A/n
This story will be under heavy editing for the next week or so! I'll be editing and extending parts of this story as I am not 100% happy with how some of it was written and now that I've come back to it, I want it to be the best it can be...that being said, happy reading :)
Christmas. It's only four days away. The countless shops of Seoul are filled with green and white decorations and cheerful carols can be heard at every turn. Specials are plastered over every shop window - hoping to entice any last-minute shoppers in desperate need of a quick Christmas gift. The air is crisp and cold on the face, chilling to the bone. People bustle about all wrapped up in layers upon layers of warm clothing to keep the chill at bay.
Yoongi is one of these people; his great winter coat swallows his lean figure and gloves keep his fingertips from becoming numb. A scarlet scarf is wrapped snuggly around his neck and covers his mouth and nose. He looks both ways before crossing the street, double checking as he's walking; can't risk getting hit by a car on his way to work. Maybe later, he thinks to himself. It depends on how the day goes. He can just make out the front of his workplace on the corner up ahead. He quickens his pace.
He feels the passage of time slowly as he gets trapped behind an elderly couple walking leisurely down the pathway. A glance at his watch shows the countdown of the precious minutes before his shift begins without him. Shit. He's running late. Kim Taehyung, his co-worker, and close friend is never going to let this go. Min Yoongi is never late to work. He has always been punctual. It is just this so happened to be the day in which his alarm clock decided to break, hence leaving him to wake up a half hour later than usual. He had even had to skip breakfast to make it in time for the later train.
He reaches the varnished door to the quaint corner coffee shop he works at. He allows himself a moment to gather himself, hand paused hovering over the door. Gritting his teeth, he pushes open the door and tries to get to the counter unnoticed.
Too bad that Taehyung has exceptional hearing. That, and he had heard the bell attached to the door signal someone's entrance.
"Oh, there you are! Nice of you to finally show up." He smirks at him from where he's wiping down a recently vacated table. "I honestly thought you'd been murdered. You're never late."
Yoongi wants this day to end already. He really doesn't feel like he has the patience to put up with Taehyung's antics today. Sensing a tenseness in Yoongi, said co-worker stops his cleaning and gives him a concerned glance. "Is everything ok? Did something happen?"
He sighs and lifts a shoulder. "Nothing serious. It's just my alarm clock broke so I woke up later than usual."
The look of concern is quickly replaced with a mix of relief and exasperation. "I thought something bad had happened. You had me worried for a second. A bloody broken alarm clock." He shakes his head.
"As if." Yoongi snorts."It's true! I was just about ready to fight someone if required. Break a bone or two." As if to prove his point, the young man links his fingers, palms forward, and proceeds to crack his knuckles in a somewhat intimidating manner.
"Who's fighting who?" The boys' manager, Kim Namjoon, appears right behind Yoongi, almost giving him a heart attack. He can feel his heart racing a mile a minute uncomfortably in his chest. Taehyung quickly goes back to cleaning the table, whistling cheerfully as he does so.
Whilst Namjoon's tall height and signature stern expression would be intimidating to just about any stranger, Yoongi knows otherwise. This man right here could not hurt a fly. In fact, he is sure the man would probably break down and cry, maybe even go so far as to apologise to the poor insect in his deep, soothing voice.
Namjoon simply rolls his eyes and shifts his attention to Yoongi, who has a hand pressed against his weak heart. "Oh, come on. I'm not that scary, am I?" He quirks an eyebrow, amused.
Yoongi lets out a strangled snort. "You're not. Just make yourself known before you say something. In case you can't tell, it hasn't been the best start to the day."
Believing his heart has calmed down enough, Yoongi walks over to the counter and takes out his apron and Santa hat. He thinks he looks ridiculous in it but it's part of the uniform. Honestly, what did he expect? He works at a café. And it is almost Christmas. The whole shop is decked out in tinsel and ornaments.
Namjoon gives him a small grin, dimples shyly displayed, before trudging into the back room to do what Yoongi can only guess is stocktaking. Taehyung finishes his table cleaning and moves on to sweeping the floor. There are a few customers currently occupying the booths spread along the wall facing the busy streets. Perfect, a nice, eventless shift. He can hear Christmas songs playing through the radio, creating a cosy atmosphere. It soothes his previous fright. He loves working here – is what he continuously chants whenever he can, essentially motivating him to get through this day.
An hour or so passes by. Few customers appears to be the trend for the day as only two more booths get taken up. It gives Yoongi time to work on his coffee making skills. He would be the first to admit, the art of doing the cute little designs in the froth like on those fancy advertisements on tv isn't exactly his forte but he likes to try. He has improved a lot since when he first started working at The Coffee Lover's Hideout. The first design he had tried had turned out horribly, looking nothing like the elegant leaf Taehyung's cup had boasted as a demonstration.
No time like the present to improve, right? With this mindset, he spends the next twenty minutes playing around with impromptu designs. At one-point Taehyung comes over to scope out his "art". He then proceeds to erupt in a fit of laughter at the "cloud" Yoongi is trying - and failing - to create. It more closely resembles a deformed mess of indistinguishable blobs. His pride only hurts a little bit.
Just as he is about to attempt a star, the bells attached to the door chime. Namjoon is still out back sorting store goods and Taehyung has his hands full, busy handling another customer. I guess it's my turn. He stops his artistry and claps his hands together to dust off any remaining cocoa powder. At this point, the customer has seated themselves at one of the corner booths right next to the large window overlooking the crowded streets.
Yoongi grabs a menu, swiftly taking it over to the awaiting consumer. The young man, boy really, turns his head from the street side view and meets Yoongi's eyes. The contact lasts for mere seconds. A shy smile paints the boy's face as he takes the menu from Yoongi's outstretched hand, offering a small "thank you" that is so startling soft that Yoongi has to consider whether he had heard anything at all.
The youth eyes the menu thoughtfully.He is wearing a red woollen cardigan over top of what Yoongi is assuming to be a long-sleeved white shirt. The customers hair is a rich blueish-grey colour that pleasantly shines in the wintry lighting. There is a cute pout to his plump lips as he scans the menu.
With hair and a distinct face like that, Yoongi is sure he would remember him, even if from merely walking past each other in the streets. He can't be too old, for he looks younger than Yoongi. But by how much? A year? Two? No more than four Yoongi decides. He briefly wonders if the boy perhaps attends a university around these parts. Maybe even the one Yoongi himself resides as a music major. The thought causes a warmth to spread to his cheeks.
Yoongi catches himself staring and quickly excuses himself, telling his customer he will return once he is ready to order. He makes it to the counter safely and hides his embarrassment by busying himself with reorganising the pastries on display.The distraction only works a measly few seconds before thought of the encounter takes up residence in his clouded mind.
"You hot or something? You look flushed."
He hits his head on the tip of the counter, letting out a surprised grunt. "A bit of warning would've been nice Tae." He brings a hand to the back of his head, gingerly ouching the area he knows is going to bruise, a lump already steadily growing.
Taehyung just stares at him, one eyebrow raised quizzically. His eyes dance mirthfully.
"What?" Yoongi huffs, agitated.
"You sure you're ok Yoongles?"
"Just. Fine." He manages to answer through gritted teeth.
Realising just how tense he is, he forces himself to relax his shoulders and takes a couple of deep breaths. A flush rises to his cheeks.
"Um, excuse me?"
He spins his body around and notices the customer from before calling out to him. "Uh?"
Taehyung snorts. "Well that was intelligent."
"I'm ready to order?" The boy starts uncertainly, slight amused confusion seeping into his features.
Yoongi breaks out of his daze and as swiftly but smoothly as he can, makes his way over to the awaiting red cardigan boy. He professionally takes out a notepad and pen then waits patiently to take the order.
"Can I please get one cinnamon scroll and a small hot chocolate?"
You are the cinnamon scroll. Yoongi internally kicks himself. Where had that thought come from? He decides to push it to the back of his mind, focusing to the present situation.
"Sure can do. Would that be all?"
The boy thinks for a moment. The cute pout and creased eyebrows return as he scans the menu one last time. "Yes, thank you."
He gives up the menu to Yoongi and goes back to looking out the window.
"It shouldn't be too long."
And with that, Yoongi escapes to the counter with the order. Hot chocolate. Easy peasy. This much he can handle. It requires nothing too fancy. He gets to work adding in drinking chocolate to steaming milk. Next comes an extra teaspoon of the powder. What can he say, the boy has nice manners; he deserves this much. Stirring the mix of milk and powder, he locates the mini marshmallows. Once mixed well, he adds froth and cocoa powder to the top in the shape of a heart – He has finally managed to successfully recreate the design after multiple lessons from a patient Taehyung.
Pleased with his work, he finishes it off by grabbing two off-white ceramic plates; one for the cinnamon scroll and the other for the hot chocolate and places three of the mini marshmallows in a bunch next to the warm mug. His creation is now complete. A small, proud smile worms its way onto his face.
Carefully picking it up, he makes his way over to the customer's table and sets it down gently. "You might wanna leave it for a sec, it's quite hot."
The boy turns to him. "I should hope so, I did order a hot chocolate," the boy says and winks at him.
Yoongi is momentarily stunned. He feels his face grow warm. He is one smooth cinnamon scroll. How do I even respond to that? Before it becomes too awkward, he lets out a small chuckle and a shake of his head. "I suppose you did. Fair point."
"Cute overalls by the way."
Is this kid flirting with me? This makes the blush spread further. The boy is referring to his apron - which indeed resembles denim blue overalls.
Yoongi scratches behind his ear, pinkie bent and replies dumbly with, "It's part of the uniform."
The boy simply nods his head in reply. He delicately picks up the mug and gently blows at the steam before taking the tiniest of sips. This is it, the moment of truth. His eyes light up slightly as the flavour of the chocolate hits his tastebuds. He takes another sip. Yoongi takes this as a good sign.
After a couple more tentative sips, the boy puts the mug down. "It's delicious!" He exclaims, turning back to Yoongi. "It's the best I've had in this city since I've lived here."
Yoongi doesn't know how to respond for a moment. The boy's chocolate brown eyes are alight, practically shining. They remind Yoongi of the drink the boy is halfway through consuming. There is the beginning of a milkstache forming on the top of the boy's upper lip and Yoongi wants nothing more than to lean over and wipe it off for him. But he is not going to do that. That would be creepy and probably uncomfortable for the both of them. Definitely overstepping boundaries.
"Thanks, I've been practicing. And you kinda got a little something up there," he points to the spot on his own face so the boy can get the hint.
"Oh?" The boy's eyes expand in realisation. "Oh no, how embarrassing." The boy quickly wipes it off using a serviette sitting on the table.
"Did I get it all?"
Yoongi takes this time to fully take in the human being, no, angel in front of him. He admires the way the boy's eyes crinkle into crescents when he smiles and his cheeks are tinted a light shade of pink; whether that be from the cold, embarrassment or warmth of the hot chocolate, Yoongi isn't sure. Either way, he doesn't want to be caught staring, so he hurriedly answers with a "yes" and excuses himself once again, not forgetting a polite, "enjoy your meal."
He preoccupies himself with grabbing a wet cloth and wiping down some of the booths Taehyung hasn't quite gotten to yet. It appears he is still missing. That or he is on bathroom duty. In that case, Yoongi doesn't want to disturb him. As he cleans, he sneaks a couple glances at cinnamon scroll boy, checking to see if he is ready for the bill, (is what he is telling himself anyway. Totally doesn't have anything to do with the fact that the boy is rather attractive).
He is on to his fifth table when he hears a chair scrape loudly against the ground, signifying the boy is done with his meal. Dropping the cloth back in the sink, Yoongi takes his place behind the counter to type up the receipt.
"That'll be 7000w"
The boy looks at him, brow creased. "Isn't that too cheap?"
"Holiday discount. And you're a first-time customer so," Yoongi shrugs his shoulders. "It's 7000w."
Still looking sceptical, the boy hands over the money. Yoongi smiles to himself. This boy is far too cute for his own good."Here's your receipt, have a very merry day." He musters up any remaining courage and winks. Payback for the earlier attack on his fragile heart.
He takes the receipt from him and shoves it in his pocket before returning the smile. "You too Santa's little helper."
"Wha-"
The boy already has his back to him and puts his hand up in a final farewell before exiting the shop, letting in a slight breeze as he does so. Yoongi watches him as he crosses the street and disappears around a corner. The streets are still a flurry of activity as people hurry towards their homes to beat rush hour.
He glances at his watch and reads 4:55pm. Almost close. Taehyung materialises outside the men's bathroom, nose scrunched and grimacing, clearly disgusted with whatever had been assaulting his nostrils for the past hour or so.
"Honestly you'd think grown men would be a little more hygienic." He grouchily walks over to one of the booths and plonks himself in the corner. "That's it. I quit."
Namjoon also seems to have finished his stocktaking as he too joins them in the main part of the café. The last few stragglers had vacated the shop a couple minutes ago. Yoongi joins Taehyung in the booth. The cute boy had been the highlight of his day and taken up any remaining energy he had left. He is drained.
Namjoon glances at the clock and sighs with relief. He runs a tired hand through his obsidian locks of hair. "I'll see you guys tomorrow. Don't forget to lock up when you're ready to leave." With that, he wanders outside, heading towards home.
Taehyung grunts and sits up. "I guess we can leave. But first, anything happen whilst I was busy attacking blocked toilets?"
Yoongi considers not telling Taehyung about the cinnamon scroll boy before ultimately deciding against it. He'd find out somehow anyway. Better to come out with it than face the wrath of a disappointed best friend later.
"There was this kinda cute customer that came in about a half hour ago. The one from earlier."
Taehyung's coffee brown eyes light up in recognition. "Ooo, he was cute. What's his name?"
His name? It is at this moment Yoongi realises it never crossed his mind to ask him. He curses himself for being so thoughtless. "Uh, I don't actually know. He's a first-time customer. Really nice manners too and he complimented my hot chocolate..."
Taehyung looks at him, a look of total disbelief and displeasure written all over his face. He lunches forward with both hands landing on Yoongi's small shoulders, gripping tightly. "He was cute and you didn't ask for his name and number? I thought I taught you better than that, tsk tsk." He shakes him none too gently.
Yoongi just rolls his eyes. "I'm sorry master for I have disappointed you. Please accept my humble apology."
"I don't appreciate the sarcasm, but I'll accept it...on one condition." A mischievous glimmer twinkles in Taehyung's eyes.
Yoongi might as well dig his grave now. Nothing good ever comes from hearing those words.
"You must ask him on a date next time he comes in."
Oh no no no. He would not be asking anyone on a date. Certainly not cinnamon scroll boy. Besides he doesn't even know if the boy would be back. Taehyung seems to follow his train of thought for he cuts in with, "if he enjoyed your hot chocolate making skills he'll definitely be back. We're the best café in Seoul."
Yoongi highly doubts that but he can't help but hope his co-worker is right. He does want to see the boy again. Maybe make him another hot chocolate if that is what he wishes.Reluctantly, he agrees to the condition and entwines his pinkie with Taehyung's in a promise. No backing out of it now. A small part of him hopes the boy doesn't return so he wouldn't have to go through with the promise but a much larger part of him, the part that is hoping to see him again, outweighs those thoughts.
No point dwelling on it now, only time will tell. For now, he focuses on locking up the shop so it's ready for the next day.
A/n
I have gone through and edited it, it has been proof read, however, if there are any mistakes please do not hesitate to point it out :)
🎄🎄🎄