Lee Sungmin sighed and leaned heavily on the door after turning the “closed” –sigh on. He could hear Hyukjae laughing with Shindong as they put the plates and mugs to the washing machine. It had been a nice day, not busier than usually, but Sungmin felt more tired than he had felt in a long time.

He put a smile on his face as he made his way to the kitchen where his workers were joking around. Lee Hyukjae, maroon haired young man was his best friend, their café’s co-owner and he was a part time dance instructor. His other good friend, Shin Donghee, (who preferred to go by name Shindong) was his best cook.

“Ah, Sungmin, we were just talking about you and your little admirer!” Shindong laughed and Sungmin rolled his eyes. Hyukjae grinned.

“You can’t deny it, it was super hilarious!”

“Don’t go messing with his head, okay?” Sungmin murmured gaining laughs from his friends. Shindong pulled the apron off of himself.

“Come on, he is a funny guy. But sorry guys, I have to run. Radio show can’t start without its MC!”

“And don’t you dare to talk about my love life while being on!” Hyukjae yelled and Sungmin nodded.

“Mine either.”

“What love lives?” Shindong just laughed boisterously before running away from Hyukjae who flung a dishcloth at him. Sungmin started to work with the day’s cash and he was painfully aware of Hyukjae staring at him.

“What?”

“He likes you.”

“So?”

“Go on a date with him.”

Sungmin sighed, putting the money down. Hyukjae moved and soon he was hugging Sungmin.

“You need someone like him. He is—“

“Young.”

Hyukjae snorted. “Only six years younger than we. 22-years-old isn’t that young.”

“I’m not going to date him. And you can’t be even sure if he likes me, I might have just startled him by touching him so suddenly. Or that I like him.”

Hyukjae snorted and rolled his eyes. “Well do you? Like him I mean.”

Hyukjae’s stare was piercing and Sungmin grunted, shaking his friend’s hands off his shoulders.

“I don’t have time for something like this.”

Hyukjae opened his mouth to protest but decided otherwise and just sighed. They had gone through this conversation more than once already but Sungmin wasn’t going to give up, he knew. He just wanted to see his friend happy yet again and the fact that one of their regular customers (and the boy was so cute, Hyukjae thought) was harboring feelings towards Sungmin. It was so painfully obvious to anyone but maybe the boy himself and Sungmin, who always kept ignoring the possible flirting.

“The new part timer will start tomorrow.”

Hyukjae nodded, moving towards the door after he closed the washing machine.

“Do you want me to hang around and help with the dishes when they’re done?” he asked as the machine started to work its magic, silently humming. Sungmin shook his head.

“Go ahead, I’ll be fine.”

“If you say so. See you tomorrow then.”

Sungmin hummed and Hyukjae sighed yet again, pulling the coat on his shoulders.

He really did wish Sungmin was happy.

 

-----------------

 

“I’m so sorry about yesterday!”

Sungmin blinked at Ryeowook who was offering a small box to him.

“I mean, you didn’t even take a payment for the drinks and I… I just…here, I baked something for you.”

Sungmin smiled, taking the box (this time carefully avoiding the contact of their hands) and Ryeowook buffed his cheeks.

“Thank you. But like Hyukjae said, it’s nothing really. You spend time here enough.”

Ryeowook laughed awkwardly, rubbing the nape of his neck.

“Just say if it’s too much… I mean, I like it here a lot.”

“No, don’t take it wrong way. We’re happy that you visit us.”

Ryeowook’s smile didn’t reach to his eyes and Sungmin suddenly felt like it was because of something he said.

“I… I just like… it here…”

“Oi, Ryeowook! Is it going to take a long?” They both jumped a little because of the voice. Sungmin turned towards it and caught a sigh of a young and tall man, peeking inside from the door. He had seen him sometimes with Ryeowook and he was sure Ryeowook had told him stories about him but he couldn’t match the face and a name.

“Ah, sorry Kyu, I… I’m just on my way….”

“While you are at it, bring me coffee too. Black.” Then he swung the door shut and Ryeowook turned again back to Sungmin but the older male was now fixing the drinks for two of younger ones.

“Sorry about him too…”

“Stop. It’s not your fault, any of this”, Sungmin almost spat, annoyed and Ryeowook bit his lip. “Sor—I mean… yeah…”

Sungmin could hear Hyukjae frustrated groan from behind the kitchen door and Sungmin closed his eyes for a moment. Ryeowook stood silently, waiting the drinks Sungmin fixed for him. When Sungmin offered them to him, he smiled a little.

“Well, thank you then. Keep the change. See you.”

“Yeah, have… fun with whatever you two are up to”, Sungmin murmured, smiling awkwardly and Ryeowook blinked at him. Then the younger man beamed at him.

“Oh, we will! See you! Say hi to Hyukjae too!”

“I will. See… see you.”

He watched as Ryeowook waved at him and how his companion rolled his eyes at the shorter male as he gave the other take away cup to him. As soon as they were out of the sigh, Hyukjae emerged from the kitchen and put his face flat on against the table.

“Oh my God, could you not have been any more awkward?” he groaned, turning to look at Sungmin who just shrugged and put the way too big bill Ryeowook had left him inside the register.

“This doesn’t mean anything. He just looked so pathetic. “

“Yeah yeah but your flirting skills .”

“Oh shut up. Is the part timer any good?”

“Shindong likes him and I love his wraps. You should try them too. How can I help you?” Hyukjae smiled at the customer as Sungmin withdrew to the kitchen, to check how everything was going on there.  Their new part time worker was a young boy studying to be a baker and take after a family business. His name was Park Hyungsik and he was painfully young, reminding Sungmin how old he was. But nonetheless, Hyungsik had been polite and nice at the interview and it seemed like Shindong didn’t have any objections either. He stood hidden behind the door as he watched the boy and Shindong work. They joked and laughed but Sungmin didn’t mind, his eyes were glued to boy’s hands and he was happy to see how effortlessly he was working with the dough. He continued watching until Shindong spotted him and beckoned to come closer. Hyungsik bowed as he made his way towards the long table they were working at.

“Hyukjae said your wraps are good, can I have a taste?” he asked and Hyungsik blushed.

“Su-sure sir, wait a moment, I will get some for you…” and he hurried away towards the huge refrigerator. Shindong grinned.

“So was your spying informative?”

Sungmin nodded. “He is good. I can see he has worked at his family’s bakery since he was a small kid.” Hyungsik hurried back with a plate. “I thought you would want to taste the one with ham and another with vegetables.”

Sungmin took one of the wraps and as soon as it touched his mouth, he knew it had been a right choice to pick Hyungsik to work with them. After he had eaten the other and taken a bite from the other, he smiled gently at the young part-time worker.
“These are really good. Keep up with good work.”

The boy blushed and nodded as Sungmin made his way back to the counter. They had opened only two hours ago and Sungmin sighed. Ryeowook had seemed to be busy today, since he had visited this early. He had somewhat learned the times the young university student would visit their café and usually when he was this early he wouldn't be back until next day.

Sungmin sighed. This was going to be a long day.

 

He brutally smacked Hyukjae’s head as the other whispered: “Missing him already?”

 

------------------

 

Sungmin didn’t have anything against Heechul really, but sometimes the man was just too much to handle.

“So, I heard from our little monkey that our Sungmin has an admirer, correct?”

Sungmin growled at Hyukjae who laughed boisterously, almost spilling his soda. Heechul who had his arm around Sungmin’s shoulders, nudged him.

“Tell me about him.”

“There is nothing to tell”, Sungmin snarled and tried to lift Heechul’s arm off of him but the beautiful man just hold his space.

“He is younger and so cute!” Hyukjae piped in and Sungmin threw a pillow at him.

“Cute? I didn’t know you go for cute guys…”

“I don’t!”

“Dear Sungmin, denial is never a good thing!”

Sungmin groaned, taking a huge gulp from his bear. Kangin, his childhood friend, laughed at him from his spot next to Hyukjae.

“Oh come on, the cute boy has a crush on Sungmin, not another way around?”

“Thank you!” Sungmin said, lifting his arms. Kangin grinned. “Or, as Heechul just said, denial isn’t just a river—“

Sungmin flung a pillow at his friend who easily caught it.

“He is young!”

“Six year is nothing!”

“Yes, if I were 36 and he 30!”

“But 22 and 28 isn’t that bad, you know.”

“And think about the stamina he has”, Heechul stated, grinning. “I dated once a younger guy and damn, he was good in bed. All the youthfulness, so think about it.”

“I don’t want to think about it!”

Hyukjae was laughing so hard that he couldn’t keep himself up anymore and he was almost rolling on the floor. Kangin was grinning smugly and Sungmin could tell that the blush in his face didn’t make his situation any better.

“But you have thought about it, right?”

“Oh my God!”

“I know I’m magnificent.”

Sungmin groaned, getting up from the floor and stomping to the kitchen where Kangin’s boyfriend and Heechul’s brother were making something for them to eat. They had ignored Sungmin’s pleas to help them, since he worked with food every day, he needed a break from that.

Jungsoo smiled gently at him as he stopped next to him and leaned his head against other one’s shoulder.

“Something bothering you?”

“How you do it, date a younger man? Thou you have only two years difference…”

“So how young is your crush?” Yesung asked from next to them, without looking up from cutting the cucumber. Sungmin wheezed.

“Not my crush, I’m his and he is 22.”

“Six years…” Yesung mused. “Almost a decade.”

The men in the living room (Sungmin hadn’t realized they had silenced down to listen to them) burst into laughter and Sungmin swatted Yesung.

“You’re a horrible person, I hope you rot in hell.”

Yesung just laughed.  Sungmin stayed with them until the food was ready and for a moment, his admirer was forgotten as they decided to concentrate on feeding themselves. Sungmin loved his friends dearly and he was glad that Kangin and Jungsoo invited them every other week to their place to hang out. Sungmin really needed it since his social life was mostly centered upon his customers and Hyukjae.

“I think we should head out tonight.” Jungsoo spoke suddenly, getting cheers out of the others, Sungmin just smiled. He knew he wasn’t going to get away from it and as Jungsoo smiled gently at him, he knew the other man just wanted him to think about something else than their discussion about Ryeowook and their age difference for a night.

 

And Sungmin was ready for that.

 

Although it wasn’t that easy as middle of their clubbing someone spoke behind him.

 

“S-sungmin?”

Sungmin froze. He was already breathing hard from the dancing but know it felt like he couldn’t even breath. He knew that timid voice anywhere and as he turned, he met Ryeowook’s wide eyes. It looked like the boy had been in a club for a while, sweat dripping down on his forehead. Sungmin gulped: the t-shirt was very fit and his jeans made Ryeowook’s legs look even thinner than usually.  A hand was placed on Ryeowook’s shoulder and Sungmin met with piercing gaze of Ryeowook’s tall friend. Heechul, with whom he had been heading out from the dance floor, leaned over to see what was keeping him.

“And who is this boy? Do you even have age to be in here?”

The blush was on Ryeowook’s face and he sneered. “I don’t look that young!”

Heechul laughed taking a step forward and Sungmin watched as Ryeowook’s friend tentatively moved closer.

“You have a pretty face boy, but you look young.”

“Heechul, let him be.”

“If he looks young, then you look old!” the friend suddenly snarled rolling his eyes as Ryeowook had casted his down and something lurched inside Sungmin.

Heechul snorted, nodding towards Sungmin.

“He might be but I’m well-preserved.”

The friend opened his mouth, grinning evilly. “Well he should learn from the master then. No one wants oldie like you.”

“Kyu!” Ryeowook yelled and for a moment Sungmin could only stare. The friend, Kyu was sneering at him and Heechul was laughing, holding his stomach.

“He didn’t… Kyu!” Ryeowook stared his friend and Heechul leaned closer.

“You’re funny, I like you.”

“Ew, I don’t do oldies, as well-preserved as you they might be.”

“We’re leaving now”, Sungmin snapped before Heechul could retort anything and he pulled Heechul with him, without looking back. When they reached to the bar Sungmin slapped Heechul. Heechul wasn’t really laughing but the grin on face told him that Heechul was having too much fun.

“It was him, wasn’t he?”

Sungmin grunted and stalked off, leaving Heechul to order them drinks. He needed it, he needed one good and strong drink. He would regret it tomorrow but now he needed to get wasted.

 

And even thou he was a little happy as he spotted Ryeowook and his friend Kyu leaving the club, he still couldn’t stop his heart from making a little disappointed thump.

___________________________________

Hello.

I like minwook.

But Kyuhyun is a little jerk who doesn't. 

(o(

aka. that sums up this story pretty well.