The clinking of dishes and gentle splashes of water along with a soft humming were the only sounds echoing through the small neat apartment.

Park Jinyoung smiled to himself as he soaped the platters and silverware, scrubbing away with the sponge as he sang the melody from his favorite Korean drama OST. It was one of his most-liked songs, as it came on during the reunion scene between the boy and girl in the last episode. Despite having gone through a terrible breakup, the girl had refused to give up and had chased down her beloved all the way to his company's event, where she had stood up on stage and proclaimed her affections for him through the mic. Jinyoung knew it was horribly cliché, but he couldn't help himself. As a Literature major, he spent a lot of time reading books and watching movies about love and romance. It was only natural that he began fantasizing about the fierce love and timeless moments that the couples seemed to share, and secretly dream for his own fairytale to happen as well.

He brushed his soft black bangs away from his eyes and nudged his glasses up his nose with his wrist. As he reached down in the sink for the last bowl, a deafening shout followed by the loud bang of a door shattered the pleasant mood. Startled, Jinyoung whirled around, pink apron fluttering, only to be smothered by the next second by a very energetic and attention-demanding best friend.

"Jinyoungieeeee ~ " Jackson cooed, ruffling the younger's hair. "How are you doing?" 

Rolling his eyes at his friend's behavior, Jinyoung slipped underneath the arm that had him in a chokehold to resume his activity. "I'm fine, hyung. Just doing the dishes." Jackson pouted. 

"You're too serious all the time. My puppy needs to go out more and have fun!" He placed the plastic bags he'd been carrying on the counter before seating himself on a stool. "You're like a housewife, except without the house."

Jinyoung flicked soapy water at him as revenge for that comment, reveling in Jackson's shrieks that resulted. "I'm also not a wife, in case you haven't noticed. And what's wrong with being serious? If anything, you're too frivolous." 

After checking that his leather jacket was fine, Jackson clutched at his chest in mock pain. "Jinyoungie, you wound me. How could you say that to your beloved hyung? He just wants to make sure that you're not single forever." Jinyoung rolled his eyes at that before taking off his silicone gloves and hanging them on the rack. Washing his hands, he turned around to dry them on a towel before making his way over to the table to start putting away the groceries that Jackson had bought.

As he opened the fridge, he sighed at the overgrown child sitting in his apartment. "I'm not going to be single forever. I'm only 21. There's still plenty of time for me to meet someone. Just because I don't go clubbing every other night like certain people doesn't mean I'm a recluse."

Jackson snorted as he slid out of his seat to start stacking the boxes in the cupboard. "That's what you've been saying. And, by the way, I do not go clubbing every other day. It's every three days, thank you very much. But besides that, I'm starting to think that your 'Prince Charming' is someone that only exists in those books you read." He turned to face Jinyoung, arms crossed. "It's about time that you meet someone in real life for once who'll sweep you off your feet."

Grinning slightly, Jinyoung flicked Jackson's forehead, earning an indignant "Yah!" before untying his apron and hanging it on the kitchen hook. "Thanks for your concern, hyung. But I'll have you know I'm perfectly fine being single." He began walking towards his room to change when Jackson's next words made him pause.

"If it's about the past, I'll have you know that he didn't deserve you and -- "

"It's fine." Jinyoung turned slightly to send a slight smile. "I'm over him anyways."

Jackson still looked unsure, but then sighed and ruffled his hair. "Alright, alright. But you know that I only want the best for my puppy right?" He sent Jinyoung an aegyo heart at the end and a wink.

Chuckling at his hyung's childishness, Jinyoung nodded and began walking down the hallway. 

"Wang gae?" Jackson yelled.

"Park gae!" was the resounding answer. Jackson grinned cheerfully before plopping himself down on the sofa. He scrolled through his Facebook as he waited, noting the news and different events that were coming up in the next months on the campus forum. Just as he liked a page referencing the exchange student program, Jinyoung finally appeared, sliding on his jacket.

Jackson stood up and grabbed his keys from the counter. "Ready to go?"

Jinyoung nodded as he slid on his shoes. "Thanks for the ride, hyung." Jackson cooed.

He wrestled the younger into a headlock, despite his whiny protests. "Awww, I love you too Jinyoungie! Now, let's go drop you off at your boring job."

"It's not boring!" was Jinyoung's only protest before he was dragged off by a laughing Jackson.

After giving Jackson a resounding punch in his arm for the remark, Jinyoung hopped out of his car before making his way up the steps of the university library. Part of the reason he had decided on JYP University, besides its illustrious academic reputation, was because of its world-renowned research facilities and historical databases. There was nothing he loved more than a good book, and being able to have access to the largest collection of novels in Korea was a chance that he couldn't pass up. So when Jinyoung was offered the chance to become a library assistant, he happily obliged by fulfilling the part-time role on his off-days despite the slight distance between the building and his apartment.

As he walked up to the front desk to check in, Jinyoung inhaled the scent of worn pages and musty books. It relaxed him and made him feel at peace. After he registered his shift, Jinyoung pulled out the novel he'd been reading out of his bag. It was another romance and he was eager to pick up from where he had left off; it was the climactic scene where the two main characters were going to meet for the first time.

Flicking through the pages, he found his peach bookmark and slid it out before delving into the story.

Soohyeon sighed as she prepared the coffee. It would be another hour until her shift was over; after this, she could finally go back to her dorm and start on her paper. Looking over at the line of customers, she groaned softly before stretching her aching back. Standing for over six hours had really taken a toll on her body, especially since she'd been working part-time at the cafe for nearly three months now.

As more orders came flooding in, her mind went on autopilot as she began to daydream. Soohyeon had always wished to start her own restaurant. Ever since she was young she had adored cooking and was eventually inspired to enroll in a culinary college far away from her hometown. While she had initially arrived full of energy and vigor, the combined factors of homesickness, workload, and part-time work to help pay for her tuition wore her down until she was just another student struggling to get by the semester.

She had little time to explore hobbies, hang out with friends, or even search for love, much to the chagrin of her parents. While Soohyeon understood their concern, she didn't see dating as a possibility in the near future. How could she, when she was swamped with stress? Besides, it wasn't even like she had that big of an interest in romance in the first place. To her, it just seemed like a waste of time and a call for unwanted drama.

Soohyeon shuddered as she recalled the numerous occasions where one of her girlfriends would drunk call her at 2 am in the morning to cry about a boyfriend that had dumped them. Relationships seemed so unnecessary and too large of an investment just to end up with heartbreak. No, it was much better to remain single.

She shook her head in dismay as she poured a green tea latte. If only she could tell her parents to wait a couple more years for her to enter the dating scene until she was out of college and starting her restaurant. Actually, scratch that. Maybe a couple decades. Or even better, never at all. That would be perfect.

Brushing her hair out of her face, she turned and tried to read the cashier's scrawl so she could call out the customer's name. 

"Tae - , Tee - , um - "

"It's Taemin." a smooth voice cut off her stuttering, and Soohyeon looked up to meet warm brown eyes and a cheeky smile.

The boy reached out a hand to take the drink from her hand, and like a robot, she handed it over, her eyes raking across his face.

He was dressed simply, in a long brown overcoat with jeans and a white button down. The backpack slung over his shoulder indicated that he was probably a college student as well, as well as his youthful appearance.

Yet Soohyeon couldn't bring herself to look away. It was as if she was struck by a bolt of lightning. No matter how hard she tried, her eyes were drawn to his figure like a magnet, hopelessly fixated on his smiling face.

Realizing she had stared a second too long, she blushed. "I'm sorry, sir. Here's your latte." she stuttered, folding her hands awkwardly down to the side.

Taemin laughed and waved aside her apology with his hand. "It's fine. If anything, it's the fault of the cashier for writing my name so messily." he chuckled. Fidgeting, Soohyeon could only nod until her manager barked at her to get back to work. Jumping slightly, she hastily bowed to him before turning around to fix the orders that had piled up.

Yet as she prepared an expresso, she couldn't help but risk another glance at the man as he left the cafe. As she watched his brown coat turn around the corner through the window, she couldn't help but wonder if she would meet him again.

Sighing to herself, she turned back to the counter to yell out the next customer's name. Only this time, there was no magic spark.

After her shift ended four hours later, Soohyeon still couldn't shake the thought of the guy she had met earlier at the coffee shop. It was unlike her, really, to be thinking so much about one person. She was a driven and focused woman, aspiring to achieve her restaurant dream. She had no time to dally in half-hearted relationships, much less moon over cute strangers who apparently liked green tea lattes.

She paused in her walk, then slapped her cheek. There she was, again, thinking of that guy!

Shaking her head in frustration, Soohyeon s