"Heyyyyy Xiumin!"

Oh look, it's him again. I don't know why I'm surprised, it's 2pm, of course he's here, just like everyday. Making noise. Shouting. Chuckling. Leaning on the counter, which is still damp from when I cleaned it last, but he doesn't care. Instinctively I turn away from him, not to ignore him as such, just to, erm, focus on his drink.

"I'll have a large-"

"Caramel cappuccino, I'm already on it." Yeah, I know his order. You can only hear something so many times before its permanently ingrained into your brain.

"Of course you are, you considerate human being, you." He smiles, and softly punches my arm, in that jokey, friendly kind of way. As if we are friends. Which we're not.

"Anything else, sir?" I hurriedly interrupt him, hoping to reduce the time spent in conversation with this imbecile, whilst simultaneously maintaining my perfect customer service record.

Now he looks disappointed, "What have I said about the whole 'sir' thing? You don't need to be so formal with me, you know!"

"Fine, Mr Caramel Cappuccino, can I get you anything else?"

Smiling at the nickname, he says, "Surprise me." I'm not going to lie, I quite like that response. It's not often I get to make recommendations based on my years of experience as a barista. I know the perfect thing to go with this drink!

"Okay! Here you go, Sir. One caramel cappuccino and one apple and cinnamon muffin!" Why am I smiling so much? Of course, I'm getting extra pay because he's buying two things. He doesn't normally buy food. "Umm, Sir, why are you eating today?"

Once again, he chuckled. "I just wanted to see what you'd pick. I'm glad I did, that sounds delicious! Why don't you share it with me? And please, stop with the Sir, it makes me feel awkward because you are my hyung!"

"Wait, how do you know I'm older than you? And I'm going to have to decline the offer, I can't eat while I'm working."

Looking slightly ashamed, he says, "Two months ago you forgot to take off your College ID while you were working, I saw it has your date of birth on it. And may I suggest that you stop working? You surely deserve a break."

How is this guy so attentive? I don't remember that day. "I'm sorry, Sir- I mean Caramel Cappuccino, there are customers queueing behind you now, I have to serve them. Why don't you go sit down with your drink and enjoy?" I'm turning away from him, but I can't help feeling guilty as I see his face fall out of the corner of my eye. "How can I help you?"

"I'll have a soy milk, sugar free, decaf vanilla latte frappuccino without cream and extra syrup to take out. Small." Oh dear Lord, what is this monstrosity? First of all, why order coffee if it's going to be cold? Then removing all the flavour with that extra syrup? And all those stupid extras? Just for a small drink? Ugh. Forcing myself to put on a perfect customer service smile, I oblige, "Of course, coming right up!" As I brewing this ridiculous concoction, I glance around to see that Caramel Cappuccino has left. Good riddance. He's way too noisy, and a distraction to my diligent coffee production! How dare he disrupt me? His chuckling, and his continuous jokes, and his adorable smile. Wait what? I think I meant irritating.

"I'm in a hurry, can you speed up?"

"It won't be too long now, Ma'am," I say through my gritted teeth, whilst silently wishing for her to choke on all of this syrup.

Several painful frappuccinos later, my shift is finally over! I mean, I love my job when I get to do it right, but what are these stupid drinks? Now I can go home and rest.
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It's 2pm, so I hurriedly return to the counter after my much needed break, caramel syrup in hand as I prepare to make his drink. Not that I'm looking forward to him coming or anything, I just like being prepared. Ah, here he is! ...with a girl? Who is she? He's never come here with another person before.

"Heyyyyy, Xiumin!! Two large caramel cappuccinos and two apple and cinnamon muffins, please. I had to show this angel your amazing combination, I know she'll love what you picked out for me!"

It takes me a while to register these words, and I can't help but focus on one thing. Angel? He has a girl friend? Not that it's any of my business, he can do whatever he likes, I just didn't know about that.
Now I'm blushing because I realised he complimented me! He liked my combination! Again, not that I really care, of course I know the best combinations, but it's nice to be recognised for once.

"Okay, that won't be long!" I begin making drinks, waiting for him to start joking with me, but he doesn't. Instead I hear him laughing. Curiously, I turn around and see the girl tickling him. Wtf? Why is she touching him? That's inappropriate in public! I clear my throat to get their attention, causing them to look in my direction and then step away from each other. She looks embarrassed, while he looks angry, for some reason. 
"Here are your drinks and snacks, Sir." I'm in the mood for irritating him today, so I use the formal title he dislikes so much. He doesn't correct me.
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Once again, at 2pm, I prepare the caramel syrup, but my mood is considerably lower than the previous days'. Is he going to be with that girl again, whoever she is? Not that I really care, he's pretty annoying, and never shuts up. It's just he's the main reason I smile at work. Did I just admit that to myself? I wish I could deny it, but it's true. His cheeky grin, his chuckling, his friendly jokes: I love them. I love him.

"Heyyyyy, Xiumin!" Instantly I'm flustered, why is he affecting me this way? I groan at his present, knowing he'll see it as a joke, which it is at this point. Now I'm remembering the girl yesterday, and fury rushes through me.

"No girlfriend with you today?" The words are bitterly running out of my mouth before I can  stop them. I'm waiting, for him to get angry, to be confused, to just leave, which is the last thing I want. Instead, he laughs. A lot. Hard. As he keeps laughing, he laughs harder, until he needs to cling to the counter to stop himself from falling over. "Hey, what's so funny?" I can't help but be exasperated by his reaction.

"Xiumin, that girl was my sister. She lives abroad and I was excited to see her, so I brought her to my favourite place: this cafe." He's still laughing at me.

"Oh."

"We're you perhaps jealous, Xiumin?" He's grinning in his jokey way, but I can't help blushing at the truth of his statement. "Wait, you were seriously jealous?" He looks kind of shocked now, and I'm scared, again that he'll be angry, confused, or he'll leave.

So I mumble, "No," and begin making his drink. One large caramel cappuccino. As I turn around to place the mug on the counter, I see that no one is there. He's gone.

No, no why did he have to go? Is he that uncomfortable around me now that I've basically revealed my feelings? The room feels darker now, despite the fact that it's the middle of the afternoon, because his brightness is gone. Or maybe he's just gone to the bathroom? I'm trying to convince myself this, I'm sure it's true. So I wait. I keep his mug behind the counter, ready to give it him when he returns. 

It's now 2:30, and he isn't back. I've served more customers, who hopefully didn't notice how forced my customer service smile was. I can't help but miss him, Mr Caramel Cappuccino.

3:00pm, and he's still not here. I guess he's never coming back. Struggling to fight the urge to smash the mug, I begin pouring his drink away, as my own tears start to pour down my face. Why am I so emotional? I didn't even know his name.

"STOP! Don't waste my coffee!" I turn around to see the most beautiful face I've ever seen, smiling the widest grin and hiding his hands behind his back.

"Umm, sorry, Mr Caramel Cappuccino. I'll make you a fresh one right away!" Relief sweeps through me, and I'm instantly calmed by his presence, hastening to wipe away my tears before he notices.

"Wait a sec, I have something for you." As he brings his hands from behind his back, I see what he's holding. It's a bouquet, not of flowers, but of coffee syrups. Not just caramel, there are 10 different bottles, all held together in a bouquet made of purple fabric... My favourite colour.

" ... " I'm completely speechless after seeing his amazing gesture towards me. He's laughing again, but I don't mind. That laugh makes me smile. "Thank you, Caramel Cappuccino!"

He laughed again, before clarifying,  "My name is Jongdae, but you can call me Chen, or stick with Caramel Cappuccino if you want." He can't stop chuckling, and it's so cute I want to hug him.

"Then, Jongdae Caramel Chen, you should know my name is really Minseok, although Xiumin is perfectly acceptable. Thank you do the gift, Chen." I can't help grinning back as I speak his real name for the first time.

"Minseok... Nah I prefer Xiumin. It suits you. And what gift? This isn't yours yet!" The confusion is evident on my face at his comment. But I can't help glowing inside at his reaction to my name.

"You can have this gift, if you go out with me. Come collect it, at 7pm tonight, at the market down the street. Tteokbboki is on me." With that, he smirks and leaves.

7pm tonight... What am I going to wear?!