LUHAN'S STORY * * *

'Nothing... You never did anything wrong...' 
That's what Joohee had said. 

Luhan didn't believe a single word of it. He had done everything wrong - and 'everything' meant precisely one thing: Not being Chanyeol.
It was all-too obvious, no matter how much he had tried to convince himself otherwise. Joohee only had eyes for Chanyeol from since who-knows-when. He had known that since the day he had met her - the day he had fallen knee-deep in love for her. 
... He had come as a foreign transfer student and had struggled in communicating with people due to his lacking Korean. Reading signs had taken a while, speaking had felt awkward, and his most-used phrase had been, "please speak slowly." 
But there had been one thing that had outright caught his attention, with no chance of being misinterpreted: the beautiful piano playing of a girl in the music school. He had happened to hear it once by chance, and from then on, he would go every chance he got. He had never once stepped inside that room with the majestic piano, afraid that there was the possibility of his presence disturbing the melody. 

So he had simply just watched and more importantly, listened.
The more enchanted he had grown with the music, the more mesmerized he had become with the musician. Her dainty fingers, the small smile on her lips as she played, the way she closed her eyes softly from time to time... they had all added to her natural beauty.

And almost two years later, after a winter concert, he had been able to tell her - in nearly perfect Korean - "That was breathtaking. Even better than your fall etude piece."
He had wanted to say, 'You were breathtaking," but he hadn't had the guts to. He still remembered how he had wrung his hands oh-so nervously. 

But he could never erase the image of the bright sparkle in her eyes when she had perked her head up in response. In that moment, he could proudly say he was responsible for that sparkle.

너 이 세상에서 제일 빛나잖아
젤 낮은 이 곳까지 비춰
You shine the brightest in this world,
shine all the way to even this lowest place

* * *

"So you got dumped today, huh, Hyung?"
"Ah, shut up, Jongin" Luhan growled playfully, giving his younger friend a light shove as he stole the basketball away.

Jongin looked at Luhan and shrugged. "Maybe it wasn't meant to be."
He frowned as Luhan scored a basket. "I let you have that one," he lied boastfully. "Think of it as consolation for being newly single." 

"For your information, we were never really dating," Luhan said casually, maneuvering around his friend and sinking in another shot. Nothing could make him feel as good as when he completely destroyed Jongin at basketball. "So she didn't really dump me."

"So she rejected you," Jongin joked. "No real diff."
Luhan glared. "So this is why no girls like you - you're an ."
"Well, this is your friend!" 
"I think I'm going to rethink my friend circle," he joked, stealing the ball again. "... Maybe make some friends who can actually put up some sort of challenge in a simple game of hoops."

Jongin scowled. He was totally off his game today - he almost never lost. 
"Rematch," he demanded. 

"Maybe tomorrow - I have to get to work," Luhan replied with a cheeky grin as he glanced at his watch.
He dropped the ball and sprang into a light jog - he'd be late if he didn't hurry. International studies didn't pay for itself, you know.

* * *

"Almost late, Luhan," his manager said with a wink. 
If there was a list of all the nice bosses in the world, probably his manager would top that list. It  was probably why the cafe was always crowded and one of the most recommended places online. 

"Sorry, sir. I guess it's just not my day," he said with a sheepish smile.
His manager nodded, not asking any nosy questions. "Just take it easy for today then."

Luhan knew he wouldn't be able to take it easy - it was bustling and busy as ever, and it would only get worse as more people finished their work for the day.
He was up on his feet for his entire shift and even skipped his fifteen minute break. But he wasn't complaining.
In fact, he was thankful for the busy shift - he had no time to think about Joohee and his rejection earlier that day. Maybe I should just become a workaholic.

Even late at night, the amount of people didn't seem to decrease.
While he was hard at work, moving from the register to the coffee machine and back, his manager suddenly pulled him aside.

"It know it's not your day - but it's definitely not that girl's," his manager said in a low voice as he pointed subtly to a young lady sitting lonelily near the corner. "She's been sitting there for almost two hours now and I don't have the heart to ask her to leave."
She was loitering and Luhan could see that there were people muttering about how she was taking up a two-seater table when she wasn't even drinking anything. No one said anything to her face - and he could see why. 
She was something else - prim and proper. Her eyes were dark and round, cheekbones clearly defined. Something about her seemed almost regal - even through her empty expression.

"Do something, will ya?" His manager asked, nudging him away.
Luhan sighed. He could tell that he was expected to make the girl feel better. This isn't part of my job, he thought with a grumble.
Nonetheless, he grabbed a caramel macchiato - their most popular drink - and headed to her table.

"Excuse me, miss?" He asked, approaching carefully.
Her head instantly spun around hopefully, but the light in her eyes instantly faded when she saw Luhan. 
Geez, way to make a guy feel really good about himself, he thought sarcastically. 

But he braved a smile and placed the drink on her table. "It's on us - you look like you kind of need it."
She stared silently at the drink and then him. 

He gulped, feeling nervous from her fierce gaze. "Erm, are you feeling okay?" He asked nervously, being unable to stare into her eyes directly. He looked back at his manager helplessly.
His