Delivery Service

 

 

 

January 23^rd

 

 

It's just out of pure luck that Taehyun spots the flier of the home delivery pizzeria under a mountain of to-wash clothes right on the night he finds himself with an empty fridge. He doesn't even like pizza that much, but it's not like he has any other choice since most shops around his area are closed and he barely knows how to cook a fried egg anyway.

 

His eyes skims through the menu, carefully taking in every ingredient and price. He doesn't fancy pizza in particular, but it doesn't mean he's just going to pick a random one. Actually, he's very picky about food and apart from his mom's cooking skills, he only trusts his own, which makes his not knowing how to make anything that isn't pouring cereals into a cup of milk even more ironic.

 

A look at his wallet is enough to make him go, at last, for the cheapest one – it's hard to eat well when you're a college student with a ty part-time job, and life seems to like reminding Taehyun every chance it gets. Ten minutes and an awkward call later, he's sitting in front of the TV waiting for the delivery.

 

He doesn't have to wait much longer. The place is not far from where he lives and less than thirty minutes after his call, the doorbell rings.

 

Taehyun grabs the money he prepared on the kitchen counter and goes to open the door, already regretting spending so much money on something he doesn't even like. He's ready to take the cardboard box and close the door without wasting much time, but something blocks him.

 

The delivery man is tall. Well, taller than Taehyun expected.

 

Whenever he goes, Taehyun is used to be the tallest in the room, so he's taken aback and instinctively looks up.

 

Holy , it's all his mind formulates on the spot.

 

The man is incredibly handsome. He's wearing a helmet and a ridiculous red windbreaker with the name of the pizzeria written in yellow letters on his chest, but Taehyun can still tell he's extremely attractive. Strong features, charming lips, deep brown eyes. Taehyun is mesmerized.

 

“Mr. Nam Taehyun?”

 

The man is reading from a receipt, a yellow pizza box in the other hand. He looks up with the smallest of frowns on his face, maybe because he doesn't get an immediate reply from the younger man.

 

Taehyun is blatantly staring at him as if he needs to absorb as many details as possible in the little time he's granted. He hears the words of course, and his mind formulates two different answers: yes? and it's me.

 

“Yez me,” he ends up saying, immediately realizing the atrocity that just came out of his mouth. His eyes grow wide in shock and he waits for the other man to laugh at him while he thinks of the nearest hole he could hide in.

 

The delivery man doesn't laugh. Actually, he looks rather tired and impatient. He stares at Taehyun for a while and, as much as the latter wants to think he finds him as attractive as he does, he knows something's wrong.

 

It's when he looks down that he notices the palm he's been offered for a while now.

 

“Oh, right,” he murmurs, giving him the money and brushing his hand against the man's in the process. He feels shameless and ridiculous.

 

The delivery man checks it's the right amount, slips the money in the pocket of his windbreaker and hands him the cardboard box.

 

“Enjoy,” he quickly nods and walks away before Taehyun can even open his mouth – which maybe it's for the best, considering his first attempt. He stays on the door, the pizza growing cold inside its cardboard box as he follows the man as long as he can, and totally feels like a creep as he does so.

 

He goes back inside, closes the door and looking down at his box he realizes the receipt is on it and it contains a very important piece of information.

 

Server: Mino, Taehyun reads in the bottom corner, just under the amount due. He takes the receipt and looks at the smiling chef printed on the box.

 

Well, pizza must not be so bad after all, right?

 

He smiles to himself and slips the receipt in the back pocket of his jeans.

 

 

 

 

**

 

 

 

January 26th

 

 

 

 

Taehyun manages to wait two days before calling the pizzeria again. He tells himself it's because he really has no time to make some shopping since exams are wearing him out, but he knows that he's telling himself a big fat lie. His craving for pizza has more to do with a certain delivery boy than with the food in itself.

 

The girl on the phone asks him if he has any special request about the delivery and Taehyun is tempted to ask specifically for Mino, but holds back from doing so. He still has some pride and he literally just saw him once. He feels himself growing more and more creepy.

 

All the same, luck is on his side, because when the doorbell rings half an hour later, Taehyun finds Mino on his door once again. He can't help the bright smile on his lips as he stares at the delivery man and completely ignores the pizza box.

 

“Mr. Nam Taehyun?” Mino is reading from the receipt once again.

 

Taehyun's smile fades a little. Of course, the man can't remember a single person with all the deliveries he probably does every day. Still, Taehyun can feel himself growing a bit disheartened and he hates himself for being so delusional in the first place.

 

“Yes,” he fishes the money out of the back pocket of his jeans and hands it to the delivery man without much enthusiasm. As the last time, Mino slips it into his pocket and hands him the cardboard box.

 

“Have a nice evening,” he says, flashing a smile at Taehyun.

 

His voice sounds so incredibly rough and his teeth are as white as snow. He looks sincerely happy, unlike the other night when he was kind of grumpy. Maybe he had a nice day, maybe he had a reason to be happy. Taehyun doesn't know, but he knows that his heart is pounding so hard in his chest that when Mino walks away, he has to lean against the door frame because his legs threaten to fail him.

 

Is this... love at first sight or something?, he wonders, because damn, if God took me now I would die happily.

 

It's cheesy, over-exaggerated and incredibly stupid to feel like that for a delivery man he saw twice, but Taehyun can't help it.

 

He wants to see Mino more.

 

 

 

**

 

 

 

January 30th

 

 

 

“Define cute.”

 

The bag of chips Taehyun keeps on his lap is snatched away under his nose. He sighs and tries to take it back, but Jinwoo is stronger and he sinks one hand inside, taking a fistful of chips and shoving them all together into his mouth. Taehyun doesn't know how he doesn't choke on them, since he's lying down on the couch.

 

He shrugs. “He's just gorgeous.”

 

Jinwoo snickers. “Define gorgeous, then.” He talks with his mouth full and the apartment is filled with the crunching sounds he's making. “From cute to gorgeous in less than thirty seconds. Someone has a huge crush,” he sings the last words in a mocking way.

 

Taehyun doesn't even deny. He's been thinking about a certain delivery man a bit too much in the last few days. It's funny because he doesn't know anything about him, but he's so eager to know. Maybe it's because his last relationship has been during his first year of high school, or maybe it's because he's aware of his being hard to please, and Mino is the first man that really catches his eye since ages.

 

“...I'm a fool, right?” He realizes, his shoulders dropping all of a sudden. He stopped paying attention to the movie a long time before, so he just curls up in a corner of the couch and sighs, holding a pillow to his chest.

 

Jinwoo raises an eyebrow and puts the chips aside, shoving a bare foot in his face. “Hey, what's with the self-pity all of a sudden?”

 

“I saw him twice– ugh,” he pushes Jinwoo's foot away with a disgusted expression. “I saw him twice and I'm already losing my mind. What's wrong with me?”

 

Jinwoo chuckles. “Nothing, you're in love,” he sits up and pats Taehyun's shoulder with affection. “I've known you for two years and this is the first time I see you panicking over someone else. You're so cute.”

 

Taehyun rolls his eyes. He liked Jinwoo since the very first day of college, mostly because of his kindness and boldness. It's fascinating to him how someone can be so honest and yet not make anyone feel bad with his honesty. It's a gift only a few people have and Taehyun isn't among them. He would get so many enemies if he told people exactly what's on his mind.

 

Jinwoo is also three years older than him, therefore Taehyun trusts his judgment almost blindly.

 

“It can't be love,” he still argues. “Love can't be built in less than a week.”

 

“Funny you say that, because the most famous love stories of all time lasted around what? Four days each?” Jinwoo replies.

 

It's Taehyun's turn to raise an eyebrow. “Are you talking about Titanic and Romeo&Juliet?”

 

“Totally.”

 

“You're aware that's fiction, right?”

 

“Your point is?”

 

Taehyun sighs. “My point is this is real life and you can't fall in love with someone after seeing them two times, one of which was a total disaster. Plus, he doesn't even remember my name.”

 

“Wow, wow, wow, wait a minute,” Jinwoo snatches the pillow from Taehyun's lap. Apparently, holding a pillow makes him feel more official. “First of all, who said that it can't be love if you just saw them a couple of times and they don't know your name? I think love can take many different forms and we shouldn't focus on the most standardized one. You can be in love with someone you just met once – hell, you can also be in love with someone you never met, for how I see it.”

 

Taehyun looks frustrated. “It's very nice and all, but–” he's interrupted by Jinwoo's index poking his chest repeatedly.

 

“No, you listen. Let's say it's the beginnings of love, okay? And you,” his poking becomes progressively stronger and Taehyun starts to feel a little pain where Jinwoo is touching, “you need to decide whether you want to take it a step further or not. But you can't deny it's already there.”

 

Taehyun slaps his hand away and scoffs. “Alright, let's pretend it's like you say and I'm in... love,” he makes a face, “with this guy. How can I take it a step further? He's literally just a delivery man.”

 

“He's your delivery man,” Jinwoo retorts. “And you have a power you should not underestimate.”

 

Taehyun's shoulders drop again and he rests his back against the armrest in confusion. “What... power?”

 

Jinwoo takes Taehyun's phone from the low table in front of them and throws it on his lap.

 

“You can make this Mino guy run here with a simple call.”

 

Taehyun looks at the phone, then at Jinwoo, then at the phone and so on for a while.

 

“No way,” he states at last.

 

Jinwoo shrugs. “I want pizza though.”

 

“You want– that's totally not true.”

 

Jinwoo smirks. “Well, I want to see the guy who brings the pizza. Better?”

 

 

 

 

 

Half an hour later, when the doorbell rings, Jinwoo opens the door with a big smile while Taehyun hides behind the couch and hopes his friend is not going to say something that would ruin his image with the delivery man beyond repair.

 

“Good evening!” Jinwoo chirps, taking in the figure of the man in the red windbreaker.

 

Mino looks up from the receipt. “Mr. Nam Tae–” he stops when he realizes who's in front of him. He gives Jinwoo the once-over in the less offensive way possible, then he makes one step back and checks the number beside the door.

 

“Is something wrong?” Jinwoo asks, using the situation to his own advantage: he takes in the figure of the man, carefully studying his broad shoulders and tanned skin – Taehyun was right, he's very attractive.

 

Mino pushes his helmet back and looks at the receipt again. “Is this Whimslow Street 27, staircase A, unit 58?”

 

Jinwoo raises an eyebrow and tries to ignore how charming his voice sounds. “Yes, why?”

 

Mino looks even more confused than him. “Because I have a delivery for Mr. Nam Taehyun,” he looks straight in Jinwoo's eyes. “And you're not Nam Taehyun.”

 

Jinwoo is surprised at first, but his expression quickly changes into an amused one. He turns around. “Taehyun-ah!”

 

Taehyun crawls out of his safe haven and spots Jinwoo's smile, immediately understanding that something is wrong. Jinwoo only puts on that smile when he's up to something evil. Still, he called his name out loud, so Taehyun can't do anything but catch up with him at the door.

 

And there he is. Dark eyes, broad shoulders, y frown on those thick eyebrows. Mino is just too handsome and Taehyun feels his legs melting.

 

“He was asking for you,” Jinwoo mentions casually. Then, he slowly disappears from sight, leaving Taehyun with a serious case of frozen tongue.

 

“Y-You we-we-were a-asking... I mean, you... why... what?” Wow, okay, every chance I might have had with him is in the trash now.

 

Mino doesn't look really impressed by Taehyun's poor language skills and he gives him the receipt without wasting any more time. “I wanted to make sure this was the right address. I remember your face.”

 

Taehyun almost drops the money he was fishing out of his pocket. Did he hear it right? Mino said he remembers his face? Actually, didn't Jinwoo call him to the door because Mino knew that Jinwoo wasn't Taehyun in the first place? Does this mean Mino recognizes him now?

 

This little detail makes Taehyun so incredibly happy that he's even ashamed of showing it. He can't help the bright smile on his face as he hands Mino the money and takes the pizza, though.

 

“Thank you so much,” he's not exactly referring to the pizza, but the delivery man has no way to know. “I hope you have a nice evening!”

 

Mino bows a little and, as Taehyun hoped he would, flashes a smile at him. “You too.”

 

When Taehyun closes the door, he can't help the scream of euphoria that comes out of his mouth. He also jumps a bit, but stops immediately when he remembers he still has the cardboard box in his hands.

 

Jinwoo watches the scene from the couch and can't help but smile softly. His best friend is totally in love.

 

 

 

**

 

 

 

February 13th

 

 

 

Mino knows the address by heart and doesn't even bother to check it's the right number or building before getting off his scooter. He usually doesn't think much about his job, but he has to admit he feels weird about this client in particular. Something is just off about him.

 

He walks up staircase A, the cardboard boxes in his hands still hot. It's the first time this client orders more than one pizza and it only makes Mino more suspicious.

 

When he reaches the floor, he immediately realizes something about this delivery is quite different from all the others.

 

The boy with parted hair is sitting outside his apartment with his back against the wall. He looks tired and upset – Mino can tell scrutinizing his profile. His eyes are hidden behind the curtain of blond hair and his pink lips are curled.

 

Mino shakes the images out of his head and walks up to him, seeing how the sound of his steps has already attracted the boy's attention.

 

“Oh,” his lips stretch in a bright smile as soon as he sees the delivery man. “Perfectly on time, as always.”

 

Mino nods his head in what should be a greeting and notices the boy is sitting against the door of his apartment. He hands him the boxes and the receipt.

 

Taehyun rests the boxes on his legs wrapped in tight leather pants and fumbles with the pockets of his denim jacket until he finds some money.

 

“Here,” he raises his hand and Mino takes the money, keeping a curious eye on him.

 

“Thank you,” the boy adds, smiling as if he's not sitting outside of his flat for no apparent reason. Mino notices a heavy bag beside him and he can see some books inside of it. He's probably a student, he realizes.

 

“What are you doing out here?”

 

He broke a long silence that was supposed to end with his goodbye, so of course the boy looks confused. He blinks twice, looks at him with surprise written all over his face and eventually cracks an awkward laugh.

 

“Long story short, I lost my keys,” he's embarrassed and Mino can tell. “I'm waiting for the owner to bring me the spare keys, but he doesn't live here.” Taehyun notices how the man is looking at the boxes and realizes he's wondering why he ordered two pizzas if he's alone.

 

“...I invited my friend over, but he just called and said he can't make it because his boyfriend just crashed by him,” he shrugs, feeling somehow like a loser for being so unlucky.

 

Mino nods, feeling extremely awkward. He doesn't even know why he asked in the first place. He guesses he was just curious, but now it's time to go.

 

He nods at the boxes. “Enjoy your pizzas,” he turns around and starts to walk away.

 

“Would you... would you stay with me?”

 

Mino stops in his tracks and slowly turns around. The boy is looking at him with a shocked expression, as if he didn't just say what he said.

 

Taehyun facepalms himself. “Did I really say that?” He murmurs under his breath. Can he get any more embarrassing? The man must think he's a total weirdo by now.

 

“Excuse me?” Mino asks, confused. He's not sure he's heard well – actually, he's pretty sure he must be imagining things. Why would that guy invite him over for dinner out of the blue?

 

Taehyun knows he already ed up, so he might as well go through with it all the way. “I'm... I'm sorry,” he tries not to stutter but his heart is beating so fast and he can't control the emotion in his voice. He realizes just then that he's actually inviting his crush over for dinner and the thought only makes him panic harder. “It's just that I'm alone and I have two pizzas and I don't want to waste food...” he notices how stupid it sounds as the words fall out of his mouth. He feels like he's digging his grave deeper and deeper. “...This is so stupid, don't mind me,” he shakes his head and avoids making eye-contact with the delivery man.

 

His red cheeks make a strong contrast with his pale skin and Mino must admit he finds him cute. He doesn't know why he's so embarrassed or why he would invite a stranger for dinner, it's just really weird. And maybe it's even weirder that he actually feels like accepting that invitation. The boy is alone and he really looks upset, and Mino is the kind of person who likes to help others feel better. It's just his nature and so, he walks back to the boy.

 

“Sure.”

 

The boy looks up, puzzled. Mino smiles, “Our pizzas are very good, it would be a pity to waste one.”

 

Taehyun can't believe his ears and it takes him a while to realize Mino is not joking and is actually willing to stay for dinner at a stranger's house. When he does, the smile that opens up on his face makes Mino think he did the right thing.

 

Five minutes later, the owner arrives and Taehyun gets a hold of the spare keys. Mino walks inside the apartment like he's walking into some holy place, looking around and slowly removing his helmet.

 

Taehyun awkwardly tells him where to leave that along with his windbreaker, and soon enough they're both sitting on Taehyun's couch with two cans of beer in front of them. The silence is too awkward and Taehyun turns on the TV even if he's too agitated to pay attention to it.

 

Mino looks around as he opens the pizza box. Taehyun's apartment is small, but cozy. The boy's touch can be seen in the smallest things: the paintings on the wall for example. They're really original and Mino can't tell who the artist is.

 

“I made those,” Taehyun's voice comes from behind. Mino turns around and notices his flustered face. “I mean, the paintings.”

 

“You're an art student?”

 

Taehyun shakes his head. “It's my hobby. They're nothing special, but–”

 

“I like them,” Mino says. In front of Taehyun's bewildered silence, he adds, “I graduated from art school and I like to paint in my free time.”

 

Taehyun doesn't know if he's more confused because the guy he has a crush on accepted to have dinner with him for no reason at all, or because he's finding out they actually have something in common.

 

“Are you...” he clears his throat. “Are you sure it's not a problem if you stay here? Your job?”

 

Mino takes one slice of pizza and shrugs. “My shift was over anyway and I was hungry,” he laughs at his own stupid excuse and Taehyun feels that low chuckle reverberating in his rib cage. He's at a loss for words so he decides to just do what they're here to: eat their dinner.

 

Mino looks at him while he takes one slice and notices how all his movements look so elegant. He doesn't know if the boy is doing it to impress him and he doesn't even know why would he want to impress him in the first place. He finds it fascinating, though.

 

“There's around six hundred fifty calories in one pizza,” he says all of a sudden.

 

Taehyun freezes with his mouth open and about to bite his slice. He backs away and looks at the pizza with confusion. He honestly doesn't know if that's a lot of calories or not, he never bothered to count what's in the food he eats. He has fast metabolism anyway.

 

“That sounds like a lot...?” He's unsure about what Mino is trying to say.

 

Mino is chewing on his slice and swallows down before going on. “That's about four thousand and five hundred fifty-two calories for seven pizzas.”

 

He's not looking at Taehyun and the boy really doesn't understand where that conversation is going.

 

That until Mino turns around and looks him dead in the eye. “You ordered seven pizzas in the last two weeks. One every two days or so,” he gives Taehyun the once-over and the boy suddenly feels in front of his intense stare. “But you don't look like someone who would eat that many pizzas.”

 

Taehyun feels exposed and he starts to wonder if Mino accepted the invitation just to ask him those questions. He has to think of something quickly.

 

He sips from his beer and tries to look natural as he laughs awkwardly. “You caught me,” he admits, trying not to squirt the beer from his nose as his fake laugh goes too far. “Actually I don't like pizza that much, but there's someone I like a lot who really...” he glances at Mino's windbreaker near the door. “...loves pizza, and I'm... trying to make myself like it too.”

 

Mino stares at him in silence as if he's trying to understand if Taehyun is making fun of him or if he's telling the truth. “That's... weird,” he admits, not finding any less offensive word to describe what he thinks of Taehyun's plan. The boy looks sincere though, he's all wide eyes and flushed cheeks. He must be really in love with whoever this person is.

 

“...but I guess love makes you do the weirdest things,” he shrugs and goes back to his pizza.

 

Taehyun silently lets out a sigh of relief and keeps looking at Mino like he's some kind of work of art in a gallery. He can't believe he's really there with him, in his home, on his couch. Taehyun knows he should use the situation to his own advantage, but he doesn't know how. Mino doesn't seem interested in him, but Jinwoo would say that the mere fact he accepted the invitation is a sign that he's not completely indifferent either.

 

But what if he really accepted just because it was convenient?, he tells himself. People do the weirdest things for free stuff. I'm the first one who crashes strangers' parties just for the food. Okay, I'm usually drunk when I do, but it's still a fact that I do. Maybe for him this night is just a free pizza and nothing else.

 

“I'm Mino, by the way,” the man offers his free hand for a shake. “I realized we haven't introduced each others yet.”

 

Oh, I know perfectly who you are, Taehyun thinks as he smiles and takes his hand like he's not the love fool he is. “Taehyun.”

 

“Nam Taehyun,” Mino says, smiling. “Yeah, I know by now.”

 

“Right,” Taehyun blushes, slowly pulling back his hand. Mino's hand is rough and warm and he wishes he could hold it longer.

 

“So, you're seeing this guy you like tonight or tomorrow?” Mino goes on as he slowly but steadily eats his pizza. Maybe he's trying to know more about Taehyun, or maybe he's just trying to do small talks since the situation would be very awkward otherwise.

 

Either way, Taehyun shakes his head. “No, why would I?” He looks at the calendar behind them and realizes, “Oh. It's Valentine's Day. Right.”

 

The way he says it makes Mino laugh. “You sound so disappointed.”

 

Taehyun shrugs. “It happens when you don't have someone to spend such a day with.”

 

Then it hits him – that's the perfect chance to know more about Mino's personal life. He panics and quickly adds, “...w-what about you? Do you have plans for tomorrow?”

 

Please say you don't please say you don't, he begs as he observes Mino's veiny hand while he takes another slice.

 

The delivery man shrugs. “As you said, it's a day like the others when you don't have someone to spend it with.” He bites his slice and doesn't look too sad because of that.

 

Taehyun can hear the angels sing, but tries to tone down his enthusiasm. He wonders how proud would Jinwoo be if he manages to get Mino's number by the end of the night. It's totally worth a try.

 

 

 

**

 

 

 

February 19th

 

 

 

 

A week after The Awkward Dinner, Taehyun has not yet his hands on Mino's number, but he keeps his hopes up. After that night, he realized how many things he and Mino actually have in common, and he's sure the delivery man was pleased as well with the discovery, because he looked pleasantly surprised whenever they touched some topic they both liked. They ended up watching some movie and drinking until midnight, and then the night became really too awkward for two strangers who had casually decided to eat a pizza together.

 

When Mino had left, he had kissed Taehyun on both cheeks and smiled his goodbye. Taehyun knew it was just a common greeting, but he remembered how Mino had lingered a tiny bit longer beside his cheek, his warm breath on Taehyun's skin, and he wanted to believe the man was starting to take some kind of interest in him.

 

He had ordered other two pizzas since then, and now Mino would stop by some minutes to do small talk with him instead of just taking the money and rushing away. He said Taehyun was usually always the last delivery of his shift so he could afford it. Taehyun hoped it was a lie and Mino stopped by even if he couldn't afford it. It made the situation more romantic in his mind.

 

As soon as he got home from the library, Taehyun rushed to the phone to make his usual call. He memorized the number of the pizzeria by now and he waited in anticipation for the line to connect even though he knew it wasn't Mino the one who took the calls.

 

“Yangsuk Pizza, good evening.”

 

This time it's a guy on the other line. Taehyun looks at the Menu even though he always orders the same thing.

 

“Hello, yes, I'd like a home delivery,” he tells the guy what he wants and makes sure he writes down the correct address.

 

That's when he hears snickers from the other side of the line.

 

“Ah, yes... wait a moment, please.”

 

Taehyun is confused – they never left him waiting on the line before, but he guesses the pizzeria is very busy today because he hears a lot of voices in the background. Among them, the guy's voice rises louder. He got away from the phone, but not enough not to be heard from Taehyun.

 

“Mino! Mino, it's that creepy guy again. The one that calls every other day and asks if you're on shift. Damn, he's pretty obsessed, isn't he?”

 

A loud laughter and then silence. A moment later, the guy is near the speaker again.

 

“Alright sir, what time would you like for the delivery–”

 

Taehyun hangs up in a jerk as if he just got a shock. His hand shakes on the receiver until his legs give up on him and leave him sliding down the wall in astonishment.

 

It's true, he asked about Mino over the phone once. It happened one time, but apparently everyone working in that place remembers way too well. Maybe Taehyun went too far with his orders, but he still doesn't find it right how he's become a joke for the whole pizzeria.

 

Did Mino talk about him? Did he tell everyone he was some kind of freak who had invited him over out of the blue and freaked him out with his absurd paintings and never ending talks? Did he realize Taehyun was flirting with him from the beginning and told everyone of the stupid client who fell in love with him like a fool? Why would he do that? He looked like a nice guy.

 

Was I wrong from the beginning?, Taehyun wonders, hugging his knees to his chest and sinking his head in between. He feels like dying from the embarrassment. Jinwoo was so wrong – he tried to expose himself for once, and he got burned so badly. He doesn't know if he will be able to recover from it.

 

The flier of the pizzeria falls down at his feet and Taehyun looks at it with anger. It was stupid to begin with – a crush on someone he didn't know nor had any way to know. Ordering that many pizzas didn't change the fact that Mino was always just his delivery man and nothing more.

 

“I just wasted my money,” he murmurs. The thing is, he doesn't care about the money at all.

 

Taehyun tries to hold back the tears as he takes the flier and rips it into a million pieces. He doesn't want to hear the name Mino ever again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“What?”

 

Mino is confused. He just came back from a round of deliveries and is ready to go out again, but Seungyoon is yelling something from the other side of the kitchen. When he finally reaches him, the man is busy filling some pastry with his slender fingers.

 

“Were you yelling at me just a moment ago?”

 

Seungyoon smiles. “Yeah, but it's nothing important. A client.”

 

Mino furrows his eyebrows. “A client what?”

 

Seungyoon stops what he's doing and wipes his hand with some tissue paper. “Just, you know, that stalker you have?”

 

Mino's face is blank. His mind runs wildly trying to decipher Seungyoon's words. “What are you talking about?”

 

“Dara is the one who usually takes the calls, right?” Seungyoon says. Mino just nods, trying to understand what he's trying to say. Seungyoon stares at Mino and begins to realize maybe the man really isn't aware at all. “Well, she told me there's this guy who sometimes asks about you and orders pizza a million times a week. So of course it became our favorite topic of conversation because come on, it's just so funny,” he laughs.

 

Mino doesn't. His eyes are out of focus while he remembers something.

 

“...Nam Taehyun?”

 

Seungyoon snaps his fingers. “That's right! That's the name of the stalker.”

 

His laugh echoes in Mino's ears as his mind wanders.

 

 

 

“I don't like pizza that much, but there's someone I like a lot who really loves pizza, and I'm... trying to make myself like it too.”

 

 

 

It was me, he realizes, and he's pretty sure he looks like a fish now. He always meant me.

 

“Anyway, he hung up this time. Maybe he heard me,” Seungyoon is still snickering while he goes back to his pastry. “I may have saved your life, you should thank me.”

 

Mino pinches the bridge of his nose with his fingers. “Seungyoon, you're a great friend,” he sighs. “But sometimes you're such an .”

 

“Thank y– what?” Seungyoon raises his gaze from his worktable and catches a glimpse of a red windbreaker on the other side of the kitchen. A moment later it has disappeared.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's late when Taehyun hears someone knocking on his door. He's not waiting for anyone and Jinwoo usually texts him before dropping by. Still, it could be the owner or a neighbor, so he gets up from the couch and walks to the door.

 

He has no peephole, so he just stops with his hand on the door knob.

 

“Who's there?”

 

“Delivery for Nam Taehyun.”

 

The baritone voice leaves no doubts about his owner. Taehyun is surprised by the unexpected visit, but he's more surprised in finding himself very tired of those games.

 

“I didn't order anything.” Not this time, he mentally adds, already walking away. Somehow it's easier to let people go when you're angry, he notices.

 

“Taehyun,” comes Mino's voice from behind the door again. “I don't know what you heard and I'm sorry if someone hurt you,” Taehyun hears him sigh. “But I swear I got nothing to do with it.”

 

Taehyun stops a meter away from the locked door and crosses his arms. “So you don't think I'm a creepy stalker?”

 

“...Did Seungyoon seriously tell you that?” he sounds bewildered. “, I'm going to kill him.”

 

“No need to,” Taehyun replies, his voice emotionless. “He's right. I'm a fool who orders pizza just in hope to see the handsome delivery man. You might as well think of me as someone creepy. But don't worry,” he snickers, though Mino can't see his face. “I learned my lesson.”

 

There's a long pause before Mino speaks again. “...What does this mean?”

 

“It means goodnight, Mino,” Taehyun sighs and turns his back to the door, “and goodbye.”

 

“There is a misunderstanding!” Mino tries again. “And I'm not going to leave until you open this door.”

 

He sounds determined and for a moment, Taehyun's heart trembles. Mino sounds sincere, but Taehyun has no way to know whether he's lying about the stalker issue and he's just trying to make up for it because he feels guilty. The thought makes his stomach drop: he's hurt, and Mino showing up at his door doesn't change anything as of now.

 

“Do what you want,” he murmurs, resolving to take a shower and keep his mind off the issue for a while.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taehyun realizes he's dozed off when he looks at the clock and sees that it's already past midnight. He jumps off his bed still wrapped in the wet towel and wonders how could he fall asleep with everything that's happening that night.

 

He looks for his clothes in a rush, but then stops in front of the mirror on his dresser. He looks at the boy in the mirror and thinks that it's useless to rush – he doesn't believe Mino actually waited all those hours outside of his door.

 

But maybe he did.

 

Taehyun shakes the whiny voice out of his head and decides to take his time dressing and combing his hair. His hands are actually itching to go turn that door knob and see if he will find the red windbreaker man out of his door, and then...

 

What?

 

He actually didn't think about this part yet. He doesn't really know what he's going to do if Mino is still outside of his apartment.

 

It's not happening, says another voice in his head.

 

Taehyun rolls his eyes and turns off all the lights before slowly approaching the entrance door, trying to be as quiet as possible so as to catch the faintest of sounds. He doesn't hear anything and his crazy heartbeat is all that fills his ears. If Mino was out there, wouldn't there be some noises?

 

Maybe he fell asleep. Outside. In the cold.

 

Taehyun's heart aches at the thought, and he rushes to the door, opening it with a bit too much force.

 

The corridor is empty.

 

Taehyun walks to the parapet and looks down, but there's no sign of Mino in the courtyard either. He left long before.

 

His shoulders drop and a sad chuckle escapes his lips. Did he really expect a man he barely knows and who probably has no interest in him, to wait for him all that time just to clear a possible misunderstanding he most likely didn't even care that much about in the first place?

 

I must be completely insane, he reasons as he turns around to go back inside.

 

That's when he spots the cardboard box beside his door. He knows what it is, he's seen thirteen of them in the past four weeks.

 

His heart speeds up again and he crouches down to look at the box closely, noticing there's a piece of paper under it. Taehyun slips it from under the box, his hand trembling in anticipation, and starts reading the few lines written on it in a handwriting he doesn't know.

 

 

 

Hello, I'm the stupid guy with stupid friends.

I really wanted to stay but I realized I came here in a rush and forgot my scooter, and the subway closes at midnight, so I had no other choice. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't invite me over for the night and my stupid was freezing. Did I already say I'm stupid?

Taehyun, you're very nice and I liked our improvised night very much. It was awkward, but the kind of awkward I can get used to. If you ever want to see this again, please call this number.

Mino

 

PS: the pizza is cold but it's still very good. You don't need to eat it if you don't like it though. I would like you even if you hated pizza with every fiber of your being.

PS2: I realized I just wrote I like you. I'm definitely stupid. I understand if you don't like me anymore.

PS3: Did I just assume you like me? Please don't call that number. I just made a fool of myself and it would be way too embarrassing. I'm sorry.

PS4: (I'm joking. Call that number. Please?)

 

 

 

 

As much as he was mad angry with the delivery man just a few hours before, Taehyun can't help but laugh wholeheartedly by the time he's done reading. Mino's number is written right under his name and Taehyun realizes this was what he was aiming for since the Infamous Night of The Awkward Invitation. It would be a pity to just throw it away.

 

He reads the whole message again and picks up the cardboard box from the floor. He opens it and takes a slice of pizza, taking a bite as he walks back inside his apartment.

 

“You're right,” he mumbles, looking at the messy handwriting once again. He likes the way Mino wrote his name, it feels like he's been doing it forever.

 

He smiles, his mouth full of pizza. “It's good.”