As time passes, Donghae joins us more and more often during our meetups on Mondays. Sungmin, one of my always busy colleagues, also joins us about once a month again after he’s been unable to come for almost half a year and I told him that the we all miss him at our meetups. Luckily, we work for the same designer company, otherwise I think I’d almost never see that guy. Having become curious, Yunho also joins us occasionally to get to know the mysterious stranger Hyukjae talks about so much that he even annoys their common friend Junsu. Only Jaejoong never manages to come because of his own work.

On one of those Mondays, I’m actually the first from our group to arrive at Ryeowook’s Café and sit at our usual table with a cup of coffee and my all-time favorite apple cake waiting on the table in front of me. When the door to the café opens, I look up to see a young man enter whom I’ve spotted a couple of times already but whom I’ve never paid attention to. Until now. There’s a soft glimmer coming from his direction and it takes me a moment to realize it’s actually the thread around his wrist that I’m noticing for the first time today. His face is a little round and his black hair looks somehow familiar, so I know I’ve seen him before, at least from behind.

Behind the counter, one of the employees whom I’ve learned to be called Ryeowook, the nephew of the shop owner and somehow nevertheless the boy behind the shop’s name, something I have yet to understand, takes the money from another customer, and in that moment, I can see it clearly. There’s that fragile thread connecting the two young men, a thread that glimmers softly with a first recognition, waiting to develop an outshining brilliance like the thread Yunho and Jaejoong share.  A soft smile appears on my lips at the sight because of the new love that is slowly forming and I can’t help but wonder if they already know each other’s names, if they know yet that there’s more to their meeting than a small order at a comfortable café.

The door opens again and I see Donghae coming in. He spots me almost immediately and walks over to me, sitting down in his usual spot across from me.

“Hey kiddo. You look tired,” I observe and watch as Donghae leans back in his seat, resting for a moment before he straightens again.

“I have midterm exams coming up. If not tired, then what else should I look like?” he replies in a bitter tone and a look that I know is meant ironic but only makes the other appear even more tired.

“Won’t you get any coffee?”

Donghae shakes his head. “I can’t work these days because I have to study so much, so I don’t have any money,” he replies with a sigh and stretches a little in his seat. “God, if I didn’t join you guys, I’d never look up from my books.”

I laugh softly and push my own cup of coffee over to Donghae. “I think you’ll need this one more than I will.”

The grateful look I receive in return tells me more than he could have expressed verbally about his desperation. “Thank you, Heechul! You’re the best!”

“But the cake is mine,” I reply with a grin and Donghae laughs softly.

“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t dare to take that one away from you!”

The door opens again and both of us look up to see Hyukjae enter. He searches for us and then grins when he spots both of us already sitting at our normal table, then he waves towards us and we wave back before he goes to the counter to order as well.

“So how are your studies going?” I ask as I turn back to Donghae again, watching him as he picks up the coffee with both hands and carefully blows over it before he shrugs lightly.

“I guess they’re going fine. I feel like I still know way too little regarding all the things I should know and it frightens me whenever I think that I’m only in my third semester and I have five more to come…  We’ve already learned so much, how can I keep on learning so much during the following semesters as well?”

I can’t help but laugh when a thought crosses my mind and I decide to say it out loud. “You’ll be a walking lexicon.”

Donghae bursts out laughing as well and he puts the cup down again to avoid spilling any of the hot liquid. He’s still laughing when Hyukjae joins us and I’m not sure whether he really thinks what I said was hilarious or if it’s just his tired mind that makes him overreact, but I would vote for the second option.

“What’s going on here?” Hyukjae asks and puts his cup of coffee and his plate with strawberry cake on the table before sitting down.

Instead of answering, Donghae just shakes his head, still laughing, immediately leaning against his boyfriend once the latter sits, automatically hitting Hyukjae’s thigh as he can’t stop laughing, so Hyukjae looks at me for an explanation. “I don’t think I should’ve given him my coffee,” I simply reply, not sure if caffeine will make anything better.

“That one?” Hyukjae asks and points at the still completely full cup, then he wraps one arm around his boyfriend. Their right wrists are close together now and I can’t help but notice the bright sparkling of still fresh love that connects them, making me smile before I can shift my attention back to Hyukjae’s face.

“Yes, that one. And no, he hasn’t even started drinking yet.”

Apparently thinking I’ll take the coffee away from him, Donghae reaches one hand out to grab the cup again, leaving the other one where it lies comfortably on Hyukjae’s thigh. Finally, he seems to be able to slowly calm down.

The door opens again and I glance up, but it’s just two young women who enter and walk to the counter while chatting happily, so I look back at Hyukjae to see said man frowning at me. “Jungsu’s late today.”

I nod and then shrug. “He had his job interview earlier today, but he should already be finished with it…”

“Should?” Hyukjae asks and raises an eyebrow.

I nod helplessly. “He hasn’t texted me yet, so I have absolutely no idea how it went. I just hope that we won’t get any bad news later today…”

Hyukjae bites his lip. “If he hasn’t even texted you… Do you think something happened?”

Donghae looks up at his boyfriend and then giggles, raising one hand to poke his full lips. “It looks cute when you do that!”

“Donghae, how many coffees have you already had today!?” Hyukjae exclaims and catches the younger’s hand when he tries to poke the former’s lips again.

“I haven’t had any coffee yet~” Donghae says in a sing-song voice and still tries to poke his boyfriend’s lips.

“And how much have you slept the past week?”

Donghae takes a moment to think about that, giving up his struggle. One second stretches out to two, then to ten and further to twenty. I think almost a minute has passed by the time he answers, “I think I got almost twenty hours of sleep…”

“TWENTY!?” Hyukjae and I exclaim simultaneously. That’s less than three hours per night!

“Or was it fifteen? No, I think it was closer to twenty… Maybe twenty-five then..?” Donghae continues to calculate, obviously not bothered by our disbelief.

“Goodness, Donghae, this is it with your excuses, you’re coming with me today and when we get to my place, you’re going to sleep!” Hyukjae decides without giving Donghae a choice. He has offered this on a rather regular basis this past month, but Donghae has always protested, claiming he’d have to study, and even today he sits up again, panic-stricken.

“No, I can’t! Do you have any idea how much time I’ll miss out on? I have to study, Hyukkie, I can’t just-“

“You have to sleep, Donghae!” Hyukjae interrupts the younger in a stern and worried tone. “How do you think you’ll remember anything at all if you don’t allow yourself to take a break?”

“But I’m taking a break right now,” Donghae tries again, but Hyukjae shakes his head, unwavering. He turns to me and pushes my coffee back towards me.

“You take this one back.”

“No, my coffee,” Donghae tries to protest and reaches out for my coffee, but Hyukjae holds him back.

“Donghae, you need to sleep! At least allow me to take you home tonight and to spoil you a little and tomorrow in the morning, when I have to leave for work, you’re free to continue studying, but until then I want you to catch some sleep. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I let you continue such an unhealthy lifestyle?” I pick up my cup and blow over its liquid, then I take a first, careful sip. It’s still really hot and I can feel the burning sensation going down all the way to my stomach, but since I haven’t gotten a lot of sleep this weekend either – though apparently still more than Donghae – I am grateful to have some more caffeine to help me through the remainder of the day.

“I can’t, Hyukjae. I do have to study.” When his boyfriend still won’t give in, he turns to me instead. “Heechul-hyung, help me!”

I plainly shrug because there’s nothing I could do to help him. I’m on Hyukjae’s side, but I’m also in no position to interfere with them. All I can do is hope Hyukjae will be successful.

“See, even Heechul is-“

The door to the café flies open and I glance over to spot Jungsu coming nearly running towards us. “Guys, guys!” His entire face is lit up in joy and I can’t help but grin because I already know what he’ll tell us. He’s been jittery for the past two weeks because of his job interview, but finally that seems to have passed in the best way possible. “I got the job!”

“You did?” Hyukjae replies. He gently pushes Donghae off him to get up and hug Jungsu tightly. The oldest one of us laughs and nods, hugging Hyukjae back briefly but tightly. I get up to hug Jungsu as well and Donghae follows our example a little more slowly.

“I can’t believe it, do you guys have any idea how happy I am right now?” Jungsu continues to laugh and he rounds the table while the rest of us sit down again. He puts his bag on the floor next to the remaining empty chair and takes out his wallet instead. “I’ll get a piece of cake. Donghae, aren’t you having anything?”

“I’m broke,” the youngest replies, still feeling down and insecure because of Hyukjae’s intention to keep him from studying for the rest of the day.

“C’mon, I’ll treat you,” Jungsu offers in response and Donghae lights up at those news.

“But no coffee!” Hyukjae and I protest immediately and Donghae’s face falls again, glaring at us despite his tiredness.

“But a piece of cake won’t hurt, will it?” Jungsu replies with a wink towards Donghae. “Do you want some hot chocolate with that? I think I will take one,” he muses and Donghae gets up, following Jungsu to the counter.

Hyukjae and I look after them and we watch as Jungsu and Donghae look through the variety of cakes to pick something they’d like. Donghae tries to convince Jungsu to still give him coffee, but Jungsu refuses, claiming that if the two of us who remained seated say that Donghae can’t have any, he won’t act against that.

Ryeowook, who had been chatting with the young man to whom his thread connects, turns to Jungsu and Donghae when it seems like the two of them have picked something and begins to chat with them as well and when Jungsu tells him that he has just gotten a new job, Ryeowook immediately says that he’ll treat Jungsu and Donghae and that his uncle won’t mind it because we’re regulars anyway. Jungsu’s obvious, overflowing joy is contagious enough to even brighten up Donghae’s mood when the two of them make their way back to us again and I can see Ryeowook return to the man he’d been talking to before to continue their easy-going conversation.

Now that this other guy has caught my attention, I realize he comes at the same time probably every day because no matter on which day I come to the café he’ll be there, too. The only thing that surprises me is that nothing really changes about their thread, so apparently they don’t go out. Maybe I should give fate a little push? Of course they might not be ready for each other yet, but I think it’ll be worth a try. Now I just have to gather more information…

About one month passes until I get the chance to talk to the cute employee at my favorite café in private and even that only happens because I end up running late, causing me to arrive when the other guy leaves, a time that is comparably early for him. Oh well, even better for me.

I go up to the counter. Even though the café is well filled as always, the atmosphere is still relaxed and it’s obvious that many of the customers simply stay to chat because there’s no reason for them to leave urgently. No other customers are waiting and causing the two employees behind the counter to have to ask other customers to make space, a situation that has become so normal for me that I always feel strange when I notice how hurried people are in other cafés.

“Hello~” Ryeowook greets me cheerfully. “You’re here a lot lately,” he observes further and smiles happily at me.

I shrug lightly. “Your apple cakes are too good to stay away for long,” I reply and then grin at the cute waiter who laughs in return.

“Would you like a piece?”

“Nah, I think I’ll get fat if I take one so often. And I can’t spoil everyone else’s fun by always eating so much of that cake, can I?”

“True again. So what would you like instead?”

“Could I get some hot chocolate?”

“Because that’s any better,” Ryeowook replies ironically.

“Just don’t look at it cutely and it won’t get even sweeter,” I reply and can’t help but laugh when the young boy blushes a deep red.

“Aish,” he curses under his breath and turns away to make my hot chocolate. I lean onto the counter by putting one elbow on it and resting my head on that hand, feeling more comfortable than Ryeowook does right now but I know how to change that.

“You look happy lately,” I say softly and he turns back to me while waiting for the machine to fill my cup.

“I do?” he asks in surprise and I can tell he really hasn’t noticed it until now, so I nod.

“Yes, you do. Ever since this guy who just left… Who is that even?”

“His name is Yesung and he just moved to Seoul last month.”

“Yesung? Well, that’s a unique name!” I try to figure out if I’ve heard the name before, but I quickly come to the conclusion that I haven’t and that I’d remember it if I had, that name is too uncommon to just forget it. “Ever since he showed up, you look really happy,” I finish my sentence.

The blush that appears on Ryeowook’s cheeks now is really cute, one that doesn’t come from a negative kind of embarrassment but one that shows me that he’s probably already developed a crush on the newcomer.

“He’s really nice. He came here because he said he’s trying to figure out which places are the best ones to go to. It’s good, especially now, that we have a new customer…” Ryeowook sighs and makes a serious face that I haven’t seen on him before.

I change my position a little to rest both arms on the counter now and fully turn towards him. “Why? What’s going on?”

“Haven’t you heard?” When I shake my head, Ryeowook continues, “There’s this new bar and café that has opened not too far from here, the Mouse Rabbit. People say that place is really good and led by two brothers who dreamed of fulfilling their dream here.”

“And now their dream is threatening yours and your uncle’s.”

Ryeowook hums in response, looking sadder than I’ve ever seen him before. The machine behind him stops and he turns around, a moment later he hands me the cup of hot chocolate and I quickly pay him for it before I sit straight again. “Is that other place really that much of a competition?”

“Since they don’t only offer cakes and coffee during the days but also alcohol at night, many people speak fondly of that place and I heard that one café that’s even closer to the Mouse Rabbit already thinks about closing because they can’t survive like this.”

I hum and look down into the steaming cup. This is not the way I had thought this conversation would go! I have to think for a while, wondering if I can somehow get the conversation back to Yesung, before I speak up, sporting a grin in hopes of cheering Ryeowook up again. “But at least you have another new customer now who also thinks that your menu is irresistible.”

The cute boy looks up and smiles back at me softly as he nods. “Yes, that’s true. We won’t go down just like that, no one can make cakes as delicious as ours!”

“And they don’t have such a cute kid selling those cakes.”

This time, Ryeowook giggles and I think he understood that I’m not hitting on him but that I’m just trying to lift his mood. “That’s right, I’m way too special, people just have to come here!”

I laugh again at his confidence, thinking that more people should be like him in this matter.

“Oppa!” a female voice calls out from the entrance and I turn around to find the owner’s daughter come in and walk up to the counter excitedly, starting to chat with her cousin even before she reaches the front. I smile to myself and turn towards the TV, trying to follow the ever-repetitive news while I wait for my hot chocolate to cool down.

Work gets busy afterwards and I can’t make it to the café often for a while, therefore I get to see Sungmin a little more often because our sections of the designer company work together to create the perfect outfits for the next spring season, but we’re beginning to run late. We barely have a month left until the stores' buyers will come to see the results and decide what they will offer in their stores, so all of us end up working extra hours to do whatever our bosses request, even at home I can’t really tune work out because there’s so much to do that I occasionally take work home and try to get inspiration from outside work.

It’s only when we get a positive feedback on the results that things return to normal. Finally, I can also make it back to the café and this time, Sungmin even comes with me right after work.

“They’re back from the land of the dead!” I hear Hyukjae call out the moment we step into Ryeowook’s Café.

“So they’re zombies?” Donghae asks back with wide eyes.

“Everybody run!” Jungsu cheers and the three of them laugh. Some of the other customers look at them strangely but they ignore it like they usually do. Sungmin next to me laughs and I also can’t help but smile at their silliness. God, I’ve missed these crazy fools this past month!

“Let’s get some coffee, maybe then they won’t think anymore that we’re zombies,” I suggest and Sungmin agrees happily. Ryeowook’s coworker serves us this time, then we sit down with the other three.

“Welcome back to freedom,” Donghae greets us with a mischievous grin, but I immediately smirk back.

“As if you’re the right one to say that, school kid.”

“Yah! I beg to differ-“

“University kid,” I correct myself at Donghae’s protest and he nods in approval despite pouting.

“And what are you talking about? Of course I’m also busy and stressed out when exams come around, but other than that I’ll usually at least find the time to come over and meet up with you all.”

“One: you’re not stressed out when exams approach, you’re ed up, kiddo, there’s a difference. And two: yes, you do meet up with us, but then you tell us how you have to go back to studying right away and are in fact already wasting too much time because you stepped down to meet up with us. I don’t think that sounds particularly free,” I reason and flash him a challenging look, curious if he’ll respond to it or not.

“But once I’m done, it’ll be less stressful and I’ll be able to do something I like,” he defends himself right away with a huff and a defiant expression.

“I’m also working to get into the position I want.”

“But you haven’t gotten there.”

“You haven’t either.”

“Seriously, kids, can’t I at least drink my coffee in peace?” Jungsu eventually interrupts us and when I look at him, he shakes his head at us. “There are enough people going back and forth with their arguments at my work, you two shouldn’t argue that much.”

“But you still love your work,” I observe and he nods dutifully. Even though I can tell working as an MC stresses him out regularly as well, I can see how much he still enjoys doing this. I always try to watch the shows he’s in even though he’s embarrassed about it, but I love to see him on TV because it reminds me that at least one of us has been able to turn his passion into work. Seeing him always motivates me not to give up on my dreams.

“But hyung, at least they are close enough to bicker all the time. I couldn’t do that,” Sungmin next to me argues and when I look over at him, I see our aegyo king pout in the most adorable way. I wrap an arm around him to console him a little even though that will make the cute expression disappear.

“You just have to join us more often,” Hyukjae reasons, but at the same time, he starts to get up.

“Where are you going?” I ask with a frown. I know Sungmin and I have arrived late, but not late enough that Hyukjae would need to leave already…

“There’s a conference I have to participate in.” Hyukjae grimaces. I know how much he hates those things and how much he generally dislikes his job, but he said that he was never able to meet the criteria to become a dancer – whatever those criteria are. I know he’s an incredibly talented dancer!

“Text me when you’re off later, alright? I’ll study a bit and then I could pick you up,” Donghae replies and leans back to be able to properly look at his boyfriend who nods in response.

“I will,” Hyukjae promises and leans down to briefly peck Donghae’s lips, a gesture that still makes me smile and Donghae blush, then Hyukjae straightens and waves towards us. “See you.”

“See you,” we reply, then he’s off on his way.

Jungsu is the next one to leave, saying that there’s still an interview later that day and he hasn’t quite finished preparing it yet, so then it’s just Donghae, Sungmin, and me. We sit together and chat for a while, time Sungmin and I use to drink our coffee and eat our pieces of cake.

I don’t know why I look up when the café’s door opens at some point during our talk, but I do, and suddenly our conversation isn’t all that interesting anymore because I can’t believe my eyes. There’s Yesung coming in with a young woman and it doesn’t take me long to see in their gestures that they have arrived as a couple. I glance over to the counter to see if they’ve been a couple for a while already and if I’ve just missed out on something during the time that I haven’t been able to come here, but then I see Ryeowook who looks utterly shocked at the sight for a few seconds until he apparently notices himself staring and turns to his colleague, talking to her quietly for a moment, then he leaves. I look back at Yesung and frown. Who is that woman? What is she doing by his side? She shouldn’t be there, he has already met Ryeowook! So why is he in a relationship with that woman instead?

“Heechul?” I turn my head to find Sungmin and Donghae watching me and the former clicks his tongue. “Stop lusting over that cute waiter, he’s not your type anyway. Whatever your type even is.”

“No, that’s not it, it’s just…” I motion towards the counter helplessly but then I remain silent because I obviously couldn’t just tell the other two that my attention has rather been on the man who just entered the café, the man who should not be with the woman he entered with. In the end, I shake my head. “It’s nothing,” I finish and look down into my coffee instead, suddenly not in the mood for it anymore because I’m too confused by what I’ve just seen.

I would have loved to talk to Ryeowook afterwards, but Sungmin somehow manages to talk not only me but also “I have to study”-Donghae into going outside and enjoying the nice weather. We all know that Korea’s summer rain will start soon, so there’s nothing we can really say against Sungmin dragging us out, especially not when he eventually bribes us with ice cream. I will probably seriously get fat, but there’s no argument that would ever hold against ice cream!

I still manage to go back to the café by the end of the week, but to my surprise Ryeowook’s not around. I know it’s not his day off, so maybe he’s just using the restroom. I wait for a while at the counter, claiming that I haven’t decided yet what I’d like to have and eventually ordering a tea while I wait for Ryeowook because I seriously visit this place too often lately! Then again, it can hardly be considered my fault that things between Yesung and Ryeowook simply bother me too much to remain still.

Minutes pass until Ryeowook appears and I can see he has cried. I hope that it has nothing to do with Yesung, but I have a feeling it does. Of course there are a million reasons why he might start crying , but that it has happened at work…

“Ryeowook-sshi?” I call out softly and he looks up at me, then he approaches me.

“Can I help you with anything?” he asks and his voice sounds flat, there’s none of the joy or the confidence I usually hear when I chat with him.

“Has anything happened?”

“That’s none of your business.”

I bite my lip. Of course it’s none of my business, but the nagging feeling that’s telling me this is about Yesung is still there and if it’s about Yesung, then I want to find out more about it, I want them to have a chance to be together! If I couldn’t have that kind of chance, then at least they need to have that chance and yes, maybe I’m the wrong person to do this, but I don’t know who else could speak up for me.

“Then please just tell me one thing: is it about Yesung?”

Ryeowook flinches and I know I’m right, this does have something to do with him! What else happened that made Ryeowook react this way? What happened today? “That’s none of your business,” he repeats, but this time there’s anger in his voice as well. I simply watch him, hoping for more to come, but he goes back to work, busying himself with small tasks that don’t seem to have been necessary. Almost a minute passes until he spins around to me, looking furious, and when he speaks up, I flinch at his tone. “And that’s not even his name! His name is Kim Jongwoon and he’s one of those brothers who lead the Mouse Rabbit and he only came here to check out the competition and now he says that he’ll do his best not to lure customers away because he sees the worth of this place. Can you believe that!? He’s been chatting with me all this time without thinking that he should maybe tell me about his real motivations or even his real name, no, he’s built up his own little fantasy world here and thought it would be okay to flirt with me and all and then he comes in with that stupid woman and now you’re asking me if anything happened and just everything about this is wrong and I shouldn’t even be telling you about any of this!”

I’m shocked, partly because of the fact that he yelled at me in front of the entire café, partly because of the things he said to me, and partly because he’s starting to cry all over again. “I-I’m sorry, I… Please don’t cry. Hang on.” I hurry to fetch a pack of tissues from the pocket of my pants, then I get one of them out and hand it to Ryeowook. Despite glaring at me, he takes the tissue and disappears to the back again, probably to blow his nose without anyone else looking. His coworker takes his place.

“Great job,” she hisses at me. “He’s just calmed down and then you do that.”

I stare at her for a moment, still trying to comprehend what just happened, then I apologize again. After a few more seconds, I get up, bow, and then leave, figuring there’s no need for me to stay any longer, at least not today. I decide to walk home so I can think about what happened. My brain tells me not to get involved any further because I don’t personally know Ryeowook or Yesung – or Jongwoon, whatever – and it’s obvious that at least the cute waiter boy wouldn’t want me to get involved any further, but my heart flashes back to that day six years ago and I know I can’t just stand by and watch without doing anything. But what should I do next?

For a while, I try to just watch what’s going on. I also start going to the Mouse Rabbit just to find out more about the guy who dared to be so rude to Ryeowook and with a sinking feeling in my guts I realize that people are right when they say that this place is flourishing. Whenever I get a peek of Yesung, I see him in a good mood. So is Ryeowook the only one who’s suffering?

I don’t get the answer to my question, but luck seems to be on my side anyway.

It’s during my third week of standing by and trying to find a way to give those two a chance to be together without being too obvious that it happens.

I’m sitting in the Mouse Rabbit and it’s already nearing closing hours for this place as a café so they can open again in a few hours to function as a bar and I’m looking over some new designs, trying to figure out whether they’d be appealing to people or not, when I suddenly hear a woman’s loud voice. “-not calm down! Kim Jongwoon, you don’t even love me, stop fooling me! I know what you are!” I look up to see her storming out from the kitchen area with a desperate Yesung behind her. I put down the pencil that I’ve been using to jot down comments to the designs and instead watch the scene unfold.

“Please, let’s at least go back to-“

“No way! Everyone here can know what you are: you’re a ! Do you want me to spell it out for you?” Even I flinch at her penetrating voice and her cursing, and I feel my hands clenching to fists. If they truly break up, I’ll be glad, but there’s no need for her to use those kinds of words, not even in an argument!

“No, you-“

“I’m done with you! Goodbye, Jongwoon! Find yourself a boy or whatever – no, wait, you’ve never been interested like that in me either.”

I flinch again at her giving away details neither I nor anyone else in this room has been asking for, details that do not belong into a public argument, yet I’m sure she’s doing it on purpose in order to ruin this place.

Another young man appears in the entrance way to the kitchen, but he’s wise enough not to step up until the woman left for real without allowing Yesung to say anything else. I almost feel sorry for the young man who looks so lost standing in the serving area of the dream he has built up with his brother with too many people watching him, but then I remember that he has probably done something similar to Ryeowook and I’m not quite as sorry anymore.

The second man steps up and places one hand on Yesung’s shoulder, then he addresses the customers, “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m sorry but we’re closing early today. If you don’t mind, I’d like you to collect your belongings so we can close and prepare for our night shift.”

I slowly pack my belongings and look around. Everyone around me is hurrying to finish their order or packing as well, talking quietly. I notice the many glances going into Yesung’s direction and I can see that he feels miserable. After a few more seconds, he turns to leave and I hurry to grab my bag, closing it as I walk over to him. “Yesung-sshi!” I call out before I notice my mistake, but he freezes up anyway, giving me enough time to approach him. I flash him what I hope to be a sympathetic smile, but he looks away, trying to get away from me. From the corners of my eyes, I can already see the other guy who’s probably his brother approach us. “I assume someone we both know felt very similar recently. Maybe it’s time to talk to that person,” I say quietly, hoping that he understands what I mean, but by the way he’s still diverting his eyes, I assume that he does, then I leave before the other guy can reach me. I’ve probably already gotten into enough trouble!

Monday comes and goes and then I’m busy working again and before I know it, two and a half weeks have passed without me finding out anything new about the situation of my cute waiter. It’s another awful Monday in the endless list of awful Mondays and I’m incredibly tired after too little sleep and too much work and… well, too much Monday, to make it short.

I enter Ryeowook’s Café and make it to the front where Ryeowook’s coworker is, somehow I’ve gotten used to choosing that line ever since the boy yelled at me. I only order coffee today, not really in the mood for anything sweet or to let my bad mood potentially ruin the apple cake here. It’s only when I’m waiting for my coffee after having paid that I glance towards our usual table but find other people sitting there. Donghae waves at me from another table, though, so I wave back briefly before I turn to the front again to take my coffee. I haven’t gotten far yet when someone suddenly steps into my way and I recognize Yesung. For the first time today, I glance over at Ryeowook who flashes me a shy smile and then motions for me to come closer to him. I look back at Yesung and he nods at me, so I follow the invitation, unsure how to feel about this because I haven’t really talked to Ryeowook since the day he yelled at me. As I look down uncomfortably, my eyes are met with the soft glimmer of a thread that I can immediately trace back to Ryeowook and suddenly my bad mood vanishes because I know things finally worked out.

“So he is the one?” Ryeowook asks once we stand in front of him.

“Yes, exactly.”

I look up and see Ryeowook shake his head lightly, watching me curiously as he does that. “But why? Did you just do it because… because of me?” His voice is quiet and I can tell he’s embarrassed, but I think it’s cute.

I shake my head nevertheless and flash him a hesitant smile. “No, I didn’t just do it because of you…” I think for a moment of how I can put it the best when someone more or less fills in for me.

“Have you played Amor again?” An arm is wrapped around my shoulders and even if he hadn’t said anything yet, I would have known just by that that it’s Hyukjae. In front of me, Ryeowook blushes softly and looks down, causing Hyukjae to laugh. “You must know, Heechul-hyung is really good at doing that. Somehow he always knows which people belong together. He actually helped me find my boyfriend,” he reveals further.

“Oh really?” Yesung asks and I nod lightly, from the corner of my eyes I can see Hyukjae nod as well. “How do you do that?”

“Let’s call it intuition,” I reply with a secretive smile, gaining back my confidence now.

“Alright, then thank you, I guess.”

“You’re welcome,” I reply and grab my coffee, ready to finally join Donghae when Ryeowook holds me back.

“Heechul-sshi?” I look at him again to see what he would like to add. “I’m sorry for yelling at you.”

“Don’t worry about it. The most important thing is that you two can make things work out from this point onwards.”

Hyukjae’s coffee is done as well, so both of us leave to join Donghae at the table he’s reserving for us. When I sit down, I look at Yesung and Ryeowook and see them talking with as much agitation as they have before their fight, but this time, their thread has become a little brighter. I smile and lean back, happy with how the day turned out even though it hasn’t even ended yet.

When I get home that night, I simply watch some movies, lacking any motivation to do anything else. I know I should clean or at least work on the designs I have been told to finish by Friday, but somehow I can’t concentrate. Something tugs at the edge of my consciousness, telling me that something has changed ever since I got off the bus on my way home, but I just can’t figure it out. There’s no birthday coming up, no other celebration, nothing special… There’s not even anything exciting going on in everyone else’s lives of the people around me. And the fact that Yesung and Ryeowook seem to finally have overcome their hurdles can’t really be enough to keep me fidgeting all evening, can it?

I sigh and eventually even give up on trying to concentrate on movies, figuring I’ll just try to sleep instead. I’m sure I’ll feel normal again tomorrow!

I get ready and then go to bed, reaching for my bedside lamp to turn it off when I notice it. My right arm hovers in the air, reaching for the forgotten switch of my lamp. I only realize I stopped breathing when my lungs almost start to hurt from the lack of oxygen, but when I breathe in, I start to feel a little dizzy. My eyes are still glued to my wrist. Impossible! No, that can’t happen! I know it can’t!

My heart is beating way too fast and too loud, I can even hear the blood rushing through my ears, but I barely notice any of that. No, my entire focus is on the one thing that I have never gotten over but have learned to accept as a fact nevertheless.

The thread on my wrist is still gray, but it doesn’t stop after a foot’s length, it looks like it’s about to rip, but it’s there, it’s longer than it has still been this morning, longer than it has been in six and a half years.

What the hell happened?

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Hey guys, one of you asked me to continue and the more I thought about that idea, the more it appealed to me, so here you are with another chapter of Heechul bringing together soulmates ;) I hope you like it~!

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