Jonghyun walked in the café, the smell of coffee immediately overtaking his senses. “Hi hyung. What’s your order for today?” the guy behind the counter asked. His name was Taemin; a few years younger than Jonghyun but the two got along just fine, quickly becoming friends after only a few visits.

“Still no hot chocolate?” Jonghyun pouts. “No, hyung. Still no hot chocolate.” Jonghyun cringes a bit at the thought of having to drink a cup of coffee but he orders anyway. “Toffee nut frappuccino. No whip. Decaf.”

“Hyung, if you dislike coffee then why do you even come back?” Taemin asks as he enters Jonghyun’s order on the cashier even though he already knows why the elder comes back. The latter just shrugs, opting not to give the younger the pleasure of knowing why he comes back regularly.

Jonghyun hates coffee. He doesn’t like the bitter taste at all, plus the caffeine doesn’t blend well with his insomnia. What kept Jonghyun coming back was the beautiful brunette that came to the café for a drink every Friday afternoon and Wednesday morning.

“No, I’m not a stalker” Jonghyun would defend to his friends who knew about his new daily routine. “I just really like looking at him. I’m an observer.”

It took a while for Jonghyun to learn the brunette’s routine at the café but with the help of his friends and Taemin as well, the café quickly became a part of his routine too. He’d come by on Fridays, and if his schedule permitted him to, he’d stop by for a peek on Wednesdays as well.

The brunette always sat at the table in the corner furthest the exit, where the sun was a bit too bright and where people could easily see you from outside. Jonghyun sat as far away as he could from the brunette, trying not to give away his secret observer cover up.

Today was just like any other day. The brunette came, ordered the same thing he always does, sits at the corner table then he plugs in his earphones and starts reading the book he started on last week.

Jonghyun smiles as he watched the brunette for a few minutes before taking out his pen and paper in an attempt to finish the song he started on last night.

Jonghyun loved music. He enjoyed singing as much as he does writing lyrics and making his own songs. Coming to the café was a good thing for him as well because he got to write peacefully; plus the brunette was sitting across the café which honestly made it easier to find some inspiration.

“No, I can’t just approach him out of the blue. What would I say to him? I’m just gonna embarrass myself, so no.” Jonghyun would argue whenever one of his friends would ask why he doesn’t just approach the brunette and have a normal conversation.

Once Jonghyun’s cup of coffee is half empty, that’s his cue to leave even if the brunette hasn’t left yet. It makes him not look like a stalker and instead makes him look like an actual ‘observer’. He doesn’t leave his cup though because it’s gonna look suspicious to Taemin, so he takes his cup home and gives the remaining coffee to his sister because, unlike him, his sister loves coffee.

Jonghyun was fixing his lyric sheets, preparing to leave and go home, until a guy tripped and spilled coffee over his table. “ ” Jonghyun said under his breath in a mantra as he tried to save his lyric sheets and his coat as well.

“. Sorry.” the guy who spilled the coffee dabbed at the table with a tissue. Jonghyun laughed, hoping not to come off as mean or sarcastic because really, he was just concerned with his lyric sheets and his coat because no way in hell was he going to survive walking home in winter with a drenched coat and he does not keep extra copies of his lyrics.

But when Jonghyun looks up to say it’s okay, he chokes on his words and suddenly he doesn’t know how to speak because it’s the brunette. The same guy he’s watched from afar is now standing in front of him, wiping his table and apologizing for spilling coffee.

He looks so much better up close, Jonghyun decides although he still can’t form coherent words. He simply continues to dab at his lyrics sheets on autopilot.

Jonghyun snaps out of his daze when Taemin comes and takes over for the brunette. He immediately stands, coffee drenched lyric sheets still in his hands, and he smiles sheepishly.

“Sorry about that.” the brunette apologizes again. Jonghyun smiles and shakes his head. “It’s alright.”

“Those seem really important though.” the brunette points at the lyrics sheets in Jonghyun’s hand; he simply shakes his head and sets them down on the table. They kinda are but you’re talking to me so I can deal with that later.

“Hyung! I just cleaned the table.” Taemin pouts as he sees the drenched sheets dirtying the table once again.

“ Taemin sorry. I’ll clean it up.” Jonghyun picks up the music sheets again but the younger simply shakes his head. “It’s alright hyung. This is what I’m paid to do. Just give me a tip later.” Taemin jokes but Jonghyun nods, making a mental note to seriously give that kid a tip.

Jonghyun looks up, surprised to see that the brunette is still there in front of him. There’s an awkward silence between them for a few minutes before the latter speaks up. “So, you’re a regular here?”

No, I’m not. I hate coffee but I became a regular because of you.Jonghyun laughs and nods despite his thoughts.

The brunette smiles and hides his face under his scarf. It was a simple act, might even be a habit but Jonghyun found it endearing.

Don’t let this moment go, Jonghyun. Don’t let it go.

“I-I’m Jonghyun.”  did you just stutter? Way to go Kim Jonghyun.

“Kibum. I’d offer a handshake but…” the brunette - Kibum - motions towards the lyric sheets still in Jonghyun’s hands.

“Yeah…well…your fault.” Jonghyun mutters in hopes that Kibum takes it lightly because it was meant as a joke.

“Right. Definitely my fault. Totally mine.” Kibum laughs and Jonghyun decides that it’s the prettiest laugh he’s ever heard. “I’ll buy you a new notebook or… whatever to replace it.” he adds.

Despite it starting with Jonghyun awkwardly holding the lyric sheets and Kibum just standing in the middle of the aisle, they had a good conversation. It lasted over another cup of coffee for Kibum and Jonghyun was forced to finish the coffee he had bought earlier but he didn’t mind. After all, Kibum was keeping him company.

After an exchange of cellphone numbers and a few last minute stories, the two finally bid their farewells and went their separate ways.

Within the hours they spent with each other, Jonghyun learned a lot about Kibum. He learned that he was actually from Daegu but moved to Seoul for his studies, he lives with his best friend who is from Incheon; he also learned that Kibum is apparently very talkative and sarcastic, but in a non-offensive way. He’s funny and he’s bad at lying and he has a weak spot for dogs. He has dance lessons every Friday a few blocks from the café which is why it was part of his routine, and he’s into fashion as well.

All in all, Jonghyun just found more things to love about Kibum. Turns out he’s beautiful inside just as much as he’s beautiful outside.