Summer has just officially started, and people started to come and go even more to Sobang Café for a sip. The place is cool, it has a laid back ambiance where one can really relax.
 
"Hey guys, remember that ? He’s here again," Ten says, as Jaehyun comes out of the staff-room, tucking his plain white long-sleeved button-up into his jeans. "I nudged him toward table four."

It’s a bright day, but the weather report had predicted a drizzle as Jaehyun had wriggled into his skinny jeans this morning. He bets if he were to peek out the window, he'd see slowly encroaching dark clouds. He started to speak, "Uhm, that's the table near the ceiling with leaks on, Ten."

Ten grins cheekily, and Jaehyun tries not to smile back, because a customer is a customer, but the guy really one of the worst persons ever.

"Maybe he’ll get the karma of his life and won't bother coming back," Mark says optimistically, tossing plates and barely catching them, and Jaehyun puts both hands on his hips and purses his mouth. "What? Don’t tell me you guys weren't thinking it."

"The other day he left his cigarette pack trash with his number written at the back to the tip jar," Ten says. "I want to shred him into a million pieces." Ten is glaring the guy up with the kind of malice that means red hot chili pepper powder in the strawberry sauce of the red velvet cake he orders every Friday when he drops by.

"Just… Be courteous," Jaehyun says, as he notice a group of 5 girls walking in the front door with hairs colored differently. "Mark, please guide the girls to table 7, their usual booth."

Mark complies, and disappears around the corner. Jaehyun picks up a couple of their aesthetic designed menus and walks toward the group with a smile. He welcomed them and this is the first time he really took a good look at them. They were all equally beautiful. They had fair skin, pastel hairs, and cute uniforms to match. If it weren’t for their work, he would love to make them their friend. He could use a few female friends, and the girls seems very nice.

❖

Jaehyun has been working at the Sobang Cafe ever since he'd needed financial support, and the part-time work seems convenient to pay for his school fees during his third year in university. 'I'll just do this for a few months' had turned into three years, and now Jaehyun is the manager of the small restaurant-cafe, and his graduate studies are just as much on the backburner as the rest of his life.

"Mark, can you pick up an extra shift this weekend?" Jaehyun asks as he looks down at his clipboard, glaring at the blank space in the scheduling. "I know you have your additional classes that you took in advance, but…"

"Sorry, hyung," Mark says. "You'll have to ask Ten. I have a major reporting to be done on Monday morning and Hansol and I are devoting the weekend to rote preparation and research. I have to ace this class." He sprays the windows with cleaner, and then wipes up the solution with a clean towel. "I have to pass this subject or my mom would kill me."

"Ten is out of town this weekend," Jaehyun says. His roommate is headed to Fukuoka with his most recent partner, and that means its Mark or nothing. "Your mom won't kill you."

"That's what you think." Mark slams the spray bottle down on the counter, startling the high school girl scribbling at the end of the main counter into looking up in mild fear before she catches sight of him, flushes, and then looks quickly down at her notebook. "Then you'll see me in the tonight’s news headline. ‘Second year university student found disemboweled in his apartment! He had a promising future, but he was completely incapable of passing his calculus class. He'll be fondly remembered by about 30 percent of those who knew him—'"

"You're exaggerating," Jaehyun says, reaching up to ruffle Mark’s hair. Mark huffs and pulls away, and Jaehyun laughs, not offended. "I'm sure you'll pass this time. Second time's the charm?"

"Jeno says he'll help me," Mark added. "That's why I can't come in on Saturday. Sorry."

"That's okay, Mark. I'm sure I can manage it."

"Hyung, we really need to hire someone else." Mark pushes his hair back from his forehead. "It's been way too busy since Taeil-hyung left in April."

Ideally, Jaehyun should have sought a new employee as soon as he'd found out Taeil was graduating. It had been easier to live in denial, up until Taeil’s last day when Taeil had patted him on the shoulder and said "good luck with everything" before walking in the direction of the subway and leaving Jaehyun with the sinking realization that you can't run a shop with only three people.

Well, you can. It just wasn’t very convenient, and weekends feel just like weekdays. It’s also impossible to find time to do his laundry or clean his house or learn the names of Ten’s pool of girlfriends and boyfriends that seem to fly by as frequently as customers at their cafe.

"I know," Jaehyun replies a bit defeated. "You know that we all know that."

"Well," Mark says. A new batch of high school girls is still surreptitiously watching Mark. Jaehyun finds it adorable. "If I know that you know that I know that-- , this is too hard. Please! Can we just hire someone?"

Jaehyun contemplated. Then finally agreeing since he’s too tired to even try and think about any more options or alternatives, "Alright fine I’ll see what I can do about it. Oh and by the way give this frappe to that girl in table four, say it’s on the house."

"Stop trying to set me up with ," Mark wails. "You are the one that needs dates. Go on your own dates. Come to think of it what happened to that girl Ten introduced you to? The one working on the dance studio across the street? Chungha is it?"

"She's not my type," Jaehyun replies indifferent, as Ten pushes open the shop door with his hips, hands occupied by carrying fresh summer fruits. "Oh you’re here. Let me help you!"

"I've got it, I've got it." Ten’s shirt sticks to his back with sweat. "This is my last day for, like, a week or so, I can afford to throw my back out."

Jaehyun grabs a case of strawberries from the top of the pile and takes them back toward the refrigerators.

"I'm worried about your back," Mark interrupted, giving Jaehyun the once over. "The supply truck is coming at around 8:00am this Sunday morning and not to rain down on your parade, hyung, but there's a reason we hired Ten even though his head is basically filled with spicy Thai food."

"Shut up!" Ten throws the wet cloth at Mark’s face, and it is only Jaehyun’s quick thinking that keeps the other two boxes of fresh fruits from falling on the floor. "I'm bad at math. Cut me some slack."

"I don't give slacks," Mark says. "I give truth." Mark throws the spray bottle next, and the high school girl giggles. Mark flushes bright red, straightening his back and leaning onto the counter like he hadn't just thrown the spray bottle like an angry toddler.

Ten retorted back, "Worried your little friend over there won't think you're so cool anymore?"

"Oh shut up," Mark says, and then he's smiling charmingly as two college girls walk in. "I'll go show them to a table."

"No, let me," Ten says. "Help leader here with the carriages."

"You're not that much older than me," Ten says with irritation, but he takes the boxes from Jaehyun anyway, stacking them on top of the other one next to the counter. "So, hyung, I'll come in for an hour on Sunday morning to help with the truck unload." Jaehyun is about to express his thanks, but then Mark held up his finger. "Buuuut! On one condition. You need start looking for someone to hire."

"It's a deal," Jaehyun says, and Mark smiles at him triumphantly before filling up an empty mug with Coke to take over to the high school girl in the corner.

❖

Ten leaves for Fukuoka on Friday afternoon. Jaehyun is heading out of their apartment at the same time, only he's going to work, and Ten looks at him a tad mournfully as he hefts his full travel bag down the elevator.

"You know what? I think we should plan a vacation together sometime."

"Yes, it certainly is such an honor to be a third wheel on one of your romantic getaways."

Ten glares at him for a second, then looping an arm around Jaehyun’s shoulder he replied, "Just you and me. We can go to Gyeongju and look at all those jungle safari and . I know you're into that, future history professor."

"I'd actually have to go back to school to become a history professor," Jaehyun says. "And that's not financially feasible at the moment."

"You'll be back in next semester," Ten says. "You know you can't just give it up."

"I'm not giving it up," Jaehyun says. "It's just until things are better at home, you know?"

"Yeah," Ten says. There is a heavy silence between them for a few moments. It's not awkward, because Jaehyun has seen Ten in women's clothing and Ten has seen Jaehyun cry, but it is heavy. "I have to go. Johnny will be angry if I'm late."

"Of course be careful," Jaehyun says. "Have a safe flight."

Ten promised to call him when he get there, even though they both know he'll forget until he's in the shower later tonight and then he'll text Jaehyun a message filled with emojis that says something like im still breathing don’t get too excited!! :DDDDDD <333

Jaehyun bid Ten goodbye and hoped for him to have a wonderful time as he moves around to lock the door. Ten headed towards the elevator once more, and then he follows, heading to the shop to start the day.

❖

It is with trepidation that Jaehyun arranged the 'Now Hiring' sign in the window. He should put something online, but he'll try this first, because he'd like a local. Preferably a student at Saint Jude that comes in this direction on their own.

To say that he is surprised when a handsome fair-built boy walks in on that Saturday afternoon, less than twenty-four hours after he's put up the sign, with a hint of grayish hair and looking like a guy from novels, would be an understatement. He has a backpack on his shoulders, but it looks empty, and Jaehyun pauses from mixing a kiwi smoothie to grab a table menu when the boy hesitates at the edge of the counter.

"Good day sir. Can I help you?" Jaehyun asks. "A table or something to go perhaps…?" He takes a moment to study him. He's wearing a hoodie and a pair of jeans so tight Jaehyun worries for his circulation. He has tiny bow shaped lips, he really looks unreal it’s as if he was looking at someone you only see on movies.

"Actually," the boy says, and Jaehyun startles at his voice. It's kinda giving a mysterious vibe but soothing. "I'm here about the sign posted in the window?"

Jaehyun startles again, and feels kind of silly and flustered. "R-right," he says. "The hiring thing? Are you looking for a job?"

"Perhaps," the boy says. "I was wondering if I could talk to the manager or whoever’s in charge"

"That would be me," Jaehyun says, turning back to the mixer and letting it run for another 8 seconds as he composes himself. He pours the smoothie into a tall glass, and sticks two bendy straws in it for the couple that ordered it at table five. "Just give me one second."

He takes the smoothie to the table, and when he comes back, the boy is watching him with curious eyes. "You don't look old enough to be the manager." Jaehyun thinks he's teasing, with the way the shape of his mouth lifts. Jaehyun is relatively used to being teased, about all manner of things, so he takes it in stride.

"Trust me, I am." He scrunches his nose. "Are you over eighteen?" The man's arms flex. He looks strong. It would be nice, to have someone else strong around besides Mark, who is constantly showing off, lifting his shirt just enough to tease and saying oops unconvincingly when Ten glares at him.

"Yes," the man says. "My name is Taeyong. I'm a student at Saint Jude’s."

"Great. Can you work evening shifts, Taeyong?" Jaehyun busies himself with rinsing out the blender, and Taeyong’s voice is low and clear enough that he can hear it despite the running water.

"Yes," Taeyong says. "I do an internship for half the day for the next couple months, some boring business thing, but I'm free after five thirty in the afternoon, and—"

"The pay isn't that great," Jaehyun continues, and he peeks at Taeyong out of the corner of his eye. Taeyong is smiling at him, and a strand of his hair have fallen in front of his face, he brushed it up and tousled his hair in a random manner. "And it's not particularly exciting." He turns to look at Taeyong completely, and he's struck, suddenly, by how flawless the other boy looks like. "Mark is whiny and Ten is a strung-out med student and I'm—"

Taeyong’s grin just gets wider. "Cute," he says, and Jaehyun doesn't know what to say to that. "You're very cute. Can I have the job?"

"You start on Monday," Jaehyun says, and Taeying sighs happily and slides onto a stool. He stretched his arms across the counter as he settles.

"Great!" Taeyong says. "I'll be here at five-thirty." He looks up at the menu for a moment. "Can I have a milk and strawberry frappe to celebrate?"

He sounds adorably excited, and Jaehyun likes the way Taeyong seems to be tapping his fingers to an inaudible beat, head bobbing along as he looks around the shop. Jaehyun likes happy people, but he's pretty sure Taeyong will drive Mark up the wall. So much for first impression, to be honest Jaehyun thought Taeyong was a cold individual. He had piercing eyes and a sort of rigid expression. But when he starts speaking, he's actually very warm. 

"Coming right up," Jaehyun says, and he definitely doesn't feel a strange spark when their fingertips brush as he hands Taeyong the full glass.

 

This is a start of a good relationship.