“A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow.”

William Shakespeare

A rare day off. That was something Hyukjae was enjoying right now. All he really wanted since the day Lee Donghae decided to just barge in into the office and announced himself as his boss—was a rare break. Just for once, he wanted to get away from the other’s harsh words, sarcastic remarks, and distractingly handsome face. Okay, he did not just say that! Fine, maybe he did, but he was taking it back. He did not want to inflate the other’s ego more.

Hyukjae woke up later than usual and he took his time getting ready for the day. Henry invited him and Kyuhyun last night on their group chat to go to the newly-opened coffee shop downtown. Since he had no plans scheduled for today, he straightaway agreed. He wondered why Sungmin was not included and it turned out that the other kindly turned down Henry’s invitation because unlike the three of them, the other already made some plans.

After eating a hearty breakfast consisting of bacon, eggs, and some kimchi fried rice which he paired up with an iced coffee, he began to prepare for his day out with his friends. He wore a white tank top matched with a pair of denim jeans and a black sweater. Hyukjae then settled on his sofa, turning on the television and then he took out his phone. He dialed Henry’s number.

“’Sup, hyung?”

“Henry-ah, can you send me again the address of the coffee shop?”

“Oh sure, Hyuk hyung. Kyuhyun hyung said that he’s already on his way after dropping off his clothes at the laundry shop. I am already on my way out of the residence.”

“Cool. See you, Henry.”

“See you, hyung.”

The call ended and Hyukjae leisurely got his keys and wallet. He got a text from Henry indicating the address of the coffee shop and off he went to meet the other two.

It did not take long for Hyukjae to arrive and as quickly as he got inside the shop, the bitter aroma of freshly-brewed coffee and the sweetness of baked muffins and cookies filled his nose. For someone who was born with a natural sweet tooth, Hyukjae internally nodded at the ambiance the shop had. Not bad.

He roamed his eyes around and he saw Kyuhyun and Henry seated at the table beside a large window, the latter raising his hand for him to see. He made his way towards them and situated himself across the two. Greetings and fist bumps were exchanged before a waiter decided to take their orders.

The food came sooner than they expected and he wanted to give the café a stunning five stars for that. Usually, fast service was a problem especially in fancy shops and cafes.

“It was nice to be out of the demon’s grasp once in a while,” Henry said, taking a sip of his iced mocha latte. Hyukjae could not agree any further. What the mystery novelist had said was just something he was dying to say. One whole day without seeing their boss was truly a day worth anticipating.

“That Lee Donghae sure as hell would be the death of me,” Hyukjae added his two cents in, eliciting laughs from his friends with their own responses of “me too” and “hell yeah”.

“How’s the second attempt going?” Kyuhyun directed the question to him and Hyukjae pondered for a moment. Since his first draft was basically and unfortunately rejected by the demon, Hyukjae’s currently working on his second one. He knew he needed to ace this one because if not, he probably better kiss his job goodbye.

Hyukjae groaned, not really knowing what to answer. “Still working on it.”

The bell from the front door rang making the three of them turned towards the decorative entrance. Their eyes instantly widened upon seeing the three new arrivals.

“Hey! Isn’t that Sungmin hyung?” Henry pointed out and Hyukjae’s attention was not really directed to their bunny-faced friend but more to the person on his left side.

“Isn’t that our boss?” Kyuhyun loudly muttered, still chomping on a slice of strawberry shortcake.  Hyukjae just nodded, however, the real question was:

“What the hell’s Sungmin doing with that demon? Are they friends or what?” He voiced out.

Henry gasped in a much exaggerated manner. “Maybe that is why Sungmin hyung’s not badmouthing him. He is even defending our boss. What if that Lee Donghae really brainwashed our friend?”

Hyukjae and Kyuhyun looked at their younger friend with ‘What the ’ looks and Henry shrugged. “I’m just guessing,” he added.

They saw how Sungmin, Donghae, and someone they were not familiar with roamed their eyes around the shop, probably looking for an empty table when Sungmin’s eyes met his. The graphic artist looked taken aback for a moment but then smiled and waved at them. Sungmin turned towards his companions and pointed at their table, whispering something. Hyukjae also saw how Donghae turned his gaze to them and nodded nonchalantly at whatever Sungmin was saying.

The three writers were dumbfounded when Sungmin’s group started to walk to their table. Hyukjae soon realized what was happening and he internally face palmed. Of course Henry had chosen a six-seater table. Of ing course! Damn it!

Please Subscribe to read the full chapter