Every day, at nine in the morning, Jinwoo drops by at his favorite coffee shop to drink tea before going to work as a singer. It started as a habit when he realized the tea in that coffee shop was by far, the best he had ever tasted in his life. And of course, his workmates were astonished at his habit to actually buy hot tea in a coffee shop—whose best product would be coffee. But then, it’s already the postmodern times, and Jinwoo knows coffee shops don’t just sell coffee and he can do whatever the hell he wants. His workmates were just a bunch of loads trying to make him feel the lowest. A coffee shop that sells the best tea would be the best coffee shop. And the best tea shop that sells the best coffee would be the best tea shop. That’s how everything works.

It’s Friday morning, a busy yet the greatest day for Jinwoo. For once, he’d be singing an original song and not a cover. Finally, his voice could get recognition. What he and s have been working on for years will finally be put to success. And what makes him enjoy the day more is a takeout of Twinning’s hot green and lemon tea with cinnamon.

Jinwoo can feel his mouth watering.

As usual, he drops by at Show Me The Coffee, whose branches are oddly labeled by numbers. So this one, the fourth branch, was called Show Me The Coffee 4. It was odd, true, but then again, coffee shops that sell great tea are the best. Their names doesn’t really matter.

He pushes the double glass doors and takes in the coffee and cinnamon smell in the air, something at least he could take as coffee. Then he makes his way towards the counter, a definite huge smile on his handsome face.

“Hi!” The cashier greets, giving him a huge toothy smile. Jinwoo narrows his eyes to read the tag, which reads: Song Minho. Behind his name was a small scribble that reads, I’m him.

“Oh yeah, hi.” Jinwoo nods. “I would like a cup of Twinning’s green and lemon tea with cinnamon for takeout.”

“Would that be all?” The cashier-slash-bartender asks, still retaining his charming smile. Jinwoo felt uncomfortable under the gaze but still replied, “Yes.” and places his phone on the magnetic scanner.

After the drink was paid, Jinwoo waits for his magnetic number to buzz. In just a few minutes it did, and he walks over the claiming area to get his cup of hot tea. He flashed the Song Minho a smile, something he usually do and not to impress, and went outside to his work.

As soon as he gets inside the studio, Seungyoon requested for his appearance inside the recording room and Jinwoo, although feeling a little down that he haven’t had any sip of his tea, complied.

It took them a few retakes to have a perfect recorded song, and all Jinwoo could think was his tea and to please his colleagues. As soon as he gets out of the recording room, he touches his cup, and happiness spreads through his lips as he realizes that it was still warm.

He drinks. “Pfwah!” Jinwoo exclaims, withdrawing his lips from the cup and looks at his drink with a ridiculous stare.

“What is it?” Taehyun asks, giving him a very droopy stare. Jinwoo shifts his look back to the cup and answers, “It doesn’t taste like tea!”

Seungyoon quickly grabs the cup from him, takes a sip and says, “Of course it’s not. It’s Macchiato.”

“A what?” Jinwoo exclaims. He’s become furious at the mention of a coffee name—or label.

“It’s coffee.” Taehyun answers, adding fuel to the fire. “Did you get your order wrong?”

“They got my order wrong!” Jinwoo exasperatedly says, sighing. His brain starts to calculate different ways to murder Song Minho, and the latter should watch How To Get Away With Murder tonight or he’d not survive.

Taehyun sighs, his eyebrows meeting in between. “Don’t get mad at us.” Seungyoon opens the cup, peeks inside, and says, “There’s a note inside. I think you should finish all of this before you can read it.”

“A what?”

"A note. Hyung, are you deaf?” Finally fed up, Taehyun wears his headphones and calls the conversation off. Seungyoon, however, was considerate enough not to put his on, but judging from his face, he’s near on doing it.

He gives the cup back, and sure enough, Jinwoo sees a note wrapped in plastic, and taped inside. He grimaces at the thought of drinking coffee—something as disgusting and ugly as coffee. But he finished it, for the sake of curiosity, his gagging reflexes which he have always saved (winks) working to the extreme.

Jinwoo grabs the note and throws the cup in the trashcan. Seungyoon momentarily stops with checking the instrumental for the live shows to wait for the note’s contents. Jinwoo opens the folded note and reads with his eyes, You always drink green and lemon tea with cinnamon. But I think Macchiato fits you best. A little bit of bitterness for your manly side, a lot of milk for your soft side, a pinch of vanilla extract for your uniqueness and syrup because, well, it’s a secret. If you enjoyed Macchiato, meet me in front of the shop tonight at 8. If not, don’t go. I’ll give up.

Jinwoo gulps.

“Hyung.” Taehyung says, looking up from the computer. He was expecting all along too. “Why are you blushing?”

Jinwoo quickly looks up, and hides the note behind his back, crumpling it in process. “Um, no. It’s just—the coffee—he asked—was it good. I think…”

Seungyoon nods slowly, his lips pressed and asks, “I think? Were you not sure?” His lips form a smile that was definitely different from his usual smiles.

Jinwoo avoids their gaze. Seungyoon uses the opportunity to press, “You got asked, didn’t you?”

“Yah.” Taehyung adds. “Just agree. It’s been a year since you broke up with Lee Seunghoon.”

Seungyoon makes white noises. “Ah, really. Haven’t I told you it’s a taboo to mention his name, especially when hyung is thinking of a new date!”

Jinwoo crosses his arms. “I didn’t say I’d date him. He just told me that if I liked the coffee, I meet him in front of the coffee shop at 8.”

“So you did got asked!” Seungyoon points out and starts to laugh. Taehyun joins in and they both become seals, clapping while laughing. Jinwoo’s face turns into a much deeper shade of red, and he’s flustered beyond comprehension.

“It’s just…” Jinwoo starts, pauses immediately and presses his lips. Then he sighs. “I don’t know. Maybe this isn’t the thing for me. I’m really confident about me, but not about this. I’ll just—“ He tosses the paper to the trashcan. “I’ll just go to the company dinner at 7 and sing some Lee Sun Hee songs.”

“Yah,” Seungyoon sighs, frowning. “You’re too hard on yourself. You need to date!”

Jinwoo smiles and raises his hand. “I’ll go buy friend chicken. It’s on me today.”

“Hyung!” Taehyun calls but Jinwoo had already gone out. He shakes his head and says, “He’s a worst case of heartbroken. Ah, really.”

Seungyoon agrees by playing the newly recorded song, and Taehyun’s soulful voice suddenly matches the mood: heavy, heartbroken, and hates the night to come.

In perfect line, everyone hits the beer inside the glass and all of it starts to bubble. Jinwoo drinks his and after that, shows the comforting taste by making a very long ‘kkkkk’ sound in his throat. He feels a little prick on his left cheek and he turns, seeing Taehyun holding a green pea. “Yah,” He says, his eyes drowsy. Jinwoo could guess he already had his second drink. “Just go to that coffee shop and accept him. It’s already a free date.”

Jinwoo chuckles and says, “No.  I told you already that unless it’s over—“

“Yah, Lee Seunghoon!”

Jinwoo stops talking immediately and swallows hard. He drinks the last of his beer and suddenly stands up. “Hyung!” Taehyun shouts, noticing him. “Where are you going?”

“I-I-I—“ Jinwoo stutters, looking around and the staff starts to worry. “I’m going to the restroom.”

Taehyun snickers. “For an hour again? Until Seunghoon hyung leaves?”

Jinwoo presses his lips, and silently wishes Taehyun’s mouth wasn’t so big whenever he’s drunk. Considerably, Jinwoo shakes his head and says, “No. I’ll go for ten minutes.”

He quickly escapes the awkward scene and walk towards the exit, rather than going to the restroom. He doesn’t care anymore he’d be perceived as a person who’d never move on from a break up. All he wanted was not to see Seunghoon and just be alone—probably cry or just think. For now, his mind isn’t straight or worse, just plainly blank. Or twisted. He wasn’t always sure about himself.

Jinwoo sighs as soon as he got out of the restaurant. It's already dark. The streetlights and the light from the moon made him feel a little too heavy. His mind starts to wander to Song Minho and his light, considerate gaze. His toothy smile and husky voice.

He suddenly wanted a drink as he started to notice him in a different light after getting asked out.

“Do you still love me?”

Jinwoo stills at the voice, and he doesn’t dare to turn around. Seunghoon repeats, now louder, “Do you still love me, Jinwoo?!”

Absolutely fed up, Jinwoo turns sharply and shouts, “No! I don’t love you!”

“Then why are you doing this?” Seunghoon asks with a sigh. “Why are you running away? Why?”

Jinwoo starts to cry, his tears falling down from his puffy eyes. “Yeah! I am! I am because I hate you to the point I can’t breathe the same air as you. Because you, who broke up with me, didn’t tell me you hate me even to the last minute. Let’s break up because I love you?” Jinwoo grunts. “You’re cynical!”

“What do you want me to say when I still love you? I just broke up with you because I don’t want to be a hindrance to your dreams.” Seunghoon sighs, his face distorted into a sad frown. “I only wanted the best for you even if I was not in it. What am I? Just a YG backup dancer and nothing more!”

Jinwoo felt violated all of a sudden, as if his dreams were enough justification for a breakup. He gathers all of his will and says, “If you really care about me, you shouldn’t have done that.”

Seunghoon cries, “Jinwoo!”

“It’s already 9!” Jinwoo answers. “And I hate you.”

And amidst Seunghoon’s continuous call of his name, Jinwoo didn’t dare to turn around as he ran away.

Jinwoo found himself in a very dark street. He was sure it was here somewhere, but the lack of light had made him lose his sense of direction—as if he had any even with lights. He looks around, and finds the shop opposite still open, its sign can be seen from afar. Unpretty Hotpot

Jinwoo starts to run, as fast as he could. Then he stops in front of a closed shop, and his breathing hitches. The front is empty.

“Too late.” Jinwoo mutters, his tears starting to fall down again. “I’m too late again.”

He closes his eyes and silently cries.

“Oh?” Jinwoo suddenly stills at the voice. “You came?”

He quickly raises his head up again and sees him standing a few centimeters from him, holding a hotdog in bun and a soda at the other. He takes a bite from his food and chews generously. Jinwoo subconsciously laughs while crying.

Song Minho laughs and then swallows. “Wait, I’ll just finish my food.”

He turns around and finishes his food in five seconds, including the soda. Then he turns around again and says, “Um, thanks?”

Jinwoo shyly and almost inaudibly says, “I-I thought you weren’t going to be here if I go at this hour. I just tried…”

Minho smiles widely, showing his full set of perfect teeth. “But love waits, isn’t it? If I gave up too early, I wouldn’t be seeing you standing a few centimeters away without a counter separating us.”

Jinwoo’s throat suddenly becomes dry. Waiting. Persevering. Those words were what he wanted from Seunghoon, from their relationship, yet was selfishly not given. All this time he had been waiting for those words, for the person, to give it to him. At least make him feel it.

“Yah,” Minho sweetly says, closing their distance and touching both of his cheeks with his hands. “Are you crying?”

His breath smells like spicy hotdog but Jinwoo still smiles. “No, it was the rain.”

“Ah, what rain.” Minho mutters, pulling him into a tight embrace. “What rain.”