“Should we strip too?”

There are two things that Sehun noticed when he wanted to open his own cafe at the new neighborhood. First - there’s already a coffee shop across his, and it’s pretty much famous among the people there.

It would be a shame if someone steals all those customers away. 

Cue an evil laugh inside his mind - with erupting volcano behind him as he laughed to his heart content at thinking of all the customers that would he can steal from that coffee shop. 

At first, he was reluctant on opening a coffee shop across another one - but he didn’t mind a few competition in his business.

“, my back hurts.” Sehun went groaning, stretching himself a bit as he walked to his coffee shop in the early morning. He knew he probably was sore from arranging the furniture last night. 

Since they went opening the new cafe, Sehun and the others - Baekhyun and Jongin, went checking things up. Sehun was supposedly going alone, but Baekhyun wanted to tag along, because he wanted to see the decorations, while Jongin just tagged along because he was bored and didn’t want to be left alone. 

So, they went busy arranging the furnitures and ended up spending time in the coffee shop and resulting the shop to be well organized after bickering on where to put the furniture. 

It was quite a sight to see three grown men bickering on which angle is better to put the bookshelf and couch. 

In a way, Sehun still woke up earlier than usual and ended up walking to his coffee shop, ready to arrange more things and set everything up. 

There are many things that haven’t set up properly and Sehun wanted to finish it up before more machines and furnitures came in. 

And he found himself walking out from his rented house after taking his morning coffee - somehow making a mental note to himself to go and make some groceries since he only have a few instant noodles and coffees.

He then moved to the coffee shop while listening to some songs in his earphones with the same blank look on his face.

He remembered Baekhyun always commented on how he should be putting more expressions for the others to see, but Sehun didn’t mind that - because why should he bother with it? 

He wasn’t someone who enjoyed expressing himself - thinking it as something that’s too burdensome and annoying to do. He was someone who would be sitting on the corner and looked at everyone who was passing by while judging their choices in life. 

Sehun went sighing when he looked at his bland coffee shop - almost screaming for help to decorate it more and he just hoped that someone can help him to decorate his coffee shop to make it seemed more lively. 

But as he was about to switch on the lights to his cafe, his eyes caught someone who was walking on the sidewalk, bobbing her head energetically while swaying her hips like she doesn’t even care about anyone who would be staring at her. 

Sehun didn’t expected to see someone else in the early morning, nor expected someone to be so energetic in the early morning. 

Though, his brow raised up when he stared longer at the girl - somehow recognizing her petite figure.

“Isn’t that the peeping Tom?” he asked himself, staring at the way she went shaking her hips and unlocked the door to the cafe shop across his. 

She works there? 

Amusement filled his eyes as he stared at the way she mimicked a guitarist with her hands and opened big while closing her eyes - probably reaching for the high note of the song that she was listening to. 

Sehun went raising a brow when he noticed that she somehow stopped and stared at his coffee shop. Since she had opened the lights to her shop, he can easily traced her petite figure. 

She went marching, and Sehun frowned at it. 

She went opening the door and went giving his coffee shop a middle finger before stomping back inside her own shop, closing back the door. 

And Sehun went scowling. 

“What in the ?”

She couldn’t possibly see him, right? Because he didn’t turn on the lights yet. 

Does she have any resentment or whatsoever? 

But Sehun still couldn’t believe the peeping Tom was someone who work at the coffee shop across him and have the nerve to flip him off without knowing. 

He went switching the lights on and smirked when the girl went staring at his coffee shop with her whole body turned to face him. 

“Well, hello to you too, miss peeping Tom.”

Just as soon as he said that - the girl went jumping down behind the counter that she was standing at and was gawking to herself at the surprise lights from the coffee shop across hers. 

Sora felt her heart went thumping loudly, as if she just run a marathon and she peeked from the counter with the loud music blasting from her ears as she stared more. 

There was a guy inside the coffee shop, moving inside his own coffee shop like he owned it - well, he did owned it because it’s his shop. 

But, Sora didn’t expected that he would be coming so early like her and opened the coffee shop. 

“. Did he see me flipping him off?” she groaned, hiding herself back behind the counter and palmed on her face. 

“Stupid, Sora.” 

In the end, she went squatting down and walked like a depressed duck to her own office and hoped that the guy wouldn’t noticed her. 

She still remembered his face and tall figure - admitting that the coffee shop was his, without any guilt whatsoever and that irked her more. 

“Stupid.” she said - not knowing whether it was for the annoying guy who owned the coffee shop across hers, or for her stupid self that went walking like a duck in her own shop because she was embarrassed and not wanting to get caught. 

Imagine what will happen if the guy knew that she was the boss of the coffee shop across him, after she was caught peeping his coffee shop last night. 

And at that, Sora went groaning loudly.

Joohyun went frowning, staring at Sora who was greeting her in the early morning with chef hat on her head, covering her long hair and have a messily drawn mustache and goatee on the face.

She frowned, staring at her friend. “Is it Halloween? Why didn’t I get the memo?”

Sora went pulling her inside and locked on the door, and Joohyun was being pulled into the kitchen, before she could even say anything else. 

“Enemy can recognized me. Right now, I’m Pablo, not Sora.” 

Joohyun went parting her lips at that. “What?”

Sora then peeked from the kitchen door and pointed at the coffee shop across theirs and Joohyun frowned. 

“Oh? That’s the coffee shop you were talking about?”

Sora groaned. “It’s a disastrous shop for us, Joohyun.”

“The coffee shop owner, he can recognized me.” she added. 

“So?” the other girl didn’t understand the sudden worry and Sora whined at it. 

“It’s not like you have done something wrong to him, right?” Joohyun shrugged, staring at the guy in the coffee shop as he was busy sweeping on the floor and arranged on the furnitures.

And Sora awkwardly stretched her nape with another obvious guilt looking face, and Joohyun raised a brow.. “What did you do?” 

Sora gulped down, whirling around to move to the kitchen and avoided Joohyun curious glance. 

“Sora...”

“I didn’t do anything!”

“Hmm...” Joohyun tapped on her shoe, demanding for an answer - and Sora was already whining in defeat. 

Sehun was glad to see Kyungsoo came into the shop by the next hours, accompanying by Jongin by the side and he pressed his lips into a thin smile when he saw the older brought some breads for him as a breakfast - and Sehun loved that, knowing that Kyungsoo baked it on his own. 

“You’re early.” Jongin said, and Sehun shrugged.

From his lack of reply, Kyungsoo just sighed and dropped the bag of breads on the counter, not minding if Sehun just wiped it or whatsoever.

“I see our boss is still the same, even with his new cafe.” Kyungsoo said, walking more into the cafe and walked up to the kitchen - after giving a judging look to the half decorations that was happening in the lounge.

“I see you still at decorating, boss.” Kyungsoo said and Sehun didn’t mind that, busy with the breads from Kyungsoo. 

“And I see that you’re still salty, Kyungsoo.” he said and the said guy just rolled his eyes, moving to his rightfully throne - in the kitchen. 

Kyungsoo was a baker - an excellent baker for Sehun’s cafe. 

Despite his salty remarks and judging looks, he was loyal to Sehun - mainly because Sehun was the one who hired him - despite he was being unemployed for so long and had no basic working experience along.

That’s why, when Sehun was opening a new shop in an unknown neighborhood - Kyungsoo left the position in Seoul and followed Sehun along. 

“Are my toys here?” he asked, and Jongin went answering instead of Sehun. 

“More to come...”

Kyungsoo just hummed at that from the kitchen and Jongin went focusing at the glass window.

“Anyway...the coffee shop across us is pretty early too...” 

Sehun munched lazily on the bread, and stared at the coffee shop across his - noticing a girl went sweeping on the floor - a different girl from before. 

“Yeah. It’s pretty annoying.”

He wondered where the petite girl earlier.

“Should we say hi to them?” Jongin had such playful glint in his eyes and Sehun knew what his friend was thinking - probably excited because he saw a girl worker in the coffee shop and wanted to get all flirty again. 

Like usual. 

“Whatever. Just don’t drag me into it.”

Jongin seemed excited at that, grinning happily like a kid that just got to go to his amusement park and Sehun just rolled his eyes. 

Though, Jongin excitement had to be paused a bit and he had to hold the thoughts on saying hi to the coffee shop across them, as the furnitures went coming in the following hours, along with the coffees and more machines.

Thankfully, Baekhyun came chirping next, along with sleepy Minseok by his side and Sehun was glad - seeing his friends and also the staffs of the cafe, walking to work. 

They weren’t opening soon, still busy preparing with everything, but - that preparing time was actually very crucial to gain more customers. 

Sehun and Jongin went outside and helped to move in the furnitures that just came in, into the coffee shop. 

Summer was a pain in the - but also a tip for Sehun to work on his tactics. 

He and Jongin were rolling their sleeves - showing off their muscles as they helped with the furnitures and moved it inside. 

By that, the women who passed by, went gawking shamelessly at them and ogled happily.

While Baekhyun was also out at the sidewalk, happily passing down the flyers of their cafe that will be opening soon while sending a few flirty winks and teasing remarks here and there, making the passerby went giggling shyly at his handsome face.

Minseok went testing on the coffee and let out the fresh coffee smell lingering outside, along with Kyungsoo’s baked goods that he was making, and the others gulped hungrily at it as they passed by.

Without them knowing that someone was glaring at them behind the glass window from the cafe across them. 

“They are so annoying.” Sora huffed, peeking at the boys outside with such disgusted look on her face from the binoculars. 

She recognized the tan boy from last night and groaned at knowing he was working at the coffee shop across hers. She also recognized the guy who went passing the flyers - the one with the brightest smile that she had ever seen. 

The other guy, the owner of the cafe, the one who was about to sue her last night was also recognizable to her, and she grimaced at seeing his tall figure went moving the furnitures inside - still remembered his annoying look on her and that irked her more. 

She was still wearing her disguise earlier - except for the goatee and mustache that was wiped off by Joohyun because the girl was embarrassed on having her boss looking like that. 

“Annoyingly handsome.” Joy went saying, as she was also peeking from the glass window with the binoculars. 

“Boss, look at the tall one. He’s ing cute.” 

Sora went grimacing at that, and glared at Joy, not minding the annoying boys again as she focused on her worker. 

“Joy, focus. That’s our enemy.” she went saying, and Joohyun was sighing again. 

People weren’t rolling in like the usual and she didn’t really mind slacking off for a few minutes with Joy and Sora - more like Sora forced her to come and peeked on the boys. 

“But...” Joy went pouting, and Sora glared even more, making the girl huffed and focused back on the boys who were busy with the cafe’s machines and goods. 

Before she went gasping loudly, jaws dropped to the ground when she saw the tan guy went stripping his shirt off, probably couldn’t stand the heat - or probably trying to gain more attention from the females. 

While the other guy went wiping his sweats with the shirt - lifting it up with his hand and let his abs be visible by the others to see. 

Joy was just like every females that went looking at them - liking it way too much, while Sora went mum, seeing the excited reactions from the passerby.

She looked down to her body and frowned. “Joohyun...”

“What?”

“Should we strip too?”

“If we did that, the customers will run away.” Joohyun coolly waved it off and Sora was pouting at it.

But as she focused back on the guys outside, she noticed the guy with the brightest smile went moving towards her shop. 

Her eyes widened - knowing that he knew her face and before anything could happened - her feet were fast and zoomed past Joohyun and Joy, hiding behind the counter, and left the two girls gawking at her. 

“Hello...” Baekhyun went inside, smiling when the cold air conditioner went hitting his hot skin, and he went waving his hands happily, making Joy went blinking at that, while Joohyun went moving to go behind the counter.

Her eyes glanced at Sora who was sitting on the floor, eyes looking scared as she hide herself away. She decided not to ask about it, and focused on the guy in front of her. 

“Order?”

Baekhyun went smiling at that, waving his hands. “No, no...I just came to say hi. I work at the coffee shop across you guys.”

As he went explaining, another guy walked in and Joy went blinking at him as she moved behind the counter, standing beside Joohyun and didn’t forget to glance at Sora who was on the floor. 

“Hi...” Jongin chirped happily, already wearing back his shirt to appear decent enough when he was about to greet the new people. 

Joohyun and Joy went looking at the two blankly. 

“We are from the coffee shop across you.” Jongin said, and Sehun was following inside - looking bored as he stared at the girls. 

“My name is Baekhyun - ” Baekhyun put a hand on his chest, dramatically introduced himself with a flip of his hair. 

“ - this is Jongin - ” Jongin just gave a teasing wink in return and Joohyun grimaced at that, almost throwing up. 

“ - and this is our boss, the owner of the shop, Sehun.” 

Sehun nodded at the two and the girls nodded back politely. 

“Are you the boss?” he stared at Joohyun.

“No.” she shook her head and Sehun nodded at it, understanding on that part.

“Can I see your boss?”

At that, Joy and Joohyun glanced secretly down at the same time  - towards Sora who was on the floor and busy blending in with the coffee cabinet, looking scared - yet awkward with trying to hide herself away. 

And they went looking back to the guys, trying to hide the fact that their boss was on the floor and camouflage on the cabinet.

Joy coughed on her spit when she kept thinking about Sora and how ridiculous her boss looked - she wanted to laugh so bad. 

“Our boss is a bit busy.” 

Yeah, busy blending in with the cabinet. 

Joohyun then stared at Sehun. “I’m not the boss, but I’m the manager. Can I help with anything?”

Sehun shook his head at that. “No. I just want to see your boss.”

Sora felt her heart dropped at that. 

What? 

Why?

Why he wanted to see her? 

Is he trying to pick up a fight?

Like, trying to fight for dominance or something? Like in the wild?

Like a lion fighting with another lion to regain territory? 

If she lost, does she have to close her coffee shop? 

She didn’t hear the rest of what they were talking, as she was busy trying to imagine how she gonna attack somehow who was far taller and well build than her.

Her thoughts went wild, and she doesn’t even noticed that Joy went squatting in front of her and went waving the flyer in her hand, and Sora finally snapped out of it.

“Boss.” Joy sang. 

She blinked. “What?”

“You’re out of it.” Joohyun commented, and Sora peeked from the counter to see the guys had gone away and she breathed out in relief. 

“Look, boss!” Joy went waving the flyer in her hand and Sora took it with a frown.

She stared at the poster of the coffee shop across hers and scowled. 

The designs of the flyers were pretty and that makes her annoyed even more.

“Gosh, they are so annoying.”

Joy blinked at her. “They are opening in another three days, and they gave us a coupon for the drinks. Can we go there when they opened?”

Sora glanced at Joy and gasped dramatically. “Are you willing to backstab me, Joy?”

“No! Of course not!”

Sora ignored that, and leaned against the cabinet more - blending in again as she faked a hurtful cries.

“I guess this is my fate. Being challenged by a tall giraffe and have my staff backstabbing me for him.” she faked a tear and continued crying.

While Joy went confused, and Joohyun just patted the girl on the shoulder, eyes full of understanding at her situation. 

“Don’t worry. Just let her be dramatic. She will be done in ten minutes.”

Joohyun was right, Sora ended up being okay after ten minutes later and the owner of the coffee shop ended up moving to her kitchen to rant out her sudden frustrations. 

Sora went making another cake for her sudden worry and Joy was in awe when she saw her boss was busy in the kitchen.

Since Wendy was on leave, along with Seulgi - the kitchen was reserved only for Sora and the girl went using it well for her condition and have a delicious red velvet cake ready for tomorrow’s sales.

By the time she was done - Joohyun went peeking from the kitchen frame and pointed at the clock and Sora finally noticed how long she had been staying there. 

She went glaring at the coffee shop across hers when she and Joohyun went closing up. Joy had long gone after her shift had ended, and that left Joohyun with Sora to end the day.

When they closing up, and ready to leave - Sora was walking by Joohyun’s side and hiding herself from the guys who were still inside their coffee shop - busying themselves with the stupid shop. 

She went glaring at them from the distance and Joohyun just sighed. 

“You can’t possibly hate them, right?”

Sora looked at Joohyun, seemingly offended. “Do I have any reason why I shouldn’t?”

“It’s stupid, Sora. They are just doing their job.”

“Yeah, in front of our coffee shop. I have every right to feel threatened by their presence.”

“Don’t worry about it. They couldn’t steal our customers that easily.”

The two girls went chatting more as they walked out from the work - it’s basically Joohyun went telling Sora not to be childish and think of it as a good way to compete in the business, and have Sora pouted at that - feeling dejected. 

Not knowing that Sehun was staring at the two girls the moment they walked out from the coffee shop. He noticed the way the girl went hiding behind Joohyun - and although she was petite enough, Sehun still could see her well.

He didn’t even bothered on whatever Minseok was saying as he leaned against the glass surface of his coffee shop and stared at Sora. 

In which she coincidentally looked back to his coffee shop as she was talking to Joohyun, and probably saw that he was staring at her as he leaned on the glass door, and she quickly looked away, hiding herself behind her bag that she was carrying and ran faster, leaving Joohyun alone. 

Weirdly, Sehun couldn’t help the smile on his lips when he saw that. 

What’s up with that girl?