Chapter Text
Seonghyeon clicks his pen repeatedly on the counter, lazily dragging his fingers over his cheeks in agonizing boredom.
“Ugh, don’t you get tired of working here?” Seonghyeon groans, turning to face James.
“I’ve been tired of working here.” James responds, wiping down tables that had been holding dust with how infrequently people visited the café.
“Literally nobody visits, I swear we get like fifteen customers per week. It’s so sad.”
“Yeah, well, at least it’s quiet, though you aren’t keeping that title at the moment.” James huffs.
“How can you want silence in a place so miserable?” Seonghyeon rolls his eyes, tightening his apron around his waist despite knowing wearing it is useless.
James doesn’t respond, shoving AirPods into his ears in an attempt to make Seonghyeon shut his mouth.
For a moment, Seonghyeon accepts the silence, sighing in annoyance as he returns to his usual zone-out sesh, staring out of the window. Then, just as his eyes start getting comfortable on a tree outside, the café door slowly opens.
Somebody steps inside. He looks around the same age as Seonghyeon and James, probably younger even. Seonghyeon’s whole face lights up, smiling politely at the customer before taking his order.
He speaks so politely that something in Seonghyeon’s heart melts, and his gentle smile blooms butterflies in Seonghyeon’s stomach.
“Caramel Frappuccino with extra drizzle,” he says, “and a croissant.”
Seonghyeon nods, writing down the order on a small notepad. He smiles warmly, dimples accentuating at the corners.
“Would that be all for today?” Seonghyeon asks, each movement slightly bouncier and more enthusiastic than the last.
James watches from afar, rolling his eyes before returning to cleaning.
The customer nods, “yes, thank you.”
“No worries! You can take a seat if you’d like.” Seonghyeon smiles.
The customer returns the smile, nodding along as he turns to find a table. He takes a seat at the very back, pulling out a few books and pens as he focuses on the work in front of him.
“Not so boring now, huh?” James smiles, nudging Seonghyeon as he walks past.
“Yeah, ‘least it’s not so quiet now.” Seonghyeon scoffs, starting to work on the drink.
The quiet hum of the blender is the only thing breaking the silence.
The customer reads and writes.
Seonghyeon works.
Though Seonghyeon didn’t know this cycle would continue.
Two months later, the same person becomes a regular at the small café. Seonghyeon has started to wonder if the customer himself has noticed how often he comes in, but he doesn't mind the company at all.
Seonghyeon already knows his whole order, so he writes it down on his little notepad without listening to a word he says.
“With extra drizzle," they say at the same time. Seonghyeon smiles, “and a croissant?”
“You got it.” The customer laughs, the familiar politeness already comfortable between them.
They only ever make small talk, the usual customer-service type of small talk, and then call it a day. Just a waiter taking a customer’s order. That’s all that there is to this. But Seonghyeon still can’t ignore the tightness in his chest the next day when he notices that he hasn’t come in. Not a single day missed for two months, and all of a sudden he vanishes.
“Hey, James?” Seonghyeon looks over his shoulder, calling over for the tenth time this evening.
“If you’re asking me that same question, don’t bother.” James replies, focused on drying a mug with a cloth.
“Oh, please, I just want to know if you know anything about the guy.” Seonghyeon pleads, popping out his bottom lip like that’d somehow convince James.
“I don’t.” James responds flatly, “get back to work.”
“Whatever.” Seonghyeon sighs, turning back around as he picks up his notepad. He stares at the door for a good while, wondering if, maybe, he’d walk in at any moment. He blinks at his watch.
5:30 PM.
“He’s usually here at 5 p.m. sharp.” Seonghyeon says to himself.
“Sorry?”
Seonghyeon looks up, startled as he makes direct eye contact with exactly who he was just talking about.
“Hi.” Seonghyeon sighs in half relief, half embarrassment.
“Hi…”
“What can you get for—no, I mean, what can I get for you?” Seonghyeon blinks rapidly, trying to ignore the sudden nervousness tugging at his insides.
“I think you already know.” He laughs softly.
“Right.” Seonghyeon nods, “Caramel Frappuccino with–”
“Extra drizzle.” The customer finishes for him.
“And a croissant.” Seonghyeon chuckles, “oh, and what’s the name for the order?”
He pauses, eyebrows knitting together as he stares at Seonghyeon skeptically.
“Keonho.” He hums, “Ahn Keonho, though I didn’t know you guys were taking names now.”
“Uh, well, we just started to.” Seonghyeon can feel his cheeks burning crimson, heat flaring up to his neck.
“Today?”
“Nope.”
“Well you didn’t ask yesterday.” Keonho eyes Seonghyeon.
“We started taking names when you came in today.” Seonghyeon replies.
“And why’s that?”
“Because I just wanted to know.”
“Fair enough,” Keonho nods, eyes traveling to Seonghyeon’s name tag, “Eom Seonghyeon.”
“Yeah.” Seonghyeon swallows, turning away to begin preparing the drink.
James watches from the side, laughing at the situation as the blush on Seonghyeon’s face continues to deepen.
Keonho can’t help but take a discreet once-over, eyeing Seonghyeon like he’d just won some sort of prize. He laughs to himself, taking his usual seat in the furthest corner at the back of the café.
Seonghyeon talks to himself quietly as he pulls out the croissant from the display, plating it carefully before his eyes automatically travel to Keonho in the corner.
“Yet you swear you don’t like anybody.” James mutters, popping out from behind Seonghyeon.
“I don’t!” Seonghyeon whisper-yells, “quit saying that.”
“Why don’t you just talk to him? You have his name now anyway.”
“About what? He’s just a customer.” Seonghyeon says, more to himself than to James.
“‘Just a customer’ my ass! You haven’t stopped talking about him ever since he came here for the first time. Your eyes do this stupid thing where they light up, and I swear I can see little hearts sparkling inside of them whenever he gets close to you.”
“Stop bullshitting me, there’s no hearts in my eyes.” Seonghyeon sighs, moving around to make the drink that he was basically able to do blindfolded by now.
“Metaphorically.” James replies.
“Absolutely not. I don’t like him.”
Meanwhile, Keonho sits peacefully, earbuds tucked into his ears as he writes, occasionally stealing a few glances towards Seonghyeon.
“You wanna take this?” Seonghyeon holds out the croissant and the drink, extra caramel sitting on top of the cream, gleaming under the soft lights.
“I think you should take it. Shoot your shot or whatever.”
“There is no shot to shoot,” Seonghyeon sighs in annoyance, “stop bothering me.”
“I’m just being supportive.” James rolls his eyes, distracting Seonghyeon by slowly pushing him out from behind the counter.
“I hate you.” Seonghyeon narrows his eyes at James, turning to walk towards Keonho.
He sets the plate down, then the drink, lips turning into a polite smile as he tells Keonho to enjoy.
Keonho smiles, nodding along as he takes a sip of his drink.
His eyes follow Seonghyeon’s every move, smiling gently at every word he says.
Yet somehow, they both seem to ignore the tension between them.