150526

 

As stressed out college students with too much work on their plates, the quartet of best friends often find themselves feeding off the free wifi and overpriced coffee of the cafe in between the university and the apartment. Their visits vary, different combinations of the four coming in at different times of day. While their purpose of coming usually tends to be studying or refueling themselves with caffeine, it isn’t uncommon for Jongin and Kyungsoo to frequent the franchise for dates. After all, the mellow ambiance is just the place for the two to revel in each other’s presence, outside of the house and closed off from the hustle and bustle of daily life on the streets.

 

“Hello, what can I get for the two of you?” A nice barista greets them with too much cheer, contrasting his intimidating height and seemingly cold eyes.

 

The guy must be new, the couple has never seen him around before.

 

Jongin gives him a quick smile before reciting their usual orders: an americano and a hot chocolate (even if it is the middle of Spring).

 

“Great, that’ll be $7.25. Can I get your names?”

 

“Jongin, why don’t you go and find our usual seats? I’ll take care of this,” he offers before turning to the man behind the counter and handing him eight dollar bills. “For the names you can put Kyungsoo on the americano and Jongin on the other.”

 

“Alright, I’ll have them out shortly!”

 

Minutes later, the beverages are brewed and set proudly on the counter.

 

“Thanks,” Kyungsoo peeks at the taller’s name tag, “Yifan.”

 

Said man nods politely, a grin poking at the corners of his lips.

 

“Are you new here? Usually around this time it’s Minseok working the register.”

 

“I am. I’m just covering for Minseok’s shift. I recently moved here from Guangzhou, China. I graduated and flew to Korea in hopes of possibly finding my way into the entertainment industry. Though, if that doesn’t work out, I minored in business management.”

 

Impressed, Kyungsoo lets out a soft sigh. Yifan looks so full of passion and inspiration sharing his career plans with a stranger while he himself doesn’t have too much of both.

 

“Wow, you’re so ambitious. I admire that a lot. I’m not too sure where life wants to take me just yet, even if I am majoring in computer science.”

 

“That’s alright, not everyone knows just yet.”

 

“Thanks, Yifan,” he gives his gratitude and proceeds to deliver their cups to the corner table Jongin favors.

 

(But only later does he catch sight of the doodled cartoon version of himself on the side of his americano, complete with a scrawled ‘cutie, call me some time’ and a number he assumes is Yifan’s.)

 

“Soo, I’ve gotta talk to you about something,” Jongin wrings his fingers, twisting the band on his left hand. His shoulders seem tense with unusual seriousness.

 

Interested - but mostly panicked, Kyungsoo leans forward in urgency, “What is it, baby? Are you hurting again? Are you sick? , you are sick aren’t you? Please don’t tell me you’re terminally ill. I can’t live without you!”

 

With a small chuckle, Jongin shakes his head in disbelief.

 

“You’re crazy! I just needed to talk to you about the upcoming dance showcase in July.”

 

Recognition passes in Kyungsoo’s eyes as he visibly lightens up and answers, “Ah, that’s right. I’m excited to watch it, I know how much effort you dance students put into it. Even that Oh Sehun works his off for this.”

 

“I’m very thrilled that you’re anticipating it, but there’s also a downside to it being a university level project.”

 

“What, won’t the moves just be harder or something? I’m by no means an expert at this stuff, but it can’t be so unfortunately horrible that you have to get this nervous over telling me about it.”

 

“Of course the choreography is going to be much more challenging, that’s expected. But a huge proportion of my time is going to be solely dedicated to dance. This isn’t some lame high school thing at an assembly. They’re probably going to be driving us like slaves. There may be nights when I get home really late, there may be nights when I don’t come home at all… And I wanted to tell you this ahead of time because I need you to trust me.”

 

“Trust you?”

 

“I’m completely aware of your thoughts on Sehun. You don’t like him because you think he’s still pining over me, even after you guys called a truce and he started dating that Chinese boy, Luhan. So you have the right to know that he’ll be there with me when you aren’t. I’m going to be spending a whole lot more time with him than you over the course of the next month or so,” Jongin breathes regretfully, hoping for an understanding reaction from his fiance.

 

“Baby, listen to me. Of course I trust you. You know that trust is what our entire relationship is based on.”

 

Jongin sighs, relieved that Kyungsoo is such a loving and understanding lover.

 

“Thank you, Soo. I love you with my entire being.”

 

Naturally, the other answers back.

 

“I love you too.”

 

But for some odd, disheartening reason, Kyungsoo feels a pinch of reluctance in saying the phrase so openly in front of a certain foreign barista.

 

×××××

 

150615

 

Kyungsoo’s first mistake takes place on an abnormally dreary dawn on a Tuesday in June.

 

The skies cry silver tears from puffs of condensation, replacing the constant shimmering copper sun of summer. Any average street-goer may wonder what malicious super villain could have stolen the star from its rightful place, but only a select few could possibly know the thief was a mere university junior under the name of Byun Baekhyun.

 

It is four hours past one in the morning, and a knock - barely audible - announces a presence at his bedroom door. Kyungsoo, who lately has been sleeping lightly in the case Jongin comes home at an ungodly hour, gets up begrudgingly to answer the person; it’s probably Chanyeol, since Baekhyun usually leaves for an early class this day of the week and Jongin told him he’d be home at around noon. Though Kyungsoo is most certainly annoyed for being awoken, he is thankful Chanyeol has finally learned not to barge in on their privacy and knock before entering.

 

“It’s five in the morning, what do you want?” But the sight he swings the door open to makes him regret being so ignorant and harsh.

 

(Kyungsoo should never have opened the door .)

 

In one word, Chanyeol is wrecked.

 

His day to day fluffy hair is even more disheveled and mussed up. Red rims edge his bloodshot eyes, evidence that he’d been crying heavily. The planes of his nails are chewed and bitten down to the skin. Bruises litter his knees and inner arms, and Kyungsoo wonders why he didn’t wake up to any clumsy noises the older might have made.

 

And the thing that gives away his pain the most is his voice when he croaks out with a crack, “Baekhyun, he-”

 

Suddenly, as if the world collapsed under him, Chanyeol stumbles forward into Kyungsoo’s arms in tears, dry heaving.

 

“Ch-Chanyeol? What’s wrong? What about Baekhyun?” Kyungsoo asks, both shocked and anxiously worried at the same time.

 

Reduced to a mess, Chanyeol struggles to stop hyperventilating. He gasps for breath but his sobs don’t help much in retaining it.Somehow, he manages to squeeze out a makeshift explanation in between chokes. “G-Gone. He-He’s gone!”

 

Time seems to stop for Kyungsoo. Gone? What could that mean? Baekhyun is gone?

 

“Chanyeol, please calm down,” he urges, knowing he has to be strong for the other. “Come on, Chanyeol. Take a deep breath.”

 

While it takes more than a few attempts, he does eventually soothe his racing, stallion heart enough for him to actually breathe.

 

Believing his now limp state proves he is subdued enough, Kyungsoo softly coaxes Chanyeol to open up, “Look at me, look me in the eyes.”

Slowly but surely, Chanyeol’s darting, unfocused eyes find his own and still. Though panic and stress make a big statement in them, they also beg for comfort and reassurance Kyungsoo is certain he can’t offer.

 

“Good job. Now listen to me closely,” is what he says. But though his eyes are alert, Chanyeol is about as attentive as a fly at the moment. “Really, really listen. Okay, I need you to fill me in. What’s wrong with Baekhyun?”

 

A visible shudder racks through the older’s body. The mere mention of the name causes 8.6 level tremors to ripple inside him with every breath intake.

 

“Where is he?” Kyungsoo repeats in gentler, censored fashion.

 

Regardless of the progress he covered just seconds prior, the question definitely shuts him up, lips sealed tight as a clam because he doesn’t exactly know.

 

With no other option in mind, Chanyeol rises - with much difficulty - to his feet and steadies himself on the doorway before lightly grasping the other’s wrist and pulling him towards the room he shares - shared - with Baekhyun. Kyungsoo steps in and the first thing he notices is that nothing that could even be remotely related to Baekhyun is in sight. Not his tacky Christmas sweater with jingling bells hot glued to the front; not his favorite pen embellished with tiny jewels; not even his fluffy body pillow that he snuggles up to at night despite his boyfriend’s protests. Not one article of clothing, worn down notebook, or pair of earbuds was left behind. If it weren’t for the aching in both male’s hearts, it could have been like a Byun Baekhyun never existed in the first place.

 

“D-Did he…”

 

Unable to finish his question out loud, Kyungsoo relies on their oh so magical telepathic messaging to ask if there was anything at all their oldest companion left behind that he might have happened to miss.

 

Voice wavering and hands shaking, Chanyeol passes a crumpled note his way.

 

It reads:

 

Thank you for everything.

Don’t try to find me.

 

I love you, my giant.

 

Baekhyun really is gone. Without a word, he up and left the three of them behind.

 

A surge of mixed emotions crash into Kyungsoo all at once.

 

At first it’s disbelief, then denial. The four of them have stuck together for almost two years, and suddenly Baekhyun is gone? No, this is just some kind of sick prank that was taken way too far. He’s just hiding in the closet. Chanyeol didn’t check the closet!

 

“Okay, Baekhyun. Jig’s up! Fess up or I’ll force you out of there,” Kyungsoo’s voice warbles to a closet of empty hangers and a floor with the absence of certain shoes. He doesn’t hear the whimper that comes from behind him; Chanyeol had done the very same thing.

 

“K-Kyungsoo, stop.”

 

“Come on, you don’t really believe it do you?” He laughs, but the crystal tears in his eyes betray his words. “Baekhyun, hurry it up!”

 

“Stop!”

 

“No! We have to get him out of there!”

 

“Kyungsoo!”

 

“Baekhyun!”

 

“Kyung-”

 

“Baekhyun, you have three seconds!”

 

“Stop, please stop!” Chanyeol begs frantically, twitching around with his hands pressed against his ears to block it out.

 

“One!"

 

“No.”

 

“Two!”

 

Defeated, Chanyeol tries one last time. His heart is broken, and it reflects in his plea, “Do Kyungsoo, please no more. He’s not coming back, so please stop.”

 

“Th-Three,” is all it takes for him to crumble just as the older did minutes ago. He caves in on himself, wrapping arms around his own torso. Reality hits him harder than any pitcher’s ball could. Baekhyun is gone and he’s not coming back.

 

It’s anger that floods his soul next when he spots a weary Chanyeol lingering by his bed, avoiding its touch as if it were a flaming torch. Something drops in his chest at the image, and an enraged monsoon takes its place. How dare Baekhyun leave Chanyeol! Sure he can be quite the idiot at times, but he loves him dearly and that should be more than enough reason to stay. Who has that kind of audacity to leave their lover to fend for themselves in a dangerous world without explanation? Did he think a three-sentence note was an excuse for such a drastic action? In the years he had come to know him, Kyungsoo never took Baekhyun as that kind of person.

 

But Baekhyun isn’t that kind of person, and Kyungsoo knows it.

 

Eventually, any trace of fury he carried for their missing friend dissipated. Slowly falling into place is a gut wrenching sadness, something even bystanders would mourn for if Kyungsoo bore a painting of his soul on his skin instead of a shirt. The Byun Baekhyun they knew wouldn’t even consider disappearing without a reasonable incentive. And that’s what makes it so damn depressing. What could possibly have gnawed at him for such a long time that he felt compelled to ditch them? To ditch his lover? What horrid catch existed there to their relationship that forced Baekhyun to leave so suddenly?

 

For all the plaguing questions and their respective answers, Kyungsoo wept.

 

×××××

 

150615

 

Byun Baekhyun is on the run.

 

He is a fugitive on the loose, a criminal escaping from the law. He knows it isn’t long before the alarms are triggered, so he sprints far from his cell at the speed of light. He needs to get away, he has to. He needs to evacuate before the consequences of his actions land him on death row. He needs to vanish now, before the jailkeeper can snatch him back up in her corrupt hands. Baekhyun has to go, for the sake of his freedom and for the sake of everyone he loves.

 

If he doesn’t flee the city, she’ll surely catch him. He’ll be caught and the punishment will be immediate. The moment she sniffs him out with her K-9 bloodhound, he’s dead meat. He’ll be thrown back into the slammer without second thought. She is ignorant, impressionable, and merciless. For 22 years he was bound in chains under her eagle-like stare, forced to submit to her commands. Every order was complied with until he met the catalyst of his rebellion, his unknowing partner in crime: Park Chanyeol.

 

Since the day he could comprehend words, Baekhyun’s mother fed him her dreams, ignorant to what his own would eventually turn out to be. She would remind him every day without fail: “You are going to get married to a girl of my choice when you graduate from university. She will be perfect and because of that, you will have a perfect relationship with two perfect genius children - a girl and a boy.” It was the same speech repeated so often he could recite it backwards, letters and all. She practically ingrained it with a blade into his head, just so that her failed life dreams would be forced onto her son.

 

Up until his senior year of high school, Baekhyun had no intention of going against his mother’s will. As much as she was controlling, she was also loving toward him. She gave him life, and though there is no way to pay that back, he was willing to try. He met the girl,Taeyeon - whose parents had forced her into the same situation - time to time when dates were scheduled. He paid for the meals they dined on together, just like any gentleman should. He delivered bouquets to her doorstep on Valentine’s Day and sang to her when the occasion called on it. Baekhyun put all his effort into making the best of what was practically , but it soon became evident to the both of them that it wasn’t going to work out.

 

As things would happen, Taeyeon had found someone else who fit her tastes in the years they’d been together. It was a cold, dewey day when she arrived disheveled and depressed at his door. She confessed with a heavy heart and guilty conscience, though Baekhyun couldn’t bring himself to be sad about the ordeal. They were both free, and his elation could fly him through the roof. He remembers telling her it was okay and shushing her sobs until they were nothing but quiet sniffles. He took her face into his hands and gave her one last kiss on the forehead - for good luck, he clarified. Baekhyun will never forget the breath of air he took in the moment Taeyeon left the premises. It was the biggest puff of oxygen he’d gotten in a long while. A gargantuan boulder the size of Everest was lifted off his chest, and he prayed that Taeyeon’s boyfriend would be well-rewarded for his freedom.

 

At first, his mother was infuriated. All the time she dedicated to weeding out the perfect little miss for her son went to waste because the couldn’t keep her hands to herself. She should have known the girl had harlequin intentions of simply getting into Baekhyun’s pants when she first met her. Surely her precious baby would be absolutely heartbroken and scared to love again. Under the umbrella of these false impressions, Baekhyun’s mother forbid Taeyeon from their household and loosened the leash she wrapped around her son’s neck, allowing him to live his university life free of any romantic interests.

 

It was during this time that Baekhyun met a handsome young man as he was grocery shopping. He was starting to regret not taking ballet as a child when learning how to use pointe shoes would be an effective skill in reaching for the tomato sauce cans on the top shelf. With perspiration dripping down his forehead - because of Summer, not embarrassment - he cursed his short-statured self while on the very tips of his toes, reaching outward with concentration. His fingertips were right there, almost there when a very warm chest pressed up against the expanse of his back and an arm stretched up with ease to grab the can Baekhyun was eyeing.

 

“Pardon me, but I couldn’t help but notice your misfortune here. I had to help,” the six-foot giant peered down sheepishly while handing over the sauce.

 

If it had been any other person, Byun Baekhyun would have backhanded them for insulting his height, but for some unsettling reason, the fluttering in his chest prohibited him from doing anything but gape like a fish out of water.

 

The other regarded him quizzically, but saluted him with a wave of two fingers accompanied by a toothy grin and pivoted to take his leave.

 

Baekhyun was too stuck in his state of awe to even realise what was walking away from him until the can in his hand fell from his grasp. The clank of metal against linoleum shocked him back into reality as Mr.Giant made the sharp turn around the aisle.

 

“Wait!”

 

And the rest was history.

 

Well, is history.

 

Because no matter how many tears track down his cheeks, no matter how many ragged breaths escape from his lips, no matter how many forlorn pleas are sent to his Mother, things will not change. He was stupid to think that just because he found true love, the Apollo of his life, his mother would be pleased. Baekhyun’s hopes and dreams were all contradicted on that fateful day some months ago when a letter from his mother was received in the mail.

 

She knew about Chanyeol.

 

The scolding Baekhyun took was the worst he’d ever gotten in his twenty-three years of life. She reprimanded him harshly for becoming a , a . She reminded him coldly that she gave him his university years to take time to recover from heartbreak, not suffer from another one. Accused of being “just as horrid as that filthy ex-fiance” of his, Baekhyun was nearly disowned. It never hit him just how much was at stake by dating the embodiment of the Sun, Park Chanyeol. He risked losing. He risked losing his love, his mother, his will to live. It was too much to even attempt to comprehend.

 

So he did what he does best when it comes to her: he submitted. Under her strict watch, Baekhyun distanced himself from his lover. First it was in intimacy, then verbally. It was done subtly in the course of four months, enough time to gently let down Chanyeol - though he knew with what they had, no amount of time would ever suffice. It wasn’t even a simple action anymore. Somewhere along the way it became not something to please his witch of a mother, but a final stretch to protect Chanyeol. By fleeing, he will be putting Chanyeol out of the most direct line of fire. He’ll take the heat. It was his fault for falling in love anyways.

 

Baekhyun leaves, but he leaves with the thought of love in mind. He loves Chanyeol, he loves Kyungsoo, and he loves Jongin. He loves his makeshift family of sorts. He knows that his departing will put them in a financial drought, but he bittersweetly laughs it out of his conscience. It’s about time Kyungsoo got a job.

 

So he goes.

 

He returns to being held captive.

 

Byun Baekhyun crucifies himself.

 

×××××

 

150615

 

It’s quite unfortunate that Do Kyungsoo makes his second mistake the same day as the first.

 

A couple silent hours after the whole “Baekhyun Escaped” fiasco, he finally let reality sink in. It was difficult, painstakingly so, but it was a necessity. Instead of enabling his emotions to probe at his lifeless lump of a body, he had to think clearly and in a new perspective. This sudden loss isn’t just a blow to all of their hearts, but their wallets as well. They can’t manage an apartment housing three broke university students with a single income, it’s simply unimaginable! As much as they could all hope, Chanyeol’s part-time shifts at the convenience store won’t be considered so convenient anymore with the economic strain Baekhyun’s fleeing is responsible for. Desperately, Kyungsoo ultimately whittled his options down to throwing the towel in and finding a job.

 

That’s how he ends up buried knee-deep in newspaper ads, anxiously avoiding the weirder tasks - Do Kyungsoo will not end up selling durian to strangers as per request by that cat lady two blocks down. Sifting through horrendous suggestions in the papers to find a job certainly proved to be much harder than he originally thought. Would it be best to go out into town to scavenge his options by ‘Help Wanted’ signs in the storefront windows? Maybe he should ask Chanyeol what to do, he’s been through this before. But then again, the older isn’t necessarily in the clearest mindset at the moment, still recovering from today’s early morning blows.

 

Faced with crossroads, Kyungsoo sets his reading glasses to the side along with the newspaper. It’s ten now, there’s still time for him to survey the streets before he has to be the one to welcome Jongin home with a cake to break the news in frosted script saying, “Hey, love! Guess who walked out on us today!” Trying not to be too melancholy and with the weight of the world atop his shoulders, he scoots his chair back with a scrape and heads for the door.

 

“Lord, please have mercy on my soul for the next hour and a half,” Kyungsoo murmurs to no one while he laces up his Converse, praying that Mrs. Choi doesn’t flag him down with her pungent fruits.

 

Forty minutes into his job search of failed findings, Kyungsoo sits on a bench kicking around unsuspecting pebbles.

 

“Stupid economy, not making enough jobs for college kids in need,” he grumbles in annoyance with his eyebrows knit tight together. “Not enough space, not qualified enough, not accepting new employees, bull.”

 

“I’m sorry to interrupt your childish yet extremely adorable tantrum, but please take those rocks’ families into consideration.”

 

Scared out of his wits by the deep resonation suddenly beside him, Kyungsoo nearly skyrockets off the seat. He has half a mind to berate whoever this guy thinks he is, calling him immature and-

 

“Yifan?”

 

By some miracle - because Kyungsoo’s memory was never that sharp - he recalls the Chinese barista from the cafe whose number he never gave a second thought of calling after saving it in his phone.

 

“Ding, ding, ding! That’s me,” and he flashes this smile that must have mysterious powers because instantaneously, Kyungsoo’s worries are washed away. “If I may ask, what has you so wound up? Certainly those poor stones don’t deserve that grinding treatment you’re giving them now.”

 

Caught in action, Kyungsoo’s toes slowly come to a stop.

 

“Why would I tell a stranger about my personal life?” He teases lightly, feeling seven million times lighter now that he’s next to Yifan.

 

“Ouch, a stranger.”

 

“Isn’t that what you are?”

 

Yifan smirks, “I don’t know, usually I don’t share all my hopes and dreams with someone I plan to simply call Stranger.”

 

They share a small laugh before the taller becomes serious.

 

“Really though, are you alright? I know we don’t know much about each other, but I am here to listen.”

 

Heaving a sigh, Kyungsoo threads fingers through his hair; a trim is needed soon.

 

“It’s okay, take your time. I sense that something on a grand scale must have happened.”

 

“That’s one way to put it.”

 

Yifan hums and they fall into an ambient silence, birds whistling and leaves rustling above them.

 

It takes more than just a couple minutes, but Kyungsoo does eventually open up to a small degree.

 

“The wound is still fresh, so I don’t want to delve too deep into details, but there are - excuse me, were - four of us living in an apartment. There was basically a double-income between the two eldest of us. The rest of us don’t know why, but this morning one of them bailed,” he pauses solemnly, and Yifan understands that this person must have meant a lot to them. “So basically, I’m tracking every rat I see to find a decent job opening or two.”

 

At this, Yifan’s eyes brighten.

 

“I’ve got the perfect opening for you.”

 

A puzzled look settles on Kyungsoo’s features.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I mean, you’ll be working at the cafe!”

 

“The cafe?”

 

“Yes, the cafe, is there something wrong with that?”

 

Kyungsoo hurries to deny, not wanting to offend Yifan.

 

“No, it’s just that I was there a few days ago and Minseok didn’t mention anything about looking for new employees. Plus, they’ve already got you.”

 

“Yeah, but Boss is always looking to help out indebted college kids as long as they promise dedicated work.”

 

“I see,” Kyungsoo murmurs.

 

“So how about it? Come with me to the shop?”

 

Letting out a sigh, he accepts with the thought that hopefully he gets this job.

 

It takes a few seconds to actually process what that means.

 

Working alongside Yifan, tall, striking, kindhearted Yifan. He’d have to guide Kyungsoo through everything, teach him the ropes. Their hands would brush occasionally when the morning rush floods in and they’re too flustered to slow down. His alluring voice would constantly be there beside him, greeting customers with the same energy he displayed when he and Jongin came in that one day.

 

Oh, that’s right. Jongin.

 

Kyungsoo has been feeling awfully alone and empty lately with Jongin preoccupied with dance rehearsal. The cold space next to him in bed has been taking residence much more often than its actual inhabitant. Quite frankly, the absence of his partner-in-life-to-be uneases him to no end. With Jongin constantly running off to play Kai, the deliriously deprived part of Kyungsoo tricks himself into thinking the artist likes that role better than being his baby. But he knows better. Jongin had warned him, he had asked him to trust him like he always has. This month is nothing but thirty days closer to the day they officially and legally join together.

 

But still.

 

The itching desire to do something rebellious claws at his insides.

He knows the compelling, magnetic pull toward Yifan is dangerous, that nothing good can come from working together. He knows the spark between them will lead to compromising situations, that something disastrous may happen as a result of this one decision. But he also knows that all taboo attractions aside, he needs this job. Who knows? Maybe a good dose of drama will spice up his recently boring routine. After all, what is life without a little excitement?

 

Kyungsoo jumps, but he doesn’t recognize the icy waters he’ll drown in.

 

“Let’s go,” he smirks, dancing lovers and problematic best friends in the back of his mind.

 

Yifan quirks a brow, but says nothing but, “After you, sir.”

 

They walk the half mile down to the cafe, chattering on about random topics of conversation.

 

It becomes hard to deny the evident chemistry between them when they enter through the doors, bell chime alerting Minseok, who seems surprised to see them together.

 

“Yifan? Kyungsoo? What are you guys doing here?”

 

Taking the initiative to answer, Yifan steps behind the counter and grabs for an apron. Business is surprisingly slow for the time being, but that was bound to change drastically in the next half hour or so.

 

“Well, I figured I’d stop in to help out for the daily twelve o’clock wave of customers. Oh, and Kyungsoo here is looking to as well.”

 

This piques the other barista’s attention, and he looks up from his phone (which technically should be away in the phone box, but who cares?).

 

“What do you mean?”

 

Yifan rolls his eyes.

 

“What is it with people not understanding what I say today?”

 

“Oh, shut up you oaf. Now explain the situation to me.”

 

“Whatever. So I found this little penguin abusing rocks because he couldn’t find a job, and I thought, ‘Hey, why not take him under our wing?’ I present the question, the little penguin agrees, and here we are fifteen minutes later.”

 

“Right,” Minseok drawls out, holding the vowel in disbelief. “Because Kyungsoo wants a job. Somehow I find that awfully hard to believe.”

 

Exasperated, Yifan throws his long, gangly limbs to the Heavens.

 

“Why are you interrogating me? I’m just the Godsend Angel of Citizenship. I’m Kyungsoo’s savior for giving him this work opportunity. I’m not only saving his life, but his other flatmates’ as well!”

 

“You’re exaggerating,” Kyungsoo coughs.

 

The tallest throws a cupped hand over the younger’s mouth, “Hush, small one!”

 

While the palm against his lips feels entirely arousing and quite , he feels scrutinized under Minseok’s hawk-level precision gaze (though Kyungsoo must admit the change in roles from dom to sub would feel pretty mind blowing).

 

He pries the fingers from his face and brushes himself off with a glare that isn’t all that menacing.

 

“Now if I could get an application form and set up an interview, that would be great. It takes me forever to fill out papers and I’m not in the mood for that hold up today.”

 

Yifan perks up in excitement.

 

“I got it. Has Boss left yet or is she still in the back?”

 

“She’s back there,” Minseok says lowly, eyes never leaving Kyungsoo.

 

The moment the foreigner steps out of the empty dining area and therefore out of hearing range, the eldest drops the bull.

 

“You need a job?”

 

Kyungsoo grunts, not exactly wanting to replay the still sensitive memories for the thousandth time today.

 

“Hey,” Minseok’s voice softens. “Are you guys okay?”

 

He knows who he’s referring to - the four of them - and it makes him sick to the stomach.

 

It must show on his face because the barista stops prying.

 

“Look,” Minseok sighs, “I know we aren’t super incredibly close and all, but I care for the lot of you. I don't bother swirling little hearts into any other couple’s drinks but KaiSoo and ChanBaek.”

 

The mere mention of Baekhyun makes his eyes shake as he whimpers softly. Turns out he isn’t as desensitized as he had hoped.

 

“But creamy art aside, if any one of you ever needs to talk, you know where to find me. I mean it, you can always come to me.”

 

“Yeah, thanks,” Kyungsoo breathes heavily, willing away the pain.

 

But Minseok is not done.

 

“On the other hand, what was going on with you and that Chinese lump of laze?”

 

“What?”

 

“The was so thick, I almost choked.”

 

“?” He sputters, eyes blown.

 

“Yeah, . It looked like there was only a thin sheet of tissue paper that kept you from pouncing on each other.”

 

And what Kyungsoo does next should have served as a sign.

 

He blushes.

 

“Oh, really?” He whispers, cheeks scarlet.

 

“What is going on though?”

 

Clearing his throat, Kyungsoo answers truthfully, “Nothing. Nothing is going on.”

 

The suspicion never truly does erase itself from Minseok’s features.

 

“It sure doesn’t seem like it.”

 

“I don’t know.”

 

With a long exhale and a hand tugging at tangled hair in tension, the senior employee grunt out, “Whatever, just don’t hurt Jongin.”

 

It’s the second time today he’s forgotten about his fiance because of Yifan. The trend just seems to repeat itself without him noticing it, and it scares him half to death.

 

What’s wrong with him?

 

Jongin is his baby, his.

 

“He’s stronger than we all originally perceive, but he loves hard. No one can blame you for how you feel, but… just be careful, Kyungsoo. Don’t break that boy,” Minseok concludes as Yifan walks back out with a pen and an application packet in hand.

 

“Okay, so Boss says you can fill this out and go back there for an interview in the next hour.”

 

He hands the younger the stack of papers and something in Kyungsoo’s head switches on.

 

The tables and booths, the milks and creams, both Yifan and Minseok. They all fade into a fuzzy blur when he goes out of focus and leaves the cafe to enter his subconscious.

 

Is it worth it? Is the risk of possibly nourishing this bond with Yifan too great? What about Jongin? Would Minseok say anything to him?

 

The questions attack him like a barrage of bullets and arrowheads, but it all comes down to one of thing: the future.

 

While the side-effects of making such a decision to take the job may put him through emotional turmoil, he needs to think about the present. People don’t live in the past, they don’t live in the future. People live in the present, at least they should. The current resident issue of their present is financial. So what if some meddling lustrous desires get in the way? Kyungsoo needs the money to support what has come to be his makeshift family.

 

The weight of the documents in his clutch returns as he finds himself back in the moment.

 

“Yeah, thanks. I’ll go do that now.”

 

“Kyungsoo,” Minseok stops him while he’s turning to find a corner to occupy. “Are you sure?”

 

His eyes have gone dead. He’s almost ready to give up on prompting Kyungsoo to find money elsewhere, but the thought of Jongin and his own eerily accurate intuitions of what’s to come keeps him on board until the last second.

 

“We need the money,” and that closes the topic of discussion.

 

He hopes it says enough to convince not only Minseok, but himself as well.

 

His application process and interview go surprisingly well, and he’s able to get up and working in no time.

 

Yifan and Minseok hurry to teach him the ropes and get him acquainted with certain appliances and coffee grounds before a mass influx of espresso-starved zombies take over the place.

 

“Okay, Soo.”

 

Kyungsoo tenses up at the sound of someone other than Jongin call him by that name, but unsettlingly enough, he can’t find it in his heart to be anything but pleased. He glances up at Yifan, and the other looks at him dutifully.

 

“What you are about to experience will age you five years, at a minimum. It’ll be so stressful, you won’t even have time to think about what goes into the order, your body will go into autopilot. Those monsters are ruthless, I tell you, ruthless! I’m feeling horrible that I brought you in to work the hour as your first shift.”

 

Kyungsoo sighs, not all that bothered.

 

“It couldn’t be helped, I was eager to just do something productive anyways. Thanks.”

 

Kyungsoo and Yifan stand still in each other’s presence until the latter grabs his younger acquaintance’s hand.

 

“I can’t promise you it won’t be hectic, frantic, but I’ll be here to guide you every step of the way.”

And it’s the shimmer in Yifan’s eyes that almost make Kyungsoo wish he’d stayed home to grovel with Chanyeol, waiting for his lover’s return - almost, but not quite.