“You know we need that to be delivered tomorrow,” Taecyeon pushed the door of the café open and only looked up long enough to make sure he wouldn’t bump into anyone while making his way to the line in front of the cashier. He was checking the stock market on the screen of his tablet while holding his phone next to his ear to try and get through to his supply management while keeping his voice low and his tone mild. He ought to get used to using the earphones for this but he still preferred doing things the not-so-old way. That meant his hands were usually full, and not just literally. “By tomorrow I don’t mean at midnight. It has to be in the store before noon so we’ll get to organize everything for the grand opening on Friday. No-- I don’t care if Nichkhun’s team agreed to work overnight. His commitment won’t work in your favor if anything goes wrong.”

“The usual?”

Taecyeon glanced at the cashier to make sure the question was being directed at him. He nodded and made sure his dimples showed before turning back to the graphic that had just loaded. The numbers were good; they needed to make sure all the expectation would pay off. Patience was one thing, putting up with incompetent employers was another. He’d got enough of the former but he wouldn’t do the latter. “Don’t let me down, Jang. You do your job or you don’t.”

He pocketed the phone to pay for his drink and turned back to the tablet while waiting for one of the baristas to ask who the Irish Coffee was for. He had been coming to this place for a few weeks now and he had grown fond of the drink; it was just what he needed to get ready for another eventful day. The fact that one of the employees there already remembered his usual order-- other than that, he’d only tried the espresso and the French vanilla-- made him smile briefly while googling for posts about the new shop to be opened three days later. He found lots of ads he had paid to have on strategic websites, but there were enough articles to distract him for a while.

“Your coffee's getting cold.”

Taecyeon finished reading a paragraph before looking up. There was a single cup on the corner where customers fetched their drinks either to go or to have at the café. Geek, he read on the lines where his name should be.

“Hey,” he called at one of the baristas, the one he guessed had let him know the coffee was ready. “Is this the Irish Coffee I ordered?”

Instead of hearing anything that he might have been used to-- “I’m sorry, sir?”, “Is there something wrong?”, “Yes, but if it’s cold we can replace it in a sec,”-- what Taecyeon got was a shrug followed by, “I don’t know, are you a geek?”, in a tone of someone who couldn’t care less.

Taecyeon was so taken aback by the attitude his reaction came late. “I’m sorry?” was all he managed to say. He took a sip of his coffee and told himself he should complain about this, but damn the coffee was great and that hardly ever failed to keep his mood in check.

“My name is Taecyeon,” he stated, even though he had no intention of making the other correct it on the cup. The guy looked like he could either make a joke out of that or make Taecyeon feel bad for keeping his attention when there was already a line of customers behind him.

There were two other baristas there, however, and they seemed to be doing just fine without this one to help for a few seconds. Taecyeon stared at him.

The guy tilted his head to the side and looked back at him like a cat who was not really interested in what humans did but ended up being intrigued by their behavior nonetheless. “I asked for your name a couple of times and you didn’t answer. You had no trouble recognizing that as your drink, so I guess I wasn’t wrong.” He shrugged again, albeit almost imperceptibly. That seemed to be his way of bringing the conversation to an end.

Taecyeon had never liked cats, and this guy acted just like an almighty feline. However, for now he just watched as the barista turned to the cashier to get the next customers’ orders. He might have been made a fool once; it wouldn’t happen again. He took note of the guy’s bright red hair and left, alcohol and caffeine working together to soothe him.


x


"Yeah, this Friday. 5pm. Think you can make it? Great! Hold on a sec, I've got another-- Oh? Talk to you later. Sure." Taecyeon paid for his drink and moved on to the next line. He spotted the barista from the day before and suppressed a sigh before answering his next call. "Hey, mom. Everything's fine. Yeah, I'm eating well." He heard it when the redhaired guy asked who the Irish Coffee was for and he raised his hand. He saw him writing something on a cup and hoped that meant the other remembered it. "No, mom, I'm not drinking-- I barely go out these days! You should hear how much Minjunnie nags me about that." He ended that with a soft laugh and apologized to his friend in his head, even though he had only said the truth. "You and dad are coming on Friday, right? Eh? Why not?" Taecyeon frowned; his parents had been there for all the events he organized, and this was an important one. "I didn't know dad was sick. Does he need-- Ok. I'll come over tonight. Of course I can, mom. Two kalbi boxes? Right, one more for me. 'k. Love you, too."

Taecyeon grabbed the cup and checked his name, or what was supposed to be his name. Taeycone was written there instead.

"Is this some kind of joke?" he asked the redhaired barista, who had just handed over some frappe to a happy customer.

Taecyeon was not happy.

Lee, as it read on his nametag, had also been smiling at the young girl who skidded back to seat with her mom. That smile looked strained now, and it wiped itself off the barista's face when he looked at Taecyeon. "May I help you, sir?" He sounded polite but his eyes were icy cold.

"You got my name wrong again."

"I'm sorry, sir. You may spell it out for me next time."

Taecyeon didn't know why but he felt insulted, even more so once Lee turned his back on him to prepare another drink, humming a tune under his breath. He was dismissing Taecyeon.

And his Irish Coffee was offensively delicious.


x


"Mrs. Hwang. Always a pleasure to hear from you." Taecyeon checked that the wallet was in the back pocket of his jeans and locked his car before entering the café. He was so used to wearing a suit he had checked the nonexistent pocket of his shirt-- twice-- before he realized where the actual pocket should be. "I know it's not official yet, but your last names are so similar... I'm sure our Chansung-ah wouldn't mind."

The coffee house was more packed than usual that Friday morning. Taecyeon considered leaving, but who would dare mess up with him elsewhere?

"You’ve got everything ready?” Taecyeon smiled as Wang Fei Fei answered and let him in on the dishes that would be served at that night’s grand opening. “Neat. Minjun will be there to show you where to put all the food. You know Hyesung-sshi, right? Our wine guy? He’ll be there to help you as well.”

Taecyeon ended the call just in time for him to place his order and move to the next line. He made another call while he waited. “Hey man, thanks for not ruining everything yesterday. I mean it.” Taecyeon snorted. “Seriously, Jang, make sure to be there on time tonight, you hear me? If you keep pushing your luck like this I’ll make sure your vacation is never at the same time as a certain someone’s. I mean that too.” Taecyeon felt like someone was staring at him, and when he looked around, he realized it was one of the baristas. It was not the redhaired one though, and since his drink was not ready yet he just averted his gaze and focused on his supply manager again. “Yeah, it seems it’ll all work out. We can’t rely just on that though, so I’ll stop by at the bar after lunch to check everything before I have to get ready for the party. See you later.” It was his turn in line, but the barista waiting for his name was the one who had looked at him before. "Where's Lee?"

The guy blinked at him from behind square, white-framed glasses. His reaction seemed to be coming slowly. "You mean--" He looked back in confusion.

Taecyeon nodded briskly. "I'd like him to make this one for me, if you don't mind. You can get the other customers."

"He will, sir, I'll just write your name here."

Taecyeon was about to point out that was exactly what he wanted Lee to do when the latter touched the other barista's neck as he took the cup from his hands.

"Don't worry, Shinwoo. I can handle this. Go on and attend these other nice people here." He smiled at his coworker before he turned to Taecyeon. His voice was flat and his face nearly expressionless when he spoke. "How do you spell douchebag?"

Taecyeon frowned at that, but he barely had time to tell himself he had heard it right.

"It's Taecyeon, right?" Lee wrote something on the cup and started preparing the drink without waiting for Taecyeon to answer.

He told himself he didn't react because he was baffled. But that was not the only reason; it couldn't be. Taecyeon had thrown a few punches in his lifetime and gotten into heated arguments for things he considered less important than his pride. However, there was something about this guy's attitude that made him speechless, as if talking back at him would be the wrong thing to do.

Lee placed his cup on the counter, the tiniest of smiles on his tight-lipped face. That almost distracted Taecyeon from what was written on the cup. Almost.

Taec out.

He scowled at that short yet definitely affronting sentence. He was sure it had something to do with that “douchebag” comment. But even if it didn’t, that guy was trying to get rid of him, and he would not stand idle while that little sh--

“You never drink here,” Lee told him, as if that was the only possible-- obvious-- explanation. His face was the personification of innocence.

Taecyeon didn’t believe it for one second. He was ready to destroy that facade. But he was not ready for the sparkle in the other’s eyes as he stared at Taecyeon, seemingly waiting for his reaction. He hadn’t done that on the other days; he had always turned away too soon, dodging or ignoring any possible reaction. That should add fuel to the fire; Taecyeon was not one to be laughed at. But that change of attitude, as small and insignificant as it should be, distracted him. It distracted him as much as the look on the other’s face. Lee was not scowling at him for once, and the amusement that hinted at the corner of his eyes and lips made him look beautiful.

Beautiful, cute and dangerous, like the treacherous cat he probably was.

He decided to let the barista do his job while he went back to his own. Taecyeon couldn’t explain why he felt like leaving was the best he could do, but he had a long day ahead of him, and his focus should turn to that now.


x


Mixing beer and champagne had never been a good idea, but Taecyeon thought he could handle it. He drank the former with his friends and the latter with his guests, but those were gone and his friends remained, including some of his co-workers. That was when the real party began, after he was done posing as the charming, polite and sometimes flirtatious owner of Okcastra, a prospering karaoke chain. Taecyeon could be all of those things, all easy smiles and knowledgeable remarks permeated by a joke here and there. Yet he preferred the beer to the champagne, the companion of the ones who mattered to the rounds of small talk and often fake interest, the endless questions whose answers he never remembered giving.

He should have seen the headache coming. He was not drunk, it took him much more than a few glasses of champagne and bottles of beer for that, but he could admit he was not entirely sober, either. That gave him an excuse to sit down on the floor and lie back against the cushioned seats at the back of the room while his friends browsed through the playlist that appeared on screen.

And he immediately regretted that. Sitting that close to the ground made his head spin, but when he tried to get up, he couldn’t. He heard a soft snort followed by the easy laughter that could only belong to one Hwang Chansung, who already had a hand reached out to help Taecyeon up. He patted his shoulder and looked into his eyes, his eyes warm and alight with diversion and alcohol.

“You alright there, hyung?” he asked. He didn’t sound worried but he would be if Taecyeon played him, though he didn’t feel like poking fun at Chansung that way now.

“Yeah, yeah. I just need some air, I guess. Coffee would be good.”

“Not Irish,” Minjun teased from above Chansung’s shoulder. He was nearly a head shorter than the latter, but being the oldest in their group of friends seemed to give him the right to jump on the “giants,” like he was doing now. Chansung didn’t even protest against the extra weight. He was used to Minjun’s overexcited displays of affection, especially when they had had a few drinks.

Taecyeon was smiling when the other two turned to Wooyoung, who had chosen a song for them to sing. Or rather, the other three, since Taecyeon was leaving. The first notes of Drake’s Best I Ever Had came out the door before Taecyeon closed it behind him to walk down the nearly quiet hallway. There were eleven other doors to his sides, all to soundproof rooms where people could sing and have fun. He would have left through the back door if the party hadn’t died down; by now nobody would miss him too much.

He hailed a taxi and gave him the name of the first coffee shop that came to his mind. It was his new favorite not only for the drinks, but for being open 24/7. A-ha’s Take On Me was playing on the radio and Taecyeon asked the driver to turn up the volume if he didn’t mind. The driver didn’t say anything, and Taecyeon had a hard time not singing along to the song. He almost regretted leaving his karaoke bar, but he intended to go back there later. He asked for the driver to wait for him as he left the taxi.

Taecyeon was humming when he entered the shop. There was just a group of young customers sitting around a table, probably coming back from their own party or on the way to another one. They were chatting excitedly, and Taecyeon doubted anyone could hear him while he mumbled the lyrics quietly, waiting for the cashier to show up.

“So, you’ll be gone in a day or two?”

Taecyeon stopped singing when he heard the voice that had become too familiar despite the few words they had exchanged during that week. Lee was wearing his barista’s black apron but he came behind the cashier. He looked too alert and friendly, and Taecyeon was confused. Didn’t he see Lee earlier that day-- the day before? Had he worked three shifts or did his morning actually start after midnight? Where were the other workers?

The barista seemed to be fighting back a smile while he looked at Taecyeon. “Can I take your order, sir?” he asked, eyes sparkling but mouth closing into a thin line.

Taecyeon looked at the big menu on the wall behind the wide balcony where the orders were taken and the drinks were made. An Irish Coffee would only worsen his headache; it was actually going away now but he wanted something else. “What’s the strongest coffee you have?”

“The Caffè Americano. If you like coffee with milk, the Venti is great.”

Taecyeon shook his head. “One Americano. Tall.” He paused. “Please.”

He noticed that the other seemed to be fighting his facial expressions again.

“What’s so funny?” Taecyeon asked, and he tried to keep his tone as light as possible. He had the impression that Lee would close up if he sounded defensive.

However, the barista looked serious the moment Taecyeon asked that. He didn’t apologize but he looked like he would say something and then thought better of it. He simply moved away, to the place where drinks were prepared, and Taecyeon followed him from his side of the counter, waiting. Watching.

Lee was completely immersed in preparing his drink. Under the apron, he was wearing a black shirt, the sleeves rolled up to the elbows. Taecyeon let his eyes linger on his left forearm, one vein leading to the wrist, the large hand and long fingers that held the styrofoam cup while he poured hot water to mix with the brewing espresso. Taecyeon told himself to look up; Lee had his profile to him and there seemed to be a slight frown on his face while he placed the lid on top of the cup.

“Here you go,” he said as he placed it in front of Taecyeon, already turning back to go to the cashier. There was another employee there now though, so Taecyeon took his chance.

“Taecmeon?” he read on the cup, but this time he was grinning. He did have a sense of humor, after all, and maybe it was time he just played along with what the barista was doing. Lee stopped but didn’t turn to look at him, apparently bracing himself for a complaint. “You know what that sounds like, right?” Taecyeon asked, hoping the several answers to that question could be heard in his voice.

“Aha?” Lee retorted, the double meaning followed by that spark in his eyes again. He wasn’t facing Taecyeon, but he did look back at him, his eyebrows going up under his flaming fringe for a second.

Taecyeon sipped at his coffee carefully. It was so strong he grimaced, but he had to smile at what Lee had just done, and he made sure to look into his eyes when the grin returned to his lips. “Good,” he said. That could be about the coffee or something else. It was about both, but Lee would have to figure that out for himself. Taecyeon was leaving, the taste of good coffee and a savored victory on his smile.


x


Taecyeon was gone, not in a day or two, nor forever like the song implied, but for several days. His dad’s condition had worsened. He already had high blood pressure from overworking and stress before he retired a few years ago, though he had never really stopped working. Now he had had a , and he had been sent to the hospital. When Taecyeon was not there visiting him, he was at his parents’ house. On the first couple of days, his mom refused to leave her husband’s side, but he and Jihyen, his older sister, eventually convinced her that they could not risk having both father and mother sick at the same time. Therefore, they set a visiting schedule so that there would always be one of them at the hospital, but for no longer than half a day. Taecyeon knew he could put up with more than that but the women of his family weren’t about to accept his offer of having longer shifts if they could not do the same.

“If you were married,” Jihyen started while Taecyeon was taking the sheets from his parents’ bed to change for the ones she had ironed, “your spouse could also take care of our dad.”

Taecyeon took a deep breath. He counted until ten, ensured the fleeting tension of his back and shoulders would go away, and thus didn’t pull too hard at the band holding the undersheet around the mattress. To this day, he still resented his own big mouth and the promises he had made when he was too young to know himself, when he still believed he could make his parents’ dream come true. Being married at the same age they had been. Giving them grandchildren. Having a good wife on whom he could depend for situations like this. To Jihyen’s credit, she had used the word “spouse,” so when he finally replied, he could look at her without looking vexed.

“Your husband could help out too, but he’s at work. That’s fine. I should be at work right now, but I’m helping instead, because this is more important.” He sighed. “I’m doing what I can do, sis.”

Jihyen shook her head at him, a fond smile on her face. “I’m not trying to reprimand you, little brother,” she came to stand in front of him. She was a head shorter than Taecyeon, her skin not as tanned only because she didn’t enjoy being under the sunlight as much as he did. But the same dimples he had were on her cheeks, as were the laughter wrinkles around their eyes. Her features were more delicate though, her jaw a little more oval than Taecyeon’s sharp one.

He smiled at the nickname, one that became a sort of joke for them once Taecyeon grew taller than her. He would sometimes call her “little sister” because of her height, but that was not the day for that. He waited as she gathered the words she needed to explain her first remark about marriage, his gaze leveled with hers.

“You shouldn’t--” her forehead creased for a second before she went on, “I mean, I’m not trying to tell you what to do. But you shouldn’t deprive yourself of what you want. I’m sure you still want your own family. If it’s not like what mom and dad expected, it should be alright as long as it makes you happy.” She placed the clean set of sheets on the empty bed and took Taecyeon’s hands in hers, making him drop the used ones on the floor. They had cleaned the house earlier, and those sheets would be washed anyway. “Why are you always working? I know you love what you do,” she smiled and he returned it; Jihyen had been the one to encourage him to study Management abroad, when he was supposed to come back home after he finished High School. She had always supported him, and Taecyeon chastised himself for having forgotten that earlier. “But there’s more to life than that. There’s more to you, for you...”

Taecyeon squeezed her hands and accepted the hug she was silently offering him. “It’ll be okay,” he said, because they both needed to hear that, and because none of them would stop thinking about their father’s health even though he was coming home the following day.