Seventh Cup (of my heart)

For love that finds us in the most unexpected ways

For hearts brave enough to embrace love even if it means giving your heart away

For dinners and evenings spent with loved ones

A week after. 

Seohyun took another glance at the doorway of her coffee shop for the nth time since closing-- knowing that her growing annoyance with herself was almost full to the brim. What the hell is wrong with her?

It's been exactly a week, not that she's been counting, since that night out with Jung Yonghwa, and all she could think about most of the time when she's not busy, was the memories of that night. She doesn't understand why they keep coming back or why she's even thinking of him in the first place when he hadn't bothered to show any signs that he's alive or whatsoever.

She hated how every damn sound made her look up at the doorway every night she stayed in late. Hated the way her nerves were getting the best of her. Was she waiting for him? Was she really expecting to come? Or worse, was she worried about him? She didn't even want to know the answers to her own questions.  

Dammit, Seohyun. Get a grip! She internally curses herself. What was the point of looking for something that wasn't supposed to be there in the first place?

She heaved a long deep sigh, closes her eyes for a moment, then closes the book in front of her with a thud and stood on her feet. It's been a long busy day and the last thing that she needed was to think about her yet another day's failure of forgetting Jung Yonghwa existed at all, so after checking everything there was to check on her coffee shop, she dash off to home. 

The next morning.

The day in the Coffee Shop went along like any ordinary day until the afternoon came and to Seohyun’s confused reaction, a man in a hoodie with a covered face mask stopped at the cashier, followed by some teenage girls. She almost thought it was him, except the guy was clearly taller and had a lighter complexion.

The man ordered a drink and sat at the very corner while the teenage girls who followed him couldn’t stop giggling and talking, sat at another table and gossiped nonstop. 

Seohyun guessed the man must be someone well known, but she really couldn’t care less. She just found it fortunate enough that the man chose to come at the right time because the shop had fewer people coming and going, which also meant less noise. 

After an hour or so, Seohyun saw the group of girls finally leave although the guy stayed behind. Just then, she also received a text from Tiffany and his brother that they would be stopping by the shop. 

She smiled at the thought of her brother and her best friend coming together. They must’ve wanted her to see that they were both okay with each other. 

With only the man left in the corner, Seohyun decided to clean up some of the tables and stepped out of the counter. 

“Seohyun-ssi?” Seohyun was a little startled hearing her name that she immediately lifted her head up and turned to see the man from before standing a few feet away from her with his hoodies down and his mask covering his face. 

His skin was definitely lighter than she expected with small but bright eyes and a subtle smile on his lips, she knew now why those teenage girls couldn’t help but look at this guy. But just then Yonghwa’s image appeared in her head and there was that contrast between this guy and him. Whereas Yonghwa’s appearance was sharp, this man appeared to be on the softer side. He was probably a little taller than Yonghwa too. 

It took her a moment to realize who he was though. What is he doing here?

The man smiled at her and held out his hand. “Lee Jonghyun. I’m Yonghwa’s bandmate and friend. It’s nice to finally meet you, Seohyun-ssi. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Seohyun was lost for words. What was she supposed to do in a situation like this? Although flustered, she took his hand hesitatingly and shook it shortly. There were so many questions swirling in her head that for a moment she actually felt dizzy. 

Hwang Tiffany was so focused on her phone as she walked that she didn't notice the man in a hoodie with a mask on was coming in her direction and he too didn't pay attention leading to them colliding with each other.

Things happened so fast that Tiffany lost her balance and was about to fall backward, but instead, she felt a force in her back and suddenly she was being pulled forward until her whole body slammed into what she can only guess a sturdy body.

“Miss, are you okay?” The voice sounded soft but masculine. 

She didn’t even realize right away that she was clutching hard in this man’s clothing and her eyes were shut tight but she managed a nod letting out a breath of relief. His clothes smell of both clean aftershave and a faint of distinctive cologne. 

Thank God it's a man, or else the fall would’ve been embarrassing. 

“Uh... If you’re okay then...” Instinctively, hearing the man’s voice again, she broke away from his hold, took a step away, and immediately looked up. 

The man removed his mask, revealing a small smile, but for some odd reason, Tiffany couldn’t bring herself to say something. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t looking. Are you really okay, Miss?”