« Don’t you think that guy looks quite wrecked? »

Hakyeon scratched his nose as he went behind the counter, free hand sliding on the smooth surface and eyes glued to the customer that had just entered the little café. The dark figure of the guy –a student, probably – flopped down in one of the tables,seeming perfectly merged with the gloomy atmosphere that the dim light of the evening provided. The afternoon rush had died down a few hours before and the place was now fairly empty and particularly dull looking.
And so was that boy.

« Hakyeon, no. »
His colleague, Jongdae, glanced briefly at the object of the discussion, eyeing him with a slight grimace on his lips; he waited a few seconds before sighing deeply, annoyed expression already forming on his features as his hands combed through black locks.

The mentioned guy diverted his attention from the seemingly sad customer and blinked a little, confused.
«  What? »

«  Hakyeon, no. ».
Jongdae repeated, shaking his head and giving a slight slap on the other’s shoulder. « No, Hakyeon, no, no and no. »

«  Shouldn’t there be a ‘hyung’ somewhere?» Hakyeon noted, trying to slip away from the weight on his shoulder; Jongdae wasn’t an extremely expansive person, he only established a contact when he wanted to demonstrate his innate ( according to him ) superiority and that was annoying as , even for Hakyeon.
« And tell me what have I done, I was just asking. »

« Nothing yet, hyung » his colleague emphasized the appellative and tightened a little his grip on the other, cutting off his attempted escape. «  But sure as hell, you’ll do something. They are customers, you aren’t paid to enlighten their day, you’re paid to bring them food in which they can drown their worries by gaining lipids and sugars. »

That affirmation gained him an upset noise and a slap on the back of his head by the older. « Aren’t you a heartless being, Jongdae » he commented, disapprovingly; as of now he should have been used to Jongdae lack of empathy. « I like to help people, if all they need is someone to talk to, why shouldn’t I? »
Hakyeon liked to follow his idea of a world in sheer need of happiness and genuine concern toward others and he tried to stick to it as much as possible, behaving in the selfless way he could.
Unfortunately, his good intentions were ruined by the existence on people like Kim Jongdae.

« That’s ridiculous » said colleague muttered, nagging tone already forming in his voice, « good deeds don’t pay bills, money does. »
Jongdae would have been a really nice person if he had tried to overcome his two (huge) negative points: his blunt tongue and excessively logical mind. Seriously, he was a good listener when he felt like it and had helped Hakyeon more than once, sometimes covering for him when he fell asleep on the counter after a particularly rough night of studying or even when he couldn’t work at all, but it seemed like he needed to be a jerk ninety percent of the time, or else he couldn't be satisfied with himself.

«  You’re a shallow person who is gonna end up alone with lots of cats » the brunet boy glared at the younger, grabbing his notepad and venturing towards the now occupied table.

«  I like cats ! » answered Jongdae, half laughing and half yelling. Hakyeon briefly looked at him to send a disappointed look before turning again towards the table; he slowly relaxed his facial muscles into a convincing or at least semi-decent smile.
Experience helped a lot.

«  Hello, sir, may I take your order? », he always tried to sound as cheerful as possible, not letting his smile vanish until whoever he was facing smiled back. However, that time seemed to be an exception. The guy, young and with short black hair framing his ( really nice ) face, just lifted his gaze, lips turned downwards and features set in a blank expression.

«  Ah- », he seemed to snap out of his daze, glancing sheepishly at the closed menu in front of him and then again at Hakyeon, « just a black coffee, thanks. »
The mumbled answer wasn’t satisfactory for Hakyeon ( even if the deep voice was. )
Even if he was a noisy person by nature, he didn’t like to pry into other people’s private life but the customer looked so lost and crushed that Hakyeon felt almost moved, his caring instinct begging to kick in.
However, he nodded cordially and retreated towards the counter when a crossed arms Jongdae was looking at him with narrowed eyes.

«  I’ve my eyes set on you, Cha Hakyeon » he said, pointing ( rudely ) a finger towards the brunet when he passed him to retrieve a piece of cake from its display.
He searched carefully through the various cakes, choosing a vanilla and lemon one because he didn’t want to exaggerate on the amount of sugars, and placed the newly cutted slice on the counter.
It was his thing, his habit: he gave a piece of cake and waited till the customer was comfortable enough to spill out his problems. Sure, it was a rare thing because, most of the times, people weren't that desperate but when it happened, his method always worked. ( Also thanks to the wonderful cakes of their Chef, Ryeowook, he had all of his gratitude, actually. )
One hundred percent of pure satisfaction.
Jongdae was whining loudly about the lack of recognition from the brunet, Hakyeon was currently busy making the coffee and just managed to hiss a 'I’m flattered, Kim Jongdae' with little mordent.
He was slowly mastering the art of ignoring Jongdae.

«  Here I am » he announced, quite loudly – the boy flinched a little at the sudden sound - and overly joyous,  « with a cup of black coffee and a piece of vanilla cake ».

The black haired boy’s eyebrows contorted in a frown. « I haven’t ordered cake. »
«  I know », Hakyeon was quick to answer, placing the order on the table and cutting off possible complains. « Don’t worry, it’s on the house. I'm paid to make customers happy and you seemed in need of comfort, so yeah. » he finished off quite embarrassed, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck and softening his smile to a more normal and less creepy level.

«  It was really nice of you », Hakyeon found rather endearing how the other eyed the cake, gaze suddenly concentrated and lips finally leaving the sad side, parting to form a shy smile, « but, are you sure it is okay? »
Hakyeon nodded cheerfully, reassuring him and quickly darting back to the counter to prevent further rejections ( even if the boy seemed quite interested in the cake, judging from the way he was staring at it ).
He was content enough to ignore the 'you're incredible' that welcomed him once back to the counter.

His eyes darted back at the boy multiples times, gliding over his young yet defined features and quite appreciating the way he munched on his cake.
He wasn’t staring - no matter how many times Jongdae commented that he indeed was and even openly - he just wanted to check if his efforts were worth something and enjoying the possible consequences of his ( well done, if you asked him ) job. Not that the customer was now smiling brightly but his posture was definitely more comfortable, shoulders up and gaze fixated on the cake as he devoured it quietly.
Here it was the usual wave of satisfaction.

«  You’re staring. »

«  For God’s sake, Jongdae, I’m not staring. »

Half an hour later, Hakyeon had to admit that maybe, after all, he was staring.
It had started somewhere between the cake eating and the coffee sipping, maybe when the guy had met his gaze and gave him this tight-lipped shy smile that caused a little tug in Hakyeon’s chest because that was freaking cute and he had a weakness for cute things and that could get really dangerous.

«  You’re staring. »

«  Yes, I’m staring. »
That confirmation alone had the power to shut Jongdae’s mouth, something that was usually really difficult to obtain. Hakyeon gave him a contented smile before leaving with a snicker and approaching their only customer for the third time.

« Was it good? », his cheerful tone was met with a thankful nod and a polite smile, « I was sure of it, it's one of the best in my opinion. »

The guy lifted his head, opening his mouth as if he wanted to ask something and then closing it again with a thoughtful expression. « Was I really looking so pitiful and in need of comfort? », he then asked, the frown still present in his thick eyebrows.

«  No offense but yes. »

A solid grunt of shame came out of his lips, the boy smacked an hand on his face with a ‘fantastic’ muttered under his breath. « Sorry, I swear I wasn’t trying to have a free piece of cake. », he then added with a mild panicked expression, eyes guiltily darting to the now immaculate plate.

Hakyeon couldn’t help but chuckle amusedly at that exclamation and the subsequent panic on the younger’s face.
 « You’ve just been lucky, if it was for my colleague you would have starved. », he assured, waving a han dismissedly. « So, the place is fairly empty, I’ve heard that people tend to open up easier with strangers, do you want to talk about whatever is worrying you? »
It was something completely over the border – the faint sound behind him was probably Jongdae hitting his head on the counter because he liked to overhear and react melodramatically – and the brunet didn’t miss the way the dark haired boy’s eyebrows arched in pure surprise.

« Really? Oh, that’s great. »

Yes, that wasn’t the kind of answer he was expecting to hear, an ‘are you insane?’ or a ‘mind your own business’ seemed to be a better retort in that context and the unexpected reply left him a little dazed, looking at the other’s tiny smile with a puzzled expression.  
It didn't felt quite right the way that smile seemed to pull some string in his stomach, he may have been a nice person with a good personality and a innate ability to make friends ( he was also modest, did he mention that? ) but he wasn’t used to develop weak spots on someone he just met.
The guy crossed his arms on his chest and motioned with a nod in the direction of the seat in front of him; Hakyeon eyes glided a little on his arms and then he quickly sat down.
He wasn’t developing a weakness on someone he just met, and that was final.
Not even if that someone had a really nice pair of biceps to go with that nice face.
 

In the last hour, Hakyeon had discovered some useful information about the dark haired guy.
First, his name was Kim Wonshik ( it wasn’t Hakyeon’s fault if he liked that name and kept repeating it in his mind ( Wonshik Wonshik Wonshik )) and he was attending his last year at the high school down the road. That also meant that he was eighteen years old and three years younger than Hakyeon.
It came as a half shock, Hakyeon was twenty one and in university and, even if it was clear that Wonshik ( Wonshik Wonshik Wonshik ) was younger than him, he had thought it might have been at most by a year.Three whole years felt excessive because no eighteen years old should have such arms or that kind of voice ( it was low and a little hoarse and source of a warm sensation in the pit of the brunet’s stomach that he hadn’t felt since his last boyfriend and that was really not okay ).
And second, his depressed state was due to the seventh rejection of the year from a girl he liked. To be such a nice looking guy, he surely was unfortunate with ladies. 

« Why would they turn you down? You look okay to me. »

« I’m kind of an awkward being when it comes to girls », the confession was almost pained, given through a busy munching of his cup’s straw. « And confessing » he added, as an afterthought. « I don’t know how to communicate with them. »

Hakyeon gave him his best ‘are-you-kidding-me?’ expression and placed his chin on the back of his propped up hand.
«  In the same way you do with boys, just without the ’s slapping and the ‘bro' thing. »

He wasn’t really sure if guys still slapped each other butts as an act of friendship, or if they had ever done it;  maybe Hakyeon just had really strange friends, it wouldn’t have surprised him that much.
The bewildered look on the other’s face was an eloquent answer, Hakyeon coughed a little and signaled him to go on ( and possibly forget about that thing.)

« Also, my best friend it’s the plain definition of ‘perfection’, so I think I’m developing self-esteem issues. »
Hakyeon noticed that Wonshik’s lips liked to do this ‘thing’.
They jutted out every time he was thinking about something or talking in a quiet manner, his cute behavior was completely in contrast with the low tones of his voice, he may have had defined muscles and the looks of an adutl but he still looked utterly cute in Hakyeon’s eyes, almost as much as Taekwoon ( his collueague on weekends and current best friend who looked like a murder half of the time, and behaved like one, but was in reality a sweetheart. )

It was almost disappointing when Wonshik had to excuse himself. It was nice talking to him, the boy seemed completely okay with pouring out his problems to a complete stranger that offered him cake ( maybe that was it, food was really the way to a person’s heart ) but he deemed completely impossible to have a decent conversation with a girl.
That was unfortunate because the third thing that Hakyeon had discovered was that the boy had a really nice sense of humor and a great dose of sarcasm, all of it combined in an attitude that seemed really confident and charming.
Or maybe the charm was just Haekyon’s making; he liked it way too much.
If love at first sight existed, maybe Hakyeon had just experienced it.

«  Did you just got whipped by that guy? », Jongdae asked noisily, a grin painted on his lips and an expression that yelled ‘told you’ with extreme force.
Hakyeon gritted his teeth, keeping quiet and waiting for the other to turn his back to him, the perfect moment to flip the leftovers in Wonshik’s cup on Jongdae's brand new white shirt.
His strangled noises of anger and the pointed finger he got were totally worth it.

 

At last, I did it.
I'm so sorry. TT TT