“Look who’s here!”

Someone shouted behind the cash desk, amicably making the man who just pushed the door tripped into thin air, almost kissing the ground had he didn’t have such a good reflect. Looks like already get used to prevent himself for another public-shaming.

“What can I do for you my dearest brother?”

When Jinki reached the counter, a playful smirk formed on the man who looks like a mixed of adorable stray puppy and stupid dinosaur. Well, technically, Jonghyun is his step brother, their parents met when they’re in elementary school. The best friend soon became brothers for life.

“Can you not scare me whenever I step into that door?”

“Now I’m not allowed greeting my own brother?! I did that for your good, you ungrateful tofu cheeks!”

“My own good? Since when tripped in front of lots of people is good?”

“I just want the world realized how handsome and charming you are! Being clumsy is your damn problem!”

“Just cut the sweet talk! I need ice coffee. Three shot.”

Jonghyun’s eyebrow rose for such an odd order, “Only one? What about the princess?”

“Hot latte for her,” Jinki answered his brother without even looking that the latter pulled out another smirk.

“And that’s an order.”

Jinki handed his card, “What do you mean?”

“When a man didn’t order for his significant other just like the other day, there’s something unusual going on,” Jinki’s rolling his eyes listening to his brother theory, “Where is she?”

“Inside the car. Finishing her make up. And for the record, she’s not my significant other.”

“I thought you are smart.”

“What’s with that?”

“You are a man, she’s a woman. Man and woman? They’re significant other to each soul, you moron.”

“Shut up and get my drinks done.”

“You need to go with your guts, dude! She’s like fine cup of coffee, lots of men lined up behind you to get her.”

“Said the man who can barely ask his crush to dinner. Minjung-ah, does he still not take you to a date?”

The said girl let out a small laughter while scooping ice for Jinki’s coffee, “Nah, your brother still not asking me. I’m wondering why.”

“Ha!”

Jinki left with two cups in his hand and a brother with face as red as rose behind the counter.

***

“I’ve sent the link to your email just now. Use the second alternative file. You got my notes about the presentation yesterday, right? Good. We just need two more landscape designs, one for the patio connecting the kitchen and living room and the other for the corner at the entrance. Send me the file before Friday and thank you so much!”

When Jinki finished talking, the girl in front of him already move to the second plate.

“Salmon skin roll?”

Her innocent look while shoving the plate under his nose making him feels guilty neglecting their dinner date for some office matters.

“I’m sorry. There’s something.. You know, deadline.”

“I know. That’s why I offered this to you.”

His heart melts once again when a sincere smile adorns her face, making her eyes glowing. Jinki’s new favorite’s sight, though.

“I’d rather have you ignoring me for some work than seeing you here but your eyes staring to the s of that lady behind me.”

Jinki instantly looks through her, pretending to stretch his neck to check the chick behind her.

“You want to die?”

He burst into loud laughter when Gwiboon snapped right away. Her feline eyes popped out doubled the original size, somehow frightening yet super cute in Jinki’s defend.

“Even if I had my guts to peek over your shoulder, I wouldn’t do such things,” he casually slipped piece of salmon to his mouth, then picking another one to feed her.

“I know,” she said between munch and Jinki swear she looks utterly cute like this, “You love me so much to do that.”

Before his face could turn into another shade of tomato, he let out a nervous chuckle and took another roll to fill his mouth.

For almost a year, Jinki and Gwiboon shared this kind of joke. They met at a friend’s party and since then kept seeing each other, whether it’s in the restaurant near Jinki’s office or Gwiboon’s floral studio, but mostly at Jonghyun’s coffee shop. Whatever they have at the moment, Jinki can’t ruin it, particularly with spontaneous and uncalculated confession. No matter how much he cares and blatantly worships her, no matter how much obviously she’s the only one who put up at his worst these past months. He just can’t.

And that’s not only making Jonghyun frustrated. Even Jinki sometimes want to kill himself in between deadlines when without any cue, a simple text from Gwiboon appeared on his phone screen, reminds him to drink more water and less coffee.

***

“I’m alright now. Jonghyun just arrived so I can go inside the house.”

“If you do that again next week, I promise I’ll make you check your head to the nearest doctor, you might get early Alzheimer or something!” Jinki’s flnched on the couch when Gwiboon screeched from the other line, “Gosh, how many times I told you, check your bag once again before you get inside the car!”

Jinki left his key on the desk. Again. And this is already the third times this month this kind of unfortunate happened.

“I think I was too tired. But it’s okay. It’s only twenty minutes, unlike last week.”

Gwiboon makes sure Jinki can hear she sigh when the memory of that day flashed before her. He left the key on the office and since Jonghyun’s out of the city, he needed to spend the night on hers. Not like she was mind, though.

“But still, he let you waiting that long instead rushing home to save his brother.”

Jinki chuckles for her nonsical rant, “I’m not five, Gwiboon. I would be okay by myself and he got business to run. I’m the one who isn’t responsible enough.”

“That wouldn’t happened if I were your roomate instead of Jonghyun.”

Gwiboon said that casually but it works like wrecking ball smashed his face for Jinki. After a long pause, he braced himself to break the silence.

“What would happened if we live together?”

“I’ll slip spare key under the mat. Or leave it at the security. Or hide it somewhere only we know near the house.”

“Wow. Sounds great.”

“Doesn’t it?”

This time, Jinki didn’t miss the excitement ringing on his ear. If only Gwiboon could see he smiles ear to ear after she said that.

“Go change your clothes and wash your face. I’ve ordered some chinese for you. It should be there in any minute.”

“What? You’ve been calling me this time, how did you manage to do that? I don’t need another joke tonight.”

“Earphones, baby, earphones. I can text anyone I want while talking to you.”

Jinki’s heart swell, his cheeks ascend to heaven in front of Jonghyun, “You are the best.”

“I know. Now go before I went there and shoved you under the shower!”

Instead changing his outfit as instructed, he lay down for a while, hand still holding the phone, this time pressed on his chest. Is it really the time to be brave? Would everything be alright even though Gwiboon turns out doesn’t share the same frequency he’s in? Should he just be honest and let the fate works its magic? Or its curse?

“Dude, you need to stop daydreaming and smiling then frowning then smiling again like that. Are you high or something? Did you wait outside for too long?”

“Shut up, you Dino!”

“I’ve been falling in love, now and then. But I’ve never been this stupid.”

“Then you don’t love her enough.”

“Love should make you do whatever it takes, dude! Not only splattered on the couch making stupid scenario in your head but then being coward once the princess coming on the set.”

“Wow. What an advice. And I still didn’t get any text from Minjung telling me you’ve sane enough to take her on date.”

“What?! You what? Both of you been texting to each other behind my back? What kind of brother are you?!”

“Next time, before you lecture me about being a man, check yourself first in the mirror.”

“You can’t just ask your employee out like that! You need process!”

“You don’t wait more than three months just to ask a girl to go to the movie, Jong!”

“And you don’t wait a year to say you love a girl, my dear brother.”

The buzz on the door roars, interrupting their foolish argument, making a smirk spread all over Jinki’s face. Saved by the bell.

“At least I know she cares about me. Does Minjung order you a dinner from her house?”

He winked at his brother, and just like years ago, Jonghyun could only stomped his feet to the ground and swear to himself that he would take a revenge on Jinki. As soon as possible.

***

“Look who’s here!”

Seemed that would be Jonghyun’s new favorite catchphrase, Gwiboon waved from the front door while making her entrance to the coffee shop.

“Where’s your brother?”

“He’s checking at the back, sorry I ruined your date night.”

She just beamed at the sweetest, “Nah, we only got an hour tops. I need to get back to the atelier soon, a wedding is coming up and we need to finish the order by tomorrow morning.”

“Then I’m sorry made your time even shorter.”

Gwiboon leaned closer to the counter and check her phone, “It’s okay.”

“It’s not okay!” Jinki comes out from the staff room, hair disheveled and sleeves rolled up to his elbow, “Out of all days, why it should be tonight?”

“Because tomorrow I’ll meet the supplier of the kitchen equipment. He needs to know how much of space I got and is there any possibility to do minimum kitchen renovation. I can’t close the shop while your work’s going on.”

Jinki walks closer to Gwiboon, still wiping his hands with wet tissues, “He’s expanding the shop a little back there. And he’s so cheap he used me instead of pulling some cash from his wallet to pay another designer.”

“Why need another one if your own brother is an architect?!”

Already used to them quarreling like this, Gwiboon just smiles and raised her hands up, taming some wild hair on Jinki’s head, “Look at you messed your hair like a toddler.”

“Now I know why Jinki loves you so much.”

Jinki swear if it’s not because Gwiboon, he would strangle his brother to the counter then dragging his head and panned it into the sink before let the hot water running down on him. Poles apart with Jinki, Gwiboon looks so calm and keeps her smile at the best curved. This kind of view, making Jonghyun satisfied more than ever and decided to take charge.

“Go sit over there. I’ll bring you some coffee and sandwich. It’s on the house!” he slapped Jinki with the napkin towel on his shoulder then cocked his head to Gwiboon, “You don’t mind spend your limited time here with my brother, right? You can have your favorite cheesecake if you want. My apologize confiscating your precious spare time?”

“That sounds more than okay. Put more chicken on his sandwich. He hasn’t had his meal since noon.”

Jinki looks like his face gonna burst anytime soon if Gwiboon doesn’t stop showing her affection towards him in front of the source of evil who constantly looking for a tiny gap to intrude and mess around named Kim Jonghyun.

“Let’s sit over there! And you, ert Dino, you better served me your best house blend!”

He wrapped his arm around Gwiboon’s shoulder nonchalantly to shoo Jonghyun away, but then right after two second they walked together to their favorite seat, Jinki felt sudden rush of burning on his back of the neck. And in such limited distance, he can inhale Gwiboon’s favorite perfume which has been his weak spot lately. Too bad their already on their table, Jinki just want to keep her on his side forever.

***

And the atmosphere is quite awkward after they sit side by side on the couch. Gwiboon stared down to her phone, almost all the time, and Jinki just let his eyes wander to the interior, trying so hard avoiding Gwiboon’s because he’s afraid he would just sprung on her, hugging her thin figure and mumbling about him being in love with her since the day they met.

“Boonie.”

“Jinx.”

She couldn’t help but laugh out loud when they called each other at the same time. Probably both are nervous as hell and tried to ease the tense built around them.

“You go first,” she finally can control herself.

“Just wondering why Jonghyun took a long time. How about you?”

“Is he right?”

“Hmm?”

“Jonghyun. Is he telling the truth?”

“About?”

“About you love me that much?”

“Ah, oh, that,” Jinki can feel sweats dripping on his spine, “You know I always love you, right?”

Before she could ask him further, Jonghyun came with loads of stuff on his hand.

“Hot house blend for Romeo and hot latte for the Juliet. Sandwich with extra chicken and cheesecake with salted caramel on the side.”

“Are you busy flirting with Minjung back there I got my dinner more than ten minutes?”

“Nah, just make sure I served the best for my soon-to-be sister in law,” Jonghyun only winks when Jinki shot him deadly glare, “Watch the cup carefully.”

“What?”

“Watch. The. Cup. Carefully.”

“What’s with the cup?”

But Jonghyun is already heading to his place when Jinki found his brother handwriting on his cup.

‘Ask her about the cup and thank me later.’

His eyebrow’s knitted together above his confused eyes. He glanced to his left and found Gwiboon blushed out of nowhere. She must be uncomfortable just like me.

“Gwiboon, this might sound as odd as , but how’s about the cup?”

She leaned closer to his side, making Jinki shivered with the shift, “I thought you’ll never ask.”

“What?”

Gwiboon hand him her cup then laid her back a bit far, elbow on the back of the couch, supporting her tilting head. When Jinki read another handwriting on hers, he just beamed into blinding sunshine and bit his lower lips to prevent himself jumping on his feet like a sugar rushed kid.

“Stop smiling and just kiss me already.”

“As you wish.”

Jinki put down the cup and let his left hand landed on her waist to pull her closer and cupped her face with his free hand before put their lips together. Her lips are perfectly soft and sweet against his flesh, just like he always imagined on his sleepless night. Warm like a fine morning in spring, addictive like a fine liquor in weekend.

“I’m sorry I keep you waiting for too long,” he murmurs on her lips when they finally out of breath, forehead stick together like a magnet.

“It’s okay, so much worth it after all.”

He pecks her lips once again, and then kissed her forehead before pulls Gwiboon to his embrace, together giggling like teenagers looking at the cups on the table. He is making a mental note to thank Jonghyun later with a kick on his .

‘Dear Gwiboon, will you be my girlfriend? – Jinki.’

***