Someone asked for a kind of prequel and eleven years later here it is! Sorry it's taken so long!

You met Jihoon at work, when he'd stumble into the coffee shop at ungodly hours, begging for strong caffeinated drinks.

He'd stand at the counter, barely open eyes scanning the menu behind your head, pale fingers only just poking out of the sleeves of his cuddly jumper, and very quickly the night shift became your favourite.
You knew straight away he was an idol, with his bright hair, good looks and late nights, but you never said anything to him about it.

The first time he saw you, at twenty past three on a Wednesday morning, he'd skidded a little on the floor, debating turning around and going to a different cafe. Surely someone as pretty as you couldn't see him like this; crumpled hair, bags under his eyes, frustration etched into his face.

But for the first time in five hours his mind was on something other than that stupid melody he just couldn't get right, so he'd ventured in, surely to regret this bold, sleep driven move, his face matching his hair.

He was right to be cautious, tripping over his drink order, and having you catch him staring too long as your quick fingers danced over the buttons on the cash register.

Muttering admonishments to himself he waited for his drink to be made- by a tall man you were surely dating- and let his thoughts drift away from work, and that infuriating studio.

He let them linger on you, the pretty girl in the coffee shop, he let them be consumed by the way the light was catching on your hair and how, when you turned, your eyes sparkled before dulling as you moved into shadow.

Long after his drink had been put in front of him he still marvelled at the set of your jaw when you eyed the clock on the wall, and how your cheeks puffed when you sighed lightly, resting your chin on your hand with boredom.

Jihoon, the moment he set eyes on you, was screwed.

Seungcheol was amazed at how quickly Jihoon wrote and composed love songs after that. He seemed to have been inspired from some unknown source, and the way he wrote, with soft, lingering melodies, was almost as if he'd fallen in love himself.

And you yourself subconsciously kept an eye out for your favourite grumpy customer, your eyes lighting up a little whenever he walks in- which has quickly become a nightly routine.

And when you're given your shifts for the next month, all dailies, your heart sinks just a little.

Somehow now the sunlight is too bright, too harsh, and the coffee shop always too full. You're used to your nightly regulars, quietly sipping, sleepy, calm, and you're favourite little singer.

For months of Jihoon's visits have given you a glimpse of him, and he doesn't realise he's humming gently to himself as you clean the table next to him (for the fourth time in fifteen minutes).

His sweet voice has you grinning to yourself, but now, after the lunchtime rush dies down, there's no pink haired hummer to keep you smiling.

"Can I have a vanilla latte, please?"

Your head snaps up at that voice and you see him, standing in front of you in broad daylight. He has a sheepish smile of his face and he keeps fiddling with the hem of his sleeves.

"Wow! You're out in daylight!" You blurt, unable to stop yourself, and you both turn red at your comment. "I'm sorry!" You cry, trying to backtrack.

But he giggles, and your heart jumps at the sound. "It's ok. I was thinking the same about you." His face is still pink and the tips of his ears are glowing, but he sounds confident enough when he says it.

You laugh at his comment, tapping in his order and realising this is the most you've said to each other.

"You know my name," he continues, not meeting your eye, and it's true, you write it on his cup every night, "but I don't know yours."

Your cheeks hurt from your wide smile as you tell him your name.

"Omo! So pretty!" The words seem to tumble carelessly from his mouth and he clamps his hand over it to stop anymore from falling out.

The boys of Seventeen soon voice their concerns to their leader.

Jihoon has a caffeine addiction.

"Hyung, he's always in that cafe round the corner!" Dino whines "and he never lets me come with him."

"Dino's right." Jeonghan nods in agreement, "he says he wants somewhere he can go on his own, but he sneaks out of the studio every night for coffee!"

"It's bad for his heart, hyung." Joshua chimes in.

They weren't wrong, your coffee shop was bad for his heart, but it had nothing to do with caffeine.

Eventually they discover Jihoon's addiction, following him to the cafe and 'bumping' into him.

They find him in a deep conversation with you, his hand running carelessly through his hair as he laughs at something you say.

You keep glancing back at the counter in case a customer walks in, but really, Jihoon has your full attention, his laugh fluttering in your heart.

"Woozi-yah!" A voice cuts through your conversation and you turn to see three very attractive boys staring at the two of you. "Fancy seeing you here!" The shortest of them continues with a gummy smile. 
"Hello." He turns to you, bowing, and you do the same.

You take it as your cue to leave, scuttling behind the counter again.

You see Jihoon scowling deeply, his light humorous expression from moments ago long forgotten.

The dark haired one, who burst in on your conversation, isn't troubling to keep his voice down, allowing you to overhear them.

"So this is why you've been sneaking off in the middle of the night?"

"I've not been sneaking out." Jihoon mumbles.

"It's ok, I'm not mad! She's pretty."

You turn away, so they can't see you blush.

" I haven't...that's not...I..." He struggles with his reply as his older friend laughs, before muttering, "She is though right?"

By now your face is on fire and you have to busy yourself with straightening the cups so you have an excuse to turn your back on them.

Woozi didn't particularly like the boys knowing about you. For the past few months you had been his happy little secret, and now he had to share you with twelve excitable boys who couldn't seem to get enough of you.

But there was one good thing about Seventeen knowing about you, constant invitations to the dorm and studios that you were unable to refuse.

And Woozi took the opportunity to show off in front of you, taking you on a tour of his composing studio, showing you samples of his work and lyrics. He plays Adore U and Mansae so much you secretly get a little sick of them, and so does he, but he loves how your lips curl up at the opening notes, almost subconsciously.

Slowly you grow closer to the others, watching with a smirk as your Jihoonie pouts in the corner when Jun pulls you into in for a goodbye hug, or Seungcheol wraps his arm around your shoulder.

More often than not he can't contain himself, rushing to your side and pulling you away with a "I want to show you my new song." Or "I'll walk you to work, you'll be late."

Even when you're not there you're still a big part of their lives.

You don't know that while you're at work, or at home in bed, Woozi mumbles under his breath about how it's been five whole days since he's seen you, or he's jumping up to answer the door, scowling when it's not you.

And got defensive with Chan when he asked, "When's Noona coming over again?"

"Why?" He'd snapped.

Chan had shrugged. "She's nice."

"We're not allowed to date, Dino!" 

"I...I don't want to date her."

"Why not? What's wrong with her? She's great!" Woozi had stormed off, leaving a very confused maknae.
Seungcheol had patted the poor boy's shoulder with a knowing smile.