Note: (unbeta-ed. tell me what you think. i'm not really confident going on with this. lol)

Chapter One

As soon as the door closes, Sungyeol sighs and heads towards the stairs. He just can’t stand being alone with that woman whenever any opportunity springs up. Maybe he still can’t accept the fact that Jin Hye is a part of their family now. He is neither a rude person nor has a bad personality to begin with. He just feels obligated to act harsh towards her on behalf of her mother. He doesn’t know why exactly but he feels that his new mom is the reason why things don’t work out with his parents.

Truthfully, his new mom is not that bad. She tries really hard to get along with him. Cooking him his favorite food, addressing him affectionately, giving him health supplements, and offering him help in schoolwork. Of course, he declines and rejects her every time. Even his father is frustrated with him for the harsh treatment as Sungyeol expresses these behaviors openly. But his father understands why he feels that way. He understands that it is not easy for a child not to see his biological mother.

He, however, hopes that someday Sungyeol will finally accept his new mom wholeheartedly.

And that thought just adds up to the list he had inside his head (a list full of reasons why he shouldn’t get along with that woman). So right now, he’s pissed and being in there just fuels his hate fire. And he cannot have too much hate in his body. It’s in its capacity already.

Sungyeol feels his phone rings and vibrates in his back pocket and sends him back to reality with a jolt. He assigned caller rings to each contact in his lists so he’ll know who to answer and who to ignore. Based on the Slam Dunk ringtone he hears, he immediately knows that certain grease is calling him.

He slides his phone and put it on his ear. He doesn’t bother saying the courtesy ‘hello’ and waits for the caller to speak up instead.

“Yah, where the hell are you? Don’t tell me you holed up in your room again?”, said Nam Woohyun, his bestfriend in school.

How should he describe Nam Woohyun? Well, aside from the fact he’s super greasy, he is also the captain of their school’s basketball team and one of the popular kids there. Hence, the explanation of his caller ringtone. Actually, they didn’t get along with each other at first. Woohyun was a transferee in their school and let’s just say that there were things didn’t agree upon. But ever since Woohyun’s grandmother passed away, they were inseparable since then. And he’s glad because having Woohyun as a friend equates a brother he never had.

“No, you idiot. I’m heading to the convenience store. Having ramen for dinner.”, he says lamely. He remembers the smell of kimchi jjigae that his stepmom cooks and his stomach growls in hunger. 

“Again? What a loser. Didn’t your mom cook you anything?”

“She did. But I’d rather eat dirt than eat with her. ”

“Figures. As you friend, it’s my obligation to make you look less pathetic. I’ll come with you. Is it the store near your apartment? Yeah? I’ll see you in a bit.” he says and cuts the line.

Sungyeol stares dumbly at his phone and wonders why he was friends with Woohyun again.

-

Woohyun comes when he is halfway done with his instant ramen. He takes the seat in front of Sungyeol and looks at him incredulously then at the food that has been staring at him for some time. He keeps repeating ‘Unhealthy lifestyle’ in his head.

“I don’t really get you. Why eat this trash when you can eat more delicious food at home?”, Woohyun says as he picks a piece of chips between his thumb and forefinger. He stares at it as if the food has offended him.

Sungyeol sighs and slurps on his soup,“I just told you the reason.”

“I know. But maybe you can survive through it by ignoring her? Can’t you do that at least?”, Woohyun flicks the chips in his direction in which Sungyeol easily dodges. Having an athletic friend has its perks: it gives you good reflexes.

“No.”

“Geez, you’re so stubborn. I’m just thinking all the food that’s wasted because you refuse to eat them. Grandma used to say not to waste food you know?”

“Why don’t you eat them then?”

“Dude, no! Eating with your Mom--”, Sungyeol glares at him so he says instead, “—your stepmother also known as the Ethics teacher at school would be so hella awkward.”

Sungyeol chuckled. That’s right. Jin Hye is their Ethics teacher at school. Only his closest friends know this fact. It is one of the reasons why he doesn’t want to be seen with her. He doesn’t want to explain anything if a misunderstanding comes up.

Woohyun reaches for his canned coffee and Sungyeol slaps his hand away. Woohyun whispers ‘stingy’ slaps his hand back (harder) and grabs the can. He chugs it down until it’s empty and aims for the trash can. They both cheer when it goes through.

Woohyun stands and wipes invisible lint on his pants, “If you’re done being the prodigal son, come with me and let’s see if we can get free coffee from Dongwoo-hyung. Real coffee.”

“And you said I was the stingy one.”, but Sungyeol gets up and follows Woohyun down the street.

-

The smell of rich coffee wafts in the air when Sungyeol and Woohyun enter Heaven’s café. It is a busy day so the café is full of people. They walk to the counter and thankfully there’s no queue. In there, a guy is busy wiping the black countertop with all his might. He is dressed in black V-neck shirt and ripped jeans topped with a brown apron. His brows are furrowed as if he is frustrated; giving his already fierce features a scarier look.

“Dongwoo-hyung, that countertop won’t be whiter so if I were you I’d stop wiping it with that force.”, Sungyeol calls him and gives him a genuine smile.

Woohyun grins and jokes.“And with that face. You’re scaring the customers away!”

Dongwoo looks up and immediately brightens up. “Oh! Woohyunnie! Sungyeollie! What’s up?”

They sit in front of the counter and smile at Dongwoo. “Woohyun wonders if you’ll give him free coffee.” Sungyeol says truthfully while Woohyun smacks his head(“Why did you tell him?!”).

Dongwoo just laughs and says cheerfully, “I knew it. Sure, Woohyun.”

Jang Dongwoo is a happy person by nature. He is all sunshine, rainbows and unicorns. Always in high spirits, he may be a walking optimism if that is possible. The three of them have been friends since the start of the term as Dongwoo was transferree from an another class. Maybe it was because Dongwoo approached and befriended them first that made them clicked. It was okay because Dongwoo is cool and fun to be with.

And one of the coolest thing about Dongwoo is that they own this precious little shop.

“You spoil him too much, hyung. ”, Sungyeol rubs his head and scolds his hyung.

“It’s okay. You’ve done too many things for me. Coffee is not enough to compensate for that.”, Dongwoo smiles at them.

Oh. He’s still thinking of that?, Sungyeol imagines the time when Dongwoo was still bullied for school because he was too damn kind. He tries to cast the thoughts away and smiles to himself. It was all in the past anyway.

Suddenly, the bell chimes, signaling that there are people coming in.

Dongwoo looks up, “Uh-oh.”

Both of them turn around and see what made Dongwoo look so panicked. Young professionals and a group of college kids, not below twenty, chatter noisily and walk up to the counter. They create a long queue in a few seconds that pass.

Dongwoo mumbles audibly, “We’re a little short on people. What to do--”

“Let me help you, hyung. It’s the least I can do for the free coffee this lazy bastard got from you.”, Sungyeol volunteers. It was not a new sight, really. He has been helping out in this café whenever he is bored with all the studying he’s doing. Also, he loves coffee so it is no big deal.

“Hey, that’s mean--”, Woohyun counters but his voice become muffled when impatient noises erupted.

Sungyeol immediately goes behind the counter and wears the apron that has his nameplate on. He puts himself on autopilot: he punches the order in the register, writes the name of customers on the plastic cups, pumps syrups into them and passes it to anyone who’s available to make it. Sometimes when the orders are too much for the staff to handle, he stops working in the register and helps mix drinks. He even never forgets to smile when he’s handing out their drinks.

Few minutes pass, the line dies as all orders are filled.

“You know what? You should totally work here every day, Yeol. You like… mastered the art of managing chaos in a coffee shop and you’re still in high school. Not to mention the fact that you make good coffee than everyone else here. No offense to you ladies.”, Woohyun blurts out when the last kid carries his Mocha Latte and blueberry muffin to the only vacant table outside the shop.

“None taken.”, the girls say.

 Sungyeol rolls his eyes and hands Woohyun his steaming hot Cappucino, “Just drink your coffee, Hyun.”

“See? This is exactly why you should do it. You’re bittersweet. One time you’re all smiles and sweetness overflow you then the next thing I know you’re as bitter as the coffee.”. Woohyun sips his coffee and hums in approval. “And hot as hell!”. Dongwoo just laughs because he always find Woohyun amusing with his remarks. Sungyeol, on the other hand, just grabs the wet dish rag and starts wiping the counter. He spots dried caramel and starts to scrub it off. Now he understands why Dongwoo is so rough in wiping it a while ago. The stain is a .

The door twinkles again and Sungyeol looks up. Seeing that Dongwoo is busy chatting and joking with Woohyun, he decides that he’ll accommodate the newcomer himself. The new guy has his gray hoodie on. His branded sunglasses cover half of his face.

“Hello. Welcome to Heaven’s café. What can I get you?” Sungyeol notices how his lips turns into a thin line indicating that he is contemplating on what to order. Nevertheless, he still gives him a smile.

“One Caramel Macchiato to go.”, said the guy and smiles back.

“For?”

“Uhh… L.”

Sungyeol writes his name on the cup and with a flurry of movements, he finishes the drink. “Here you go.”As he handed him his drink, the customer says his thanks and pays up. It is not the first time that Sungyeol hears a word of gratitude from a customer but it sure is the first time he feels so warm in the inside. Maybe it is the guy’s suave voice or the way his lips move.

Or maybe the way his fingers tingle due to the slightest touch he had with the customer.     

The guy must have felt it too because even though he has his sunglasses on, Sungyeol is almost sure that he is looking at him straight to the eye. It lingers for like five seconds before they hear someone clears his throat. As if woken in a trance, Sungyeol and the man look to their side. They see Dongwoo and Woohyun look away as fast as they can but they can tell they’ve been watching them for awhile. I should’ve have known that these idiots will be watching, Sungyeol sighs inwardly and gives an apologetic smile to the customer. The guy flushes deep red and he’s not quite sure if it’s because of his moronic friends or the smile he just offered. Before leaving, the guy bows a little and goes on a little sprint towards the door.

His friends are snickering in the corner and looking at him with mischievous grins on their faces.

“That was something weird… like in those cheesy romance dramas on TV or those sappy fairytales on books. Where everything’s magical and silly to the point you wanna throw up.” Dongwoo teases and gives him a playful jab in the ribs. Woohyun howls in laughter and almost falls off his seat. Both of them cackle like crazy because Woohyun has this thank-God-I-didn’t-crack-my-skull-open-just-now expression on his face.

At least I’m not the only one who found it weird, Sungyeol thinks as he continues to wipe the counter clean. He recollects if he had seen him somewhere. He isn’t a regular here that’s for sure. But he can shake this weird feeling… this nagging thought…this guy whose name was…   

Wait, what was his name again?

-

Catching his breath, he skids to a stop. He has been running as if his life is at risk. He just had to leave the café before he makes a fool out of himself. Even though he is a celebrity, dealing people outside his work is not really his cup of tea. But he needed caffeine in his system right now so he had no choice but to find and go down to the nearest coffee shop in the area. However, he doesn’t know that he find something in there too. Or someone.

The barista who served him his coffee.  

He can still remember how he smiled at him as he waits for him to say his order. How he easily and gracefully prepared his Macchiato. Or how his long and delicate fingers grazed on his’ ever so lightly. In short, he doesn’t think that he’ll forget him any sooner.  

But he felt like a fool because instead of saying his real name, he told him his Starcraft account name. “L”, he says soflty and takes a sip on his coffee. he sighs happily and takes a long swig on his drink. Good looks and good coffee = perfect combination.    

Kim Myungsoo really suits the “L” that’s written in his coffee cup. L for lame. L for lousy. L for L-O-S-E-R.

-

(tbc)