Daehyun looked at his watch nervously as he was hiding his face under the neck of his coat to protect himself from the inclement weather. Seoul was freezing at that time of the year and he could feel how the tips of his fingers were going numb. He regretted now not bringing a scarf and a pair of gloves with him, but he always felt really uncomfortable wearing them. He put his hands back in the pockets and shook his shoulders a little bit to heat up while looking around trying to find the person he was looking for.

Daehyun worked for an advertising agency, one of the most important ones in Korea. He was very lucky to work there since he was so young. With only 23 years old it was really difficult to get to work there. But that was kind of troublesome since lots of his co-workers begrudge him; they had to work really hard to acquire that position and Daehyun got the job right after leaving university. He wasn’t especially talented nor he had the best grades, but he was really good persuading and negotiating. That’s why today he was having a meeting with an important client; the young man was the best bet the agency had.

But Daehyun was starting to lose his patience. They were supposed to meet at 10 am, but it was 10:15 already and he was still waiting for the client. He even got earlier to the place they agreed to meet, but there was no sign of him. Daehyun muttered angrily and leaned against a wall tired of being standing all the time. He should be in his office now, warm and relaxed, finishing up his paperwork, sitting on his comfortable armchair with a cup of coffee… he would kill now to have a cup of coffee. But he couldn’t complain, he was really well paid and he didn’t work that much.

The meeting point was placed next to a bus stop in a street near from Daehyun’s workplace. It was one of the main streets in Seoul and had numerous restaurants, shops, cafés etc. Everything was luxurious there and the apartments were really expensive, so just rich people lived on that neighbourhood. The street was very busy since it was Monday morning and crowds of people were heading to their respective work places or looking for a warm and comfortable establishment to spend their break time. It was very noisy in there and Daehyun didn’t like it. He was used to live in Busan, which was also a big city but much more quiet and relaxing, not to mention there was a beautiful beach. Seoul was stressful, polluted, crowded and uncomfortable but he didn’t know that before coming. Also people in Busan were nicer. He suddenly felt homesick but shook his head to push aside those thoughts. He sighed and took out his mobile phone to check his messages. There was a new one from his boss wishing him good luck. Daehyun smiled slightly at it and answered with a simple “thank you”. His boss was a really caring woman, especially with him…

He tried to distract himself again watching at the people passing by and trying to figure out how their lives could be. He was staring at a young girl with short dyed hair when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He suddenly stood up surprised by the touch and looked to the person who was standing next to him. It was a young man with black hair and slim complexion, more or less same height as him. The stranger offered his hand to Daehyun with a friendly smile on his face. “You must be Daehyun.” His voice was surprisingly deep.

“And I assume you are Mr Kim” said the brunet shaking hands with the man.

“Please, don’t call me like that, it makes me feel old” he laughed softly “just Himchan is ok.”

Daehyun thanked god Himchan recognised him because he was so distracted trying not to die of boredom that he didn’t even notice him passing by. It was the very first time they saw each other although they’d messaged several times before. “I’m sorry, I’m a little bit late” said Himchan with a worried look. ‘Just a little bit? You bastard’ thought the brunet to himself. “Have you been waiting for long?”

Daehyun made an effort and tried to cover his irritation with a smile. “No, please don’t worry.” The older nodded smiling kindly in response.

“Ok, let’s get to work then” Himchan started to walk. He was one of the directives of an important cosmetic company and they were going to release a new brand product. Other two advertising agencies were trying to get this opportunity, so it was a big deal and Daehyun needed to take it seriously. “I asked you to meet here because I like going to a certain coffee shop, I hope you don’t mind going there” he said looking back to make sure the younger was following him. “I always negotiate there since the ambience is relaxed”

Daehyun shrugged. “I don’t mind at all.” Actually he preferred going there, they’d be warm and they could drink some coffee.

They made the rest of the walking in silence but it wasn’t awkward since both of them were immersed in their thoughts, probably preparing their strategies to reach a favourable agreement. The older finally stopped at the entrance of a small establishment and opened the modern glass door indicating with his hand the inside. “Please, you go first” said with a smile.

Daehyun smirked and took a few steps to enter. “Am I a lady now?” joked trying to earn the other’s trust. Himchan laughed slightly and closed the door behind them. The café was a small place, walls painted in cream and modern expensive looking furniture. Decoration consisted on a vase with a pair of flowers for each table, some random ornamental objects and 50’s style posters. The ensemble was really nice, the entire place filled with soft colours creating a relaxing ambience. A pleasant scent of coffee and homemade bakery reached Daehyun who closed his eyes and enjoyed the nice smell. A bright looking girl was attending the bar, thoughtfully cleaning a machine to mill coffee. She looked up when she heard the door opening and left what she was doing to take care of us. “Welcome” said with a radiant smile. “Himchan! Long time no see” said staring him.

“I’m sorry for that, we’ve been very busy at the company” apologised keeping his smile. “I’ve brought a friend” added looking at me.

“Nice! You can sit wherever you want”

Strangely, the place was almost empty; only two tables were being occupied. Daehyun wondered if it was always like that. They sat on a table near the entrance and the girl handed them two menus. When the brunet saw the prices understood why the place was so empty. They were abusive! He tried to hide his horrified face and placed his menu back on the table. Himchan observed him curiously. “What are you ordering?”

Daehyun glanced at him and smiled “I’m ok, I won’t order anything.”

“Don’t say that, we’ll probably be discussing for hours. I’ll treat you to a cup of coffee.” He called the girl out before Daehyun could complain about it. “Please, two cups of coffee! You want it with milk?” The younger shook his head. “Two Americanos.” The girl nodded and disappeared.

Daehyun wasn’t sure about Himchan’s real aim, but he really felt grateful “You didn’t have to”

“Oh, yes I did, I made you wait for me, plus I’m trying to bribe you subliminally.”

Daehyun laughed amused. “But if you tell me your real intentions it’s not subliminally anymore.”

Then a young man approached them politely. “Himchan, sorry for make you wait, your coffee will be ready soon” said as he was knotting his apron. The boy was more or less the same age as Daehyun, with fair skin and thick pink lips. His hair was dark brunet and he was wearing a white shirt with a black waistcoat and a bow tie, so he assumed he was the barista.

“Don’t worry, Jae. All good things are worth to wait” the barista smiled shyly and glanced at Daehyun before taking his leave.

Himchan stared the brunet. “We should get to work already, we’re losing precious time.” Daehyun nodded in response. ‘But it’s your fault we’re losing so much time.’

Then the older started to dispose on the table graphics, images and documents about the new product his company wanted to advertise. It was an hydrant foundation which adapted to every skin tone and was suitable for every type of skin. The company invested millions of dollars to produce this. The brunet examined carefully the papers, waiting for Himchan to finish his preparations. Then a loud noise startled him. The older’s phone was ringing. “Sorry, I have to take it.”

“Don’t worry” said the younger as shaking his head. Then Himchan stood up and walked outside to talk privately. Daehyun was tempted to pry into the other’s papers to take advantage, but he didn’t do it. He leaned back on his chair and looked to his surroundings trying to relax a little.

He glanced at the barista making coffee. The young man looked really focused, measuring carefully the amount of hot water he needed. He took some grinded coffee beans from the machine the girl was cleaning before and placed it on a scale. He smiled brightly and disposed the granulated coffee on a funnel made of a strange fabric. He put the funnel on the top of a cylindrical container and took a jug with hot water. Then he started to pour the water into the funnel gently and slowly. Daehyun was absolutely hypnotized by the barista’s hands and couldn’t stop staring. Those hands were graceful and gentle. The barista finished pouring the water and let the coffee settle, looking satisfied with his work. Then poured the coffee into two cups trying to make foam. The brunet was still staring at the barista when he noticed. They exchanged glances for a second and then Daehyun came back to real world. ‘What’s wrong with me? I look like a creep.’ The barista approached Daehyun and Himchan’s table with the two cups of hot coffee.

“Here you are” he placed carefully one cup in front of Daehyun trying not to spill the coffee on the papers.

“Thank you very much” answered the brunet with a smile.

The barista smiled back and crossed his arms. “So, you are negotiating with Himchan.”

The brunet glanced at the papers “Yup, we are trying to reach an agreement.”

“I see. Himchan’s a good guy so there won’t be problems.”

“It’s good to know that” said Daehyun taking sip of his drink. “Woah.” He couldn’t control his surprise; it was the best coffee he’d ever tasted. “Amazing, you are a genius” said to the barista completely impressed.

The young man smiled kindly. “Thank you.”

Then Himchan entered the establishment hastily, shivering because of the freezing weather. “I’m sorry, Daehyun, that took too long.” He observed the situation with a quick glance while going toward his seat. “So you’re already friends, that’s good.” Then he sat down on his chair and took a sip of his coffee. He smiled brightly showing his pleasure.  “Well done, Youngjae” said to the barista keeping his smile. ‘So his name is Youngjae.’ The barista smiled back.

“Enjoy your coffee and don’t overdo it” said the young man as leaving.

“Thank you” answered Daehyun.

Then Himchan coughed to grab the brunet’s attention. “Where did we leave the conversation?”

“We didn’t even start” answered the younger smiling.

“Oh, ok” he coughed again. “I assume you’ve already studied our product’s characteristics.”

Daehyun looked directly to the other’s eyes. “Sure, I did. We think your new product is going to sell very well.” The brunet smiled slightly after a short silence. “And I assume you read our design.” Himchan nodded in response. “Good then, this is the minimum payment we are going to accept.” The brunet took a pencil and wrote on a piece of paper a large number and then passed it to his client.

Himchan looked at the paper and then fixed his eyes on Daehyun smiling. “This negotiation is going to take long.”