Black Coffee

Black Coffee

Like usual, Nam Joon went to the cafeteria next to his house. He moved there around a year ago and discovered that place when he was trying to save himself from the rain. He entered without knowing where to go because he had forgotten his new address and his roommate was working so he wasn’t replying his message.
The cafeteria was not too big like the ones he visited often in Seoul but it wasn’t small either. There were cute and comfortable chairs and the music was nice, although it wasn’t his style. Since he was a bit wet he decided to sit on the farthest chair and asked for a warm tea. The waiter was nice and gave a towel to him. While Nam Joon was sitting there with his tea and reading some newspaper (oh man! He loved reading the news since he was a child) a guy entered the place. He was also wet but smiling brightly. The waiter went to him and they talked for a short time in a way that made him think that the guy was a regular customer. Nam Joon tried to read again the words of the newspaper but he couldn’t. The boy was sitting just in front of him and he asked for a cup of black coffee (he could hear it easily since the guy was so loud). He started to drink his coffee (a crazy idea! Nam Joon was sure it was really hot) and then put a weird face. For a moment Nam Joon thought it was because he burned his tongue but… it wasn’t for that.
Ok man! He was sure the guy disliked the black coffee.
He tried to ignore him so he didn't start laughing hard.
The next day, he went to the cafeteria and sat in the same chair. The smiling boy appeared again. He asked for the black coffee and again he put weird faces trying to drink it.
Nam Joon hid his face behind the newspaper so the guy couldn’t see him smiling at his expressions. 
After a year doing the same routine, Nam Joon already knew his name (Ji Min, Jiminnie for the waiters) and the fact that he worked for a while in the cafeteria. But what he didn’t discover is why he kept asking for a cup of black coffee…
Nam Joon wanted to ask them and… he was really tired of not doing it so… After a year, he made a decision. He got up and walked to Ji Min. At first, the boy didn’t notice him so Nam Joon had to cough to get his attention. He stared then at him with puppy eyes and an innocent smile. For some reason, Nam Joon’s heart started to run fast. 
‘Why…’ Why you keep ordering black coffee if you are going to suffer drinking it? Do you have to smile like this everyday? I dream with your teeth! Can you stop talking with your adorable voice? It’s really annoying… the fact that I enjoy hearing you more than my music' ‘Shall I sit here?’he asked instead. He hit himself in his mind…
‘Yeah! Of course!’Ji Min tried to kill him with his smile again ‘How are you?’ he asked. 
‘Fine… fine… and you, Ji…?’ oh !
‘Do you know my name?’he laughed then ‘Well, maybe everybody here knows it… I’m also good but… I wanna know your name also because in my mind you are the newspaper guy.’ Nam Joon blushed a bit when he hear that. Ji Min knew him too.
‘I’m… Nam Joon. Nice to meet you…’there was nothing more to say and it was so awkward to sit there in silence. Nam Joon thought it was easier to write lyrics (something he really loves to do) than trying to speak with a stranger. 
‘Do you know what, Nam Joon?’suddenly, Ji Min spoke ‘Never ask for a cup of black coffee. I was working here in the past and customers really loved to ask me for this ‘he pointed at the cup in front of him ‘so I tried for a really long time to enjoy drinking it. And do you know what?’he asked. 
‘...No. What?’
‘I think that it’s so horrible that I really dislike it but… for some reason I just got used to drink it. It's weird, right?’
Yes. He was indeed weird. But Nam Joon thought that it was even weirder the fact that he enjoyed like a fool the way Ji Min was smiling.
‘Maybe next time I ask for a cup of black coffee and get used to it too so… we can drink it together.’
Ji Min agreed to him with his head. This time Nam Joon was the one smiling.
What a weird pair of guys. What a weird first talk. What a weird nice story for his life...

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