The bells hanging on the front door clang together to signal the entrance of a new customer and Yijeong looks up from where he stands behind the counter preparing various hot drinks. “Welcome,” he says brightly, loud enough to be heard over the sounds of chatter and clinking of mugs that fill the room. The customer nods politely and that’s when Yijeong notices how unique this particular customer is.

For one thing, he’s tall and looks a bit overdressed for a small, informal cafe, wearing a neat white dress shirt and a pair of slacks that look like they probably cost more than Yijeong’s biweekly paycheck. His face is clean shaven and his hair is neatly slicked back into place. Finally, and only as a side note, Yijeong observes that he’s devastatingly handsome.

He briefly wonders if the man is here for a business meeting, but he looks a bit too nervous for that. He approaches the counter and orders a hot americano without taking a moment to deliberate. He hands a couple of bills to Yijeong and thanks him when he hands back his change. “I’ll bring that out to you in a moment,” Yijeong says and the man replies, “No rush.”

The cafe is crowded, the way it usually is on Saturdays, and Yijeong rushes around tending to the customers and filling their orders. His coworker leaves as soon as the crowd disperses, leaving Yijeong to close up. The customer he’d noticed earlier is still sitting at a table for two in the corner where he’s been for over an hour, slowly sipping on his third coffee and staring at his phone even after everyone else has left the cafe. He glances at the door every few minutes and then looks back down at his phone. Yijeong starts to clean up and prepare to close, but the mysterious customer in the corner doesn’t seem to notice.

Eventually, he has no choice but to gently inform the customer that it’s closing time. He approaches him slowly and clears his throat before saying, “I’m sorry, but it’s time for me to close the cafe now.” The man looks slightly startled as he looks up and apologizes quietly as Yijeong notices that his coffee cup is still half full. “No worries, feel free to finish your coffee while I clean up.”

Yijeong flips the open sign to closed and gets to work on cleaning up behind the counter. He glances over at the table in the corner every now and then as his mind wanders freely. He can’t explain why he’s so intrigued by this particular customer, but he also can’t help but wonder. Maybe he’s just bored.

The man still looks distracted after Yijeong’s finished cleaning up, so he makes a command decision to sit down across from him. “Is everything alright?” he asks gently. The man looks up at him and apologizes again. “I’m sorry, I’ll leave now.” He starts to gather his things, but the look in his eyes tells him something’s wrong. “Are you sure everything’s okay?” Yijeong has no idea where this confidence is coming from. He’s had conversations with hundreds of customers, complete with patented topics for small talk like the weather or which coffee is the best on the menu, but he’s not the type to strike up conversation all on his own, and he’s certainly not this persistent when someone seems hesitant to open up to him.

He could blame it on boredom or the fact that he’s never seen someone so good looking and put together in his three years of working at this small independent cafe, or perhaps the fact that he has nothing better to do on a Saturday evening. There could be any number of reasons, but he doesn’t have time to examine his motives because the customer across from him looks directly at him for a few seconds and he forgets how to breathe, let alone think, for a moment.

“Promise you won’t laugh?” Yijeong nods, a bit too eagerly and the man sighs, relaxing against the back of his chair. “I was supposed to meet someone for a blind date, but I got stood up.” Yijeong had come up with several possible reasons for the man’s presence here, but that particular scenario never crossed his mind. “Are you sure you went to the right place?”

The man eyes him silently and Yijeong continues, “Or maybe you got the time wrong? You just don’t... look like someone who would get stood up.” His tone is awkward and he breaks eye contact again to look down at the table slightly. “Appearances can be deceiving. I only agreed to it so that my coworker would stop nagging me anyway. I’d never been on a blind date before. Actually, I guess I still haven’t, and I don’t think I’ll try it again.” The man sighs softly and adds, “So now you know my whole life story and I don’t even know your name.”

“It’s Jang Yijeong,” he replies quickly. “Ah, nice to meet you. I’m Song Kyungil.” Yijeong nods and the awkwardness begins to set in. “I’m sure you’re eager for me so leave so you can close up. I’ll go.” Kyungil stands up from his chair and Yijeong is filled with an indescribable urge to stop him. Still, he’s already stopped him from leaving before and he doesn’t want to seem any more strange than he already does. He hasn’t had time to figure out what exactly it is about this man that is so intriguing, so he decides to let him leave.

Kyungil turns to leave, but hesistates and turns back around after a few seconds. Yijeong looks up at him and wonders what’s wrong now. “This is going to sound really weird, but what are you doing after you close up?” Kyungil looks a little embarrassed about asking and it melts Yijeong’s heart immediately. “Going home.”

“I’m only asking because I guess I was a bit shortsighted about this whole blind date thing earlier. I already bought movie tickets.” Kyungil looks more awkward the more he speaks and it’s a refreshing sight compared to his intimidatingly attractive and put together appearance. “I’m obviously not going to use them. They’re yours if you want them. Your girlfriend would probably love an impromptu Saturday night date.”

“I don’t have a girlfriend.” A brief look of surprise passes over his features and he shrugs. “I mean, you can take anyone you want. It just seems silly to let them go to waste.” He shakes his head and his expression softens. “I warned you it was going to sound weird.”

“How about we go together?” Yijeong suggests, and if the conversation felt weird before, it’s nothing compared to the way it feels now. Kyungil’s relaxed shoulders tense up once again and Yijeong’s smile fades. “We don’t even know each other.” Inexplicably, his words sting a little and Yijeong stands up to apologize, but Kyungil stops him before he can do anything with what he says next. “I guess that’s pretty rich coming from someone who came here for a blind date.” Yijeong can’t help but laugh in an attempt to relieve the tension filling the room. “Well, I may not be the person you were expecting, but I am excellent at filling a seat at the movies.” Yijeong briefly wonders where all of this confidence is coming from as Kyungil smiles wryly. “How can I argue with that?”

“Just let me finish cleaning up. When does the movie start?” Kyungil checks the time on his phone and replies, “45 minutes.” Yijeong nods. “Perfect. Just give me 10.” Yijeong finishes closing the shop in a hurry as Kyungil examines the artwork on the walls. He’s out of breath by the time he puts on his jacket and turns off the lights. Kyungil stands behind him as he locks up the cafe, still trying to catch his breath. “I took the subway here, but the theater isn’t far. Do you mind walking?” Yijeong nods. “I took the subway too and I don’t mind walking.” Kyungil smiles as he directs him toward the theater. “Since you already know what I do for work, can I ask what you do?”

“I co-own a dance studio,” Kyungil answers lightly. “You’re a dancer?” As if he could get any hotter. “That’s unexpected.” Kyungil glances over at him. “Should I be offended?” Yijeong shakes his head. “No, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just not what I would have guessed.”

“It’s always been a dream of mine. Honestly, I still can’t really believe it’s my real job either. It’s only been about six months. What about you? Is making coffee your dream?” His tone isn’t sarcastic at all, but Yijeong feels the urge to correct him anyway. “No, I’m just working to pay for school.”

“You’re still in school?” Yijeong nods. “I’m studying at a college of music.” Kyungil hums in surprise. “You’re a musician? That’s unexpected.”

“I mean, it’s not as cool as dancing,” he tells him, shrugging off his response. “I don’t know. I mean, music and dancing go pretty well together so maybe they’re equally cool.” There’s a strange sensation filling Yijeong’s chest and it’s suggesting to him that he might be in over his head, that this might not be a simple outing so as not to waste a movie ticket. It’s not a thought that he particularly wants to acknowledge because it seems abundantly clear that he’s the only one who could be feeling this way. “It probably seems cooler because I can’t dance worth .”

“I doubt that. Musicality’s half the battle if you ask me, which means you’re already halfway there. I bet I could whip you into shape in no time.”  Yijeong realizes he must be lonelier than he’d thought because it almost feels like Kyungil’s flirting with him and that’s just not possible. “I’d like to see you try.” He must be more tired than he’d thought because it almost sounds like he’s flirting back and that’s just a terrible plan. “Is that a challenge?”

They arrive at the theater before Yijeong can give another ill advised response and he’s grateful for the timing. “So what are we seeing?” he asks, realizing he’d agreed to this sudden outing without asking any questions, and belatedly worrying that it might have been a terrible decision. “I hope you like superheroes...” Now is definitely not the time to talk about his extensive superhero merch collection, so he settles for a simple response of, “They’re alright.”

Yijeong insists on buying the movie snacks because Kyungil bought the tickets and this isn’t actually a blind date even though it feels a bit like one. At the same time, it feels distinctly unlike a blind date because there’s very little stilted conversation and no invasive questions about what his parents do for a living or where he sees himself in five years. He still can’t decide which aspect is throwing him off more.

They make their way into the theater with two drinks and a bucket of popcorn to take their seats in the center of the last row. “So if you’re in college, how old are you?” Yijeong picks up a handful of popcorn as he answers, “I’m 21. You?”

“27. My birthday was last week.” The lights in the theater dim to signal that the movie will begin soon. “Happy birthday,” Yijeong whispers and Kyungil looks far more grateful than he could have expected. “Thank you,” he whispers back as the previews start to play.

Yijeong’s actually seen this movie before, but he’s not going to tell. He’d gone with a group of friends from school about a week prior, but it’s a pretty good movie so it doesn’t present much of a problem at first. The problem sets in later, or really a combination of problems. First of all, he’s been up since 4am and worked all day on three hours of sleep since he’d spent Friday night studying. Secondly, he’s already seen the movie so there aren’t any plot twists to keep him focused. Lastly, this theater is about ten degrees warmer than it has any right to be.

This proves to be a deadly combination because he starts to yawn after the opening credits. Soon enough, he’s spending all of his remaining focus on not nodding off in a theater next to a complete stranger. He’s slowly losing the battle and he almost sends the bucket of popcorn flying across the theater. That’s when Kyungil notices that something’s up. He turns to him and asks, “Bored?” Yijeong shakes his head. “Just a little tired. I got up early.” He hopes Kyungil will just accept it and turn back to the screen so he can work through his embarrassment in peace, but he’s never been a particular lucky person and today is no exception.

Kyungil moves the popcorn to the empty chair next to him before he takes Yijeong’s cup out of the cup holder next to him and leans over him to put it in the cup holder on the other side. As he leans back, Yijeong decides that’s more than enough physical contact for one night, but it turns out that Kyungil’s just getting started. He lifts up the armrest that separates them and gives Yijeong a look that can only mean he’s offering him a place to rest his head. “I promise I’m more comfortable than a plastic armrest.” That’s really not the issue, Yijeong thinks, but he’s tired and he’s never been out with anybody this attractive before so he gives in.

He slides himself a little closer to Kyungil who puts an arm around him like it’s no big deal. He figures it’s too late to stop now, so he rests his head against an almost stranger’s chest and for a brief moment, he’s not tired anymore. It’s a little awkward, but it’s not uncomfortable and Kyungil doesn’t seem to mind at all. It’s a little unnerving how easily this whole dating thing seems to come to him; he must have dated a lot in his 27 years.

Not that this is a date.

Yijeong closes his eyes for a brief moment and when he opens them again, the movie’s over and his head is still resting on Kyungil’s chest and he panics. He jerks away from Kyungil, who stifles a chuckle but at least has the decency not to say anything. He picks up his drink and stands up, his heart beating wildly and the sudden rush of adrenaline making him feel a bit sick. “I’m gonna use the restroom, but you can go if—“

“I’ll wait.” They may not know each other well, but he’s already learned not to try to change his mind because it will never work. “Okay,” he mumbles as he leaves the row to find a restroom.

Once there, he takes a second to look at himself in the mirror to make sure he doesn’t look like he just woke up, even though that’s exactly what just happened. God, he hopes he hadn’t been drooling. His cheeks are flushed and he’s not sure if it’s from the unplanned nap or the person he’d been napping on, but he splashes his face with cold water for good measure.

Kyungil’s waiting for him outside of the restroom as expected, grinning in amusement. “Sorry about that,” he begins. “I guess my ticket went to waste after all.”

“I wouldn’t call it a waste.” Kyungil’s still grinning and it’s hard to look at for some reason so Yijeong starts to walk to the exit. “Want to share a cab?” Yijeong shakes his head. “No, that’s okay. I’ll take the subway.”

“And what if you fall asleep before your stop?” It feels like he’s teasing him, but Yijeong knows it’ll take a while for him to get home if he takes the subway and honestly, he’s just ready to be in his bed. “Okay,” he agrees hesitantly and hopes that Kyungil’s place is closer than his apartment. As soon as he hears him tell his address to the cab driver, his hopes are dashed.

Kyungil seems to be gaining energy as the evening goes on and he thinks that is superbly unfair. Why couldn’t Kyungil have been the one to fall asleep on him? That would have been far less embarrassing, and yes, that’s the only reason why he finds that scenario appealing. He feels like he’s made a massive fool out of himself; he wonders why he’d even agreed to this crazy evening in the first place. Sure, Kyungil’s hot, but shouldn’t there be more to stupid decisions than that?

His friends would probably disagree. Not that he’s planning on telling them about this since they’d never let him live it down ever.

“Thanks for hanging out with me. Sorry I kept you out past your bedtime,” Kyungil jokes and Yijeong rolls his eyes. “It’s your fault for offering me something more comfortable than the armrest. Did you enjoy the movie?” He shrugs. “Well, I tried, but it’s hard to focus when someone’s snoring in your ear.” Yijeong’s jaw drops in pure horror and Kyungil laughs heartily at the sight. “I’m just kidding.”

“You’re not funny,” Yijeong grumbles, crossing his arms and riding out yet another wave of embarrassment. “Sorry. I’ll stop teasing you.”

They reach Yijeong’s apartment after a few minutes and he starts to say his goodbyes, but Kyungil interrupts him yet again. “I’ll walk you up,” and Yijeong knows it’s not a question so he doesn’t bother protesting. He digs his keys out of his pocket as Kyungil stands behind him on the porch and he’s hit with a wave of deja vu.

“You know, all my friends complain about going on blind dates, but I think they’re pretty great.” Yijeong spins around to face him. You thought this was a date?  he thinks, but says, “You got stood up. How is that pretty great?”

“Well, I wasn’t talking about that part.” That awkward silence is back, but something about it feels supercharged. “Okay,” he continues. “You’re still a little hard for me to read, so I’m just going to ask.” Yeah, I’m the one who’s hard to read, Yijeong muses wryly as he pretends he isn’t anticipating what Kyungil will say next. “Can I see you again?”

There’s probably an alternate world somewhere out there in which Yijeong is suave and answers questions like that with a chic, “We’ll see,” but that world has no relation to this moment.

In this world, Yijeong drops his keys on the porch as if his brain has shut down communication with his entire nervous system as a result of one sentence from a good looking dancer.

Kyungil makes a valiant effort to stifle his laughter as Yijeong picks up his keys and pretends to regain his composure. “I mean, I’m working tomorrow and I can’t tell you not to buy a coffee or something if you want.” Smooth. “I’ll keep that in mind,” Kyungil tells him with a smirk as he leans a bit closer and as if this night wasn’t absurd enough already—or perhaps because it was so absurd—Yijeong goes up on his tiptoes to kiss that annoying smirk off of Kyungil’s stupidly handsome face.

It’s quick, hardly more than a peck, but it’s enough to get his heart pounding so much he thinks it might show through his jacket. He pulls away intending to disappear inside of the door and lock it behind him, but he notices that for the first time in the past four hours, Kyungil doesn’t look completely unaffected by him and it stops him dead in his tracks.

The taxi driver is waiting and hopefully not watching and the night air is growing cold and they barely know each other yet, but the outside world doesn’t exist for a moment as Kyungil rests his hands against Yijeong’s face and leans in to kiss him again.

He should probably feel a bit awkward about this, kissing someone he’s only known for a few hours, but that’s something he’ll have to wonder about later because right now he just wants to enjoy this moment while it lasts.

Kyungil is the one to break the kiss this time as he pulls back slowly and looks at Yijeong with a soft smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow then,” he says and Yijeong nods. “See you tomorrow.”