By some insane luck, Mina and Inseong were both distracted when the ever-silent barista placed a glass down on the table in front of Inseong. There was a paper umbrella floating in the drink, which gave an almost hilarious contrast with the man’s sombre expression. You’d never seen him leave the counter before, and curiously eyed Inseong who seemed to know the man.

“Ah I was… I’ve stayed too long, haven’t I?” He smiled. The barista cracked a tiny smile and shrugged, standing up straight. He was impressively tall, much taller than you’d realized. He looked to be taller than Inseong, who in turn was taller than Heejun, who in turn towered over you. In conclusion, the barista was impressively tall.

“My patron looks upset.” He gave a nod in your direction. It was the first time you’d heard him speak. His voice was strangely melodic, much softer and warmer than you’d expected from his usually at best neutral expression.

“Heejun’s interested in her.” Inseong divulged, turning mostly to face his friend. Apparently, they both knew Heejun. The barista raised an eyebrow before looking at you. While he was looking over you, it didn’t exactly feel like you were being scrutinized. Maybe that had something to do with the fleeting smile when he noticed the cat on your lap. After eyeing it for a few seconds, he gave a small nod.

“That makes sense, I guess. You have my sympathies.” He offered you a slight smile. “If he acts up, tell him Youjin has your back. Now, Inseong, get out of my café.”

So that was his name. Youjin. You gave him a small nod and awkwardly turned your attention to the small cat still sleeping on your lap. It yawned and shifted around before stretching itself out and sitting up, blinking at you. You reached out slowly, brushing your fingertips around the cats ear. The cat, though it seemed happy with the attention, let itself slide off your lap and waddled off.

When you looked up, Youjin had gone back to the counter and Inseong had also gotten up from his seat. He glanced between you and Mina, and then… As if he’d flicked a switch, his face lit up when he smiled. Luckily, the brunt of his smile was geared at Mina, who you did notice twitch slightly.

“It’s been great running into you, and I do hope you come back to see us. If you give me a chance, I’ll show you I’m a much better host than Heejun. Your drink’s on me.” He beamed before turning and heading to the door, passing by the counter and making a brief exchange with Youjin before leaving. As Mina gazed after him, smiling to herself, you quickly glanced at your phone. Heejun. You’d have to check the message later.

“You shouldn’t date a host, they’re players.” You said sarcastically, “I see you, miss hypocrisy.”

“I didn’t say hosts are all players! Just that Heejun definitely is one.” Mina scoffed, patting her chest. “He’s paying for my drink, I enjoy not having to pay for stuff. So when were you going to tell me about Heejun, anyway?”

“I… I was going to tell you if things became serious.” At least, that’s when you would have definitely had to tell her. And you hoped that you would have had the guts to do it at that point in time. “You liked Heejun when you didn’t know it was him I was texting! And he did really help me out when I ran into Jaehyun. I’m not saying I trust him, or that I like him, but he’s not been pushy about anything.”

“That’s what worries me. He comes across so different in those messages than any time I’ve seen him in real life.” Mina took a sip from her drink, frowning. “That he can be so different so easily.”

She did have a point. It was weird that Heejun snapped from being flirty and seductive to pleasantly sweet and normal in a millisecond, that it came so easily to him. And then there was the cold stare you’d seen him give Jaehyun, that disappeared in an instant… But of course, acting was his job. He was probably just really good at acting.

Your phone buzzed briefly before it started to ring. A sense of impending doom overcame you as you pulled it from your pocket, and the sound grew louder. Heejun. Of course it was him. You didn’t even have to say it, because Mina knew. She stared at you before reaching her hand out, beckoning you to hand her your phone.

“I’ll be right back.” You mumbled, jumping to your feet quickly.

“Give me the phone.”

“Five minutes.” You all but sprinted away from her, deciding last minute to make for the restroom so Mina couldn’t confiscate your phone. Youjin gave you a quiet nod as you passed him. Not even a seconds later you heard him tell Mina that he had a strict “one patron at a time” policy for his bathroom. You didn’t stick around to listen to her protest.

Then you had to answer the phone. It’d been ringing for a few seconds now. You decided to bite the bullet and hit the answer button, bringing the phone to your ear, and tried not to breathe audibly.

“Hey.” Hey. That was the best you could come up with?

“Hey, are you busy?” His voice was quite pleasant, it was almost like he was sitting next to you again. You sat down on a bucket that was turned upside down and tried not to smile.

“Not really. I’m in Youjin’s cat café. You know him, right?”

“How did you ever come across Youjin? He’s not a people person.” There was a chuckle in his answer. Clearly they were still on good terms.

“I’m not much of a people person either, I’m just here for the cats. How are you?” Behind you, you felt the heating warming your back. The tiles were meticulously clean, and the whole room smelled faintly of eucalyptus. You barely had time to take it in before Heejun’s voice rang in your ear again.

“I’m great! But I was hoping you might have some time tonight?” His tone was so playful that you could see him grinning. Your chest suddenly felt strangely warm, and you patted it to try and get it back to normal.

“Depends on why you’re asking.” It was so much easier to sass him when he wasn’t directly in front of you.

“I want to see you.” The playfulness had left his voice. Your heart started beating faster, and you bit your tongue. Heejun continued. “A friend of mine gave me some tickets for a play, but I don’t want to go alone. Will you come with me?”

“Is it a boring play?”

“Less boring with you there.” Was he whining? It sounded devastatingly cute.

“We could ditch and do something else together.”

“I like the sound of that…” It almost sounded like he was purring. “So what do you want to do tonight?” His voice was the embodiment of tickling someone’s feet with a feather.

“How about some games? There’s an arcade not far from your café.” You suggested, swinging your legs a little. Your feet dragged along the floor.

“Fun.” He mused. “Can you meet me at the café? I work until five.” Whining again. This time the chuckle escaped you, and though you tried to cover for it you were sure he noticed. You smiled as you played with the hem of your shirt.

“Sure, I’ll drop by around five. See you then.”

 

It felt even more awkward to be in the café whilst not being a paying customer, but you forced yourself to walk inside. The atmosphere was entirely different. The lights had dimmed down slightly, and the chatting was much quieter. There were less people, too. Two girls were sitting and chatting with Dongwon, and another three were gathered around a man you didn’t know but recognized from the café. Your attention was drawn by a soft cough. When you looked up you saw a tall man, taller than any of the other men you’d seen in the café, with friendly eyes and dark hair.

“Hello.” You greeted awkwardly.

“Hello, I’m Seoham.” He smiled sweetly, and you found yourself wondering how old he was. He looked to be in his early twenties, but his inflection and his innocent face made him seem much younger. His hand reached out for yours and you blinked.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I’m just meeting someone here, I’m not here for a drink.” You stammered. He shrugged and gestured at a set of nearby chairs, taking a seat himself.

“I’ll keep you company until they’re here. How did you end up finding this place?” He asked, still smiling in a way you felt ‘patient’ might be the best descriptor for. Mina came to mind, and you felt anxious.

“My friend comes here sometimes. But she’s a little upset with me right now.” She’d snapped at you after you told her about the date, though she did end the conversation by making you promise to check in with her during and after the date.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. Are you sure I can’t get you a drink? I hear hot chocolate is great for these kinds of things.” He shifted as if he was getting ready to stand up. From the corner of your eyes you noticed Heejun appearing somewhere behind him, dressed in casual grey pants and a large overcoat with faux fur around the hood. He spotted you the instant you noticed him and waved, causing you to smile.

“That’s alright, the person I’m meeting is here. But thank you for keeping me company.” You smiled apologetically at Seoham. He nodded.

“Great! I didn’t catch your name, but I’d love to know it.” Before you could tell him, your name was called out loudly by Heejun who brushed past Seoham to take your hand. He came just a little too close, but stepped back once you’d gotten up from your seat.

“Oh, Heejun.” Seoham smiled, and you again got the sense that he was younger than he looked. Heejun entwined his fingers with yours, squeezing your hand softly.

“Hey Seoham, thanks for keeping my date company. I’m sorry I made you wait.” Heejun directed most of what he’d said to you, brushing his thumb along the back of your hand as he eyed you. Something felt off about the way he said it. Technically it was true, but you’d never heard anyone talk that way about dates unless it was to make a point. Seoham answered innocently, so maybe it was a normal exchange between the two of them.

“Wow, really? That sounds fun! I hope you two have a great time!” The taller man waved. You waved back, then followed Heejun as he tugged on your hand. Seoham gave you a last smile before turning to answer someone who entered the café after you did.

“How was your day?” Heejun asked, casually bumping his shoulder into yours as you exited the café. You were increasingly aware of the way his hand was holding yours and desperately pleaded for your palm not to become sweaty. Heejun’s thumb was still tracing circles on the back of your hand.

“The few hours we weren’t talking were fine, you know the rest. How was your day?” You squeezed his hand. Your squeeze was immediately met by another one of his. Almost like a game. It left you feeling strangely giddy, especially when Heejun answered a second squeeze by just holding your hand tightly.

“Right now, my day is amazing.” He smiled, and your face felt hot. His smile was somewhat naughty, yet cute at the same time. You had to look away from him, he was too much to handle.

“Cheeky.”

“You asked.” You could hear him grinning.