Chapter One: Warm Tea

It was a cold night, the streets were deserted because of it, with the few people still awake were already comfortable inside the 24/7 places scattered in Seoul or in their own homes. It was good for him, least probability of anyone recognize him walking aimlessly on the empty streets. He had enough of media exposure the last few months and he was seriously tired, so walking almost like an anonymous person was a fresh breath after a long time feeling stuck in a dark place.

When he decided to be a musician, a member of Korean wave, he knew what he was signing up to, the exposure, the rumors, the controversies, the scandals, he knew all that and he was ready for them, but it would be a lie if he would say they didn’t hurt. It would be lying to say he wasn’t unaffected by them, it would be a lie to deny how ed up all of that was.

He sometimes wondered how it would be if he had never pursued that dream of playing guitar and singing, but then he wouldn’t have met those amazing people throughout the years, those amazing friends, some like family, and that were there for him for all those years. Yeah, he wouldn’t exchange that for anything, the precious relationships he made during those years of being a singer, not even the painful ones. However, soon he would have a break of all of that, he was going to give himself some time of anonymous life and he was going to enjoy it. The military was going to give him an opportunity to breathe and think, to be himself away from cameras and comments of netizens.

He was so lost in thoughts he not even noticed where he was going until he stopped in front of it, he couldn’t stop the laugh that came through his mouth. He hasn’t come to that place in years, he not even thought of that place at all. But apparently, it never left the back of his mind.

He contemplated turning around and walking away, but curiosity made him step ahead and push the doors to finally enter that 24/7 tea shop that used to be close to the older building his company used to use. An almost hidden shop where he spent a relaxing time after long hours working. Where he used to meet her. The shop didn’t change that much during the years he stopped coming there, the same wooden floor, wooden chairs and tables and that same comfortable and warm ambiance that he used to enjoy so much. Even the smell of different herbs was familiar and inviting as it always were back then.

Looking around he noticed the shop was practically empty if not but him, the worker and a person seated at the back reading a book. Relieved he walked to the counter and asked for a lemon tea and chose the other table at the back, pushing his mask up and pulling his hat further down when he saw himself in front of the other person.

He noticed that they were using a scarf that took half of their face and a bonnet that hid their hair, nothing too strange really, a lot of did that in the middle of the night anyway. So, he looked away and tapped a tune on the table while he waited for his tea.

As the time passed he started to notice a frown in the person in front of him and he noticed that because of the emptiness of the shop his tapping was loud enough to bother the other customer. He stopped his fingers and lowered his head in apology, sighing inwardly.

He pulled his mask off and placed his hands in front of his face while he started to count in his head, trying to muffle his thoughts. Entering that shop was a bad idea, memories he didn’t want to have anything to do anymore were flourishing at each breath he took. He was taken forcefully out of his self-hypnotization when the worker placed the hot tea in front of him causing him to muffle a scream.

“I’m so sorry sir,” the barista asked apologetically.

“That’s fine,” he answered not even remembering to hide his face.

The worker bowed and went back to his place behind the counter and he grabbed the cup with both of his hands feeling the warmth penetrate his cold hands. He stared at the light green liquid for a while, trying to think of nothing, but a nagging feeling of someone looking at him intently made him look up and finally meet the clear brown eyes from the person seated in front of him on the other table. It was the person he was so desperately trying not to think.

She was looking back at him with surprise. What a joke, really, them meeting in that place, after so many years. He gripped his cup of tea harder in an attempt of holding in feelings he got so used to push back. It was easy to fake it in front of cameras, it was so easy to say that he was in a drama in which they were friends, that the hurt never happened, that they never happened.

He schooled his face the best he could and gave her a nod, and for a second, he thought he saw hurt passing on those open eyes of hers, but it was soon nowhere to be seen. She just nodded back at him and he turned to stare at his tea, wishing desperately that all of that was just a dream.

He took a long sip of his tea and his eyes met hers again, and for the first time in a long while they stared at each other. It took a long while until both looked away, trying to compose again the mask they were so used to have when in the presence of the other.

He only looked up at her direction again when he heard the rustle of clothes and the noise of the chair moving while she got up and walked away. Not understanding what took him he finished his tea in one gulp and went after her, not minding the curious look the barista shot at them both.

He reached her a block away from the shop and a bit breathless he called her.

“Wait…” She turned around and stared at him.

“Yes, Yonghwa-ssi?” her soft voice fluctuated to him, condensate breath escaping her lips.

It hurt her saying his name like this, but he couldn’t blame her for doing so.

“I’m sorry I made you uncomfortable, Seohyun-ssi, I was already leaving, you didn’t need to…” She interrupted him.

“I was going already, it’s late and I should be home,” she looked away, her nose flaring as she took deep breaths. “Don’t think too much of yourself in this case.”

Hurt and anger flared in his chest, but she wasn’t wrong either. He shouldn’t think too much of himself, that he would be the responsible for her actions.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled.

She just nodded and her heels, walking once again away from him. However, she only took a few more steps before she stopped again and this time she was the one to call him while she turned around

“Yonghwa-ssi, what…” she stopped and took a deep breath. “What made you come to that place?”

That question gave him pause. Why had he come to that place? Why really?

“And what made you?” he saw himself asking instead.

He saw when she tensed her shoulders and squared them, preparing herself for something, what, he didn’t know yet. He also saw the determination harden her face, the soft lines of her face hardening with resolution.

“You,” her answer was simple, said with so much determination that it struck him.

Because it resonated inside him because it was the same as him. Deep inside he knew, he knew why his steps led him to that place, why he saw himself entering. It was because of her, because of the feelings he still had for her and that he still held tight.

He didn’t saw himself walking to her, he only saw when his hands touched her round face and his eyes were staring intently at hers. He saw the mirror image of his feelings, the hurt, the anger, the hope and the love. Without any more words his lips met hers, hesitantly at first, almost too careful, but when he felt her corresponding to his kiss, he pressed his lips harder and kissed her deeper, conveying all those feelings he had locked for so long. He felt her kissing him back as hard, with as many feelings.

It was with much regret that he pulled back, both panting and holding each other with so much fear and desperation, afraid the spell would be broken and lost.

“It was you,” he finally answered. “It will always be you.”

And she smiled, she smiled so brightly that made him smile back. It was that same smile that always made his heart thump loudly and looked like it was going to ride its way out of his chest. He pulled her for a kiss again, in the middle of a sleeping Seoul, away from prying eyes and the reality.

Both sharing the warmth of the lemon tea they consumed.

A/N: For now, putting this as complete, because I don’t want to give false hopes to anyone, and because this was intended to be a one-shot. But who knows? Anyway, let me know what you think ;)