Coco Bean was a small shop on the corner of a not-too-busy street in Seoul, South Korea. It was cozy, filled with warm wood tones, fragrant flowers, and silly little signs. Mismatched tables were scattered about the shop and a long counter ran along the majority of the back wall. Various sweets and breads were displayed on said counter, their mouthwatering aroma tempting anyone who stopped in. Cups of various shapes and sizes lined the wall, along with everything needed to make almost any kind of warm beverage imaginable, as well as many kinds of cold tea. Late afternoon and evening, the shop was bustling, packed with couples sharing drinks or students pouring over their books and laptops, sipping on coffee to stay awake and alert.  It was the perfect little shop and its employees had even watched one of their regular customers propose to his girlfriend there.

The manager of the shop was well known and liked by everyone who stepped through the door; his baby face and always-cheerful demeanor made him appear years younger than he was, but he took care of the other employees and treated them as if they were related to him by blood. Since they were a small shop, there weren’t many employees, which meant longer hours for them, but no one really complained. They were a team and nothing could tear them apart. Many of them worked there part-time, taking hours that fit around the hours of their other jobs. They didn’t need the money or the experience; they just liked working there. For some of them, it was a nice sort of stress-reliever.

Mondays, though, were the worst. Monday was the day that one of Coco Bean’s most loyal (and one of the only two full-time) employees had to spend nearly five hours alone, as the others were all busy. That meant from noon to five, he was essentially by himself in the shop front, trying desperately to keep himself occupied.

He sighed, ruffling his reddish-brown hair and looking around the coffee shop. It was the middle of the afternoon, that awkward time when there were basically no customers and the store fell silent. He turned around, leaning against the counter and listening to the song playing on the radio, trying to recognize the tune. When it finally clicked, he closed his eyes and began to sing along softly, his voice filling up the empty room; he didn’t hear the footsteps, but he did feel the tap on his shoulder several moments later. He spun around, flushing a light red.

“I’m sorry! How can I help you?” he sputtered out, bowing his head slightly.

“One café latte, to go, please.” The voice was deep and a little rough, but was filled with a sort of warmth. “And don’t be sorry…” The man paused, squinting to read the nametag on the boy’s chest. “…Ryeowook-shii. You have a great voice.”

Ryeowook turned a slightly darker red, punching in the order on the cash register. “T-thank you, sir. Um…that’ll be three dollars…” He turned to prepare the man’s drink, cursing himself for letting his guard down. He didn’t often sing in public. Or, to be more precise, he never sang in public. But there hadn’t been anyone around and he had just been so darn bored…

“Have you ever considered becoming a singer, Ryeowook-shii?” The man’s voice cut though his thoughts.

“No sir…” he mumbled in response, taking the money and handing him the drink.

“You should think about it. Thanks for the latte.” The man smiled before disappearing out the door. Ryeowook stared after him, confused. A singer? The thought had never even remotely crossed his mind. He shook his head slightly, resuming his position of leaning on the counter. Whatever.

            ~~~

For some reason, it was always the day that he rode his bike to work that it rained. He stared out of the front window, watching the drops pound the pavement, and sighed.

“Hyungggg!” he called, heading toward the back room. “Hyung!”

A head poked around the corner, followed by the rest of a tall, skinny man with bright brown eyes; the manager. “Yes, Ryeowook-ah?”

“It’s raining.”

“Well, yes, I had noticed. That’s why the shop hasn’t had as many customers this evening.”

“But, hyung, I rode my bike today.”

The elder man blinked. “Oh. Well…” He paused, thinking. “Wanna spend the night at my apartment? It’s closer than yours and I’ve got an extra bed you can sleep on. We’ll have to make a mad dash for the bus stop but after that it’s a pretty clear shot.”

“Thanks, hyung!” Ryeowook chirped, smiling brightly and dashing back to get his things. Spending the night at Eeteuk hyung’s house often meant that he got to see Sungmin hyung. He hadn’t seen his Bunny Hyung in a while and he missed talking to him. “Let’s goooo!”

~~~

Ryeowook shook the water from his hair in the elevator, laughing. “Thanks again for letting me stay over, hyung. I really appreciate it.”

Leeteuk grinned, his signature laugh filling the space. “Don’t mention it. Want to order take-out?”

“Can we get Chinese?”

“Sure, if that’s what you want.”

“Yes, please!” Ryeowook hugged the older man before hopping out of the elevator as the doors slid open and practically skipping down the hall toward the large apartment at the end. Leeteuk dug his keys out of his pocket while dialing his favorite Chinese restaurant; he tossed the keys to Ryeowook who opened the door and immediately flopped on the sofa. He pulled out his own phone, flipping through the contacts until he landed on one name in particular; a couple seconds of typing later, the text message had been successfully sent and he was content to lie there, waiting for a response. It didn’t take long for his phone to vibrate on his stomach. A smile broke out across his face as he read the response and he looked up as Leeteuk reentered the room.

“Hyung~! Sungmin hyung’s coming over!” he chirped, his innocent smile lighting up his eyes. Eeteuk rolled his eyes.

“I figured as much. I ordered enough for three; it’ll be here soon. Probably not long after Minnie gets here, actually. Sit up.” He sat down on the couch next to Ryeowook, grabbing the remote and turning on the TV, flipping through the channels.

“Wait! Hyung! Stop! King of Baking is on!” Ryeowook grabbed a pillow, clutching it to his chest as he leaned forward slightly, immediately enthralled in one of his favorite dramas. Leeteuk smiled softly, settling back on the couch. That was his dongsaeng for you: completely drama obsessed.

~~~

He was so enthralled in his drama that he didn’t hear the doorbell ring or Leeteuk get up to go answer the door. He didn’t hear traces of the quick murmured discussion or the muffled footsteps approaching him. He did, however, feel the hand on his head, ruffling his hair fondly, and the voice calling out, “Ryeowookieeee~! I’ve missed you and you didn’t even come say hello!”

He shot up, whirling around, completely forgetting about the drama, though he didn’t care anymore anyway. “SUNGMIN HYUNGGGG!” He threw his arms around the older man, hugging him tightly. “I haven’t seen you in forever! How’re you? Are you still teaching martial arts?”

Sungmin nodded as Ryeowook let go. “Uh-huh. Well, sort of. The Academy’s cutting back, so my hours are being slashed basically in half.”

“Dang. I’m sorry, hyung…”

“Oh, it’s not that bad,” Sungmin said with a shrug. “Especially because…” He paused, glancing over at Leeteuk and mouthing ‘can I tell him?’ After a nod in response from Teukie, he continued. “I’m going to start working in the coffee shop with you! When I’m not teaching classes, I’ll be there.”

Ryeowook’s eyes lit up. “Really, hyung? That’s awesome!!” The doorbell sounded and Leeteuk motioned for the two to stay there as he headed for the door. “When do you start? Soon?”

“Tomorrow, actually. I was going to surprise you at work, but then you invited me over here so I figured I’d go ahead and tell you. When do you go in?”

“I open the shop for Teukie hyung, so I usually get there around eight or eight thirty. We don’t open until nine.”

“Well, I teach a class in the morning, so I won’t get there until after lunch, but I’ll be there.”

Leeteuk reappeared with the take-out then, hoisting it up between the pair. “Who’s hungry?”

Both of them grinned. “Me!” they chorused, grabbing the bag and dashing to the kitchen. Leeteuk rolled his eyes, following. Those two…

~~~

“How’ve things been at the Coco Bean?” Sungmin asked over dinner, spooning a bunch of fried rice into his mouth.

“Kind of slow, actually,” Ryeowook sighed. “The weather hasn’t been too great so people haven’t wanted to venture out as much lately. Even some of our regular customers haven’t dropped by in days. Oh, but there was this one customer today… He was a little odd.”

“How so?”

“Well, it was afternoon when no one was around, so I apparently lost my mind for a second and started to sing a little under my breath and then all of a sudden someone just tapped me on my shoulder. So I turned around and there was this guy there. He wasn’t upset that I hadn’t been paying attention or anything; he just ordered his drink and then told me I had a great voice. I was preparing it when he asked me if I’d ever thought of becoming a singer. I said no and he told me I should think about it before leaving. It was weird.”

“But he’s right, Wookie-ah, you do have a great voice.”

“You really do,” Leeteuk chimed in, attempting to steal some of Ryeowook’s food; the younger didn’t notice.

“But still. It was weird. I mean, he doesn’t even know me or anything and he couldn’t have heard me sing for more than thirty seconds.”

Leeteuk shrugged. “Maybe he was a singer or a vocal coach or something. They’d be able to tell. ”

“Ryeowook, if you don’t pay attention, Teukie hyung is going to eat all of your food,” Sungmin said, swatting Leeteuk’s hand away from his dongsaeng’s meal. Ryeowook turned light pink.

“Thanks, Minnie hyung…” he mumbled, quickly grabbing a piece of chicken with his chopsticks and stuffing it in his mouth to avoid having to talk. He wasn’t quite sure why, but the memory of that short conversation with a complete stranger kept gnawing on his consciousness and wouldn’t go away. Shaking his head, he continued to eat, listening silently to Sungmin and Leeteuk chat around him.

~~~

Late that night, after Sungmin had gone home, Ryeowook lie awake, staring up at the ceiling above him. He was in Leeteuk’s guest room, listening to the steady pounding of the rain on the window. Images from earlier that afternoon flashed through his mind; that soft tap on his shoulder, the deep, rough voice, a smile filled with kindness, and those three phrases. “You have a great voice. Have you ever considered becoming a singer? You should think about it.”

A singer. Something more than a barista at Coco Bean, the small, independently owned coffee shop where he essentially spent his life.

A singer. Someone who stood on stage and sang in front of hundreds, maybe thousands if they were famous enough.

A singer. Someone with self-confidence.

Ryeowook to his side, looking at the window; the curtains had been pulled to so he couldn’t see the rain, but he could hear it and, for some reason, its presence was comforting. That man must have just been being nice. There was no way he could be a singer. That was a silly idea, one that wasn’t even worth contemplating. He pulled the comforter up around his neck, snuggling down under it as he shut his eyes. Right. Enough of those thoughts. Time to get some sleep.

~~~

Annyong~! :3 Thanks for taking the time to read my first chaptered fanfic! Any comments or suggestions you have are welcome~! :D

Love,

afallingstar