A/N; hi everyone ^^ just want to clarify some things. the beginning of this story is going to be confusing but i promise it'll make sense later on.  i don't want to give away too much at such an early point. also please keep in mind that, if you haven't noticed from the previous chapter, jaehwan isn't human and his POV may involve inhuman ways of thinking. thank you for being supportive, hope you enjoy! 

A friendly coffee shop with a magnificent view of the sea so happened to be on the same street as the hotel Jaehwan was staying at. It had a retro feel to the exterior; there was an outdoor seating area beside the windows and a cute chalkboard recommending breakfast specials. The cafe was decorated in fluffy pastel colors reminding him of the morning sky. He'd only walked past it a few times. Without even going in, he felt nostalgic seeing the shop. Something was pulling him toward it.

It was early the first time he went. As he pushed the door open and sounded the chime, he expected to see next to no customers that lazy morning. Curiously, young Swedes were seated on sofas and stools, sipping at their drinks as if it were natural to be out at such a time. Perhaps it was, however Jaehwan preferred to sleep in most days. He decided on ordering a mocha latte. Now, where to sit?

His eyes landed on blonde hair so platinum it burned his eyes. A guy with platinum blonde hair couldn't possibly be that bad, he supposed, approaching the boy who sat by an open window. A black and white checked board was set out before him. On top of the board, small totems were placed on individual squares. Some were lying in a box that the blonde boy kept to the side, momentarily discarded while he focused on the ones before him. His chin rested on his hand, brows furrowed, lips pressed together as he analyzed the pieces, still unaware of Jaehwan's presence beside him.

Not wanting to be startle him, Jaehwan took a seat on the other side of the table, setting his coffee down away from the board. The blonde's gaze snapped upward and their eyes locked.

"Mind if I sit here? Looks like a neat puzzle you've got going," he outstretched his hand across the table. "I'm Jaehwan, by the way!"

The boy clasped his hand with a brief shake of his head. "You can call me Hyuk, nice to meet you."

Hyuk stared down the totems, occasionally scratching his chin while he pondered. His process involved moving a piece on one side, thinking, and then moving a piece from the opposite side. Jaehwan tilted his head, eyes flicking from Hyuk to the checkered board. It impressed him how humans could spend so much of their time doing a whole bunch of nothing. Hyuk noticed his confusion.

"Ever played?"

"Ah, no, I haven't!"

The blonde shrugged his shoulders, "Not many people I've met play chess. My family plays competitively which is why I got into it. I come here every day to practice. Now that I think of it, I haven't seen you around here before?"

"I'm not from here," Jaehwan explained. He bit his lower lip, shifting his gaze toward the window to look anywhere but at Hyuk. "I heard good things about this city. I guess you can say I'm trying to find my place in the world."

Hyuk didn't press, "That's nice, always good to have tourists! You can definitely come here to collect your thoughts. The owner of this shop is a nice guy, and if you come here often enough, you might catch him as the barista. And of course I'll be here all the time."

Polite as he was, Jaehwan could see the way his eyes were drooping, fingers tapping on the board relentlessly. Hyuk raised an eyebrow at him.

I need to learn to be more human.

 His visits to the vintage coffee shop became plenty. Jaehwan discovered after his daily conversations with Hyuk that what he was missing was a personality. It was the intuitive blonde that pointed it out to him on a Wednesday morning while they sipped on macchiatos, chessboard shockingly absent.

He'd said, "Not sure you noticed, but you speak kinda robotically... where did you say you come from?"

Jaehwan formulated a back-story about how he was born in South Africa without ever knowing his family, living as an orphan his entire life. Of course it wasn't remotely true; he arrived in the dimension months ago. He pocketed the information Hyuk supplied him with for future reference. He needed to become likeable, less calculated, and more easy-going in order to gain the trust of humans. Not having knowledge about even minor things could lead to his downfall if Hyuk were to find out.

"Please teach me how to play chess!" Jaehwan insisted on a quiet weekend in which they were the only customers in the shop. He was slurping down a caramel frappuccino, leaning on his elbows to get a better look at the playing board.  The white totems were aligned on Hyuk's side, the black totems on his.

Hyuk frowned, "You can't just learn chess in one day, man, it takes a lifetime to master. I mean, I could give you a few tips..."

"Don't get all philosophical with me," Jaehwan nudged him gently. "So yeah, show me how it's done!"

"Checkmate."

"Checkmate... again."

"Check, mate!"

Jaehwan scrunched his nose while he tried to comprehend where he went wrong to lose every single time. In the beginning he felt like he was winning, then Hyuk's pieces would storm in and destroy him within a few turns effortlessly.

"Y-you're just lucky. Lucky Hyukkie."

"Right, right," Hyuk snickered, the side of his lip pulling into a sarcastic smirk. "It's not like I've been playing for almost fifteen years."

Jaehwan's lower lip stuck out in a pout, giving him the appearance of a puppy dog.

"Don't bully me, I'm older than you!"

The melodious jingle of the doorbell excited his curiosity. A lithe man in a petticoat casually turned his head in their direction after placing his order. The intensity of his sharp narrowed eyes could be matched to no other, almost giving Jaehwan the shivers. Almost. He watched him stride to their table, yet his footsteps couldn't be heard against the cold wooden floor. The man looked at the two of them from under his lashes upon joining them.

"I can't believe you came," Hyuk teased the petticoat man. "I was starting to think I'd have to listen to this guy for another two hours. This is my weird new friend, Jaehwan. He's kind of an alien!"

Jaehwan opened his mouth to object but was interrupted by the familiar silvery voice directed at him.

"We've met. You're the artist?"

It sounded less of a question and more of a statement. He said 'yes' anyway.

The man's handshake was firm, "I'm Taekwoon. It's nice to see you again, Jaehwan."

"You too," Jaehwan said. His voice was muffled from his scarf.

Hyuk took his silence as the opportunity to eagerly chat with the mysterious male, "So what time do you work today, I heard from a 'concerned mother' you're stressing a lot..."

The conversation between his new friends drowned out; Jaehwan could still feel the warmth of Taekwoon's hands from the skin contact. Taekwoon's fingers were now wrapped around the stained white mug filled to the brim with espresso. He faintly shook his head, refocusing on the chatter just as Hyuk's attention was brought back toward him.

"Want to come with us to the theater? It can be a guys' night out!"

He mindlessly agreed. "Yeah, why not?"

Jaehwan wasn't sure why he was so fond of the black oxford shirt under Taekwoon's petticoat. He sent plenty of long glances at the pale skin exposed around the ed collar, having to shove his hands in his pockets to keep from fidgeting.

"What's wrong, Jaehwan? Do you not like horror films?" Hyuk woke him out of his trance by placing a hand on his elbow. "We could watch something else."

The theater was located in a popular shopping district where teens often went to relax after school hours. As it was in the late afternoon, he passed his anxiousness off as normal. Of course he'd feel weird in a spacious area with lots of people; his target could be anywhere, and if he were to lose them, it was unlikely he was going to find them again.

He reassured him, "It's alright. I've never watched a film, honestly."

"What!? Are you kidding me, mate? They don't have films in South Africa—pfff, wow—you were really missing out," Hyuk shoved him forward to hand in the tickets.

He's kind of dense for a strategic-thinker, Jaehwan thought; neither of them actually knew anything about the country.

A massive screen containing motion pictures illuminated the room filled with a hundred cushioned seats. If you asked Jaehwan, it looked like some brain-washing method that could be used to manipulate a large group of people. Well, if he were an evil genius, that's what he'd do. The theater was really crowded and it took some scavenging to find three seats together. Jaehwan's seat between the two of them was gushing with stuffing—it also creaked whenever he slightly adjusted his posture. Seeing as everyone was taking off their coats, he shifted his gaze to either side of him. He wasn't sure where to place his coat... it didn't bother him now although he knew he would have to deal with overwhelming heat for an hour and a half. There was a tap on his arm. Taekwoon held his hands out expectantly, eyeing him up.

"Give me it," he insisted, voice barely audible.

"But, won't you—?"

"I'll take care of it."

Jaehwan slid his arms out of the heavy garment. He hesitated before passing it to Taekwoon, who folded the coat neatly and placed it on his own one that happened to be wedged between the seats.  He didn't want to take his eyes of off Taekwoon. He was just so pleasing to look at. Upon closer inspection, Jaehwan discovered little things about him, like how his hair was so dark it appeared slightly blue in the lighting from the screen, or how the corners of his lips curved upward on his resting face. Feline eyes darted back to him, and just like that, they were magnetized. It wasn't an intimidating glare that Taekwoon was sending. His eyes felt kind, soft perhaps. Jaehwan mouthed the words 'thank you.' He wouldn't admit it's because he was too breathless to speak.

Hyuk playfully slapped him. "Hey, quit your staring contest, the movie's starting!"

"You're so rude," Jaehwan huffed. He reluctantly slumped back into his seat.

The movie was nowhere near as interesting as Taekwoon. It centered on a possessed woman thar haunted a family's house, hell-bent on killing the youngest child. He forgot why—he was busy wondering whether humans believed that sort of thing existed. Reality was worse. Yet, he felt a kind of awareness in Taekwoon that wasn't present in Hyuk or other humans he met. A lacking of vulnerability. If Jaehwan was missing something about him, which he probably was, then he was just as ignorant as the rest. He wanted—no, needed to know how the man was captivating him with such grace.

Maybe, he thought, Hyuk would know why. It may be that Hyuk didn't catch on to his lies, nonetheless he had one thing that Jaehwan didn't; a solid friendship with Taekwoon.