First Cup (of my heart)

For one's heart that appears to be guarded by walls.

For dreams almost forgotten but not lost.

For people who believe in something called fate.

 For two people who set their heart straight.

And lastly, for elusive hearts that seek companionship.

"Oppa, let's stop here. Let's break up."

He stood frozen for a moment, unable to comprehend the words that floated in the air. He wanted to say something, anything, but the words were suddenly lost. The felt thin and it was hard to breathe.

"I can't keep waiting anymore, Yonghwa. We can't just keep hurting each other like this. I can't stay beside you anymore. Please, I'm not the one you need." Her sobs were growing bolder by the second and he feels like disappearing because he doesn't want to hear any words coming from her anymore.

"Why?" He knew why but he let the word linger.

"I'm tired of waiting for the day that I'll come first before your dreams when I know that that day will never come, Yonghwa. I'm sorry..."

Without another word he left, her words repeating in his head and the pain wrapping his heart.

8 years gone in an instant.

It was already past midnight when a widely known artist and singer named, Jung Yonghwa decided he needed a drink and fresh air to breathe. He was half hoping and half desperate to get at least just a night of freedom away from everything that's been suffocating him for the longest time.

Passion. Music. Career. Everything he had dreamed of since the beginning almost seemed worthless now. It was as if he was slowly forgetting the reasons why he had dreamed of them in the first place.

He hadn't realized that things were slowly slipping out of his hand until it was too late-- that even though there were many things he gained reaching his dreams, there were also things that he hadn't meant to sacrifice. Some things like family, love, and the freedom of being himself. So many things had changed around him.

Now as he sat in a noisy crowd with a drink in hand that could possibly make him forget for even just a brief moment, it didn't feel so much like anything would satisfy him now. Without any hesitation, he gets up and leaves the place. Besides, there was no point in creating another problem by just being there.

Yonghwa heaved a sigh of relief as he scanned the empty streets of Seoul with only a few cars passing by. As he strode the streets of Seoul, he realized it’s been so long since he'd been able to walk and breathe like this. His steps were unhurried and without anywhere in a particular destination. 

He stopped and looked around when he realized that almost everything was closed down except for one particular place.

Before entering the shop, he glances at his watch that reads, 1:46. It's a miracle that the store was still open. He knocked twice but when no one answered, he proceeded as the entrance was left open through the sign already said close. 

For the first time, he didn't think of the risk of being recognized or any of that matter and that was the time when he saw a woman with a book in hand. She had long straight thin black hair that fell effortless on her shoulder.

Her gaze fixed on the book in front of her, head tilted her palm on her chin as her elbow rested on the marble counter. There was something about her oblivion that made him still too, watching her for a full minute in silence before he realized what he was doing. With the room brightly lit, she seemed contented and peaceful.

He doesn't know if it was because he was too occupied in the moment or that he was just not sober enough, but when he saw her reach for the cup beside her, his reflexes acted without his permission, surprising them both, and finding himself staring into her clearest round brown eyes he'd ever seen.

Seo Juhyun, or rather Seohyun, as she likes to be called by the people around her, sat at the counter of her own coffee shop with a book in hand while the other rested on her chin.

The coffee shop is now empty of people who craved warm drinks to fill their satisfaction, after all, midnight already passed and the clock on the wall already read, 01: 48am.

Everything goes unnoticed whenever she has a book in hand. Not the clock ticking on her wall. Not the bright streetlights at the heart of Seoul or the sound of cars passing by. Not even the deafening silence surrounding her, and especially not the sound of a sudden company walking towards her.

Her brows creased a little in wonder, but the presence of the company still goes unknown to her. Not until her hand moves reaching for the cup beside her and she feels a warm layer covering her bare skin is when she looks up to find the deepest brown eyes she's ever seen boring into hers.

Her heart thudded for a moment before her reflexes acted pulling her hands away and stumbling to step back.

"We're close, ahjussi." She said, hoping she didn't sound too haste. Her eyes automatically traveled from head to toes at the man standing in front of her with a strap of the guitar behind his back. Her guess was, he wasn't too far from her age. And as for the looks, she wasn't the one to judge. High bridge nose. Brown big eyes. Fair skin. Decent hairstyle and height. Basically, he didn't look harmful enough, to her sudden relief.

"The lights were on and the door was open. So, I don't think so" he said, before looking around.

"I apologize for that. My employee must have forgotten to turn the sign around and--"

"To lock the doors..." he finished for her without consent, which she didn't like one bit.

She closed her eyes briefly feeling her short temper arising, before answering, "Yes. And so I suggest--" she froze when she noticed his eyes flicker with something she couldn't quite understand. Was it desperation? Anguish? Or maybe both. It momentarily left her speechless. It was gone as soon as it came. 

"Are you always this short-tempered, Miss?" His question made her remember her current situation.

Yes, and are you always this rude? That was what she wanted to say but decided it’s better to keep it to herself. He's still a customer and she's simply the owner. "I'm sorry but you're going to have to come back tomorrow, ahjussi." She answered as politely as she managed.

One of the disadvantages of having her own business was keeping her patience. Unfortunately, she didn't have a lot of that.

Instead of complying, with her surprise, the man pulled a chair tuck in the counter, and sat settling his guitar beside him. "Just one coffee... or anything warm." He suddenly turned to her, giving off the same strange feeling again. "Please...?"

"I..." she opened but nothing came out. What could this stranger possibly do to her? He looked harmless enough.

"I just want one drink. I promise" he assured, noticing his eyes softens.

Without another word, she turned around and walked away wondering to herself if she was doing the right thing.

Something warm.

She made her favorite Japanese tea, instead of coffee as he had asked, not because he was special or anything but because this time is the only time she had the right to choose a customer's order according to her taste and not theirs. She found that her advantage is the difference in this situation is that the man is asking for a favor, so that leaves her the conditions.

Still unknown to everyone, except for a few people close to her and her family, is that she doesn't drink coffee at all. And the only two reasons she started a coffee shop were because she loves the aroma it brings her and it reminds her of her late father who had adored coffee in his lifetime.

So, whether he likes it or not, he's drinking something healthy.

With a small advantage of delight in her favor, she made her way to the cou