Hello, this is the third chapter of out Valentine's Day special. Read the previous two if you haven't already!

“We have to cross the street and turn left” Taekwoon told Minah.

“It’s not very far” Minah commented.

“I know. But it’s hidden away. I found it by chance” he told her. He smiled at how Minah could barely conceal her excitement at the thought of meeting puppies. But that quickly turned to a stoic face when Minah turned to smile at him. They crossed the street when the signal turned green and walked towards the cafe whose sign board was visible now. Minah shook her head at the pink heart decorations all around the sign for Valentine’s Day but ignored it in favour of the puppy who had just barked at them from the door.

“This is Snowy” Taekwoon said, bending down to pat the puppy. The puppy wagged its tail when Taekwoon  scratched its ears and yipped happily. Taekwoon picked it up in his arms before turning to Minah. The puppy growled at her and Minah waited patiently. After a while, Snowy was comfortable enough around her to let her touch him. “Snowy is a little rough around the edges. But he gets used to new people with time. He’s also an escape artist and keeps trying to run away” Taekwoon said with a frown. Minah laughed at the description before following Taekwoon inside.

“Amber! Snowy tried to run away again” Taekwoon complained as soon as he walked in.

“You sad lonely soul! I knew you’d drop by today” a woman said, appearing from behind the counter. This must be Amber, Minah noted taking in the rather cool tomboyish look and short blonde hair. “Whoa. Did you bring a date? You actually got a date? Is your taste in men really that bad?” Amber asked Minah with a grin.

“I’m not his date” Minah laughed.

“I thought as much. No one in their right minds would date Taekwoon” Amber said, nodding to herself.

“I’m right here you know” Taekwoon said with a scowl.

“I’m sorry, but you look really familiar. Were you classmates with Oh Sehun once upon a time?” Minah asked Amber. Taekwoon frowned at the mention of that name. He still remembered Minah’s cousin whom Haneul had found hot.

“Yeah! We still hang out sometimes. Are you his sister by any chance?” Amber asked.

“Yeah! It’s nice to finally meet you!” Minah said.

“It’s nice to meet you too! How long have you known Taekwoon?” Amber asked.

“A few months. We work together” Minah told her.

“Then you know him well enough not to date him. Ever” Amber said in mock seriousness as Minah laughed.

She chose not to comment, bending down to play with more puppies. There were dogs of various breeds here. Snowy, the one still in Taekwoon’s arms was a Sapsali and the ones playing near Minah’s feet were beagles. Minah grinned at how the hyperactive puppies had already taken to her. Taekwoon put Snowy down to let him play with the other puppies but kept an eye on the puppy. It was unusually energetic and would definitely try escaping again. He watched as Minah picked up a sleepy Shi Tsu and cooed at it, It yipped and fell asleep in her arms much to her delight.

“She’s a natural” Amber commented, as she started setting out the bowls. It would be feeding time soon.

“She really likes puppies” Taekwoon said simply as he picked Snowy up from the door again and putting him at a separate corner of the room.

“Is that the only reason you brought her along?” Amber asked in an amused tone.

“Yes” Taekwoon said curtly.

“Are you sure? It is Valentine’s Day you know. The day most people go on dates with people they have romantic feelings for” Amber reminded him.

“Minah doesn’t believe in Valentine’s Day” he said smugly.

“Whatever floats your boat” Amber sang as she started setting the food out.

“I think I’m in love” Minah said seriously when Taekwoon walked up to her. He smiled as he sat down next to her while the puppy’s head.

“How long before Amber figures out that you are a puppy whisperer?” he asked jokingly.

“I wouldn’t say I’m a puppy whisper,” Minah chuckled and Snowy came hurtling into Taekwoon’s leg “I would say that you might be more of one though.” she indicated to the puppy, now chewing at his shoelace before plonking his head on Taekwoon’s foot and snoozing.

“He’s a lot like you.” she said as Taekwoon looked up at her with his eyebrow quirked.

“We’ll, he looks like he wants to escape everything and is pretty uncomfortable around strangers. But he seems quite affectionate with people he does know. Kind of how you behave with Hakyeon.” she said to him with a grin.

“On the other hand, that Minature Pomeranian there called Pepper is like Hakyeon.” Taekwoon laughed at the accurate description of Snowy and himself. Maybe that’s why he felt a special connection with Snowy. He watched as Minah turned around to eye the tiny pomeranian puppy jumping over a sleepy french bulldog puppy with a tag hanging around it’s neck reading Sleepy.

“And that french bulldog puppy is Wonshik.” Minah pointed out as Taekwoon noted the resemblance.

“Coffee?” Amber walked over to the two who had now taken a seat in a quiet corner of the cafe.

“I’ll have the usual,” Taekwoon said before turning to Minah who smiled at him and nodded “she’ll have a macchiato.”

“You know her order already?” Amber shot him a smirk as Taekwoon tried his best not to glare.

“We’ll, we’re the coffee aficionados of the office, so we just know which the other prefers.” Minah explained as Amber nodded, still looking at Taekwoon suspiciously before leaving the two again.

“Oh look, that beagle is just like Jaehwan and it’s bothering Sleepy!” Minah laughed as Taekwoon turned around to see a very enthusiastic beagle trying to wake the other puppy up.  

“There’s a poodle puppy here that reminds me of Hongbin.” he said silently.

“Makes sense. If Sanghyuk was a puppy, he’d be a corgi.”

“An overgrown corgi. Haneul is a Rottweiler.” Taekwoon nodded in agreement.

“Aww come on that’s just mean. Just because everyone calls her Monster. She’s more of a Jack Russell Terrier. Small and smart.”

“Don’t let her hear you say she’s short. She nearly threw the guy off the college building.” Taekwoon grinned, the last time someone had said that, there had been major disaster.

“You knew Haneul from her college days?”

“Was her senior there.” Taekwoon replied, picking up a restless Snowy and petting him as the puppy squirmed around on his lap.

“Did she trouble you there too?” Minah grinned as Amber returned with their coffee.

“God Taekwoon, don’t talk about exes on a Valentine’s Day date,” Amber chuckled as she placed their mugs on the table “complimentary cake slice for the lady and Taekwoon for bringing me a new customer.”

“Hey! This is what Sehun brought home and I loved it! Thank you so much.” Minah exclaimed when she saw the slices on the table.

“Thanks and you’re welcome.” Amber grinned as Taekwoon shot her a look.

“We were talking about Haneul.”

“Oh yeah, the smart tech head! Sorry, I’ve just seen so many dates go wrong because someone keeps talking about their ex. Either way, I was pulling your leg.” she grinned as she walked away before any further damage could be done.

“If Haneul was your ex, this would have been some funny reverse harem. It would also be terribly awkward. But do tell me more.” Minah laughed.

“She was the devil who teased me about everything. Still does.” Taekwoon deadpanned.

“Which makes a lot of sense. She teases me too.” Minah sipped at her coffee before looking over the rim of the mug “You know my brother?”

Taekwoon froze “Yes?”

“I’m glad you remember him. Now that he found out that you’re my boss, he can’t stop talking about wanting to meet you.”

Taekwoon’s eyes widened “meet me?”

“Well, he kept going on about what a sport you were and what a great game you had. Said you’d make a great team leader so he feels like my workplace would be fun.”

“Really?” Taekwoon was stumped as Minah bent down to pet the puppy that had made it’s way towards her. A Jindo, and a very good looking one too.

“Yeah.”

“Does he remember beating me at the finals?” Taekwoon asked, now curious.

“He does...I remember that match too though. It was very close.” Minah grinned, Taekwoon looked back at her. The world was a small place. Kim Minah had seen him play soccer all the way back in middle school.

“Huh.” Taekwoon was stumped as Minah played with the puppy.

“Small world isn’t it?” she commented, like she was speaking his mind.

“Yeah…” he said, looking at the puppy again “that one’s new.” Minah scooped it up and cuddled it as it looked at Taekwoon and tilted its head. Taekwoon’s heart melted at the sight before Minah held it up to him.

“New, just like me.”

“Cute.” Taekwoon looked at the puppy as Minah fought a blush which was creeping up her cheeks. She held the puppy up so it faced her.

“He thinks you’re cute,” she paused to read the tag “Floofy?”

“He does think you’re cute.” Taekwoon smirked as Minah blinked at him, confused as he turned to Amber and asked her for the bill. “They’ll be shutting down soon, so we can play with the puppies for a while and then we can leave.”

“How much do I pay?” Minah asked, fishing for her wallet.

“Consider it my treat for the coffee you made for me during the MT.” Taekwoon waved her wallet away.

“Alright,” Minah pouted “I’m paying the next time.”

Taekwoon’s ears perked up at the ‘next time’ as he stood up, only to crouch down and pet Snowy and Sleepy who had arrived, demanding attention. Minah on the other hand was accosted by Pepper and a corgi puppy who was called Smol. Floofy had fallen asleep on her lap and was now being nudged awake by the beagle puppy called Tums. They spent the next few moments in silence, enjoying each other’s company as well as the joy of having the puppies around them.

The silence was broken when Minah’s phone rang and she fished it out of her bag only to see Haneul’s name flashing back at her.

“Hello?” she answered.

“Biker sunbae! Jaehwan and Wonshik just got married! Say congratulations!” she vaguely heard on the other end. Haneul’s voice slurred as Minah tried to make out what on earth was going on.

“Haneul? Are you okay? Who is married and are they sober?” she asked, trying hard not to chuckle.

“No no. It was a completely sober decision. Just like this one is. Sunbae let's get married!” Haneul yelled loudly as Minah held the phone away and Taekwoon looked up, puzzled. Minah simply mouthed “drunk”.

“Yeah! Get married! It feels amazing!” Jaehwan’s voice screeched through the speaker

”I love you. Jaehwan loves Wonshik. Wonshik loves Jaehwan. Taekwoon only loves coffee because he is a cat. That’s one... two… three! Three perfect reasons for us to get married” Haneul’s voice now echoed through the speakers as Taekwoon rolled his eyes and held his hand out for the phone.

“Haneul, drink water and go to sleep. No. Minah is not marrying you.” he said calmly into the phone before hanging up.

“We should get going.” Minah said, looking at her watch and at Amber who was starting to clear up the counters. The two waved to Amber as they slipped on their coats and Taekwoon headed towards the door.

“Just watch out! The air conditioner leaks sometimes.” Amber warned as Minah nodded only to take one step forward and feel her foot slip on the floor as she braced for impact. But a hand caught hold of hers, steadying her as she looked up to meet Taekwoon’s eyes.

“Careful.” he said, still not letting go of her hand until she was safely out of the door.

“Thanks.” she said, looking down at his warm soft hand holding onto hers as he looked around for a taxi.

“Urgh. I swear they hype up hand holding so much!” Hongbin cringed as Sanghyuk nodded and Hakyeon sighed. This movie had turned out to be a romantic comedy where the romance was being laid on thick. The lead characters had finally held hands, much to Hongbin and Sanghyuk’s disgust.

“You guys don’t understand! Hand holding is an important step in a relationship. It shows trust.” Hakyeon explained as the two men beside him stuck their tongues out.

“I am not holding your hand if that’s what you want.” Hongbin commented as Sanghyuk grasped hold of his.

“You’ll hold mine, because you love me.”

“Listen, this movie is already too gooey for my liking, don’t make it worse.” Hongbin quickly extracted his hand from Sanghyuk’s before sticking it into the popcorn, only to grab hold of Hakyeon’s hand as it searched for the right amount of popcorn to consume in one go. Hakyeon’s eyes met his as he pulled his hand out of the tub and crossed them grumpily.

“I’m sure the others would love this movie. Unfortunately I got stuck with the two of you.” Hakyeon shot them a dirty look before munching on his popcorn as Sanghyuk took a sip from his soda and placed it back in its holder. A few minutes later Hongbin absentmindedly picked it up and took a sip too as the lead in the movie took a sip from the other lead’s drink as she whispered “indirect kiss” making Hongbin nearly spit his drink out.

“Wait, I didn’t bring a coke in.”

“That’s my drink.” Sanghyuk deadpanned as Hongbin fought the urge to facepalm.

“Oh look, the lead is putting his arm around her in the movie. So cute.” Hakyeon squealed as Hongbin cringed at the sound before leaning back into his seat, only to feel Sanghyuk’s long arm right behind him.

“What the hell.” he turned to Sanghyuk who simply smiled back at him, blissfully unaware. Hongbin sighed before refocusing his gaze on the screen. Until he could feel his eyes fall shut.

“Binnie, wakey wakey.” Sanghyuk’s voice woke him up as his eyelids flew open to see Sanghyuk’s face a little too close for comfort . He lifted his head off the youngest’s shoulder as he looked around to see that the lead shared an almost kiss with her sunbae.

“How long was I out?” he mumbled as Sanghyuk chuckled.

“Ten minutes.”

“You guys . How can you sleep during this?” Hakyeon whined as the film reached its .

Hongbin had had just about enough romance for the day and scowled at Hakyeon.

“I shall sleep just like this!” he declared, before grabbing Sanghyuk’s arm and wrapping it around him before snuggling into him and shutting his eyes.

“He wants me.” Sanghyuk sounded smug but not so much when he received a punch in the gut from Hongbin.

“I’m going to watch this movie again without you two.” Hakyeon glared at them as he turned back to the screen.

“This was supposed to be the movie we were supposed to watch together.” Sanghyuk grumbled,

“Hey, you asked me to come with you.” Hakyeon hissed.

“You said you were coming and we had no choice.” Hongbin deadpanned, still sandwiched in Sanghyuk’s arms.

“You’d have watched this anyway.” Hakyeon shrugged.

“We’d have freely laughed at it without you here.” Sanghyuk responded before taking a deep noisy sip from his soda.

“You know what I will ask the others to come with me.” Hakyeon pouted before pulling his phone out and typed out into it. Except he spotted a bunch of messages from Haneul on the group.

“Uh, why is there garbled gibberish and pictures of Wonshik and Jaehwan’s hands on the group?”

The two next to him fished their phones out of their pockets.

“Something about marriage.” Hongbin attempted to decipher the text from Haneul.

“I think those are rings drawn on their hands.” Sanghyuk squinted at the screen.

“Who’s going to tell her?” Hakyeon said as the other two pointed at him.

Hakyeon : What’s going on?

Sanghyuk : Are you drunk?

Haneul :  AM NOT.

Haneul : YOU NEED TO BLEVE In THe POWER on Luv

Sanghyuk : You’re drunk.

Haneul : Gt MMmattie d guys, it’s greta

Haneul : SmolHulk maeey Dustbin

“I think she said - you need to believe in the power of love; get married guys, it’s great; and Sanghyuk marry Hongbin. While I’m not flattered by any of this, I can confirm that Haneul is indeed drunk.” Hongbin cooly read out as the two men beside him gaped “What? I have clients who drunk text instructions and clients who generally can’t spell.” he shrugged.

The three turned back to the screen and Hakyeon cursed as the credits began rolling.

“Damn it! It’s over!” he whined before picking his phone up.

Hakyeon : Anyone want to watch this movie with me again?

Hongbin : No

Sanghyuk : No