"And they sent a rover to Europa this morning to see if there are aliens," Myungsuk squeaked, bouncing on the balls of his feet, his sweet-plum scent overpowering the coffee beans behind the counter.
Seunghyeon chuckled and looked over at Taeyong. "Sure, 'cause aliens are their first priority."
Taeyong snickered and nudged him. "Don't be mean," he said and turned to Myungsuk. "How long until they get there?"
"Six years," Myungsuk sighed as he foamed up some milk. Six years to reach Jupiter's moon. The most habitable one. The little ice moon had the perfect conditions for life. Even if they find the fossilized remains of microorganisms, that'd be more than enough. Myungsuk purred under his breath. Today was a step in the right direction for space exploration.
"Myungsuk," Taeyong called out and Myungsuk looked up, blinking. "Have you had a chance to meet, Kwangsun?" he continued, smirking at Seunghyeon, who scoffed, crossing his arms.
"Who?" Myungsuk wrapped his head around that name.
Taeyong was smiling, but Seunghyeon seemed annoyed. Myungsuk remained neutral "No, I haven't met Kwangsun."
"Good," Seunghyeon snapped. "He's a pain," he grumbled. "Seriously, Hyung. Just fire him."
"I'm not going to fire him. If he did something worth firing you would've done it without asking permission," Taeyong pointed out and tilted his chin up, his arms crossing too.
Seunghyeon slouched. "I'm not that mean. I give people chances," he said, snapping his wrist.
Taeyong giggled and squeezed Seunghyeon's cheeks. "Oh yes, you are so benevolent."
The bell above the door chimed and Myungsuk turned around, his body going still. Mr. Moon was back and he was wearing glasses. Thin, rectangular glasses. They suited his face. They made him look sophisticated. Like, Captain Giya in the original anime.
He walked over and Myungsuk jumped out of his skin. "Hello," Mr. Moon said softly once he got to the counter.
"Hello," Myungsuk repeated, sidestepping Taeyong to meet him on the other side of the register. Was he leaning forward too much? Was his smile too bright? Myungsuk dropped his gaze and leaned back. "Um, what can I get you?"
"What I had last time, please. I think I had a—"
"A mocha and honey cake," Myungsuk blurted out before biting the tip of his tongue. His memory was exceptional, but plenty of people told him it was weird. "I think," he added, though he still tapped the order in.
"Yeah, I think that's what I got," Mr. Moon said and his eyes squinted into happy moons. "Um, can it be for here?" he asked as he looked around.
He was going to dine in? Myungsuk curled his toes and nodded. "Can it be for here? Yes, it can," Myungsuk said. He watched Mr. Moon assess the vacant tables as he paid. "You should take the table in the corner. Next to the window," Myungsuk said, pointing. "There's no breeze from the door and it's cozy," he explained, smiling up at him.
Mr. Moon nodded approvingly. "You're right. Thank you," he said and politely bowed his head before walking over to the table, setting his backpack down and taking the seat closest to the window. Opposite Myungsuk's favourite seat.
A pair of hands slapped his shoulders and Myungsuk gasped, coiling immediately. He spun around and frowned at Seunghyeon as he laughed.
Taeyong placed his hand on Myungsuk's scrunched forehead. "I'm sorry, are you Park Myungsuk?"
What was he talking about? "Of course I am," he said, shooing Taeyong's hand away.
"Really?" Seunghyeon smirked and leaned in. "Cause that was not a Park Myungsuk thing to do. Who was that guy?"
Taeyong covered his grin with his hand. "Is that Mr. Moon?"
"Who's Mr. Moon," Seunghyeon asked.
"He's just a customer," Myungsuk interrupted. He crossed his arms and hung his head.
"Are you sure," Taeyong asked as they both took another look. "He's awfully handsome. Though, those dark circles."
Myungsuk shuffled his feet, unable to stop his smile. "I think they're cute. And he's really nice too."
Seunghyeon hummed. "Yeah, we saw," he said and grinned. "Awe, don't be like that, Myungsuk," he said and tapped the bottom of Myungsuk's chin. "We're proud of you, that's all. I mean, you practically pushed Hyung out of the way to take his order," he said, laughing.
Myungsuk's cheeks heated up as Taeyong giggled as well. "Yeah, we're just teasing you cause you've got a crush," he whispered in a sing-song voice.
Now Myungsuk's cheeks were on fire. He tugged his sleeves and whined. "N-No I don't." He twisted his sleeve around his finger, looking away. "I don't do crushes."
"Oh please," Taeyong snapped, startling Myungsuk. "You are a lovey-dovey romantic who falls for a good face," he said and smacked Seunghyeon's shoulder. "Don't act stone-hearted like Seunghyeon."
"Rude," Seunghyeon huffed, rubbing his shoulder. "But true. I mean, you are, like, in love with Captain Giya. And not to mention all the previous actors and characters and so on."
"But Giya's a fictional character," Myungsuk said, though it stung to admit it.
"So? You love a handsome face, Myungsuk," Taeyong said and poked his cheek. "And we're not telling you to do anything. Just practice talking to him. Maybe he'll become a regular."
Myungsuk nodded. There was no harm in talking. Myungsuk would get to look at his face and practice. Plus, if Myungsuk was good enough, Mr. Moon would also enjoy the conversation.
He finished making the mocha and set it on the tray, beside a tall slice of honey cake. Taeyong and Seunghyeon gave him reassuring thumbs-ups and he nodded.
Taking a deep breath, he stepped around the counter. Mr. Moon had his laptop out, eyebrows furrowed as he stared at the screen. Was he studying? Myungsuk wiggled his toes; maybe Mr. Moon was seriously considering becoming a regular.
Myungsuk walked over and the closer he got, the more his heart hammered in his chest. What was he going to say? He panicked. He should have asked Seunghyeon and Taeyong. He glanced over his shoulder. It was too late to turn back
He stood at the edge of the table, flicking his eyes up before darting them away when Mr. Moon looked his way. "Um, here's your mocha and honey cake," Myungsuk said and set both items on the table, taking great care not to spill.
"Thanks," Mr. Moon said and Myungsuk nodded, hiding his smile. As he pulled away, his focus shifted.
He tilted his head at the laptop screen. 'Circular Motion Principles: Velocity, Acceleration, and Force Vectors of Projectiles.' Myungsuk's eyes widened and so did his smile.
"Satellites," Myungsuk blurted out, pointing at the title.
Mr. Moon blinked and stared at him. Myungsuk gulped and drew his hand away, fidgeting with the tray. Was he wrong? But what other projectiles would it be talking about in relation to circular motion? Myungsuk looked down at his feet. He should get out of here. "Sorry," he whispered.
"No! No, sorry." Mr. Moon rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry, that was rude. You just- caught me off guard," he stammered.
Myungsuk drew in his shoulders. "Sorry, I tend to do that."
Mr. Moon looked up at him with a glint that Myungsuk hadn't seen before. It made his stomach flutter. Mr. Moon shifted his body towards him, one elbow on the table. "Do you study physics?"
Myungsuk blinked. "Do I study physics?" Myungsuk shook his head. "No, I don't."
"Oh." His tone deflated and his eyebrows knitted. Thankfully the look, which Myungsuk assumed was curiosity, still remained. "Then how did you know it's about satellites?"
"How do I know about satellites?" Myungsuk tilted his head, wondering how best to condense the answer in a maximum of three sentences.
"Sorry, if that's rude," Mr. Moon interrupted. Had Myungsuk looked offended? "I just don't usually meet people outside of school who know these things. It's refreshing."
His heart skipped and he wiggled his toes in his shoes. "I like learning about space," he explained. It was short and to the point, as appropriate. But when Mr. Moon leaned in, his eyes still on him, Myungsuk shuffled, feeling hot under the gaze and compelled to continue.
"I usually like reading about planet compositions, but the other stuff like satellites and black matter, and keeping up with new theories helps me understand the new studies, so I keep up with those too. Also, rockets are super cool, it's my most current goal to learn the mechanics of them. Though, my favourite topic will always be aliens. It's my dream to find evidence of extraterrestrial life—" Myungsuk bit down on his tongue. He was rambling over the three-sentence limit. "Sorry."
"Don't be," he said and Myungsuk took in a much-needed lungful of air, grinning as Mr. Moon quietly laughed. "I'm actually studying engineering at SSNU. I want to specialize in aeronautical engineering. So satellites, planes, and"—he gestured with his hand—"rockets too."
Myungsuk's heart fluttered and he stood on the balls of his feet, on the brink of bouncing. "That's so cool," he squeaked. Mr. Moon was handsome, nice, and smart! It would be impossible for him not to have a crush.
"What's your name, by the way? I'm Cheung Insoo."
Myungsuk stared at him. Insoo. Insoo. Insoo. Insoo. The name rang through Myungsuk's head and he bit back a purr. It was a fitting name. Myungsuk wanted to say it out loud over and over. In a whisper and yell it out. To feel how it rolled off the tongue.
"Um?" Insoo furrowed his brow and Myungsuk jolted his head back up. He hadn't realized he zoned out.
Blinking rapidly, Myungsuk stiffened. Right, he asked for his name too. It'd make sense he'd expect to get a reply. "I'm Myungsuk."
"Myungsuk," Insoo said and Myungsuk's heart leaped. "That's a nice name."
It's much nicer coming from your mouth.
"Thanks," Myungsuk managed. He shuffled his feet, wondering what else he could say to keep him here. The last thing he wanted was to be his usual awkward self.
"Um—"
"So—"
Myungsuk sucked in his lips, both of them interrupting each other. "Sorry, I interrupted you."
Insoo shook his head. "No, it's fine. Go ahead."
Myungsuk wanted to insist Insoo continue, but with his focused eyes, Myungsuk continued. "Um, I wanted to ask if you read about the Europa mission."
Insoo's eyebrows shot up. "Oh, yeah." he chuckled. "I just finished reading it on the way here. It's fascinating, right? It's really a big accomplishment."
"It is! The biggest in years. Especially when they discover something promising—" Myungsuk rambled on, gushing about the promises to come from the successful satellite launch.
"There's some talk about bringing together the best from each space program for the first astronaut mission beyond the space station," Insoo added. "It could happen in our lifetime."
Myungsuk nodded. "I think it'll happen. It has to."
"Myungsuk!"
The bubble around them popped and Myungsuk turned around. Seunghyeon apologetically smiled over the counter as he gestured to a growing line. Was it lunch break already? Myungsuk hadn't even noticed.
Myungsuk turned around, biting the inside of his cheek. "Um—"
"It's okay," Insoo said. "Actually before you go." Insoo reached into his bag and pulled out a stack of sticky notes and a pen, quickly scribbling something down before handing him the piece of paper.
Myungsuk tucked the tray under his arm and took the paper in both hands, staring at the string of digits.
"It's my number. I'd love to keep talking to you," Insoo explained.
Myungsuk stayed silent.
Insoo's cheeks went pink and he rubbed the back of his neck. "If that's okay with you."
"Yes," Myungsuk blurted out before biting his tongue. "I mean, yes. That's okay with me," he said, quieter this time.
"Great."
"Great." They stared at each other for a moment, Myungsuk lost in the sparkle of Insoo's eyes. There was so much more to discuss. So much more to explore.
"Myungsuk!"
Jumping, Myungsuk stuffed the paper into his pocket and tore himself away, his legs dragging him back to the counter. Turning around, Insoo subtly waved at him.
Breaking into a smile, Myungsuk bowed his head and Insoo did the same, watching him a little more before returning to his work.
The rest of the day continued, as usual, the only difference being Taeyong's and Seunghyeon's knowing smirks. Once the last customer left, they both cornered him.
"So, how was it," Taeyong asked.
"You were being super chatty. That was the most you've talked to a stranger in like, forever," Seunghyeon added.
"Exactly. What did you two talk about?"
Myungsuk drew in his shoulders and shrugged. "Just space stuff."
"Really?" Taeyong shook his head. "Myungsuk, you should talk about other things too. You don't want to bore him."
"He wasn't bored," Myungsuk snapped, faltering at their raised brows. "He's into space too. He's an aeronautical engineer at SSNU."
Seunghyeon whistled. "Wow," Seunghyeon nodded slowly before chuckling, smacking Taeyong's shoulder. "How perfect is that. He's cute and he's into space. It's fate."
Taeyong giggled. "It is! So, what else happened?"
"Yeah, you both were really enjoying yourselves. Did you get his number?"
Myungsuk stared at their eager expressions. The paper burning a hole in his back pocket. He folded his fingers together, he averted his eyes and to his surprise, he shook his head. "No."
A sigh of disappointment and the two pulled away. "It's okay, Myungsuk. It was your first time talking to a boy. Can't win them all," Seunghyeon said.
Taeyong nodded and ruffled his hair. "And I'm sure you'll see him again," he said and shrugged. "Maybe it's for the best. Things happen for a reason," he added. "Right, let's clean up. I want to make something at home."
"What are you going to make?" Seunghyeon asked.
Taeyong smirked. "Secret."
"Eh! That's not fair! Tell me!"
The two bickered through the cafe as they flipped chairs onto the tables. Myungsuk placed his hand on his back pocket, tracing the outline of the paper. It was better this way. Right?