Requester : Rhapsodic
Bias : Kim Sunggyu
Genre : Slight Angst & Romance
Written by : hallucinate

Playlist : here ( open in a new tab )
I recommend listening to :
` cafe latte - theme song
` crush - sunggyu pov
` inevitability - theme song v.2
` don't make me cry - the ending
` always be mine - this is cute
` cute romance - eve x sunggyu
` the first day we met - explains itself
or just listen to all of them~

Inevitable

The noise rang louder into her ears.

"Enjoy" she said coyly and vanished towards the doors to watch the group of young teenage girls mob the idol that had just gotten out of his private vehicle from a block away. His chestnut hair was flattened over his round face as he approached her doors hastily. 

Eve could care less about the idol, who was having no difficulty walking through the mob, and what he was doing with his life. But every day she had looked forward to seeing his arrival approach her cafe doors. It wasn't anything special. She had always welcomed her customers with a warm smile and a chilled drink on a hot summer day like today. 

A low chuckle escaped from his lips and she looked up to glance at whatever had caused the chuckle to form. "Hmm?" she hummed and looked up to meet his warm small eyes. He shrugged and as usual, bowed to her as he entered. Well, hello to you too, she mused to herself and bit her bottom lip in frustration.

"You should hurry and lock those doors before the girls follow me in," he spoke up from the table in the back and before she could turn on her heels to glance at him, the wind in front of her had blasted full on into her face. She squinted on instinct and let out an exasperated sigh; defeated.

Every Saturday was the same, and she was no stranger in watching the same scene play out before her own eyes. She found herself playing the outsider even in her own cafe shop and with reluctance, she had no muscle in her body to stop it from happening. As exhausting as it seems, it was amusing watching the young girls fondle over the idol as if he was a puppet.

Slowly taking her stand, she approached him. "Excuse me, sir, do you need a refill?"

He glanced away from the girls and met her eyes. He returned a smile and the girls quickly handed her the glass. "He likes sweet tea." They shouted monotonously at her as she tried to handle all the voices at once.

"A..alright," she mumbled weakly as she forced a sweet smile on her lips.

She her heel away from the group as she went behind the counter to prepare the sweet tea beverage. Opening the small fridge, she took out the ice tray and picked a few ice cubes. As the coldness numbs her fingers, she drops them slowly one by one into the glass while gliding her foot over to reach for the sweet tea pitcher.

Slowly filling the glass, she couldn't help but intrude in their conversation. Her jealousy crept underneath her skin as she watched their laughter melodically fill her ears. Loudly, she let the pitcher hit the counter with a hard thud and returned to their table. Heads turning to face her, attentive gazes now staring more curiously, she let out a soft laugh. "For you, sir."

"Please, call me Sunggyu."

"Sunggyu oppa, she's just a manager. She doesn't care about your name. She only wants your money." His fans scowled quietly. 

"Girls, it's okay. She knows me."

With a hearty laugh, she nodded. "Yeah, he's a close friend. We meet every Saturday at 2 PM. And if you girls don't mind, I'm going to ask you to leave. Thank you."

"But manager-nim, closing hours are until 5."

"I know, but I have somewhere to be tonight," she smiled apologetically and brushed her outfit before returning behind the counter. 

"Annyeong oppa, we'll see you next week." The girls waved and exitted the door in one herd and Sunggyu, the idol glued to the seat, only stared at the door with a smile.

"Why did you come back?" Eve blurted out almost instantly as soon as the doors closed.

"Why not?" Sunggyu raised a brow.

"Be-because I don't even have anything you like here," she defended herself and frantically looked around her counter.

"Sure you do. You have my drink that I always order, and the desserts I have yet to try."

"Th-then why haven't you tried them yet?" she stammered and bit her lip back.

"I'll try them another day."

"A-are you saying you're coming back? I can't afford having you come back, Sunggyu-ssi. Especially not with all those girls."

"Is there something wrong?" Sunggyu glanced at her with a curious gaze and she dropped her head, groaning in response. She was helpless.

Whatever it was he was trying to get from her, he certainly got it and the feeling of defeat never tasted any more bitter. She hated feeling defeated. Especially in her own shop. Why was it so hard for her to converse with the same person that had enter her cafe doors exactly a week ago?

All she ever did was stare at him. Dropping several 'hello' and 'how may I help you?' were popular between the two but it was all too formal. Eve had never minded his existence. It wasn't like she was responsible for him nor was she asked to look after him. Something about his existence grew on her and she didn't quite know why.

As if his returning was enough trouble, Eve couldn't quite manage the shop herself. Her business was slow and it dragged on making her business hours seem dull and exhausting. What went wrong? I gave them every thing. I played music every day, may not be the best music. But I had what they wanted.

Ah, that's it.

What they wanted. Since her cafe attracted most of the high school students attention due to Sunggyu's sudden existence, she had to give those students what they wanted. Him. They wanted him and what use was it for her having him lifelessly sit at her cafe with his stupid sweet tea or sometimes iced coffee macchiatos in a seat?

The idea struck her face harder than the realization of her phone ringing.

"Miss?" Sunggyu poked her shoulder, gathering her attention to the phone vibrating on the counter.

"Hm?" she glanced at him dumbfoundedly before realizing her phone had set off in a loud melodic tone. "O-oh! I'm sorry." she smiled weakly and picked it up; excusing herself quietly.

"H-hello?"

"Eve are you still there?"

"Oh... umma! Yes, yes I'm still here. Why do you ask, umma? What's wrong?" the muscle in her face slowly contracted and she found herself staring at the ground anxiously.

"Eve-ah, listen to me. Your appa and I are planning on visitting your relatives tomorrow. We know you're still looking for a place to stay but perhaps, you can ask someone to—" the phone line was cut short and she heard the dial tone in the background.

"Umma?"

Sighing, she threw her hands up and placed her phone on the counter. "What am I going to do? Where am I going to stay?" She murmured and rested her head on counter; slowly letting her head fall.

"Y..you can stay with me." Sunggyu cleared his throat and spoke up.

"Eh.. you're still here?" she mumbled.

"Well, it's not like I had anything planned for this weekend."

"You should have. It's quite boring this weekend."

"You're missing the point, Eve."

"H-how do you know my name?"

"Don't mind me, I overheard your conversation with your mother."

"Heh" she chuckled to herself and let out a soft laugh. "she's a loud speaker hm?"

"If we're going to be honest, aren't all mothers?"

"Don't be silly, Sunggyu-ssi, we have to be speak kindly of our mothers."

Sunggyu only let out a chuckle and she found herself chuckling along also. 

"Isn't it a bit too late?" She spoke up, ruining the moment.

Taking a glance at his watch, she watched him scratch his nape awkwardly but gently averted his eyes softly to hers. A soft smile slowly appearing at the corner of his lips. "It's fine, I don't have to get home until a quarter to five."

"Mm, well, I suppose I should let you go so you can get back on time."

"I live a few blocks away, Eve, it's fine." He announced and inched forward, taking a glance at her face curiously. "Is there something wrong?"

Oblivious to their close proximity, she mumbled. "Ah, not at all."

"I can accompany you on the way home."

"I'm fine, Sunggyu-ssi, really."

"Please, allow me."

"I'm fi—" Before she could finish, she was interrupted by his actions.

He gently reached out to touch her shoulder before embracing her in his arms.  A slow whimper escaped from her lips when she felt his warm arms capture her petite body. It felt nice to have someone there for her, but it wasn't exactly normal for her to suddenly freeze from physical contact. Especially not to a customer, a stranger...

.   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .

The cold evening air caught in as she watched the city lights illuminate the city below her own eyes. As the white blinding lights start to blur in her vision, she murmured softly, "Thank you."

He grinned and patted her hair softly, "It's fine, if I didn't offer, what would you have done?"

"I would have never gone home, honestly," she laughed and glanced at him. "I'm kidding."

"Since we still don't know each other well, let's play a game of fifty questions. You don't have to answer them truthfully but it's up to you," Sunggyu suggested and stuck his hands into his pockets.

"Sure, you first."

"Alright," he replied and pursed his lips, humming as he thought of a question. "What type of songs do you like to listen to?"

She beamed quietly and stared straight ahead at the empty road, "I love listening to Indie style songs and sometimes Pop, like SHINee."

"Indie style songs?" 

"Mhm, like Urban Zakapa. Their voices are soft and their lyrics are meaningful. I like a song that I can relate to."

"Ah, I see," he nodded.

"If you had to write a person for once person, would you write it for a close friend or a stranger?" she curiously turned her head to face him.

"It depends how long I've known the stranger."

"About a month?"

"How frequent will I see this stranger?"

She hummed, drumming her lips, "Once every week."

"Then I'll write a song for the stranger."

"Why?" she quickly asked, shocked.

"I won't be able to see the stranger again, so I should take my chance when it's offered. Besides, I can always write a song for my family another day. They're family. Where else could they go?"

"In heaven..." she mumbled.

"True, but the answer is, they're in my heart. Once you're in someone's heart, it's hard to get out. Trapped."

"Sounds brutal," she chuckled lightly.

"That's the whole plan," Sunggyu grinned.

Eve shook her head and the smile glued on her face, "Are we almost there yet?" She inquired  impatiently.

"Mhm, just around the block."

"W...wait," she frowned and turned to face him with a pout. "We could've gone the other way and take the shorter route."

"We could have but it wouldn't be fun," Sunggyu reasoned.

"My feet...are killing me," Eve whined and slumped her shoulders, and dragged her feet.

"Hop on."

"Eh?"

"Hop on my back, I'll carry you."

"A..are you sure?"

"I'm positive."

.   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .

Eve snored silently on Sunggyu's shoulder as he trekked to the house. He had piggy back ride her up the hill of houses and among them, was his. The distance did not bother Sunggyu, it only made him motivated to keep going. He couldn't be lazy, if he was lazy, things would be too easy for him. For instance, his house would be closer and he would have a shorter walking distance. Sure, his body was fatigue but that didn't stop him from keep on going. It only gave him an excuse to give up.

He pulled out his key and opened the door while quietly slipping off his shoes. He went towards his room and quietly took the sheets off and laid her down. 

"Sleep well," he said with a small smile quirked at his lips. 

.   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .

The sky was warm as the birds chirped in the background. Eve had skipped towards her cafe doors to open them but a frown only surfaced on her lips. She had debated to herself whether or not it was worth opening for today. Reaching for her key, she opened the doors and found the same setting as the day before. Everything was the same yet, she opened her cash register to find the same amount of cash lying there.

Her cellphone vibrated in her pocket and retrieving it, she answered. 

"Annyeong?"

"Oh, Eve--"

"Yes, umma?"

"Eve, you need to come home quickly,"

"Umma, what happened?"

"Eve, please, come home."

Her mother choked out a helpless sob as she ccould hear her father's whispers in the background. "Mom?"

"Eve, it's your father. We got a call from the bank saying our home is being reposessed since we couldn't pay our mortgage on time. We don't know how to tell you this, but we think you should close your cafe. It has helped us immensely though, we want you to pursue another career."

"...appa, what are you saying?" her lips parted quietly. "Appa, I can't--"

"If you love us, you'd understand how hard it is for us to see our little girl working hard only to take care of us. We appreciate your love and support, Eve-ah, but we must let you live your life also. Your mother and I will find a place to stay, don't you worry."

.   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .

Snapping her eyes wide open, she looked up at the ceiling and heaved a long sigh. Could it be true? She shook her head and closed her eyes. It's not true, I will not let my parents see me like this. A quiet whimper escaped her lips and she broke into sobs; helpless.

A rustling heard by the bed had cease her sobs and she sat up and glanced to see a body laying on the floor. A gasp fell out of her lips before she shook his shoulder, "Sunggyu-ssi,"

As she watch him remain sleeping on the floor unconciously, she retrieved her hand and propped her head into her arms. "Wouldn't it be easier if I was an idol, all the money to pay off this debt..." she mumbled.

"It'd be wonderful," she sighed, "I could play my own songs in my cafe,, I could get more cash because I was likeable, because I was famous. Because people loved me." 

"Excuse me, Miss," The voice of the young male had gotten her attention as she glanced away from her cash register. "May I get a glass of sweet tea?"

She nodded and without hesitation, she returned the male his prefered beverage. "Have a nice day!" She chirped cheerily.

"It was so easy back then, it was so easy to be so young and naive," she murmured into her skin. Eve's cafe had been opened for a year and half in the outskirts of town. At the beginning of business, Eve had a lot of customers with hope that they'll come back. Eventually they did, until her cost of ingredients had gone up and since the number of customers didn't quite equal the number she had needed, things started declining.

"Hmm..." a hum escaped, interrupting Eve's external thoughts. 

"Sunggyu-ssi?"

"Ah, Eve, that's you."

"Did I wake you?"

"Not at all. I wasn't sure if I was hearing things or if you were awake," he chuckled.

"I'm sorry," Eve bit her lip back into a frown.

"It's fine. Did you want something to drink?"

"I'm alright, Sunggy–" her stomach, coincidentally, growled.

He chuckled and sat up, "Let's get you something to drink,"

Eve nodded quietly and followed Sunggyu to the kitchen where he had made them warm green tea. She watched as his long legs strided across the kitchen floor gracefully dancing silenly on the tiles. His slightly built muscle holding the tea pot, and his back. He was like a model. Tall, handsome, and charming.

But she couldn't let his physical features mesmerize her, he was still a stranger. A very kind stranger.

"For you, Miss." He grinned and set the teacup down in front of her. "Careful, it's hot."

"Thank you," she forced a smile and nodded. "Maybe you should takeover my cafe instead"
 

"I should, shouldn't I?" Sunggyu questioned and turned around to fetch his tea. 

"Well, it's only if you want to. Follow your heart, it's what my father tells me these days," she replied, slowly taking a sip of her beverage.

"I am following my heart. As an idol, I couldn't be more blessed."

"You're lucky, an idol have it all." She blurted.

"Why do you say so?"

"You have the money, no debt to repay, no worry, no... burden."

"Do you really think that, Eve?" Sunggyu turned around and sat down across from her. "Being an idol isn't all fun and games. It's hard work. To be like SHINee, you have to practice. And practice. And practice more and then perform nonstop. It's fun because it's for the fans."

"Don't you ever get tired?"

"I do, but I enjoy singing. So I don't mind."

She beamed and joked, "Maybe you can play at my cafe."

"Are you sure? I'll get the other members to come with me."

"I was kidding--"

"I'll have them come tomorrow."

"Sunggyu-ssi please."

"I want to, Eve. Please. It'd help you and your parents. I heard you screaming in your sleep."

"I--" she bit her lips and sipped her tea once again.

He glanced over at her with a shy smile and pursed his lips. "I want to, Eve. Let me."

"I guess I have no choice then."

.   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .

The cafe was busy with many Infinite fangirls who had cheered on the boys after every song. So far, the band had played a total of five songs requested by the fans.

Eve was behind the counter serving the fans drink while she listened to the seven boys harmoniously sing together. Her heart was happy that Sunggyu had offered to play at her cafe but deep down, she wanted him to rest.

"This last song," Sunggyu said breathlessly, "is dedicated to Eve." He shot her a smile and played the track.

Eve wasn't a fan of pop music, but she was willing to give Infinite a try. Afterall, they did save her cafe from falling apart. Eve listened to the melody begin and stared intently at the band as they sang. The crowd swaying to the beat and Eve was lost.

"Why did Sunggyu dedicate this to me?"

Hey hold on I only see you

Even though I pretend not to, I care

Hey I'm the same just as always

He walked past her and entered the cafe and spoke up from the table in the back, "You should hurry and lock those doors." She let the seven heavenly voices fill her ears as tears began to form at the corner of her eyes. No, she didn't understand. Why would he do this?

The final melody ended and the crowd erupted in cheers and chants for an encore but sadly, the group apologetically waved the fans goodbye. As the fans dispersed and headed towards the seven members. All but one made his way to the counter. "What did you think? Were we good?"

Eve looked up and stole a glance at Sunggyu, "how could you?"

"How could I what?"

"How could you walk in here and expect me to--" Her speech was interrupted by her sobs.

"Expect you to talk to me? Expect you to say hello and goodbye every day? To love me?"

She frowned angrily and shook her head, "I don't love you," she sniffled. "How could I love you for leaving me?"

"Eve..."

"Just go, you already did enough for me. My cafe is back.."

"I'm not going to die--" he joked dryly.

"First you come, and you go, and then you ask me to sleep over, and you joke around. Why are you playing with my heart if you're going to end up leaving?"

"I don't want to leave, but I'm an idoll, I have to. If I could stay, I would."

She glanced down and before she could reply. Hoya called for him and Sunggyu tilted her head up. "Please keep this business alive for me."

A blank expressio stayed frozen on her face as she let a soft mumble escape her lips, "Alright."

Watching the seven musicians walk out of the door, one by one in a single line, she felt the tears roll down her cheeks. Am I supposed to act as if he didn't exist? Should I just forget all the moments we spent together even if it wasn't anything special? He stayed... he believed in me... She choked out a sob and collasped on the floor.

Today again you ask me if I love you

I just laugh and ask, that question again

Today again you cry and say I'm mean

It's always the same question and answer

You ask me if its that hard to say those words

And why its so hard if everyone says it
 

Do I have to say it for you to know
 

Just like any other day, I love you.

AUTHORS NOTE:

I'm terribly sorry for having you wait two freaking months for this one shot to come out. It was hard for me to write since I had an annoying writers block and because I'm overly critical of my writing. So if you don't like this, or if you have a lot of questions about it. Just shoot me a PM and I'll be happy to eplain it to you. : )