“Tinkerbell, you’re feisty.”

The girls went calming Sora immediately, trying to laugh it off when they saw the angry puff came right from their boss’s nostrils.

“Calm down, boss.” Joy make a calm down motion with her hands, hoping her boss would ease down a bit, but Sora was just growling and glaring at the coffee shop across hers. 

“I can feel him mocking me. I can taste it on my taste buds.” she squinted harshly, not seeing Sehun anywhere but still makes her boiled in anger. 

“But if it were me, I would be so happy because that handsome boss noticed the attention.” Seulgi sighed dreamily, cupping her own cheeks.

Sora glared immediately at her. 

And Seulgi stiffened and faked an angry look, turning at her back. “Who said that earlier?”

Joohyun rolled on her eyes, seeing Sora trying to catch Seulgi by her hands while the girl ran behind Joy who quickly defended the poor girl from their boss. While Wendy was trying to calm Sora down. 

Thankfully, no customers were present to see the childish acts of the owner of the coffee shop. 

“Sora, stop it.” she went muttering, and Sora just dejectedly lowered down her shoulders, jutting her lips at Joohyun. 

“It’s not like he asked you to go for war or something.”

“But I’m worried.” 

And she sighed, staring at Sora who was glancing back at the coffee shop across theirs. 

Truthfully, Joohyun didn’t feel the need to be that wary of that coffee shop - basically it was doing what it was designed to do.

But when her friend look so worried on the opening of the cafe - she couldn’t help but to worry too. 

“You know what, let’s just relax. Okay?” she stood up, pulling Sora by her side and make a small smile. 

“Should we have a drink?”

“I need to close the cafe.” Sora tried to argue, but Joohyun just pointed at Joy and Seulgi. 

“They can close for tonight.”

“Yes! Leave it to us!” Joy saluted like a soldier that just received an order from the higher ups and Seulgi followed the act - saluting also. 

“See?” Joohyun smiled, and Sora pouted at that.

“Fine.” she huffed, after a few tug and pull from Joohyun. 

“At ease.” Sora muttered at Joy and Seulgi and the two staffs weirdly followed it - easing their stance like a proper soldiers.

“Please have a good night, ma’am!” Joy and Seulgi bowed respectfully the moment Sora walked out - after taking her bag and leaving the cafe with Joohyun and Wendy.

“Come by when you finished closing up.” Joohyun reminded, and the two girls excitedly obeyed to it.  

While Sora went walking out, she didn’t missed the chance to throw two middle fingers at the innocent coffee shop of Sehun’s and have Joohyun sighed at it before dragged her friend away before she can get embarrassed more. 

“Fight me, !” Sora managed to yell, kicking her leg towards the coffee shop directions, and Joohyun sighed again. 

Wendy just calmed her boss down and repeatedly saying sorry for making her acting like an angry parrot.

And while Joohyun and Wendy tried to pull Sora away from marching at the coffee shop, Sehun already had his head up - as if he had his sixth sense tingling.

He glanced outside, and stopped wiping the table. Almost immediately, his lips was pressed into a small smile - as he looked at Joohyun and one of the worker of the cafe across his, dragging Sora as she tried to kick something towards the direction of his coffee shop. 

She looked like an angry kitten.

“Cute.” he smiled, staring silently from his stance inside the cafe. 

And Baekhyun squinted his eyes at Sehun, crossing his arms as he stared at his boss from behind the counter. “Sehun is being weird.”

Minseok stopped cleaning the machine and stared at Sehun. “What do you mean?”

“He kept smiling and giggling to himself.” Baekhyun drew himself closer to Minseok to gossip more. 

“He giggles. Sehun don’t giggles.”  Baekhyun faked an offended look, as if he didn’t want to believe what he was saying too. 

“Sehun hisses. He hisses at people.” he then corrected. 

Minseok glanced at Sehun - noticing the small smile on the guy’s lips. “Maybe he like this neighborhood.”

“Or maybe he is dying.”

Minseok let his mouth went agape at the accusations. “Like...dead?”

“What dead?” Jongin blinked, walking to the talk after he finished helping Kyungsoo in the kitchen. 

“Sehun is dying.” Minseok whispered at Jongin dropped his jaw to the ground. 

“What?!”

“Why are you yelling?” Kyungsoo came next, finished with the work in the kitchen and joined in, mainly because he wanted Minseok to make him a juice before they close. 

“Sehun is dying.” Baekhyun muttered. 

And Kyungsoo blinked. 

And blinked again. 

And blinked again.

“Say something, Soo...” Minseok said. 

“Did he make his will yet?” Kyungsoo stared and the three frowned at it. 

“Huh...”

“What are you doing bundling here?” Sehun came to the scene, finished with his task and Jongin gently grasped both of his hand. 

“Are you dying?”

Sehun blinked. “Only on the inside.”

“So, you are dying.” Minseok called out loudly.

“Just know that I really love your cafe...in case you didn’t know who to give it to, I’m here.” Baekhyun patted on his lashes. 

While Jongin smiled at Sehun and patted on his friend’s hands. “And I really loves your car.” 

Sehun frowned at that, pulling his hands with a disgust look and sauntered to the sink. “Just do your job, and let’s have a drink after this.”

At that, the guys went hollering loudly.

Joy went humming, finished with sweeping the floor and Seulgi had already finished stacking the foods away. 

And it wasn’t long until both of them went singing some random song, walking hand in hand as they switched off the lights and locked on the door. 

Seulgi and Joy went blinking awkwardly - seeing the guys from the coffee shop across them had also closed at the same time and they all went staring at them as Sehun locked on the door.

They awkwardly laughed at it and bowed respectfully. 

Before walking away. 

Still - Joy and Seulgi looked at each other.

Before staring at the group of guys who were walking across them and they laughed awkwardly at it, bowing unknowingly at each other for the second time. 

“Why are they following us?” Seulgi murmured and Joy frowned at it. 

“Why are we following them?” Baekhyun asked at the guys and Minseok retorted back. 

“The beer place is this way. I can’t help it.”

“Why can’t you find somewhere else?” Sehun commented and Minseok huffed. 

“It’s the most famous beer place in this neighborhood.”

And as Baekhyun and Sehun went complaining more, Jongin stared at Kyungsoo and gently grasped on the older’s hand - making him jolted and sharply pulled away his hand from him. 

Jongin pouted at that. “You’re ignoring me.”

Kyungsoo just showed his phone. “A bit busy.”

“On what?” Jongin tried to take a look, but the moment he did so - the phone went ringing and Kyungsoo sighed. 

“I need to take this.” he said, staring at the name on the screen.

“Go first. I’ll catch up later. Just text me the place.” and he just walked away, making Jongin blinked at him and when Sehun glanced back - Jongin just sighed in return, muttering how Kyungsoo will come later. 

And as they were walking closer to the beer place - Joy and Seulgi also going to the same place and they went stopping when they were about to open the door.

“Are you going to the same place?” Seulgi laughed. 

Minseok also laughed along. “Y - yeah.” 

“G - go first.” Seulgi offered but Minseok just shook his head.

“You should go first.”

“No, you should.”

“No, ladies first.”

The other guys stared at Minseok, then at Seulgi.

But Seulgi just laughed awkwardly at it. “We’re not ladies. We are...guys.”

And at that, Joy cleared and deepens her voice. “‘Sup.” 

The guys blinked at that, while Baekhyun literally had his jaw dropped. 

But before they could retorted anything, the glass door was knocked loudly from the inside and they looked at it in response.

“The you’re doing outside?!” Sora yelled happily at the sights of Joy and Seulgi, but stiffened her grin when she saw the guys from the coffee shop. 

Even more - when she saw Sehun literally went smiling at the sight of her and she grasped on the door tightly before looked at the owner of the chicken and beer restaurant.

“Auntie, we need to lock the door. We have alien invasion here. Code red, everyone.”

“What is code red?” Wendy whimpered to Joohyun and the girl shrugged in return.

“Sora, stop restraining my customers.” the middle aged woman went nagging, not even bothered by Sora’s sudden playful acts as she was so used to it. 

And as a few seconds passed, Sora blinked.

While the owner of the restaurant went grinning happily upon the sights of the pretty guys that just came to her restaurant. 

“Oh my gosh, look at you - so handsome...” The middle aged woman happily complimented Sehun, before softening up to Minseok and grinned back to Jongin who smiled at her and aww-ing at Baekhyun who acted all cutesy for her. 

The girls went still on their own seats as the boys went sitting across them on the same table and Sora was literally frozen when Sehun sat across her. 

“Auntie, why are they on our table? I didn’t ask for this.” Sora almost whined and the auntie laughed at it. 

“They are friends from workplace, right? Besides - the place is too crowded for any table.”

They all looked around.

Indeed - the place was too crowded with people who were busy drinking and happily eating fried chicken with their own friends. 

“I’m sorry, we are pretty famous here so people always come here.”

Sehun just politely smiled. “It’s okay. I’m super happy with my table right now.”

Sora went scowling and Sehun pressed down another smile. 

And when the auntie went away to make their orders, Sora was already glaring harshly at him and Sehun smiled even more. 

“Let’s go, girls.” Sora muttered, but Joy and Seulgi went pouting. 

“But we just got here. Let us have a drink first.”

Sora sighed at that, glaring at Sehun along the way and the male chuckled at it, leaving their own staffs awkwardly smiling at each other without knowing what to do. 

“I think we should introduce ourself first.” Minseok suddenly chirped and Sehun nodded at that. 

“We are from the Love Again cafe. Nice to meet you all.” the guys all muttered, bowing their head a bit. 

While Sora scowled. 

“It’s really nice to meet you. We are from the A Cup Of Coffee cafe.” the girls bowed, somehow following Joohyun’s polite responses and Sora grunted - feeling Joohyun forcefully pushed her head to bow at the guys.

And Sehun chuckled when Sora wiggled her head and glared at him when Joohyun let her go. 

“What is this? A group date or something?”

It’s like it was the usual group date that people used to do during college or in blind dates. 

“If this is a group date, does that mean we are getting paired then?” Sehun teased, pointing at the fact that he was sitting across her. 

And usually, people would be paired with someone who was sitting across them.

Sora scowled at that, crossing her arms to show a strong demeanor. “You think I want to be paired with someone who named his coffee shop 'Love Again'?” 

Sehun scowled at that. “Don’t insult my cafe. Yours is not entirely better either. What the hell is 'A Cup Of Coffee'? What if they want more than a cup?”

“Then just order another cup! A cup, then a cup, then a cup!”

The staffs from both cafes went sighing at their own bosses before awkwardly laughed along when they met eyes with each other. 

“We’re sorry, our boss is a bit childish.” Baekhyun apologized and Joy laughed at that. 

“Oh boy, wait till you get to know our boss.” 

Seulgi laughed at that while Wendy just stared at her boss, looking at how eager she was on glaring at Sehun - practically trying to bury the guy with her stares, but Sehun didn’t seemed like he mind. 

He seemed rather amused. 

Joohyun was introducing herself to Minseok, somehow realising that the guy was the manager of the cafe and she intended to learn more from the guy.

And she didn’t even cared about how Sora was hissing at Sehun or how Sehun smiled amusingly at her friend. 

Until, the door to the restaurant was opened and Joohyun had her breathing stuck. 

“Kyungsoo, here!” Jongin waved his hand to the guy who just walked inside. 

Joohyun felt went dry and the guy was walking peacefully to the said table, until he noticed her - and his steps were halted. 

Joohyun glanced at Sora immediately. 

“Sora...” Kyungsoo breathed out. 

The others stared at the direction that Kyungsoo was staring. 

Sora was already parted out her lips, staring at him and her eyes blinked out fast. 

Sehun frowned, staring at Sora then at Kyungsoo. 

“K - Kyungsoo!” Sora beamed happily, but Joohyun could feel how tight her friend hold her hand under the table. 

“Wow! It’s really you. I thought you were a ghost for a second. It has been too long.” Sora smiled and Kyungsoo swallowed hard, pressing a small smile on his lips as he stared at her. 

“I guess my taste buds still remembered the way you make your cream.” He said and Sora laughed at that, acting bashful at it. 

“Aww, stop Kyungsoo...” she acted shy, pressing her hands on both of her cheeks. 

Kyungsoo smiled at that.

The two were standing outside the restaurant, somehow didn’t want to talk under the noisy surroundings and the watchful gazes of the others. 

“You really haven’t change.” his smile went straight at her and Sora laughed at it. 

“But I gained a bit of weight.” she whined and Kyungsoo couldn’t help but to laugh softly at it.

Before his smile went sad and he stared back at her. “I - I’m really sorry for what happened to you - ”

“You lost a lot of weight, though!” Sora cupped on his cheeks and Kyungsoo blinked at her. 

She laughed. “Your fat cheeks are gone now.” 

He smiled at her, grasping both of her hands that were holding him. “We are talking about you now, Sora - ”

“This is because of that bastard right.” Sora cut him off again, glaring at Sehun who was sitting inside the restaurant.

“Did he overwork you too much? That bastard.”

Kyungsoo laughed at that. “Don’t say that. He’s a nice guy. Besides, he’s dying.”

Sora had her jaw dropped. “What?”

Hearing that, she was in a guilt and ended up looking sad when she walked back in. The others were happily mingling with each other, already have the chicken and their own beers, but they quiet a bit when they noticed that she had walked back in. 

Sehun raised a brow at her, when she went staring intently at him and she blinked away fast. 

“I’m sorry.” Sora said. 

And Seulgi chocked on her beer when she heard that.

Sehun let his jaw dropped. “What?”

“I say things that I shouldn’t say. I’m sorry.” She said, looking very apologetic as she does so and Sehun grew more confused than ever. 

Just earlier, she was throwing cusses and glaring angrily at him, but now - she was so kind and apologetic that it scares him.

How come she changed so easily? 

Did Kyungsoo said something to her about him? 

“I didn’t know that you are dying.” 

Her staffs glanced at Sehun immediately. 

“From now on, I will stay out of your coffee shop, until you die in peace.” she handed out her hand - asking for a handshake and he blinked it. 

Gently, he grasped on her hand and noted how soft and small her hand was against his big hand. 

But as she was about to pull her hand, he just tugged it closer and grasped on it tighter, making her yelped and frowned at him. 

He smirked. “Who said that I’m dying?”

His staffs went stilled.

Before all of them went snapping their heads away from the scene and stared at the wall - suddenly found it to be so interesting. 

While Sora pulled on her hand - at least tried to. Because Sehun wasn’t letting her go, and just grasped on her hand tighter and pulled her closer to him. 

“You’re not dying?”

“I’m sorry, but no.” he smirked and Sora grunted at that, wanting to glare at Kyungsoo for lying to her. 

But first she needed to get away from Sehun’s hold and she just hit his hand to force him to let her go, but the guy didn’t even budge. 

“Let me go then!”

“You’re the one that wanted to hold my hands before.”

“Guys!” Sora huffed.

But her staffs just looked away - interested in the same wall that the guys were staring at. Except for Joohyun, who just chugged on her beer and looked at the scene in an uninterested manner. 

“I will bite you!” she argued, and Sehun chuckled. 

“Tinkerbell, you’re feisty.”

He easily entwined their fingers together and grasped it tightly, making Sora desperately trying to pull herself away. 

“Today is our first day, okay?” he joked, grasping their fingers tight and Sora whined loudly. 

“Get me a knife! Get me a knife! I’m cutting my arm!”

“You’re the one who want to hold my hand.”

“I never! I’m paying my respect because you’re dying soon.”

Sehun chuckled at that and only let her go when Joohyun patted his hand away and smiled more when Sora glared at him as she took her bag and walked away at least five feet from the table. 

“I’m leaving!”

The girls quickly leave their beers and chicken as they followed their boss quick and Sehun found that amusing. 

“Auntie, this guy is paying for our bills!” Sora stuck her tongue out and Sehun couldn’t help the smile on his lips. 

“Sure, I would be happy to pay for my girlfriend’s bills.”

Sora, hearing that - didn’t managed to get out as she whirled back in and glared at Sehun. “I’m not your girlfriend! I’ll pay my own bills! I’m a strong independent woman!”

The people there were amused at Sora loud burst, along with Sehun who couldn’t stop smiling. 

While Jongin stared at Kyungsoo. “That’s your friend?” 

Kyungsoo smiled fondly. “In all her best form.”

Sora grunted loudly when she’s done, giving a flying kiss to Kyungsoo before glaring back at Sehun. 

“This is war, bastard.” she make a 'I’m watching you’ actions with her fingers and Sehun smirked at that. 

“Alright babe.” he winked at her and immediately - Sora went flushed red - almost marching to hit him, but Joy and Seulgi quickly pulled her back. 

As he stared at how Sora being dragged, his other staffs were amused at how Sehun was laughing to himself and being all smiley.

“Oh...is our majesty have a crush?” Baekhyun and Minseok teased the boss and have him rolled his eyes at it. 

Jongin pushed the beer to Sehun, celebrating on that fact. 

While Kyungsoo looked to his phone - suddenly remembering something as Sora had gone back. 

I’m too excited seeing her that I forgot to tell that he’s back in Korea.