"Hi, guys, we meet again! So, how are you?"

 

Jongwoon smiled as he read comments that flew up faster than a bullet. Most of the comments (ones that he was quick enough to read anyway) said that they were fine and couldn't wait to see which cafe would be reviewed today. Some also tried to guess which lucky shop would be graced by him, Kim Jongwoon, the famous cafe-review vlogger on YouTube that had more than a million subscribers. He randomly visited a cafe once a week without a notice to do a review vlog. Usually, any cafe he did a review on would become popular within a night. So, it was almost every cafe owner's dream to be visited by him.

 

"You haven't greeted Jongjin-ah and want to see him? Hey, bias isn't allowed in this channel!"

 

Despite his complaint, he happily shifted the camera angle to take a full shot of his younger brother (aka his full-time helper.) Jongjin who had already gotten used to it casually greeted the viewers and even joked with them. Jongwoon rolled his eyes playfully and shifted the camera focus back to him after the entire comment section only talked about Jongjin...

.

.

.

"Which cafe will I go to today? That's a secret! If you want to know then keep watching~ My outfit is cool? Obviously! I'm cute? Always~ It's almost winter now so take care of myself—"

 

Jongwoon stopped reading at one particular comment. It was from an account named "Purple Egg". It wasn't a very creative name, yes, but this Purple Egg folk had been his royal fan since he first started his channel. Actually, it had become his habit to look for Purple Egg's comment whenever he did a live vlog. It also made him smile whenever he saw it.

 

"Of course, I'll take care of myself and wear lots of warm clothes~ You take care of yourself too~ Mwah!"

 

He sent a flying kiss and wink to his camera. The comment section literally exploded as people kept arguing that their beloved vlogger was talking to them, although it was only him and Purple Egg who knew that it was meant for the two of them. He let his viewers continue to argue while heading to the destination he had in his mind. He loved walking because he always discovered new and interesting shops on his way. Besides, walking also gave time for the cafe to prepare since it took him a while to reach the place (as long as they watched his weekly vlog, that is!)

 

"Not sure if any of you recognize this alley or not, but seeing as we're about to reach our destination in five or ten minutes, might as well reveal the name of our today's visit! So, today I'm going to review a cafe named Pinggu! A unique name, right? You'll find out the reason behind the cute name once we arrive at the shop~ Anyway, I accidentally found this cafe while looking through the Street View mode on Google Maps. I was looking for a pet accessory shop but found this place instead. So, let's give it a go, shall we?"

 

Jongwoon smiled and quickened his steps. He couldn't wait to see what kind of a cafe waited for him!

 

********************************

 

Meanwhile at Pinggu Cafe…

 

 

 

"Of course, I'll take care of myself and wear lots of warm clothes~ You take care of yourself too~ Mwah!"

 

 

Kyuhyun grinned stupidly while banging his head on an imaginary wall. Just now, his favorite vlogger and his crush read his comment and replied to him! Jongwoon even sent a kiss and wink at him! Jongwoon noticed him! Kyuhyun was so over the moon that he didn't catch what his beloved vlogger said next. It was only when he heard his cafe name that he snapped out of his delusional daydream. What? Did Jongwoon just say that today's visit was his cafe…?

 

"Jesus Christ spiderman and van helsing!!! Jongwoon is really heading here! Oh my god I'm about to meet my crush soon!!!"

 

Kyuhyun suddenly stood up and knocked over the chair. Unfortunately, someone happened to walk past the panicked barista and their toes got stuck by the falling chair. The poor guy cursed loudly while jumping around on one leg in pain.

 

"Kyuhyun!!? The is wrong with you!!? Why did you look like someone whose crush is about to visit your cafe and do a vlog!!?"

"That's because my crush is about to visit my cafe and do a vlog!!! Wait, how did you know?"

"Dude, you watch the vlog in speaker mode so obviously I know it all!!"

"If you know then help me out! What should I do!!? Jongwoon is about to arrive at any minute!"

"First of all, don't you dare forget about our cafe concept."

 

His best friend and co-founder of the cafe, Lee Hyukjae, suggested while glaring at him; probably because his toes still hurt like hell. Kyuhyun immediately had a conflicted look on his handsome face. Their cafe had a unique challenge known among regulars named "Make Me Smile" which was a challenge where customers had to make Kyuhyun smile. Anyone who succeeded got a lifetime coupon to exchange for free drinks. So far no one made it yet because Kyuhyun was a great actor. But just to be sure...

 

"Kyuhyun, if that Jongwoon guy won and got the coupon because of your crushing then you must clean the kitchen for two months!"

"Jeez, isn't that too harsh? I'm but a man in love. How could you expect me to not smile when I saw my crush?"

"Whatever. Just do as I say. I don't care how you do it."

 

Hyukjae rolled his eyes at his annoying friend who nodded obediently but wouldn't stop complaining. Cool and aloof oppa my . If their regulars found out that Kyuhyun was actually a big dork, he didn't want to know how many customers they might have lost. Luckily, they were in a backroom now...

 

*************************************

 

"Here we are at Pinggu Cafe! Hmm… So, the owner probably likes penguins? I like turtles so we will get along well! I have to say though, seeing these penguins in a garden weirds me out a bit! I mean, they should at least decorate the garden in a south pole theme or something like that. For that reason, I give this garden a seven out of ten. Let's see the inside of the place, shall we?"

 

Jongwoon pushed a glass door open and stepped into the cafe. The small but cozy shop was decorated in a white and blue color theme. Cute penguin decorations were found all over the place really living up to its name. At least they cared about the design here. He nodded in approval and stepped further inside.

 

"Our Pinggu Cafe really lives up to its name! I think I like that penguin doll the most. Yes, that twisted neck penguin doll! Poor guy, I wonder who did that to him. Anyway, I did research before coming here and, apparently, there is a challenge where you get a lifetime coupon for free drinks if you can make the barista smile! Unique, right? Huh? Will I try the challenge? Obviously! I'll try and win it! Just you wait and see~ Eh? No one has won so far? That's because I'm going to be the first winner! Like, who can withstand my charm—"

 

 

Jongwoon fell in love at first sight.

 

 

Standing behind a white counter was a tall, handsome brown-haired man with an aloof expression. He wore a blue apron with a cartoon penguin in the middle which was really out of character (but also super cute!) The aloof barista looked up and their eyes met. Blush immediately made its way to his cheeks and he temporarily forgot that he was doing a live vlog. If it wasn't for Jongjin tapping his shoulder, who knew how long he would keep staring at the good-looking barista. Faking a cough, he turned his attention back to the vlog and glared at the camera after finding out that the comment section was having fun teasing him. After pouting in annoyance at the viewers, he sat down at a table in a corner to not disturb other customers and gave the camera to his brother. The aloof barista approached their table and Jongwoon once again found himself staring at the handsome guy, leaving his poor brother to do the talk.

 

"Hello," Jongjin greeted the barista politely. "What is the recommended menu?"

"Pinggu Love Love Special Caramel Frappuccino is very popular among female customers. For male customers, Pinggu the Coolest Coffee is what they usually order."

 

The way the handsome barista said those silly names with a straight face made Jongwoon giggle. How cute! Though he quickly shut up when the man glared at him. In the end, they ordered the two popular menus and some pastry to go with. Before the barista left their table, Jongwoon grabbed the man's apron to get his attention.

 

"Hey, is it true that whoever can make you smile get a lifetime free-drink coupon?"

"Yes."

"Then you had better prepare yourself! Because I, the angel of cuteness, gonna make you smile like a fool with my charm!"

 

Jongwoon said and shot a finger gun at the barista while winking. However, said barista didn't even blink as he stared deadpanned at the black-haired man. Eventually, it was Jongwoon himself who couldn't stand the embarrassment and lost his cool. He groaned and hid his burning face in his palms while Jongjin laughed non-stop. His brother even "kindly" read all teasing comments out loud for him!

 

"The orders will be ready soon."

 

Worst of all, the aloof barista kept his character and made Jongwoon feel even more embarrassed with his monotonous reply. The handsome man just left their table without even commenting on Jongwoon's (shameful) aegyo!

 

"Guys! Stop laughing! I'm not pitiful or what! And no! I didn't lose! I just, I, that's right! I haven't used my ultimate aegyo moves yet so just you wait and see! I'm gonna win him over for sure!"

"Hyung, they ask whether you are trying to get the free coupon or the barista?"

 

Jongjin happily read the comment to his brother.

 

"Why not bo— I mean, the free coupon, of course! What could possibly be better than a lifetime worth of free drinks!!?"

 

Jongwoon replied with a suspiciously red face.

 

"They said, what about a handsome boyfriend who owns a coffee shop? Hyung, I think they want to know if you're interested in mister barista or not?"

"Just stop teasing me already!!!"

 

***************************************

 

Meanwhile in the backroom…

 

 

"Holy cow! Jongwoon is too cute! I think I'm going to die from cuteness overload soon!"

 

Kyuhyun, as soon as he got in the private backroom, kneeled down and praised his crush's cuteness to heaven. Hyukjae pretended that he didn't see or hear anything and left the room to attend to the shop. His friend, on the other hand, was busy clutching his shirt while swooning over the image of his crush shooting a finger gun and winking at him. Back there, he didn't react because he had to keep the aloof role. Now, however, he could fanboy as much as he wanted in private. He really couldn't stop grinning. Jongwoon was too cute! Especially when he was embarrassed! It was a shame that he didn't know what the two brothers were talking about after he left. It would be great if they talked about him…

 

 

"Yah!! Get your up and get to work already! How long are you going to make the customers wait!!?"

 

Hyukjae came back and kicked some sense into his friend.

 

**********************************

 

"When will you guys stop teasing me!!? I said I didn't have any ulterior mo—"

"The orders are here."

"Look! Our orders have arrived!"

 

 

Jongwoon quickly changed the topic before the handsome barista knew that his viewers were trying to encourage him to win the barista's heart. He beamed at the expressionless man who carefully placed their orders on the table. One menu caught his attention— a tall glass of caramel frappuccino topped with penguin milk foam. The little cute penguin had a pouting milk foam beak and it completely captured his heart. Jongwoon smiled and held the glass up to take a closer look. Then, he turned to the silent barista and asked: "you made this? I really love it!"

 

The barista merely nodded at his question. Although the man was as aloof as ever, Jongwoon noticed that his dark brown eyes seemed slightly warmer. Maybe he was happy to know that the customer liked his coffee? Suddenly, Jongwoon got a great idea to make the man smile. Holding the drink in front of him, Jongwoon mustered the sweetest smile he could manage and called the barista.

 

"Hey, look at me!"

 

The aloof barista looked at him.

 

"Your milk foam penguin is really cute but I bet I can pout cuter! Look!"

 

Jongwoon pouted and sent puppy eyes to the taller man.

 

"..."

*Pout*

"..."

*Pout*

"..."

*Pout*

"..."

*Pooooout*

"...........…"

 

He kept pouting for a very long while even though his target was staring at him with dead fish eyes. Eventually, humiliation knocked at his door and he couldn't keep his act any longer. He could feel his face burning as he tried to hide behind the tall glass in his hands. Unfortunately, it was proven to be the worst hiding place as it barely hid Jongwoon's flushed face from the taller man. Jongjin, the professional cameraman, quickly got up from his seat and kneeled down in front of his brother to get the best shot. He glared at his younger brother while tightening his grip around the tall glass. Suddenly, the aloof barista gently took the glass out of Jongwoon's deathly grip and placed it back on the table.

 

"Be careful," the barista said, "you might drop it and hurt yourself."

 

Jongjin whistled as he zoomed in on the larger hands that held his brother's smaller ones. Those hands lingered on Jongwoon's fingers longer than necessary before letting them go. The aloof barista straightened himself up and nodded at them.

 

"Please enjoy your time."

 

The tall barista then left without commenting on Jongwoon's aegyo, again. Jongjin, after moving back to his seat, flopped down on the table and laughed heartily at his brother's lost and flustered expression (although his hand still held the camera steadily so the broadcast wasn't interrupted.) His hyung did everything in his power but didn't get any reaction back. That guy, on the other hand, used just one sentence and a short hand holding and his hyung was a goner! Blushing madly like a maiden in her first love!

 

 

"Hyung," Jongjin spoke up while chuckling, "they wanted to know where and when you'll hold a wedding?"

"I-I said stop teasing me!!!"

 

************************************

 

Meanwhile in the backroom with another goner…

 

 

"Hyukjae,"

"What?"

"If I didn't make it today, know that I love you and I'm willing to give full ownership of our cafe to you."

"Shut up and go back to work."

 

Kyuhyun ignored his friend and continued to replay the interaction between him and his crush in his head. Jongwoon's cute smile. Jongwoon's kissable pouting lips. Jongwoon adorable puppy eyes. Jongwoon's lovely flustered expression. Even Jongwoon's deathly glare at his younger brother was also cute! Everything about his crush was just too cute!

 

"It's surely a miracle how I still can hide my love for him and keep my cool this long."

"Yeah, it's definitely a miracle how I still consider you as a best friend. Get your out and stop running here to do your fanboy monologue!!! I need to check the cafe's accounting and you're freaking distracting me!!"

 

Hyukjae once again kicked Kyuhyun out of the backroom.

 

**************************************

 

The battle of the century between an unstoppable force (cute vlogger) and an immovable object (aloof barista) then started. Kyuhyun steeled his expression to look even colder (because he couldn't run to hide in the backroom now) while Jongwoon acted even cuter (because he did have an ulterior motive now.) Both parties gave it their all to win the challenge. But the true winner? Jongjin, the live broadcast viewers, and the cafe customers who got to witness everything unfolded, of course!

 

 

"Mister barista, what is your name?"

"It's Kyuhyun."

"Alright, Kyuhyun, prepare yourself! I'm about to unleash my ultimate aegyo techniques now!!!"

 

 

The result? A total failure on Jongwoon part!

.

.

.

.

Dad joke attempt 1

 

Jongwoon: "What language do trees speak?

Kyuhyun: "Leave."

Jongwoon: "I-I just want to tell a joke but you tell me to leave!!?"

Jongjin: "Hyung, you're the one who asked him that question…"

 

 

 

Dad joke attempt 2

 

Jongwoon: "Did you know why skeletons are so calm?"

Kyuhyun: "Why?"

Jongwoon: "Because nothing gets under their skins! Ha!"

Kyuhyun: "But you're getting under mine."

Jongwoon: *Blush*

Jongjin to the viewers: "That's another point going to mister barista!!"

 

 

 

Dad joke attempt 3

 

Jongwoon: "Which is faster, hot or cold?"

Kyuhyun: "Hot, because you can catch a cold."

Jongwoon: "Hey! You're supposed to act like you didn't know the answer!"

Kyuhyun: "Speaking of catching a cold, here, please have a cup of tea. You've already had two cold drinks so you should warm your body up."

Jongwoon: "T-Thank you…"

Kyuhyun: "I can help warm you up if you want."

Jongwoon, choked on the tea: "What!!? Warm me up!!? Yes!! N-No! I mean, yes but no!"

Kyuhyun: "You don't want another cup of tea?"

Jongwoon: *Blush in embarrassment*

Jongjin: "What are we filming about again? Not that I don't like it, it's far more entertaining this way."

 

 

 

Dad joke attempt 4 (the worst one)

Jongwoon: "If I ever get your number, I'll never call you later!"

Kyuhyun, suspiciously impatient: "Why?"

Jongwoon: "I won't call you later because I'm going to call you mine!"

Kyuhyun: "....." (brain dead from happiness overload)

Jongwoon: *Feeling conscious of his own bad pickup line*

Jongwoon: "O-Or maybe I shouldn't call you anything at all! Just forget whatever I said! It didn't happen!!"

Jongjin, showing the camera: "Everything is all recorded in here though."

Jongwoon: "Don't tease me!"

 

 

 

Aegyo attempt 1

 

Jongwoon pouted and stared at Kyuhyun with puppy eyes. Then, he tilted his head a bit and winked at the barista. Sadly, it didn't work. Kyuhyun didn't even bat an eye when he said: "sorry, that won't work on me because I'm immune to cute things in general."

 

It took Jongwoon a while to realize that Kyuhyun just called him cute. But once he did, he had to flop down on the table to hide his tomato-red face for almost five minutes…

 

 

 

Aegyo attempt 2

 

"Have you ever heard of the tale of two rabbits?"

"No, what was that?"

"You see! It's a story about two rabbits who are friends. Every full moon night, they climb up the hill behind their houses to watch the moon together."

 

Jongwoon made two v signs and waved his hands left and right to imitate two rabbits.

 

"So, there is a full moon tonight. The two rabbits then climb up… climb up the hill…"

 

He slowly raised his v-sign hands up as he continued the story. Eventually, the two v-sign hands stopped above his head and he beamed at Kyuhyun.

 

"There! The two rabbits are now watching the moon together! Aren't they cute!!?"

 

Jongwoon's smile faltered a bit when the taller man still refused to smile. He was about to stop his silly act but Kyuhyun stopped him with a question.

 

"Wait, did you know what the two rabbits said?"

"No? I don't think they said anything…"

 

Kyuhyun, with a straight face but gentle eyes— "they said, the moon is really beautiful."

 

While Jongjin almost dropped the camera, his hyung, on the other hand, looked genuinely clueless about it.

 

"Huh? What does that mean?"

"It means that you have to move onto the next method because you still fail to make me smile. Don't tell me that this is all you've gotten?"

"What!!? Just you wait! I still have my secret technique left!"

 

 

 

Aegyo attempt 3 (the most embarrassing one)

 

"Alright! Stretch your arms out! Okay~ This is also a story about the same two rabbits. One day, a giant wave crashes and drowns the land. Their houses now became two small islands surrounded by the body of water. Poor guys!"

 

Jongwoon said while placing each of his v-sign hands on the back of Kyuhyun's hands.

 

"Anyway, they want to see their friends but they can't swim. So, they pray to God asking for a magic bridge which they got! Two stairs ascending to the sky magically appear on their little islands. With a joyful heart, the two rabbits start to climb the stairs…"

 

He flipped his v-sign hands down so that the two fingers became the legs. Then, two pairs of miniature legs slowly climbed up on Kyuhyun's arms. Jongwoon was pretty sure that he could get the barista to smile for real this time. However, the closer his fingers moved up to Kyuhyun's shoulders, the louder and messier his heartbeat became. As for his target, Kyuhyun still didn't bat an eye. The taller man's expression was colder than the Arctic but his gaze was softer than a cotton candy. In the end, Jongwoon couldn't keep going and stopped the two rabbits' journey just below Kyuhyun's shoulders.

 

"A-And then God says, that's it! No more magic bridge for you guys! The stairs soon disappear and the two rabbits fall into the ocean! The end!!"

 

Jongwoon pulled his hands away in embarrassment. However, Kyuhyun suddenly held his hands and took it upon himself to finish the story.

 

"The God of Sky might be cruel but the God of Sea takes pity on the two rabbits. He orders the ocean to help them. The wave gently brings them closer and closer…"

 

While holding each of Jongwoon's hands, Kyuhyun slowly lessened the gap between the two hands by pulling them in. Eventually, the two small hands met and the barista placed his larger hands on them as he continued the story.

 

"Finally, the two rabbits reunite and are tied together by a magic bond. From now on, nothing can separate them ever again. The end."

 

 

Jongwoon got OHKO at the spot.

.

.

.

.

Annnnnd that was the basic gist of Jongwoon's (poor) attempts to make the aloof barista smile. Although he soon found out that the handsome barista wasn't as aloof as he thought, he still couldn't make the man smile. If anything, everything freaking backfired and ended up making him flustered instead. After digging about fifteen of his own graves, Jongwoon finally gave up.

 

"Alright! You won! Everyone, I'll admit my defeat so please stop teasing me! If you think you're better than me then give it a try yourself! See if you can make him smile or end up getting clowned like me! Today we're at the Pinggu Cafe. Foods and drinks are great. Plus, the overall atmosphere is lovely so I give it a ten. What? No! That score has nothing to do with Kyuhyun! You guys tease me again! Jongjin-ah, end the vlog, now!"

 

After his brother promised that he had already ended the broadcast (while laughing uncontrollably), Jongwoon's poor soul finally found some peace. He glared at the handsome barista and started to whine for making him lose the challenge in front of his viewers.

 

"You! I'm convinced now that your face muscles are so dead! That's the only explanation why you didn't smile once even though I'm goddamn adorable!"

"You're really cute, yes, but who said that I can't smile?"

 

With that said, Kyuhyun smiled at Jongwoon. The barista's smile was so nice and refreshing that Jongwoon was rendered speechless. But as soon as he gathered his scattering thoughts back, he began to protest to the other man.

 

"So you were holding back your smile all those times? Why? Did you hate losing that badly? Or did you hate losing in front of people?"

"No, it has nothing to do with that. I just want to save my smile only for you. Did I upset you?"

 

Jongwoon got OHKO again but harder this time, because Kyuhyun was smiling genuinely at him. Actually, ever since the broadcast ended, Kyuhyun didn't stop smiling at all as if he wanted to compensate for the past forty minutes. Not only the barista kept smiling happily, but he also kept staring at him with a gentle gaze that made his heart flinch.

 

"Of course you upset me! I need compensation for all the humiliation I have to go through!!"

"Alright," Kyuhyun chuckled, "what do you want?"

Jongwoon mustered up his courage and said, "How about your number and the right to have free drinks for the rest of my life at your place?"

Kyuhyun smirked, "did you know that you said "my place" instead of "my cafe" just now?"

"I know. So what? Got any problem with that?"

"Of course not! Though I have to tell you that I won't call you later after I get your number."

"Ehh? Why!"

"Because I'm going to call you mine~"

 

Kyuhyun finished his sentence with a charming wink that made Jongwoon blush. He didn't expect to get that himself!

 

"A-Anyway! Sure that you didn't mind me having free drinks at your place, right? There is no going back after this, you know?"

"I could ask you the same. You didn't mind me making coffee for you for the rest of your life, right?"

"I don't mind it. I mean, if I did then I wouldn't have gone through all that embarrassing stuff just to get you to smile…"

"Then I don't mind it too. After all, you're a cute topping that adds sweetness to my boring life."

 

 

Who would have thought that a cafe review vlog would bring them together like this? The couple exchanged a shy but happy smile.

 

 

 

I can't tell Kyuhyun though that apart from this love-at-first-sight feeling in my chest, I want to date him partly because I want free coffee…

 

 

Jongwoon smiled at Kyuhyun.

 

 

One day, one day I'm going to tell Jongwoon that I'm Purple Egg and I start this whole cafe thing purely because I want him to do a vlog at my cafe and get a chance to know him…

 

 

Kyuhyun smiled at Jongwoon.

 

 

Anyway, it's free real estate now.

 

 

Unbeknown to them, the couple shared the same thought as they grinned stupidly at each other.

 

**********************************

 

*Bonus*

 

 

"So? What do you guys think? When and where their wedding will be?"

 

Jongjin whispered carefully to the camera. Truth be told, he didn't stop the broadcast when his hyung told him too. Because why not? What just happened was a prime material to bait views and more fans. He acted as his hyung's manager so might as well reap as much profits as possible, right?

 

 

Even though his hyung might come running after his later for further embarrassing him.

 

 

"You guys will save me from Jongwoon hyung when that happens, right?"

 

 

As Jongjin kept chatting with the viewers, he wondered when the couple would realize that they had been filmed all this time...