Walking down the streets of Paris with a phrase book in hand Shinwoo looks around for a café he has been desperately wanting to try ever since he got his acceptance letter to the École Normale Superieure. The city felt brand new to him way different than the countryside of Korea. When he finally found the street he turned and right in front of him was this old café that smelt of freshly brewed coffee and the sweet scents of pastries. Walking in the place wasn’t as crowded as he expected. Everything was nice a neat and only a few people were sitting and doing work or reading. He cleared his throat and walked to the front counter. “Bonjour, puis-je avoir un café et une crème pâtisserie.” The barista nods and tells him the total amount and Shinwoo pays with cash. He wonders if his accent was still noticeable even after studying the language for a year now. Shinwoo sat at a seat beside the window; taking out his French literature textbook from his book bag and he starts to read the passages. Taking notes in his notebook as he waited for the barista to bring him his coffee and pastry.

            Meanwhile from the moment Shinwoo walked into the café someone had been watching him. Sitting in the corner of the café a young thin male was reading a book while observing the people that passed by the café. When he saw the tall male turn the street he immediately became intrigued. He looked like a tourist from the way he looked around at the streets but when he spoke almost perfect French he thought he might have been from the countryside of France. The male had forgot about the book and kept glancing at the other male. When the barista gave Shinwoo his drink he picked up his things and drink and walked over to the table. Sitting in the seat in front of him. “Bonjour. Mon nom est Jinyoung. Ravi de vous rencontrer.” Shinwoo had looked up from his book in shock when he saw someone in front of him. Not sure how to handle the situation he just introduced himself as well. “Bonjour, Mon nom est Shinwoo.” Jinyoung smiled and looked down at the textbook and he saw the phrasebook beside him on the table. Surprised that he knew what language the book was in he looked up and started speaking Korean. “Are you Korean?” Shinwoo, in shock, nodded and had asked him the same question even though the answer was probably obvious. “Obviously.” Jinyoung had chuckled and drank some of his coffee. “So I suppose you’re not from Paris if you’re carrying that around. What made you come visit the city?” Jinyoung leaned forward a little as he started up a conversation. “I came here for University. I’m an exchange student and you?” Shinwoo had closed his textbook and notes; deciding to study later because the male in front of him was intriguing in a way Shinwoo has never felt before. “I was born here. I’m a student too but in London, England. I go there to learn English. I’m in London most of the week but I come back to Paris often.” Shinwoo nods lightly as he takes sips from his coffee and small bites from his pastry. “So which university do you go to?” Jinyoung asked as he motions for a refill of his coffee.

“École Normale Superieure.”

“Ah prestigious. You must be very smart.”

“Not really I just study hard. Some things are still hard for me to learn.”

“But still if you’ve been accepted to the school you must be pretty smart. I go to Imperial College in London. I’m studying to be a general practitioner. What are you studying to be?”

“Oh you want to be a doctor that’s nice. I’m studying to be a literature teacher. I love books so I figured it would be the perfect job for me. I wanted to be an author but I’m not that great at writing my own stories.” Shinwoo finished his pastry and wiped his mouth; Jinyoung had been watching him as he did so and he smiled softly. “I’m sure you write great stories.” Shinwoo smiled and thanked him. Jinyoung had finished his coffee and looked at his watch. “Ah time to go. It was nice talking to you Shinwoo. Let’s meet again sometime.” Jinyoung packed his things and stood up. He picked up Shinwoo’s hand and pecked the back of it and he chuckled. “Let’s meet here every Saturday morning okay? Don’t keep me waiting.” Jinyoung said and waved bye; leaving the café and walking down the street until he disappeared into a crowd. Shinwoo stood there with a blush on his face. Did this man just kiss my hand? He thought and closed his mouth. He didn’t know what to feel but he knew he didn’t feel repulsed by Jinyoung’s actions. Looking down at the others coffee he remembered what he said and wrote down in his planner for next Saturday morning. Meeting with Jinyoung. He then packed his things and left as he couldn’t even think about studying after what just happened. He held his stomach as it felt like butterflies were in there and he left back to the dormitory to study there instead.

As the week flew by Shinwoo found himself walking back to the café; going to meet Jinyoung once again. Over the week Shinwoo couldn’t help but think about the male whenever he had free time. He would find himself day dreaming about him and two days after meeting him he knew what the feeling he felt was. Love. He’s never felt this way towards another man before but thinking of Jinyoung makes him feel like he was a little boy who has a crush. He brought a small gift with him. It was one of his favorite books and he decided he would give it away to Jinyoung to read. As he entered the café he ordered a coffee and paid for it. Before he could get the chance to turn around Jinyoung had slipped his arms around him for a hug. “You didn’t stood me up. You’re sweet. Ah is this for me?” Jinyoung motioned to the small gift bag and Shinwoo nodded and they went to sit together at the same table. Shinwoo was trying to calm himself down as his heart started to race after the sudden back hug. Jinyoung smiled and opened the present. “Wow a book. Was this yours?” Shinwoo nods and thanks the barista as he gives him his coffee. “It looks interesting. I’ll read it while on the train to London. Thank you Shinwoo.” Jinyoung leaned in and pecked his cheek which caused Shinwoo to blush bright red and he smiled. “You’re welcome. I really loved this book so I wanted you to read it.” Shinwoo drank some of his coffee and Jinyoung set it aside and looked at Shinwoo. “So how is school going? Are you doing well in your classes?” Shinwoo nods and smiles. “I just passed my first quiz on Thursday.” “Wow that’s great. Lately my anatomy class has been a little stressful because of the language barrier but my English is getting better. My professor says I’m learning fairly quickly.” Jinyoung smiles and reaches into his bag. “I also brought something for you. It’s not the most prized possession but I saw it in London and I thought you might like it.” Jinyoung pulled out a small box and he opened it and gave it to you. “It’s called a harmony stone. They said the stone is blessed and helps you find peace and harmony in troubled times. They put initial engravings on it so I had them put yours.” Shinwoo smiled and picked up the smooth stone with his engravings on it. Running his fingers over the letter. “That’s very sweet of you. Thank you Jinyoung.” Shinwoo stood and gave him a peck on the cheek as well which startled Jinyoung a bit since he did not expect that. Jinyoung just smiled though and they continued to talk about themselves. Getting to know each other better as the time flew by. “Oh no it’s time for me to go again. I’ll miss the train.” Jinyoung frowned but Shinwoo assured him they would meet again next week. “We can even message each other through this app. Lots of Koreans use it to chat. Just download it and search for my ID.” Shinwoo wrote the instructions and his ID down on a note and sent Jinyoung off with a hug. Jinyoung waved by from outside and left with the book Shinwoo gave him in hand. Shinwoo smiled and held the box with the rock in his hand and left to go run some errands he needed to do.

Throughout the week Shinwoo and Jinyoung had been messaging each other non-stop. Even calling each other when they had free time on their hands. Jinyoung would help Shinwoo with his French and show off his English skills to him. He would tell him weird facts about the human body and tell Shinwoo cheesy jokes that made him laugh nonetheless. Jinyoung would show Shinwoo pictures of London and beg him to come with him to London when he leaves on Saturdays. Shinwoo promises to go with him if Jinyoung passes his first anatomy exam with a 90 percent or above. Jinyoung misses by one point and he throws a fit and Shinwoo just laughs and tells him it’s okay. They meet again on Saturday morning but this time they only stay at the café for a short time and they left and walked side by side down the streets of Paris. Jinyoung showing him his favorite places to go. They have a small picnic near the Eiffel Tower and Shinwoo walks Jinyoung to the train station and he stayed there with Jinyoung until it was time for him to finally go. They gave each other a hug goodbye and Jinyoung looked up at Shinwoo and leaned in to give Shinwoo a soft kiss on the lips. Shinwoo blushed and didn’t know what to say but Jinyoung just smiled and said goodbye as he left onto the train. Shinwoo kept feeling his lips as he walked to his dormitory and as soon as he laid on his bed he got a message from Jinyoung that was just a winky face. Shinwoo laughed to himself and messaged Jinyoung back. They were talking on the phone that night and Shinwoo felt like he needed to tell Jinyoung how he felt.

“Hey Jinyoung.”

“Yes? What’s wrong? You got all serious all of the sudden.”

“I want to tell you something.”

“What that you like me?” Jinyoung chuckled to himself over the phone and Shinwoo’s heart started to race. Did he already know?

“Yeah. That’s exactly what I wanted to tell you. I…I like you a lot actually.” Shinwoo was biting his bottom lip and his heart was pounding as he waited for a reply.

“Me too. I like me a lot too~” Jinyoung chuckled. “No but really I like you too. You’re sweet and nice.”

“Really? That’s a relief.” Shinwoo smiled and Jinyoung chuckled. “Well you would think so after I kissed you earlier. I don’t just kiss anyone.”

Shinwoo and Jinyoung kept talking to each other until it was time for bed. Shinwoo laid in the dark and felt his chest as his heart beats and he smiled to himself. He had a really great day today.

            The week had passed and Shinwoo hadn’t heard from Jinyoung in a while. He wasn’t responding to his messages but he assumed he just might have been busy with school. Waiting at the café for Jinyoung around 10 minutes passed and Shinwoo was about to leave unhappy until Jinyoung appeared with some flowers in hand. “Sorry for making you wait. I wanted to get the best flowers for you and the bus from the train station was late. I hope you forgive me.” Jinyoung acted cute and Shinwoo just laughed and nodded. Taking the flowers and smelling them. “They’re lovely thank you Jinyoung.” Jinyoung smiled softly. “They reminded me of you when I got them. Plus they’re different than regular flowers. The florist said not many people by these but they are beautiful in their own way.” Shinwoo blushed and told Jinyoung to stop acting so cheesy. “Let’s go on a date today. You said you’ve never been to the art museum here so I wanted to take you. I’ve been once and the art is beyond amazing.” Shinwoo nods and they left hand in hand together. When they arrived at the museum surprisingly it wasn’t as busy as Jinyoung expected it to be. Jinyoung paid for the entrance fee and they went inside. Taking their time to examine each piece and Jinyoung would explain what he thinks the meaning is and Shinwoo would say his thoughts too. Seeing the paintings he always saw pictures of in real life made Shinwoo speechless a lot. He was amazed by all the details the artists would put into them and how realistic they looked. Jinyoung would smile at how cute Shinwoo would act when he saw a painting he loved. Throughout the entire time they were in the museum they never let each other’s hands go. When they exited Jinyoung had bought a miniature sculpture from the gift shop for Shinwoo. Jinyoung took Shinwoo out to eat at a nice country restaurant. Letting Shinwoo taste the other delicacies of France. They smiled at each other and laughed as they talked. Both Jinyoung and Shinwoo felt so happy and at ease when they’re around each other. When the night hit Jinyoung took Shinwoo to a small park where you can see the Eiffel Tower the best.

            “No tourist knows about this place. It’s a garden park that I use to come to a lot when I was young. I liked to watch the city from here when I was feeling down.” Jinyoung and Shinwoo had sat on a bench together as they watched the lights twinkle in front of their eyes. “It’s beautiful.” Shinwoo smiled and turned to Jinyoung. “Thank you for bringing me on this lovely date.” Jinyoung nodded and smiled softly at him. They both fell silent as they watched the city together. Jinyoung would watch Shinwoo out the corner of his eye. “You know Shinwoo I saw my favorite art piece about a month ago. It was the most beautiful masterpiece I ever laid eyes on.” Shinwoo turned to look at Jinyoung curiously. “Really what was that?” Jinyoung looked at Shinwoo in the eyes and smiled softly. “You.” Shinwoo blushed and looked down but Jinyoung lifted his chin and gave Shinwoo a sweet and soft kiss to the lips. This time Shinwoo kissed him back. Both their cheeks a soft tint of pink. Their lips hovered over each other’s until Jinyoung pulled Shinwoo closer and kissed his lips once again. Shinwoo pulled back slightly with a brighter blush on his cheeks. “I don’t know how to kiss, Jinyoung.” Jinyoung ran his thumb over Shinwoo’s cheek and smiled softly. “Then I guess I’ll have to teach you the art of the French kiss.” Shinwoo’s eyes widen and Jinyoung chuckled softly. “Just follow my lead.” Jinyoung pulled Shinwoo back in and kissed him once again; Shinwoo following Jinyoung’s movements. Jinyoung parted his lips lightly and so did Shinwoo. Jinyoung slowly slipped his tongue inside Shinwoo’s mouth. Gently rubbing his tongue over Shinwoo’s. Shinwoo let’s Jinyoung take control as he doesn’t know what to do and he feels warm inside. He felt like he was melting into Jinyoung’s embrace. Jinyoung tangled their tongues together; softly rubbing his over Shinwoo’s and Shinwoo soon started to do the same. They kissed each other until they ran out of breath and their lips parted with one last kiss and Jinyoung smiled softly as Shinwoo looked down slightly embarrassed. “Jinyoung.” “Yes Shinwoo?” Jinyoung calmly asked as he took Shinwoo’s hands in his. “That was my first kiss.” “With a man?” “No. With anyone.” Jinyoung moved Shinwoo’s hair out of his eyes and smiled. “Well I’m glad your first kiss was with me because I love you.” Shinwoo looked at Jinyoung and smiled. “I love you too, Jinyoung.”  Jinyoung smiled and pecked Shinwoo’s forehead.

“Let’s get you home.”

“No. I don’t want to go to the dorm.”

“Why not?”

“I want to go to London with you.” Jinyoung chuckled and nodded. “Alright let’s go to London. I’ll take you on another date there tomorrow morning.” Shinwoo smiled. “Hey Jinyoung. Does this mean we are boyfriends?” Jinyoung smiled and poked Shinwoo’s cheek. “I’ve considered you my boyfriend after our second café date. When you didn’t stand me up.” Shinwoo laughed and shook his head. They picked up their stuff and left off to London together; hand in hand.