Strings - Minsung

10

"You're lucky I was here then." Minho had the most smug impression Seungmin has ever seen on him, but Chan wasn't fazed by it.

"You talk like you have a social life."

"Yah!" He hit the counter top with his hand, no longer nonchalant like he was before. Seungmin was honestly wondering who this person was and how did they replace the Minho he knew. "For your knowledge, I do! I've made friends and been going to street concerts!"

Chan wasn't convinced, but decided to entertain his friend, faking an impression. "That's very good, Minho. I see you've grown." He averted his attention to the other barista who was still on the floor, looking so bewildered one would think he's seen a ghost. "And don't be rude, introduce your friend."

Minho turned to look where Chan was pointing, confused when he only saw Seungmin. "Who?"

When the manager asked Minho to work the shift, he probably wasn't considering the possibility that it was going to be Minho causing the war instead. Seungmin reached out to grab an opened bag of coffee beans, ready to attack again but Minho was quick to snatch it before hell broke loose.

"This is Seungmin, my coworker." He glared at the younger.

"Hi Seungmin." Chan smiled as if he didn't just stand witness to this epic duel. "I'm Bangchan, but you can call me Chan."

The young barista slowly stood up, nodding, eyes flickering at Minho wearily making sure he won't sneak an attack on him. "Okay, Chan. How do you know each other?"

"Minho and I were neighbors when I moved here. He's the first friend I made in Korea."

"When was that?"

Chan used his fingers to count. "Lets see...I was 10 and Minho was 9?"

"You survived a teen Lee Minho?" Seungmin expressed genuine admiration. The man in front of him now equal to the statues of Iron Man, a hero to be praised and idolized.

Minho was about to butt in, however Chans laugh stopped him once again. "You wouldn't believe it, but Minho was actually such a sweet kid. He always stood up for me, woke me up for school, brought me lunch, the list goes on. And when I started High School, he walked me to gate every morning. It's almost like he was the older one."

"More like a boyfriend-"

"Hey!" Safe to say Minho was fuming with embarrassment now. "That's enough!" He pointed an accusing finger at his friend, an empty threat one would think but it was enough for Chan to shut up. "If you're not going to order anything then leave!"

"Oh, so if I order something I can stay?"

Minho went to the back and came back within seconds. He threw a metal shiny thing at Chan, who caught it no problem. Chan takes a good look at the key, instantly recognizing it. "I will text you when I'm done. Just go to my place for now."

Hours have passed, the two baristas ignored each other for the main part. Minho was still cleaning up Seungmins mess, conducting an entire spring cleaning along with it as an excuse to ignore all possible human interaction. Every time a customer walked in, Minho shot the younger a piercing glare, a warning to be on his best behavior. But then again, the shop was quiet for the most part, and Seungmin was bored, periodically glancing at Minho who seemed deep in thought.

"So, you used to walk older kids to school for fun?" Seungmin teased a quiet Minho, who -after such an energetic morning- was left dry and drained. Any energy that he restored, he had to save for later practice.

"Shut up."

"And you defended him from bullies?~"

"Seungmin, I swear-"