Siwon squinted his eyes as he stared at the rows and rows of numbers displayed on his screen, the numbers blurring into unreadable blobs. He sighed in frustration as he reclined back into the backrest of the office chair that he swore was at least half his age while rubbing at his eyes tiredly. He expected that he would have to do more general tasks that seemed to be more menial and repetitive, but he never expected for it to be this bad. He turned his head to the LED digital wall clock and stared at the bright red digits that appeared to be mocking him. 45 more minutes to the next meeting. 45 more minutes of me just punching in numbers trying to make sense of them. 45 more minutes of suffering. Someone have mercy on me. Siwon quickly shook his head. No, I wanted to do this, and I will do my very best to prove to them that I can do it. To prove to myself. 

On paper, Siwon was just a graduate fresh out of college being a regular worker in one of the departments of a large enterprise. In actuality, Siwon was the only son of the owners of Choi Enterprises, and he was to be the future heir. So, what was the son of a chaebol doing scrutinizing a simple excel sheet with the intensity of a high-schooler studying for their calculus exam? Well, Siwon knew from young that he was always expected to take over the company one day. However, he did not want everything to be handed to him on a silver platter. It would look bad if upon graduation Siwon got to land a high-ranking job due to nepotism. So, when Siwon graduated summa laude with a Bachelor in Business administration and his parents offered him a managerial role, Siwon turned it down immediately and suggested that he would start to work in the company from the bottom rungs. This way, it would show his sincerity in wanting to work for the company and he would also be much more seasoned and experienced when he started to work up the ranks. Not being able to dispute Siwon's logic, his parents chucked him to the finances department to put his skills to use, of course, keeping his identity under wraps. No one knew that Siwon had blood ties to the company and Siwon and his parents made sure that it stayed that way. So here he was, filing papers after papers and screening through mountains of excel sheets. Right now, he was deeply regretting not elaborating on his request and asking his parents to place him in a department that had less background work. Then again, at the very least in the future he could say that he had seen it all. Siwon tugged at his Windsor knot gently, the tie suddenly feeling a lot more constricting. It’s okay, I have to go through this now to be a better leader in the future. You can get through this, Choi Siwon. 

Siwon turned back to his laptop and heaved out a dejected sigh as he gave one last look at the excel sheet, checking over the numbers one last time before saving the file and uploading it to the archive for someone else to analyse the information. He skimmed through the remaining documents he had to look through and felt the urge to fling himself out of the window. Another down, seven more to go. Siwon rubbed at his temples as he attempted to refocus. While the work was repetitive, Siwon had to pat himself on the back as generally he was one of the more disciplined workers, always submitting his work before the deadline. He had a good work ethic and he was sure that if he continued, Siwon would be able to earn a promotion through his own merit. So for now, Siwon would put in his best and just look at the end goal in mind rather than grumble about the state that he landed himself in. 

“Hey guys, just a reminder but we are going to have a meeting soon!” One of his colleagues suddenly called out. The various staff called out their thanks before turning back to their work to try and finish a bit more work. Siwon too turned back to his laptop before a familiar voice loudly announced, “Hm, it’ll be good if someone could grab us some coffee since we’ll be here for a while.” Siwon’s fingers paused as his hands hovered above the keyboard, Oh no, please don’t tell me that what I think is going to happen will happen, please, not me. Siwon felt all his hopes and dreams crash to the ground as he felt a hand land on his shoulder. 

“Oh Siwon! Could you go down and help us get some coffee? There is this new coffee joint opposite our building that opened last month and I’ve been dying to try it out!” Siwon turned to his superior, Kim Heechul, manager of the Finance Department, and one of the few people who knew Siwon’s identity. Heechul was Siwon’s senior back when Siwon was a freshman and Heechul was a junior. They both were taking the same course for some reason and were assigned to do a group project together. The two found that they hit it off pretty well and the rest was history. Heechul had actually always wanted to work for his parents’ company and had applied there immediately upon graduation. It was an interesting experience breaking it to Heechul that he was the future heir of the company of Heechul’s dreams. Heechul reacted by punching Siwon in the shoulder, “Dude! You should have told me sooner!” but understood why Siwon concealed his identity. 

Over the two years while Siwon was stuck with his head in coursebooks, Heechul was living the life that Siwon was living currently. He diligently worked up the ranks and was now the manager of the department Siwon was under. Siwon had a sneaking suspicion that his parents placed him in that department because they knew of Siwon and Heechul’s friendship so they thought Heechul would help Siwon out and be nicer to him. Frankly speaking, Heechul treated all his subordinates well but was very task-oriented and work-driven. So if Siwon would mutter under his breath “slave driver” whenever Heechul split a stack of files to go through between the two, it wasn’t completely Siwon’s fault. 

Since Siwon was the newbie here, generally he was the one given all the eccentric and odd jobs around the office. Go fetch the files from the seventh floor, send these documents for printing, help make some coffee for some important person coming in later. Siwon just had to grit his teeth and comply, and while it was taxing it sure did earn him many brownie points. But right now, Siwon did not want to go on a coffee run. He just wanted to get that last bit of work done before heading off for the meeting. Siwon turned to Heechul forlornly and mustered up the biggest puppy eyes that he could.

“Right now, Heechul? I’m kind of almost done with this file and I could finish it right before the meeting.” Heechul just shook his head before replying, “No, Siwon. You know that look isn’t going to work on me, I’m immune to it. Anyways, you don’t want all of us to crash in the middle of the meeting, right?” Siwon sighed softly, there was absolutely no way he was getting out of this. He stood up, resignation radiating off him.

“Okay then boss, welcome to Starbucks, may I take your order?” Siwon asked wryly as he pulled out his phone and opened up his “notes” application. Heechul started simpering at his friend’s antics.

“Go take everyone else’s orders first, I want to talk to you for a bit before you go.” Heechul patted him gently on the shoulder before returning to his own desk. Siwon heaved out another sigh before turning to his colleagues. 

“Alright then, coffee, anyone?” His officemates let out cheers before swamping him with a mountain of orders. Siwon furiously tapped them down onto his phone as he internally judged some of his officemates’ orders. Seriously, a Caramel Macchiato, Venti, Skim, Extra Shot, Extra-Hot, Extra-Whip, Sugar-Free? How do they order this without stumbling over their orders? Also how do they memorize all of these preferences? Isn’t coffee just coffee? Siwon was by no means a picky eater, and he couldn’t understand why people had such specific preferences. Finally, Siwon finished recording down everyone’s orders. He typed in his own usual, a hot chocolate, yes, sue me. Hot chocolate is the absolute best and the sugar from it wakes me up instantaneously, before heading for Heechul’s desk. He arrived to an uber-focused Heechul furiously punching into his laptop’s keypad before noticing Siwon’s presence and pausing.

“Hey Chul, a cappuccino for you, right?” Siwon confirmed. After knowing each other for two years, Siwon knew many facts about Heechul by heart. Maybe too many facts, but that wasn’t the point. Heechul nodded, “Yeap, Wonnie, get me the regular.” Heechul stretched his arms over his head as yawned loudly. 

“Anyways, Chul. Why are you making me go get coffee? You could literally ask anyone else,” Siwon whispered. It wasn’t that Siwon minded that he was asked to run errands, he just thought that Heechul would get someone else to do it. Heechul’s gaze landed on him as he scoffed.

“Wonnie,” Heechul started, tones hushed, “You look like you’ve been dragged through your computer to hell and back. You need a breather. Just take your coffee run as a leisurely walk and come back refreshed to the meeting. Just be back when the meeting is about to start, alright? Or better yet, you get a five-minute grace period since it’ll take a while for everyone to settle down. Just make sure you come back with beverages in your hands and you’ll be fine. Learn how to catch a break when you can, you deserve it.” 

Siwon sighed internally, not being able to argue with Heechul’s logic. He did need a time out and this would be a great opportunity for him to just take it easy and clear his mind a bit. He smiled at Heechul gratefully. 

“Thanks, Chul. I appreciate that you’re looking out for me.” Heechul nodded before waving his hand nonchalantly.

“Yeah, that’s what friends are for. Anyways, get going now so you can get away longer.” 

Siwon headed back to his desk and shrugged off his blazer, hanging it up on the back of his chair. There was no way he was going to be going outside when the weather was sweltering. Thank goodness for indoor air-conditioning. He headed to the lift after waving goodbye at his office mates and stepping into an empty lift, feeling a wave of relief wash over him. Heechul was right, he truly needed a break right now. He leaned against the wall as he looked through the orders on his phone. He sure would have a lot of fun balancing twelve drinks back to the office but that'd be a bridge he’d just have to cross later. After reaching the first floor, he tapped out of the office building, nodded in greeting to one of the security guards before stepping outside. 

Siwon took a deep breath of the air outside before choking heavily. Bad idea, their office building literally was in front of a main road with truckloads of traffic. Siwon shook his head softly, slightly exasperated at his own antics but otherwise still feeling mostly optimistic. A little polluted air would not ruin his break. He headed for the pedestrian crossing and waited to cross as he imagined himself holding a comforting, warm cup of hot chocolate and sipping on it throughout the meeting. It sounded absolutely delightful and he couldn’t wait to get his hands on one. Maybe he could order two hot chocolates and have one at the coffee shop and another during the meeting, but that would just be excessive and a recipe for diabetes. 

Siwon was jolted out of his reverie as he realized that everyone else who’d been waiting for the green man had started crossing the road. He quickly scurried across the road and made a light jog towards the cafe. Looking through the tall glass windows, it seemed to have some customers but it wasn’t overly crowded. There were two people in line at the moment so Siwon wouldn’t have to wait too long. Siwon’s game plan was to order all the drinks to go and find a little corner for himself to sit at while waiting. Once the drinks were ready he’d just start on his hot chocolate first while waiting for the meeting to start. Once it did or when someone would message asking where he is he’d head back to the office and roll in fashionably late with everyone’s sustenance. He pushed open the glass door and was immediately assaulted with the rich aroma of coffee, the chatter from patrons that blended with the soft lofi music tinkering from the speakers that lined the ceiling. The cafe gave off comfy and homey vibes with the wooden furniture and soft yellow lighting. Overall, the ambience was really comforting and Siwon was planning to make this one of his haunts after work if he had to do anything overtime but didn’t wish to be stifled in his office cubicle. Siwon scanned the area and spotted an unoccupied table at the side which had a nice window view of the outside. That would be where he’d be gunning for once he purchased the drinks. 

He walked up to the queue and studied his list of orders on his phone. He worked at a fast food joint before to gain some job experience and understood how frustrating it was when customers couldn’t get their orders right or were indecisive. After that one year stint, he promised to himself that he’d be the best customer he could possibly be and make life as easy for the employee as possible. He read through the list two more times as he listened in to the people in front ordering such that he wouldn’t be too immersed in reading the list and not realize that it was his turn to order. While he wasn’t being completely attentive to the interactions happening in front of him, he heard a very gentle and pleasant voice that seemed to be airy like clouds yet deep enough in tone to indicate that the person was a male. Huh, that’s really interesting. While his voice isn’t deep and rich like those radio DJs, his voice is just as velvety smooth and is really soothing to the ears. He should totally do audiobooks on the side. In the time that Siwon was ruminating briefly, the patron in front of him was settling the bill. The person in front of him stepped aside and Siwon stepped forward with a smile on his face, ready to greet the cashier amicably when he finally had a good look at the cashier. Siwon’s smile froze on his face as he looked upon the most ethereal creature he had ever laid his eyes upon. 

This fine specimen of a man had a face sculpted like Apollo, jawline and cheekbones sharp but not harsh. His skin appeared to be flawlessly smooth and without blemish. Siwon had to resist the urge to outstretch a palm and confirm his theory. His eyes were a rich dark espresso brown that seemed to just draw Siwon in to the point of drowning. His jet-black hair was slightly ruffled but still neat, bangs swept to the side and framing his forehead beautifully. But most importantly, his pillowy pink lips that were upturned in a warm smile, with a cute dimple peeking through on his left cheek. Siwon was absolutely floored. There was no way this man was a human being, he was most definitely an angel because he was otherworldly, celestial, divine. Siwon could not have been more entranced when the angel opened his mouth to speak.

“Hello!” The gentle voice caressed his ears as the beauty started speaking. “Are you ready to order right now?” Siwon blinked at the man dumbly, not knowing how to respond. His mouth went dry as his clutch on his phone tightened automatically, knowing that in his current state, without that extra precaution he’d drop his phone and shatter his screen. 

“I- Uh- hello!” Siwon responded awkwardly, not knowing how to continue. Was he expected to speak coherently when he just bumped into this stunner? There was absolutely no way. Once he locked eyes with that man, he was a goner. “I- Um- Sorry, give me a second,” Siwon hammed and hummed, not knowing how to continue. The cashier smiled at him encouragingly before continuing. 

“Sir, if you’re not ready to order yet, perhaps you could let the customer behind you order first while you decide what you’d like?” He helpfully suggested. Siwon turned, noticing that two more customers had suddenly materialized and were waiting behind him. 

“No! No, it’s fine. I uh- Actually I have a list right here. It’s quite a large order for my office mates. So, um- Do you want me to read it out to you?” Siwon felt like such a dunce at that very moment. He had a bachelor’s degree yet he was acting like such a teenager. He felt like one too. He must think that I’m such a dolt. Could I be any more embarrassing? Siwon’s expectations were subverted as the man flashed him another radiant smile.

“Oh wow, you came prepared! If you don’t mind, maybe you could pass your phone over and I’ll just record down all the orders?” Siwon immediately unlocked his phone and handed it over.

“Oh yeah, that’s so smart! Why didn’t I think of that!” The cashier simply giggled softly as Siwon slid his phone across the counter before turning to grab a bunch of cups. 

“Hm, you numbered them so there are twelve orders, correct?” The cashier asked as he skimmed through the list.

“Yeap!” Siwon quickly replied, unsure of what else to add. The man immediately began punching into the register before grabbing a cup and scribbling the specifications of the order down onto the cup sleeve. He paused for a moment; sharpie poised over the cardboard as he looked up at Siwon. 

“And your name, sir?” He tilted his head slightly in question, still flashing his charming smile. 

“Oh! Uh- Siwon! It’s Siwon,” Siwon stumbled over his words once more. This man really was making Siwon lose his capabilities in speaking. The cashier nodded as he scribbled down Siwon’s name onto the cup.

“Okay, Siwon. I will settle the rest of your orders before you can settle the bill. Please check that what I record down is correct on the screen.” The cashier worked methodically, shifting between typing into the register to prices of the drinks and detailing the orders on the various cups before setting them on the counter behind him for a barista to start working on them. He finished this quite quickly and once he was done capped the sharpie and set it down. He grabbed Siwon’s phone before holding it out to Siwon.

“Here’s your phone, Siwon. Thank you!” 

Siwon scrambled to take back his phone from him, their fingers brushing against each other in his rush. Siwon felt as though an electric shock passed through his fingers and zapped him wide awake. He muttered a quick “thank you” as he shoved his phone into his pocket. 

“That would be fifty-seven dollars and twenty cents. Will you be paying by cash or credit?” The cashier intoned gently. Siwon fumbled with his wallet as he pulled out his personal credit card. 

“I’ll pay by credit. Here you go,” Siwon replied hastily as he slid his wallet over the tabletop. He did not want to touch the cashier’s fingers again. Not that he didn’t mind, he just was certain that it was bad for his heart and if he had any more physical contact with the man Siwon may actually combust. The cashier took it, glancing at it for a moment, probably to check that the name on the card and the name Siwon provided matched, and swiped it in the credit card terminal before waiting for the receipt to print. 

“So, really large order you got there, huh,” the cashier commented briefly, probably to fill the silence as the machine generated the receipt. 

“Yeah, we’re having a meeting later and we don’t want anyone to have an excuse to fall asleep in the middle of the meeting,” Siwon joked casually. The angel gave a short giggle that was surprisingly high-pitched but not annoying. In fact, Siwon found it to be pretty endearing. 

“Well, isn’t a boring meeting a good enough excuse to fall asleep?” The cashier jibed back as he tore the receipt off the machine and folded it around the credit card before handing it back to Siwon. “Here’s your receipt and credit card, your order should be ready soon.”

“Ah, I wish it was,” Siwon responded to the man’s earlier remark as he took back the credit card. “Thank you so much, sorry the order was so large.” The cashier simply smiled reassuringly.

“No issue, it means more business anyways! Have a nice day, Siwon. Hope you all have a productive meeting and do drop by again next time!” Siwon smiled back as he finally spoke naturally once more, “I will, you too,” before walking off to that table he was eyeing. Thankfully, the spot was still empty. He pulled out a wooden chair before sliding into it, sighing softly as he took in his surroundings. He watched the human traffic outside, observing it for a bit, before turning away from the window pane. His gaze landed on the cashier he interacted with a minute ago. The cashier was now conversing with another customer, smile wide as he nodded while taking down the customer’s order. I understand why he’s out in the front, he brings in good business. 

Siwon studied the man for a moment as he continued working. He seemed to be genuinely nice with a sense of humor. Siwon would absolutely love to get to know him better, but how? I don’t even know his name. Looks like I’ll have to visit here more often and order more hot chocolates. Yay for diabetes, Siwon thought glumly as he rested his chin on his palm, his unoccupied hand’s fingers drumming lightly on the wooden tabletop. Maybe he could call the office again and ask if anyone else wanted a drink. This way, he could jump back into the line and talk to the cashier again sooner. Siwon furrowed his eyebrows, he wished that he had some way to address him. The perfect word suddenly flashed in his mind. Angel. He is absolutely ethereal and looks like he came down from heaven. I’ll call him angel from now on until I find out his name. Siwon smiled resolutely, he would most definitely find out the angel’s name. 

“Um, order for Siwon!” The mention of Siwon’s name immediately snapped Siwon from his thoughts as he stood up and walked in the direction of the voice calling out to him. It was at the opposite end of the cashier logically but Siwon was slightly disappointed that he was further away from what he perceived to be Aphrodite. At that end, a man with fluffy hair spotted him and beckoned him over.

“Your drinks are ready, Siwon!” The barista called out with a smile on his face as he moved to slot the cups into the carriers. His smile too was radiant, teeth almost sparkling. Do the people who work here also do advertisements for toothpaste companies? Siwon returned a bright smile as he reached out a hand to grab one of the carriers that already had four drinks slotted inside. He’d have to carry back three carriers but he just had to be careful when balancing them and he would be fine. Just as his hand was on the countertop grabbing the bottom of a carrier, the barista’s hand knocked into one of the drinks. Siwon watched in slow-motion as the cup toppled over, falling directly onto the front of Siwon’s left hand, the cup’s lid opening upon impact and spilling half of its piping hot content onto Siwon’s hand. 

“Ah!” Siwon exclaimed as he quickly withdrew his hand. The barista quickly set the cup back upright to prevent the remainder of the liquids to make a mess of the counter as he apologized profusely. 

“Oh my gosh! I am so sorry, sir. Are you alright?” The barista asked as he shifted the other carriers away before they soaked up the spilled drink. Siwon clutched his hand in pain as he winced, noting that his sleeve too was slightly damp. Thankfully he was wearing a navy-blue dress shirt, so it probably wouldn’t get a stain. 

“Ah, it’s okay. It’s just pretty painful,” Siwon gritted out, noting the redness on his hand. Great, looks like his break from work wouldn’t be so leisurely after all. On the bright side, the scald was on the back of his hand and not on his palm. 

“I am so sorry, Sir. Please let me help you,” the barista offered as he made a move to step out from behind the counter. He was stopped midway by someone calling out to him. 

“Donghae! What did you do this time?” Siwon whipped his head up and watched the handsome man from earlier walk up towards them. Siwon felt gobsmacked that despite being injured he still had time to admire this “angel”’s beauty. The angel’s eyes lit up in recognition as he spotted Siwon. “Oh! Siwon, are you hurt? I’m so sorry, Donghae can be pretty clumsy sometimes.” Donghae rubbed his neck sheepishly. 

“Yeah, I’m really sorry, Siwon. Is there anything that I can do to help?” 

“Oh, I got slightly injured but it looks like it’s a minor scald so it’s no biggie. I myself should have been more careful and I’m sorry for causing the mess. Please don’t worry, Donghae-ssi. I’ll be alright,” Siwon assured Donghae as he outstretched his hand to show the injury. 

“Oh dear, Siwon!” The angel exclaimed, “This won’t do. Let me bring you to the back and get you patched up.” The smaller man moved to step from behind the counter before placing a hand gently on Siwon’s back. “Donghae, you’re in charge of here for now.” Siwon heard Donghae give a reply but couldn’t pick up on exactly what is what as he was hyper focused on the hand on his back guiding him to another room, the break room, presumably. The man’s hand was a hot brand on his back and it burned hotter than his actual wound, but of course it was much more pleasant than his actual wound. 

The cashier removed his hand from Siwon’s back as he moved to open a door before ushering Siwon inside. Siwon was right in presuming that it was the break room. Inside, the room was much plainer, walls beige with sofas and a desk. There was a sink at the side. His saviour pushed him towards the sink and pulled Siwon’s hand under the faucet before flicking the tap on. Cool water gushed out from the faucet and hit Siwon’s scald soothingly. 

“Leave your hand under the water until your scald no longer hurts,” the angel instructed mildly as he moved to unlatch a first aid kit from the wall. Siwon nodded in compliance as he felt the pain slowly ebb away. 

“I’m truly sorry about that. Donghae can be such a klutz sometimes. I’ll waive your order in compensation,” the cashier offered kindly. Siwon’s eyes widened and he quickly waved his uninjured hand. 

“No no no! It’s alright! It was an honest mistake,” Siwon hurriedly replied, “I made a really large order so it must have been hectic to handle it. Plus, you all were really busy so it is understandable that he was in a rush! Anyways, it’s just a small scald, there are no blisters so I’ll be fine.” The angel went up to him and stood far too close for comfort (well, not really, he was an arm’s length away from Siwon but Siwon still felt overwhelmed from the angel’s presence itself) and reached a hand out to gently grasp Siwon’s injured hand and raised it slightly before studying it. Siwon felt his heart rate skyrocket at the sudden physical contact and gulped as inaudibly as he could. The angel’s touch was gentle, light, feathery, his hand warm and soft. Siwon just wanted to entangle his fingers with the other’s. 

The angel hummed softly, “Indeed it doesn’t look too serious. There aren’t any blisters so it’ll heal quickly hopefully. Once the pain in your hand subsides just let me know and I’ll patch you up.” Siwon nodded fervently and the angel let go, a pang of regret shooting up inside of him at the loss of physical contact. He stepped back before standing beside the sink, leaning against the wall and observing Siwon silently. Siwon whipped his head back down to burn a hole into his scalded hand. The angel smiled gently before starting.

“So, why were you the poor soul who had to order twelve drinks for your whole department?” The angel commented with a soft snort. “I don’t know how they thought it would be a good idea to make only one man to balance twelve drinks back to the office.” Siwon smiled sheepishly. 

“Well, my superior sort of targeted me but frankly speaking it was because there was forty-five minutes left till the start of our meeting. So, he made me do this so I could have a brief reprieve from work and just come back when the meeting starts,” Siwon explained. The cashier nodded softly. 

“That’s nice of your superior, that still is a tall order though.” Siwon nodded tiredly.

“Believe me, when I was collating orders in the office, I was shocked at how complicated people’s orders can be. Who on earth would want to drink a Grande, Iced, Sugar-Free, Vanilla Latte with Soy Milk? Sounds terrible! Doesn’t a simple drink like a plain cup of joe or a hot chocolate sound a lot better?” Siwon groused somewhat petulantly. The angel seemed somewhat entertained by this, simpering softly. 

“You’d be surprised as to the number of weird orders I receive. I’ve had people who order a Triple, Venti, Half Sweet, Non-Fat, Caramel Macchiato flawlessly without stuttering. I don’t understand how they can memorise those preferences.” Siwon felt his eyes widen as the cashier recited the order. Good Lord that was a tall one, and for the man to recite it off the top of his head without stuttering as well, he must receive that order from customers a lot.

“I- What? It’s just coffee!” Siwon spluttered out, absolutely gobsmacked. “And- and I like coffee as much as the next guy but these orders are so complex! Why does it need to be so complicated? It tastes good with just sugar and milk, right?” The angel snickered at Siwon for a moment, a rather fond expression on his face, before he shrugged his shoulders and sighed. 

“Well, I don’t see much of a difference in taste between the regular orders and all these complicated orders, but I love coffee. It’s my passion. After all, this is my career now.” Siwon’s ears perked up at this.

“Oh, you work here full-time?” The angel nodded his head gently with a warm smile.

“Yeah, actually I’m co-owners with the other guy who spilled that drink on your hand, once again, sorry about that. We both really love coffee or beverages in general and wanted to start a cafe together so we did after getting the necessary training and experience. Right now, business is going surprisingly well and customers are pretty happy, so I guess we’re doing something right.” Siwon felt his mind absorb all of this information. So, this man was not just a worker but the owner (well, co-owner) of this cafe? Siwon studied the man for a moment, he looks not a day older than twenty-five, and he’s already a business owner with pretty great business. Consider Siwon impressed. 

“Oh wow, that’s amazing! If you don’t mind me asking, how old are you?” The angel with the permanent smile just laughed. 

“I’m twenty-seven, why’d you ask?” Siwon felt his eyes enlarge to the size of saucers. 

“Woah! Truth be told, at the counter I thought that honestly you looked younger than me, but when you said you were the boss of this place I thought that you were twenty-five.” The man’s face crinkled up cutely as he laughed at Siwon’s words, his crow’s feet making Siwon’s heart warm. 

“Ah, yeah. Normally a lot of ahjussis and ahjummas tell me that I look younger than my actual age. But how old are you anyways? Such that I can estimate just how young I look,” the angel winked cheekily and Siwon hope that his cheeks did not appear flushed as they felt as though they were burning a bright fuschia.

“Ah, uh- I’m twenty-three.” Siwon replied curtly. 

“Ohhh,” the man seemed as though he just had a revelation. “Honestly I thought that you were twenty-five. Then again, you’re probably a recent college graduate since you were sent on a coffee run. Though, why would they make the heir to Choi Enterprises do menial tasks?” Alarm bells and sirens rang in Siwon’s head. Wait! How does he know? Is it that obvious? 

“Huh? I think you’ve got the wrong guy, dude. I’m just an ordinary office worker who just started a few months ago. What makes you think I’m him?” Siwon laughed awkwardly, trying his best to deflect. However, if the man was sharp enough to determine that Siwon was the son of the owners of Choi Enterprises, it was highly unlikely that Siwon would be able to weasel his way out of this one. 

“Your credit card has your credentials on it and I saw your name,” the angel responded with a shrug. 

“Well, anyone could have the surname Choi!” Siwon spluttered, “And it’s a company card!” Siwon knew he was lying but hoped that the other wouldn’t have noticed. Unfortunately for him, the angel rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

“Yeah right. It’s a personal card and a platinum card at that. Also, aren’t the clothes you’re wearing far above your paygrade?” 

Siwon looked down to his Zegna dress shirt, altered Hugo Boss slacks and Saint Laurent belt as the cherry on top. Touché. There was no way Siwon was going to lie his way out of this. This angel was far too perceptive. As an angel, does he have a lie detector in him or something? 

“Yeah, you got me. The people at work don’t know my identity so please don’t spread this,” Siwon was sure that the angel would probably do nothing with this information, and was hoping dearly that his assumption was correct. The man made a gesture akin to zipping his lips.

“I don’t have anyone to share this with anyways. Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me,” the angel winked with a radiant smile, reassuring Siwon greatly. 

“Thanks,” Siwon replied. Siwon looked back down at his hand, it no longer stung too badly and it had already been a while since he had his hand under the water so he turned off the tap. He turned to watch the angel unlatch the first aid kit from the wall and head towards a table with two chairs. 

“Come on,” the man beckoned with a free hand, “Sit over here.” He pulled out a chair for Siwon and pulled another for himself. Siwon eased himself onto the chair before resting his injured hand on the table as the angel opened the first aid kit and set some bandages on the table. The man outstretched his palm towards Siwon, causing Siwon to furrow his eyebrows in confusion.  

“Your hand,” the angel explained, nodding at Siwon’s injured hand upon seeing Siwon’s bewildered expression. Siwon’s eyes widened in enlightenment but felt his cheeks flame up immediately. Oh dear, he’ll be holding my hand again. Siwon gingerly placed his hand in the other’s, trying his best to not think about how their palms were touching and that this could be considered as hand holding. His hand feels so smooth and warm. The other man grabbed a piece of gauze and placed it on top of the wound, before grabbing a triangular bandage. He lifted Siwon’s hand up as he placed the bandage atop the gauze. 

“Hold your arm up for a moment, please?” The angel asked softly. Siwon complied and tried his best to not feel a sense of loss as the angel let go of his hand once more. The other grabbed the two ends of the bandage and started winding them around Siwon’s hand, eyes scrutinizing it. Siwon gulped inaudibly. This is awkward, I guess I should say something. 

“Erm, would you like to know why… I work at Choi Enterprises as a regular worker?” Siwon asked. 

“Sure, go for it,” the other man muttered with some enthusiasm, probably too focused on tying the two ends of the bandage in a loose reef knot. This was enough encouragement for Siwon to go on.

“Well, I’ve always known that my parents would want to pass down their company to me, but I find it unfair to just immediately go up the ranks with zero experience. So, I told my parents I wanted to work my way up the corporate ladder through my own hard work, and that’s why I’m doing coffee runs.” As Siwon explained, the other would glance up to make eye contact with Siwon and nod gently before focusing back on his task, giving a hum or two at some parts as he neatly tied the bandage and tucked in the loose ends. 

“Ah, I see,” the angel replied once he was done. He gently set Siwon’s hand onto the table. “I think it’s pretty admirable of you to want to succeed based on your own merit. A lot of chaebol heirs generally just get a managerial role instantly upon graduation with zero experience. So, it’s heartening to see someone so dedicated to the company to start out from scratch despite having your association to the company. That’s respectable.” Siwon felt his face flush at the praise. He had never told any outsider other than close friends and family about his intended career path and to hear a practical stranger understand his motives completely was nice. 

“Ah, I think it’s something that all chaebol heirs should do to gain experience. Otherwise, if they take over without enough knowledge or exposure, they’d let all their predecessors’ work go down the drain.” The angel hummed softly in agreement.

“Yeah, very true. Honestly, you’re pretty nice for a chaebol’s son. I always assumed that since you had it better, you’d probably be more irritable or easily upset, but you didn’t even get mad at Donghae and apologized to him as well instead of lash out. And, you’re very appreciative of everything too. It’s rare to meet people who are so nice.” Siwon felt his cheeks burn from the shower of compliments by the angel. They felt sincere, especially since they came from someone so kind like him. 

“Ah, thank you,” Siwon rubbed his neck awkwardly, not really knowing what else he could respond with. “You’re honestly pretty nice too. You could have just apologized and sent me on my way but you helped treat my wounds.” The other man sighed softly before giving a half-smile. 

“It’s only right for me to do so, and I still feel like I could do more. Is there anything that I could do as compensation?” The angel asked earnestly, eyes hopeful. “You were supposed to be having a nice break from work but instead you got injured and I feel terrible. At the very least, let me waive the bill or something.” Siwon quickly waved his hand in refusal. 

“No, it’s perfectly fine, I’ll still be bringing those drinks back to the office anyways so I refuse to take them on the house.” The other man seemed a bit put off by Siwon’s response and frowned in a slight pout, and it took all of Siwon’s willpower to not giggle at the adorable display. 

“There must be something. Do it for me so I may feel less guilty, please?” Siwon hummed softly upon hearing the angel’s plea. He really wanted to befriend the man, and hopefully get to know the other better to the point that he could ask him out. The angel had been nothing but nice to him and even if they didn’t date in the future, he’d make a great friend. Though personally, Siwon was hoping that they’d reach a stage where they’d consider being each other’s romantic partners, as at the moment, Siwon was infatuated. 

“There is just one thing. I’d like to see you again, maybe? Under better circumstances to have a chat. You seem nice and I’d like to get to know you better and be friends,” Siwon suddenly felt a shard of fear pierce through his thoughts. Wait, what if he doesn’t like me and finds me annoying, then what? “You don’t have to if you feel uncomfortable about doing it!” Siwon added hurriedly. The other angel chuckled softly. 

“I’d love to, Siwon. You too seem like a nice guy and I think you’ll make a good friend,” the other responded good-naturedly with a wide smile on his face, reassuring Siwon instantly and assuaging his doubts. 

“Oh! Uh- that’s wonderful!” Siwon quickly replied, feeling an immense wave of relief wash over him. 

“Yeap! I work here every day except Sundays from morning to mid-afternoon, then Donghae usually takes over the closing shift. I look forward to seeing you around more!” The angel answered cheerfully. Siwon smiled, this seems very promising. I can’t wait to get to know this angel better. Oh wait! I should ask him for his name now!

“Likewise! Um- since we’re friends now, may I ask what’s your na-“ Siwon was rudely interrupted by the buzzing of his phone, the phone’s vibrations causing Siwon to feel his phone in his pocket. “Ah, sorry, one second.” Siwon pulled out his phone with his uninjured hand and his lips curved downwards in a slight frown as he read the message disappointedly. The meeting was about to start in five minutes so it was time for Siwon to go back if he wanted to meet the five-minute grace period. 

“Oh no, it’s time for me to go back to the office,” Siwon said rather glumly, it seemed like finding out the angel’s name would have to wait for now. But at the very least, he had an excuse to come by again soon. The other man nodded in acknowledgement. 

“Yeah, I figured that it was almost time for you to head back anyways.” The man smiled gently, “But you’re all patched up now so that’s good. If they ask you anything about being late just tell them you got scalded, I’m sure they’ll understand. Anyways, next time just head here when you’re free and we can have that chat with a complimentary hot chocolate!” Siwon smiled at the angel’s sentiment, was it possible for someone to be this considerate? 

“I’ll take you up on that offer then,” Siwon said as he rose from his seat. The angel did the same as they walked out of the break room. They headed to the counter where Siwon’s orders were left there waiting for him. The angel’s co-worker spotted them and headed over to them. 

“Oh, you two are back! Is your wound okay, Siwon? Once again, I am so sorry,” Donghae said. Siwon waved his hand softly. 

“No, it’s okay, I’ll live. Thank you for your concern!” 

“Mm, Siwon, there are only eleven drinks here. Which one is the missing one? Donghae, what drink was spilled?” The angel suddenly pointed out. 

“Oh! It was the hot chocolate!” Donghae replied instantaneously. 

“Ah, that’s my order,” Siwon explained, “But you don’t have to remake it again as I should head back to my office right no-“ 

“No,” the angel quickly interjected, “it looks like I can give you your on the house drink right now, I’ll whip it up quickly and be back in a moment!” 

The slim man went behind the counter and grabbed at various tins and containers with a relaxed efficiency, his movements oozing practiced ease. Siwon just observed the man as he worked his magic. Wow, he seems really good at this. They must be quite understaffed if he had to man the cashier rather than make the beverages. Will he be free enough to have a chat next time? I hope so. Siwon’s thoughts drifted as he zoned out, wondering what would be a good conversation topic. He was pulled out of his musings when he felt a tap on his shoulder. His head jerked up immediately to look at the angel before him, a carton of drinks in one hand and the other two carriers on the counter.

“All done! The drink here is yours,” the man’s sweet voice caressed Siwon’s ears as he pointed to one of the cups slotted in the carrier. “Hope you’ll have a productive meeting and see you again next time, Siwon!” He smiled sweetly and Siwon could feel his teeth rotting from how saccharine but sincere it appeared. 

“Thank you so much! Will do!” Siwon replied quickly as he balanced the carriers carefully, “Bye, uh-” Damn it. I still don’t know his name; I should just ask for it right now- “Um-”

“Bzzt. Bzzt.” Siwon groaned internally, he had to rush back. Looks like asking for his name would have to wait. 

“Ah I really have to go but it was nice meeting you! I’ll see you again next time!” Siwon said apologetically as he nodded to the angel. “Hope you’ll have a pleasant day ahead!” Siwon rushed out hurriedly but balanced the carriers carefully as he took large strides out of the cafe. 

Leeteuk watched Siwon’s figure through the window cross the road back to his office until his figure was nothing but a silhouette with an amused but fond smile playing at the corners of his lips. Normally he would have gotten back to work immediately, but while Siwon and Leeteuk were in the break room, the crowd in the cafe had reduced quite a bit and there were no customers queueing so he figured he could afford to be distracted for a moment. And oh, what a pleasant distraction it was. Siwon seemed like a nice guy and was pretty easy on the eyes. Leeteuk was looking forward to seeing the man with those cute dimples again. 

“Hmmm, you seem to hit off well with him, Teukie hyung.” Leeteuk snapped his head towards Donghae who had a smug smirk on his face that Leeteuk just wanted to wipe off. Leeteuk chose not to validate Donghae’s comment with a response as he turned his head back to across the street. If Leeteuk wasn’t mistaken, he watched a blurry figure walk through automatic doors was probably Siwon. He hoped that Siwon would find the thing that Leeteuk left for him. 

“You seem a bit eager to see him again,” Donghae commented as he waggled his eyebrows before pitching his voice slightly higher to imitate Leeteuk’s sweet tone, “Come again next time, Siwon? Wow! You’re already on first name basis with him!” Leeteuk felt the tip of his ears redden from the heat radiating off them. 

“He orders a lot so it brings in good business, also being friendly towards him is how we garner customer loyalty,” Leeteuk quickly defended himself. Donghae gave him a knowing look before snorting. 

“Whatever you say Teukie-hyung. Hey, someone else is in line already!” This brat. 

“You’re on cleaning duty later by yourself for spilling that drink, get back to work,” Leeteuk grumbled sullenly as he turned to walk towards the cash register, his usual smile appearing on his face as he greeted the customer. He pointedly ignored Donghae’s whining about how it was unfair as his thoughts drifted to a certain man across the street. 

I hope that we’ll get to know each other better. He’s cute. 

Siwon managed to make it to the meeting just when everyone had settled down and they were going to start their discussion. He breezed past the occupied chairs and headed for his own seat.

“Sorry I’m late! Someone accidentally spilled a drink on me so my hand got scalded slightly,” Siwon hurriedly explained as he set the carriers onto the table. “I’m alright though, here’s all your drinks!” Siwon quickly took out the drinks from the carriers except for his own and mass-distribution went on as his co-workers passed around their orders. Once everyone was settled, the meeting started. Siwon himself eased into his swivel chair and took out his own drink, setting it on the table before stacking up the carriers, making a mental note to dispose of them in a recycling bin. He brought the mouth of the lid to his lips and blew gently before taking a sip, finding that it had just the right amount of sweetness, being rich in flavour but not overbearingly saccharine. Ah, this is heavenly. Seems like the angel is an artisan at his craft. Siwon nursed another small sip before pulling the cup away to look at the cupsleeve to study the cafe’s name and logo. His eyes widened instantly as he spotted neat black scribbles on the cardboard sleeve. 

Siwon hurriedly slipped the cupsleeve off his paper cup and flattened it so as to read the letters more easily, ears completely shutting out all the conversations that were floating over his head. They were probably important, but at the moment, Siwon found this to be a far more pertinent matter. He didn’t remember the angel jotting down something but then again, he wasn’t really paying attention back there. His eyes scanned through the words scrawled on the sleeve with a black sharpie and upon reading the neatly jotted down message, Siwon felt his heart warm instantly. 

“Hey, I’m sorry that you got scalded earlier and hope that your wound heals soon. You seem like a really nice person and I’d love to talk to you soon but I’m not sure how long I can wait, so here’s my phone number. 0XX-XXX-XXXX Talk to you soon! ;)

 ~ Leeteuk ♡” 

Siwon felt his pulse accelerate, his heart singing joyously. So the angel finally has a name. Leeteuk. It suits him very well. Siwon felt his fears ease knowing that Leeteuk seemed to be rather eager in getting to know Siwon as well. Siwon lifted the cup to his lips once more and took another sip, grimacing as the hot chocolate suddenly tasted cloyingly sweet for some odd reason. He chuckled to himself softly, it seems like today will be a very sweet day despite everything that happened. 

The sound of someone clearing their throat snapped Siwon out of his thoughts. “Excuse me, do you have anything to add, Siwon-ssi?” One of his colleagues asked. 

“Oh! No! No, I don’t! Everything’s fine!” Siwon quickly spluttered out in clarification before sinking back into his chair. His fellow colleagues nodded goodnaturedly before continuing. Siwon looked down and allowed himself a tiny smile, feeling hyper-aware of the phone in his pocket as he read the note once more. He eagerly looked forward to the end of the meeting and text a certain someone later. I can’t wait to get to know you better, angel. 

*Five years later*

Siwon heaved out a sigh as he reclined back into his executive office chair, drained. His line of sight landed on the pile of files that seemed to keep increasing exponentially on his desk. They were all from the finance department and while Siwon remembered that dealing with the excel sheets were tough enough, he could do a decent job at them. At the moment, in one file alone he had spotted three glaring errors. At the rate that this was going, Siwon felt that he should just do all of the finances himself. No, don’t micromanage. Just give feedback to the heads of the finance department and ask them to rectify these mistakes. 

Siwon brought his fingers to his temple and just rubbed soothing circles, his head was spinning and he wanted, no, needed a break. He looked around his own office, feeling a slight sense of pride at his most recent promotion warranting his own private space, but at the moment he was overwhelmed with weariness. Promotions had their perks but with great power came great responsibility, and Siwon was bone-tired. He turned his head to observe outside, looking down and spotting a familiar logo. Oh! The coffee shop! Siwon looked at the neat part of his desk, a small square that was left mostly clear except for a single photo frame with a photo of two people, arms around each other's shoulders and wide smiles on their faces. Back then, Siwon had to keep the frame shoved in a drawer at his desk but now he could proudly display it on his desk (though it was still mostly for his eyes only). Taped on the frame was a cutout of a piece of cardboard wrapped in clear tape with a neat scrawl written. Siwon smiled softly as he read the note, staring at the digits with a fond look in his eyes. He doesn’t even have this number anymore; he’s changed his phone number twice in the past five years. Hm, I wonder what he’s up to now. 

Siwon pushed his chair back and stood up resolutely, deciding that he would take a break. He deserved it, and he could afford to do so, so why not. He stepped outside of his office and headed for the office cubicles. He cleared his throat purposefully, catching the attention of his colleagues. 

“I’m going for a short coffee break! Does anyone want coffee? My treat!” Siwon declared. His subordinates stared at him with a blank look on their faces. 

“No one wants anything?” Siwon questioned expectantly. He was expecting someone to take up his offer. A brave soul decided to speak up. 

“Uh… It’s okay boss, I don’t think it is appropriate. Anyways, we can just ask one of the interns to get us coffee so how about you just rest in your office while we send someone to go get it.” Alarm bells rang in Siwon’s head at this. 

“No, no! It’s fine,” Siwon hurriedly reassured. “I need to give my legs a stretch and this will be my treat for you all working so hard! So, don’t be shy and tell me what you all wish to order.” Siwon gave them all a bright smile and the subordinates seemed to feel more at ease. 

“Well if you insist, I’ll have a Non-Fat Frappuccino with Extra Whipped Cream and Chocolate Sauce,” one of them piped up. Siwon felt his migraine worsen hearing the order.

“WHAT! I-” Siwon gave up, resting his face in his palms for a moment before whipping his phone out of his pocket. He unlocked it quickly before opening the notes app and shoving his phone into his coworker’s face, “Just write down your orders here. I don’t have the brain power right now to memorize it.” After five minutes of circulating his phone around for people to tap their orders down into the note, Siwon finally collated everyone’s orders. He was just itching to take off at that very instant. His phone finally got passed back to him. He scanned through the orders and checked that everything was correct. He selected all of the text before copying it and going into his messages.He quickly selected his most recent contact under the name “My Angel ♡” and pasted the list with a short sentence, “Coming over to order all of these, could you start on them now? Thanks! <3” before sending it. Surprisingly, he got a response immediately with a thumbs-up and a heart. Siwon smiled fondly before switching off his phone. Normally the other would send copiously lengthy texts but it seemed like he was too busy to do so. 

“Alright then! I’ll be off. Bye guys! I’ll be back in thirty minutes to an hour!” He turned quickly and all but skipped to the lift and went off. The office workers watched with fascination at their usually friendly but straight-laced boss acting out of character and immediately started buzzing about it when the lift doors closed. Sure, Siwon was a very nice superior and treated them fairly often, but normally he was very focused on work, far more curt and rarely acted casually. Why was he so excited to do an intern’s job and get coffee?  

A snort pulled them out of their gossiping. 

“Shouldn’t you all be doing work? You shouldn’t gossip about your boss like that. But don’t you all know? Siwon’s partner works at that coffee shop.” The office workers whipped their heads to the infamous Kim Heechul. 

“What?” Yesung, one of the newer employees exclaimed. Most of the other employees were shocked as well. This was news. While they knew that Siwon probably had a significant other due to the photo frame in the office, all of them were too polite to look at it and see who was in the photo. Heechul was Siwon’s right-hand man in the office so if Heechul said so, it was highly likely that this was true. 

“Yeah, those two lovesick fools have been together for four years already. Normally whenever this brat could get a break, he’d bolt straight over to the coffeeshop as though they don’t see each other daily at home,” Heechul scoffed lightly. “Anyways, you can probably see his partner greeting him outside at the window in a bit.” 

All the employees shuffled to the office window facing the main road and coffee shop. Heechul shook his head as he watched them move hurriedly. They move faster now than during fire drill. Still, he followed them and walked up to the window pane as well. All of them stared down, trying to identify their boss on the street. Thankfully, they were on the sixth floor and while it was slightly difficult to spot him, they managed to hone in on a man with his hair neatly swept up dressed sharply in a suit walking across the pedestrian crossing. That most definitely was their boss. He had a pep in his step as he walked towards the coffee shop with purpose. Outside the coffee shop, stood a man with honey blond hair, his slightly longer fringe framing his angular face prettily. Even with the distance causing the man’s figure to be slightly blurry, everyone could tell that the man was a looker. He had a calming air exude from him as he had his arms outstretched to their boss who just reached the sidewalk and jogged up to the other. The two met in the middle of the sidewalk, arms wrapping around each other in what appeared to be a warm hug for a few seconds. The other man let go first, but quickly grabbed Siwon’s hand with a bright smile on his face, pulling their boss into the coffee shop, both appearing to be shaking with mirth as they disappeared from their sight. 

- - - - - 

Hope you enjoyed this fluffy one-shot friends! If anyone wants a continuation then you know the drill, just comment below. Maybe Ystin (@heestin_) and I may make it into a series ;) Let us know your thoughts on the story! If you have any fanfic ideas that you'd like to see become reality, you can hit me up on Twitter @horsieteukie or comment below as well! Thank you and have a wonderful day ahead! ><