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Characters: Yunhyeong & You

Setting: enemies to (allies to possible future) lovers au

Genre: fluff

Words: 2.3k

Summary:  You thought there’s no worse thing than having a bakery with an annoyingly handsome owner next to your coffee shop. But then the franchise comes and you have to join forces with your nemesis to keep your business.

(I read a prompt like this a while ago but sadly I don’t remember exactly where.)

The Corner Café and the bakery called Sweet Tooth next door have been mortal enemies every since the winter both shops started business. In your lovely little town where everybody knows everyone it came to the point where the employees target customers one by one to snatch them away from the other side. Since the Café sells small biscuits and one can drink hot choco at the bakery they’re basically each other’s replacement which makes the competition even more fierce. So fierce that the two owners – you and your old, high school crush, Yunhyeong – are often at each other’s throat about numbers and who stole the other’s decoration idea for the holiday season.

December hasn’t even started yet, so you scoff when you see the fairy lights and fake snowflakes in the bakery’s window as you pass by it and you’re just about to move on, open the café’s back door when a smooth voice startles you from behind.

“What’s with that disapproving sound?”

When you whip around, you see a tall, slender figure with nicely styled brown hair and eyes like chocolate in those magnificent cookies he makes. Years only did good to Yunhyeong shaping him into the perfect prince, the type that could step out of any fairytale. Not to mention that he could have been a model the way he wears every season’s clothes. But just as cold rolled in and he started wearing more and more turtlenecks with that soft-looking, long beige coat you have to admit he definitely looks good enough to have his fair share of fangirls and older ladies fanning over his handsomeness. It only makes you hate him more. (Okay, hate might be a strong word, more like dislike or annoyed to be completely honest.)

“Oh no, nothing. It’s just disappointing to see Christmas decorations in November. You seem desperate,” you shrug while smiling at him sweetly but he takes it just as offending as it was supposed to be.

“I. Am. Not. I’d just like to avoid what happened last year when you said I stole the red-nosed deer idea,” he scrunches his own nose recollecting his memories about the incident which caused quite a ruckus between you two.

“You totally did, it was in my window first!”

“But it was the trend everywhere, it wasn’t your idea to begin with,” Yunhyeong states, not even hesitating to bring back his old arguments but you aren’t swayed by those. You can only glare at him furiously because you know he’s right but you won’t let him know that ever.

So you just keep staring at each other waiting for the other to give up this ridiculous, childish contest when suddenly a moving truck stops on the other side of the street before the empty building that has been rentable for almost a month now after the previous accessory shop closed down.

“Did you know someone rented it?’ Yunhyeong looks down at you suspiciously with his hands on his waist like a parent scolding a child. You roll your eyes.

“No. How could I have known?” You shrug not really caring about all that fuss. If a new shop opens there, so be it. You have survived a few years here already, it’s not like it can be a problem, right? Your shop generates just enough profit to help you get by comfortably.

“I lowkey hope it will be Nivea store,” the young man next to you sighs lovingly and it’s your cue to leave. You are not going to comment on the lip gloss he uses religiously. And no, not because you’re afraid of slipping and admitting that he has pretty, kissable lips, absolutely no.

“Keep dreaming,” you wave at him and close the back door behind you, ready for just another day to begin.

A few days pass in silence. Nothing extraordinary happens, you keep bantering with Yunhyeong on a daily basis and enjoy the relieved smiles of your customers. You’re actually in the middle of the latter, preparing a mocha coffee when one of your baristas comes up to you.

“Uh boss, someone’s looking for you. He says it’s pretty urgent,” she whispers as she taps on your shoulder softly. Your eyebrows shoot up at her statement not knowing who that could be or what he might want to say but you finish making the drink and walk to the front desk where Yunhyeong stands - of freaking course, he does.

“What the hell?” You blurt out totally dumbfounded since you two normally don’t storm into each other’s stores. At least, you respect each other’s place. So what has gotten into him that brought him here?

“Do you know what’s going to be in front of us?” he points towards your window, the other side of the street in sheer panic as if it was emergency. Even his hair looks dishevelled because the approaching December breezes messed it up. Your hands itch to touch, to brush them back to their place but you can’t help but admit he looks good even like this. But that’s only your stupid crush speaking.

At his question you look out the window and see the renovating team decorating the new store. Oh so this is what it’s about.

“No and I don’t care…” you shush his concerns away. It’s not your problem if he’s worried and you’re about to go back to the kitchen when Yunhyeong grabs onto your wrist.

“A frozen yogurt franchise shop!” he shrieks and your jaw drops.

“What?”

“Yeah, you heard it right. Frozen yogurt in our lovely little town. The worst competitor we could have. They will take our customers away with their sugar-infused drinks and desserts,” he explains and you know that sadly it’s right. Franchise chains can sell the same products much cheaper than you could ever. Do they want to move next door and sell their products to your customers? You won’t let that easily. So be war.

“Oh no. We can’t let that happen,” you shake your head and with eyes shining Yunhyeong is quick to agree.

“Yeah, so we need a plan.”

The two of you sit down in the café (yeah, you did fight about where to go) after working hours with a cup of nice coffee and some freshly made patisserie products brought by Yunhyeong to work out a plan against the frozen yogurt place. He has some connections in the municipal, so he found out that the company has every legal document to open their new store in such a close proximity to your already fierce competition. So there’s no way to attack on that side, which meant only dirty stuff which neither of you want to risk or a business alliance to promote your own brands and make sure it stays as the favourable option for customers.

“What about coupons?” you suggest because honestly that’s your first idea that comes to your mind in this case. Your goal is to keep your customers and maybe get new ones if you’re popular enough. You won’t lose in this competitive industry just because of a shinier, bigger name on the market.

“They’re a bit outdated, don’t you think?” Yunhyeong grimaces and you want to tell him off for not suggesting a better idea then but you decide against it. At least, with him you have an ally by your side.

“But what if someone buys here a coffee, they get 10% off on every pastry they buy at yours and vica versa?”

“That could work,” the bakery owner nods and pushes the plate full of croissants under your nose while he keeps talking. They have delicious smell, that much you have to admit and listening to your grumbling stomach, you gulp down your pride and take one to ease your hunger. “And because of the festive feelings… ah, I wanted to do it by myself but it would be better for the kids to make it a bigger event. So what about a charity, maybe an advent calendar with gifts?”

He seems so genuine that your opinion about his strategies takes a double take.

“Oh. You really don’t do CSR only for marketing,” you blurt out before you could stop yourself. You have heard a lot about companies using corporate social responsibility as a marketing tool, so when the bakery started doing these little seasonal event by helping orphans, children hospitals and so on, you thought Yunhyeong just wanted to get into the ladies’ hearts.

“So you do know what it means,” he blinks surprised and you shrug. Of course, you know what it means but you kept teasing him because you thought he doesn’t really care about doing good for the local community until his business makes profit. Seems like you thought wrong. It must be truly important for him if he keeps initiating small events like this. You’re about the ask exactly what kind of advent calender he was thinking of when there’s a knock on the door and your younger brother marches in without excuses. He often comes by after his evening shifts to get a cup of coffee for free.

“Are you two finally dating?” he asks so bluntly as soon as he steps in that you almost spit your latte out.

“What? No. It’s not a date. We seek revenge against our new neighbour,” you explain hastily, searching for a napkin while you glare at Chanwoo signalling him to go. But the little just smiles devilishly.

“Oh sorry, my bad.”

“Dating pff…” you roll your eyes. It’s not even the first time to be honest! Last time, an elderly couple saw you arguing on the street and muttered something about young love. You might have had a crush on Yunhyeong back in high school but it’s has been years. Come on, you’ve moved on since then. Haven’t you?

“Okay, imma just use the toilet real quick,” Chanwoo escapes to the men’s room before you could yell at him to get out. It’s a bit dangerous with him and Yunhyeong together here because you’ve drunkenly told your brother how hot you think the bakery owner looks when he’s mad. If Chanwoo is being his usual annoying self he might spill the beans tonight.

In the meantime, in the awkward silence you try to find solace in the lovely scent of coffee lingering around and purposefully avoiding eye contact with Yunhyeong.

“You know what? We’re not that so bad team after all. We could make the best out of it if we weren’t competing with each other all the time,” he says leaning back on the cushion of the corner sofa watching you eat his croissants with pride.

“Well, I don’t know who started it…”

“You. With the biscuits, obviously,” he interrupts and you gasp at the accusation.

“No! Biscuits are a must. It was you with that huge logo on your window,” you remind the boy of that shamefully huge picture with the slogan ‘the best hang out place on the block’. It felt an insult even back then. You were arguing about it for weeks but then he changed it to ‘the best homemade bakery on the block’.

“That’s just marketing,” he brushes off  your complain now casually.

“What about your healthy food campaign against my sugared coffee?” you lean forward with a raised brow and accusative tone. Yunhyeong looks taken aback for a moment.

“That… that wasn’t against you. It was for the Health Week and that’s just social responsibility,” he explains and by now you know he means it but still can’t help a snort. Just to for being so smarty pants even now while planning your actions against that frozen yogurt place. You don’t need to be reminded how he left after high school to go to the capital and get some cool management degree before coming back to this small town that welcomed him back like he was a celebrity.

“Don’t use fancy words here flashing your fancy diplome in my face. You’re so annoying.”

“And you’re always nagging,” he retorts, leaning closer over the table and you mimic his actions because you can’t leave it without any word.

“Arrogant.”

“Know-it-all.”

“Show-off.”

“Beautiful.”

With the next offend dancing on the tip of your tongue, you open and close your mouth dumbly like a fish.

“What?” You ask gaping at Yunhyeong. He looks up from his drink just as surprised as you.

“What?”

“You said I was beautiful,” you repeat what he said and it sounds absolutely silly, doesn’t it? Why would he think so? Especially if he remembers you in your braces and with your terrible haircut from sophomore year. But he just shrugs as if it went without saying.

“Oh… well, you are,” he says, not even trying to protest. The only sign of his nervousness it the way he scratches the back of his neck.“Beautiful but a bit bitter sometimes. Like your coffees.”

“Stop it. Now you’re being overly sweet,” you wave him and his compliment off not wanting to hear any more. You’re back at teasing apparently, but a small part of you is still hoping that Yunhyeong wasn’t joking about it. Or that the sparks in his eyes are not just a trick of light.

“But cupcake, there’s no such thing as too sweet,” he winks at you and you hate the blush that’s creeping its way up to your cheeks. Argh what a flirt!

(“Still not a date?” Chanwoo peeks out of the toilet and you have the sudden urge to throw something at him for being always right because in the end, you stay in the café way longer than intended, totally forgetting about why you were there in the first place at all. Worries about the frozen yogurt place are replaced by fluttering hearts and they can have their own share for all you care because you and Yunhyeong are gonna be the power couple on the block either way.)