Junyoung likes life to be simple and without any kind of complication, or at least, he tries his best for his own life to be like that. For nothing to actually disturb his trail of thought or take his attention for too long because he just wouldn’t stand for something to distract him for long stretches of time since it would make mess with the way he wants to live. At least, that is what he keeps telling himself on the daily.

He doesn’t like for things to get too complicated at all, that is why when he found out that he and his best friend could be roommates he was so comfortable with the idea that he decided to not ever let Yoochan go away from him. That is why when things go bad at his part-time jobs he’d rather quit than stand the asphyxiating stress that would cause him to stand uncalled for situations and-- that is the reason why the mere idea of falling in love is not something that really thrills him that much, among many other many things that Junyoung considers could get in the way he has decided to live his life. Even if at his university and part time jobs there are always girls and guys hitting on him and trying to get his number in many different ways, with many different tactics that he manages to catch on rapidly enough in order to counter quickly.

Falling for someone is not something Lee Junyoung wants to do-at least, not ever since the last real crush he had, which happened to be the one that made him realize he actually liked guys, went nowhere. And not because it wasn’t reciprocated, not because he confessed and was dumped, looked down onto or anything of that sort--but because it was one of those crushes you get while you are out, minding your own business and cupid decides to choose you that day and play with your heartstrings like you are a violin that is playing a melody for a pair of lovers, like you are someone who needs to play a love melody.

He doesn’t want for his heart to play any melody, not to him and most certainly, not to another person either.

And it is silly, he believes. That it only took for him to randomly walk into a shopping mall about three years ago and walk past a Starbucks for him to realize you could crush hard and fast and that it was something he really didn’t want to go through again.

Junyoung still remembers that fleeting blissful feeling he felt that day. He could have sworn he felt his cheeks heat up terribly, his body warm up like he had suddenly developed a fever out of nowhere and in the middle of the summer and they say you can feel butterflies in your stomach? Up to now, Junyoung still believes that if what he felt back then were butterflies for real-then they were really making him take flight on that very spot and feeling like he could actually levitate.

When his mind decides to remind him of that particular instance where he actually felt those so called butterflies and all of those cheesy sappy things, it always takes him back to that café. To that tall boy with huge pretty eyes and visibly soft plump lips, skin like porcelain and blonde hair like he had come out of a fairytale, straight out of a book and into reality only for him to steal his heart with the mere action of existing.

A customer, a simple customer just like he would become in some minutes only to be able to look at him from a closer spot. And even though it wasn’t like he actually wanted to be there, his steps decided to take him there that day and his senses were so alert that he even overheard the voice of the boy placing his order, “Bubble tea, please” soft, calm and small--even from where he was, he remembers he was able to tell the exact tune that boy’s voice had. He even cherishes that little moment in which the boy turned around and their gazes met for some seconds, only for him to avert his gaze seemingly embarrassed and turn around rapidly.

And that was incredibly cute to the point that Junyoung felt smitten even more than he could have imagined.

And out of pure cheesiness, Jun even ordered the same thing as him--but when he turned around on his heels to try and search for the guy and maybe strike a conversation with him, the boy was obviously gone, and Junyoung’s heart with him even though he could still feel it beating out of control.

That’s what you get for being a sap , was what his mind told him that day. And what his thoughts still tell him when he remembers that crush which- even if insignificant and possibly silly in the eyes of his best friend- still means a lot to him. Love at first sight , or so he wanted to tell himself, but this instance is what still makes him reluctant about the whole love thing-because that made him realize that love shows up quick and can leave you even quicker so, why even bother?

However, that doesn’t change the fact that Junyoung-- ever since then-- decided to take different part time jobs on that mal and on different malls across Seoul with the probably silly idea to run into that guy who stole his heart just by existing and apparently hadn’t given it back, in three years .

Junyoung feels pitiful at times, this goes against the philosophy of life he had planned for himself-these feelings still don’t leave him and threaten him to not ever leave. But he doesn’t want to fall in love with someone else for those emotions to actually go away from his heart either, to already leave him alone for real. And at times when he spaces out, these feelings even give him trouble.

‘Well, so much for wanting to live a calm quiet life with no complications’ , Junyoung says to himself every time this happens.

“How come you quitted your job again?!” he hears Kang Yoochan, his best friend since high school and roommate, tell him with a tone filled with skepticism and shock but with a look that gives a “I saw this coming” vibe. Junyoung just looks at the alarmed state Yoochan is at, as though money was the real worry behind his outburst and not him being jobless for a while.

“They didn’t like my laid back attitude I guess” Junyoung shrugs and lets his arms rest next to his sides before placing them inside his jacket’s pockets, rummaging through them while looking for change he currently doesn’t have.

“Do I have to pay for your order now?” Yoochan asks as they both are queuing at a Dunkin Donuts in the food court part of one of the shopping malls Junyoung used to work at part time.

“If you wanna” Junyoung says as he places his hands on Yoochan’s shoulders and rest his chin on top of his own hand while nuzzling the side of his friend’s neck, “I want a strawberry frappe” he mentions as he points at the screen and Yoochan lets out a sigh.

“Only because today you are jobless again” Yoochan replies as he takes out his wallet from his the back pocket of his jeans, “Be glad I am nice and I have a really good part-time job or else we would both be screwed”

A light push on Yoochan’s shoulder follows, “Stop complaining and pay”

“Stop being so pushy or I am going to leave the flat” to this, Junyoung’s reply is to wrap his arms around Yoochan’s middle and nuzzle his neck once more-as if physical contact would ease the other and was the solution to everything, from being jobless to getting that frappe he so craves right now.

“You love me, come on” Junyoung states.

“I stand your behavior maybe more than I should”

When their turn arrives, Yoochan is quick to place the order for both, bubble tea for himself and the strawberry frappe Junyoung asked for.

“So-did it happen again?” Junyoung hears his best friend ask as they both are making their way towards an empty table at an isolated corner of the establishment.

“What did?” Junyoung asks.

“Your daydreaming and spacing out at work” Yoochan states with a frown as he sits down and takes a sip from his drink while Junyoung just shrugs at him again.

“Maybe not” he replies with a grin that ticks his longtime friend off almost instantly.

“Lies Lee Junyoung! Were you spacing the hell out again?” Junyoung doesn’t even want to gaze at Yoochan and he decides that he’d rather take a sip from the drink that he ordered before he loses the will to.  But his disinterest and beating around the bush is so obvious that Yoochan just gives up; he already knows the answer and Jun knows that very well from his irritated expression and his nagging.

It is always the same, getting a part-time job at s