The auditorium was quiet. The rain outside was clattering harshly against the exterior of the building, yet inside it sounded like a dim knocking against the panes. Safe from her and another student, Yewon found herself in a cold and empty dome filled with closed seats and bare, uncomfortably small tables. Her fingers were occupied with the rubber cover of her phone but Yewon’s eyes couldn’t help but glance a couple of rows down to the other soul in the room.

 

He was slouching carelessly and his head hung awkwardly over the back edge of his seat.

 

Yewon sighed. Jaebum’s presence reminded her that she still needed to talk to Nayoung about him. She propped her chin into her hand, her fingers still tugging at the navy phone cover before flipping the whole thing around to light her screen. Her lockscreen--a picture of herself and her mother--gleamed back at her but other than that, no missed calls or enlightening messages.

 

“Where are you?” Yewon muttered to herself and turned her screen off again before sighing once more. Her attention began slipping away as she zoned out, coming up with possible scenarios in her head, when the heavy doors near the first rows downstairs opened.

 

A young male entered. A stack of books pressed against his chest while his other arm carried a suitcase. He made his way over to the desk in the middle of the front and dropped the heavy books, extracting a deep echo through the still empty dome. Yewon followed her substitute teacher’s every move, thus failing to notice the look Jaebum sent up at her. At least, that was what he thought because honestly Yewon couldn’t care less about him at that point.

 

And really, she didn’t have eyes for him.

 

The young teacher looked up at his two students, his gaze locking with Yewon’s as he was laying out his books. A subtle smile found his lips, which Yewon returned; her fingers left her phone and locked together as she sat back in her seat.

 

One step at a time, she thought to herself, her smile not leaving for the rest of the evening.

 

Sitting near the window, Nayoung could hear the wind howling outside and together with the constant patter of the rain against everything it could hit, she felt at ease. The area was empty, it was evening and it was raining--a perfect mixture of everything Nayoung loved. However, the notepad and opened book in front of her managed to slightly ruin this experience.

 

With the rain pouring from the heavens onto nearly flooded roads, the busses decided to cut their routes and pass the bus stop near The Grind to be in less of a danger. This, however, meant that Nayoung wouldn’t make it to her class since the other nearest stop was a fifteen-minute walk away, and in this weather, make that thirty.

 

So accepting her fate, Nayoung installed herself into one of the seats after closing time and chose to do her reading here.

 

The world outside was much more interesting though. Despite the heavy downpour, there were still people running around and across the roads to their rides home or into the school building to hide from the rain. It was so chaotic and it amused Nayoung that Mother Nature was possibly the only one that was able to send a person into a flurry of ranging emotions.

 

A figure crossing the road caught Nayoung’s attention when it seemed to be headed for the campus cafe. She felt bad for the person because technically they were closed so she wasn’t about to bother with a drenched customer that would inevitably cause a slippery scene on the tile floor. The person was covered with a coat so she couldn’t make out who it was but when they got to the entrance and pulled the coat away, Nayoung nearly jumped out of her seat when she recognized Jongin--dripping wet.

 

Their gazes met with him waving with a silly grin at her, drenched and his hair sticking to his face.

 

Nayoung scurried over to the front entrance and unlocked the door to let the poor man in, obviously going against her earlier thoughts of not bothering with the outside world.

 

“Hi,” Jongin greeted Nayoung with a lazy smile.

 

Not unlike other days, Nayoung was rendered speechless. The young man standing in the entrance looked gorgeous, despite being drenched from head to toe. Nayoung felt envious of his capability to be an all-round beauty.

 

She managed a greeting which sounded more like a shaky exhale, but Nayoung pulled herself together as soon as she realized and stepped aside.

 

“Come in,” she said and ushered him inside, earning a thanks from Jongin.

 

“Sorry for barging in like this,” he apologized while tangling his fingers into some wet strands of his black hair, pushing it back and out of his eyes. Luckily, Nayoung had missed this action. Closing the door, she scratched the back of her head and glanced out for any other possible visitors.

 

“It’s alright.”

 

Jongin rubbed his upper arms and faced Nayoung again. He looked at her for a bit before nodding thankfully, and glanced past her at the dark sky and continuous rain.

 

“If I had known it would be coming down like this, I would’ve asked Chanyeol to pick me up. Just my kind of luck,” he said, his words followed by a soft chuckle before he looked back at Nayoung. She smiled, but it was then that she noticed his white shirt clinging to his body and moving with every clenched muscle. Nayoung was starting to think that she might have a speech impediment because once again her words failed to come as her eyes unintentionally feasted on the sight.

 

As if Jongin had noticed, his hand reached down and unstuck his shirt from his abdomen, releasing a set of shudders through his body. Again, Nayoung brought her hand to the back of her head and clenched it over the tiny bun her tied, lengthy bob created. Her eyes shifted to anywhere but him as she cleared .

 

With the air around them becoming thicker, Nayoung slipped past Jongin behind the counter. Jongin followed her with his eyes as she simply moved away in silence into the backroom, and came back a moment later with something in her hands.

 

“This seems about your size,” she said as she handed him a black tee with the cafe’s emblem on the pocket, and a towel. Jongin stared at the piece of clothing for a bit before taking it.

 

“Thank you.”

 

“You can change back there,” Nayoung said and nodded at the backroom, her voice surprisingly steady. Jongin nodded and offered her another smile before moving to the back. The moment he left, however, Nayoung buckled through her knees with a silent cry escaping . For good measure, she thudded her head against the counter, her arms lifted as she held onto the edge.

 

All that ran through her mind was the image of his wild hair, wet dress shirt and glistening tan skin.

 

“What are you doing to me?” Nayoung asked as she was trying to collect herself and moved behind the counter. Trying to set her mind to something else, she busied herself with making something warm as she figured that Jongin could use something like that. The man emerged from the backroom a moment later sporting the dark tee. His hair was still damp but considerably drier and sticking out into different directions. He moved to one of the chairs near the window, tugging at the hem of the shirt. Silently, he hung his wet dress shirt from a chair near the heater and moved back to the counter.

 

“It fits?” Nayoung said and glanced at him over the coffeemaker. Jongin nodded and awkwardly stood there, watching what the young woman was doing. Soon, Nayoung handed him a steaming cup, once again to Jongin’s surprise.

 

“I figured you could use something warm,” she smiled at him, and nodded for him to take it.

 

Jongin nodded thankfully and took a careful sip, his face lighting up as he shuddered, probably at the warmth that slid down his throat. “It’s delicious!”

 

Nayoung smiled at this while drying her hands. “It’s the boss’ personal recipe,” she explained but noticed Jongin’s curiosity hiding in his wide eyes. She smiled. “It’s a secret.”

 

Jongin pouted at the mention, but left it for what it was. Instead, he watched Nayoung clean the machine while sipping on his drink. Thinking for a moment, he glanced back at the farthest table that was filled with books.

 

“Were you studying?”

 

Looking up, Nayoung hummed. “With this weather I figured I could read the literature for today’s class and skip the actual lesson.”

 

“You major in literature?”

 

This obviously sparked Jongin’s interest as he set the cup down and his eyes widened for Nayoung to elaborate. Nayoung gave him a nonverbal response by nodding, and both fell silent again.

 

Honestly, Nayoung had no idea how she should act around the man because she didn’t know what they were yet. It was confusing and it seriously messed with her already socially awkward personality. Jongin didn’t mind and continued watching her work, and even leaned over the counter the slightest to check it out.

 

Amused, Nayoung opened the divider so he could enter. Jongin felt caught but laughed. “Thanks.”

 

“You looked curious,” Nayoung shrugged, which left Jongin to chuckle embarrassed.

 

“I always wondered what people behind the counter see.”

 

“Haven’t you had a job before?” Nayoung asked but soon realized how her question sounded. She also realized that there was a lot less space between them because mixing with the strong smell of coffee and chocolate was something else.

 

A sweet cologne that resembled honey lingered in the air and it was a tad too soothing.

 

“I have, but they were more individual-based instead of working with people,” Jongin’s voice pulled Nayoung back to the conversation. This answer was pretty neutral so Nayoung chose not to pry. But as she was about to change the filters of the machine she was cleaning, Jongin’s nervous looks caught her attention. It looked like he was asking if he could go look around; Nayoung simply nodded amused and did a once-over of the area behind the counter.

 

Instantly, Jongin began investigating, a childlike innocence fixing his handsome features as he trotted around.

 

“So this here is the source of all evil?” he said as he examined the shiny surface of the coffee machine against the backwall. This comment reminded Nayoung that Jongin had a strong dislike for coffee.

 

“That’s one way of putting it.”

 

Maybe this was all they truly needed to get the dice rolling because this had them both laughing and Jongin felt the sudden urge to question everything behind the counter.

 

Every shiny cup and stick was like a rare artifact and Jongin was the archeologist on a mission with his assistant.

 

He was absolutely fascinated by the machinery behind the counter. Somehow, after twenty minutes of exploring, they ended up with Nayoung explaining how everything worked and Jongin asking questions while she demonstrated.

 

“And that’s basically how it’s done,” Nayoung concluded and showed the steaming cup with a proud smile. Jongin’s jaw was unhinged in awe as he watched the heat emit in curly waves into the air.

 

“It’s a great party trick to have up your sleeve,” he laughed, earning a snort from Nayoung, “You’re amazing.”

 

Both stiffened at the sudden compliment.

 

It was like a secret had slipped from Jongin’s lips, one that wasn’t supposed to be shared with the world. His lips kept opening and closing as if he was trying to find the words to mend his comment. The two remained silent, however, with the rain still clattering against the windows of The Grind and the wind howling, creating an eery display outside.

 

It seemed like an eternity for both but when the front door began to rattle violently, both jumped when they got startled by the sudden noise.

 

Someone was busy knocking impatiently against the glass of the door and when both looked, they noticed a drenched Chanyeol waving at them to open the door. Immediately, Nayoung made her way towards him and unlocked the door for another victim of Mother Nature to enter.

 

“Thanks,” Chanyeol muttered as he was wiping his face and wet hair, his clothes dripping onto the shiny tiles of the cafe. Nayoung searched for a towel and handed it to him. Offering another thanks, Chanyeol dried himself as much as possible, curses slipping from his lips.

 

Jongin joined the two with an amused smile. “Why are you this soaked?”

 

At this, Chanyeol stopped his drying and gaped at his friend. “Have you not seen the downpour outside, or were you too busy making googly eyes?” he said, but was shushed by the meaningful glare Jongin threw him.

 

“The car is parked down the street as well since there weren’t any spots here, so we’ll have to run,” Chanyeol continued and threw the wet towel over the edge of the chair behind him, frustrated by the weather.

 

Jongin cursed because it was still storming outside but with no other choice in mind, he moved to get his coat and stuffed his now dry dress shirt into his bag. As he was adjusting the collar of his coat, he glanced outside, then at Nayoung.

 

“Hey, how are you going to get home?”

 

Glancing outside as well, Nayoung shrugged. “I’ll just wait for the storm to pass.”

 

Jongin bit his lower lip, glancing at Chanyeol who was busy shrugging off his wet coat to dry his arms, before back at the barista. “If you want you could hitch a ride with us.”

 

Taken by surprise, Nayoung nearly choked on her breath by the suggestion. “Oh no, it’s fine! I wouldn’t want--”

 

“Don’t worry about it, we don’t mind taking a detour, right Chan?” Jongin said as he focused on his friend, who simply shrugged while putting his coat back on and getting his blond hair out of his face. “And besides,” Jongin added, “you don’t know how much longer you’ll have to wait for the rain to stop.”

 

Although he had a point, Nayoung was still hesitant. Who wouldn’t be when your crush suddenly made a request for you to join them somewhere, packed into a car, breathing the same air?

 

Before Nayoung could even further voice her hesitation, Jongin took a step forward shushing her. “Please?”

 

Biting her lip, Nayoung looked outside to see the storm in full effect. She indeed didn’t know when the rain would cease, if it even would. The bus schedule was still a mystery as well, so was she really about to risk a night at The Grind?

 

Nayoung weighed her options and sighed.

 

“Okay,” she decided and watched Jongin’s face light up at her words. Choosing to ignore the butterflies in her stomach, she glanced at Chanyeol. “I’ll go get my things and then we can go.”

 

Nayoung slipped past the two after Jongin had nodded at this, and left to the backroom. After the door closed, her hands flew up to her hair and ripped the rubber band from her tiny bun so she could ruffle her hair and cover her face.

 

So cute, her mind echoed as she thought of the face Jongin had pulled when he said ‘please’ and felt her cheeks flare up.

 

“One day he’ll be the death of me,” she muttered to herself, shaking her head and got her coat and bag. She hurried back into the cafe again, where Jongin handed her a set of books. Nayoung was surprised that he had naturally collected her things for her, but thanked him anyway; to vocally question his motives would be overstepping her boundaries, Nayoung thought.

 

She locked up the cafe and together with Jongin and Chanyeol, she ran through the rain to the car that was haphazardly parked five spots away from The Grind. Jongin slid into the back seat with Nayoung where she dictated her address to Chanyeol while ridding herself of raindrops on her coat.

 

“Oh, that’s on the way so we won’t have to take a detour after all,” Chanyeol smiled at her through the rearview mirror and pushed his damp bangs out of his eyes. Satisfied Jongin nudged the girl next to him and sent her a grin as Chanyeol took off, the windshield blurry because of the heavy rain.

 

The rest of the ride was silent aside from the radio playing low in the background and the constant whooshing of the windshield wipers. But all this was not enough distraction for Nayoung because she still had to try very, very hard to stop herself from looking at her seatmate every five seconds. She granted herself a few stolen glances which Jongin luckily didn’t notice but that was it.

 

She really couldn’t afford herself being caught and labeled as ‘that weird acquaintance’.

 

“Thanks for the ride, Chanyeol,” Nayoung said with a small smile at the tall driver after fifteen minutes of comfortable silence. She was preparing herself to step out of the car when a hand grabbed her by the arm.

 

“We can walk you up if you want?” Jongin offered when Nayoung glanced back surprised. His hold was gentle, but how it affected Nayoung was anything but. Her heart rate had already picked up and his pleasant touch was memorized, but still she managed to force out an intelligible answer.

 

“It’s okay, it’s only to the first floor.”

 

Jongin let go of her at this, his lips rounded as he nodded. Before Nayoung could question the flash of an unknown emotion on his face, Chanyeol interrupted.

 

“Then we’ll see you next time, Nayoung. Have a nice evening,” he said with a smile as he turned in his seat. Nayoung nodded, “Thanks again, and you too!”, and opened the door before bolting across the parking lot towards the front door.

 

The rain was still going strong and as she felt the harsh droplets hit her skin, cascading down in long tracks, Nayoung couldn’t stop a wide smile from appearing. This wasn’t how she had expected her evening to end but it was a nice surprise. Her crush on the dazzling Jongin wasn’t leaving any time soon and she was fine with that.

 

She entered her building, contemplating whether she should check if Chanyeol and Jongin had already left, but she chose to just to move up to her floor. This was enough contact for the day.

 

Her hair clung to her face and her clothes were damp, but honestly Nayoung couldn’t be bothered by it all. As she moved to her floor, the smile still hadn’t left and felt that her day couldn’t get any better than this.

 

When she reached her hallway, she caught someone standing in front of her door. The person turned at the sound of someone approaching and had Nayoung abruptly stop in her tracks.

 

“Nayoung,” the young man said. His hair was swept to the side, showcasing a pair of almond-shaped eyes that were watching Nayoung pleadingly. But instead of soothing her, they angered her.

 

“What are you doing here?” she asked agitated and brushed past him. Her tote was damp because of the rain and felt oddly rough against her skin. This didn’t stop Nayoung from looking for her keys as to not look at the man next to her, standing far too close in her opinion.

 

“You weren’t answering my calls,” he said as he looked on.

 

“With reason,” Nayoung replied firmly and luckily found her keychain. She whipped it out and searched for the right key with shaky fingers, due to the cold and her anger; she couldn’t stay out much longer. The man remained silent as he watched Nayoung through pained eyes, which she felt. She halted her movements and closed her eyes for a moment, releasing a harsh sigh.

 

“Leave, Jinyoung,” she said before looking up at him, eyes filled with anger. Jinyoung sighed harshly as well and ran a brisk hand through his dark locks.

 

“You can’t keep shunning me out of your life, Youngie! We will have to talk sooner or later. Rather sooner, than later.”

 

“What more is there to talk about?” Nayoung exploded, but lowered her voice again when she continued, “just leave. And stop calling me, you’re disturbing my surroundings.”

 

It was a bull reason.

 

“But--”

 

“Good night Jinyoung,” Nayoung said, emphasizing each word with her back to the man she had hoped not to see any time soon. She felt him linger for a second longer before she heard his footsteps fading until she was left alone in the hallway. Her forehead met with her front door in a soft thud, a sigh escaping her lips as she closed her eyes for a moment. She really didn’t need this right now.

 

She could’ve figured out that Minseok’s arrival went hand in hand with Jinyoung’s.

 

“Nayoung?”

 

The woman jumped at the sudden voice and whipped her head at the entrance of the hallway, momentarily frustrated that Jinyoung had returned. Upon meeting with the frame of the visitor, Nayoung realized it was Jongin and he was approaching her, his eyes hooded under his damp bangs. He stopped in front of her and pushed his hair back to properly look at her.

 

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop but,” he said before lifting something black in his hand, “you forgot your apron in the car.”

 

Nayoung mentally smacked her forehead because she had entirely forgotten about it after she had taken it off in the car earlier. But unlike then, her mood had reached a sudden downfall and Nayoung couldn’t help but look over Jongin’s shoulder into the hallway.

 

Jongin took a step closer and glanced at where he had last seen Jinyoung. “You okay?”

 

Nayoung forced a smile onto her face as she now fully focussed on Jongin again. “Yeah,” she said a bit too happy and continued unlocking the door, nearly smacking it into someone who turned out to be Yewon. Nayoung was startled by her sudden appearance, but Yewon had no eyes for her as she was shamelessly scrutinizing Jongin.

 

“Nayoung,” she nodded at her roommate as a form of greeting, “hot stuff,” she nodded at Jongin. “Romantic getaway in the hallway?” she asked Nayoung with an amused glint in her eyes and crossed her arms like a mother who was out for answers.

 

Nayoung frowned at this and snorted. “Shut up.”

 

Jongin’s jaw dropped at Yewon’s comment and was about to say something, but Nayoung cut him off.

 

“He was just dropping off my apron,” Nayoung said and took the black cloth from Jongin. She waved it in front of Yewon’s face and pushed the girl back into the apartment before she could question any further. Realizing that Jongin was still in the hallway, Nayoung turned to him.

 

“Thanks,” she said and nodded to herself, “for everything.”

 

One of his breathtaking smiles took over and Jongin was dazzling in front of her eyes again. But when she saw his lips part, she quickly waved at him and closed the door.

 

No time for questions she didn’t know the answers to.

---