Shin Hyorin, or Rin for short, was a regular nineteen year old with a regular life and regular friends. Trust her when she says, her life couldn’t get more regular than this. Three months ago she signed the contract to sacrifice the next four years of life to Konkuk University in order to possess a degree in biotechnology. She still remembered the yellow cab zooming out the street, leaving behind a trail of flying dust. Hyorin felt like it wasn’t the taxi that was going away, but her last chance to escape this architectural hell hole. Her first bitter encounters were still fresh in her mind and she made note to avoid those people at all costs in the future. Her roommate was thankfully a genuinely nice person and Hyorin couldn’t thank the heavens enough for that. So in three months, Hyorin had settled in her new room, befriended her roommate without scaring her, and could successfully navigate her way through the corridors to her classes without getting lost.
One semester into her course she realized how clueless she was about everything. Her friend circle consisted of two girls and one guy who came and went as he pleased, ‘til date she did not know what the guy was majoring in or what his full name was. She found that Jiyeon, her roommate/friend, was a contemporary design major and came from a well off family. Other than the fact that Hyorin had to hear her spazz over a new guy every week, Jiyeon was pretty cool. Hyorin stopped keeping track of Jiyeon’s crushes after Boy #4, the fair blonde with pretty eyes, or was that Boy #2...? Whoever it was, Hyorin didn’t care. She’d pretend listening to Jiyeon’s raving since she didn’t want the only girl she gets along with to think of her as a stuck up snob.
But the day Jiyeon came back to their room with Haeri in tow, Hyorin had a feeling something was about to happen, something she didn’t like. Her dazed expression and big eyes were red lights for Hyorin. Great, another crush, and Hyorin will have to feign excitement as Jiyeon went on to describe every minute detail about the new guy whom she couldn’t care less about. But it was weird this time, Jiyeon never dragged Haeri into their room, she’d always tell her later when they met for lunch, then what was so special about this new kid that had Jiyeon doing the unusual?
“He’s a filming major!”
“Wow isn’t that nice.” Hyorin commented as she flipped through her molecular biology book. Their teacher just announced a quiz, and although it was two weeks away, Hyorin wanted to be prepared.
“That’s really cool!” Haeri was genuinely excited. Then again, she was always excited. In fact, every political science major Hyorin encountered looked like they were high on something.
“And he’s so cute! He also has a cousin here! OH MY GOD THIS GUY IS SO PERFECT!” Jiyeon practically screamed and hugged her feather pillow. Hyorin sighed; this was the second guy this month who Jiyeon called ‘perfect’. If Hyorin wasn’t mistaken, then since the day she befriended her roommate, Mr. filming major would be…Boy #7. Yes, #7. Another hour was spent with Jiyeon’s erratic chatter polluting the air. How does she even find out so much about someone when Hyorin didn’t even know what her only guy friend was majoring in?
“He works part time at Starbucks. Sunday to Wednesday, 3 to 7 with a half hour break after 5 at the campus branch.” Jiyeon pulled at her friends’ sleeves to make sure they heard this crucial piece of information.
“Do you guys know what that means?” She asked with big round, excited eyes. Hyorin blinked and exchanged glances with Haeri who looked just as confused at her friend’s question.
“You get free coffee...?” Haeri tried but failed after Jiyeon shook her head.
“No! It means we get to see him at his work place! We’ll go tomorrow!” She beamed and Hyorin’s face fell. Haeri registered the fact and giggled for God knows what reason since there was obviously nothing to be happy about and Hyorin pulled her arm away, surprising her friend.
“Hold up hold up, what do you mean ‘we’?” Her expression was hard, but there was a crack of panic visible because of the possibility she was afraid she’d hear.
“You two have to come with me! I can’t sit in the café alone for four hours!”
“Exactly, you can’t.” Hyorin deadpanned.
“That’s why I need you guys with me!”
“No, that’s why you shouldn’t go in the first place.” Hyorin wasn’t going to let Jiyeon’s whining get to her. But damn, the girl was persistent. Haeri remained quiet, she knew what was good for her, and silently watch the scene unravel. After several reasons as to why Hyorin should go with her tomorrow to stare at some guy for hours, Jiyeon had 0% success rate. That is why she pulled out the big guns, the only weakness she noticed in the months she stayed with her roommate.
“Pwease~~ oh pwease oh pwease oh pwease~~ pwetty pwease~~” Jiyeon sang and Hyorin felt sick in the stomach. Jiyeon knew it was working, so she struck the iron while it was hot and latched onto Hyorin’s arm. She batted her lashes at her gave her the most defenseless and innocent expression she could. Hyorin swore that if Jiyeon wasn’t her friend, she would’ve probably hit her hard on the head.
“Jiyeon, let go.”
“Rin pwease~~”
“Stop it I’m begging you.” Hyorin tried prying her arm away but Jiyeon wouldn’t let her.
“I’m begging you too~” Jiyeon whined and Hyorin face palmed. Baby talk was first on the list of intolerance. Hyorin tried to remain strong and forced herself out of her friend’s grip.
“No no no no way in hell.” Hyorin left the room to get some much needed air in order to recover from the aegyo attack and Jiyeon sighed.
-
“Rin? What are you doing here? I though you weren’t coming.”  Haeri was surprised when she saw a red studded KENZO snapback next to the off-white beanie. Hyorin had never felt such enduring torture in her entire life than that she suffered yesterday. Not only did Jiyeon continue baby talking for the rest of the night, but also sprayed her perfume with sickeningly sweet smell in the bathroom, blast Justin Beiber songs in the room and not to mention, emotionally black mail her. She drove her to the edge and finally Hyorin gave up. Spending four unproductive hours in exchange for a peaceful night was a pretty good bargain in her eyes. With her hands tucked in the pockets of her comfy oversized hoodie, Hyorin rotated her shoulder to adjust her denim sling bag. She dug her fists deeper into her pockets, not from the cold, but because of the incredulous stare she was receiving from Haeri.
“She changed her mind!” Jiyeon beamed as she flashed a bright smile towards her friend. Hyorin would’ve smiled back on other days but not right now, right now she needed to keep her word to her friend and not run away because hell, she didn’t like this one bit.
“Can we please get inside and get over this? I’m freezing.” She shivered for emphasis and Haeri let out a laugh. Jiyeon locked one arm with Haeri and the other with sour Hyorin before dashing into the coffee shop. The inside was warm unlike the outside and Hyorin’s fists loosened a bit. Coffee, the only scent her nose picked up. Something immediately hit home.  The last time she was ever in a shop that had anything to do with coffee and cakes was her last day in her home town, which was almost a year ago. Hyorin felt comfort go through her like breeze on a fine spring day. It hadn’t even been five minutes and she already liked it here. She didn’t have the time to admire the shop though because Jiyeon dragged her and Haeri towards the vacant table next to the wall, the third nearest table to the counter. Hyorin shot her an annoyed look but the girl was too busy searching for her ‘certain someone’ to notice. Sighing she let her bag slip from her shoulder and settled on the seat next to the wall. Haeri took a seat opposite to her and Jiyeon sat on her left.
“Where is he…..”
Hyorin clearly didn’t care where who was and decided to peruse the menu card. So many drinks to choose from but her eyes only found Americano. There was something about that bitter taste that Hyorin liked, or probably because that was the only caffeinated beverage she had ever tasted. Given her love for coffee, it was a little odd that she never tried anything other than black liquid. But that’s just how she was. On the first day she asked her brother to make her coffee, that’s what he made. All he wanted was for his baby sister to stop annoying the heck out of him. Thinking she’d gag due to the bitter taste he gave her a cup, although she grimaced and shivered, she still finished the entire thing. He gave her that for two months in order to get some sort of negative reaction but instead, the taste stuck. She didn’t have the heart to try anything else, especially after she left home. To be fairly honest, she didn’t even know there was a starbucks, or any other coffee shop for that matter, in their campus. But now that she knew, maybe she’d come here more often.  Her eyes went over the different categories and she awed over the fact that there were so many drinks she hadn’t even heard of.
Wow you can put ice in Americano? That’s cool….
Oh this has foam on it! and this one-
A violent budge reeled her out of her world. Jiyeon was latching onto her arm and pulling her back and forth like a yo yo. Hyorin was annoyed at her friend but Jiyeon didn’t even hear her protest since she was too busy squealing.
“That’s him! Guys that’s him! OH GOD HE’S SO CUTE!” Hyorin instantly regretted sitting next to Jiyeon. Not only was she constantly banging into the wall as a result of her friend’s ecstatic state, but she also felt like her arm would fall off. She pulled her arm from her and scooted away her chair a little. While Haeri was half twisted to look behind her, Hyorin deeply sighed as she wondered what she had done to deserve this.
“The guy with dark brown hair! That’s him!” Jiyeon directed her friends’ gaze and Hyorin saw him. Yes he was tall and cute, but then again, so was boy #5. Haeri was still arching to get a better look whereas Hyorin had seen enough.  She returned to look at the menu and itched, she needed a beverage immediately.
“The guy next to him isn’t bad either…..” Jiyeon mumbled and Hyorin rolled her eyes.
“Over him already?”
“What? NO! I’m just saying…” Jiyeon defended as Haeri straightened herself after intense observation.
“Should we order something? Jiyeon, this way you can talk to him too. Hyorin immediately second that suggestion. She wanted coffee and this was like killing two birds with one stone, Jiyeon would get ‘senpai to notice her’, and Hyorin would get her coffee.
“Really?” Jiyeon was unsure but Hyorin insisted.
“Yeah you should. I want Americano. Haeri, what about you?” The said girl pursed her lips as she went through the choices and settled on ice green tea, Jiyeon decided on a frappucino. With the orders set, Hyorin bent to take out her book, if she was going to spend four hours here, might as well make them count.  Jiyeon confidently left the table and Haeri pumped her fist to motivate her. However, she came back a minute later with furrowed brows and confused eyes.
“I can’t do this.” Jiyeon uttered and Hyorin looked up from her book, slightly disappointed that there was no plastic cup in her friend’s gloved hands.
“What do you mean you can’t do this?” Haeri said concerned.
“I can’t….I can’t talk to him. I’m too nervous.” Jiyeon shook her head and Hyorin sighed.
“It’s just an order Jiyeon. You can do it.”
“No…I can’t.”
“Well, give your order to someone else then?”
“NO! I’ll get conscious since he’ll be there…..” she stubbornly sat down and Hyorin exchanged glances with Haeri. Jiyeon was about to console her friend for her lack of confidence when suddenly Jiyeon’s head swiveled in her direction. That glint in her eyes, Hyorin knew it. She knew it all too well actually, since that look meant trouble for her.
“I can’t. But you can!”
“Excuse me?” Hyorin leaned back with an incredulous look and Jiyeon beamed.
“Yeah! Please Rin? Give him our order and talk to him a little about me! please~~ That way he’ll know my name too!”
“The hell, no!” her protest came out a little louder than expected and attracted a little attention but the others dismissed it soon.
“Please!” Jiyeon made puppy eyes at her but Hyorin was relentless.
“Nu-uh.”
“Why not?!”
“Why can’t Haeri do it?”  Hyorin made sure her voice was in check and Jiyeon straightened a bit. Haeri was indeed an open option.
“Haeri will you?”  Jiyeon asked a little too innocently. Hyorin too pleaded the girl with her eyes and it only made it harder for her to refuse. Haeri was the reluctant type, but then she saw their gazes and turned towards the counter.
“Ok. I know one of those guys anyway; he’s in one of my classes.”
“Perfect!” Jiyeon beamed and Haeri left the table. Hyorin’s relief was expressed though a sigh and she returned to her book. The only time Hyorin’s gaze left the book was when Haeri arrived with their coffees.  She grabbed the tall white cup and uncapped it. The familiar scent made her nauseous and she anticipated the bitter taste.
“Oh. My. God. THERE’S A STAR NEXT TO MY NAME! Guys! What does that mean?!” Hyorin flinched at her friend’s volume but fortunately didn’t spill any liquid.
“There’s a….circle? next to mine…..” Haeri said, a little confused as to why there was a circle.
“Rin, what’s on yours?” Jiyeon asked and the girl had to break out from her trance because wow, she missed coffee a lot more than she thought.
“Umm…” Hyorin held the cup away from and twisted her hand until she could see her name. The block words written in bold black represented her name, next to is was a….smiley? What the heck.
“A-uh, D face smiley……” Jiyeon went ‘oooh’ and Haeri nodded.
“Do they always make these things next to names?” Hyorin asked with a cocked brow and Jiyeon nodded.
“Not always, but sometimes.” Haeri commented.
Well, okay then.
-
It had been two weeks, for fourteen days Hyorin had been forced to go to the coffee shop. However, she didn’t mind it this time. She even volunteered once in a while. The aroma of roasted beans, the smooth dark tables, it all made her feel like home. Although her family’s coffee shop was a lot different in interior and had limited beverages, it didn’t change the fact that the campus shop made her feel like she was back in her city.  By the end of week three, Jiyeon had found herself a new crush, someone in her graphics class, and Hyorin was left without an excuse to visit the coffee shop. Hyorin wished her friend would’ve just stuck to Boy #7. But no, she just HAD to move on to a new one. Couldn’t she see Hyorin was benefiting from it too? While Jiyeon could stare at her 7th edition of prince charming, Hyorin could enjoy the comfortable couch they had moved to and sip on the bitter coffee with a drawn smiley while studying.
But oh how the tables had turned. It was now Hyorin asking Jiyeon or even Haeri to accompany her to the coffee shop just for the sake of not looking like a loner. While Haeri would accompany her whenever she had time, Jiyeon flat out refused to since ‘it wouldn’t feel right’. Most of the time she’d come alone at 4 after her class and leave at 8, always with a book in hand and order one cup of coffee followed by a cake or a cold sandwich later. The only days she couldn’t visit would be Tuesdays, fatigue from classes forbade her to even so much as glance in a direction that wasn’t of her dorms, and also the weekend, Jiyeon always managed to drag her and Haeri somewhere.
Another cold Thursday afternoon was spent in the warm confines of starbucks. Hyorin dropped her bag on the two person couch and plopped next to it. Today had been super hectic and Hyorin thanked the law for making hitting illegal or else there would’ve been a lot of stray punches. Not only did she have to write a three thousand word essay about 20th century literature an hour before her class (her partner simply ‘forgot’ to do his part) but she also stuttered during their presentation because her same douche of a partner kept distracting her. She cursed even on her way to the shop since she forgot her gloves, and now there was nothing to shield her hands from the biting frost of winter.
However, the moment she grabbed her warm cup, all her problems became trivial and forgotten. The bittersweet flavor had warmth erupting through her system and suddenly, the unfortunately cold trip felt worth it. She settled again after retrieving her order and rummaged through her bag for a novel (her literature class required it). Although she wasn’t a novel person, she had to admit Jane Austen was too good to let go. Another sip from her cup and she remembered a minute detail, her name. Not that she forgot her name, but she forgot to read her name written on the plain white surface next to the green sphere. Something about reading her name written on the cup made her content, that it was HER cup, and HER coffee. It was a childish attachment, but her mother had made her a cup during one of her pottery classes, and it had her name embossed on the light green surface. Also the smiley next to her name somehow always made her lips twitch. There just something about the inked face that made it look overly excited, and Hyorin found the hidden enthusiasm a little funny if not motivating.
But where was her name? She didn’t see her name where it usually was; in fact she didn’t see her name at all. Instead, she saw a longer text, or if she had to be proper, a message.
I like your hat *0*
Hyorin’s hand immediately flew towards her head and she held the supreme army print snapback in front of her face. She timidly placed it backwards on her head again and self consciously looked towards the counter. There were four guys and one girl working there. One of them was Boy #7, the other was a shorter guy with light brown hair while the third had…red hair? They weren’t even ginger, but flaming red and she wondered if that shade was even acceptable. The last male was black haired whereas the girl, Hyorin knew the girl; she also knew that Mina would rather die than compliment Hyorin so she was obviously out of her suspects list. Glancing back at the cup, Hyorin couldn’t help but smirk, amused and bemused at the random message. Not to mention the smiley, that was cute too. The writing was the same, therefore Hyorin decided that the next time she ordered, rather than remaining engrossed in her book (may it be a novel or academic) she’ll make sure she saw the creator of this font.
-
“I canNOT believe you Rin.”
“Dude, chill out! It’s no biggie!”
“We’ve been friends for a year and NOW you ask me what I’m majoring in? I thought you knew!”
“Well…I know now.”
Joonmyeon huffed and shook his head. Hyorin shrugged and pushed open the shop door, Joonmyeon following behind. Finally, out of plain curiosity, Hyorin decided to ask Joonmyeon what he was majoring in. Not only did the lad gawk at her for a good fifteen seconds, but later broke into a snicker asking if she was actually serious. Hyorin thought he’d be highly offended that she wasn’t aware he was a communication and engineering major, but to her surprise he wasn’t. He was surprised, yes, but not highly offended since he knew how oblivious Hyorin could be. Hyorin wondered though, how would he react if she asked for his surname?
“Go sit, I’ll get our order. What do you want?”
“Americano please.” Hyorin felt a stare on her and she saw her friend incredulously looking at her.
“What?” she asked rather defensively and he blinked.
“Americano? Isn’t it bitter?”
“Yeah, a little.” Joonmyeon nodded and Hyorin proceeded to her usual seat, however, this time she left her bag on the floor. Hyorin ped her bag to pull out a writing pad and extra notes as Joonmyeon shortly returned with their coffees, placing the tray on the table ahead of them.
“Two Americanos?” Hyorin asked rather confused and Joonmyeon nodded.
“Yeah, I figured I’d try it too.” He shrugged and Hyorin searched the cups.
“What are you doing?”
“Checking which is mine.”
“Does it matter? There the same…”
“Yes, it does.” She finally found her cup among the two and sat back contented. Her content didn’t last long, why did it feel so odd that there was no overly enthusiastic smiley next to her dull name?
“Finally I have a competent partner. I was partnered with Leo last time, it felt like working with Kristen Stewart,” he shivered at the memory making her smile,” he was expressionless the entire time. It actually became creepy.” Hyorin laughed at her friend’s discomfort as well as the way his face contorted with disgust as he sipped on the black coffee.
“Well at least he did his part of the job. I had to do that Sehun guy’s part as well.” Hyorin grumbled at the memory and the boy sighed.
“Good thing now we won’t have to suffer. Let’s get started.”
Three hours were spent organizing and typing their respective halves for their history class. Joonmyeon lived up to his reputation and volunteered to order (and pay) for the following chilled juices and sandwiches. It was almost 6 by the time they were done and Joonmyeon rubbed his sore neck. He offered to walk her to the dorms but Hyorin refused, she still had a few things to finish. After a lot of insisting Joonmyeon finally grabbed his bag to leave and almost passed the counter when Hyorin called him back.
“I was wondering…” Hyorin’s volume became lower since the boy was in close range of hearing, she wasn’t sure how to word the question without sounding awkward, “what’s your surname?”
Just as this morning, he gaped at her.
“Are you kidding me?”
“No.” Joonmyeon hoped it was her idea of a joke but to his horror it wasn’t.
“I’ve known you-“
“-For a year and I still don’t know your full name” Hyorin smiled mischievously and the boy sighed a laugh.
“Kim, Kim Joonmyeon.” With that he left with a somewhat cool salute and Hyorin scoffed.
Show-off
After another ten minutes Hyorin packed her bag to leave. She skimmed over the table to make sure she or Joonmyeon hadn’t left anything behind. Her eyes landed her on their empty cups and she wondered, what was written on Joonmyeon’s cup? Were there smileys? She grabbed his cup, and no, there weren’t any smileys. Moreover, she felt the writing on his cup was a little different. She grabbed hers and compared the two and yes, they WERE different. Hyorin shrugged it off and was about to dump her cup when her eyes caught a text written with a finer pen at the bottom of the cup.
Your hat is the ‘BOMB’ :P
Hyorin broke a smile at the pun. She readjusted her black bomb embroidered snapback and threw the cup in the recycle bin.
-
It was a dreadful day for the twenty year old female. It was raining, she overslept and missed one class and due to the same reason, was late to the other. Her quick preparation did not give her the time to do anything decent with her hair so currently they were tied in a loose messy bun, stray hair hidden securely under her ‘Supreme’ embroidered purple snapback. Her hoodie only had a couple of drops since her bag had been sacrificed and used as a shield. Despite the terrible weather, she still had the strong urge to visit the coffee shop. That was the only thing that would surely lift her mood, just her and a warm cup of coffee with a friendly message and books, rather than Jiyeon and her new discoveries about her latest crush.
It was the first time she decided to pay attention. Last week she told herself to be conscious of the crew but she, well, forgot. But what she DID notice was that the writing on the cup on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays was different with no smiley or a message. So she concluded that the anonymous hat lover was only available on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays. There were only two or three other people in the café due to the rain so the café was more or less empty. Therefore, instead of shielding herself with her hood, she pulled it back not caring whether her hair looked like a nest or not. Hyorin observed the staff, Boy #7 wasn’t there, neither was the short brunette. Instead, there was one boy with a dimple just like Mr.7 and another bored looking blonde with- were those eye bags?
“May I take your order?” the dimpled one asked and Hyorin was just about to utter the first syllable when someone else spoke up.
“Get her an Americano. Her name’s Hyorin.” The red haired boy said as he briefly glanced in her direction.
“It was just a formality.” The black haired boy mumbled.  She was a little surprised but then she figured them knowing her order was understandable. She HAD been coming frequently for almost a month and a half now.
“That would be 2.15 please.” The red haired boy said and Hyorin glanced at his name tag. The noun ‘Kyungsoo’ was written with white chalk effect on a green background and Hyorin registered the name. She pulled out the bills and gave him a reluctant smile which he returned amiably. Service with a smile.
“So you’re Hyorin?” the blonde asked out of nowhere as she waited for her drink. She jerked away from the counter and found him giving her a curious stare.
“Uh…yes?” she hesitantly answered and he narrowed his eyes. She looked away feeling uncomfortable and warily glanced at him. She saw him nod and walk away from her peripheral view. What a weird kid.
“Here’s your order Ms. Hyorin.” The dimpled kid, or Lay as his nametag said, gave her the cup with her name.
“Oh, and don’t mind Tao, he’s new.” He pointed backwards towards the said boy.
“No it’s fine. He didn’t do anything.” Hyorin smiled reassuringly and moved back.
“Enjoy your drink!” he hollered and she gave him a nod of acknowledgement.
Well, the sender apparently wasn’t Lay, the writing wasn’t the same. Neither could it be Tao, he clearly didn’t know who she was, and the other already mentioned that eye bag kid was new, so he was no longer a consideration either. She sat in her usual space and slipped her reading glasses on. Jane Austen was surely a genius. Her capability to embed such distinct qualities within each of her characters was amazing. Hyorin found Eleanor’s sense enviable. She was such a sagacious character and Hyorin admired her so much for her control and awareness. As for the other character, while Hyorin admitted that Marianne’s love and respect for her sister was admirable, she found the judgments Marianne made based on her prejudice and her crush’s influence stupid. How could she not see that the man who was more than capable of keeping her happy was always there, always near, right in front of her?
“God damn it, you idiot!”
Hyorin was pulled out of 19th century morals and into the 21st century buzz due to the ruckus. Right ahead of her, was boy #7 begging forgiveness from Kyungsoo. Her confused gaze then landed on the smeared whipped cream on the smooth wooden table and some spilled light brown liquid. #7 whispered desperately towards Kyungsoo. The literal red head glanced at her direction before heaving a sigh and leaving. But not before giving the latter a hard look and even a warning by the looks of it. Tao went past Kyungsoo towards the littered table and scoffed. He shot the boy a glare, and Hyorin flinched when he suddenly looked towards her. Looking back and forth between the two the blonde scoffed again and cleared the table.
This guy is officially weird….
Normally Hyorin would mind her own business and return to her book, but the scene unraveled and reached the end so quickly, that she ended up seeing all of it. And all of it includes the accidental meeting of the gaze between her and #7.
Not bad Jiyeon
She thought as she sent him an amicable smile out of manners. He looked rather surprised since his posture immediately changed and eyes widened. He returned the smile though, just that it was crooked. Out of nowhere he sent her a wave, sadly she was too absorbed in her book to notice.
-
“I will kill either myself or you Oh Sehun if you do not shut up in the next 15 seconds.”
“I can have you arrested for threatening me like that, you know.”
“Just a few minutes, I want you to be quiet for a few frustrating minutes so that I can finish this paragraph and we can move on to the next task. Please?”
Don’t get her wrong, Hyorin loved her literature class. And her teacher was also great and all but, she didn’t understand why a 40 year old woman couldn’t pick up the fact that Shin Hyorin did not want to be paired with Oh Sehun again? From dropping hints to flat out begging her, Hyorin had done it all but in the eyes of Mrs. Cho, Oh Sehun was a hardworking angel. Despite protesting and her open detestation for his presence, he continued to follow her to the café in order to ‘do their project’. They had started reading the text almost 30 minutes ago and this pest just wouldn’t shut up.
“Fine,” he agreed and Hyorin waited for the catch, there was always a catch with him, “but you’ll treat me to a drink in return.”
“O-“
“And a cookie!” Hyorin narrowed her eyes but agreed anything for peace.
 
“What do you want?” Sehun and Hyorin stood at the counter and Sehun pursed his lips as he looked through the menu. Kyungsoo and Hyorin exchanged smiles and nods as he already knew what the girl would want.
“Where do you get your snapbacks from?” Hyorin turned left and faced Sehun who was looking at her hat rather than the menu like he should be.
“Various places.” Nodding at her vague answer he looked back at the menu. It was Monday and Hyorin noticed that the brunette and #7 were present, minus Mina. She was convinced it wasn’t Mina who sent those messages, but she wanted to be sure. That would narrow the window down to boy #7 and the short brunette.
“Why do you wear snapbacks anyway?”
“Just order SeBrat. I thought you’d stay quiet if I treated you.”
“You are yet to treat me.”
Hyorin’s eyes formed slits and the boy ignored her like she’d normally ignore him and continues to consider his options. She shook her head and looked ahead only to see boy #7 and little brunette look away. #7 looked back immediately though and gave her a toothy (confused) smile. Hyorin smiled back.  The poor boy probably felt embarrassed about what happened the other day and she didn’t want to make him feel more uncomfortable since she witnessed all of it. Kyungsoo was yet to start preparing their drinks and stood expectantly in front of them.
“Princess Oh, could you please hurry up?” Hyorin shot Kyungsoo an apologetic look and the latter slightly shook his head with a smile. Sehun on the other hand grumbled.
“Don’t rush me peasant. You didn’t order yet either.” He shot back as a matter of fact and the girl held the urge to roll her eyes.
“She orders Americano every time so we don’t even ask her anymore.” Hyorin expected Kyungsoo’s mouth to move, but his mouth didn’t move, moreover, the voice was too thick to be his.
“We’re basically just waiting for you to decide so we can prepare them at the same time.” #7 had a grave voice compared to his face. Hyorin didn’t know what to feel, glad or slightly embarrassed that the entire staff knew her order?
“They know what you’re gonna order?” Sehun asked slightly baffled.
“Apparently.”
“Wow, how often do-“
“There you are Sehun!”
They all turned around at the sound of the intruder who was Joonmyeon. Kim Joonmyeon, as Hyorin now knew. He pulled the strap of his sling bag and ran towards the two while looking puffed.
“I’ve been looking all over for you,” and then suddenly, as though the others were invisible before, Joonmyeon’s eyes lit up as he noticed his friend standing beside Sehun.
“Oh hey Rin, should’ve known you’d be here,” she returned the greeting and thought that would be the end of all hellos but then he turned to the counter.
“’Sup Chanyeol? How’s it going?” Joonmyeon and #7- no, Chanyeol, high fived. To Kyungsoo he just nodded with a formal hello before addressing Sehun again.
“Dr. Jung said that the substitute class for advanced physics has been rescheduled to 4:50 today. You better run and tell your mates or you’ll be late.”
Sehun’s display of shock and distress would be best explained with the infamous cuss word. He bolted out with Joonmyeon who was nice enough to volunteer helping as Hyorin waved the two goodbye.
“Looks like you don’t have to treat him now huh?” She turned to find Chanyeol smiling with the starbucks hat on his head. Kyungsoo had disappeared and it was only him behind the counter and Mina sitting (eavesdropping) on one of the tables.
“Oh I’ll have to treat him alright. Next time probably.” She sighed, relieved that the rest of her afternoon won’t be filled with a certain annoying voice. Chanyeol gave a throaty chuckle and Hyorin could see what made her friend swoon so much.
“You two know each other?” she asked referring to Joonmyeon as she pointed towards the glass door.
“He’s in my Sociology class.”
“Oh.”
“Americano right?”
“Yeap.”
 
 
I’ve been looking for that hat. Where did you get it? *_*
-
Starbucks is known for their foolproof service. Well, that’s basically because there is nothing to mess up in the first place. You go in, place your order and pay, talk to one of the staff if your social, pick your order, and then do whatever the hell you want. Easy and simple. And a glitch is even less likely to occur when you’ve been to a specific café enough times that the entire staff knows your order. So when Hyorin held a cold frappucino in place of her usual hot coffee, she almost dropped the cup.
“Everything alright?”
Hyorin and Chanyeol were in the middle of a conversation when the little almost accident happened. The poor boy instantly stopped laughing and gazed at her with concerned eyes.
“Yeah- um I think I picked up someone else’s cup.” Hyorin checked and indeed, it wasn’t her cup, it was someone else’s. Chanyeol said an ‘ah’ and nodded before continuing with his previous sentence.  Joonmyeon made her yelp when he appeared out of nowhere and tickled her sides. It was when Chanyeol had left with deflated shoulders and Hyorin busied herself with scolding Joonmyeon that her cup arrived.
“Oh there’s your name.” her friend nodded towards the cup and Hyorin flinched again because heck it was cold.
“Damn it, this is the second time I picked up someone else’s cup.” Amidst Hyorin’s grumbling, Kyungsoo came to the counter and provided her some much needed information.
“No actually this is yours.”
“What? I don’t remember ordering a….” Hyorin questioningly glanced at the boy on her left, “What is this?”
“It’s a caramel chocolate chip frapppucino,” Kyungsoo spoke instead, “and yes you didn’t order it but it’s yours.”
Hyorin raised a brow at him and spun the cup. Her name was written in dark red, barely readable due to the textured brown visible through the transparent cup unlike the usual black on clear white.
   “But-“
 “It’s still yours.”
“But i-“
“And here’s your money,” he returned her bills and she looked at him weirdly whereas he simply smiled, “it’s on the house.”
“Kyungsoo I cannot-“
“You can and you will. Brighten up Rin, try something else for once.” Lay interjected and pushed the cup towards her. Where did he pop up from?
“Perks of having friends in a café huh?” Joonmyeon smirked in amusement, “how come you guys don’t treat me like that?” he asked the staff and they shrugged.
“Hey Chanyeol, why don’t you guys treat me?”, the said boy stopped in his track and looked between him and Hyorin.
“How about you just take this?” Hyorin said pushing her cup towards him. Joonmyeon’s eyes widened a little because no he did not want the girl to give him her cup, he just wanted to know why he was never treated by his friends. Lay and Kyungsoo protested at her action but she ignored them.
“I’ll treat you right now. What do you want?”
Chanyeol pushed the cup back towards her without breaking eye contact with Joonmyeon and waited. Kyungsoo nudged Lay and Joonmyeon shook his head.
“No no that’s not what I meant! I was just saying.” He shrugged and Hyorin sighed. She already spent an entire two hours on bio-chemistry; she wanted to stay away from any more mental pressure.
“Fine, guys I’ll take it.” she sighed and Chanyeol grabbed Lay and pulled him towards the tables where he was previously headed. Baekhyun, the brunette, waved at the Joonmyeon and Hyorin as they passed him and Hyorin waved back with a smile. Joonmyeon gave him a nod with a smile and Baekhyun proceeded to give his tall work mate a high five but was blatantly ignored. Latter’s reaction surprised him and he went behind the counter towards his red headed friend.
“Who stepped on his tail?” he asked Kyungsoo and the other chuckled.
“Who do you think?”
 
A new experience! You won’t regret it *^*
-
Other than cramming for the cellular biology quiz and attending scheduled project meetings, catching a cold and being bed ridden for four days wasn’t on Hyorin’s to-do list. Joonmyeon had been kind enough to drop by the third day and proved to be more of a friend than her roommate who refused to go down to the coffee shop. He surprised her with an Americano and said it was a get well soon gift from the guys. Hyorin felt like she’d cry because only God knew how much she wanted to go down to that shop again. She missed the aroma of roasted coffee beans, the loud whirring blender, and the chattering staff she had recently befriended.  She craved the sight of the dark walls, elegant brown tables, not to mention the couch, she missed her spot. She wanted to hear Tao’s obnoxious laugh, see Kyungsoo’s red hair, imagine Lay waltzing through the tables, feel Baekhyun annoy her and watch Chanyeol be….Chanyeol.  Hyorin had to admit, that out of all the things, she missed their pointless conversations the most. They’d mostly start from something as trivial as what a ‘bacteriostatic' was and end up discussing their dream locations.
“I know I don’t look the type but I think Paris would be a perfect place to visit.” Hyorin recalled saying in one conversation.
“You don’t need to belong to a type in order to visit a place Rin.” Chanyeol had chuckled and Hyorin felt heat rush to her face. She dismissed it then but now stuck in bed with nothing to do, she wondered why it happened. She also wondered why she wanted to go to the café so badly. She had gulped down her coffee, but ever since she had the taste of that frappucino, Americano seemed to have become a second option now. Now that she had her coffee, her restlessness became more confusing. She kept glancing back towards the message- correction, messages on the cup.
Get well soon; I need someone to protect me from Chanyeol.
Hyorin smiled. Short and mischievous, definitely Baekhyun.
I got used to your audacious gaping when I pull random moves so come back soon ok!
Audacious? Wait, Lay noticed? That’s embarrassing……
Americano stocks are piling up. Return as soon as possible and help us clear them out!
Tao sure had a way to wish someone quick recovery.
Hyorin! The café isn’t the same anymore! Get well and come back soon!
Finally, a decent message, Kyungsoo was evidently the most mature. There was only one person left whose message she hadn’t read and for some reason, she felt her stomach flip in anticipation.
I miss you and your hats…… get well soon Rin ^_^
The first time she read it, she couldn’t believe her eyes. She read it over and over again. Chanyeol was the one? The one who kept sending messages through cups? She had never seen any of their writings before (except Kyungsoo and Tao’s when they were playing some rendition of twenty questions), the rest she guessed merely by the messages they wrote. But she recognized this writing and the only one left was Chanyeol because no way would Mina ever send her a get well soon message. Or maybe she would but that was highly unlikely.
Hyorin’s mystery had been solved, she finally found the person behind the anonymous messages. Suddenly she recalled all the times when Chanyeol praised her snapback collection. Everyday he’d compliment her choice and the cup would have another random massage on it. Putting this case to a close, another mystery awaited her. However, this mystery wouldn’t take two and a half months to solve.  She really wanted to go to Starbucks, not to get a whiff of crushed caffeinated beans, but to catch a glimpse of a specific tall employee.
-
“I think I’ll go crazy…” Hyorin groaned and hid her face in her arms on the desk. Class had been dismissed minutes ago but Hyorin remained seated. She did not wish to get her personal space violated by a bunch of sleep deprived humans eager to get to their dorms. However, that wasn’t the only reason. Ever since she returned to the café after her ‘sick leave’, Hyorin started feeling weird. It wasn’t a foreign sensation though; she had felt it before too. She felt it when she first stepped into the shop without her friends’ company. The second time while reading the proposal in Pride and Prejudice, then when she first received the anon message, and every time when someone (a thick voiced certain someone) would relate with her love for snapbacks.
Things were getting……funny with her. She noticed that the weird feeling had intensified. Not only that, but whenever she would receive a massage on her cup, she’d feel unusually giddy. She tried convincing herself that it was because she now knew who her messenger was, but after a week of struggle she gave up and accepted the fact that it because she knew they were from Chanyeol. There was also this embarrassing response whenever he’d say anything nice to her. The red of her cheeks was sometimes so prominent that Baekhyun or Lay would ask if she was feeing alright.
Earlier that day when she was contemplating what to wear, she dropped the shirt she was holding. She felt like she just completed the ice bucket challenge because the realization hit her just that hard. Suddenly her tomato cheeks made sense, her newfound concern of appearance and unexplainable urge to visit the shop even on Tuesdays became explainable.
“What’s got you pulling you hair?”  Hyorin lifted her head to come face to face with a bored looking Sehun. But wait, was that a flick of concern in his tone? Hyorin thought she heard it, but it was gone as soon as it arrived.
“Why do you care?” Hyorin didn’t mean to sound rude but she couldn’t help it. Whenever Sehun was involved, so were enduring hours of (deliberate) annoying blabbering. Hyorin’s epiphany didn’t leave her with enough mental strength to deal with him.
“Ouch. I was just being nice.”  He did sound a little offended and Hyorin instantly felt bad.
“I’m sorry I didn’t mean it that way….” she stopped his retreating figure. Sehun looked back with surprised eyes and saw Hyorin looking genuinely apologetic.
“Did you just apologize?” the incredulity in his tone made Hyorin a little defensive.
“Yeah, so?”
“Did Shin Hyorin just apologize to Oh Sehun? Is this true?”
“Don’t make me regret it.” his hands raised in defense and Hyorin sighed. She had things on her mind and she couldn’t talk to anyone about them. Joonmyeon declared he’d be moving into the library for a quiz due three days later and anyone other than him was out of the question. Jiyeon was not even considered as an option and neither was Haeri. There was this thing about Jiyeon, even if she had moved on from a crush of hers, seeing that person with someone (even a friend or a seat mate) would always piss her off. Hyorin shuddered as she remembered the recent jealous ranting she had to hear about Boy #3 sitting next to a girl in the cafeteria. Though she was later found out to be his sister visiting, the two hours Hyorin had her ears filled with annoyance and irritation were irreplaceable.
Haeri was the type who was unable to keep It quiet, so telling Haeri would mean indirectly telling Jiyeon. The rest of the starbucks staff was a no too.
Why….why was I not more social…
“Something up?” Sehun asked as he stood before her with crossed arms. Hyorin shook her head but the sigh gave her away. Sehun surprised her by grabbing her wrist and her bag as he continued to drag her out of the empty class room.
“Sehun what the hell?!” she almost shouted but the boy remained unfazed by her annoyance turning anger as he looked back at her with his usual expression.
“I’ am going to make you feel better.” Sehun stated. Hyorin used her might to stop him from dragging her any further and stared at him with cautious eyes.
“Why?”
“Because you’re feeling down.” He nonchalantly shrugged.
“What’s in it for you?” she narrowed her eyes and Sehun stifled a sigh. Turning completely her wondered how he should structure his words without eliciting an unfriendly reaction.
“Look, you’re the closest thing I have to a girl friend, so-“
“Excuse me?” Hyorin’s eyes widened and she almost forced her hand out of his grip before he spoke again.
“Girl space friend, don’t get your hopes up.” He chuckled at her scowl but continued on with his previous sentence.
“Anyway, I consider you a friend and I don’t like it when my friends are upset.”
“You- we’re friends?”
“Duh.” He flicked her forehead but Hyorin didn’t have the ability to rub the sore spot right now.
“But we always fight! And you annoy the heck out of me!”
“Isn’t that what friends do?” he casually shrugged with a tilt of his head. Hyorin didn’t want to admit that her lacking experience under the ‘friends’ category did not provide her much material to support his logic. But then she remembered the time when she was in middle school and not so anti social. Her friends back then used to annoy her all the time and vice versa.
“But….I thought you didn’t like me.”
“I do like you! Who said I didn’t?” he exclaimed at the accusation and Hyorin became red out of embarrassment.
“Y-you always say mean things!”
“Oh please Rin you aren’t a saint either. Like I said, friends say mean stuff to each other all the time! That doesn’t mean I’d take it to my heart and then cry over it.”
Well that was true.
“I don’t even mean half the stuff I say and I bet you don’t either.” Sehun raised his brows questioningly and she nodded. All the murder threats were hoax, and everything was out of pure annoyance. Just like how you do it with friends. Difference was, Sehun treated her as a friend when Hyorin took it as ways for him vent his annoyance at her.
“Trust me, you’re completely best friend material,” he assured, “but I won’t give you that honorary title yet. You’ll have to work for it peasant.”
And there it was, that cocky smile of his and that devious glint in his eyes. Hyorin scoffed but had a smile on her face.
“As you say Princess Oh.” She curtseyed mockingly and Sehun laughed.
“I never thought you took me as a friend though.” She asked as they continued walking down the hall. He had let go of her wrist since she was voluntarily going wherever he was taking her.
“You didn’t take me as a friend until three minutes ago need I remind you.” He side glanced and Hyorin frowned.
“That’s because I thought you didn’t like me and only did all that stuff to purposely get on my nerves.”
“What even made you think I didn’t like you?”
“The first time we got paired up? You spent twenty minutes trying to convince the teacher to change partners since you didn’t want to be paired with me.” she reminded him and he stopped in his tracks. He stared at her with slightly narrowed eyes as he tried to recall the occurrence.
“You even told her that you didn’t want to be paired with an anti-social noob like me as a reason and she finally changed your partner since you were too persistent.” Sehun’s eyes relaxed and he gulped hard. He considered that as one of his biggest blunders during his first year of university. Hyorin had felt extremely insulted and hurt at that time. Yes she was the shy type but never had she been anything but amiable to the people who approached her. Jiyeon was her only friend that time since they were roommates. Joonmyeon was the only one first to approach her in their mandatory social studies class. Though he wasn’t always there, he was still the only friend Jiyeon made who looked past her closed personality.
“That….I’ve been meaning to apologize.” Hyorin tilted her head as she waited for him to continue.
“That was a totally influenced opinion I swear. People just found it weird how you always kept to yourself and wore glasses and snapbacks even though you’re a girl and all…..when we got paired my friends made fun of me. I swear I take all that back now Rin, I’m really sorry.”
“Its fine Sehun, I got over it.” She smiled to emphasize her point but the creases of guilt of Sehun’s face didn’t smoothen. 
“Honestly I’m really really sorry, I shouldn’t have believed them in the first place-“
“No point in dwelling over it now Sehun, I let it go and so should you.” She patted his shoulder and Sehun sighed with slumped shoulders before they continued their way again. He apologized once last time when Hyorin suddenly asked.
“What about now though? Won’t your friends be on your case again?”
“Oh please. They aren’t friends, they’re just an insult to the word.” He spat and Hyorin knew better to drop that topic.
“Where are we going?” Hyorin asked as they descended the staircase outside the university building.
“First we’ll go to the arcade and then bubble tea later. And after that we will go to starbucks because tomorrow's weekend and you still owe me a treat.” He smiled a little too widely at the last bit and Hyorin shook her head.
After two hours of random game play and screaming, Hyorin and Sehun opted to sit in the bubble tea shop to replenish their energy rather having their drinks on the go. Hyorin could feel the question coming when Sehun leaned back while sipping on his drink.
“So what’ up?”
“Nothing’s up.” She shrugged back.
“I meant why you looked so tortured in the class.”
“Who said I was feeling tortured?” Sehun gave her a look. Hyorin refused to co-operate and though he wanted to find out, he put the discussion to rest. For now at least.
“Isn’t this nice? Us hanging out like friends, you not threatening to kill me every ten minutes. We should do this more often.”
“It’s because for once you are not annoying. And yes, we should.”
“I only annoy you ‘cuz I was afraid we’d fall into a deep uncomfortable silence. Getting on your nerves was one way to keep you talking.”
“What a theory.”
“I’m genius, I know.”
“Since when did you consider us friends anyway?” she asked as she saw the swirling boba beans through her glass. Sehun gulped his sip and looked out the window as he tried to remember.
“I don’t know really. Probably when you offered to be paired with me when my so called friends ditched me. Yeap, that’s when. I was like ‘Hmmm, after the way I abandoned this girl in that project, she still volunteered.’ That’s when I realized we could be friends.”
“I know how it to be the only one without a partner so I thought I should help you out.”
“See! And that’s when I considered us friends! Friends help each other out.”
“You don’t make a lot of sense but alright.”
“Besides, after that I noticed how you weren’t the dark cloud people made you out to be so hanging around you was fun. For me at least, don’t know about you.”
“It wasn’t a complete torture but there were times I felt like hitting you. What changed your opinion?” Now about that she was curious. What made Sehun change his mind about how she was?
“I saw you with Joonmyeon. You were laughing and talking and I figured you’re not a lonely soul after all. He often mentioned you in conversations so I thought you were better than expected.”
Hyorin felt a slight tingle. Joonmyeon actually mentioned her in conversations with his friends? How sweet was that? And here she was being oblivious to the world and no even remembering his full name or major. They drifted in and out of random topics later. Hyorin had forgotten about her morning discovery long ago until Sehun brought up Starbucks again.
“How about we stay here a little longer?” she suggested and he opened his mouth to protest. He stopped though, since he was there to make her feel better and this was their first outing as friendly friends. Hyorin’s insides churned at the reminder and the restlessness came back. The Sehun she was thanking suddenly became the Sehun she wanted to hit. The thought that they’d have to go to the café soon made her palms sweaty and Hyorin just couldn’t keep it in any longer. She needed advice and she needed it fast.
“Hey you know I read this story, it’s really cool. Wanna hear it?” This was a good way to tell him wasn’t it? She’d tell him her problem as if she read it in a story, ask for his opinion and then she would’ve asked for advice as well as got it off her chest without compromising her position.
“Shoot.”
“Ok so it’s this really cute story but I haven’t finished it yet. The girl has a friend who has a crush on a different guy after every few days. So one day, the girl was dragged by her friend to the place where the guy worked. At first the girl doesn’t pay attention since she thought it was another crush and he’d be out the window and their lives in the next few weeks. And that’s what happened, her friend moved onto someone new but the main girl kept returning back to his working place. You see, the character loves uh…what was it again…chocolate? Yeah! Chocolate! The girl loved chocolates and the guy coincidentally worked at the chocolate bar. So she’d visit that place almost every day. Oh! And the cutest part of all! Whenever she received her order she’d always receive a message on the napkins saying something about her hair or her books.” She explained it to him while altering some parts; she didn’t want him to get doubtful.
“I just read the part where the girl finds out that she actually likes that guy. But…”
“But?”
“But the problem is that girl’s friend. Her character is very possessive about the guys she crushed on and would always get angry is some other girl approached them.”
“Oh that . So now the girl doesn’t know if she should approach the guy or stay away because of her friend?” he offered and Hyorin nodded enthusiastically.
“Exactly!”
“Hmmmm…..Has she told her friend yet?”
“No, she just found out this mor- I mean, she hasn’t been able to tell her friend due to some reasons that are only explainable if you’ve read the story.” She lamely tried. Sehun blankly stared at her and nodded.
“What do you think the girl should do? Or would do?”
“Why don’t you just skip to the end and find out?” he suggested and how Hyorin wished she could do that.
“I can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t want to, now tell me what you think would happen.”
“No but honestly, that’s the best thing about books you can skip-“
“Sehun I won’t skip.”
“But-“
“No.” Hyorin’s irritation became evident. But the itching sensation seeped back when she saw the progressing smile on Sehun’s face. The brat was teasing her.
“Stop pushing my buttons SeBrat and tell me.” she breathed with a calmer expression and Sehun leaned forward, propping his elbows on the table.
“I think she should go confess. Since it’s a story the guy probably likes her back and then they live happily until the last page.”
I wish it was that simple….
“She can’t confess! That would mean she’d damage her relationship with her friend.”
“But the friend moved on right? I think if she talks to her and tells him she really likes the guy then her friend should be fine with it.”
“And what if she isn’t?”
“Then she wasn’t really her friend. Plus, judging from the character she never seriously liked any of the guys she crushed on right? So if she throws a tantrum at the main girl for liking the guy then she wasn’t really a friend. How can she tie the girl down and keep her from being happy with the guy if she never really seriously liked him in the first place?” Sehun played with his straw and Hyorin chewed on hers. He was sort of right. Jiyeon was never serious with any of her crushes; she never even approached them or had a face to face conversation. She decided to do as Sehun said and talk things out with her. That however, would take a lot of courage.
“By the way, isn’t the girl afraid the guy won’t like her back?” Sehun asked and Hyorin’s teeth slipped on the surface and she ended up biting her tongue. The pain didn’t take away the possibility of that bitter reality though. She confirmed Sehun she was fine and answered his previous question.
“She hasn’t considered that yet.”
“Yeah, well I’m sure he’ll like her back.”
“What if he doesn’t?”
“It’s a story Rin.”
“I know but still, what if it’s not like those happy endings?” Hyorin hoped she was successful in concealing her worried undertone.
“He’ll like her I’m sure. She should just go ahead and confess.”
Hyorin nodded at his indirect advice. Confess? That would be difficult, but breaking the news to Jiyeon won’t be a sunny day either. However, despite the new conflicts that she had now, Hyorin felt a lot lighter. Sehun didn’t know it was her but at least she was able to tell someone. She was glad he was there. They left the shop shortly after and Hyorin prepared herself to face Chanyeol for the first time since she discovered she liked him. It was Thursday and he didn’t have a shift but she knew he’d be there.  He told her he’d make her try cappuccino.
“You know I think I’ve read this story.” Sehun’s voice snapped her thoughts and she looked at him in a baffled manner.
“You have?”
“Yeah,” he faced her as they continued walking, “and you also forgot an important part.”
“I did?”
“Hell yeah, that was the best part. Where the girl becomes friends with an awesome dude who she thought was a jerk but ended up being a total angel.” He stopped walking and gave her a knowing look. Hyorin froze. He knew? He knew all along?
“I don’t remember the ending but there is one part I remember, the part where the girl tells her roommate to let her new friend’s friend breathe. I swear Jongin is getting creeped out by Jiyeon always staring at him. Rin I’m sorry but please tell your friend to be a little less obvious.” He said it like he just didn’t rub the fact that he saw past her made up story in her face.
“Yo- you knew?”
“Of course I know. I’m with him all day and I see her-“
“NO! I mean you knew I was talking about myself?” She hoped not to hear the ‘Y’ word.
“Duh.” So he didn’t say the ‘Y’ word but still, she didn’t want to hear a confirmation.
“Why didn’t you tell me?!”
“You looked so funny trying to be all cautious and convincing. I wanted to let you live in that delusion but I just couldn’t help it, besides; Jongin is a good friend of mine. So please, tell your friend to chill a little.” He shivered a little at some memory; probably Jiyeon’s stalking, and continued walking. Once he noticed Hyorin was still out of it he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her along.
“Get a grip woman it’s alright you told me. I officially feel like your friend now.” Hyorin allowed herself to be dragged for a while but Sehun let go of her limb once he noticed her falling into pace. They saw the illuminated café ahead of them and Hyorin felt her palms getting sweaty.
“Sheesh, relax peasant or you’ll tarnish my royal image. I’m sure coffee maker Chanyeol likes you too.”
“Uh..Seh-“
“Shh! I’m royalty don’t you dare address me with my name.” Hyorin gaped at him. His antics made her momentarily forget where they were going, but as soon as Sehun opened the glass door with his head up high, Hyorin wanted to make a run for it. Sehun pulled her in before she could and it surprised her to see an angry looking Chanyeol standing in front equally furious Lay and Baekhyun.
“Guys…..everything alright?” Hyorin forgot what she felt earlier, she forgot she was supposed to feel giddy and jumpy when she saw Chanyeol. All she felt was pure concern and worry about what made the usually happy bunch burn with anger. Chanyeol turned around and his hard eyes softened when they landed on who the intruder was. However, his gaze flicked towards something and the hardness returned. Sehun immediately released her arm and before Hyorin could even open , Chanyeol stormed past them.
“What happened here?” Sehun asked as he looked around. Everything was in one piece, no disturbances or anything out of the ordinary. The entire café was empty, which kind of made sense since none of the students stayed inside campus during weekends.
“Nothing important.” Kyungsoo appeared from behind the pissed off pair and ushered Sehun in. Hyorin was still stoned at her place and looking at the place where Chanyeol stood just a minute ago. Why was he so angry?
“C’mon Hyorin, no point standing there. He won’t come back for the rest of the day.” Lay softly spoke and led her in by the shoulders.
“Why was he so angry?”
“He’s just being childish and stupid Hyorin, nothing to worry about.” Baekhyun assured as he tried to smile. It didn’t help Hyorin calm down though.
“Are you guys sure? He looked-“
“I’m his cousin Hyorin. I can guarantee it’ll be fine. I’ll get your order, Americano right?” Baekhyun asked walking behind the counter as the rest of them dispersed while Tao kept his place behind the counter.
“Actually she wa-“
“Americano Baekhyun. Thanks.” She interrupted Sehun and the boy glanced back at her.
“But you said you were gonna try cappuccino?”
“That was with him. I’ll try it some other time.”
No messy writing.
No smileys.
No heartwarming messages.
Americano had never felt so bitter on her tongue.
-
“Baekhyun I will hit him.”
“Lay calm down.”
“No you know what, Lay’s right. I feel like kicking him too.”
“Kyungsoo, please. At least be level headed with me or my urge to pound Chanyeol’s skull will take over.”
“You can be team Chanyeol with Tao there alright, we’re not gonna co-operate.” Lay spat spitefully as he continued to scrub the counter with more force than necessary. Baekhyun sighed and returned his gaze towards Chanyeol who was clearing up tables. His eyes then moved towards Hyorin who was sitting like a lost child staring at his back, probably wondering her friend had been ignoring her for the past three days. The poor girl even came on a Tuesday but did that jerk appreciate it? No.
Lay wasn’t the type to get angry easily which is why when Chanyeol blew up, and Lay raised his voice, things got serious. But he couldn’t help it; the boy was being stupid and ridiculous. Lay and Kyungsoo exchanged glances and sighed.
Hyorin didn’t enjoy her coffee. Not one bit. It felt like it wasn’t her cup even though it had a name and a smiley on it. No one said her snapback looked good when she entered the café. No one talked to her with their signature thick voice. She didn’t make fun of anybody’s ears today. Nothing felt right. It was the same café, the same staff, the same people. Everything was the same as three months ago. Nothing happened while at the same time, a lot did.
-
Sehun pushed Hyorin back into studio and the girl returned immediately.
“I can’t do this.”
“Shut up. Go.”
“Sehun no.”
“Hyorin yes.” She was in the middle of a hushed squabble when she was pushed in again.
“Rin you have to do this.”
“Joonmyeon I can’t!” The said boy sighed and Hyorin felt like throwing up. She was currently outside the studio Jiyeon was busy adding finishing touches to her project. Chanyeol had been ignoring her for a week and she had no idea why. No matter how hard she tried to go talk to him, he’d always slip away somewhere else. Joonmyeon was briefed in on the entire situation by Sehun (after Hyorin’s consent of course). His ‘I saw that coming’ surprised her though. He claimed her felt the ‘vibes’ (whatever) since the time he told Sehun to help gather the students for that substitution class. They decided that deciphering codename: Park Chanyeol could wait. They first had to get Jiyeon’s sword from hanging on Hyorin’s head and then proceed to figuring out the taller boy’s issues.
“You can! Where is that Hyorin who gave me the confidence to take up French last semester?!”
“That was a friggin’ subject Joonmyeon not a make or break conversation with your only female friend!”
“You have Haeri too.” Sehun butted in and she gave him a look.
“You think Haeri would want to hang around me if Jiyeon starts hating me?” Sehun was about to be a wiser and open his mouth but Joonmyeon sent him a warning gaze.
“Just get this over with please?”
“I-“
“Oh! Hey Hyorin! What ‘cha doin’ here?” Jiyeon emerged from behind the door Hyorin was currently cornered at.
“Joonmyeon, you’re here too. And Sehun?!” Jiyeon squealed his name. Sehun gave Hyorin the most desperate gaze she had ever seen and the girl didn’t think over her actions before pushing Jiyeon into the room and shutting the door.
“Wha-Hey! I have to talk to him! He’s Jongin’s-“
“Friend, I know. Jiyeon I need to talk to you.” Hyorin tried to say in the steadiest way possible. The other girl calmed as she heard the seriousness in the latter’s tone. Hyorin held her fidgeting hands and chewed her lip.
“I uh…you um…” Hyorin was unsure on how to start. She saw Jiyeon waiting expectantly for her and upon noticing the concern in her friend’s eyes Hyorin felt her muscles relax. Who was she kidding? Jiyeon was her friend, why was she so nervous?
“Starbucks? Remember that starbucks employee you had a crush on?” Hyorin saw her nod slowly and warily continued.
“So you see, I used to go there even after you….,” She hesitated to find the right word,” got over him. And I think…I think I like him.” Hyorin’s hold on her other hand tightened and she waited for a response.
“You…like him? When you clearly know that I had a crush on him?” Jiyeon spoke but Hyorin couldn’t make out the tone in her voice. She sounded so….neutral. Not angry, nor sad, nor happy.
“Yes. I didn’t think I’d start liking him I mean I’m sure if I had a type then it wouldn’t be him but-“
“I can’t believe it. You like Byun Baekhyun?”
“I’m sorry! Look I didn’t-“ Hyorin’s eyes widened, “wait…who?”
“Byun Baekhyun. The guy in the café, you can’t like him Hyorin he’s so immature.”
Wait a second.
“I…didn’t you like Park Chanyeol?” she asked confused but then she remembered the remnant of that sentence and Hyorin became defensive, “and Baekhyun is not immature.”
“Yeah, sure he isn’t.” Jiyeon scoffed and Hyorin’s eye twitched. She didn’t even know the guy. Fine she knew about him but she didn’t know HIM. But Hyorin didn’t want to drift off point. She knew Jiyeon could be judgmental at times, and only this time she was going to let her comments about Baekhyun or about any of the others in that shop slide.
“Anyway, I wanted to tell you I like Chanyeol….I thought he was the one you had a crush on.”
“No it was Baekhyun but wow Chanyeol?”
“Uh….yeah.” There was something about the way Jiyeon reacted that Hyorin didn’t like.
“I’m happy for you. Just know what you’re getting into ok? Those cousins are so childish. Thank God I found Jongin. I wonder what I even saw in Baekhyun.” Jiyeon trailed off and Hyorin felt extremely offended.
“I’m sorry Jiyeon but that’s not a very nice thing to say about my friend.”
“What? You’re defending him now?” Jiyeon scoffed and Hyorin’s eyebrows furrowed.
“Please Rin, you don’t know how they are.”
“And you do? When you’ve never even talked to them?” Hyorin challenged and Jiyeon’s posture straightened as she crossed her arms.
“Yes.” Hyorin laughed at her friend. She knew Jiyeon was hard to deal with, but this was just ridiculous. Judging two people (when you clearly know your friend has feelings for one and you have had feelings for the other) is wrong on so many levels. Hyorin had no time to argue with her. She was glad she was relieved from the pain of having to break it to her friend, but Jiyeon’s words were making it hard for her to remain calm.
“Yeah, ok.” She scoffed, “I just came here to tell you that. I thought you liked Chanyeol and wanted clear any hard feelings. Now that I know you don’t like Chanyeol and there’s nothing to clear, I’ll leave.” Hyorin turned towards the door and twisted the knob but stopped right before she opened the door.
“One last thing, if it was Baekhyun who I liked, would you have said you’re happy for me then too?” Hyorin saw her friend’s expression change. She took a few minutes and that’s when Hyorin knew that no, she wouldn’t have.
“Probably.”
Hyorin nodded and went out the door. A strong wave of disappointment crushed Hyorin as she recalled the expression on her friend’s face. Aren’t friends supposed to be happy for the other? Shouldn’t they cheer them on? Hyorin would’ve understood if she reacted that indifferently if the person she liked actually was Baekhyun, but to think that she got such a bland reaction from her friend even when the guy wasn’t the one she thought was just plain sad.
“Went well?” Sehun asked concerned. Hyorin shrugged.
“She said she crushed on Baekhyun and that she’s happy for me.”
“Yeah, I heard that…and other things.” He gazed down at her. He knew that look. That was a look you have when you realize that your ‘friends’ aren’t whom you thought they were. Hyorin thought that maybe she shouldn’t have defended Baekhyun that way, she had known Jiyeon longer, and she was her roommate. She should side with her. But she couldn’t. She couldn’t because what Jiyeon said was wrong, and because she realized that Baekhyun and the group gave her more memories in three months than Jiyeon did in a year. She stood up for a friend, and there was nothing to regret about that.
“Things will get better Hyorin. It’s new but you’ll get over it.” Sehun patted her head and Hyorin sniffed. She probably will. Besides they were still roommates, she’ll figure something out.
“Where’s Joonmyeon?” She asked looking around, no sign of the spiky haired brunette in sight.
“He left. Wanna grab some coffee?”
-
Hyorin learned her protesting did nothing. It didn’t stop her mother from making her wear that hideous pink tiara on her tenth birthday, it didn’t stop her dad from smoking, it didn’t stop her brother from being annoying and the most recent entry, it didn’t stop Sehun from dragging her through the campus towards the café.
“Jongin help me!” Sehun called recruit when he thought he couldn’t handle Hyorin’s thrashing alone. The tanned boy who Hyorin thought she had seen somewhere before came running at his friend’s voice from across the street and stopped in front of them.
“Hyorin?” the new boy called and distracted her from kneading Sehun’s arm. Hyorin remembered him, it was Jongin, that kid who got paired with her after Sehun refused to. Hyorin instantly smiled.
“Jongin? Wow, I haven’t seen you since Professor Eun’s class!” Jongin was beaming, Hyorin was distracted and Sehun was massaging his arm with his free hand as the three walked down the street.
“I haven’t seen you either! Sehun told me about a Hyorin but I didn’t think it’d be you!”
“Wow….this is so crazy. What happened after you transferred classes?” They fell into a conversation. Sehun didn’t participate though, he didn’t want to remind her where they were going. The two of them were so involved in catching up that they were already in front of the café door without even realizing.
“Starbucks? Sehun I thought you don’t like coffee?” Jongin questioned and Hyorin’s eyes widened. This brat.
“SeBrat.” She spat through her clenched teeth and Sehun shrugged.
“You still owe me that treat.”
-
“Hey-“
“Joonmyeon could you help me figure this out?” Hyorin didn’t want to hear what Chanyeol had to say. An entire week of being ignored, she wasn’t going to give in that easily. She stepped into the café to find Joonmyeon behind the counter with Lay at his side. Chanyeol stood in front of him looking like a chocolate deprived kid with Baekhyun and Tao on his each side. Spotting Hyorin their eyes widened and Joonmyeon gave her his typical smile before joining them on their usual seat.
Joonmyeon glanced at his friend and then shot the standing male an apologetic look before he commenced explaining the difference between Internet and Intranet. It was a basic question, the kind a university student, let alone a biotechnology major at that, should be asking.
“She’s ignoring me.” he sighed as he returned to the counter where his cousin was taking orders.
“Like hell she is.”
“She won’t even look at me.”
“You deserve it.” Kyungsoo said loudly so his voice would be audible even with the whirring blender.
“What do I do guys?” Chanyeol sulked and something hard hit his head making him wince.
“Fix it you jerk.” Lay stuffed his hand back inside his hood pocket as he walked towards the sofa where Hyorin and her friends were at.
“That lucky twit, I wanted to hit Chanyeol too.” It was a mumble but Chanyeol heard it and gave his friend a glare.
“Like I said, you deserve it.” Kyungsoo threw the rag on his face and returned to making drinks. They were right. He deserved the treatment, and he had to fix it.
-
Two days since Chanyeol’s been trying to talk to her, and she ignored him every single time. She knew how it felt like to be ignored and she didn’t mean to be this cold but she couldn’t help it. For an entire week, he avoided her for an entire week without giving any reason and now he suddenly wanted to talk? Hyorin couldn’t help but feel angry. Unlike the confused and lost state she was in when he was ignoring her, she felt determined and focused. She wasn’t going to forgive him that easily. She may like him and all but she wasn’t a push over. She had been receiving messages on the cups, sometimes a smiley, sometimes a derp face, sometimes a cute message like before. She ignored them all, remained unfazed by the warmth they brought to her.
“Rin, please?” she pretended she didn’t hear him.
“Look at me at least.”
Nope. She wouldn’t, she wanted him to feel how she felt. Being treated as if you’re invisible is painful, especially if it’s by a person you have feelings for. Chanyeol stood for a few more seconds and then left. Hyorin thought that’d be it for the day but he returned and grabbed her wrist, pulling her up.
“What the hell?” she expressed her annoyance but Chanyeol didn’t let her go, instead he pulled her with him outside the café. If Sehun wasn’t such an , and if he hadn’t been personally dragging her to the café every day, she wouldn’t be there. Tao came up one day and apologized to her, for what she didn’t know but whatever it was, it was serious so she forgave him without asking for the reason. She had a feeling she wouldn’t want to know what the reason was either. Since that day, Tao had not allowed her to leave the café until either Sehun or Joonmyeon didn’t come to pick her up. Hyorin was annoyed at that because not only did she have to ignore Chanyeol which was painfully difficult, it also made her feel like a toddler being picked from day care.
“Chanyeol stop manhandling me!” She shouted as she shoved her arm out of his wrist.
“If Sehun does it its fine but if I do it its manhandling?” he mumbled to himself but she caught it.
“What?”
“Stop ignoring me will you?” Hyorin stared at him with incredulity but masked it with indifference.
“You have the audacity to say that to me?” She was about to leave when he suddenly blocked her path and stood in front of her.
“Move.”
“Not until you hear me out.” he pleaded.
“There’s nothing to hear Chanyeol, move.”
“Why don’t you let me be the judge of that? Please Rin.” He begged and Hyorin gulped as she stared at his eyes. Regret was swimming if those chocolate brown orbs, Hyorin felt herself giving in.
“Fine.” She sighed and his regretful brown turned bright with flickering hope.
“I- I’m sorry. There’s no going around the fact that I probably hurt your feelings when I ignored you like that. So I want to apologize, for hurting you, for being a jerk, for ignoring you when you called, for not writing on your cups, for everything. I don’t expect you to completely forgive me right away but please, at least don’t ignore me like this. I know it was probably worse for you because you don’t know why I was ignoring you and for that once again, I’m sorry-“
“Why were you ignoring me then?” she interjected and Chanyeol’s eyes widened.
“Huh?”
“Why did you ignore me?” she repeated and Chanyeol hesitated.
“That’s not important.”
“Well then.” She uncrossed her arms and almost crossed him but he stopped her in time. She looked back at him tiredly and Chanyeol gulped because there was no escaping it.
“Tao….saw you and Sehun.”
Hyorin’s eyebrows furrowed, didn’t he see them every day? And what does Tao seeing her and Sehun have anything to do with Chanyeol ignoring her?
“So?”
“So….he heard him saying he likes you.” Hyorin wasn’t sure where this was going.
“And?”
“You didn’t reject him. He came back and told us that and I kind of lost it. Then I saw you two together and lost it even more. Sorry.” he straightened and looked away.
“That’s because there was nothing to reject…..” Hyorin trailed off when it registered and her eyes widened.
“You ignored me for an entire week because you thought Sehun confessed and I accepted his confession?”
“Kind of.”
“I don’t believe you Chanyeol” Hyorin scoffed, “we’re not together! That was a platonic statement not a romantic confession!” she shouted, alarming him in the process.
“I know I’m sorry! But he cleared it now and I feel bad so I wanted to apologize!”
“God! what am I gonna do with you?!” she screamed out of frustration and Chanyeol felt even more lost and confused. He needed to do some serious damage control.
“I’m sorry! At least now I can like you without my conscience nagging me!”
Hyorin thought she heard it wrong……did he just say he liked her?
“You can what?”
“Do you know how awful it feels when you think that the girl you like is dating someone you are more or less friends with? Damn it my conscience was killing me! there was this voice in my head going ‘she doesn’t like you she doesn’t like you she likes Sehun’ ugh! Its so annoying!” he rambled. Hyorin stood frozen on her spot.
“You. Like. Me?” She asked still not believing it.
“Yeah….it’s a bad way of confessing but yes I’ve liked you since I saw you enter the café with that stalker friend of yours. Your snapback got my attention, not a lot of people share my interest of hats you know.”
“So, you’re saying you like me?” she still couldn’t believe it.
“Yes, and I’ve been told by an engineer that you like me too.” He said with an obnoxious smile. Hyorin wanted to strangle Joonmyeon for spilling the beans. Mina came out and called for Chanyeol in a not so polite manner and broke the moment. The boy seemed annoyed by her intrusion but when he turned back to find Hyorin smiling, anger flushed from his system.
-
Hyorin ran through campus. Her lungs hurt and her legs ached but she had to get to the café. Baekhyun sounded like he’d cry any second over the phone and Hyorin bolted out the door the second she heard the tremble in his voice. She was living alone now anyway, Jiyeon moved out a month before. So much for being ‘friends’. She reached the café and ripped open the heavy glass door. The customers looked at her like she was a madwoman. Panting like crazy and entering the shop as if it was the only shelter from the falling sky. She ignored them and marched to the counter. Chanyeol found her on his way in from the back door and her condition had him panicking a little.
“Rin are you alright?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Where’s Baekhyun?”
“He called you?” Chanyeol sounded grave and Hyorin felt uncomfortable churning. Something wasn’t right.
“Rin, sit down at that table would you?” he asked and after she complied, he left through the door he came from. Hyorin prayed to God for everything to be alright. She didn’t even want to imagine what had Baekhyun sounding so broken. The door opened and her head snapped towards the sound and her eyes widened.
“Happy Birthday!!” They shouted in unison and Hyorin’s heart beat doubled. She was suddenly enveloped in a hug. The scent of the guy she loved no matter what he said or did.
“What are you doing here?” She asked breathlessly and he pulled away.
“I’m here to celebrate my baby sister’s birthday of course!” Minseok squished her cheeks and she hugged her brother back, she missed him more than she thought.
“Our turn!” someone shouted and suddenly numerous bodies crashed on theirs as they shared a giant group hug.
“But Baekhyun why were you crying?” she asked concernedly when she spotted the relevant boy after the hug.
“I wasn’t!”
“What?”
“Filming major for a reason Hyorin.” He chuckled and ran away.
Celebrating her birthday with her brother and friends felt like she hit the jackpot. She realized she came a long way since the past 7 months. She became a regular at the café, Americano was no longer her usual order, she made new friends, Sehun was no longer her enemy but her best friend along with Joonmyeon. For once, she knew everybody’s majors (Chanyeol’s was political science, go figure), she was no longer a social noob, and realized who her true friends were. So many things changed for her and she was glad at the outcome. Jiyeon’s loss left a hole, but Sehun told her it was better to have friends who respect you rather than having a friend who just keeps you around. And he was right. She often compared reality to Americano. It’s dark and bitter, but if you learn to enjoy it, you see there is more to it than one can imagine.
Going through her gifts she smiled as she opened each of them. Her brother gave her an alpaca plushie like the one she left back home. Baekhyun gifted a wrist watch whereas Lay had carefully wrapped a limited edition Michael Jackson album as a present. Tao had given her a stuffed panda; Kyungsoo gave her a journal with a customized cover. She then opened Joonmyeon’s and couldn’t help but laugh. It was a lengthy photo frame with two pictures. One, the source of mirth, was the very first photo they took with each other. There was that awkward smile and arm length distance between the two. Joonmyeon’s bangs were resting on his forehead while Hyorin had her hair in a bun and covered under her hat. It looked like a forced photo with deliberate smiles. Then the other photo was the most recent. His hair were spiked and hers were open without her hat. Unlike the distance in the first, she was hugging his side while he had his other arm across her shoulder with natural smiles. Not forced, not pressured, just happy, toothy smiles. The two photos basically explained their relationship, how they went from awkward acquaintances to best friends. It also showed how much they changed. Her eyes were brighter in the recent photo in contrast to the one taken last year.
‘I had to outdo Joonmyeon.’  Read Sehun’s card and Hyorin un-wrapped the lanky gift. He surely outdid Joonmyeon on that one.  A photo of her and Sehun standing back to back was printed on a white tee shirt. Both had crowns on their heads with the title ‘Royal Pains’ written at the back in a funky font. Did he honestly expect her to wear this in public? Well, at least he admitted he was a royal pain. She saved the best for last. A tall unknown object was wrapped in a starry blur gift wrap.
‘So that you always remember me when you use this. Happy birthday gorgeous :3 ’
She cautiously opened the gift wrap and gaped at what it revealed. A tall ceramic cup shaped like the ones from Starbucks. On it was a comic logo of the franchise and her name was embossed in black. That was Chanyeol’s writing. He had customized a cup for her. Twisting the cup more she saw a message written in the same writing and her cheeks hurt from smiling so wide.
STARBUCKS WITH A SMILE :D
-
a/n
Im not really sure  what happened at the end.....lol sorry.