The Swap [Jeongcheol]

06

Jeonghan stood behind the counter, his elbow on the black counter while his head leaned on it, his hand holding it comfortably. The scent of coffee and freshly grinded coffee beans lingered in the air. Occasionally, the door which led into the small café would open, and the fresh wind blew into the warm room.

The male stared out of the window, his eyes following the pink blossoms which fell to the ground. The blossoms were blown away by the wind, danced in the air and made the whole street look magical; It was the start of spring. Spring meant new life was born, lives change and people transform. Whenever the cherry blossom trees bloomed, Jeonghan knew that his life was about to change– to the better or worse, he did not know.

His eyes hovered around the coffee shop, taking in the peach-colored walls, the pictures which hung on the walls and the well-matched furniture. Even though the café did not change over these last couple of days, it gave Jeonghan the feeling, that everything about it was new.

The doors opened, the chiming of the bells hanging just above the doors signaled that a new customer entered the small café. Jeonghan looked up, ready to assist his next customer, but to his surprise, it was no other than Kim Mingyu who walked through the doors. As he entered the café, a wind blew into the coffee shop and his hair tousled. Along with the wind came the cherry blossoms, which made Mingyu look magnificent, as if he wasn't real.

The few girls who were inside the café and ordered their drinks already, all started to squeal at the sight of the male. He just ignored them and walked to Jeonghan, a bright smile on his face as he waved like a lunatic. "Jeonghan, isn't today beautiful?" he questioned once he was behind the black counter and putting on his apron.

The male nodded in agreement, adverting his eyes back to look out of the window. The streets were crowded with people who either looked busy or way too comfortable. Jeonghan wanted to finish his shift as soon as possible, so he could go home and relax.

"You know, it's a pity that we have to work today. I thought it would be a perfect day for me and my boyfriend to hang out, but sadly, work is calling me. I should just quit, really." Mingyu murmured the last part, starting to clean the already-clean counter again.

"Boyfriend?" Jeonghan questioned, turning his attention back to his coworker. He had never mentioned anything about him being gay. In fact, he never talked about himself.

Mingyu's eyes widened as he realized what he had just said. "Oh- um... You aren't homophobic, are you?"

Jeonghan shook his head furiously. He felt no hate towards anyone who liked the same sex. The male didn't care about it. To him, it was just an ordinary thing. "No, don't get me wrong. I don't care who you like, but I was just a little surprised when you said boyfriend. I had no idea you were gay." Jeonghan replied, hoping that Mingyu wouldn't get offended.

To his luck, the tall male just smiled at him and nodded. "Well, I am. I have probably never told you because it never came up, but whatever. Now you know. I'm actually really open about it. My boyfriend and I have been dating for more than four years now, and we have a best friend who is gay but denies it. I think he's just confused. That, or he just spent too much time with Wonwoo and me."

Jeonghan bit his bottom lip at the mention of Wonwoo. Suddenly he saw Seungkwan's face in front of him, saying something about a rapper called Jeon Wonwoo when he talked about his favorite rappers. Again, he felt like his coworker was hiding something from him, and it wasn't the fact that he was gay.

"I haven't talked to my best friend for a while now. He went to New York and just before he went, he swapped phones with some guy. We can't contact him because of that, but he'll be back soon, so I'm excited to see him again." Mingyu explained.