If only Jung Hee knew how to properly utilize her body she would have been made a better first impression but alas her limbs (and also mouth) failed her miserably.

Because the first time she saw him, she promptly tripped over air, scrabbled onto her feet with cheeks that were burning red, and muttered an apology alongside several whale noises like he would completely understand, before booking it out of there as costumers around them stared at her like she was a mythical creature.

Jung Hee swore she would never drink coffee again.

Except she found herself in that café once more a few days later, not because of him but because she was an adult (barely) who lacked motor functions in the morning if she didn’t have a cup of some sort of caffeinated beverage. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t addicted.

So what if she took the time standing in line trying to be discrete as possible when she continuously stared at him working behind the counter. It’s not as if she could help it, her eyes were just somehow naturally drawn to him.

It was his fault that he was attractive anyways because how dare he wear a white button up shirt that did wonders in showcasing his shapely forearms as he handled the latte machine with care. Or the fact that he would always have perfectly styled hair paired with bright eyes and a genuine smile as he took on orders.

How dare he reduce her to nothing but a squabbling mess!

For when she stood facing him once more at the counter, Jung Hee couldn’t stop her eyes from going wide and from going slack in his presence. He was an Adonis up close and she hated it (that was a lie but she was in deep denial).

“Miss?” the beautiful barista asked, “Your order?”

Jung Hee jolted, forgetting that she was there for such a reason.

The only problem though was when she opened to speak, no sound came out and she was reduced to pointing at one of the menu items before handing her debit card over as she tried not to freak out over the fact that their fingers touched ever so gently.

It was even worse when he called out her name so she could pick up her drink because she stood there for a few seconds, mesmerized by the sound only to have a quaint older woman beside her nudge her out of her reverie. Good thing he was busy taking someone else’s order to pay attention to her when she went to go get it because she didn’t need to trip over air, again.

Once the cup was safely in her hands with the napkin that was placed on top of the cap in her pocket, she whirled around to see a tall young man with elf-like ears wearing a snapback sniffle before tilting his head up.

His hand covered his nose while he sat at one of the tables and out of curiosity and concern, Jung Hee walked over to him.

“You okay?” she questioned.

The man shook his head and mumbled, “I have a nose bleed.”

Taking the napkin from her pocket, Jung Hee handed it to him. “Here.”

“Thanks,” the man said gratefully and instantly used it to stuff it up his nose and hopefully stop the bleeding.

“Any time,” Jung Hee answered merrily before she walked out the door, sipping her drink happily.

*

*

*

Xiumin noticed her because of the cow she had that seemed to never go away. He watched it bounce as she walked to and from the café and no matter how many times she appeared, she would always have that cow .

It was cute.

So was she.

That girl had a habit of also being incredibly shy when interacting with him but he found it endearing. It was a breath of fresh air considering the other customers he had to deal with every day.

People in suits who were always in a rush, exercise fanatics who would question the number of calories in their drinks, college students dead from exams, women who were a bit too persistent; they were all routine for the last year or so he was working at the café and it was nice that she had changed it up.

When he first met her and learned her name, he couldn’t help but whisper it to himself throughout the whole day after that with a smile on his face. It soon spurred his co-worker Chen to slap him upright on his head a while later because apparently he was sounding like a broken record.

Xiumin couldn’t help it, Jung Hee clouded his thoughts.

That was why the second time she appeared, he may have written his name and number on a napkin when he made Jung Hee her drink.

The disappointing part was he couldn’t hand her the drink himself, and only left it on the counter for her to get because he was too busy taking other orders from customers.

Xiumin mentally cheered when he saw her slip the napkin in her pocket.

A few seconds later, he mentally cried out in dismay when he saw the said napkin now in another man’s nose and because of that distraction he unintentionally poured hot coffee onto his hand.

Xiumin swore before rushing over to the sink and running the cold water to cool down his burn. Rubbing his hand gently, Xiumin tried his best not to feel disappointed over the whole accidental rejection.

Next time, Xiumin just had to be less subtle.

That was obviously the solution.

*

*

*

Jung Hee believed in the third time being a charm.

She wouldn’t make a fool of herself, she would actually use coherent words coming from to order a drink, and she wouldn’t stare so much.

At least she did one of the three, sort of correct.

She ended up staring at him anyways because he happened to wear a black sleeveless shirt and she could now fully admire his smooth muscle lines. Eye candy was the best type of candy any girl could get.

She ended up stuttering (better than whale noises though so she considered herself a proud woman) and then just pointed at the promotion for the Ice Cappuccino. At the very least, he learned her name from the first time and she didn’t have to repeat herself. She tried her best not to freak out because he actually remembered her. However Jung Hee didn’t know if it was a good thing or not that he did know.

Jung Hee did, for sure, make a fool of herself.

Because when he handed her the drink himself alongside a handful of napkins, she felt her cheeks grow warm and knees grow weak which only led to the action that when she turned around, she stumbled and threw her drink at a man with huge eyes and heart shaped lips.

Jung Hee watched in horror as he turned to face her, wiping away the drippings from his eyes and glaring at her with distain.

She sheepishly smiled in response.

Good thing she had napkins, a bunch of them.

*

*

*

That morning Xiumin had entered the café early before it even opened to grab some napkins and a pen and then sat at one of the tables. One by one, he diligently wrote his name and number as well as a little pun or joke (because who didn’t appreciate a little humour?) on each of them. He was dedicated, not obsessed, there was a difference.

Subtle would no longer be his middle name.

When Chen saw what he was doing though, he cackled and shook his head while patting Xiumin on the head like a dog.

“You’re an idiot,” Chen commented.

Xiumin rolled up his apron and slapped Chen on the in retaliation.

The café opened not long after and Xiumin placed the napkins in his apron pocket, patting them with a smile.

This time, he would succeed because he believed in himself and a handful of napkins should get the idea across right?

Xiumin promptl