“Hyukkie I have to go out and buy some things, think you can run the store by yourself?” Hakyeon asked as he took off his barista apron. I looked up from my history textbook and watched as he folded the apron and put it underneath the counter.

            “Yeah, it’s a pretty slow day,” I bookmarked the page I was on, “things should be fine unless a bunch of bikers show up again.”

            “Don’t even joke about that,” Hakyeon groaned, “that was hell.” I laughed, remembering the time that a group of cyclists who had been training for a marathon dropped by the store for some refreshments. We got a lot of business that day but it was absolute hell. Heck, even Jaehwan and Wonshik had to work that day.

            “Let’s hope it never happens again then hyung,” I replied bidding goodbye to Hakyeon as he walked out of the shop. “I hope he remembered to bring his wallet this time,” I said to myself as I took over his previous job of wiping down the tables. Snorting to myself, I chuckled silently at Hakyeon’s forgetfulness (last time he went to the store he had forgotten his wallet and only remembered it when he was paying) before continuing to spray all the tables. After I finished wiping all the tables, I walked into the kitchen and placed the towel on in the sink for Taekwoon to wash (no idea where he was at the moment) before leaving and sitting back at my place near the cash register. I pulled my textbook out once again and began to review the material. It was a couple weeks before exams and although Hakyeon had promised to give me fewer hours during the week before and during exam time, I still found time to go to work, unlike Ilhoon or Sungjae who practically spent their lives at the library. I had always found it easy to study, just give me a couple hours with a textbook and I’d be good for the test. It puzzled me when people devoted hours upon hours in a cooped up room reading over things they already memorized. Whatever, if it works for them, I’d leave them to it. As long as they don’t bother me and force me to study with them. I had done that once before and what a nightmare that had been.

            Suddenly, the bell to the door rang, causing me too look up and bookmark my place in the textbook once again. A group of students stumbled their way into the cafe (no doubt tired as hell from studying) and quickly ordered a round of black coffee. I smiled inwardly to myself at their state (if they were this tired now, how exhausted would they be when exams actually came around?) I quickly began to roast coffee beans and make their orders. As I worked between the different machines, a warm smell of coffee began to drift through the air which visibly relaxed both the group of students and me. I boiled water and washed a couple of pots in the sink near the back of the counter before the coffee finished brewing. Walking back over, I poured the coffee into four cups and gave it to the students. They attacked the coffee as if they hadn’t seen liquid in days and half of them had already almost finished their cups by the time they paid and walked out of the door. Snorting, I cleaned up a couple spilled drops before shrugging and deciding to make myself a cup. I called it employee benefits, Hakyeon called it leaching.

            Grabbing the kettle, I filled it up with water and set it to boil while I grabbed the other ingredients I would need. Lucky for me, a pot of coffee had just finished brewing (I had brewed more than enough for the group of students) so I grabbed that and poured it into a cup. Following the coffee, I heaped two tablespoons of sugar and a squirt of chocolate syrup. Walking to the fridge, I opened the door and let the cool air wash over me (it was getting pretty hot out) before grabbing some chocolate milk and an ice cube tray. Remembering to close the door this time (Hakyeon gets really about leaving it open, even for a couple seconds), I poured the coffee, sugar, and boiled water into a blender and mixed it for a couple minutes. Afterwards, I popped open the blender lid and poured a couple ice cubes into the mixture and blended it until it was slushy. Adding the cream for a final touch, I let it blend until it turned frothy before putting all the ingredients away. Pouring the concoction into my personal thermos, I then washed the blender and left it to air dry. Smiling to myself in contentment while I sipped my ice cap, I felt myself relax under the cool air conditioning and warm smell of coffee. Today had been a pretty relaxing, sunny day although the morning had been cool enough for me to walk around without breaking a sweat. Work had been pretty easy, only a couple customers and they had all ordered pretty easy drinks, mostly pure coffee or something iced to help them fight off sleep before getting on with their day. I had spent the day reading (if not my textbook then from my own personal collection) and occasionally talking to Hakyeon but even the usually talkative owner had found it too peaceful to break the comfortable silence.

            “Hello?” a voice called and I looked up to see that yet another customer had come in. Smiling at the young woman, I left my drink by my chair and walked up to the cash register while she looked up at the menu.

            “Hi, how can I help you?” I asked after she finished reading a couple items on the menu.

            “Hmm, can I have a cafe mocha please?” the woman replied, still staring at her choices.

            “Are you sure? It’s pretty hot out; would you like to make it iced?” I suggested, seeing as her eyes kept drifting to the iced side of the menu.

            “Can you do that?” she asked in surprise, eyebrows rising. She looked at me with wide eyes as I nodded in affirmation. “Oh that’d be wonderful! Please do.”

            “No problem ma’am, just give me a moment,” I replied and stepped back into my work space to make her drink. I grabbed some cocoa powder and sugar and poured it into a cup before pouring in two fresh shots of espresso. Pouring ice in the cup, I then filled the cup with milk and stirred it until the entire drink was nice and cold. I finished the drink and handed it over to the woman. She smiled at me in thanks and paid before leaving the shop. Leaning on the counter, I observed the ingredients still left over from her drink and couldn’t help but think of another person I knew that had an affinity for cafe mochas. Sighing slightly, I rested my head on my palm and absentmindedly drew circles on the counter. Hongbin hadn’t visited the cafe since the last time I saw him and it was getting on my nerves. Exam time was right around the corner so it was understandable that he was probably holed up in the library or his room studying his off (I’m pretty sure Wonshik said he was studying medical sciences?) but even students needed coffee, and what better place to get it than here? I mean, the place was nice, the prices were cheap, and I would be here. To brew the coffee for him obviously. Not like I would be one of the reasons for him to come here. Okay, maybe a little bit. I liked to think that I was a pretty interesting guy so who wouldn’t want to come visit me? Ignoring the fact that Sungjae or Ilhoon had not once came to the cafe even though I told them where I worked, Hongbin always made time to visit at least once a week. And if coffee, cheap prices, and me weren’t enough to encourage him to come, then there was always the other workers. Jaehwan was pretty chummy with Hongbin, but then again, he was friends with everyone. If you asked me, I’d say that Jaehwan was actually probably more popular than Hongbin was. Actually, maybe Hakyeon was the most popular. He seemed to know every person by name and would constantly have multiple conversations while working the cash register. In any case there were a variety of reasons for Hongbin to show up. He just didn’t. Which was his choice of course, but it did hurt. Just a little bit though. I had bigger things to worry about, like if I paid enough attention in class to be able to pass my courses.

            Sighing for what was probably the umpteenth time that morning, I let my head hit my textbook before letting out a soft groan. Hakyeon, who was sitting beside the cash register, merely laughed at my pain and continued scrolling on his phone. The lucky bastard had finished university already (with a degree in dance, not too sure why he opened up a cafe) so he had been laughing at all of us (except Taekwoon since he graduated too).

            “Hyung you should help me,” I complained, sitting up and rubbing my chin. Maybe I shouldn’t have slammed my face into the textbook. It was softer than the counter but it was still a solid. “I’m dying.”

            “How would I help you? I practically failed social science,” Hakyeon replied, pausing from looking at his phone and raising an eyebrow at me. “Besides, it’s not like you’re the first person to go through this pain. I had to do it too, as did Taekwoon and many, many, other people in the world. it up.”

            “If so many people went through this pain why have there not been uprisings? This should be against the law or something,” I mumbled, crossing my arms across my chest. “You think if I started a protest they’d hold off exams?”

            “They wouldn’t stop exams just because one student protested. And I’m sure people have gone through with your idea before, does it look like it worked?” Hakyeon rolled his eyes. “Anyways, this isn’t the Hunger Games so don’t go starting any uprisings. Just get through your exams and you’ll be able to enjoy your summer vacation.”

            “What vacation? You’re making me work practically every day other than Saturday,” I stated, glaring at my boss.

            “Hey, you’re the one staying in town. Wonshik’s going on vacation to America and Jaehwan’s going back home to visit his family. Taekwoon and I live here so we’re staying but no one forced you to stay,” Hakyeon responded, smirking at my situation. It wasn’t like I didn’t want to go home. I did kind of miss my mom (to be honest I was probably going to complain to her about making me get a job since none of the Hongbin incident would have happened if I wasn’t forced to work) but my parents were going to Europe in the summer to visit one of their old friends so I’d be alone anyways.

            “What about Hongbin?” I muttered, forgetting that Hongbin didn’t actually work here. He was at the cafe more often than not so I guess I had just kind of subconsciously associated him with the cafe.

            “Hongbin’s staying in Seoul too I think,” Hakyeon said, with a sly smile on his face. “He didn’t say anything about going home – I think his parents live in Seoul anyways – and he’s not going on vacation that’s for sure.”

            “Oh,” I stated, slightly excited at the fact that my boring days working at Starlight during the summer could be brightened with the appearance of Hongbin. Only slightly though, it wasn’t like the room became lighter or brighter when he walked in. And it’s not like I enjoyed his company, he only talked about unnecessary things. I did like it when he laughed though, he had a nice smile – it was those dimples – and after all the conversations I had with him while I was working, I noticed that his laugh was quite different from his normal voice. It was higher and more, how to describe it, I guess airy? It felt more carefree, which was probably normal since most people let go of their worries when they laugh (I’m assuming that people laugh only when they are happy, thus, they have no worries) but for Hongbin it kind of felt more like he was letting go of all his responsibilities. Not like I knew about what he was carrying on his shoulders. I felt my expression sour as I thought about that fact. I was pretty open about my life I think. I answered people’s questions when I felt it was appropriate (I didn’t share my life story with every stranger on the street, I’m not that desperate for attention) and over the two months I had known Hongbin, I had pretty much told him everything there was to know about me. I told him about my older sister, about how even though our relationship seemed strained; it was built on trust and expectations. I told him about my parents, about how they could be, at times, overbearing, but they still cheered me on when I needed them most. I told him about my elementary years, about how I was a carefree child who didn’t know what pain was. I told him about my entrance to high school, about how I learned about different people. I told him about my insecurities, about how I was lanky and too tall during my adolescent years and about how happy I was when I finally filled out my build and gained confidence in my appearance. I told him about the things that made me happy, about how a simple video game could boost my mood, about how anime was not a cartoon made for children and yes, I did cry watching Clannad. I told him about my fears, that all my hard work would amount to nothing, about how I struggled to follow my prodigal sister’s footsteps, about how even though I was studying to be an archeologist now, I still wasn’t sure if this was what I wanted to do in the future. I had told him almost everything I could think of, yet, he hadn’t told me anything.

            I knew his face, pretty much everybody did. I knew his name, Lee Hongbin. I knew he was one year older than me. I knew he was studying at my university for medical sciences. I knew he was scared of roller coasters and although he liked sweets, he didn’t like candy. I knew he didn’t like most of the people that hung around him. I knew he felt pressured because he was good looking and popular. I knew that he really only had a couple close friends. But that was all. I didn’t know where he grew up. I didn’t know where he went to school. I didn’t know if he had a childhood friend. I didn’t know what he was like as a child. I didn’t know what he looked like as a child. I didn’t know about his fears. I didn’t know what really made him happy. I didn’t know what he liked. I didn’t know his favourite food or colour. I didn’t know about his family. I didn’t know about his interests. I didn’t know if he considered me one of his close friends. I didn’t even know if he wore glasses or not. I had seen him wear both contacts and glasses and the simple fact that I didn’t know if he had 20/20 vision bothered me so much.

            I didn’t have many friends. I chose that route. If my life was a video game I would be described as the ‘self-proclaimed loner’ and I liked it like that. My life was simple, a bit quiet, but interesting. My friends were amusing and, even though it didn’t seem like I had many, I preferred it that way. People often thought of me as rude, so having to worry about less people’s feelings just made things easier for me. Bottom line is that I didn’t warm up to people that quickly. Even now the only people at work I really felt comfortable with were Hakyeon and Jaehwan and that’s because they gave off a comforting vibe. The only other person that I had both recently met and felt extremely relaxed around was Hongbin so; the fact that the one person with whom I had shared everything with didn’t feel as comfortable sharing things with me as I did with him hurt.

            “Hey Hyuk, clean up and then you can leave okay?” Hakyeon said, breaking through my thoughts. I looked up at him and realized that I had dreamed the day away. It was already seven at night and although the cafe didn’t close until one in the morning (exam time caused more sleep deprived students to crash into the cafe so Hakyeon extended the work hours), Hakyeon always handed the night time shifts alone. I wasn’t complaining since I had to study myself, and he had Taekwoon to help him anyways. Nodding, I got up from my spot, closed my textbook, and grabbed a cloth. I quickly wiped down the tables and counter and rinsed the remaining dishes in the sink before placing them into the washing machine. I then grabbed a broom and swept the barista area before moving onto the main floor of the cafe. Putting the broom away (Hakyeon would mop up before he left), I checked the machines to see if they were still working properly and if they needed any kind of maintenance. Seeing as everything was fine, I walked into the backroom and changed out of my work clothes. Putting on a pair of dark grey sweatpants and a deep green t-shirt, I folded and then placed my uniform into my bag and made sure to deposit my textbook there as well. I had forgotten a textbook at the cafe once and had sorely missed it during my open book test. There was no way I was going to let that happen again, especially during cram time.

            Exiting the room, I saw Hakyeon and Taekwoon (what a surprise, he wasn’t hiding away in his kitchen) standing near the cash register having a hushed conversation. They didn’t notice me yet but they (read: Hakyeon) were making animated gesticulations and I thought I heard my name and Hongbin’s being uttered. Confused, I walked back into the back room and leaned against the door, trying to hear what they were saying. I knew it was probably easier to actually go up to them and ask them what they were talking about but from the way they leaned in towards each other they were either romantically involved or having a secretive conversation.

            “Should we tell him?” Hakyeon whispered, wringing his hands together nervously. “Hyuk deserves to know don’t you think?”

            “Hongbin wouldn’t like that,” Taekwoon responded in his usual, quiet tone. He seemed to be on edge though since his voice seemed strained.

            “But still...!” Hakyeon stressed. “I feel bad for the both of them.”

            “It’s not our place to interfere Hakyeon,” Taekwoon replied before standing up straight. “In any case we’ve done all we can to help him, it’s up to him to do the rest.”

            “I guess you’re right,” Hakyeon sighed, pouting. Taekwoon rolled his eyes at Hakyeon’s expression and flicked him on the forehead before walking back into the kitchen. I waited for a couple minutes, just to make sure their conversation was finished, and then walked into the main area. “Hey Hyuk, you leaving now?” Hakyeon asked, no trace of the previous anxiousness in his tone of voice.

            “Yeah, you think you’re going to be okay by yourself hyung?” I replied, carefully watching Hakyeon’s reaction.

            “It’s fine,” Hakyeon nodded, “besides, I have Taekwoon.”

            “Okay,” I sighed internally, Hakyeon hadn’t given me any further information on what he and Taekwoon had been talking about earlier. “I’ll see you later hyung.”

            “Bye, stay safe,” Hakyeon called as I exited the cafe. Sighing into the night air, I stared up at the sky and watched as a cloud covered the moon. I felt like I was in the middle of a foggy clearing, I knew there were things out there to be discovered, yet I couldn’t see or sense anything. I wanted to know more about Hongbin, yet unexpected obstacles kept popping up. First his mom, then Chansik, and now this mysterious conversation between Hakyeon and Taekwoon? It seemed like everyone knew what was going on. Except me. Gritting my teeth, I began to walk home with a new goal in mind. That was going to change; I’d find Hongbin and force him to explain things to me, no matter what.

And the plot thickens... It’s been thickening for a while actually; I just decided to make things more serious in this chapter. Speaking of new things that happen in this chapter, this is the first chapter in a while that has very little dialogue. Well, there’s some dialogue, but compared to other chapters there isn’t a lot. I tried to develop Hyuk’s character a bit more as well as give some more information on his relationship with Hongbin.

I also wanted to thank you guys for 100 subscribers! I’m actually a little over 100 now but whatever, it still counts. Thanks so much for your support – all your comments and upvotes! I started this story on a whim and it’s my first fic ever so I’m overwhelmed by how much love it’s getting, I don’t deserve it but I’m very grateful you all decided to stop and take a look of my story. ^_^

On a side note I pulled an all nighter for no reason. I went to bed at 3 AM after working on another fic (it’s gonna be chaptered and I’m going to post it once I finish either this fic or my TaeKook one; here’s a hint on what it’ll be about, I’ve gotten into a certain new group that for some reason has thirteen ing members) and then for some reason I couldn’t sleep. I went outside to watch the sunrise at around 5:30 AM and decided to get up at 8:00 AM since I wasn’t sleeping anyways. It’s like, 10:30 AM right now and I’m going to try to get some kind of sleep.

Once again, thanks for reading and I do not own anything in this story other than the idea and plot, any similarities to other works of fiction are purely coincidental or have been used as sources of inspiration. Please do not repost this anywhere without my permission; plagiarism isn’t nice!

Hope you’re smiling!

~ Alateni

PS: Thanks acaeines and SnowSketch for upvoting!!