Tucked away on the corner of one of the busiest streets in Seoul.

A dream was waiting to bloom.

And a story was about to begin.

A young black-haired male hummed a random tune to himself as he used his shoulder to push the white door open. It was just painted only yesterday but a shiny new bell already hung from the knob, jingling as he entered. The huge cardboard box, stuffed to the brim with all sorts of knickknacks, was not particularly heavy, but its size did restrict any form of arm or hand movement.

The space he had stepped into was dark, save for the light outside which filtered in through framed windows. Kikwang made his way over to the bar counter and placed the box down with a thud, causing a swirl of dust to rise from the table before slowly fading away. A smile crossed his lips. He had a lot of cleaning to do.

 Kikwang blinked as he slowly let his eyes adjust to the dimmer light. White chairs and tables were neatly positioned across the parquet flooring. A row of them were lined up next to the windows, with a decent view of the street. The large comfy couch, that he had managed to get at sale, sat at back of the room along with a short, glass coffee table. A small platform stage extended from the left wall and to its side, stood an elegant ivory grand piano.

He had always been a lover of music and so it was no surprise that he had insisted on the inclusion of the stage and piano in his talks with the designer. Hopefully, he would be able to meet other like-minded people and when that day comes, the stage would be lively.

Kikwang chuckled to himself at that thought as he felt the excitement build. Since young, he had dreamed of opening a café much like this one. To that end, he had done his research on food and business during his spare time. When he could afford it, he would check out the other popular cafés just to see what made them so successful. The male could almost tear at the memory of all the odd jobs he’d had to do during his college years to save up the amount required to begin.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts. There was no time to be reminiscing now. There was an opening day to prepare for. Kikwang picked out a few decorations from the box and started to make his way around, brows furrowed in concentration as he contemplated on where each one should go.

The male ran a hand through his hair as he stared at the wall with two pictures in his hand, trying to decide which would suit. Tapping his foot on the wooden stool he was standing on, he was oblivious to the fact that the door had opened and someone had entered.

“Um… Excuse me?” A hesitant voice called out questioningly.

Kikwang jumped at the sudden voice, stepping back onto… Nothing.

He let out a cry of surprise and a loud crash echoed through the empty space.

Kikwang opened his eyes that he had instinctively scrunched shut. The first thing that registered in his mind was that he was still alive, somewhat. The second thing that occurred to him was that he was enveloped in a tight embrace and that he was staring straight into a concerned pair of brown eyes.

The black-haired male blinked once, blushing slightly at the closeness and quickly attempted to get up. Dusting himself off, he turned around to get a better look at his saviour.

The other was just standing up as well and Kikwang realised he was quite tall. The blonde boy had slightly tanned skin and those same brown eyes from earlier were looking at him, wondering if he was alright.

“Are you okay?”

“Y-yeah,” Kikwang replied immediately, still flustered by what had just happened. “Thanks for the help. Erm, saving me.”

An awkward silence descended upon them. One trying to recover from his near-death experience while the other glanced around nervously.

His saviour broke the silence first, gesturing to the mess.

“Do you need help?”

Kikwang turned his attention to the couple of chairs that had fallen over when ­his saviour (as he had come to refer to him as) had dove to catch him.

“Oh no no, it’s fine! I’ll take care of it,” he nodded once more to reassure the other boy. “Oh yes. What are you d- I mean how can I help you?”

The taller male reached into his backpack and withdrew a notebook with an address scribbled onto it.

“I was looking for the way to this place but I think I’m lost.”

Kikwang took a look and his face lit up in recognition. “Oh! You’re quite near actually.” He tilted his head towards the door, indicating for his saviour to follow him. “Just cross the road and head down straight along this street. It’s about two blocks away.”

The blonde boy bowed politely and thanked him again before leaving.

Dark brown eyes watched as his figure merged with the ever-moving crowd on the street, soon disappearing from sight. Kikwang smiled and headed back into the shop. There was much work to be done.

However, the image of a certain blonde was never far off from his mind.

Three days to opening.

Café Rêve.

A café of dreams.