Chapter Text
Rain. The drops of water falling onto the roads and the pavements were a blessing for some, but a nightmare for others. For Myung Jaehyun, it was the latter. He had come to the café near his company for a cup of coffee before his lunch break ends. But as soon as he was done ordering, he heard the sound of raindrops. He had never been a rain-person. In fact, he hates it. He hates how it ruins a perfect day of sunshine, he hates how it soaks his shoes and clothes, and he hates that he had to run back to the building across the road with just because he hadn’t brought an umbrella.
He was standing in front of the café entrance, hoping the rain would stop anytime soon. But it was hopeless. He looked at the watch on his wrist: 12:18 PM. It’s only 12 minutes until lunch break ends and there was no way that awful rain would stop in a span of a few minutes.
Jaehyun sighed. He didn’t even want to imagine it. Did he have a choice? Unfortunately, no. He wasn’t even questioning it anymore. He got used to it. He got used to all that slightest misfortunes he face every time he isn’t ready to comprehend. To be worse, they weren’t any sort of big events. They were small, consistent, almost overlooked sometimes. But they were the kind that could ruin your mood for the day.
While Jaehyun was lost in his own thoughts, he heard the chime of the door behind him. He didn’t look back. Surely enough, it would be one of the customers who is ready to set out on their own journey with a prepared umbrella in hand while he had to stand there with no hope.
He felt a presence beside him, steady, not so overwhelming but still noticeable. He turned his head slightly and met the eyes of a young man who was looking at him with eyes full of intent. In his hand was an umbrella.
It was the barista, or should he be called the owner of the café? Meeting Jaehyun’s eyes, the young man smiled and handed him the umbrella he was holding.
“An unexpected guest arrived, huh? And I thought you might need this.”
Jaehyun was stunned. He had never properly spoken to him before and yet he was offered an umbrella. Maybe he had his guard up too much or maybe he was overthinking over a small gesture. But that action made Jaehyun waver for the slightest moment.
Seeing how hesitant Jaehyun was, the barista smiled again and let out a small laugh, soft, almost playful.
“I think you might want to take this and run. Your lunch break is almost over and I doubt that you want to be scolded by your boss.”
“Ah, no no. It’s alright. I was just about to run with my coat covered.”
“Please. You don’t need to feel burdened. Just take it. Working all afternoon with soaked clothes isn’t really ideal.”
The barista grabbed Jaehyun’s hand and place the umbrella in his palm.
“Plus, you can always return it whenever you like. I’ll always be here anyways. Take care of yourself.”
And just like that, he went back into the café without even letting Jaehyun say a word.
With the umbrella in hand, Jaehyun had no choice but to use it and cross the road. Although he was hesitant, truth be told, he felt a small joy in his heart. And oddly enough, he’d be thinking of that name tag of the barista which glistened, almost like a sign.
“Kim Woonhak, huh… what a strange guy..”
What Jaehyun didn’t notice was that the young man behind the counter of the café was looking through the window, right at him, with a small smile on his face.
“Thank god that I was able to speak like a normal person.”
Woonhak muttered to himself as he put his hand on his chest, feeling the pounding sound of his heart.
Was it around a month ago? It hadn’t been so long since Woonhak decided to open up his very own business and a café at that. His family was the supportive type so despite others’ objections, they fully respected his decision and provided all the support they can.
It was a new experience for Woonhak. He had always been a people-person. He loved interactions, small chats, deep conversations; to put it short, he loved being around people. And he never had a problem with making friends either. From the smallest kids to elders, they all found comfort in him. And he was proud of it, his own trait that he loved.
But for the first time in his life, he encountered a difficulty in socialization. Myung Jaehyun. He had only learned the guy’s name by overhearing a conversation of him and his colleague.
That Jaehyun guy was almost always alone. He rarely speaks and the only times Woonhak had heard his voice would be when he was making orders. Woonhak had a habit of shooting up small chats with his customers and it worked almost every time. No matter how difficult it seemed, he had always made it work. But Jaehyun was different. It didn’t matter whatever Woonhak said or do, he just straightup ignored younger guy.
And Woonhak, as a competitive young man, took Jaehyun as a challenge. He would definitely make this man open up to him somehow. Though how silly as it sounds, it was serious business for him.
To defeat the enemy, you must know them thoroughly. So he watched. He observed every single move.
But it didn’t help much. Jaehyun lived like a NPC. He walked, he eats and he works. That’s all he did.
Day by day, Woonhak observed Jaehyun so much that he began to know some things by heart. He noticed how Jaehyun spun his pen whenever he began write something, how his eyebrows twitch at the slightest discomfort, how he sneeze so adorably…
Wait, adorably??? Did he just think a man is adorable?
And maybe, just maybe, Woonhak was so absorbed in the idea of defeating Jaehyun that he lost track of himself. The strategy of learning his enemy got off track and somehow ended up the category of… one-sided love???
Woonhak was stumped. Or was it stunned? Not by the fact that he had a crush on a man but by the fact that it was Jaehyun. The Myung Jaehyun! He denied it. He tried to block the thoughts. All the strategy he had planned was backfiring him and the only thing he could do was to retreat. Though he hated the idea of losing, he couldn’t comprehend the idea of him falling for Jaehyun.
Then, one day, it clicked. The puzzles, the pieces, they were all completed. And by the time Woonhak noticed, he was already deep in the quicksand; swallowing him slowly, with no easy escape.
That day wasn’t different from any other day. It wasn’t extra sunny or snowing. There weren’t any rainbows and butterflies (at least not externally) when it happened.
Woonhak was mopping the floor, humming the melody of the music in the café. There were a few customers, all doing their own work. Some were chatting, a few seemed like couples, and others minding their own business. And by the window was Jaehyun, staring at his laptop, sighing at least two times per minute. He seemed to be struggling with something. Woonhak didn’t go near him nor look at him no longer. He had to keep his peace.
Just as he finished mopping and was propped to tidy up, he heard a clang – echoing across the room. Everyone shifted their gaze to the direction of the sound and so did Woonhak. It was a child; less than 6 years old. She seemed to trip over while running around and bumped into a table, making a plate hit the floor and break into pieces.
As it turns out, the specific table was Jaehyun’s. He wore a shocked look on his face, looking intently at the child sobbing on the floor. And instead of walking over to help, Woonhak stood by the counter, wanting to know what Jaehyun would do.
Jaehyun took a deep breath and crouched down by the child, soothing her with words Woonhak couldn’t hear clearly. Seeing how gentle he was with the child, Woonhak couldn’t help but wonder what kind of person Jaehyun truly was. Before he drowned in his thoughts, he got a hold of himself and walked over to their direction to tidy up the mess.
The child’s mother was now standing near her, propping her up, apologizing nonstop to Jaehyun. Shaking his head, Jaehyun denied all the apologies with a startled look. Once again, he sat on one knee and wiped the tears off the child’s cheeks. She was crying, horribly that is.
“Now now, why don’t you take a deep breath and stop letting the tears flow, hm?”
A voice so gentle that it stunned Woonhak.
The child was muttering some words, which translated into “I’m sorry, I hurt you” or something along those lines.
Jaehyun smiled softly and took the her hand.
“Hey, little kid. Look at me. See, uncle is fine. I’m not hurt. How about this? If you stop crying now, uncle will show you a magic trick.”
The little girl sniffled and as if some spell was casted, her tears stopped.
Jaehyun turned to the broken plate on the floor, scattered into 4-5 pieces. He grabbed each of them carefully and put them together once again, forming a complete plate as if it were some kind of puzzle.
Then he looked back at the little girl, with a taa-daa! gesture.
“It’s okay to make mistakes sometimes, kiddo. It’s not your fault. But, you must also learn to take responsibility and fix it. Just now, you said sorry to uncle, which is really brave and mature.”
He once again held her tiny hands and soothed her.
“Even when something breaks, you can always put them back together.”
And that was all that it took Woonhak to drown in his emotions. Though it was the worst timing the whole wide world, he felt the throbbing heart beneath his ribcage, shaking violently at Jaehyun’s gestures.
That icy cold man actually had a warm side in his heart and Woonhak had found another goal, another challenge to accomplish.