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It's mid-morning on a Saturday when Minho and his daughter wander into a little hole-in-the-wall coffee shop that Minho had taken note of when he was mapping out the route to his daughter's new school. He had wanted to test out the place to see if it would be a good, quiet place for him to get some writing done after he drops her off in the mornings. And, being new to town, Minho needs a regular place that he enjoys after specifically moving there so Eunha could go to the best school around. He may spoil his daughter but he genuinely believes that his little princess deserves only the best. She was blessed with her mother's intelligence and her father's attitude, after all.
The small cafe is cozy and inviting, only a few people spaced out around the intimate dining area typing away on laptops or reading various things. A man dressed in a crisp white button-up and a black apron stands behind the counter. He smiles warmly at Minho and Eunha as they approach the display of pastries at his side. Minho blinks at him, taken aback by how handsome he is. He has to force his gaze away from his pretty face to read his name tag.
Chan.
Minho's eyes resume studying the man's— Chan's face and he notices that his plush lips are moving so he tries to rejoin reality and focus on what he's saying.
"—get started for you two this morning?"
Right. He's asking for their order. Minho stares at the menu board behind Chan, the chalk letters swirling together and making it difficult for him to read anything. He takes his reading glasses from where they're hanging from the center of his shirt collar but they don't seem to resolve his sudden inability to read. Minho stutters out something that resembles a form of coffee and Eunha elbows him in the hip, shaking her head at him.
She easily takes over ordering, giving her father a side eye in the process. "He wants the biggest hot black coffee you have. I don't know how he drinks that icky stuff but whatever." She leans forward and crosses her arms on the countertop and rests her chin on them, offering Chan a bright smile. "Can I have an egg sandwich and a strawberry milk, please? Oh, what kind of sweet stuff do you have, sajangnim?"
Chan's eyes crinkle as he returns Eunha's smile. "Of course you can!" He punches a few buttons on the tablet in front of him and then steps behind the pastry display. "As far as sweets, today there's lemon blueberry muffins, chocolate drizzled almond croissants, cherry raspberry tarts, orange cranberry scones, and I have cinnamon rolls fresh out of the oven!"
Eunha's eyes are big and sparkly as she stares at all the pretty treats. "Can I please have a cinnamon roll, sajangnim?"
"Absolutely! Coming right up!" Chan gives her a thumbs up and winks, serving the confection on a pretty plate and setting it in front of her. She thanks him with an even bigger smile and Chan turns back to Minho. "Anything else for you, sir?"
Minho blinks rapidly and clears his throat. "N-no, thank you." He fumbles with his wallet before paying for their items and bowing in appreciation.
"I'll bring everything to you in moment. Please have a seat wherever you like." Chan waves in the direction of the tables before bustling around behind the counter preparing the rest of their order.
Some time later, after Eunha has finished her breakfast and Minho is most of the way through his coffee, she gets her father's attention. "Hey appa, I'm gonna go ask the nice man for more strawberry milk. Do you want me to get you more coffee, too?"
He looks at her beyond the pages of his book and smiles, shaking his head. "No, thank you, gongjunim. You go ahead."
Eunha happily hops off her chair and skips back over to the counter. "Excuse me, sajangnim. Can I please have another strawberry milk?" She sets her empty glass in front of her on the counter and Chan smiles at her warmly.
"Sure!" Chan nods and reaches into one of the fridges below the counter. He pours the pink milk into the glass before putting the carton away. "So, what's your name, kiddo?"
"My name is Eunha!" She grins as brightly as the galaxy she's named after and Chan can't help but smile back. "And my appa is called Minho."
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Eunha. Does your appa want another coffee?"
Eunha shakes her head, "He said 'no, thank you' when I asked him."
"Alright." Chan thinks for a moment, tapping his chin. "Are you sure he doesn't want anything to eat? He's only had the coffee while you had your breakfast!"
Eunha waves her hand and shrugs, "Appa eats very early in the morning. But my breakfast was so yummy! Thank you, sajangnim!"
Chan nods and chuckles at her enthusiasm, "You're very welcome, Eunha. I'm glad you enjoyed it."
She rubs her tummy and nods, "Very much." Eunha leans in as much as she can over the counter, "Hey, sajangnim. You know something my appa does like?"
Chan leans in, too, listening eagerly. "What?"
"Pudding."
Chan gasps and covers his mouth like she just shared a secret. Then he holds up a finger, "I have just the thing! Be right back." He disappears into the back kitchen for only a moment before reappearing with a pretty little glass jar with a checkered piece of fabric tied snugly over the opening.
"Wow!" Eunha comments, eyes filled with wonder. She leans in again conspiratorially and curls her finger at Chan to lean back in, too. "Wanna know a secret?" Chan nods eagerly. "My appa thinks you're pretty. That's why he got so stuttery and stood like a statue." She giggles into her hand.
Chan's cheeks heat up and he whispers, "You know what, Eunha? I think your appa is really pretty, too."
Her eyes light up, "Really?"
Chan give her an affirmative hum and nods, reaching for a napkin. "In fact…" He scribbles something down on it before placing it on a small tray with the pudding jar. Chan steps around the counter and waves for Eunha to follow him back to her and Minho's table. She giggles and happily scurries after him, careful not to spill her strawberry milk.
Minho has his nose buried in a book but he glances up when the two come over. Chan can't help but gawk at how gorgeous he looks with his reading glasses perched on the graceful slope of his nose. Minho chuckles at Eunha, "Well, it sure took you long enough, ippeuni!" He turns to Chan, composure back in place after having drank his coffee with plenty of time to calm his nerves. "I hope she wasn't causing you any trouble or distracting you from work. She's incredibly cheeky."
"Yeah, I get it from you!" Eunha sticks her pink-tinted tongue out at him playfully before placing her glass on the table and hopping back into her chair. Minho laughs fondly at her silliness.
Chan hurriedly reassures him, "She wasn't any trouble at all!"
He sets the pudding in front of Minho and watches as Minho's eyes light up when he realizes what's in front of him. "Oh, what's this?"
Chan tucks the tray under his arm and awkwardly scratches the back of his neck, nervousness seeping in around the edges. "Well, you've been here for a while and I haven't seen you eat anything and I wouldn't want you to go hungry so I wanted to bring you something. Eunha said pudding is your favorite so here you go! I hope you enjoy it, I made it myself."
"Oh, thank you!" Minho beams at him and reaches for his wallet but Chan waves his hands around frantically.
"No no no! It's on the house!"
Minho bows in gratitude and glances down at the table where he notices the napkin with writing on it. But before he has a chance to say anything about it, Chan blurts out, "Please enjoy!" and bows deeply before rushing off with his face as red as a tomato. Minho smiles after him, thinking to himself that he's really going to enjoy coming here most mornings, especially if it means getting to see the pretty barista more often.
When it's time for them to leave, Minho stops at the counter to thank Chan for the delicious pudding. "It was incredible! You really made it yourself?" Chan nods, cheeks turning pink again. "Well, Chan-ssi, you're about to see a lot more of me because you make excellent coffee and delicious pudding."
Chan giggles at the praise, still blushing. "I look forward to it! And I'll be sure to have pudding on hand for you whenever you come in."
"Don't forget my strawberry milk!" Eunha supplies and Chan reassures her he could never forget that. Matching smiles on their faces, Minho and Eunha bow before waving as they walk out the door.
Later that evening, Minho pulls the napkin that Chan had scribbled on out of his pocket and taps the scrawled number into his phone.
Hello. This is Minho from before at the coffee shop.
Chan responds quickly.
Hi! I'm so glad you actually texted! :)
Minho chuckles at the smiley face and asks his question before he talks himself out of it.
I was wondering when your next day off is.
Chan's next reply surprises Minho.
Well, considering I own the coffee shop, I can pretty much take off whenever I want to. Within reason, of course.
Minho thinks back to the pudding and the bite of cinnamon roll that Eunha begrudgingly offered up when he casually mentioned how delicious it looked. Curious, he asks another question.
How convenient! So, do you make everything you sell yourself?
The three dots appear and disappear a few times before a sizeable message pops up on Minho's screen.
Oh, I can't take all the credit! Seungmin is a brilliant barista and knows coffee better than I do. He's always coming up with new ideas for different drinks. And there's also my cousin, Yongbok. He works as another baker for me and he tends to take care of the more in depth and time consuming items. We're constantly coming up with new recipes together, though. You'll have to try his brownies sometime! They're heavenly!!
Minho smiles fondly at how appreciative Chan seems to be of his employees. He also knows that Eunha would be way too excited to try the brownies Chan mentioned. He tells him as much.
Eunha would happily devour an entire tray of brownies and we both would be thrilled to taste test new items if you ever need volunteers!
Minho can't help but laugh out loud at Chan's playful reply.
Putting you two down on my list of future victims *cough* lab rats— I mean taste testers as we speak ;)
Minho shakes his head and teases Chan right back.
Don't make me regret offering!
Anyway, the reason I asked about your next day off is because Eunha and I were wondering if you would like to come with us to the aquarium tomorrow afternoon?
Chan's response is almost immediate.
I would love to!
What is Eunha's favorite treat? I would really love to bring her something tomorrow if that's alright with you.
Minho smiles at Chan's thoughtfulness.
Fine with me! As long as it's anything strawberry, she'll ask for seconds and probably be your best friend while she's at it. She's obsessed with the color pink and everything strawberry. Last year, it was the color yellow but she has loved strawberries since she first had them as a baby.
Minho can sense Chan's happiness through his messages and it makes his heart feel incredibly warm.
That's so adorable :')
I know just the thing! But please don't tell her, I want to surprise her. :3
Minho chuckles and quickly types out his response.
It'll be our little secret. Does 2:30 work for tomorrow?
Chan's reply is fast and so is the blush it causes to form on Minho's cheeks.
Perfect! It's a date <3
Minho hesitates slightly, surprised that he wasn't the only one hoping they could view this as a date even though it won't be just the two of them. It does work out better this way considering he and Eunha are a package deal. He glances at the time in the corner of his screen and types out a couple more replies.
Yes <3
I have to get Eunha ready for bed now. We'll see you tomorrow!
He looks back at the heart he typed into the first message and covers his face in embarrassment. But Chan's final response makes him question just how quickly he's falling for this man he only just met.
Wish her sweet dreams for me, please! And I hope you sleep well and have sweet dreams, too, Minho. Good night <3
Minho taps out one last message before throwing his phone on his bed next to him, giddier than he remembers being in years. He feels like a teenager again and it's all the handsome barista's fault!
Good night, Chan <3
The next day, Chan presents Eunha with a slice of strawberry cake and a bottle of strawberry milk from his shop. Not wanting to leave Minho out, he hands him a little bag with another glass jar of pudding in it.
Minho bites his lip and shakes his head, chuckling. "You know, if you bring me pudding every time we see each other, I'm going to completely blow my diet and gain so much pudding weight," he jokes with a playful grin.
Chan hums contemplatively and stands a little closer to him. "Does that mean I get the privilege of seeing you a lot more?"
Minho smiles shyly and admits, "Putting on a few inches around my waist is definitely worth it if I get to see you more often."
A blush heats Chan's cheeks and Minho sports a matching one when Chan gives him a torturously slow once over and compliments him effortlessly. "I think you're perfect no matter what size you are or how much you eat. Although, I'm more than happy to cook you whatever you want whenever you want it."
"Not if I cook you dinner first!" Minho retorts.
Chan's eyes sparkle mischievously. "Wanna spar for it? Winner gets to cook dinner for the loser."
Minho blinks, surprised. "You box, too?" His grin turns sly when Chan nods eagerly. "Oh, I think we're going to get along beautifully, Channie."
Chan bites his lip at the way the nickname makes his heart flutter but he returns Minho's smirk easily.
A little voice behind them brings them back to the present. "Are you guys gonna flirt all afternoon or are we gonna go look at the sharks and bioluminescent jellyfish?"
Chan raises his eyebrows at such a big word coming out of a child's mouth but Minho is laughing heartily as he kneels next to Eunha. "Aegi! You've got whipped cream and strawberry juice all over your cute face! Did you eat the whole thing?"
"Duh!" She grins proudly and looks at Chan while her father wipes her sticky cheeks with his handkerchief. "Thank you for the cake, ajeossi! It was soooooo good!"
"You're very welcome, Eunha! Ready to go see all the cool creatures?" She nods eagerly and reaches to take Chan's hand. He beams at her as Minho stands and takes her other hand.
Minho looks from Eunha to Chan, both smiling ear to ear and thinks to himself that he could definitely get used to this.