it began with a friendly smile,

a new acquaintance made, a new phone number added.

the second meeting, the most cliché of places.

a coffee shop.

the bitter aroma of coffee and the sweet taste of shared strawberry cheesecake, accompanied by the warmth of one another.

it was just like those dates in the movies.

one, two, three, four.

the meetings became more and more frequent,

until he felt his heart speed up whenever the other smiled.

a month in,

you know, i really like you.

he assumed it was the only thing they needed to finally tie them together.

maybe, it would officially symbolize the start of something that was mean to be.

but it wasn't. 

the calls and meetings became less and less as time went by,

until it stopped altogether.

he was gone. not a single trace left.

a year passes.

he sees the other at a party thrown by an old classmate.

it's unexpected; he wasn't friendly with the party's host.

what was more unexpected was his arms around the shoulders of an unfamiliar face.

it felt like the world crumpled right there,

his heart smashed into hundreds upon millions upon billions of pieces.

it's unexplainable, really, the pain that found its home in his chest.

but he keeps his smile on,

because he wants at least somebody to be happy.

"your girlfriend?"

"hm? oh, no, not yet."

a wink, a burst of laughter, and a forced grin.

a few months later, they bump into each other again.

it's inevitable.

if he had a choice, he'd want to leave forever.

but he won't. he can't.

how could he, when they shared all their memories in this coffee shop?

he didn't think he would come back to this place.

after all, it was a great distance from where they lived,

not to mention that the other already had someone waiting for them elsewhere.

but he's full of surprises, really.

because at the end of the day, they find themselves tangled in each other's embrace.

he can't help but forgive.

"how's your girlfriend?"

"girlfriend? oh. she was never my girlfriend."

"so...?"

"i still do like you."

it seemed as if things went back to the way it once was.

random gifts, sweet dates, and night-long calls were a common thing.

as long as he had him by his side, everything was okay.

nothing could ever destroy this happiness he had.

life became brighter again.

this time, it lasts a bit longer before it stops altogether.

he can't understand it.

he doesn't know how, when, why.

but then, when did he ever know anything about him?

"i'm dating someone."

"what? who? i thought we –"

"we what?"

"n-nothing."

that's when he realized it.

they weren't friends.

they weren't lovers.

they weren't anything.

nothing was said, nothing was official.

the unbearable pain returns to its personal residence in his chest.

he just fooled himself into believing their game of love was true.

this time, he's the one to leave everything and go.

he doesn't go back to him, to anyone, anything.

a few years pass. 

he's gotten himself a good job, and he hears that the other is already in a married relationship.

they bump into each other again, at the most cliché of all places.

the same coffee shop of their first few meetings,

the same coffee shop where the bitter coffee balanced was with the sweet taste of cakes,

the same coffee shop that holds all the sweet and bitter memories they shared.

youngjae opens the door of the coffee shop just as he meets gazes with daehyun seated inside.

a quick jab of pain in his heart throws his mind back to the painful days.

he steps out of the coffee shop and lets the door close behind him.

he glances back in the shop and sees daehyun laughing happily with his spouse.

it's been long, and the pain is still there.

but he sees the happiness in daehyun's eyes, and he decides that it's finally time. 

...and it ends with a friendly smile.

so yes daehyun is the in this story