i
King of Hearts
There's a café at the corner of the street. It doesn't serve delicious coffee nor does it have pretty waitresses, but Sunggyu enjoys going there. It's quiet and peaceful. Sunggyu likes being alone. He thinks a lot. He thinks about the present. He thinks about the future. He thinks about what to have for dinner. He thinks about his family in Korea. But, most of the time, he wonders what he is thinking about because his mind is just a blank canvas, and it's fascinating.
There's a café at the corner of the street, and it's crowded today. Sunggyu tucks himself at the seat near the window and watches the people passing, the rain falling, the flowers dancing, the trees swaying. Sunggyu simply watches. He listens intently to the splitter splatter of the rain and stares as the raindrops race each other down the window. He decides that the big fat one is going to win because gravity is a peculiar thing. He doesn't hear the jingle of the bells when the door opens. He doesn't hear the steps of a man walking in. He doesn't hear the water dripping from the man's wet hair. He almost misses him if he hasn't cleared his throat.
"E-excuse me, I, you, sit?"
Sunggyu looks up. He sees a dripping wet man standing awkwardly in front of him, playing with his fingers, his eyes moving around. He can make out a few words from the man's choppy Japanese. He figures that the man is asking for a seat so he simply nods. The man utters a soft but audible thank you before mumbling about how heavy the rain is and how unlucky he is in perfect Korean.
"Are you a Korean, too?"
The man immediately brightens up as soon as Sunggyu speaks.
"Oh my gosh, you can't imagine how happy I am now! Screw that. I'm over the moon!"
Sunggyu tries his best to listen while the man babbles on about how he is here for a vacation without knowing how to speak a single word of Japanese besides the common 'oiishi', 'arigato' and 'kawaii'. He has picked up more words along the way, but he's nowhere near fluent and comprehensible.
"I mean, can you believe it? How clumsy can I get to lose my wallet and my phone? My passport's inside, too! I've nowhere to go, and it's not like I know anyone here, right?"
The man looks up, batting his eyelashes. They are still wet, Sunggyu notes.
"Well, if you don't mind, you can stay at my house for the time being until your family comes for you. It's just me there. You can help with the chores."
Sunggyu doesn't mean to sound uninterested, but isn't it too much to ask for from a stranger?
"I know it's too much to ask of you and you barely know me, but rest assured. I'm a great help!"
Sunggyu continues observing him. His lower lip is plump and full, and there are tiny moles around his eyes. His nose has a weird shape, but he looks decent. Passable. In fact, the female waitress with her hair braided has been stealing glances at their table ever since the man sat down. Sunggyu glares back at her. He doesn't like being watched (though he enjoys watching others). The waitress immediately retreats into the back.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I've been talking for so long that I haven't had a chance to learn your name. My friends all call me namu."
Sunggyu shrugs.
"You can just call me hyung."
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