The bell above the door was ringing, indicating someone’s coming. He immediately raised his head up behind the counter to take a look of the new customer and his expression changed from being all smiling face to a stoic one. She is coming again, he said under his breath. To say that he was feeling slightly nervous was an uderstatement. Sure this was not the first time he saw she’s coming, actually he already saw this scene so many times already; she even came everyday in June because “I have no work this summer and I feel like for not doing anything at home”, she would tell him. But one thing for sure, the reason behind all those nervousness he felt creeping behind his back was probably because whenever she came another girl would always be there too, trailing behind her. Two inseparable best friends, they told him one day. However, she was alone tonight as he saw nobody’s tagging along behind her. With short black hair above her shoulders, big round glasses covering her face, and her smile was barely noticeable behind her red scarf; she looked tired but gave a small smile to him nevertheless. She took steps to the counter and stopped right in front of him.

“Welc—“

“Good evening, Sehun. Where is your boss?” She asked before he could finish his greeting.

“Uh... On the back. He is in his office room like usual.” He answered her question without much minding. Of course, she was here to meet his boss anyway. It was not like she liked the coffee or have some favorite pancakes from the cafe, the reason behind those frequently visits was always his boss in the end.

“Thank you” she said before turning to the left and stopped after fourth steps to look back at him again, “and oh, Lim Tana said she will come tomorrow” leaving him breathless after the sudden information she gave.

 

 

 

She walked toward the dim room Sehun told her about, the word OFFICE placed on top of its door frame. How she wanted to remove it cause it looks so damn ugly. From the glass door she noticed a guy sat comfortably on the black sofa across from a large desk filled with books and papers where he usually worked at. Black guitar on his lap while he was humming, trying to find the right tune for the song he was currently playing.

“Hello, sunshine!” she greeted him from the door. Earned no response from the latter, she walked toward the sofa and sat next to him with a big pout on her face “you should greet me back, you know.”

Chanyeol stopped his fingers from the guitar strings and looked at his right, he took a deep breath. Their thigs brussed against each other made him flinch a bit, I don’t like this.

“You look terrible” he said, eyeing her hair that got messy from the night wind on the way here.

She adjusted her glasses before placed her head on his shoulder “I know. I’m so tired Chanyeol I might die”.

“Then go home and sleep, why are you here?” He didn’t like it. Now he could smell her strawberry shampoo from the hair on his shoulder that would definitely leave some on his sweater. Chanyeol hated when he smelled like someone else.

But Chanyeol’s shoulder is big and warm and she let herself snuggle into it, just for a little while.

She didn’t answer him. Got slightly annoyed he took her head on his hand, brushing the hair that covered her face and take a look. Oh, she’s sleepy.

“Let’s go home, Dae. I will take you home.”

She held his sweater and looked up on him, “but the closing is in two hours”.

“It’s okay, Sehun can handle this.”

Smiling, she saw Chanyeol put down his guitar and went to his desk to grab his jacket on the chair. “You know, I feel bad everytime I look at that kid. He goes to school in the morning and works here in the night. You should go to the front and help him more often instead of spending hours locked in your room with your beloved guitar”.

“He prefer me put bonus on his earnings more often. Not really need any help from me I would say.”

Chanyeol gestured her out, she jumped from the sofa and linked their arms together even before they could make it out of the room. “And stop doing that Dae, people are watching” he tried to peel off her fingers from his arm while heading toward Sehun who was still standing in the back of the counter.

“Uh, boss...”

“Can you please do me a favor and close the cafe yourself tonight? I need to go.” Chanyeol asked him along with her behind him, clutching his sweater on the back and only the top of her head was showing from Chanyeol’s shoulder. The same girl Sehun met ten minutes ago. He couldn’t recall her name but he often heard Chanyeol called her by Dae or Yoo.

“Sure, Jongin here will help me.” Sehun answered, not bother to take a look beside him where a boy probably on his age whom is going by the name Jongin gave him a miserable look.

“Alright then, thanks. Let’s go, Dae!”

“Yes, sunshine!”

 

 

 

They were clearly not dating. Despite all the questioning stare they would get whenever they come together, arms linked with each other. Sometimes there was not arms but just their fingers lacing with each other, or she would hug him tightly and leave the smell of her perfume on his clothes; Chanyeol still didn’t like it. But yes they were not dating nor in any romantic relationship.

“Can I kiss you?”

“No.”

Daehwi Yoo is the real disaster of his life.

Yet he was the one who always allow her to come and stay by his side.

 

 

 

“Chanyeol... I’m so tired. I just went back from work and stopped by your place for only what... ten minutes, now you just dragging me out. I wanna sleep but I don’t like missing out our time together, like you’re now here next to me but I wanna close my eyes so bad.”

Desire by Years & Years was played in the background and she couldn’t help but mumbled, “ah I love this song. Very much suitable for this moment.”

Chanyeol on the driver seat could only shake his head. The idea of them being friends slash coworkers frightening him sometimes.

“We have practice tomorrow at 2 pm, don’t forget yeah?” He said as an attempt to move on from any romance subject she would always come with everytime it’s just two of them at the moment.

“Will you pick me up?”

As much as he dislike it, Chanyeol could never say no.

 

 

 

They both loved music. Chanyeol was graduated two years ago from music major while Daehwi was a member of their university choir club before she graduated one year later. They met for the first time, as cliche as it may sound, at the concert festival. Urban Zakapa was coming to their university, Chanyeol along with his band was lucky enough to be invited as the opening act. There was five groups in total including Chanyeol’s band, two other bands, a duo, and a solo singer; they were mostly coming from music major. She was standing in the first row of the crowd when she saw him smiling brightly on the stage in front of her. Maybe it was love at the first sight, she saw a charming guitarist who also play her favorite song that she immediately declared she has fallen for him.

Who doesn’t like Radiohead? She said to a friend next to her, waving her hand in front of her face. Who wouldn’t want it when he looks like that? She quoted the lyric of Memo by Years & Years quite well.

 

 

 

Daehwi Yoo and Lim Tana was two inseparable best friends, as they often said. The bond was there the moment they find out about their zodiac that happened to be both have same zodiac sign, Sagittarius. Daehwi loved music while Tana loved book. The latter was often being tagged along to the indie gigs and concerts that her friend would never missed out to attend. The loyalty between them was not equal though, because when it comes to her friend’s favorite subject; books, Daehwi would always made excuses like if i were you i would never try to read that hundred pages of fictional story for days or how can you endure all of this I mean breathing in the place that is too quiet when Tana asked for a companion to go to the library, or even don’t you think the old lady in the library is too mean that we can’t even talk or laugh without keep our voice at whisper? Daehwi just was not really into books it made Tana wonder how she could maintain her academic grades on top by less study more party.

It was the day when Tana found out that her friend wanted to ask Park Chanyeol for a collaboration project. “He is a Sagittarian, too. Can you believe? And since he is quite talented in music area... hey do you know he can play drum and piano aside from guitar? His deep voice is quite mesmerizing, he can sing or rap with that heavenly voice of him.”

“So you told me, you asked for permission from the whole band members so that you could join their next stage?” Tana asked her from the study desk in her room.

“Nope. I don’t give a about his band, I just want to work with him. I need him for my project.”

Just then, Daehwi was stretching out on the bed before reaching down to pull a book out of her backpack. “This is the song that I currently work on. Thought that Park guy could make a nice melody for it.”

“What is with voice 1, voice 2, voice 3, voice 4?” Tana scrunched up her eyebrows in confusion, and watched as Daehwi approached her.

“Oh, that! I expect four people to sing this one. We can create a wonderful group consist of four people, how that sounds?”

“And who are they?”

“Of course it’s me, you, Park Chanyeol, and maybe we try to find anoth—“

“That’s not funny, who says I want to join your strange club?” Tana was glaring at her, gave the book back to her not so gently.

“But you will do it anyway, I know you like to sing in your spare time—”

“Singing and performing on stage are two different case, you brat.”

Daehwi blinked twice before clearing , “—and more importantly... we will get some money”.

 

 

 

The two floors building as they call it their second home was standing before them just as they get out from Chanyeol’s red car. He grabbed his bag and run with her on his side toward the second floor. “They’re gonna kill us Chanyeol, you said to me for not being late yet you showed up forty minutes later due the time we should’ve been here”.

“Shut up and just run,” he said as he waited for her to catch up with his long legs. She was about to complain when suddenly he grabbed her hand so she wouldn’t be left behind.

“Sunshine...”

The door of their practice room opened, revealing two people who were just arrived fifty minutes late and two other people inside the room, looked slightly annoyed at the newcomers. A skinny guy younger than Chanyeol; wearing white shirt, red basketball short, and white snapback was throwing them a glare from the floor he currently sit at. From the corner of the room, Tana gave them a nod so they could sit on the floor too, beside the angry looking guy who was now busy with papers.

“I know I’m not in the position to say anything, but hyung... can you just be more responsible and come here on time later? It seems like that habit of yours never change.” Bobby, the guy’s name; now said, not even looking at the food which Chanyeol had placed in front of him with a pointed look. “Always being late and the first one to leave.”

“I’m sorry, okay.” Chanyeol murmured. Then he sighed, “it’s not like I do it on purpose”.

“I know how you love doing music, hyung. But now I’m not sure if you like this anymore. You own a cafe and noona has a stable job,” he pointed at Deahwi now, “this maybe not your priority, just like you guys said the first time I came to you declaring that I want to be a part of whatever group you create because that was my last chance, that group was made only for us to put our hobbies in. Despite all you guys think of it, this is my everything.”

They felt their heart melt to the ground and when they glanced at Bobby, the other was trying to hide his damp eyes. Bobby was the youngest of the four and the lastest to join their group. Unlike Chanyeol who got special invitation from the girls, Bobby came to them by himself after seeing the three of them performing Akmu’s song on the street in Hongdae. He didn’t attend college, but he was the genius song writer with so many talents that got him accepted straightaway after made them listen to his rap. The group was completed after four of them rent a place as their base camp where they would practice their singing, made songs, and dance. Some instruments and computers was placed on there, perfectly made the place as their second home.

Now they just realized the group was slowly falling apart, after three years of glory it seemed to be in bad wing lately. The members were busy with their own job and study, not to mention the scandals that happened several times causing the group to face some bitter people laughed at them or see them with disgust on their face.

“Bobby... I know you’re disappointed because we are late, but can we just skip this one and continue to finish our song?” Daehwi said as she tried to take a paper from Bobby. The latter only snapped at her.

“You too! You always on his side, defending him all the times. Do you forget that you were the one causing those scandals to happen? If only you didn’t always cling to him, call him by nicknames, and did the inappropriate things in public—“

“Bobby, that’s enough!” Chanyeol yelled. The tension between them was too much. He clutched his own fingers, trying to dissipate the anger inside of his chest. They were not supposed to be like this. They were friends, they came here to finish their new song and practice for the next stage which would be held three weeks from today.

“You now what,” Bobby said with a dark chuckle, “I’m done with you guys. I’ve had enough of your bull, okay?” snapped back in a last attempt to defend his argument, he got up to clean up his belonging and rushed out from the room.

Chanyeol could feel his palms getting sweaty as Daehwi took it in her own. He couldn’t do anything but watch his friend leave. And when he turned back, Tana was staring at them with a confused face.

“I guess I need a little time to think... If you let me.” She said before heading to the door and close it from outside.

Taking in a shaky breath, they were slumped on the floor. He held her body in his arms as she was crying her heart loud.

 

 

 

They wondered if tomorrow would be better.

 

 

 

“Can I kiss you?”

“We’re in public—“

“Who cares about people kissing in the bar, Park.”

“No feeling-attached within the group, remember?”

“Who said I have feeling for you? I just want to kiss you.”

 

 

 

Their base camp was empty for the next three days. She kept her eyes on the ceiling as she groaned, whispering to herself, “Park, Bobby, Dae. I will definitely kill you guys tomorrow”.