again. That face. That soft yet boyish expression. That unmistakable, bloodred gaze. Nobody has ever made ennui look so beautiful. It’s the kind of scene that belongs in a cinema, yet this dingy convenience store with its warm fluorescents and kaleidoscopic array of instant noodles feels like just the right place to receive it.
Moreover, the Shin in the music video is the very same Shin that visited her at the cafe earlier in the week. The realisation sucks the air out of her lungs, fills her throat with needles, turns her thoughts into molasses.
“...!” A muffled, kettle-like shriek shoots out of her mouth. “Shin… is an idol!?”
“Do you live under a rock, Lena?” Kurena says boredly. “This group has been like, the talk of the nation for months.”
“I didn’t really follow idol groups, but I’ve been seeing their faces everywhere,” Anju adds. She puts a hand over Lena’s shoulder and smiles reassuringly, because the Celena girls looks completely distraught. “They’re all such handsome boys.”
“I can’t believe Lena has never heard of them!” Kurena looks over at Lena, exasperated.
“Our Lena is just focused on other things! Mhm… Shin is very eye-catching, but I think I have my eyes on this other boy…”
“My bias is Shin. No doubt about it...”
Shin this, Shin that…
Lena fixes her gaze on the screen, her heart fluttering whenever he is shown. In hindsight, it all makes sense. The unexplained resignation. The vague replies whenever she asked about his life. The subtle disguise when he showed up at the cafe. If she pushed a little harder, Shin probably would have told her. She truly has been living under a rock…!
Out on the streets, moonlight washes the worn-down pavements a silvery white. Lena takes a bite out of her soft serve, dazedly keeping up with the two girls beside her. The only thing on her mind is a vast, green paddy field.
Since when did idols become so alluring?
Ridiculous hair colours, adventurous makeup, cringy fashion, generic pop dance songs… those are the things that come to mind when Lena thinks of idol groups. Not this. Not a lab-synthesized boy engineered to flutter her heart.
I… have much research to do!
“I have much research to do!” Lena tells Annette the same, inside their shared flat near the university. The living room is dim-lit, as Annette lounges on the two-seater couch and nurses a cup of decaf caramel latte. The glow of the television screen faintly illuminates her.
“Research? School-related?”
“Boy!” Lena exclaims. “Boy-research!”
“...”
“I’m sorry I can’t watch tonight’s episode with you!”
Lena scurries into her room, shutting the door with a gentle thud. Her back against the door, she slides down as she takes out her phone and conducts research (typing out “Shinei Nouzen” on YT). She ends up on the carpet, knees pressed together and head buried in her phone.
The top results are several shorts, each garnering millions of views.
In the first one, Shin is just staring into the camera and lipsyncing to some song. It’s not even his group’s song. He doesn’t make any particular expression, nor does he dance. Just lipsyncs half-heartedly and ends the video.
“Wah…!”
On her third watch, Lena sees the wink. It’s as faint as a breeze, passing by unnoticed. Yet it is more lethal than an arrow to the heart.
She has to watch it again.
On the fifth watch, she realises that his blank expression isn't genuine at all. He isn’t serious. He isn’t trying. He doesn’t care. It’s all very evil and hot of him, and there are so many layers to unpack from the fifteen-second long video. Lena opens up the comments.
feeling very parasocial rn!!!
this is like being seduced by an emo little cat i found on the street. great stuff
I’m from Giad but I find the mix of bloodlines charming. He looks like a prince.
how does a guy like this debut out of nowhere
is he wearing contacts? are his eyes actually red?
…
Lena scrolls through a few more captivating shorts, then watches the group’s music videos, then their stage performances, and then… there’re the fancams.
The company-mandated thirst traps are one thing, but fancams are another. High quality films dedicated to capturing one member’s performance, from start to finish, head to toe.
Shin is effortlessly beautiful. Always camera-ready. Lena expected Shin’s dancing to be strong and masculine, but he’s equally graceful and detail-oriented. There are moments where he executes intricate footwork without breaking a sweat, then moments where he conveys the lyrics with flowing body lines, all the while retaining perfect control of his facial expression.
Indeed, Lena has never seen anyone do a hip thrust with such artistry. He’s the hottest boy-next-door. He’s the saddest, prettiest, alternative boy. He’s a coquettish black cat. All of those things at once, and more.
“Eep!”
Lena gasps, mouth agape and cheeks reddened. She finds it inconceivable that the quiet, soft-spoken boy who worked with her is capable of making such… such appealing expressions! His intense gazes, winks, smirks are so perfectly timed and crafted to make her squeal. Though his stage presence is so strong that even when he’s not doing anything, Lena’s still watching with full attention.
Even worse, the music is literal ear candy. It’s not the construction noise, banging pots and pans type of music she has heard from other boy groups. It’s pleasant. It’s sun-glazed, rnb-infused nostalgia. It’s ethereal, soft-focus hyperpop. It’s music that feels so familiar, yet fresh and dreamlike and life-changing. Shin’s voice is surprisingly evocative—light and delicate in a way that adds to his mystique.
Two hours later, Lena’s still leaning against her door, every pathway in that head of hers lighting up like an once-in-a-century meteor shower. She scrolls through one article after another, absorbing every letter like a sponge.
Spearhead Ent’s hidden trainee revealed to be mixed Pyrope-Onyx descendent in new teaser images
Pyrope-Onyx boy to debut as centre under Spearhead Ent’s upcoming boy group
Spearhead Ent’s rookie group Project Sputnik stuns in dreamy debut music video
The nation is lovestruck by Project Sputnik Shin’s otherworldly visuals
Shin from Project Sputnik goes viral for his stunning visuals at the airport
…
So, Shin has been a secret idol trainee this whole time!? Spearhead Entertainment is one of the biggest agencies in the country, so for him to debut in their new group with the centre position is simply… incredible! Thinking about the tough times Shin must have endured during his trainee days, Lena’s heart swells with bittersweet pride. The boy’s hard work has paid off, too. The entire world has their eyes on him right now.
Grinning to herself, Lena switched to her messages and scrolled for Shin’s name. She sends him a link to the group’s latest live performance and a simple message. To her shock, Shin replies almost instantly.
Lena
[link]
good job!!
Shin
you watched it?
why yes of course \(≧▽≦)/
how did you find out
my friend is obsessed with you, shin
i see
i’m a little embarrassed
but i liked it!! you did so well shin!
i can do better, lena. will you keep watching me?
sure…
promise?
i promise!
okay. gn
good night (*¯︶¯*)
Lena taps the send button with a slight tremble. Her heart’s leaping out of her throat. Somehow, she feels like… she’s been tricked into something. She has to watch all of Shin’s stages from now on… Did the boy just charm her into being his fan!? Lena pouts at the ceiling, then splays her palms over her face. How sleazy!