Junmyeon oppa smiled sadly and looked down. “Yes, I know.”

“You have to think about what’s good for your company. Don’t be selfish,” I remprimanded but immediately stopped when I saw a tear run down his cheek.

I went up to him and pat his back, only to see his face back to normal in a split second.

“What’s wrong?” he asked me, a bright but fake smile on his face.

“N-Nothing. Let’s go, shall we?”

Junmyeon oppa took my hand and we finished the rest of the errands. Turns out, he had to run early because he had to take cram classes to review for university. I still had some time to kill since it was the weekend and we had no schoolwork to finish. So, I stopped by Minseok oppa’s café.

Minseok oppa’s café was one of the best I’ve been to. The coffee was so smooth and rich. It left me breathless the first time I tried it. And it’s pretty fun over there too because Minseok oppa is a great person to be around. And an added bonus is that Luhan oppa is usually there, too, so...

I arrived at Minseok oppa’s café and heard the jingling of the bells above me as I stepped inside.

“Welcome, Hyeonsung-ah! Let me get the usual for you, on the house.”

I smiled brightly and sat down at the counter where the usual customers were.

There was Jung, a man who was left by his wife after she found out he had an affair with her cousin. He’s been hanging out in the café even before I started hanging out here, so I don’t exactly know when the whole fiasco started. All I know is that I don’t get on with him very well.

Then there was Yuri, a young school girl who was in love with Minseok oppa. She came here everyday ever since she met Minseok oppa at the counter. We like talking about girl things and it’s a nice breath of fresh air compared to the idiocy I have to go through every day with twelve boys.

There were plenty of regulars there whom I was acquainted with, but I still came to the café a lot for the coffee and for Minseok oppa.

Minseok oppa was really wise. He wasn’t outspoken during practices so I never really knew how wise he was until I hung out with him at the café. He gave me advice on a lot of things, especially school, because he’s made it through three years of high school and he’s doing pretty well on his fourth rather effortlessly.

“Thanks, Minseok oppa,” I said as he handed me my cappuccino. I took a sip and I was immediately sent to heaven. The coffee had a bit of spice in it, like cinnamon, and the sweetness didn’t overwhelm the coffee at all. It was the best coffee I’d ever had in my life.

“No problem,” he said. He put the towel he had in his hands over his shoulder.

“So, what brings you here?”

“I was just... I don’t know, I just wanted to hang out with you.”

Minseok oppa shot me a knowing glance.

“Don’t lie; you were hoping Lu-ge was here, weren’t you?”

“N-No, of course not,” I tried to deny, but my stammer gave me away.

Minseok oppa laughed and gave me a pat on the head. “Good girl.”

“Minseok! Stop flirting with your girlfriend and get to work!” his boss barked.

“I’m taking my coffee break,” Minseok oppa called before sighing.

“Do people here think I’m your girlfriend?” I asked, looking around.

“Yeah, basically,” he said matter-of-factly.

“What?! And you don’t deny it?!”

“I don’t see the need to,” he shrugged. “It’s not important. Besides, don’t you like it?”

He winks at me and I flush.

“Minseok oppa, Yuri is watching.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“She’ll hate me!”

Minseok oppa laughs cheerfully again and asks how the coffee is.

“It’s great, as always,” I said, a smile on my face.

“What’s with the fake grin? What’s the problem?” Minseok oppa asked, concerned.

I looked bewildered. When did Minseok oppa learn to read me so well? Or am I just such an open book that he can see right through me?

“W-well, I...”

“Is it Kai?”

I looked up at him abruptly.

“What? What’s with Jongin? Why is everyone concerned about Jongin?”

“Nothing, nothing. Just tell me if he’s bothering you, all right?”

I looked at him suspiciously, aware that he wasn’t telling me something.

“Okaaay. Well, it started that one time when Tao was missing.”

“Ah,” Minseok oppa reacted, getting an instant grasp of the situation.

“He was like, ‘I’m jealous of whom you’ll choose.’” I said, making hand gestures to emphasize my point.

Minseok oppa laughed and said, “I can totally see him saying that.”

“And then Jongdae walked me home and kissed my forehead.”

“No.”

“Yes. And then Junmyeon oppa bought me this ring and asked me to marry him!”

“What? No.”

“Yes, he did!”

“Well, with Suho I think I can understand why he did that, and I know he did that on a whim, but Jongdae of all people...” Minseok oppa trailed off, looking thoughtful.

“I know! That’s what I thought, too!” I exclaimed.

Minseok oppa’s boss called for him again and this time he really had to go.

“Wait for my shift to end, I’ll walk you home,” he told me.

I spent two hours roaming the mall and I found matching cellphone straps for Minseok oppa and me. The charms were little coffee mugs, to signify the café that brought us together. I went to the café just as his shift ended and met him at the exit.

“Look, I got you something, oppa!”

I handed him the cellphone strap.

“Wah! It’s cute!” he said, pulling his cellphone out of his pocket.

We clumsily put the cellphone straps on our phones in the cold night air, content smiles on our faces.

“See? We match!” I said, holding my phone up.

“We do! And it’s coffee, too. One of my favorite things,” Minseok oppa said, hugging me.

“Thanks, Hyeonsung-ah,” he mumbled into my hair.

“N-no problem, oppa.”

He put his arm over my shoulders and led me off, and I could feel Yuri’s stare burning through my fleece jacket.

“Come on, I want to take you somewhere,” Minseok oppa said.

“You mean, like a date?” I flirted jokingly, then laughed.

“What if it was?” Minseok oppa asked, looking at me from the corner of his eyes.

“Um... Well,” I gulped and laughed nervously.

Minseok oppa let out a loud laugh and said, “A friendly date! Sheesh, you’re too awkward around guys, you know that?”

“No, I’m not!” I denied, but, in truth, it was true. I’d never been good at dealing with people before, let alone guys flirting with me, so being surrounded by twelve hormone-driven guys was making me crazy. It left me nervous and awkward and speechless. I think even Kris oppa makes me nervous sometimes, but only when he talks in Chinese. See, I was taking up Chinese for Tao, Yixing oppa, and Luhan oppa, but my Chinese is so horribly bad that I’m embarrassed about it. But that’s a story for another time.

“We’re here,” Minseok oppa informed, as we stood in front of a little noodle shack.

“Oh, we’re going to eat here?”

“No, we’re going to sing here. Of course, we’re going to eat here, dummy,” he said, bonking me lightly on the head.

We sat down side-by-side and Minseok oppa ordered two specials. I sure hope they serve delicious noodles here because I am so hungry I could eat just about anything. No, to be honest, any food would taste delicious with how hungry I am right now. While we were waiting, I decided to strike up a conversation.

“So, how’s practice going?”

“Pretty good, actually. Just some of the guys aren’t taking it seriously and Suho’s getting upset about it on a regular basis,” he said.

“Really? I had no idea. He puts up such a happy face.”

“Well, he’s happy, sure, but he’s still upset about it. The pros outweigh the cons, if you will,” Minseok oppa explained.

“Maybe that’s partly why he did what he did earlier. Maybe he’s not himself because he’s upset.”

“No, I think it’s more of he’s trying to find someone to marry him so he can avoid getting married. Of course, we know that’s not going to happen and he’s going to get the arranged marriage.”

I look up at Minseok oppa in awe. I have never met anyone so down-to-earth and wise, and I just feel overwhelmed by everything he says and does.

“What? Is there something on my face?”

“No, you just make me feel stupid when you talk.”

Minseok oppa laughed and ruffled my hair. “You’re not stupid, silly. You just have a lot to learn.”

Our noodles arrived sooner than expected and we started digging in. The taste was delicious. I don’t know how Minseok oppa found this place but I’m glad he took me.

“This is my hiding place,” he said. “It’s where I go when I want to get away from the world.”

I looked over at him, my mouth full with noodles so my words came of muffled.

“Aren’t I part of the world?”

“No, not really. You’re more of my world,” he said without missing a beat.

My face flushed and I kept silent.

“Hey, when you don’t reply like that, it’s like you’re rejecting me.”

“I’m sorry, oppa, my mouth was full,” I lied.

He touched my arm with his frosty fingers and I jumped. “Hey, don’t do that!”

He laughed at my expression as he melted the ice in his hands, shaking off the water that remained.

I looked at my bowl and saw three more wanton with the noodles but I knew if I ate any more I’d explode. So, I resolved to give my wanton to Minseok oppa.

“Do you want my wanton? I can’t eat any more.”

“Okay, here, feed me,” Minseok oppa opened his mouth wide, waiting for me to feed him wanton.

I put the wanton in his mouth and he chewed happily like a little puppy.

He grinned at me after he swallowed and said, “Ah, what I’d give to have you as a girlfriend.”

“You two aren’t together?” the storeowner asked.

“Yet,” Minseok oppa said. “No,” I said.

“Oh, that’s too bad. I thought my little Minseok had finally found the lucky lady.”

“I have, but I don’t want to force her if she’s not ready.”

“I assume you’re talking about her,” the storeowner said, gesturing to me.

“Yeah, I am,” Minseok oppa said. I froze. I didn’t know what to do with that indirect confession.

“You’re a very lucky girl, kid. Make sure you make the right choices,” the storeowner said, taking our bowls and heading to the back.

“Th-Thank you, sir,” I managed to get out, still unable to get over the shock of Minseok oppa’s confession.

We sat in silence for a few minutes before Minseok oppa decided to break it.

“So, there you have it.”

“I... Don’t know what to say...”

“You don’t have to,” he sighs. “Just... Promise me you’ll think about it, okay?”

“Okay, I promise,” I nod slowly.

“And promise me you’ll be wary of Kai,” he said, taking my hand.

“Yeah, okay,” I said, letting him take me away.

He walked me home with his hand on mine, and I feel so puzzled I don’t think anyone could piece me back together right now.

I just wish this all blows over on Monday.