IN THIS LITTLE CAFE

 

Fic prompt:

 

***

Seungri's an average employee of a small cafe in Downtown Seoul. One day, his daughter pulled a man inside the cafe.
After that, the man keeps on coming back to make his heart flutter bit by bit.

***

 

“Ahjussi! Ahjussi!”

 

Jiyong was approached by a little girl while walking down the sidewalk. She pulled him to a counter in a little cafe in Downtown Seoul. He doesn’t have the heart to reject the cute girl. In his opinion when he looked at her, the girl was about five years old. He smiled at her after he let himself be pulled by her.

 

Jiyong is a photographer. He is walking down the streets with the hopes to find a new subject or a muse. He has been struggling on finding a new one. Jiyong needs new material but suddenly he was pulled to somewhere he has never been into.

 

Since it was rude to just leave the shop, he decided to order something. When he diverted his eyesight to the menu, he saw the handsome guy behind the cashier.

 

“Appa!” The little girl called the guy behind the cash registrar.

 

“Jihyun-ah! What are you doing there?”

 

“I brought him, appa! Your new customer!”

 

“Hello! Welcome to Blue Cafe! How may I help you?” The guy behind the cashier warmly greeted Jiyong.

 

Jiyong did not mean to look at the handsome man’s nameplate that says Lee Seungri. He smiled after he read the name.

 

“Uhh! May I have the bestseller?”

 

“Sir, would you like it hot or cold?”

 

I’d like you, hot.

 

But it struck to Jiyong that this handsome man has a child and possibly a wife too. He sighed to that thought but it didn’t stop him.

 

“Hot, please. Burning hot.”

 

“That would be ₩2,500.”

 

Jiyong fished out ₩5,000 out of his wallet and gave it to the cashier.

 

“Keep the change, Seungri-sshi.”

 

Jiyong smiled wide, like an idiot, when he mentioned the man’s name. He also saw how flustered the man looks like.

 

“How did you know my name?”

 

“Your name tag is only there for show?”

 

“Oh! Right!”

 

“So Seungri-sshi, keep the change and keep this.” Jiyong got a piece of paper from his pocket and gave it to the flustered one behind the cashier. The paper is nicely folded to a heart-shaped origami. Then, once again, he flashed a sweet smile to him, after he walked out of the counter. Jiyong found a seat and he saw the girl approached him again.

 

“Ahjussi! You met my appa, already?”

 

“Is he your appa?” Jiyong pointed at Seungri. The guy who has evident dark circles, he looks like he’s working until dawn for his child. He also noticed the man’s puffy cheeks that he wanted to pinch, hopefully soon.

 

“Yes, my handsome appa!”

 

Jiyong grinned on the little girl’s compliment to his father. He thought that this child isn’t as sly as he think she is.

 

“Why are you smiling, ahjussi?”

 

“You are too cute to resist, what is your name?”

 

“Lee Jihyun.”

 

“Jihyun? Such a pretty name. How old are you, Jihyun?”

 

“Five years old, but people say that I think older than a five year old does.”

 

“Seems like it. Why are you here right now, don’t you go to school?”

 

“I do go to school but it’s my summer break right now.”

 

“Oh, Jihyun what about your m—“

 

Jiyong was about to ask something about Jihyun’s mom but Seungri called her up.

 

“Jihyun-ah! Come here!”

 

“Coming appa! Oh, ahjussi, I have to go now. Nice talking to you. See you next time. You’ll come back here, right?”

 

Jiyong can’t reply anymore because Jihyun ran towards her father now. Though he wanted to say that he would like to come back here everyday to see someone.

 

***

 

Jiyong’s eyesight was led by Jihyun’s continuous walking towards his father. He followed her steps until he saw his object of attraction. Is it even okay to call him as his object of attraction? How can Jiyong fall in love at first sight? The fact that he is aware that he doesn’t fall in love that easily, it doesn’t make sense to Jiyong at all. Yet, maybe to Lee Seungri, he can make an exemption.

 

Of course, Jiyong could always make an exemption.

 

But he never did…

 

Only now…

 

Yes, right now…

 

Should I congratulate myself for starting this mess… I mean he is a married man after-all… How can I interfere? Would I even try to interfere?

 

Should I… Would I… Can I…

 

Sure, I am Kwon Jiyong… And I can get anyone I want.

 

***

 

The next day.

 

Jiyong went back to the cafe. This time, with an excuse. Maybe an all too lame excuse, that he wanted to take a picture of the cafe. He is a photographer after-all and he needs a new muse or a new subject and coincidentally he found it in this cafe.

 

“Good morning! Welcome! How may I help you?”

 

Jiyong’s ears have been greeted by Seungri’s overly sweet voice and smile. He actually heard his smile through his voice. Or maybe Jiyong became crazy enough to hear his smile. But it isn’t that bad, though. Jiyong’s kind of obsessed but he likes it so much.

 

“Seungri-sshi.”

 

“Oh, you’re the customer yesterday, right?”

 

“Jiyong, call me Jiyong.”

 

“Jiyong—sshi.”

 

Jiyong loved the way his name is being rolled from Seungri’s lips. It seems like he is a sweet and loyal man when he is being called by Seungri. But he isn’t, Jiyong is a playboy. He likes women, he preferred women to be honest. Yet he thinks that he can be gay for just one person. Only one person and maybe he already found the one.

 

Jiyong’s thoughts has been halted when Seungri spoke again.

 

“What are you doing here, again?”

 

To see you.

 

“To… Take pictures of the cafe.”

 

“Oh, for what?”

 

“I’m a photographer. I’m finding a new subject and I find your cafe as a pretty subject.”

 

“Oh thank you Jiyong-sshi.”

 

“Uhm, Seungri-sshi. Can I take pictures?”

 

Can I take pictures of you?

 

“Oh sure. It’s an honor.”

 

“Thank you, Ri. Can I call you Ri?”

 

Seungri refrained himself from answering immediately. The only person who calls him by that nickname is his late wife. He is thinking if he should allow this man to call him by that way.

 

Jiyong noticed Seungri’s stiffness after calling him in a differ