There is always a point in life when one feels stuck, and that is currently the point Jongin is at. But as small as a point is or should be, Jongin being stuck is not a short-term thing. He has been stuck for weeks, months, almost half a year, and while the rest has been nice in the beginning, there is nothing but frustration Jongin feels now.

It is not a point in life where he is stuck, but a whole section of his life line and that thought alone is upsetting.

Kim Jongin in his mid-twenties is a famous manhwa artist. He has published three volumes with short stories so far, as well as two series. His first one has been a rather short series, while the second one has been going on for almost three years. Jongin is content with his achievements so far, but if things continue like this, if he keeps being stuck, unable to produce another work soon, his career might go down the drain. After all, there are a lot of other artists out there, competing with him, and it is just a matter of time until his fans have found a replacement for him. Jongin, no, Kim Kai might be quite famous, but he has not reached the status of internationally loved mangakas and manhwa artists yet.Yet. He plans to.

Plans are mere constructs of thoughts and intentions though, and having plans does not mean that they will be executed. Not anytime soon for Jongin, and certainly not when his lack of inspiration is interfering with his plans.

While Jongin has been a bit more positive about the end of his series at first - the prospect of some well-deserved vacation after two years and nine months of almost working nonstop is quite welcomed after all - he is quite miffed about it now. His fingers are itching to sketch and to draw, to fill blank spaces with ink and colors, giving life to characters that he will feel protective about, like any creator feels about his work and any father feels about his child. Still, it does not matter how much he longs to draw again, when he cannot come up with a good idea to draw. Jongin needs characters and stories, not just random scribbles and sketches.

Jongin remembers the last few meetings with his editor. He is not necessarily upset with Park Chanyeol, because Chanyeol is capable and he does not mean ill. He is rather upset with himself for being unable to come up with good suggestions (and being unable to use one of Chanyeol’s prompts, because he does not feel like drawing any of them). And with the minutes leading closer to this week’s meeting, Jongin feels dread building up. After the last few weeks of no results, for this week’s meeting, he could not come up with any useful plot. He has made a few sketches, but they are more like a student’s random drawings in class and not solid plans and character profiles for an upcoming series, and thus it feels like going into a serious meeting with empty hands.

No, Jongin cannot have that. And so he has cancelled the meeting, or tried to cancel it before. Yet, Chanyeol is still coming over. To look at the character sheets, he has said, maybe we can start the other way round this time, creating a plot based on characters, not creating characters to fit a plot.

Jongin does not believe that it will work for him that way. And so he does the only thing he can think of: avoiding Chanyeol. Chanyeol has the keys to his apartment that is his studio at the same time, and so the only way to actually avoid his friend and editor, is to disappear. Now or never, Jongin thinks and grabs his keys. He does not need his phone, when Chanyeol is most likely to bombard him with calls and messages, and Jongin does not want any confrontation yet.





When Jongin leaves his apartment, it is about half an hour before his appointment with Chanyeol. He is glad that he has done so. The last few weeks he has spent locked inside of his apartment, going out only for much needed groceries. But even that is rare when he can simply get his stuff online, delivered right to his doorstep.

Going outside now makes Jongin feel a bit more refreshed, even if it is the busy streets of Seoul that he is walking down now, air heavy with dust, mixed with the smell of coffee, food or cosmetics, depending on what store it is that he is passing.

His feet automatically lead him towards the more quiet streets of Hongdae, without the noisy tourists and persistent shop assistants that might drag one into a store, and he breathes in some - in his imagination at least - cleaner air, without all the pollution of cars. It is a bit greener here, too, with the few trees he has passed, and a lot of plants decorating the balconies and shop entrances. Jongin smiles.

Apart from the busy main streets with shops and cafés, the clubs and bars, there are more quiet places in Hongdae, too. There are small alleyways leading to guesthouses and hotels or simply private owned houses. There are not as many apartment complexes found here. Jongin's apartment, too, does not belong into one of those complexes that have soon become a characteristic trait for Seoul. It is a small one above a gallery, just one corner away from the main street. It is not far away from the almost always full café, known from the movie The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince. Jongin has to admit that he has never stepped foot inside there. Loud, packed spaces are not really what he is looking for as an artist who needs the silence to lose himself in his own ideas and imaginations.





The coffee shop he finds himself in now is none he has ever been to before. He has never crossed this place either, despite it being right in his neighborhood. He is still in Hongdae, right? He almost wants to curse himself for not bringing his phone; with GPS, he could track where he is now, as well as check what time it is. Who does not bring a phone when going outside nowadays? Well, Jongin does not, but only today, because usually, Jongin, too, is always reachable with a phone call or a message via any of those dozen apps he has downloaded simply for communicating.

Luckily, the moment Jongin steps into the café, he can read the time from an analog clock right above the counter. He is about ten minutes late for his meeting already, and it makes no sense to regret his decision and hurry back. He would end up being at least half an hour too late. And so Jongin decisively steps closer to the counter, approaching the young man standing there and greeting him with a bright smile.

"Hello, what would you like to order?" A soft voice sounds. It is a pleasant tone to the ear and Jongin finds himself smiling back at the other. He just can’t be grumpy when people are so nice and friendly to him.

"What would you recommend?" Jongin asks, just to listen to that voice some more. He does not get disappointed. The other male hums softly and Jongin looks down to watch slender fingers open a menu.

"Depending on your personal taste, there are different options," the man says. "You look like a coffee drinker to me, coffee with a spoon of sugar, no cream, and no milk. Is that correct?"

Jongin is amazed. It is accurate. That is how Jongin drinks his coffee. Because of his work, he has to stay awake, and caffeine has become one of Jongin's best friends during his first serialization and has stayed his best friend ever since. If he is honest though, he is not too much of a fan, actually preferring tea. Unfortunately though, tea always makes him sleepy, and soon he has learned to replace his beloved green tea latte with coffee.

"Yes. But only when I work," Jongin replies. The man opposite of him smiles, lips stretching and the corners pulled up even more, eyes crinkling in addition to that. It is the first time Jongin thinks labelling a smile as stunning would fit.

"Of course," the man replies. "Do you trust my judgment? I will make you a drink I'm sure you will like."

Jongin ponders his options for a while and decides to try. There is no reason against it, so why not? He nods.

The barista smiles and sends him off to take a seat. Jongin does so, settling down in a corner from where he can overlook the whole coffee shop. It is a small store, the colors of the whole interior kept in shades of cream, white and blue. Belatedly, Jongin realizes that the café he is sitting in now is called "Oh's heaven", a bit strange, but matching with the decor. The walls are painted like the sky, with different hues of blue and white accents, and the tables and chairs are all white, with pillows so comfortable it feels like sitting on clouds.

Jongin's eyes dart around, discovering the small details: a memo board on one wall with sticky notes, messages written in scrawly handwriting and pictures pinned to it, a filled bookshelf in one corner, the glass vitrine showcasing a variety of cakes and pastries, right by the counter where the barista is busily working on preparing a drink.

Jongin closes his eyes, listening to the soft sound of pianos. It takes him a while to recognize the quiet, but incessant background noise as the sound of rain accompanying the piece. It makes him a bit drowsy, feeling at peace like this, and Jongin wonders if that is the reason why there are no customers here. Maybe this café is just too quiet, too peaceful and therefore too boring? Admittedly, Jongin, too, thinks that it is a bit too quiet for his taste, but at the same time, it is a perfect space to work when he is avoiding Chanyeol again. He just needs the background music to be changed, and surely, if he asked politely, the staff would follow his request, right?

His eyes wander around again as he starts contemplating. It is really not a too bad place, clean, cozy and comfortable. Is it maybe the drinks and the menu offers here that keeps customers away?

In that moment the barista comes over to serve his coffee.

"Walnut caramel coffee," the young man says. "Please give it a try," he adds, when meeting Jongin's skeptical eyes.

"If you do not like it, I won't charge you," the barista says and bows, retreating back to the counter. Jongin watches him for a moment, thinking that the boy would make a good reference model for his next work - that is if he can think of a good plot. Maybe Chanyeol is not wrong, maybe this time, Jongin could start with creating an interesting character and then creating a world for that character to live in. He could draw bishounen this time, pretty faced male protagonists. Unfortunately, he has not brought any sketchbooks with him and so he cannot draw the boy. It is a bit frustrating, really, when he thinks that his inspiration is flowing back right now.

With a sigh, he places the cup close to his lips, blowing softly, before he takes a cautious sip. His eyes widen. It tastes a lot better than it sounds and a whole lot better than he has expected. Who knew that walnut and caramel and coffee would taste good together? He can’t really describe it, since he expresses himself with pictures, not with words, but even if he was a writer, all he could think of would probably be perfect. It is not really sweet, but the usual bitterness of coffee is pushed back by the taste of caramel and walnut, and the cream on top of it is so, so light. Jongin does not feel too full afterwards, and he certainly does not feel drowsy anymore.

When he walks up to the counter to return the cup and pay for his drink, the barista grins at him, as if saying see? I told you. Jongin chuckles.

"Thanks, I enjoyed it," Jongin says, and although it is uncommon here, in his home country, he insists on the other keeping the change. Even if he was charged double the amount, Jongin would still pay the whole price. After all, he just got a taste of heaven.

When he leaves the coffee shop and looks back, reading the shop's name again, his lips curl into a small smile. Oh’s Heaven. The name fits, he thinks.





Jongin is back at his apartment. On the way back he has bought some fried chicken with hot sauce, a reward for his returned inspiration. Other people might think that it is weird, but Jongin can practically feel it. Inspiration is like a mood to him, and when he is not in the right mood, he cannot create anything. To him, inspiration is the prickling feeling in his fingertips, like an itch, that forces him to draw, and it is also this strange feeling in his stomach, the excitement that is not much different from falling in love.

Maybe Jongin is in love. He is in love with his job again and that is the most incredible feeling, enabling him to do great things. Well, at least he feels like nothing is impossible now. And so he eats as fast as possible, cursing himself for ordering the whole chicken instead of asking for the chicken to be fully prepared with the bones taken out. It prolongs his whole meal, and Jongin, not one to waste any food, is determined to eat up before starting any work.

The bowl of rice he has warmed up in the microwave is gulped down in record speed, along with the salad he has gotten with his order of chicken. Jongin surely is no gourmet; he does not have the time to eat slowly, enjoy and appreciate each bite, and luckily, washing the dishes is not much of a chore when there is just one bowl, a pair of chopsticks and a spoon to wash, and soon enough Jongin is sitting at his desk, a sketchbook opened and a pencil in his hand. He grins, already anticipating the next few hours of concentrated work that will follow.

He sets down the pencil, loving the quiet sound of graphite scratching against paper and the sight of steady lines filling the pages and creating scenes, or, in this case, faces and identities.

Jongin spends two hours sketching. One paper after the other is laid aside as he finishes sketch after sketch, character study after character study. Next to the characters he has created, there are small notes that point out what is so special about that character, or what Jongin could add in the future. Random notes that help him with finalizing a character design.

When Jongin sits back for a breather, he puts down his pencil as well, stretching his limbs. It is not good to sit at one place for a long time, and whenever he remembers, he gets up and shakes his legs, trying to boost his blood circulation. It is rare though, especially when Jongin is in the mood to draw. The fact that he has stopped after merely two hours is proof that Jongin is not really in high spirits yet. He might have just tried to convince himself of that. And when he looks through his drawings, he can only sigh.

He has drawn only male characters, and all of them look quite similar to each other. Tall stature, rather thin, a face with perfect V-line and pretty, thin lips, eyes a bit small and almost disappearing in the few sketches of that character laughing. He's wearing a simple T-shirt and jeans, and on top of that, an apron of simple cut.

Jongin wants to facepalm. All he has drawn is the barista from the café, because the notes next to his sketches are not much helpful either. Has pretty eye smile, pretty hands, is good at making coffee, soft spoken and maybe a bit shy (?). It is really not helpful. He cannot create a story with five characters that are basically the same. Unless he makes the character bipolar or with a split personality; but he does not feel like doing that. Or a story of twins or triplets…?

Maybe he needs a break to clear his head. And so Jongin goes to take a shower first, then settles down next to his window to watch the changing lights outside. There are still quite a few people walking to and fro, clubbers and party goers taking shortcuts through the smaller streets to head to their destination. A few drunkards, a few giggly college students, a couple. He watches them without thinking much. The thinking will follow later, when he is back at his desk to work on a manuscript. For now, he needs to relax and ease his mind to hopefully be more productive later.





It does not help. Despite believing that he has found his motivation to start a new project, Jongin cannot grasp the plot. It is frustrating, because the plot is right there in front of him, but whenever he tries to catch it, it is as if it escapes through the gaps between his fingers.

Jongin has never been unproductive for this long and it is worrisome. He has texted Chanyeol earlier this morning, apologizing for yesterday's absence. Chanyeol has called him back immediately, and this time, Jongin knows he cannot avoid talking to the other. And so they talk and discuss and Jongin confesses that he has been hiding yesterday, in a pretty café not too far from his studio, and that he has actually worked on some sketches. He has a character and he is trying to build a plot around that character. Jongin confesses, too, that while he has been in high spirits the day before, when he was sitting in that café, his muse has left him when he got home. And so Chanyeol's suggestion was to go back to that café. Maybe he will find a hint on how to create his story there?

Jongin is thinking about it for a while, wondering if it is worth the half hour long walk to and back when he can use that one hour in the studio and work here. But then again, maybe it is his environment that is somehow influencing his creative process in a bad way this time, and so he decides to go to the café,Oh's heaven. And this time he comes prepared.

Jongin is sitting in a corner today. From here he has the best overview of the whole café. He does not need to turn his head around much to watch the people walking around outside, or the counter where Sehun is currently making another drink, humming to himself. The artist has chosen his own drink today, going for cappuccino, and he wonders if the barista can make the drink taste any better than at other places. It is a very basic coffee drink after all, not leaving much room to be experimental.

Soon enough, Jongin stops watching people, stops watching the coffee shop employee, and starts drawing instead. The pencil flies over the page and Jongin is creating a location this time. It is a coffee shop, a bit different from the one he is sitting in, but he tries to keep the same cozy feeling, adding a few minor details here and there to make it look more special.

"Here is your order, Sir."

Jongin startles at the suddenness, not having heard the other approaching. It makes him feel sheepish, a bit dumb even, but the barista does not even bat his eyelashes. He simply sets the cup on the table, a little cookie placed neatly on the saucer underneath. Jongin grins like a kid being rewarded with candy and dips the cookie into his drink. The cappuccino is okay, he thinks, but when he takes a sip at it later, he is a bit surprised. It tastes a lot better without the cookie, maybe he shouldn't have dipped it inside. There is an underlying aroma Jongin cannot quite name, but it harmonizes well with the taste of coffee and milk. Is it caramel and walnut again?

As he takes small sips of the drink, Jongin watches the barista moving around, cleaning here and there, and moving chairs just the slightest so they are standing at a perfect angle to the tables. It is a bit ridiculous, but he supposes there is not much one can do when there are not many customers around. There should be more customers though, because the drinks are really nice, and so is the place overall.

Jongin takes the pencil and starts drawing again, another sketch of the location, this time from another perspective. After all, if he is going to draw a barista it is unlikely that that barista would work in different locations, unless he changes his workplace. And Jongin does not plan to let his barista change his job often.

It is a lot of fun and Jongin gets far too enthusiastic about details, in his mind already painting the colored version. The coffee shop in his manhwa will be kept in soft beige and sand colors with splashes of white and brown in between. That is the color he associates with coffee and thus his café would look like that, too. As Jongin draws, he thinks that he could have become an interior designer as well, chuckling at that thought. Would his parents have liked that more?

An hour passes. Jongin continues drawing and sketching. He looks up to observe the barista from time to time, sketching out what he can see. There is a sketch of the barista bent over the table to wipe over the whole surface, another sketch of the barista working on one of the machines at the back. Another one with the barista handing over a drink to a customer. Jongin orders another cappuccino, along with a sandwich to still his hunger, and when the barista balances drink and food on a tray over to him, Jongin draws that, too.

As he bites into his sandwich, Jongin thinks about all the sketches he has made today. He really likes the idea of drawing the soft spoken barista with that calming smile, but he needs a story, a plot as well. A collection of drawings does not sell well, unless it is an artbook to a popular series. Jongin could have made an artbook as well, but he does not feel like drawing old characters over and over again. He has done so on fan meetings and there have been enough requests to draw the protagonists of his debut work as well as his two series.

Maybe it is because it has been such a long time since he last had to start a story from scratch that is making it difficult for him to create a new story now? Jongin shakes his head. No more thinking about his situation. He still needs to come up with a good plot and that will only come when he thinks about details.

He starts with his sole protagonist, his barista. The barista is quite young, a college student probably. So what is the reason for him to work when workload at school makes a part-time job almost impossible? Is it because he is studying something his parents are opposing, and thus have given him an ultimatum to either get kicked out or follow as they wish? The boy could have decided to chase his dreams, and so he left before he could have been kicked out. He ends up meeting kind people, maybe the coffee shop owners, who let him stay with them if he works on the weekends.

No. Jongin shakes his head. It is too close to his debut work. He cannot draw almost the same story with slightly different characters two times in a row. His fans are asking for a new work, not a remake of 3,6,5. He sighs deeply.

Okay. Second plot idea. So what if he is only a barista by day, but in the night is when he has his really lucrative job? He could be working as an , pretending to be a boyfriend or fiancé in high society circles. No, wouldn’t it be better if he was someone’s personal ?

Wait. An or a boy with a sugar mommy wo