“I’m telling you, Changkyunnie,” Jooheon sighs wistfully, his eyes glazing over with memories of that mysterious man from only three days before. “He was so beautiful, he could’ve been an angel.” 

“Angels? In our town?” Changkyun scoffs, rolling his eyes at his older brother. “I doubt it. I mean, did you see the papers this morning? Crime rate is up another six percent. I doubt any angel would be bothering with a town as far gone as this one.” Jooheon pouts, hitting Changkyun’s arm lightly.  

“You know what I mean,” he grumbles, leaning forward to rest his elbows atop the counter, looking out at all the drab people sipping at their boring beverages. No one in this town ever ordered anything remotely interesting, or that needed any sort of effort to make. He’d had to memorize countless recipes for this job, but of course all that work had been for naught.  

Most of these people he’s known since he was little. They all know him as the boy who’d breakdanced to a traditional hymn, and he knows all of them as the generation that’d begun this town’s descent into madness. He’s not usually one for politics, but there’s been so many crooked mayors and other officials for his beloved town that he can’t help but notice it.   

For a while, he’d wanted to get himself and his brother out of this town as soon as they were able. Sadly, though, that day has still not come. They’re just so damn broke all the time, their minuscule jobs not allowing them much more than food and a roof over their heads. He counts his blessings, though, as neither he nor his brother have fallen into any of the gangs filling this town. They’ve managed to keep their heads down well enough, and thereby managed to keep their heads altogether.  

He still prays that one day they’ll make it out, as this is no place he wants an actual life in. No town where he finds random guys bleeding out in alleyways can be a good place to build a life. Even if those guys are incredibly beautiful. Speaking of which… 

“Have I told you about his hair yet?” Jooheon asks excitedly, that perfect shade of pink filling his mind’s eye and just begging to be described. Changkyun groans in annoyance, rolling his eyes as he sets his gaze forward, resolutely ignoring his hyung. Jooheon pouts again, deciding to go on with the description, anyway. He takes a deep breath to begin the story, but the younger stops him. 

“You ever think that maybe I want to miss work because of a cute guy I met on the street?” Changkyun asks, suddenly sounding very bitter indeed. Jooheon pauses, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise.  

“You ever bring a random guy home you find in an alley,” Jooheon begins, his tone taking on a more authoritative air as he straightens up, “you’ll wish you’d have left him there and had even stayed there with him to die.” Changkyun purses his lips, turning to glare at his hyung. The cold, steely look to his eyes is one Jooheon has sadly never been able to master, though he gives his all to return the look now.  

The two stare—glare—at each other for a moment, then two. Then Changkyun finally relents, looking away with a defeated drop of his shoulders.  

“You’re missing my point,” Changkyun mutters, staring dully at the counter. “I’m always the responsible one, I’m always the one missing out on a life because I’m at work. I don’t get to go to school, I don’t get to meet guys ever. I don’t want to waste my life here, in this café, in this town." Jooheon sighs, his gaze softening as the younger speaks. He sets a consoling hand on Changkyun’s shoulder, patting it before brushing the boy’s black strands from his eyes. 

“You don't wanna meet the guys here, anyway, Kyunnie," Jooheon assures the younger. He tries not to sound bitter as he adds, "All the cute ones are too busy dying in alleyways to call you even after you save their lives, anyway. Who wants a guy like that?" Changkyun snickers at this, rolling his eyes. 

"Maybe he doesn't have a phone?” he offers dryly, lifting a single shoulder in a halfhearted shrug. Jooheon hums, clearly unconvinced. 

"Yeah, maybe," he agrees, his doubt evident in his tone. Changkyun gives him a small smile, and Jooheon can't help but return the expression. He reaches up a hand to ruffle his little brother's hair despite having just fixed it, earning a whine in protest because did he even know how long it took Changkyun to get his hair to behave this morning??? 

Jooheon chuckles teasingly, bumping his shoulder with the younger's. Changkyun 'hmmph's under his breath, redirecting his attention to their job, his shoulders noticeably more relaxed. Jooheon smirks, glad to have helped his brother ease up a little. Changkyun’s always been so uptight, ever since they were young. The only time he’d let up would be when he was talking about music. He even gave up his academic scholarships to the top universities—despite Jooheon’s protests—to pursue his rapping dreams.  

Jooheon recalls the day the younger had told him he was skipping out on university to become an underground rapper, the guilt that still lingers in the back of his heart. The jingling bell above the door reminds him where he is, pulls him out of his silent reverie and makes him focus on— 

His mouth goes dry and his small eyes grow fifty times their normal size.  

A man with twinkling eyes, a smirk, and perfectly light pink hair pushed back to reveal a widow’s peak saunters towards the counter. Confidence ebbs off him in waves, and Jooheon finds it completely impossible to even breathe. He feels his brother’s eyes flick over to him, his voice asking if he’s okay. Changkyun looks back to the approaching customer, a brow raised.  

“Hi, may I help you?” he asks on autopilot, noting how the stranger looks only to his brother.  

“Just a small cappuccino, please,” the customer requests, holding out the exact change before Changkyun can even tell him how much it is. Jooheon chuckles lightly beside him, as if in disbelief. He looks to his brother, then to the customer, then to his brother and back to the customer again… He recognizes the light in Jooheon’s eyes, it’s that dopey look that fills them whenever he’s talking about that— 

“You’re that guy my brother helped the other day!” Changkyun accuses, pointing an index finger at the man. The pink-haired stranger chuckles soundlessly under his breath, giving only a single nod. Jooheon, however, seems to be choking on his own saliva. Changkyun pats the older without looking away from the customer.  

“I… just came to thank him for helping me,” the stranger says at last, his voice oddly musical. It soothes the worries from Changkyun’s mind, but he has no idea why. Jooheon turns quickly to fix the coffee, pouring the appropriate blend into a to-go cup and putting the right amount of foam on top.  

“D-Don’t worry about it,” Jooheon tells him quickly, handing over the drink he’d finished in record time. The stranger takes it, a wry smirk pulling at his pink lips.  

“Will you be free some time soon?” the man asks, causing Jooheon to go rigid. “I’d… like to explain myself, for not calling you or anything.” Jooheon begins to blubber that he very much could never leave his dear little brother alone at work like this, and Changkyun takes a breath, hopefully to help.  

“Please take him,” Changkyun jokingly begs, already reaching over to free Jooheon of his apron. “He’s been chatting my ear off about you nonstop! Maybe this way I’ll be able to get some work done.” The customer yelps out a hyena-like laugh as Changkyun ushers his brother towards the fliptop section of the counter, lifting it and pushing the older out. Jooheon splutters in protest, but the angelic man is suddenly at his side and he feels so much more at ease.  

“… Try not to burn the place down while I’m gone,” Jooheon mutters, pouting a bit in protest. Changkyun rolls his eyes and waves him off, returning to the cash register. Jooheon turns on his heel and hurries to the door, opening it for the stranger.  

The man throws Jooheon a smile as he passes, and the tips of Jooheon’s ears turn a blazing red. He looks instinctually to Changkyun for help, but the younger only waggles his fingers in a wave goodbye while raising a brow. Jooheon quickly looks away, making a mental note to tear his brother a new one when he gets home.