Hayi took off her headphones and sat down on the chair. Reaching over, she opened a bottle of water on the table and took a long drink from it. She cleared , now rough from singing the same verse of a song over and over again. Massaging her temples, she leaned her head back on the wall with a sigh. She was tired. Downright exhausted from having to sing it over and over again. For some reason, she just couldn't get the right emotions into it.

Tablo had already left the studio because he promised Haru he would be home early that day, but Hayi felt even more lost without his guidance. After all, he was the one she always ran to for advice whenever she encountered problems while recording. It was either him or Tukutz.

Robin, the song’s arranger, turned around in his chair to face Hayi. “Go take a break, we can try again later if you’re still unsatisfied with what we have now,” he said before turning back around and clicking away on the screen. The truth is, he was already quite satisfied with what they had so far but Hayi kept insisting something just wasn’t right. He internally sighed at how much of a perfectionist she was. But well, that was HIGHGRND’s principle, really. Give nothing but the best. What more could you expect from a label run by the one and only Daniel Armand Lee?

Hayi glanced at the clock and got up, grabbing her coat and wallet. “I’m going to the cafe, do you want anything?” she asked Robin out of courtesy. He didn’t bother turning around and just shook his head in reply, still making edits to the latest recording. She made her way out of the studio and stepped onto the sidewalk, treading along it to reach the crossing. She quietly enjoyed the moment of solitude, breathing in the crisp night air and watching as her breath came out as little white plumes of smoke.

She was laughing a little at how she probably looked like a dragon when half-way down the path, she suddenly felt as though she was being followed. She paused for a moment, wanting to confirm her suspicion. She strained her ears and was sure she could hear the faint sound of footsteps trailing along behind her. Her paranoia got the better of her. She felt her heart rate quickening and she started walking a little faster. Being mobbed on the street was certainly not the way she wanted to die. With a couple more brisk steps, she reached the pedestrian crossing.

She pressed the button at the crossing light repeatedly, hands clammy and blood rushing through her veins. If she could just get to the cafe, then she would be safe with the staff around… The light turned green and she almost ran across in her haste but slowed down, knowing that running would only alert her ‘stalker’ that she was aware of his presence. From the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the man walking behind her. He was tall - almost 6 feet - wearing an army green jacket which appeared an ominous shade of grey under the streetlight. The hood was pulled over his head, casting a shadow over his face that made his features indiscernible. To top it off, it surely didn’t help that the hood had a picture of a monster on it.

She reached the other side of the road and quickly rushed over to her destination. She opened the door to the cafe, sighing in relief the moment she saw the familiar face of the barista. Hayi allowed herself to relax and slowed her pace of walking as she walked up to the counter. She placed her hands on the counter and was about to reply to the barista’s customary ‘What can I get you today?’ when the cafe door chimed. She paused with half open. No way… she thought. No way the stalker would have had the guts to come after her now that she was safely within the confines of the cafe. But sure enough, as she tilted her head slightly to the side, she caught sight of that same army green hoodie.

Hayi cursed under her breath and decided she had to make the best out of the situation. She was planning to order her drink to-go but figured it would be safer to stay in the cafe for as long as she could. She ordered an iced latte and shifted to her left, eyeing the suspicious man’s side profile. He stayed where he was, oblivious to the fact that it was already his turn to place an order.

Looking closer in the brightly lit cafe now, Hayi realised that he had a pair of headphones on. His eyes were glued onto the screen of his phone and his eyebrows were furrowed in concentration. Underneath his green hoodie was a white shirt that completely eliminated any scary vibes. Hayi felt the tension that was building up earlier slowly slip away. Seriously Lee Hayi, she inwardly reprimanded herself, do you have to be so damn paranoid all the time?

Having realised that the man wasn't aware that the counter was free, the barista cleared his throat, “Hello Mr Customer, your order, please?”. The man snapped out of his reverie. He stuffed his phone into his pocket as he walked up to the counter. He looked up at the menu, making his hood slip back a little.

“EEEEHH? ZICO-SUNBAENIM?” Hayi couldn't contain her surprise at who her so-called “stalker” turned out to be. Jiho turned around at the mention of his name, eyes widening slightly. “Oh, Lee hi-ssi,” he spoke when he finally found his voice. He thought some sasaeng fan had found him but the honorific sunbaenim threw him off. “Why are you here so late?” he narrowed his eyes. It wasn't safe for a young woman to be wandering about at such hours.

“I was at the studio,” she explained.

“So was I! Thats funny, I didn't notice you on my way here.”

Hayi turned pink with embarrassment and almost laughed at his proclamation. Oh, but I sure noticed you.

The barista cleared his throat to get their attention. The two looked up at him with cocked eyebrows. “Your order, hyung?” he repeated. “Oh, right. Sorry man.” Hayi was surprised at how casually they talked. He must be a regular here. Jiho surveyed his options on the menu and carried on to order an iced cappuccino.

“No!” Hayi exclaimed as he stated his order. Both the barista and him turned to face her.

“Why? Why would you order that, oh my God.”

Jiho and the barista exchanged glances, both silently agreeing that she was weird. “What’s wrong with an iced cappuccino?” Jiho asked. Hayi rolled her eyes and just waved dismissively at the barista, telling him to go ahead and make what Jiho ordered. The barista nodded and went off to make their drinks. Hayi turned to Jiho.

“What's wrong, you ask?” she scoffed.

“Everything!” Hayi seemed absolutely perplexed at his choice of beverage. “It's like, okay, you want milk and coffee that's nice and cold. Understandable. But that's why lattes exist.” she begins. “So what's the big difference between a latte and a cappuccino? The foam. There's nothing wrong with wanting that classic foam on top of your iced beverage but to make the foam you gotta boil milk and once that's poured into your iced cappuccino, it raises the temperature and so your ice melts and your cappuccino’s not as cold as your latte or americano could have been.”

Jiho leaned on the counter, almost chuckling at how passionately she was talking about this. He waited for her to continue, sensing she still had more to say. “So, my point is, if you really wanted the foam so badly you could have ordered your cappuccino hot, and when you're done with the foam you can get ice to be put into your drink and voila! You have your iced cappuccino again. Wouldn't that be a much more logical alternative?”

Jiho smiled and shook his head. “Is that all, Lee hi-ssi?”

“Yes,” she said before flusteredly adding, “sunbaenim.”

“Good, because your drink has been prepared.” He nodded towards the cup that was on the counter in front of her. She was so into her little preach about iced cappuccinos that she didn't notice when the barista had placed it there. She sheepishly mumbled a thanks and carried her tray over to a table by the corner.

“Your cappuccino, hyung,” the barista spoke and Jiho turned around to take his drink. Damn. I forgot to mention I wanted it to-go. “You know, she's actually right,” the barista said, wiping his hands on his purple apron. “Okay, I get it, ordering an iced cap is dumb. But why didn't you make mine for take-out? You know that’s how i always have it.” The barista scratched the back of his neck and nodded towards Hayi who was quietly enjoying her latte. “I figured since she was having it here, so would you.”

Jiho thought about it for a moment and conceded. Besides, it would be safer if Hayi had someone to walk back to the studio with her. He didn't want anything bad happening to the girl. “Besides,” the barista spoke again, a mischievous smirk plastered on his face as he leaned forward and added in a conspiratorial whisper, “she's got those thighs you like.”

Jiho smacked the boy’s head. “You come here to work, not ogle at your customers!” he scolded, but he couldn't deny that he too, had noticed the girl's beautiful pair of legs under those form-fitting jeans… He gave his head a firm shake. He wasn't gonna think about that at the moment. He said bye to the barista and made his way to the table in the corner, placing his tray on it. “Mind if I join you?”

A/N: Hey guys so here's the first chapter! tbh it's a lot longer than this. I was writing it today and it ended up being like 4.3k words long so i decided to split it into 2 chapters. this first one is pretty short, only 1.6k, but the next one will be longer. I'll post it sometime this week. for now tell me what you guys think lmao this chapter was kinda lame tbh. i promise the 2nd half is better xD (p.s sorry zuli i know i said i'd post it earlier but i wasn't done writing and it ended up being so long smh. and nate if you gon write one you better not use my edits /narrows my eyes at you/ jkjk ok bye)

photo credit to owner