“Did you talk to Hongbin?” was the first thing Hakyeon said to me when I got to work the following week. He stared at me with wide eyes, hands stilling from their previous motions. I resisted the urge to laugh, with his large eyes and slightly opened mouth, Hakyeon kind of resembled a fish. Of course, if I were to share my observations, I’d probably be out of a job. Hongbin probably would’ve appreciated my joke though.

            “Why do you ask?” I countered, throwing my bag underneath the counter so I could work on my homework when there was a lull in customers. Technically I wasn’t allowed any distractions, whether that be my phone or homework, but Hakyeon barely cared anymore (Wonshik and Jaehwan played cards in front of the customers for goodness sakes, if he got mad at me for doing homework I’d probably quit) so I got away with fooling around when it was a slow day.

            “Because Hongbin is my child,” Hakyeon responded simply.

            “What,” I choked. I had been tying my apron around my waist but at Hakyeon’s remark, my fingers seemed to forget how to function properly, causing me to tie the knot too tight. Scrambling to free myself, I coughed, attempting to breathe through the restraining piece of clothing.

            “Hakyeon,” Taekwoon’s soft voice called from the kitchen. “He’s not your child. You need to stop doing that.”

            “Sorry Taekwoonie, he’s our child,” Hakyeon smirked and a crash from a falling pan was heard moments after. I watched in silent amusement as a blushing Taekwoon appeared at the door of the kitchen. He glared at Hakyeon (who responded with a simple smile) before throwing his hands into the air in exasperation and retreating back into his safe haven. “Okay, so maybe he isn’t my child, but he’s basically my little brother and I’ve known him the longest so I deserve to snoop into his life.”

            “That makes me even less likely to tell you just saying,” I replied, finally freeing myself. I gulped down the precious air before tying the knot carefully (and loose enough) this time.

            “Hyukkie,” Hakyeon whined, rolling around the counter. Well, technically he wasn’t rolling since he was standing, but he turned in circles and was generally being a bother. How was this man older than me and how did he manage to keep his business open? My older friend had tried to open a shop a couple years back and had ultimately failed because he couldn’t deal with the debt. And he was way more competent than Hakyeon appeared. “Tell meeee.”

            “Fine,” I growled as Hakyeon poked my cheek. “I did talk to him, the other day. He told me about his life and stuff.”

            “Wow really?” Hakyeon stood up, ceasing his poking. “That’s surprising, it took him years to tell Wonshik – and they’re the same age. I don’t even think Jaehwan knows.”

            “It’s because I’m amazing,” I bragged, causing Hakyeon to roll his eyes and hit me on the head.

            “Your head is getting too large,” a voice said from behind me as a hand hits me on the top of my head. I turned around to see Hongbin, dressed casually in a warm crewneck and light blue jeans (not that it was important, I just happened to notice that the sweater was slightly too large and his jeans hugged his thighs really nicely).

            “W-what?” I stuttered, a little taken aback. Hakyeon chuckled behind me, and Hongbin shot him an amused look.

            “It means that you’re getting too arrogant,” Hakyeon explained – I knew that, I wasn’t stupid, I was just... Surprised at Hongbin’s appearance.

            “I knew that,” I muttered, slightly embarrassed. Hakyeon laughed again, which caused Hongbin to laugh. I stared at his dimples and grinned myself, somehow his laugh made my embarrassment just a little bit better.

            “Anyways, when do you get off?” Hongbin changed the subject, leaning casually on the counter. He regarded me with a mischievous gaze, much like how he looked at me when we first met.

            “3,” I answered simply. “Why?”

            “Because you didn’t like going to the art exhibit last time but you promised me that if I asked you properly you’d come with me again. So, Han Sanghyuk, would you be as kind as to accompany me to the mall later today?” Hongbin smiled cheekily.

            “What if I said no?” I replied, smirking at the crestfallen look upon Hongbin’s face. He immediately perked up afterwards though, as if an idea had just passed through his mind.

            “Then I’d make Hakyeon hyung force you to go again, simple as that,” Hongbin looked at Hakyeon who nodded his consent. “Either you go willingly or you go forcefully.”

            “Wow, that’s not much of a choice,” I rolled my eyes at my choices. “Fine, if you must have me tag along, then I guess I’ll take the time out of my important schedule and go with you to the mall.”

            “Hyuk stop being a stuck up loser, you’d probably stay home and play video games anyways,” Hakyeon sassed. “I’ll let you leave earlier, Binnie come pick him up at 2 okay?”

            “Gotcha,” Hongbin grinned, laughing at my indignant expression before waving goodbye. “Alright, see you at 2 then, it’s a date.”

            “Stop cleaning and get out of here,” Hakyeon huffed, placing his hands onto his hips. He glared at me, before moving his gaze from my face to the towel in my hands. I had been finishing up wiping down the tables. I was technically still supposed to sweep up the floors and check the machines but Hakyeon was already ushering me out. It wasn’t even 2 yet.

            “It’s not even 2 yet hyung, chill,” I rolled my eyes, watching as Hakyeon stole the rag out of my hands. I let him push me into the workroom and into the washroom with my outdoor clothes in my hands.

            “You smell like coffee and you need time to get ready, I will finish cleaning. Now hurry up and look presentable for Hongbinnie,” Hakyeon stated, slamming the washroom stall door. Groaning, I obliged and quickly changed into the clothes I had came in: a loose graphic tee, a knitted cardigan my sister had given me, and black jeans. Walking out of the stall, I quickly checked my hair in the mirror (I hadn’t really done anything to it, just brushed it and hoped my bangs would stay controlled) before heading back into the main area of the cafe.

            “Do I look presentable?” I asked, only half sarcastically. Hakyeon gives me two thumbs up, grinning from ear to ear, before he takes the apron out of my hands. “I have ten minutes left until 2 hyung, what the heck am I supposed to do?”

            “Wait patiently, like a good boy,” Hakyeon responded, patting me on the head. “You still smell like coffee.”

            “Hongbin hyung likes the smell of coffee,” I said idly, ignoring the eating grin on Hakyeon’s face. “And are you saying that I don’t look good?”

            “I don’t know about handsome, but I guess, you look okay,” Hakyeon joked, ignoring the glare I sent his way. “Oh would you look at that, Hongbin’s early! Have fun children and have at least three dates before you get to know each other if you know what I mean.”

            “Oh my God Hakyeon hyung you’re so embarrassing get out of here you sound like an old woman,” Hongbin groaned, having only just entered the cafe. He closed his eyes in exasperation as Hakyeon let out an ‘I’m not that old!’ before running into the kitchen. “Glad he’s gone, you ready?” Hongbin turned to face me, eyes crinkling and dimples showcasing their full glory.

            “Sure,” I said. “Where are we going?”

            “It’s a surprise,” Hongbin smirked, grabbing my hand before pulling me down the street. “You’ll like it this time, I promise.”

            “Are you sure about that?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “Do you even know me?”

            “Yes,” Hongbin said confidently. “You’re a dork, but you study a lot so you get good grades. Your fashion style is simple yet fancy and you wear sneakers a bit too much but they look good on you so I don’t mind. You don’t have a lot of friends but people still talk about you as the cute boy who reminds everyone of their little brother except there are still people in this world that’d love to be in my position as of right now. Don’t you think I know you enough?”

            “That,” I blushed slightly (okay, maybe a lot), “was incredibly cheesy. I am physically cringing.”

            “As am I but you’re worth it,” Hongbin replied, “oh God that was even worse.”

            “You should just stop talking about this,” I suggested, laughing at the repulsed face Hongbin made at his own sappiness. “How have you been this week?”

            “Kind of down to be honest,” Hongbin answered truthfully. “I kind of thought you’d judge me and pity me after I told you about Mirae.”

            “But I didn’t,” I squeezed Hongbin’s hand.

            “No, no you didn’t,” Hongbin agreed. “And that’s what makes you different I guess.”

            “What is that supposed to mean?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at the slight blush that adorned Hongbin’s cheeks.

            “Nothing, we’re here,” with a flourish, Hongbin let go of my hand and raised his arms into the air, pointing grandly at the sign in front of the building. My jaw dropped.

            “Holy ,” I exclaimed. “An arcade! I didn’t know there was one near here!”

            “You’re welcome,” Hongbin grinned as I began to pull him inside like an excited child (I was excited but definitely not a child alright?). “My friend told me about it and I thought that you’d probably love to come here since you’re a geek and all. She even gave me free tickets.”

            “I am not a geek,” I clarified, spinning around to shoot Hongbin a glare. I couldn’t stay mad at him for long though, with his smirk and knowing eyes, I found myself grinning again. “But I will find this friend of yours and thank her for such an amazing opportunity.”

            “What? Don’t I get a thank you? I’m the one who took you. I totally could’ve taken someone else you know,” Hongbin scoffed, as we stood in line to get in. He pushed me jokingly, pouting as he did so, and I resisted the urge to pinch his cheeks because even though Hongbin was a year older than me, sometimes I felt manlier than he did. Other times I don’t, like that one time during a slow day at Starlight when Wonshik and Hongbin felt the need to compare arm spans. I had run into the washroom furiously blushing that day because I am still a growing boy and it’s not my fault my metabolism is too high. I could totally build muscles, but my metabolism just ate it away. Not like I was too lazy to go to the gym.

            “Fine, thank you,” I rolled my eyes, playfully shoving Hongbin back. He stumbled back a few steps, acting as if he was hurt, causing me to roll my eyes again and smack him in the shoulder.

            “Okay, that one actually hurt,” Hongbin whined, flicking me on the forehead. “But seriously, I’d like a sincere thank you, none of that sassy, sarcastic stuff you usually do.”

            “Me? Sassy? Sarcastic? Are you sure you’re not talking about Hakyeon hyung or something?” I joked.

            “You know,” Hongbin said thoughtfully, “the two of you are more alike than you think.”

            “Me? And hyung? Alike?” I practically screeched. “Are you sure you’re thinking about the right person? Cha Hakyeon and Han Sanghyuk? In what way?”

            “Thanks, I didn’t know your full name,” this time Hongbin rolled his eyes. “But yes, you and Hakyeon hyung. As I said before, you’re both very sassy and sarcastic, especially you, you’re practically a little . Don’t look at me like that, you know it. And you probably wouldn’t know this, but Hakyeon was pretty introverted when he was younger too. Of course, he didn’t spend all of his days playing video games like you, but he locked himself in his dance studio. If he wasn’t at home or sleeping, he’d be in the studio, practicing and performing.”

            “Then why the hell is he so motherly and extroverted now?” I asked, actually kind of interested. Hakyeon was an enigma, not so much as Hongbin, but he was pretty mysterious himself. The things I knew about him were pretty shallow, I knew he was sassy and sarcastic (that’s pretty much the first thing people notice about him – even the regulars affectionately call him the ‘sassy owner’), I also knew he was one of the most motherly people in the world. I had called him ‘mom’ once by accident and he had never let me live it down. Other than that, I didn’t really know much. Although I’ve had hints. I knew he knew more than he let on when he took me aside and told me about Mrs. Lee the day of the party. He was also quite intelligent, seeing as he always managed to finish his business papers and keep Starlight up and running. Hakyeon was also a sociable person; he knew a lot of people, often socializing with the customers – both regulars and new comers. Jaehwan joked that he should’ve been a bartender instead of a barista, with the way he managed to make people open up and confess their sins to him. Not like Hakyeon was overly religious or anything like that either, in fact, I wasn’t really sure I’d ever see him utter a prayer much less go to church. He didn’t seem to mind religion though, often barging into the kitchen only to leave seconds later when he realized that Taekwoon was in the middle of a short prayer.

            In short, next to Hongbin, Hakyeon was the only other person I knew almost nothing about. Wonshik and Jaehwan had been very open about their lives, often telling me things I didn’t even want to know, and Taekwoon – although seemingly shy and closed off – showed a lot of his true intentions and emotions through his actions. Seeing as I knew a lot more about Hongbin now, Hakyeon was the only person close to me that still remained a mystery.

            “Do you really want to know?” Hongbin quirked an eyebrow, eyes observing my face as I thought about Hakyeon.

            “Is it a long story?” I asked slowly, the seriousness in Hongbin’s face making me cautious.

            “Depends,” Hongbin replied thoughtfully, “on how much you want to know. I’d much rather tell you about it over a cup of coffee or something.”

            “Then it can wait,” I decided for the both of us, grabbing onto Hongbin’s wrist. “For now I want to see how well you can shoot.” Rolling his eyes, Hongbin allowed me to pull him past the attendant (which we hurriedly flashed our tickets to) and into the arcade.

            Upon entering the darkly lit room, my eyes widened in anticipation. There were a million games I wanted to try, and the arcade had almost everything I could think of. From racing games, to claw machines, DDR, shooting games, mock sport games; the deceptively small arcade had it all. I could barely contain my excitement as I raked my eyes across the many games, lights flashing in bright colours as to entice another player.

            “You seem happy,” Hongbin laughed, nudging me out of my trance. “Shall we start?”

            “Where?” I said breathlessly. “Oh my God is that pinball I haven’t played pinball since I was in high school.”

            “You’re actually such a nerd,” Hongbin rolled his eyes before leading me towards the pinball machines. “But you’re an adorable nerd so I’ll let that pass. We’ll start here and make our way around then?”

            “Down,” I said excitedly, and Hongbin moved himself to the pinball machine next to me. Swiping our cards, the pinball machines lit up and the game started. Grinning, I released the ball and watched as if bounced around. I had never really understood the concept of pinball when I was younger. Back then, I just randomly hit the ball, hoping it wouldn’t go between the bumpers, and was content with watching the steel object bounce around, hitting random springs and making loud noises and flashing lights. In middle school however, I finally learned the point system and ever since, had been obsessed with pinball. I could stay at a machine for hours, only swiping my card once or twice, and beating every of the high scores (on every machine). Today however, I stopped after a couple minutes. Hongbin had lost a long time ago (and had merely watched me excitedly tap the controls on my own machine) but didn’t seem to mind as I whooped and jumped in amusement every time I saved the ball or managed to get an extremely tricky shot.

            “Where now?” Hongbin smiled at me when I lost the ball for the third time.

            “If it were up to me I’d stay here the whole time,” I laughed, “but since that means I’d be ignoring a certain someone, I’ll go with whatever you want.”

            “Aw, how sweet,” Hongbin laughed, “I’m more important to you than pinball. Very romantic.”

            “Shut up,” I rolled my eyes, “if you’re not going to pick then I will. Let’s go racing.”

            The rest of the afternoon went by in a flash – as cliché as that may be. Hongbin and I played a variety of games, from basketball to tic tac toe, we tried almost every game in the arcade. As the day wore on, I begin to notice a pattern. Obviously (not bragging or anything but games are pretty much the only thing I’m exceptional at), I won at almost every game that involved skill. Racing, pinball, and the shooting games were my domain, almost tripling Hongbin’s score whenever we played. However, Hongbin seemed to be much, much, luckier than I was. Any game that involved luck or timing, Hongbin won, meaning I had to work way harder to get my tickets than Hongbin did, but in the end, life isn’t fair. Which is why, I was currently pouting as Hongbin exchanged his tickets for prizes. I had gotten a decent amount, just over a thousand, but lucky Hongbin had managed to get the jackpot or bonus on every game that we played so he smirked at me as he handed over his bundle of five thousand tickets. Sticking my tongue out childishly, I stalked over the entrance. I wasn’t competitive, most of the time I was too lazy to care about ranks or anything like that, but I was supposed to be good at games. That means I was supposed to beat Hongbin and rub it in his face, not the other way around.

            “Still throwing a tantrum?” Hongbin asked as he made his way over to me. He had a triumphant grin upon his face and was obviously delighted at my apparent unhappiness.

            “I’m not throwing a tantrum,” I declared, although my bottom lip still stuck out and my hands were buried in my pockets.

            “Then you’re sulking,” Hongbin stated, patting me on the head. “It’s okay Hyukkie, don’t be too sad. So what if you lost at games, it’s not like that’s the only thing you’re good at- Oh wait, my bad, it is.”

            “Shut up,” I groaned, watching as Hongbin practically danced around me as he continued to tease me mercilessly.

            “Here,” Hongbin finally stopped his teasing and stood in front of me. “This’ll stop you from crying when you get home.”

            “I’m not going to cr- Oh my god,” I started, before stopping when Hongbin held out the prize he had exchanged his tickets for. In his hands was a medium sized plush animal – a penguin to be exact, complete with a Santa hat and a green and red scarf.

            “It can keep your other one company; did you name her by the way?” Hongbin explained, motioning for me to take the stuffed animal.

            “What’s with you and giving me plushies?” I asked as I took the soft toy in my arms. It was perfect hugging size and fit in my arms nicely. “And name who?”

            “The striped toy we got you for your birthday,” Hongbin elaborated.

            “No, I didn’t name it, er, her.”

            “Well you should, how would you like it if you were nameless?”

            “But I’m a human, toys don’t have feelings-”

            “I CANNOT believe you just said that! Have you ever watched Toy Story you terrible person?”

            “...Fine. I’ll name her Annie then, this one can be...”

            “Name him Jeffrey.”

            “Why?”

            “Because he told me his name was Jeffrey.”

            “I don’t-”

            “Jeffrey.”

            “...fine, Jeffrey it is.”

WHAT WAS THAT ENDING I DUNNO. *shrugs* Tada! I have returned after uhm, around 3 months? Much apologies, at least I came back faster than Big Bang did :D I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to do next with this story. But be happy? I intended to end this story at 19 chapters but now I’m going to extend it, maybe to 25-30 chapters? I dunno. I feel like the story won’t be complete with just 19 chapters and 19 is such an ugly number.

Also do you like the chapter title? I’m very amused with it. Get it? ‘Cause they were at an arcade and in the Rock Ur Body MV they’re also in an arcade? :D Anyone? Fine, be that way. I love arcades. But I dunno how pinball works. Like, I just kinda, mash the buttons and hope the ball doesn’t fall through. Anyone wanna teach me how to actually play pinball??

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 to SapphireMelody and HaraYuzu for upvoting!!