Chapter Text
As it was now October, the wind began to brush sharply against Sunggyu's cheeks as he was walking down the narrow street. The male was walking a bit fast, as he thought he was already late for the hangout and knew he could've returned the stuff to his classmate a bit earlier instead of at the last minute. He had his hands tucked deeper into his coat pockets, fingers playing with the familiar shape of his old MP3 player. Yes, it wasn't fashionable anymore, but the weight of it grounded him. Honestly, he needed some grounding whenever he would meet this friend group, to which he was magically accepted at the beginning of the semester. He wasn't really new, but the male still felt like he was figuring out where he fit.
Up ahead, the Dalbit Brew sign was glowing softly between the two storefronts that had been open for as long as anyone could remember. The windows were fogged, which hid everything inside except for the warm, golden light that spilled into the cracked pavement. Even from a distance, Sunggyu could hear the faint mix of voices, low talking, and a song from the early 2010s playing softly through the cafe's speakers.
The male began to slowly open the door by pushing it open.
A small bell chimed, and suddenly the warmth inside felt like the male was being wrapped in a blanket right away. The smell of cinnamon, roasted coffee, and something so sweet filled the air. People were crowded in the small wooden tables, shoulders brushing, notebooks and textbooks open, mugs steaming. It was the perfect vibe.
Of course, Sunggyu found his friends at their usual corner after a few seconds, and that is when he walked towards them. Minhee would hear familiar footsteps, and that is when she would turn around and happily wave at the male.
"Sunggyu!~" Finally, you came just in time! Sit, sit!" She happily said.
"Hey Sunggyu, gosh, we were worried and thought you got lost on the way." Dongwan would slightly pout as he thought the male would forget. Soon after, Jinwoo would wave happily, but softly.
Jihyun would look up from her sketchbook with a gentle smile. "Hi, Sunggyu!" She said with a slight wave.
"Hey guys, I remembered about the hangout, don't worry. I had to drop off some stuff for someone, but I am now here." He chuckled softly as Minhee would carefully pull out a chair for Sunggyu to sit in.
As Sunggyu carefully began to sit on the chair, he noticed someone new at the table—someone he had never seen before.
A male college student sitting next to Minhee, wrapped in soft autumn colors: a beige cardigan, a neatly folded scarf, his dark hair that was slightly messy in a way that seemed accidental, but cute. He was holding a warm mug with both hands, making it seem like his hands were cold. His posture was small and careful, as if he didn't want to take up space.
When the male decided to look up at Sunggyu, their eyes met, but for only a second.
But something slight shifts inside Sunggyu. A feeling that was so warm and unexpected, and that is when Minhee kindly cleared her throat. "Sunggyu, this is Nam Woohyun! He is the newbie of our friend group." She said happily.
Woohyun bowed slightly, smiling shyly, but softly. "It is nice to meet you," He softly said.
"Nice to meet you, too, Nam Woohyun," Sunggyu replied with a soft smile, sliding into the only open seat that was right beside Woohyun since it was the only seat available, which he didn't mind either way. "You can call me Kim Sunggyu or just Sunggyu." He responded softly, allowing Woohyun to hear.
"Got it, Sunggyu~ You can call me Woohyun," Woohyun responded back with a soft smile.
Their knees brushed under the table, yet neither of them moved away or said anything about it.
The group returned to their usual conversations, which mostly centered on midterms, professors grading papers late, Jihyun's art project, and a rumor about someone accidentally setting off a fire alarm in the dorms, which wasn't surprising, as it happened almost every five months. Sunggyu would listen and answer when needed, but his focus drifted toward the male who was currently beside him more often than he wanted to admit.
Woohyun didn't really talk much, but when he did, his voice was gentle and warm. He laughed quietly, tucked his sleeves into his palms when he was shy, and nodded kindly whenever someone spoke. Everything about Woohyun felt soft in a way that made Sunggyu's chest loosen as he could finally breathe after holding in his breath for too long. It felt so different but in a good way.
At one point, Sunggyu stood up to order a drink, not because he was thirsty and cold, but mostly to organize his thoughts, which felt like they were all over the place in a way that he wasn't used to.
Before the male could walk to the counter, he heard a soft voice behind him.
"If it is okay with you... I'll go with you," Woohyun said.
That is when Sunggyu would turn around and see that Woohyun was standing there, his scarf slightly crooked from how quickly he had stood, which the male found quite cute at the same time.
"Hm? Yeah, that is totally okay with me," Sunggyu said, trying not to sound surprised.
Both of them walked together towards the counter. The cafe lights hit Woohyun softly, giving him this warm glow that made it weirdly hard for Sunggyu to look away as he thought it suited him so well. The speakers began to play 10cm's "Love is Falling in You," fitting too flawlessly for the moment, which was quite surprising at the same time.
As they were waiting for their turn, Woohyun noticed the small MP3 player clipped to Sunggyu's coat. "Whoa, you still use one of those?" He asked, amazed to see someone else using one.
Sunggyu was looking at the menu, wondering what drink sounded appealing to him, and would touch it carefully, but awkwardly, when Woohyun mentioned his MP3 player that was clipped onto his coat. "Ah, yeah, I do, I guess I am quite old now." He mumbled softly.
Woohyun would smile softly, his cheeks lifting. "No, you're not old. I think it is cute." He said.
That is when Sunggyu would look away quickly as his ears began to turn red from what the other male said to him. As he heard the worker say, 'Next customer,' Sunggyu would sigh in relief, thinking he would embarrass himself in front of the newbie in his friend group if the line were longer.
Now that they had ordered their drinks, they returned to the table where their friends were. Both Sunggyu and Woohyun sat down, their hands brushing for a moment. It was small, almost nothing, but Sunggyu felt it right away. Woohyun would quietly gasp that no one heard, hopefully, and then they both quickly pretended nothing had happened.
Minhee and Dongwan looked at what happened and then at each other. They didn't say anything, but they both knew they would discuss it later, just between the two of them.
After two hours had passed, everyone began to put their things away. The cafe also began to dim its lights as closing time drew closer. One by one, the group said their goodbyes. Minhee and Jihyun waved their final goodbyes before heading to the train station. Dongwan would wave dramatically across the street, and Jinwoo, on the other hand, said his goodbyes, pretending to sob, but the others knew he was messing around as he walked down to a quieter road since he lives close to the cafe.
After everyone had left, Sunggyu began to adjust his coat and turned towards the main road, ready to walk to his bus stop alone like he usually does.
But Sunggyu didn't get far before he heard footsteps behind him, which he found odd and thought Jinwoo had forgotten his keys at home. "Let me guess, you forgot your keys again, Jinwoo? If you are going to crash at my place again, you'd better help me with chores." He chuckled softly and turned around only to see that Woohyun was the one who was following him, making him gasp. "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry, I thought you were Jinwoo." The male quickly bows, apologizing for what he had just said. "I am just used to Jinwoo doing this kind of stuff." He said, feeling a bit embarrassed for mistaking Woohyun for their friend Jinwoo.
Woohyun would quickly shake his hands a bit. 'No, no, it is okay! I should've called your name instead." He said nervously. "I w-wanted to ask... if it was okay to walk with you? Since it is a bit late." He said shyly.
Sunggyu's chest began to tighten, not because he was uncomfortable, but because he was unexpectedly warm. "A-Ah, sure." He responded to Woohyun's question. "I don't mind at all. Plus, walking in the dark is a bit scary too." He said. Woohyun agreed with a soft nod.
They began to walk to the bus stop side by side. Their breath fogged in the cold air; the streets were quiet, except for the distant traffic and the sound of leaves shifting along the pavement. The silence between them wasn't awkward... It felt familiar, like something gentle settling between them.
After a moment, Woohyun spoke again, but in a low voice. "Which bus do you take?" He tilted his head a bit.
"Ah, I take bus 275," Sunggyu responded, his hands tucked away in his pocket, where he was playing with his small MP3 player.
Woohyun nodded. "I go a different way, but I can walk with you until your stop."
Sunggyu blinked a few times as he was caught off guard by the sincerity of it. Of course, his friends did the same, but with Woohyun, it felt different, in a good way.
"I know, I could've walked away, but I want to," Woohyun said softly while holding his backpack with two hands, with mittens, of course.
As they reached the bus stop sooner than either seemed ready for. The streetlight above them began to flicker faintly, casting a warm halo over Woohyun's face just like the cafe lights from earlier. "Gosh, does every lighting look good on him?" Sunggyu thought to himself when he saw it.
"I appreciate you walking with me," Sunggyu said. "It felt nice even if we didn't speak much."
Woohyun smiled shyly, rocking a little on his heels. "I thought the same way~."
The bus arrived just in time, bright headlights cutting through the quiet street. Before Sunggyu could get inside, Woohyun would put his hand on Sunggyu's shoulder to stop him for a bit, and that is when the male would turn around. "Yes?" Sunggyu said, blinking a few times once again.
"Get home safely, okay?" Woohyun said, giving him a soft look.
"I w-will. Thank you. The same goes for you, too." Sunggyu said shyly after seeing Woohyun's soft look, thinking it was pretty adorable. He quickly got inside the bus, and the doors closed behind him.
Woohyun stood there under the streetlight, scarf snug around his neck, watching the bus pull away with a soft expression that made something tug at Sunggyu's heart.
As the bus took off, Sunggyu felt a quiet, warm pull inside him.
"I hope I can see him again..." The male thought to himself as he put on his earbuds and pressed play on his MP3 player, listening to "Love Light" by CNBLUE.
As Woohyun watched the bus turn onto the corner, the man whispered. "I hope he comes back..." He sighed softly as he took out his earbuds, connecting them to his phone and then pressing the play button, also listening to "Love Light" by CNBLUE.
Author's Note: Hello everyone! Thank you for reading Chapter One <3. This is my first time posting a fic while juggling university and life, so there's a chance that updates will be slow. However, I am very excited to share Sunggyu and Woohyun's story with you all!
Thank you for your patience and support!! Seriously, it means a lot! Stay safe, everyone, and I will be uploading chapter two very soon! :)