Chapter Text
The soft pitter-patter of the rain against the window on that warm summer evening caught your attention for a split second and you stopped cleaning the counter at once. The small water pearls started gathering at your window, before slowly racing down against each other. Just like a small child, you watched with interest which water droplet would be the first one to win, completely mesmerized by the play of nature.
You shook your head to get out of your trance and continued to clean the counter and tables, humming softly to yourself to enjoy the time a little bit. You threw a look around the cafe, the lights that are hanging from the ceiling illuminated the various plants hanging around them beautifully and a magnificent play of light and shadow was displayed. The various wooden tables shimmered in the light, the contrast between the wood and the lavender in the vases taking away your breath. The white piano in the back hidden behind various plants was open, somebody must've forgotten to close it, so you walked over and closed the lid. When you were already at it, you grabbed the guitar standing next to the piano and looked if it was tuned. The pleasant smell of the roses that stood in small pots on the stairs next to the piano, that led up, infiltrated your nose and made you sigh: You haven't sat here in a while.
Nostalgia overtook you while you played a simple song, enjoying the peaceful moment right now. Just then, something black at the corner of your eye caught your attention. You whipped your head towards the front windows and watched four men, all dressed in black jeans and t-shirts and black leather jackets, run through the rain, their jackets covering their heads, trying to protect themselves from the downpour. You didn't even hesitate for a second, you set down the guitar in its original place and walked over to the door, where you didn't loose any time to open it with the keys still hanging in them.
“Hey!”, you shouted, trying to get the boys attention, but the rain sizzled down loudly.
“Hey, you there!”, you tried again, this time seeing how one head turned towards you. You figured they wouldn't hear you scream over the rain, so you just made a motion with your hand, inviting them inside. The stranger got the message and yelled something towards the other three, before all turned towards you and hurried inside your cafe. Rain dripping from the four figures, you watched how each one of them took off their jacket, before shaking some of the water off by weirdly jumping around. Now you had the chance to look at their faces more closely.
The person who heard you was probably the most handsome person you had seen: His eyes were cat-ish, with the corners being naturally pulled up a little; his nose was a little larger than that usual button nose every desired, but it fit perfectly with the rest of his face; his lips were plump and heart-shaped, they looked like a comfortable pillow. His face shape wasn't to sharp nor too round, his skin was clean and even shone a little in the light. His long black hair hung into his face and when he finally looked up at you after straightening up, he started speaking.
“Thank you for letting us inside. The rain was... annoying to say the least”, he bowed deeply out of gratefulness, then straightened up once again and sighed, “Who knows when this will stop. It hasn't rained in a long time”. He smiled at you and turned around to the other three men.
All of them looked different: One of them had dark brown hair, his facial structure was a little more square-ish, his nose was small with a high nose bridge, his eyes round reminding you of a cute cat. He looked a little intimidating, since his face stayed emotionless unlike the man who had thanked you earlier. You just smiled at him when he caught you staring.
The next person was completely different looking then the first two men. He had light brown hair, making him look younger than he probably is, his eyes and cheeks were both round, his lips shaped perfectly. He reminded you of a squirrel and you were sure that his cheeks would look even bigger when he chomped down on one of your pastries.
The last person who had entered your cafe was just about to turn around after he had shaken out the water out of his jacket and hair. His hair was standing out from the rest of the group with its bright orange-red color. Never had you seen somebody with this hair color and it suiting them at the same time. And when you took in his features, you took back whatever you had thought about the black haired man earlier. This man was an absolute god, at least he fit your personal preference perfectly. His eyes were on the smaller side, giving him that serious look you liked about men, his nose was a little bigger and his lips were full, though not big. His shoulders were broad, deliciously to hold onto, and his tank top that was exposed after he had taken of his jacket showed off his biceps and triceps perfectly. You could tell he was working out quite often. You only imagined how the rest of his body must look like.
Noticing that you probably didn't say anything for an embarrassing amount of time, you cleared your throat and stepped to the side to welcome the guests in even further.
“Don't mention it”, you began, “I wouldn't want to be left alone in that rain. You can sit down while I make something hot to drink, like tea or hot chocolate?”. Your proposal didn't go unheard and the full-cheeked guy started beaming like the sun, as if he won the lottery. Together with the long-haired man, he raced towards the first table, that happened to be right next to the entrance and in the middle of the room. The other two chuckled at their friends behavior and settled down as well, just a little less energetic.
“Is everyone okay with a hot chocolate?”, you asked into the round, receiving a nod from the orange hair guy after nobody spoke up. You smiled once again, feeling the tension in the room, before you turned around with the promise to be back soon. It didn't take you a long time, you were familiar with making hot chocolate after working in a cafe ever since your early teen years, so when you came back with four creamy, chocolaty and warm drinks, the four man thanked you, the orange haired guy asking how much that would then be.
“Oh, that's on the house. It's after hours, so technically this isn't during business hours and more of a friendly gesture”, you refused his money and smiled that gentle smile of yours again.
“I'm Hyunjin, by the way”, said the long-haired man and bowed shortly, animating the rest of the group to introduce themselves.
“My name is Jisung, nice to meet you”, said the man with the full cheeks, smiling a brilliant smile.
“I'm Minho”, the third one said, the one who looked intimidating, but when he bowed and smiled, you felt like he was more gentle than you first thought. Turning towards the last person, you were in awe when you blinked at the bright orange hair again.
“Christopher Bang Chan. But just Chan is enough”, said the fourth man, his eyes disappearing as he grinned. You took your second to remember the names, and you thought that Bang Chan was a really fitting name and how his voice was just as perfect as the rest of him, just how on earth would it sound like if he would call your name? Almost loosing yourself in thought, you forgot to introduce yourself back, so you cleared your slightly dry throat, before speaking up.
“I'm Y/N”, you bowed, “Nice to meet you, Hyunjin, Han, Minho and Bang Chan”. Then, a silence settled over you once again as you stood there, not moving. You looked around awkwardly, trying to find something you could do until the rain stopped and the men could go home, while Minho just coughed, making it even more awkward. Just then, you remembered that you hadn't checked on the plants yet, that needed to be watered, so you excused yourself.
“I'll be finishing up around the cafe, but don't mind me. Just enjoy your stay here until the rain stops”, you explained, that signature smile of yours back on your face, before you turned around and walked away to get your small yellow watering can that you liked so dearly.
Then you walked around the cafe, watering the plants that needed a lot of water like your lilies of the valley, the elephant's ear that you had standing next to the piano and the swamp sunflowers. Touching their petals and leaves, you tried to see if they seemed healthy, checking up on them. It was a fun hobby of yours, watching plants grow tall and majestically and it was especially rewarding when they bloomed brightly. Then, you checked up on the flowers that seemed to wilt a little, you plucked the dead leaves off them and threw them away. Then you moved on to the hanging plants and the various different species of ivy that climbed up your walls. You always needed to shorten them since they grew so fast.
Walking to the storage room behind the counter, you fetched the semi-heavy ladder to be able to reach the hanging plants. Only then you noticed how your guests had finally warmed up a little more and were talking among each other. With the loud clinking of the ladder, you drew their attention onto you, so four pairs of eyes followed your figure as you waddled across the room.
“Do you need some help by any chance?”, asked one of the boys, presumably Bang Chan, since he stood up seconds later.
“Oh no, don't mind me. I do this every other day and haven't hurt myself once, so don't worry”, you reassured him, before you sat down the ladder where you wanted it. The loud thud echoed through the almost empty cafe and you set the ladder out to climb it.
It was always a nerve-wracking thing to do, since the ladder was a little older than you would've liked and the bolts did squeak whenever you got on and off. You hurried back to the storage room you get a pair of scissors in case you needed to cut some dead leaves off and a plastic bag for possible trash. You refilled the can once again and got back to the ladder, satisfied that the men had stopped watching you and talking to each other again.
You set down the can at the small platform that was attached to the ladder for this specific purpose and grabbed onto it, slowly climbing it. The squeaking made your heart skip a beat and you let out a shuddered breath, before continuing to climb it. Damn your small height, you could've really used some inches here!
With wobbly knees, you inspected the plants that you could reach, watered a few of them, cutting some dead leaves of, breaking them at their elbows to grow some roots to replant them or unhinging the plants completely from the ceiling to care for them a little more. You did this with all of the plants, brushing over the leaves to check on them. The ivy at the walls were a little more difficult to reach, since they were spreading over the wall and taking up some space, so you had to either risk leaning to the side on the old ladder or you had to move the ladder more often. Lazy as you were, you obviously decided to just lean over to shorten the plant.
You were so focused on not falling down, that you didn't notice the rain stopping. Only when you saw the men slowly standing up and picking their jackets to leave, you turned to bid them goodbye.
It was a second, only a second that you shifted your focus from being secure on the ladder to seeing your guests off, but that second was enough to loose your balance. The ladder squeaked once again as you shifted to the side and before you could process it, it slowly fell over, your body getting closer and closer to the ground. The loud clatter of your scissors falling out of your hand and crashing on the tiled floor as well as the rattling off the ladder when you tried to untangle yourself from it before you would crash to the ground painfully was heard and you could already feel the pain in your back from hitting the ground, how your neck would strain to not let your head hit the ground so hard and the tingle of a scream at the bottom of your throat. Almost as if in slow-motion, you felt your body fall – and just like that, you were caught by somebody.
You looked up after feeling a pair of hands grabbing your body however it could to not let your fall, while also steadying the ladder with their back and if not for the bright orange hair, you wouldn't know it was Chan because your vision got blurry from tears of shock. For a good moment, you looked into his brown eyes that were full of shock, almost as if he couldn't believe himself that he had crossed half of the cafe this quickly.
“Are you okay!”, Minho was the first to speak as he rushed over to check up on you. Hyunjin and Han followed him and soon, four men surrounded you as they stared at you worry written over their features. You continued to gaze at Bang Chan, still holding onto him as he slowly untangled his arms from your body. Clearing his throat, he waited for you to let go of him, before he turned around to check if the ladder was steady again.
“Thank god Chan has such good reflexes”, Hyunjin muttered as he scanned you for injuries.
“Yeah, you're right. Thank you for that Bang Chan, you probably protected me from a serious injury”, you breathed out, the adrenaline still pumping through your veins and shaking your body.
“Did you hurt yourself?”, Han wanted to know as he looked both at you and Bang Chan and both of you shook your head, while you started rubbing your arms. When did it get so chilly?
“Should we take you home? I wouldn't want you to go home alone at such an hour after such an accident”, Bang Chan now spoke up and you turned to look at him, your gentle smile slowly finding its way back onto your face.
“Ah, I actually live here, so you don't have to worry about that”, you replied, “But you should probably start going now. It's really late and some buses don't drive anymore”. You glanced at your watch. Yeah, it was past midnight already and you needed to get up early tomorrow.
“You're right, we should go. Thank you for your kind offer to stay here while it was raining, it definitely helped us”, Bang Chan replied and bowed once, the others mimicking him. Then, they started to put on their still slightly wet jackets and slowly strode over to the exit.
“Have a good night, Y/N”, Hyunjin bid goodbye and just as you wished pleasant dreams, the four man dressed in black were gone.
The next days were quiet, to say the least. On the next day, you woke up just as you usually did to tidy up the cafe, fill up the coffee machine, re-fill some of the syrups and sprinkles as well as bake some of the pre-made cookies your co-worker Felix usually did the day prior and lay them out at the windows for people to see and get interested. You wiped off the water from the tables that stood outside and on the terrace on the second floor and moped the floor, before you checked in on the huge amount of lavender that hung from the canopy of the shop and covered it partially. Felix and Jeongin finally strayed in around six thirty in the morning and they changed quickly into their working attire, before Felix got back into the bakery to start working on some new pastries. Jeongin started rearranging the tables and helped you with carrying some of the trash to the trash bins behind the storage room.
Then, at exactly seven o'clock, you opened the shop.
The day went by as per usual. Businessmen and Businesswomen straying inside as they yearn for some caffeine to get them through the day as well as a few highschool students or college students treating themselves to an overly sweet drink. Jeongin and you usually stayed busy during the first hour of opening, but after that, it cooled down a little bit and you had the time to go back into the bakery to assemble some sandwiches for the display while Jeongin took care of reservations and the first few customers.
And just like that, the day went by. There were some familiar faces that you greeted happily with your signature inviting smile, chatting with them a little bit, new faces that explored the many plants in your cafe, Instagram girls that took pictures to get some likes and just curious people who saw an Instagram post of your cafe with the backyard on display, the secret little garden in the back where you could drink some coffee and eat some cake while you enjoyed the sun on your skin and the different smells of the different flowers around you.
You loved working at the cafe. Ever since your parents entrusted you with their coffee shop, you had gone through ups and downs with this place. It took so much work to make a cozy place for any person, but it paid off when you saw a customer leaving your shop satisfied and lulled into a trance by the calming effect the atmosphere had on them. It was almost like they had gone through some kind of special therapy, where they could relax for a hot minute before continuing with their lives. You were just smitten with it.
And nothing happened over the next week, your little bubble wasn't poked into. At least on the outside, it seemed like that.
On the inside, you were a wreck. There wasn't a single hour that had passed without your thoughts straying at least once to the bright orange-haired man and you damned yourself for remembering how his strong arms had wrapped around you that night, saving you from falling. In your daydreams, those arms held you tightly, swaying you from side to side, sometimes caging you in and dominating you. Ugh, you were such a sucker for muscles.
You wondered how it would be like to kiss Bang Chan, how it was to run your fingertips along his back after a long day of work, both of you just cuddling in bed. How it would be like to watch the rain fall while his arms held you in a warm embrace during that cold evening. And especially how he would feel like... inside of you.
And every time those naughty thoughts crossed your mind, you shook your head vehemently, trying to chase them out by the aggressive movement.
About a week after meeting the group of four men on that rainy night, you finally started to regain focus. You woke up that Tuesday, stretching in your warm bed after your alarm had ripped you out of your dream and you took a second to enjoy the comfortable warmth of your bed. It was still a little cold, since it was five thirty in the morning and the sun hasn't decided to show up yet, but you were sure that the day would be just as hot as the rest of summer. You sat up and opened the bedside table's drawer to get one of the dozen pairs of fluffy socks out to pull them over your ever cold feet, before you stood up and tiptoed over to your closet to grab something to wear.
A simple brown skirt paired with a blouse would do the job and you walked downstairs to your bathroom to take a shower and start the day, just how you did every day.
After exiting the shower, you dressed yourself and put on some basic make-up, before you walked to the kitchen to drink a glass of water. It was now five forty and you stared outside of the many windows that your apartment had, looking into the dark and taking the time to just think.
How would the day go? Was there enough chocolate until Thursday or would you need to order some? Would the sun dry out some of the plants, so you had to water them later? Was the supermarket open after ten?
Just small things that crossed your mind while you sipped on your cold water. After a few minutes, you snapped out of your trance and set the glass down in the sink, deciding to finally go down and start setting up the cafe.
The day had started just like any other day and when golden hour came around, you heard Jeongin sigh heavily, hand on his back as he leaned against the counter.
“What's wrong, Jeongin?”, you asked him worried, while you were busy preparing another order of coffee. You disappeared into the storage room quickly to get some more milk, before you foamed the milk inside the metal jug.
“You know, I think it's time to finally get another person to help us. There are more and more people coming nowadays and I don't think we can take on the work load, especially when Felix is baking all day to keep up with the orders”, he suggested while you grabbed the large round cup filled with coffee, angled it to slowly pour in the milk, creating the famous heart pattern with the foam. You thought about his words, in fact you were already thinking about recruiting another member for the 'Stays' to help you out a little. In fact, you could tell that the work load had started to grow a little bit and that the three of you couldn't take care of so many customers.
“You're right, Innie-ah”, you agreed and he straightened up surprised to have you agree so quickly, “I'll print out a work request and hang it onto our door later”. You mentally noted down that you had to do that later this evening, before you wondered if another baker would be beneficial as well – but that could wait until another time.
Just as you were starting to loose yourself in the hustle and bustle of serving the customers around you, you almost jumped back when you saw Hyunjin enter the shop together with Bang Chan and another smaller man. Their new companion seemed much rougher than the other two, since he had dark eyeliner on and even in this heat, he wore a think black leather jacket. Paired with his sharp chin and the drooping look on his eyes, he just looked straight up dangerous. Unlike last time, Hyunjin and Bang Chan were a little more friendly looking with Hyunjin wearing wide black jeans and a black Nirvana shirt and Bang Chan wearing a black short sleeved button up with a pair of loose fitting black suit pants. All three of them had silver earrings dangling around, coupled with a few more silver chains and rings. They stood by the counter, waiting for someone to show them where they could sit and you hurried to carry out your order, before you rushed back to the counter.
“Uh, hi”, you greeted the men, who started to gain some attention because they were sticking out like sore thumb in this shop. Hyunjin and Bang Chan smiled at you friendly and you mimicked them, waiting for them to tell you what they wanted.
“Is there a table for three?”, Hyunjin took the initiative and you nodded, breathless from all the walking you had done just seconds prior, before you gathered your breath to answer.
“Sure, we have one table there at the back”, you pointed towards the table that was next to the exit for the back garden, “Or you could go upstairs on the terrace, where you would have to pick up your orders yourself from downstairs once they're finished. There aren't any more seats in the garden, unfortunately.”. You waited for them to discuss among themselves where they would want to sit and they decided to stay here, so you guided them towards the table and left your menu there.
“Okay, I'll leave you alone for a moment and let you decided what you want. I'll just make and bring the drinks to the other table and then come back to you”, you let them know, smiling of course, before you turned around on your heel to continue working. There was still a lot going on.
Ten minutes later, after finishing most of the orders and dealing with a stuck machine, you finally made your way back to the boys' table to get their orders. A little out of breath, you took a second to let a sigh out, before you spoke.
“Sorry for waiting, as you can see it's a little busy. How can I help you?”, you asked as you fetched a small notebook to note down the orders.
“One Americano with four extra shots, please”, Hyunjin ordered, “and a small cheesecake with it”. You dotted his order down and looked up to see who's next.
“Just a small Cappuccino”, Bang Chan ordered, “That's it”. You wrote it down as well and your gaze shifted towards the third, unknown person.
“Uhh, about the Dalgona Coffee... what exactly is that?”, he asked as he looked up at you, a small frown still plastered on his face. You smiled at him brightly, trying to make him feel welcome because he's obviously shifting on his seat as if he is uncomfortable.
“Dalgona Coffee is a type of coffee where you whip some instant coffee with sugar and drink it with milk. It becomes nice and fluffy, almost like a soft breeze”, you explained, slowly starting to get distracted by your love for coffee, but catching yourself before it becomes too embarrassing. You chuckled awkwardly to yourself, clearing your throat, before you continued.
“We serve warm or cold, and if you choose to drink it warm, there is the option to dissolve dark or white chocolate syrup in it”, you added and finished your small explanation.
“Then I'd like to try that”, the man decides after a while, “Cold please”. With a nod, you added the order and bowed once, before you promised to come back with their drinks soon. You hurried to the counter as a few people stood there, waiting for someone to get their orders and you took some time to prepare coffees to go, before you finished up the order of a family outside. Only then you had the time to make the boys' order.
With a full tablet, you balanced your way towards their table and set it down there to unload it. You were happy to see that all of them had relaxed a little bit more into their seats and didn't bother to continue their conversation as you set down the drinks. It warmed your heart to see them with a small smile on their face.
“Enjoy!”, you wished as you set down the cheesecake, before you got back to work.
With all the customers coming in and out, you didn't have time to think about how stupidly good Bang Chan had looked with a smile on his face, but after some of the commotion had died down and both you and Jeongin had time to rest, your thoughts caught up. Slowly, you started to fall into minute long daydreams as you peeked over to their table once again, admiring him from a distance.
“Found someone you like?”, Felix whispered right into your ear, making you tumble over from shock.
“Felix!”, you yelled out loudly, getting the attention of some customers for a split second, before they continued with their conversations. The white-haired man only chuckled at you, his amusement evident.
“Well, I'm not wrong, am I?”, he smiled like a little angel, as he took off his headgear and ruffled up his hair. You had known Felix for six years now, he was one of your closest friends back in Highschool and after he had finished his confectioner school, it happened that your confectioner quit and you were looking for a new one. You took a closer look at his face, still wondering how his cute slightly chubby cheeks were gone and replaced by a sharp jaw and high cheekbones. His large smile was surrounded by his plump lips, shining even brighter than your famous smile.
“Which one is it?”, he asked with a curious look on his face as he moved closer to you to oversee the customers, “Ah, maybe one of those three in black? Probably the orange-haired one”. He hit the nail just on the spot and when he saw you turn a little red, he cackled loudly, leaning onto the counter for support.
“Stop and get back to your stupid kitchen!”, you whined loudly, pushing him away.
“But I just wanted to take a quick break and see my favorite person in the whole wide world!”, he yelled at you, opening his arms and make a kiss-mouth, inching towards you.
“You idiot, stop it! Get away, ugh”, you tried to push him away, though he was stronger than you after all those hours he spent in the gym, so there was no chance. When he finally let go of you and went back into his working place, you rested your head into your palms as you heard a few customer giggle at your bickering. It must be comedy watching you two together, you figured and pushed yourself up to continue working.
You did your rounds around the cafe again, seeing if everything was alright, before you got to the men.
“Is everything alright here? Is there something I can do for you?”, you asked into the round, hands clasped behind your back.
“No, everything was perfect. The Dalgona Coffee was really good”, said the guy with the leather jacket, smiling genuinely at you. You beamed back, happy that he had warmed up, and turned towards the other two.
“If possible I would like to pay already”, Bang Chan got his wallet out as he spoke, his underarm flexing as he did so. You stared at him for a second, enjoying the view that displayed in front of you, before you answered.
“Sure! Would you like to pay together or each?”, you asked, fiddling with your notebook to see where their order was.
“Together”, Bang Chan replied and you could tell the other two didn't expect that, but were happy nonetheless. Telling him the total price, he got his money out and left a handsome tip, making you thank him profusely. They stood up seconds after you left the table and exited the cafe. With one last peek, you watched Bang Chan crack his neck as he hurried through the door. He seemed a little tired.
The next weeks you got a new regular at your cafe. Bang Chan came every other day to order either a Cappuccino, a sweet hot cocoa or when he looked really ruff around the edges a strong Americano. He usually sat somewhere in the back by the window, his laptop in front of him as he typed something away. Sometimes, he would just watch the people walk outside, sometimes he closed his eyes and just took in the moment. Sometimes Hyunjin accompanied him, but you hadn't seen Jisung, Minho or the small guy around.
It was another day that Bang Chan had come in, dark circles under his eyes as he heaved his body to the counter. It was already late, only half an hour until you closed, and Jeongin and Felix had already gone home. There were two more people in the cafe, working on something on their laptops as they paused from time to time to take a bite of their cake and a gulp of their tea.
“One Americano, eight extra shots please”, he ordered as his eyes closed slowly, he looked like he was about to fall asleep on the spot. You weren't sure if an Americano would fix his problems, but you just nodded as you prepared the strong drink. He slowly grabbed it from you and paid on the spot, before his feet dragged him to his favorite spot where he sat down and started typing on his laptop as per usual. The rest of the open hours were quiet, you started cleaning some of the tables and the counter, while glancing towards Bang Chan from time to time. His hair had grown out a bit and the brown natural color stood out when looking at him. From time to time, you would see him nod away for a second, before some higher spirit grabbed a hold of him, before he continued working and you were positive that it was only a matter of time until he fell asleep. Just as the last customer left on their own, a few minutes before you closed, you quickly got upstairs to grab a pillow and a blanket for the now sleeping Bang Chan.
And just like the first time he was here, the soft pitter-patter of rain against the window started, lulling you into a trance as you worked around the cafe. You noticed that it was already the beginning of October and time had passed so quickly ever since the incident with the ladder. It felt like happened yesterday, but maybe your daily routine just caught up to you and you had lost track of time. You should probably go out once in a while.
Just as you wrapped everything up and were about to go upstairs, you remembered that a certain someone was still asleep, snoring cutely in the corner. You were torn between letting him rest and waking him up to close the store, but after a second glance outside, you sighed. There was no way you would let him go out in this rain. So you grabbed a book from upstairs, brewed some tea and nested yourself on the other side of the table and started reading, trying to pass some time until the man in front of you woke up from his sweet dreams.
You also took advantage of the situation to just stare at him to your hearts content, following every line and curve of his face until you had memorized all the moles and small scars on his face. It struck you once again that this was the man of your dreams on a visual level and you could feel your heart throb when you glanced at his lips once again. He was just too handsome to not stare at.
You didn't know how much time passed, but it was way into the night when Bang Chan's eyes slowly peeled open, the unconsciousness still deep in his bones. Blinking away some of his sleep, he started to realize that he was somewhere that was not his home and when he saw you with your book in your hands, he sighed loudly.
“What time is it?”, he asked a little hectic, grabbing his laptop and cramming it into his backpack. The sleep fell off his body more and more and soon he was upright standing and ready to leave. The rain still poured down heavily.
“It's half past one”, you replied as you glanced towards your watch, a gentle smile yet again plastered over your face.
“Sorry for bothering you until this late, but why didn't you wake me up?”, Bang Chan asked with a hint of anger in his voice that he probably suppressed as well as he could. His hand formed into a fist and clenched up.
“Well, you came in here looking like a zombie, ordered a super strong Americano that would probably cause a heart attack for a normal person, falling asleep while waiting for your order, before you perched yourself down on this seat and slowly drifted into sleep”, you explained a little defensive, before taking a deep breath, “I just couldn't bring myself to wake such a tired person”. He sighed before rubbing his palm over his face, a troubled expression visible.
“I need to go”, he just stated as he hurried towards the door, not even looking back at you. You stood up as well, quick to stop him from going outside.
“At least take an umbrella with you. You'll only get sick if you walk around in the rain with an already overworked and exhausted body”, you worried, successfully halting him in his step. You quickly went to the storage room to grab one of the many umbrellas that were forgotten by some customer and as you walked out, you snorted. It was a baby pink umbrella with flowers on it and you found it almost comedic when imagining Bang Chan with his dark aesthetic walking around with this.
“Here”, you held it out as you yawned. It was late and you would have to get up early again. Oh well.
“Thank you... though you should've really woken me up”, he hesitated as he took the umbrella from your hands, your fingers touching, “I'll bring this back the next time”. As he exited through the door, he opened the umbrella, the rattling sound of the rain and the cold breeze that got inside sending shivers up your arms. Watching him slowly make his way home, you felt a little pang in your heart and before you could stop it, you ran towards him, getting soaked in the rain.
“Bang Chan! Bang Chan!”, you yelled after him as you reached him. He stared at you, shock written all over his features and it only took him a second before he stepped closer to have the two of you stand underneath the umbrella, not that it really helped you now.
You wondered if you would've smelled some kind of cologne if not for the rain that washed away every smell and left that typical humid air behind, slowly taking your time to look at him once again.
“It's okay to take a break, even if you have a lot to do”, you reassured him, frowning for a second before continuing, “In fact, it's necessary to take a break when you have a lot to do. That's all I wanted to say”.
With that, you turned around and hurried back inside the cafe, bolting up into your apartment to chuck off your wet clothes and take a hot shower.
“Does that look okay? I mean I just want to go to dance”, you just walked downstairs where Felix was perched on your couch, his phone in his hand as he probably scrolled through Instagram. He looked up and seeing you're outfit, he straightened up. You wore a dark brown, short, satin dress that had a heart-shaped decolté and a knot to make it fall elegantly. You had bought that dress ages ago, for a special occasion and back then it fitted you a little loosely, but now, after a couple of years, you definitely had put on some womanly weight and thus filled the dress out a little too well.
“Well, it looks good, don't get me wrong, but if you want to spend the night fighting off men of you, then I wouldn't go out like... that”, he pointed at you and you pouted. You were already annoyed by picking out anything anymore, this was your third outfit you had put together and you sure as hell wouldn't go back upstairs.
“I'm not nearly as pretty as other girls, especially not in the club, so it's gonna be fine. You're probably gonna be the one fending off women of that pretty ass of yours”, you responded and walked over to the kitchen to grab a bottle of wine. You didn't want to spend too much money in the club, so Felix and you decided to pre-drink at yours.
“But why the sudden desire to go out? You're usually a homebody”, Felix asked you after taking a glass of wine from you.
“I guess I just got tired of the same routine every day and wanted some change”, you responded. The feeling you had last Wednesday night when Bang Chan fell asleep still lingered in your chest ever since and you finally decided to get rid of it.
“Well, I'm not complaining. I haven't partied with you in such a long time!”, he grinned from one ear to the other, “I think the last time was with Seungmin at New Year's Eve. And you went home around two, I still remember that!”. Seungmin was Felix roommate and fellow confectioner. He sometimes visited your cafe, though you only see him when you're over at Felix' and that was usually when you were troubled by something.
“Yes, that's true. I didn't really feel like partying that day... but now I do, so let's enjoy it while it lasts!”, you replied and held your glass high for toast, clinking it against Felix' glass.
Like that, the evening began.
Sweat ran down your back as you jumped up and down to the beat of the song that blasted through the club, the people around you doing the same. It was full tonight, it was Saturday after all, so you occasionally bumped into different kinds of people. Felix had the time of his life and just like you had prophesied, he was rejecting one girls flirting after another. When you were pushed by somebody and bumped into someone else roughly, you turned around to apologize.
“I'm so sorry! I – ouch!”, both you and the person you bumped into bowed to apologize, bumping your heads again together by accident. You let out a hearty laugh and looked up to see the strangers face, just to let out a shocked noise.
“Jisung!”, you yelled and the man scrunched his nose for a second, probably not remembering you until it slowly dawned on him.
“Uuuh... Y/N!”, he finally got your name and fully embraced you, probably the alcohol speaking out of him, “Long time no see! Again, thanks for letting us in when it rained back then”. You shook your head with a large grin and leaned over to speak to him.
“No worries, again, I wouldn't want myself run in the rain either, so it's just kind of following the golden rule?”, you waved off, while swaying from one side to the other with the music.
“It's funny to see you here though, I kinda didn't get the club life vibe from you”, he yelled over the music, “I thought you would be like one of those innocent little girls that didn't do anything remotely bad in their life”.
“Well, it's not like I do this every other weekend, so I guess the image still kind of fits?”, you shrugged and flipped your hair to the side as it started sticking to your sweaty cheek, “What about you, is this like any other Saturday night?”. Jisung took a moment to think about your question, before he lowered his head again to yell over the music.
“Well, actually yes, but on the other hand we're celebrating Channies birthday”, he replied as he started pointing into the crowd, “I think he went there the last time I saw him”.
Before you could answer, Jisung was pushed out of the way and Hyunjin's slightly more familiar face came into your view. The bright grin that crept onto his face made you break into laughter, before you starting chatting with him. You found out a few things, like how he worked as a part-time model, how he saw three cats on the way to the club and how god had blessed him with that or how he was blonde a few months ago but decided to go back to black. It was fun talking to him and you promised him a free coffee if he dropped by in the next time.
Just when you felt really comfortable with him, some stranger came up to you to tell him that they would be going to the next club, before leaving him alone again.
“Uh, I guess I have to go... but if you want to tag along, you can? If you want to, obviously”, he invited you with hope in his eyes and for a second, you were considering tagging along until you remembered Felix. But just as you wanted to decline his offer, you felt an arm wrap around your torso and the familiar deep voice of Felix asking What's up.
“Is that your friend? He can come along as well!”, Hyunjin added after seeing your somewhat of a plus one and Felix sent you a confused look before you explained him the situation.
“Oh, I'm totally down! I'm ready for some action!”, he exclaimed excitedly and you sighed deeply, you already knew that going out with Felix didn't at least have one adventure in it. So you just agreed to tag along and like that, you followed Hyunjin and when you left the club, the cold night breeze on your sweaty skin made you shiver for a moment. Hyunjin hurried to catch up to a group of people who were a few feet further away and you followed him just as quickly, huffing when you reached the end of the big group. Felix shot you a look after seeing some girl with a blunt between her fingers and you only raised your shoulders.
“Channie, babe!”, Hyunjin yelled out and you could see the familiar orange color of his hair pop out from the group. When you caught up to him, you looked him up and down: He was dressed in a deep red and baggy button up, though he didn't button it up completely, his pecs peeking out whenever he moved a little, paired with simple black jeans that he tucked his shirt into and one of those old school leather jackets. You were positive that whenever he would want to eat that night you would offer yourself every single time if you were not careful. Looking up at his face, you could make out some minor make up that darkened his eyes, giving him even more of that dark aesthetic and you glanced at his hair that he had styled to the side to show off his forehead, noticing that he had retouched his roots.
“Stop drooling”, Felix mumbled at your side and you touched your mouth to check if you were actually drooling, before slapping your friend.
“What are you doing here?”, Bang Chan asked surprised, though you weren't sure whether he was happy or angry to see you. You gulped and rearranged the straps on your shoulder, that held the dress up, effectively making him check you out. His eyes grew darker by the second and for a second, you overthought if it was a good idea to follow Hyunjin.
“Happy birthday?”, you congratulated him, your voice fragile and stuck in your throat. He seemed to notice your tension and sighed, before putting on a gentle smile.
“Is that a question or what?”, he responded and you giggled at that, asking him how he's doing, if he had slept enough the past days and how old he turned. He said he slept enough to be able to survive and earned a scolding glare from you, but just laughed it off, told you he was doing fairly well and wasn't sure why he did such a big thing for his 24th birthday, but here he was running around in the night like an eighteen year old boy who had tasted alcohol for the first time in his life.
It kind of bugged you how he didn't miss a single chance to talk down on himself, as if he felt like he wasn't enough for the world. Sometimes his gaze shifted into the distance, as if he just wanted to disappear or waited for the darkness to swallow him whole. It made your skin crawl. While talking with Bang Chan, you hadn't noticed how Felix had fallen into a deep conversation about cats with Minho, but when you turned around to check on him, you saw that he was doing fine just on his own and you had nothing to worry about.
You were so deep in conversation about your favorite music, finding out that Bang Chan listened to a lot of Indie to your surprise, you didn't even notice the smaller building you had reached. It was run down, the LED lights of the sign barely working anymore. Another look and your eyes shifted over the run down bare bricks that the building was made of. A lot of people were lingering in front of the entrance, smoking their cigarettes or making out, some people were leaned against the walls passed out and others were throwing up. It wasn't a nice sight and you had a hard time not shrinking into yourself.
You threw a look towards Felix who had the same expression as you, but before you could try to talk yourself out of going into that suspicious looking place, Felix was dragged by Minho inside.
“Here, urgh, take this while you're inside”, Bang Chan suddenly spoke up beside you and you felt him put his slightly heavy jacket around your shoulders. You turned to him with large eyes, his action confusing you, but when you noticed the few stares you got from some men, you tugged the jacket closer around you and slipped into it properly.
With timid steps you followed Bang Chan inside and the strong smell of sweat, smoke and alcohol hit your nose. You thought they would've gone to a club, but it seemed like you landed in a bar or something of that sort. The group you had walked with had settled down somewhere in the back and both Bang Chan and you followed them, when he sat down on a bench and scooted so you could fit there too. Felix was perched between the guy with the pointy chin that ordered the Dalgona coffee a few weeks ago and some complete strange girl that had one too many piercings on her eyebrows, at least in your opinion. Your friend was laughing loudly after Dalgona Coffee guy had said something and you relaxed into your seat a little more. You didn't want to be the only one having a good time, so it was a relief he found people to laugh with.
“So, since when do you have that little cafe of yours?”, Bang Chan asked out of nowhere, yelling to be heard over the loud chattering in the bar and the soft music playing in the background.
“Well, my parents invested in a cafe when they were younger and ever since I was old enough to do small tasks, I was helping them. I guess I just kind of proved my competence and they gave it to me after retiring”, you explained and looked at the little menu card on the table to maybe choose a drink, “Is there something you suggest I order?”.
“Aren't you like around twenty? How come your parents are already retired? And I think you would like the Cherry Blossom one the most”, he asked before he pointed on one specific drink on the card.
“Well yeah, I am only twenty-three, but my mother had a hard time getting pregnant... like a really hard time. She got pregnant just a little before she got fifty – and my dad is five years older than her. So they're naturally pretty old right now”, you explained with a deep sigh, “And I'll take that then. But what do you usually order?”.
“Ohh, I see. Hmm, I usually like to drink strong drinks, but I figured you aren't that used to the burn in your throat”, he pointed out, a smug smile on his face.
“What do you mean I'm not used to the burn in my throat!”, you puffed your chest out and pulled your chin up, making him laugh at how hilarious you look in his slightly oversized leather jacket trying to look intimidating.
“Well, you don't seem to be the type to gulp down hard liquor with your pastel pink dresses, you know”, he pointed out, “Though you do look like it in that dress”. His eyes shifted down to your bare legs and you instantly got goosebumps from how dark his eyes turned once again. Your throat got suddenly dry.
“What about you? What do you even work as?”, you asked, not exactly sure where you could imagine him with his mostly black clothes and bright orange hair.
“Well, I uh produce music. I'm a mostly a songwriter and producer, though I do have a fair share of my own songs”, he scratched his neck and smiled shyly as he told you that and you found that action so endearing that you had to suppress the coo that settled at the bottom of your throat. Sometimes, Bang Chan just seemed so wholesome.
“Oh, that sounds pretty cool! Is that what you do at my cafe all the time? Writing song texts and producing music? I would love to hear a song sometime!”, you encouraged him to talk more about his work that you assumed was his passion.
The two of you fell into a deep conversation about different kinds of music yet again and Bang Chan tried to explain a new melody that has swirled around in his head for days, but he wasn't completely satisfied and felt like there was something missing. You listened to him ramble about how he thought about using different kinds of music theory to produce a certain song, though some of the theories did sound hard or unpleasant to listen to. He also confessed that he had written about your cafe and planned to turn it into a song and he promised you that he would show you the end result when he wrapped it up.
You were happy that he was so animated, you always thought he was more of a distant and cold guy, but he was surprisingly soft and wholesome and definitely not cold at all.
At one point through the night, more people tried to push themselves onto the bench and as a result, you were pushed out until you only sat with your left butt cheek on the bench. Bang Chan obviously noticed how you needed to strain to be able to sit the same, so he wrapped an arm around your waist and tugged you close to him, helping you sit more comfortably. And you didn't know if it was because he was drunk or if he genuinely liked you that he did that, but you certainly decided to enjoy the moment. You weren't held so close every day by anybody, so the experience was twice as good.
On Monday at work, you and Jeongin were already setting the cafe up, Felix stormed inside with his finger pointing at you accusingly.
“You eye-fucked.”
That was the only thing he said and you needed a second to process whatever that meant, but before you could respond, Jeongin piped up.
“You eye-fucked? Who?”, he asked curiously and turned to you with a shocked look on his face.
“I didn't eye-fuck anybody, Felix is just spouting nonsense”, you responded, but Felix shook his head.
“Young Lady, you won't get out of this situation by saying 'FeLiX iS sPoUtiNg NoNsEnSe'. She eye-fucked that orange-haired dude that regularly visits us”, he exposed you and you let out an outraged gasp.
“I did not eye-fuck him, I don't know what you're talking about”, you tried to deny, but he just ignored you and continued telling Jeongin what had happened last Saturday.
“She eye-fucked him and when I say eye-fucked, I mean eye-fucked”, Felix got more dramatic by the second, “And he fucking eye-fucked her back. And not only one time, not twice, no I don't think I can count with my fingers how many times! You should've been there Innie, it was a sight to see”. Jeongin turned to you and wriggled his eyebrows with that shit-eating grin on his face, telling you that he had a stupid idea.
“Sounds like Cupid Jeongin and his right hand Felix need to start with plan 'Get that D, Y/N'”, Jeongin shared a look with Felix, the white haired man wiggling his eyebrows as well and you already knew that this wasn't going to end peacefully. With a sigh, you shook your head before you headed to the storage room.
“As long as it doesn't affect the cafe, do whatever you want”, you replied, “But please don't overdo it”. Felix and Jeongin high-fived each other as you walked away, making you a little worried. Hopefully these two won't do anything stupid.
And you were convinced that this would become really stupid. On Wednesday, the Dalgona Coffee guy stood in front of you, with an application in his hands and a hopeful look on his face. Jeongin was side eyeing you as you took the man to the back of the shop, while you saw Felix exit his kitchen, the smell of chocolate cake coming your way. He hurried over to the two of you, greeting the man almost too friendly, before he walked in behind you.
“This, Y/N, is Changbin. He is one of the people we were with last Saturday and we were talking about a few things, one of them being that he was looking for a part time job. And well, I thought that this had to be fate, so I invited him”, Felix explained to you and you sighed, once again, before telling Changbin to take a seat and wait for you. Then, you told Felix to have a word with you.
His bright smile didn't slip off and the way he swayed around showed you that he was completely clueless. You didn't want to ruin his mood, but this was stepping over the line. So you took a second to gather your thoughts and word them in a way that wouldn't hurt him too much, before you spoke.
“Listen, Felix. As much as I appreciate your efforts to get us a new employee, you can't just bring in any guy without consulting it with me first. I'm still your boss and I need to know what is happening in my business. I will let it slide this time, since this never happened, but I still need you to tell me when you schedule an interview, okay?”, you explained as calmly as you could, though there was a hint of anger swinging as you spoke. Felix' smile slipped off as quickly as you thought it would and you felt bad for ruining his mood, but you had to be more adamant about your thoughts. He nodded, not saying anything back and was about to head back to the kitchen, but you stopped him.
“I might be scolding you Felix, but that doesn't mean I dislike you or that you have to be extra careful now. Just remember that I am responsible for the cafe and your and Jeongin's pay, so I can't take risks, you know? I just want the best for us”, you pulled him into a tight hug, before you ruffled his hair and let him go back to his kitchen after he had reassured you that he understood and that he wouldn't repeat the same mistake. With a smile, you watched him scurry off, a little more energetic after his mood drop, so you figured that it was okay and that you could start the interview with Changbin.
And to your surprise, Changbin did really well. The interview was short and sweet, he had all his papers ready, was quick to answer your questions short but concise, making him seem very professional. There was some worrying on his side, after you had offered him to work here for a day to see if you would go along well, since his aesthetics were completely different from the cafe. You reassured him that you had a baker in your kitchen with white hair who liked to wear neon green, so it didn't matter what he would wear as long as he could look friendly. And he had laughed at you describing Felix, the hearty laugh coming deep from his chest and warming you up. You hoped he would laugh like that with the customers, showing them how anyone can have a bright smile.
And he didn't disappoint you: He helped you out the very next day, getting to know the cafe a little more, seeing where all the things are stored, knowing how to make the basic drinks and how much cake is usually served, and so on. He did well, he learned quickly, didn't forget a lot of things, was quick on his feet but still steady and overly friendly. He was a naturally loud type, always talking loudly and laughing loudly, almost as if he was carefree and as much as you knew that some people disliked that type of person, it sure did lift the mood for the majority. So as soon as the day finished, you told Changbin that you would be more than happy to call him a part of the Cafe 'Stay'.
And with Changbin in tow, the four of you kept the cafe running.