@pxndaku asked for ' A cute coffee shop AU where Person A's a regular at a coffee shop and the cute barista (Person B) keeps misspelling Person A's name. But it's been too long and Person A doesn't know how to tell them that without it being awkward.'
"Jungkook!"
"Ah, that's me," I mutter to myself, heading for the counter. The barista is, as always, cute, and when I look over at him, he blushes slightly, handing me my drink. "Thanks!" He just beams at me, and my heart skips a beat.
It's only after I leave the coffee shop that I take a look at the cup, and realise that he's spelt my name wrong, again. I don't know if it was someone else this time, I can't tell. But there's only one 'g' in my name, so I don't know what he's up to. Maybe he just misheard me. I don't really mind too much, it's just funny, in an awkward way.
But it keeps happening. I've come to this coffee shop about twelve times in the last two weeks, practically every single day, and every single time he's the one that serves me. And every single time, when I order a coffee, he spells my name wrong. I don't know what it is. Maybe he's doing it on purpose, maybe he's just misguided.
The only time that I was served by someone else, it was spelt correctly. And you'd think that the person that served me that time would notice, eventually. I guess not. They must be continuously busy, or something. I don't know.
Ever since I moved to Seoul, half a year ago, I've come to this particular coffee shop. I can't explain fully why. Yes, it's partially the cute barista, I won't lie. But it's also the quality of the cakes they serve, the way the coffee I order always seems to give me a buzz that keeps me going until lunch.
I work in an office in the centre of the city, and so it can get boring. It's not my dream job. It's a pain in the ass, to be honest. But it pays the bills, so that's all I can have whilst I save up for bigger things, whilst I go to night classes to learn what I need to know and earn the qualifications required.
I get to the building I work in, take a sip of my coffee, and frown in confusion for a moment. This isn't my usual order. And it's not what I asked for. But it's good, so I'm not going to complain. In fact, somehow I prefer it to my usual order. I don't know what the barista actually made, but it's delicious.
I'm still drinking it when I get to my desk, a few minutes later. I place my bag down, start up my computer, and get to work. Business as usual. But when I finish up, I make a decision. If that barista is still there, I want to talk to him. Find out what his name is. Maybe even get to know him, if I'm feeling brave enough. I don't know what will happen.
And yet when I arrive, he's nowhere to be seen. I don't bother asking questions, knowing I might look like a creep, choosing instead to buy a small pastry and eat in, just because I can. Halfway through the pastry, the barista himself appears from a staff room, sees me, and does a double take. I just smile awkwardly at him, gesture for him to come over for a second.
"C-Can I help you?" he asks nervously.
"I just wanted to know your name," I say quietly. At the confused expression on his face, I decide to elaborate. "I've been coming here for half a year, and I just realised that I have no idea who any of you are. And I feel bad. Besides, you seem like a cool person. It's fine if you're not okay with that, I'm sure you have stuff to do."
The confusion makes way for a pretty little blush. "Oh, I see. I'm Taehyung. Kim Taehyung," he introduces himself, throwing up a peace sign for good measure. I just smile at him.
"Jungkook. Jeon Jungkook. It's nice to meet you, James Bond." He giggles shyly at that. "Did you give me something different today?"
He tilts his head at me, and I swear he looks like a puppy. I have to control the urge to squeal, I'm not even joking. "Huh?"
"When I came in this morning...it wasn't my normal order. It could've been any of you, to be honest." His face flashes with panic for a second, and then he controls it.
"I'm sorry, I must have-"
"It was delicious. I don't know what it was, but it was really good. Did you make it?" He nods, playing with his hands. "You've got a talent, Taehyung."
Unexpectedly, he lights up. "You mean it?" I nod. "That was one of my creations."
"It was? You invented that? Is it on the menu?" He shakes his head. "Why not?" He shrugs, pulling at his sleeves. "It should be, damn."
He blushes again. "If you want it again, I wrote down the recipe as I made it. So...if you want your normal order, then state that you want the 'usual' or something like that, I've got your order memorised now anyway. If you want that recipe, then actually state your order."
"Do you always come up with your own coffees?" He nods. "Can I...Can I try some of them at some point?" He nods again, blushing. "What's the code for that?"
"Um.....you could always just say something I know you wouldn't want. Like an espresso. I don't think you like bitter tastes." My eyes widen.
"How could you tell?" He shrugs, glancing over at the counter as a queue begins to grow. "Sorry, you probably need to go. It was nice to meet you, Taehyung." He just nods, hurrying over to the counter and starting to help out.
I finish my pastry slowly, so I can see him for a little longer, and then head home.
When I get there, my roommate is sitting on his laptop. He closes it when I walk in, turns to look at me with an eyebrow raised. "So...Kook.....you're an hour late. What happened?" I frown.
"You timed me?" He shrugs.
"Look, dude, don't start thinking I give a shit. I just notice when someone has a very specific schedule, and that changes."
"That adds up," I admit, dumping my bag at the door and heading over to the fridge. "Do we have anything I can eat? I'm starving."
"Are you alright? Boss hold you up?" my roommate returns. I shake my head. He tilts his head at me.
"Went to Lava Java Coffee, felt like having a snack."
My roommate narrows his eyes at me, suspicious. "You're still hungry?" I raise both hands in defence.
"I'm a growing boy, alright? Why are you quizzing me?"
"I know someone that works at Lava. Saw you talking to....what's his name? The guy you think is cute?" He stands up, walks over to peer into the fridge with me. "Make me food and I won't question or tease you about it."
"This is blackmail," I grumble. He just raises an eyebrow, as if he's challenging me. "Fine. I'm making ramen."
He grins. "Thanks, Kook."
"Sure, whatever." I roll my eyes, turning to grab the ingredients and set up a pot of water boiling.
"You love me."
"In your dreams, Hyojung." He fakes a horrified gasp, and I turn to give him a questioning look, before realising what he's reacting to, and ignoring him.
About ten minutes later, I place two bowls full of food on the table. My roommate jolts at the slight noise this causes, and then he perks up. "Ooh, is that dinner?" he asks eagerly, hurrying over to sit down and start eating. "Thanks, Kook. I knew I could count on you."
Over the next few days, I go to the coffee shop pretty much every day, and I always see Taehyung there. And every single time, I decide to try something new, because he really does have a talent. He seems to know, just from a short conversation, what kind of thing I need, and then I guess he improvises each time, because every drink is subtly different. I love it.
I mention to him at some point that I have no allergies, so he knows not to worry about the ingredients too much, within reason. I don't want to die of a caffeine overdose, after all, and he seems to recognise that.
Eventually, though, I get the courage to take things further.
"Morning, Tae. I think..I'll have an espresso today," I say quietly, glancing around us once before leaning forward slightly. "Would it be rude to ask for your number, as well?"
Taehyung's eyes widen, and he stares at me for a few seconds. "You're serious?" he asks, and I nod sheepishly. He smiles, logging my order into the till. "We'll see. How are you today?" I think for a moment, holding my card over the machine to pay.
"I don't really know. Somewhere between tired and unmotivated," I admit freely. He tilts his head, thinking for a moment and then snapping his fingers, nodding to himself.
"I'll sort out your order for you. Please hang on for a moment."
I find a chair for a few minutes, trying not to think about the look of surprise that flashed in his eyes when I asked for his number. I mean, he's cute. He's got to have admirers, or even a boyfriend. Or a girlfriend. I can't ignore the fact that he might not even be into guys. Assuming someone's sexuality is never fair on them, after all.
For all I know, he could be uninterested in that kind of thing. I have no way of knowing.
And then he calls out my name, and I walk over, take my cup of coffee, thank Taehyung, and leave before I make a fool out of myself. But before I can leave completely, I turn to glance at him one more time, only to see that he's watching me go. When he realises that I'm looking at him, he hurries back over to the till, that familiar pretty blush on his face.
I turn up at work a little later than usual, but I've got time to sort myself out, even if I've not had any coffee at all yet. And when I actually take a sip, I notice that there's more writing on the cup than usual. A closer inspection reveals that it's actually a set of eight digits....no way. Is that his number?
I type the number into my phone, set it as Taehyung, and resolve to text him later. He's still spelling my name wrong, so maybe he doesn't realise that he's made a mistake. Maybe, when I text him later, I'll be able to text using the correct spelling, and that way I don't have to say anything.
As it turns out, I don't get a chance to do so until the evening. My boss turns up at lunchtime and gives me brand new work to do. It's boring stuff: sorting, checking, correcting, sending emails. It's the kind of work that makes me wish I could afford to just move on, change my life's trajectory. But I need the stability at the moment. So I can't do anything about it.
And when we start talking, time seems to disappear into the air. I don't know what it is about him, or the connection that seems to appear the moment we start talking, but it's past midnight by the time Hyojung appears to check that I'm alive. When he sees me on the phone, he just reminds me that I have work in the morning.
Yeah, maybe that might sound weird. But he's a good guy. I've known him since we were both kids, and we care about each other. He's like a brother to me.
I fall asleep a little while later, and wake up late.
Life carries on in that pattern for a while. I wake up, get dressed, get myself ready for work, and get a coffee every single morning. Taehyung is always there, smiling widely at me, handing me my coffee and then I go to work. And then, every evening, we text each other until we fall asleep. And I can't help but feel like we're building a connection together. It's weird. It's not how I expected to find someone to bond with. But it's working.
Hyojung doesn't mention Taehyung to me again for a while, and I allow myself to hope that I've managed to avoid the teasing this time around. Whenever I find a cute guy that I'm interested in, and that cute guy actually talks to me, my roommate always likes to make sure that I'm aware that he's 'proud' of me for communicating with another human.
I'm not that lucky, however.
One day, I make the mistake of inviting him to have a snack at Lava Java. Taehyung smiles widely at me when he sees me there, on one of my rare days off. Hyojung jabs me in the ribs with his elbow, his eyes flashing with amusement, and I just roll my eyes, greeting the cute barista and making our order.
When I ask for an espresso, Hyojung stares at me like I've grown another head. "An espresso?" he questions. "You hate bitter food?" I just smile, meeting eyes with Tae, who's laughing a little to himself at my roommate's confusion.
"You'll see. Now, what do you want? I'm paying."
He tilts his head at me. "Hmm.....caramel macchiato, please." He pauses for a moment. "Is Yoongi working today?"
"Who's Yoongi?" I question. He just smiles conspiratorially at me, tapping the side of his nose. "Hyung, what...."
Taehyung just laughs again, tapping in our order. "Anything else?" he asks, as he usually does. I glance at the cakes, tempted. "It's your day off, Kook. You deserve a snack." I just nod in agreement.
"How about....the strawberry cupcake, a chocolate one for hyung, and a salted caramel doughnut, please, Tae." He nods, only realising that I've ordered three cakes instead of two once he's tapped in our order.
Professional as he is, he just shrugs and sorts out our order, watching me swipe my card over the machine. "Thank you," he says, handing us our cakes in a little bag.
"Oh, the cupcake is for you." His eyes widen.
"Huh?" I just chuckleat his confusion.
"I know how much you love strawberries. You've earned it, Tae. You're here every single day."
He goes a pretty shade of red, nodding in understanding. "Say hi to Yoongi for me, as well," Hyojung requests, as we walk over to a table. Tae just nods at him, turning to the next customer. "Awesome. It's been a while since I've seen him."
"No, but seriously, who's Yoongi?"
"My boyfriend, of course." My eyes widen, and I stare at Hyojung for a second. He pouts at me. "Hey, it's not that unbelievable."
"Why didn't you tell me?" He shrugs.
"Too lazy."
That's when my roommate leans forward. "So, what's the deal with Taehyung?" I tilt my head at him. "Oh, don't act stupid. You've got the hots for him. I'm not blind."
"And what about it?" I deflect, rolling my eyes.
"He clearly likes you. Did you see his blush?"
"He could just be shy!"
Hyojung rolls his eyes. "Yoongi says he's always friendly and outgoing, and that he's never scared of talking to people. That doesn't exactly spell out 'shy' to me, Kook. Just admit it. You've definitely got a chance. And he's cute."
"Who's cute?" a voice grumbles from beside us. I turn around, only to see a barista who works here, squinting at Hyojung suspiciously. My roommate jumps at the interruption, and then his eyes light up in recognition. "You better not be cheating, babe. I would never forgive you, I hope you know that."
"I'm guessing this is your man?" I hazard a guess, laughing internally when Hyojung shoots me a glare to shut up. "Hi. I'm Jungkook. If this man cheats on you, I'd beat him up. You're good." The barista raises an eyebrow at me.
"Ah, I see. You were talking about Tae, then?" At the blush on my face, Yoongi crosses his arms and nods to himself, a little smugly. "Knew you had a thing for him. Dude, ask him out. He doesn't stop talking about you at work and it's getting on my nerves. If you heard the things he said....damn, I've half a mind to report him for-"
"Babe. Calm down," Hyojung says hurriedly. "Don't be the Cupid for them."
Yoongi just raises an eyebrow at his boyfriend. "Oh, trust me, I've been Cupid many times." There's a moment of silence.
"Wait, what do you mean?" Yoongi shrugs.
"Wouldn't you like to know, Lover Boy?" A pause. "Anyway, I gotta get back to work, I'll tell Tae that you think he's cute for you, Kook."
I freeze completely, and the two boyfriends laugh at my horror. "You can't do that!" I exclaim, terrified. "He'll-"
"Relax, it'll be fine," Yoongi assures me breezily. "Tae doesn't take offence very easily. At the least, it'll be proof that you are into guys. He's constantly freaking out about it." He fixes me with a very pointed look. "I assume you are into guys?" I nod immediately. "Awesome. See ya later, losers."
"I'm your boyfriend!" Hyojung complains, as his barista boyfriend walks away. Yoongi just shrugs.
"And? I call what I see, babe. And luckily for you, I've got a thing for losers when it comes to you, so it doesn't matter. I'll text you later."
I watch Yoongi walk up to Taehyung, say something, point at Hyojung and I, and then disappear into the backroom. And I'm terrified. But I'm not going to admit to it. That would be stupid of me.
And yet when Tae walks over, a few minutes later, I can't speak. I can't think. I'm worried that he'll think less of me. But he just smiles, places down a note, and then heads back in the direction of the coffee machine. I tilt my head, picking the paper up and blushing the moment I read the writing on it.
Hyojung raises an eyebrow at me. "Well...what does it say?"
"You're cute too. Text me later. We'll plan out a proper date." I pause, and then my eyes widen. "He spelled my name correctly!" I squint, looking at a note at the bottom. "PS, why didn't you tell me I'd gotten it wrong on your coffees for ages??"
My roommate just laughs a little, shaking his head at me. "You're so awkward." I just roll my eyes.
"Shut up."