“Minyoung, sweetie, it’s time for breakfast!” Mrs. Jung’s voice rang from the kitchen, making Minyoung whip her head to the direction of the door.

“Coming!” Minyoung set down her pencil and reading glasses on the opened pages of her history textbook before hurrying to the kitchen. The scent of fresh pancakes and bacon wafted in the air, becoming stronger as she neared the space where the dining room and the kitchen were connected. Mr. and Mrs. Jung were seated at the dining table with Minseok and Minhyuk, while the family’s pet dog, Coco, rested on the floor nearby.

Minyoung plopped down on her usual seat to Minseok’s right, murmuring her thanks as Minhyuk passed her the plate containing a stack of pancakes. After setting down two pieces of pancakes and bacon each on her plate, she started to dig in.

As she used her knife to cut the pancake into small pieces, Minyoung turned to her parents. “Oh, right. I’m heading out right after lunch today.”

“Oh?” Mrs. Jung looked up, somewhat curious. “Why’s that?”

“I’m going to do some schoolwork with my friend.” Minyoung replied, popping a piece of pancake into .

“With Iseul?”

“No, with Seungcheol.”

Mr. and Mrs. Jung exchanged looks. “Seungcheol?”

Minyoung stared up at her parents. “Choi Seungcheol. The one I’ve been tutoring. Remember?”

“You mean your boyfriend?” Minseok asked, feigning an innocent tone, and earning a scathing look from his youngest sister.

“Well, he is a friend who is a boy,” Minyoung rolled her eyes and her brothers snickered in response.

Minhyuk didn’t seem to want to let his younger sister live it down, as he continued after his twin. “Mom and Dad weren’t here but Seungcheol walked Minyoung home the other day.”

Minyoung glared at her brother, cheeks puffed from being full of food, making her brothers laugh. “Let it rest.” She huffed after swallowing.

“Aww, that’s so sweet!” Mrs. Jung commented, a smile on her face.

“Even better,” Minseok continued, grinning. “They were sharing an um– ow!”

Minseok’s story is cut short when the boy yelped in pain and Minyoung popped a piece of pancake into with a smug expression after kicking her brother under the table. That’ll teach him. Minseok made a face at his youngest sister from his seat at the table, which the girl ignored.

“Well that’s nice of him,” Mr. Jung said, taking a sip of his morning coffee. “For him to walk you home in the rain.”

“That’s because no one was answering the phone and guess what I found out when I got back,” Minyoung huffed. “The two stooges were home.”

“Now now, don’t fight!” sighed Mrs. Jung, exasperated. The scene was the usual whenever they all sat together for a meal; the twins teasing the youngest which resulted in never ending arguing.

Minyoung made a face at her brothers, which they then returned back childishly as they continued to eat breakfast. Having (twin) older brothers was so annoying.

–

It was almost one in the afternoon when the doorbell to the Jung family residence rang to announce Seungcheol’s arrival and Minyoung hurried over to the door to answer it before anyone else could do so and potentially embarrass her. The girl pushed the door open, revealing Seungcheol dressed in a black t-shirt half tucked in into black jeans, an oversized cream cardigan, and a backpack completing the look. His hair’s tousled as always and he flashed Minyoung a bright grin, which the girl returned with a smile.

“Are you heading out now?” Mrs. Jung asked, approaching the door after hearing the bell ring. “Oh, hello!”

Seungcheol gave a bright smile and a polite bow. “Hello, I’m Choi Seungcheol. I’m Minyoung’s schoolmate.”

“Nice to meet you!” Mrs. Jung replied warmly while Minyoung slid her feet into a pair of slip-ons in the background. “Where are you two off to today?”

“We’re going to a café nearby that’s owned by my teammate’s cousin!” He answered cheerfully. “I think Minyoung would like it there.”

“Oh, I see…” Mrs. Jung gave Minyoung a teasing smile, which she ignored as she adjusted the straps of her canvas tote bag on her shoulder.

“We’re heading out now, bye!” The girl announced, waving at her mother.

“Have fun! Don’t be back too late.”

Seungcheol gave Mrs. Jung a polite farewell before the two students headed out and closed the gate behind them. Minyoung adjusted the front of her light blue short-sleeve shirt with rounded collars before staring up at Seungcheol. “So where is this café you were talking about?”

Seungcheol began to lead the way, showing Minyoung the map on his phone. “It’s just a block away from the subway station.”

“Oh, that’s not too bad.” Minyoung commented, passing the phone back to him. However, confusion clouded over the girl’s features as she stared up at him. “Hm?”

Seungcheol had initially walked in front of her, but instead he slowed down his pace to match hers to walk by her left, to the side where the road was. He smiled down at Minyoung, giving her a curious look upon the confusion on her face.

The girl shook her head, waving a hand. “Anyways, how far did you get to with the chemistry worksheet?”

“Um…not that far,” he admitted. “I tried working on it and on math last night but I couldn’t concentrate.”

“That’s fine,” she answered. “What we’ll do is you can try it out on your own and I’ll help you out whenever you get stuck.”

Relief was evident on Seungcheol’s features and he linked his arm with Minyoung’s, startling her. “Wha –“ she began, eyes wide.

“Thanks, best friend!” Seungcheol chirped in a sing-song voice, eyes curving into crescents.

She feigned an exasperated sigh but there was a smile on her lips. “You are most certainly welcome.”

Dia Café was close to the nearest subway station, about a block from the eastern exit. It was a new establishment owned by Mingyu’s cousin, who was a learned barista, and his friend, who was a trained chef. By collaborating with their specialties, they created a café that served delicious food and drinks and had a cozy but chic atmosphere. The building was two stories tall; the lively downstairs space was usually reserved for those enjoying their meals, while students and their homework usually occupied the quiet upper floor. However, people were free to choose where to sit depending on the ambience they preferred.

Seungcheol held open the door for Minyoung, who entered inside the café first. The establishment had wide windows, letting bright light in. The interior was cozy; the furniture was mostly made of wood and the colors were derived from a natural color palette. Minyoung had a feeling that the café was going to be one of her new favorite places, but first she had to try out the food and drinks.

“Hello, welcome to Dia Ca– oh, hyung!” Kim Mingyu, whom Minyoung recognized as another member of the basketball team, flashed them a bright smile. He was wearing a navy apron over his clothes and there was a nametag pinned over his chest.

“Oh, Mingyu!” Seungcheol grinned in greeting. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m helping out until the replacement for 1:30 comes,” he answered. Mingyu’s eyes then went from Seungcheol to Minyoung and back to Seungcheol again, a mischievous fanged grin appearing on his face. “Are you guys on a date?”

Minyoung stared at him. “Uh, no. I’m helping this guy out with his chemistry homework.”

Mingyu shrugs, still smiling. “Okay. Would you guys like to sit upstairs where it’s more quiet or would the main floor be okay?”

“Upstairs, please.”

“Perfect. Right this way.”

Mingyu showed the way to the stairs leading to the upper floor of Dia Café, two menus under his arm. The younger boy guided the way to an empty booth seat by the windows and once Minyoung and Seungcheol were seated, he placed the menus in front of them on the table.

“Would you guys like anything to drink to start you off?” Mingyu asked cheerily.

“Iced honey latte for me, please.” Minyoung answered.

Seungcheol hummed before responding. “I’ll take a mango smoothie. Oh, and water.”

Mingyu gave a salute. “Coming right up!”

The tall boy departed with the drink orders, leaving the two to flip through the café’s menu. The food served ranged from hearty meals to smaller fares to desserts. Minyoung hummed, deep in thought. She had just eaten lunch but it wouldn’t hurt to try something, right?

But the desserts sound good too, she thought, her brow furrowing as she pondered over her options.

Seungcheol raised his eyes from his copy of the menu and let out a laugh. “Are you okay?”

“Me? Yeah, I am. Just trying to decide what to get.”

“Oh, it’s your first time here, isn’t it?” Seungcheol asked. “I had the banana and chocolate crepes last time. They were really good.”

“Really?”

“Yeah! I don’t know how full you are though since their servings are pretty big.”

“Well, sweets go in a different stomach for me.” Minyoung responded, thumbing through the menu. “Ooh, I think I’ll try their red velvet cheesecake.”

Seungcheol chuckled, amused at her response. “Do you have two stomachs?”

“Yeah, you didn’t know?” She asked with a straight face. “One is for regular food and the other one’s for desserts.”

That statement made Seungcheol burst into laughter, entertained at her response coupled with the deadpan expression. The corners of Minyoung’s lips twitched as she watched him, amused that he found her funny. She gave him a nonchalant smile, taking out her pencil case from the depths of her bag. “While we wait, let’s get started on the homework.”

–

The food and drinks arrived shortly after Seungcheol started on working on the chemistry handout. Minyoung busied herself with devouring the giant slice of red velvet cheesecake (which was absolutely divine) and slowly drinking her tall glass of iced honey latte while Seungcheol solved chemistry problems. The interior was nice and the food and drink were absolutely delicious; it confirmed that Dia Café made it to her list of favorite places.

Every now and then, Seungcheol would ask for a hint or a re-explanation of a question on the worksheet. Minyoung would give him a boost as a result, patiently working through the steps with him and asking him questions to help him with the thinking process. By the time the clock on the wall showed 2:45 PM, Seungcheol closed his textbook with a triumphant grin, the worksheet he had been working on finally complete.

“Finally!” He cheered, returning his book into his backpack. “Man, that took a while.”

Minyoung smiled at his pleased reaction. “Nice work.”

“Man, I really hate chem,” Seungcheol sighed before taking a sip of his drink. “I need to do better.”

“Chem’s a tricky subject but you’re doing well,” she said. “You managed to answer many of the questions on your own.”

“Ah, thanks,” he answered. “One down! Now I need to finish the last half of the math worksheet.”

He took out his math textbook and calculator next, the handout Mrs. Jeon distributed sandwiched between its pages when he opened it. Minyoung craned her head to look at the progress; there were only three questions left out of ten that needed completion.

“Oh, you’re doing well on this one too,” she commented.

“Yeah…I just had trouble concentrating last night so I set it aside,” Seungcheol sounded sheepish. “Practice was tiring.”

“That’s understandable. Sometimes we just have to put some work away and come back to it when we’re ready again.”

“You understand!” He beamed. “Glad to know it’s not just me.”

The boy began cracking on solving the remaining unanswered questions, lips sticking out while deep in concentration. Minyoung stirred her drink with the straw, observing him. It had been quite surprising for her to receive a message from Seungcheol late last night. While the two had exchanged numbers, their text messages didn’t have much content since they usually saw one another at school. Seungcheol hadn’t asked for help during the weekend either – up until now.

Minyoung took a sip of her iced honey latte, setting down the glass upon hearing her cellphone vibrate in the depths of her tote bag. After rummaging through the contents for a brief moment, she fished out her phone, unlocking the screen.

From: Lee Iseul

I went to your house to drop off some cake my mom made

But you’re not at home? :O

From: Jung Minyoung

I’m at Dia Café

It’s super nice

We should go here together next time

From: Lee Iseul

????

Who are you with?????????

Wait

Omg????

Are you with Choi Seungcheol???????????

?????????????????????????

From: Jung Minyoung

Calm down with the question marks

And yes I am

Minyoung was about to set her phone down on the table but she quickly typed and sent a follow-up text. Who knew what was going through Iseul’s mind at that moment –

From: Jung Minyoung

I’m helping him out with his homework

From: Lee Iseul

SURE YOU ARE

Awwww omg this is so exciting

Stop texting me and pay attention to your boyfriend

From: Jung Minyoung

That’s enough out of you >:-(

From: Lee Iseul

You’re getting defensiiiiiive

Omg tho, this is the first time you’ve hung out with a boy in the years I’ve known you lol

Minyoung blinked at that information. Most of her friends were girls and every now and then they would go to cafés or go shopping. While she had become acquainted with boys in her classes throughout the years, she never really became close to them like the girls to the point that they would hang outside of class.

This café outing with Seungcheol would be the first time she was hanging out with a boy outside of school.

She took a long sip of her drink, mulling over her thoughts before typing out a response to her best friend.

From: Jung Minyoung

It’s not that big of a deal

It’s like overtime for tutoring

From: Lee Iseul

Ohkaaaaaaay

Stop texting me forreal, help him with his homework

Byeeeee, ill call u later!!!!!

The gray speech bubbles that usually showed up whenever Iseul typed had disappeared and Minyoung set down her phone on the table. She was in for a long phone call that night.

By the time Seungcheol finished his work and Minyoung had examined his answers, the clock in Dia Café read 4:05 PM. Seungcheol let out a satisfied sigh as he ran his hand through his hair, fluffing it up.

“Jeez, good thing that’s over,” he sighed, leaning back into his chair as he started returning his belongings back into his backpack.

“But you finished and that’s a good thing,” Minyoung answered, giving him a small smile.

Seungcheol brightened up at the compliment. “Yeah, you’re right! Thanks again for coming out to help me.”

“It’s nothing at all,” Minyoung paused before continuing. “That’s what friends are for, right?”

Seungcheol blinked before breaking out a bright grin. He reached out to ruffle the top of her head, resulting in Minyoung scrunching her nose in response.

After making sure their belongings were safely returned back to their bags, they descended the stairs to the main floor of the café, where a different staff was managing the cash register. The staff gave them a welcoming smile when they approached the counter to pay for their orders.

“Did you find everything okay?” He asked in his best customer service voice, smiling at the two.

Minyoung nodded, fishing for her wallet in her tote bag. “It was great, thank you.”

The staff beamed at the compliment. “I’m glad to hear that! Now are you paying together or separately?”

“I’ll be paying for both,” Seungcheol answered, stepping forward towards the cash register.

Minyoung furrowed her brows. We didn’t agree to this? “Um…no you’re not?”

Seungcheol gave her a gentle smile. “Hey, it’s the least that I could do since I did ask you to come out during a weekend.”

She sighed. “I’m your tutor, it’s my job to help you out.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine!” Seungcheol grinned. “Anyways, how much is it?”

“That’ll be 12,000 won.” Seungcheol handed over the appropriate amount of payment, which the staff took and processed in the cash register with a press of a few buttons. The machine prints out a receipt and he hands it over to Seungcheol with another smile.

“Here you go,” The staff announced. “Thank you and have a great rest of the afternoon!”

“Thank you, you too!”

Minyoung gave a quick bow of gratitude before following after Seungcheol, who was holding the door open. He closed the door behind them and the two walked past the café’s gates and to the sidewalk.

“Home time?” Seungcheol prompted and Minyoung nodded.

“I have a few things to prepare for the upcoming week,” she said as they begin the walk back to Minyoung’s house.

Seungcheol extended his hand and ruffled the top of the girl’s hair, making her yelp and scowl up at him. “When do you not study?”

Minyoung let out a huff. “I study every day, I have to.”

The emphasis on the word have made Seungcheol turn to her with a raised brow. “’Have?’” he repeated. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I’m trying to get in my first choice school so I have to do well in my studies,” explained Minyoung, as-a-matter-of-factly. “They look at the entrance exam scores too but they also value my high school transcript.”

“Huh…what are you trying to become?”

“A doctor. I need to get into the pre-med program first though and then once I finish pre-med, then I can apply for med school to be a doctor.”

Seungcheol let out a long whistle. “Wow…a doctor, huh? Somehow I think that’s really fitting of you.”

Minyoung turned to him curiously. “Really? Is that a compliment?”

He laughed. “Yes, it is! I just thought that if you were my doctor, I’d feel like I can trust you, you know?”

Minyoung could feel her cheeks flushing with warmth at the compliment. “O-oh…that’s nice of you, thank you. When I open up a private practice in the future, I’ll make sure to let you know.”

Seungcheol grinned, ruffling the top of her head again. “Oh, really? Make sure to keep your word, okay?”

She made a face, trying to pat down her hair. “Anyways, what about you? What are your plans for the future?”

The boy let out a loud hum. “Nutrition, maybe? Or athletic therapy? I can’t decide since I’m interested in both of them.”

That wasn’t exactly the answer Minyoung was expecting. “Hm…interesting.”

He gave her a curious look this time. “Why?”

She shrugged. “Nothing. I just thought that you would become a teacher or something.”

“Eh? Do I seem like a teacher type to you?”

“I guess? I mean…you do lead the basketball team so…I just assumed that you would use that as a foundation for teaching or something.”

Seungcheol hummed. “Interesting…I never really thought about it that way.”

The two continue to make their way back to Minyoung’s house, talking about whatever topic came to mind. The café was a good 25-minute walk at least, but it felt shorter because of the continuous conversation with Seungcheol. Their exchange ranged from talking about school to hobbies to life at home, not quite running out of things to talk about. It was easy to get along with him; it was hard not to since he was so genuine and so friendly.

They were nearing Minyoung’s house when something came to mind. “Isn’t the opening ceremony for the tournament tomorrow?” she asked.

Seungcheol turned to her. “Hm? Yeah it is.”

“What’s it like?”

“What’s it like? Well…” He paused, trying to recall. “All of the teams participating in the tournament come and we have to listen to the opening speech and agree to play fair and do the best we can, blah blah blah. That’s pretty much it, really.”

“Ah…I thought it would be more eventful.”

Seungcheol let out a laugh. “Not really. It’s pretty much a way for everyone the gauge one another and to see who’s new in the team every year.”

“I see…” Minyoung nodded. “Are you nervous then?”

“Me? Nervous?” Seungcheol gave a sheepish grin. “A bit, actually! But I have to seem cool, that’s the part of being the captain.”

Minyoung stared at him, remembering what had occurred the day before. The image of his shoulders slumping as though in defeat was somewhat concerning, even though she wasn’t sure if it was just her eyes playing tricks on her yesterday. Yet she couldn’t help but recall that image and feel the urge to reassure him somehow.

“You’re already pretty cool though,” she said seriously. “So you don’t need to worry about that.”

Seungcheol blinked, obviously caught off-guard by the sudden serious compliment. However, his expression brightened up; a lively grin on his face and his eyes curving into crescents. “Really?!” He asked, delight evident in his voice. “Do I really seem cool to you?”

She nodded in response, trying to fight the smile threatening to spread across her own face. His happiness is contagious. “Well, you are the captain of the team...” Minyoung trailed off, pretending to be nonchalant. “Oh, we’re here.”

Minyoung walked over to the gate, which swung open after she lifted the lock in place. She spun around to face Seungcheol, who was standing on the other side, waiting for her to return back into her house before heading on his way home.

“Thanks again for today,” Seungcheol grinned. “You’re a real lifesaver, you know?”

“No worries. You know that’s what tutors are for, right?” She paused before continuing, somewhat a bit shy. “Friends too.”

He laughed. “Aw, thanks.”

“So…” Minyoung gave him a smile, extending her arm with her fist curled up towards him. “Good luck for tomorrow.”

Seungcheol beamed, extending his own arm, his own fist meeting hers for the fistbump. “Thank you.”

hello, i'm alive! i'm genuinely sorry for the lack of updates, writer's block plus my super intensive last year (!) of undergrad has been keeping me away. i do try to write every now and then but until i finish in april....i'm not quite sure how things would be T_T i really do appreciate your patience, comments, subs, and votes during my absence. thank you and i hope to see you again soon!