Set to Fail // Minsung (BOOK 1 OF 2 'SET SERIES')

STF 10

jisung wasn't planning on leaving his apartment that day. he'd woken up to the rare blessing of a full off-day... no shoots, no script reviews, no media interviews. just silence. and freedom. so naturally, by 3pm, he was crawling up the walls. he texted hyunjin something dramatic, as reserved for the drama queen.

"If I don't leave this house in ten minutes I'm gonna marry my goddamn fridge just for companionship. LIteralLy"

hyunjin replied with a meme of a wedding cake shaped like a microwave.

"At least your fridge won't gaslight you into feelings bitch"

fair. so jisung grabbed his hoodie, pulled on his bucket hat, and escaped, not even knowing where he was going, just letting his legs lead. it was only after twenty minutes of wandering that he ended up in front of the glass-paned cat café near hongdae, the one with the pastel signage and the chalkboard menu and a fat tabby lounging in the window like it paid rent. he paused, then smiled, because screw it, if he wasn't getting real affection in his life, he'd at least get it from something small and fluffy.

the bell above the door jingled as he stepped in. soft music, warm lighting, cats sleeping in sun patches—perfect. he ordered a strawberry iced tea and sat near the back, letting the calm soak in. that's when the door jingled again. jisung glanced up idly—and froze. there, standing awkwardly at the front counter in a hoodie, dark jeans, cap, and sunglasses like he was trying to evade the fbi, was-

"No way," jisung whispered under his breath, a small smile creeping on his face.

the guy at the register pushed up his shades slightly, glanced around-

and jisung snorted. loudly.

the guy turned. paused. and then minho sighed, taking off the sunglasses dramatically.

"I knew I should've just ordered takeout."

jisung laughed harder. "What are you doing here? You look like you're on the run."

"I am. From people. And feelings. And scripts," minho deadpanned.

"Same."

minho looked at him. "You come here often?"

"I was bored."

"I come here all the time."

"Of course you do."

minho sat down beside him a few minutes later, cradling an iced americano and a pudding shaped like a cat paw. jisung blinked.

"You got the pudding shaped like a paw?"

"It's cute."

"You are so much softer than you act."

minho didn't deny it. "hyeri owns this place," he explained after a moment, nodding toward the girl behind the counter. "My cousin."

"Ohhh," jisung said. "That explains why you didn't get kicked out for dressing like a K-drama villain avoiding paparazzi."

minho laughed. "She has photos of me in worse states. She's like- blackmail-proof."

jisung watched as a tiny white kitten climbed up minho's thigh and curled into his lap like it lived there.

"...Do all cats just love you?"

"They should. I'm the chosen one. He who shall not be named is jealous af of me, you know."

"You're literally not even blinking right now. Is this a cult what the hell?"

minho didn't respond. he just scratched behind the kitten's ear while murmuring something.

they settled into a comfortable silence, occasionally interrupted by café cats climbing into their laps or bumping heads or knocking down paper cups. minho didn't talk much, but he smiled, a lot. and jisung couldn't stop staring at the way his eyes crinkled when he laughed at something a cat did, or how his hands moved gently when he picked one up, murmuring nonsense like "You little menace, you're perfect." it was dumb. it was stupidly domestic. and it made jisung's heart ache in the softest, worst way possible.

at one point, a chunky orange tabby plopped itself between them on the bench. jisung reached out to pet it, but minho lightly swatted his hand away.

"Rude," jisung said.

"She doesn't like being touched on the ears," minho said. "She's picky."

jisung raised a brow. "How the hell do you know that?"

minho just shrugged. "I pay attention."

the words settled weirdly in jisung's chest, and he looked down at the cat, keeping his mouth shut. after a while, hyeri brought them a free plate of mochi with paw-print icing.

"Couples discount," she teased, dropping it off.

jisung choked on air. "We're not-"

"She's messing with you," minho said, deadpan.

hyeri winked and walked away.

jisung flushed. "Your family is mean."

"She's preparing you."

"For what?"

minho sipped his coffee. "The entertainment industry."

jisung narrowed his eyes. "You're enjoying this too much."

minho's smile didn't fade. "A little."

by the time they left the café, the sun had dipped low, golden light spilling across the street like melted syrup. they walked slowly, neither of them saying much, until minho glanced sideways and said,

"Today was nice."

jisung looked at him and smiled.

"Yeah," he said. "It really was."