Exception

II. He Lied?

Someone from the other side was running towards him, and if it weren't for his fast reflexes, Daehyun would've had to say goodbye to his pretty face and slam into the glass door that was flying open.

He looked over his shoulder to see a man holding a paper bag printed with the insignia of the café dashing across the street towards the police station.

Any other day, this 'near-collision' would've put Daehyun into a bad mood, but today he was feeling exceptionally cheery for no reason at all.

The bell ting-ed as he stepped into the tantalizing aroma of coffee beans and the soft whirr of espresso machines, the sight of pastries on display making him feel hungry.

The café was starting to fill up with customers for lunchtime, so Daehyun waited patiently for Youngjae to finish putting in all the orders before talking. "Did you see that? I almost broke my nose!"

Youngjae raised an eyebrow and started untying his apron.

"Just now, when I was coming in, another guy was rushing out, y'know? He almost hit me with the door! It's such a pity you missed it: you should've seen my sick move of sidestepping and bending my body backwards like a freakin' gymnastic pro!" Youngjae silently watched as his friend gesticulated enthusiastically, obviously exaggerating the truth.

But that was what Youngjae liked about him.

When Daehyun was finally out of breath, Youngjae chuckled. "You must be hungry now, shall we go?"

"Yes, let's go. I'm starving to death."

Youngjae rolled his eyes. "You always are."

Before they left, the barista made sure that one of his part-time subordinates helped fill in his post while he went out for lunch with his date.

No, goddammit, Yoo Youngjae. He's not your date. Stop dreaming!

"Hey, are you okay? Your face is red." They were already heading towards the ramen shop just two blocks down the road when Daehyun spoke.

"What?" Youngjae's eyes widened from embarrassment. "N- nothing." He cleared his throat, trying his best to change the subject. "So, you said they sell the world's best ramen?"

"Yes! It's so good I can't explain it in words. You just have to try it yourself. Oh, and their pork is delicious, too..."

Daehyun started trailing off, and Youngjae sighed in relief. Whenever you want to distract him, just talk about food.

Soon, they arrived the restaurant. Daehyun was a frequent visitor, so he already made his choice while Youngjae was still studying the menu.

When Youngjae finally placed down the menu, he found his friend staring at him with a concentrated expression. Neither of them said anything for a long while, and Youngjae was starting to feel uncomfortable under Daehyun's gaze. He gulped self-consciously, and felt his body heat up unwillingly.

"Hey, Youngjae..." Finally, Daehyun broke the silence. "You dyed added some light brown highlights to your hair, right?"

For a second, Youngjae faltered at his sudden comment. Then, Youngjae felt the slightest hint of happiness blooming inside his heart, knowing that his crush was actually paying attention to him. "Uh... yeah. I did it yesterday but most of it should've washed away when I took a shower... how did you notice?"

"Hmmm. You look good with it."

Youngjae's smile was so big his jaws hurt.