^{AU. Sequel to chapter 276 ‘Maybe Next Time I Will?’}

Jongdae put his hand on the handle of the coffee shop’s door, but hesitated when it came to opening. He just stared at the beautifully carved wood, obviously getting in the way of people who were actually ready to go in.

That day, he had made up his mind to finally ask Minseok out, and he made sure to dress extra nicely, but now that he was there, he felt like backing out.

The closer he got, the louder that little voice at the back of his head became. ‘How stupid are you? You think just because he’s nice to you, he might like you? Being nice to you is part of his job !’ ‘You’re going to make a fool out of yourself, you shouldn’t be so delusional!’ it constantly said, making him feel incredibly tiny and powerless.

But he did his best to ignore it. He even managed to open the door, though he froze once again after doing so. While he held it open, 3 people managed to walk in and another couple went out, before he had the courage to walk in himself.

He went in line, watching Minseok walk behind the counter.

He had a plan. He was going to keep it casual, just ask Minseok to do something away from the shop, without mentioning anything about a date, or about liking him.

He was running his words through his mind, trying to memorize what he was supposed to say, and the line moved faster than what he expected. Soon, he was already at the counter, and it was time to speak.

“Good morning Jongdae!”

Minseok greeted him with happiness, as he usually did. They had gotten closer through every day that passed, and Jongdae did feel it was the right time to suggest something, but when it came to it he just froze up.

“G-Good morning.”

HE answered back, completely forgetting about ordering his drink.

“The usual?”

Minseok asked, already getting ready to start.

Jongdae could barely answer to that, just making a sort of weir sound that could be taken as a yes.

When Minseok turned his back, Jongdae looked down at the counter, taking a silent deep breath to try to calm down.

When he did, he saw an interesting flier at the counter top, and the fact that he read Minseok’s name on it made him pick it up. He didn’t have much time to read it through, but he saw it was something about soccer.

“Oh! I put that there.”

Minseok mentioned when he saw the man was looking at his flier.

“We’re doing a charity soccer match on Sunday. It’ll be fun, there’s going to be a lot of good food and good people. You should come if you have some time.”

The barista casually said. He was probably just selling it like he did to every customer, but Jongdae adored that he was classified along with ‘good people’ in Minseok’s world.

Jongdae also saw that as the perfect chance, as he didn’t even have to be the one to ask. Now he had an opportunity to see Minseok away from the shop, without making it look weird or awkward.

“I will! It seems very nice.”

He answered with a bright smile, while paying for his drink.

_{The End. 548 Words.}