≽ 　the rooster café.

@⁰⁴ jennie k. Compared to Jennie, Seungcheol's english is a lot less aristocratic- more clipped and clean, polished by years of professional rather than conversational use. He accepts the bag with a light, graceful dip, slipping on the jacket that completed - he shouldn't call it a couple look, lest something inside twists in guilt at the idea of the bro code- today's dress code. "Drank too much again, princess?" His tone is exasperated but fond, pouring out two cups of tea like so many times before. "We could have found a different time, if you weren't feeling up for it. A little longer wouldn't have hurt."

@⁰¹ minju k. “doesn’t taste skimmed.” she makes an apologetic face, “sorry i really can’t risk it.” she pushes the cup of coffee aside. “i have a recital coming up next month, if your friend would like to come watch, if they would like to buy a ticket there is a link on the korea national ballet instagram page.” she picks up her phone to look at the time and turns it to show minju, “i have to go now, thanks for the coffee!” she picks up her things and elegantly walks out of the cafe, not sparing minju a second glance.

@⁰² yewon c. panic unexpectedly shoots up her spine as yewon proceeds to choke upon her words, her coughing garnering the attention of customers, but minju couldn't care about the others. she haphazardly passes her napkins to help. when yewon's coughing dwindles down enough for her to answer, she can't say she's all too bummed by her response — she isn't looking for a boyfriend, oh well, too bad haechan — but before she can tell her it's alright, yewon's question has her face contorting into confusion. "huh? oh, i'm pretty sure it is. the employee i told, they've been working here the longest, so i'm sure they wouldn't mess up on your order—"

@⁰¹ minju k. “thank you.” she accepts the cup gratefully and stirs it a little before raising it to her lips, taking a first sip but minju’s question has the hot coffee travelling down the wrong pipe and the cup is back on the table, she’s clutching her neck, coughing, weirdly enough still dainty even when she’s nearly blue in the face, covering with a napkin. when she finally gets the coughing out of her system she tries to look as kindly as possible to this girl who’s trying to play matchmaker for some dude (is she sure she isn’t the one with the crush instead because why is she doing this to herself for some useless man). “well you see, i’m not really looking for a boyfriend now.” she tells her gently, before taking the cup again and taking a slower sip this time, careful not to choke again— wait this milk wasn’t right. “is this skimmed milk?”

@⁰² yewon c. "ah, i get that. being busy kind of distracts me and i feel productive." she chirps, her smile genuine before yewon's question has her emitting a nervous chuckle. oh man, how was she supposed to explain this—"here's that coffee for you, minju." her coworker says, to which minju lets out a relieved breath and nudges the cup towards yewon. "i hope you enjoy it, heh. but uh, anyway... i don't mean to play cupid or anything, and you can totally say no, but i have this friend that sort of has a crush on you. would you ever maybe say yes to meeting him sometime?"

@⁰¹ minju k. has she been alright? that was an odd question that no one has ever asked her. did she seem like she’d ever be not alright? “yes, i’m good actually. being busy keeps me going.” she gives her another polite grin and straightens her spine even more than she already can. “what was it you wanted to look for me for, by the way?”

@⁰² yewon c. relief washes over minju at the sight of yewon's smile, her doubts and judgment willing away as she shakes her head quickly. "no, no! it's no trouble. i understand any adjustments needed." she reassures, flagging her coworker over to reiterate yewon's order for decaffeinated coffee. "it's no problem, really. again though, thanks for coming, i bet rehearsal season must be taking a toll on you," she mirrors yewon's expression. "in case no one's asked, have you been alright?"

@⁰¹ minju k. “hi, yes, i’m yewon.” the girl gives the younger a well practiced smile. she follows minju to their seat and settles her things down on a spare chair next to them. “i’m in the middle of rehearsal season right now so i can only take decaf and skimmed milk, nothing with fat in it.” she throws minju an apologetic look, “it’s a hassle, you don’t have to, it’s okay.”

@⁰² yewon c. anxiously, her senses are heightened as each movement and every noise captures her attention, turning a tad too fast that she probably looks like a deer in headlights, and yewon's entrance is no exception to that as the café's bell rings at her arrival. minju's head snaps around and before she could survey her apparent ballerina wear, it's the impatience felt in her aura that has minju cowering. but, it's for haechan, she tells herself, slowly feeling herself resent him with each step she takes towards yewon. "hi! i'm minju, you're yewon, right?" she asks lightly in hopes that maybe her own politeness could make the other brighten. "thanks for meeting with me, can i buy you a cup of coffee or anything?"

@⁰¹ minju k. she, choi yewon, does not have time for this. school’s hectic enough as it is (she’s trying to get into the honors program) and they’ve just started a new season at the korean national ballet and she’s trying to make soloist this time and this whole thing was just a waste of her time. still, hyungseo asked her to and she wasn’t about to turn down her best friend’s request that came with promises of buying out her next recital. stepping into the cafe, she’s easy to spot, with her ballet bag in one hand and laptop in another, dressed in the standard ballerina’s practice wear (rolled up tights and a black leotard) she looks around impatiently for the person she was meant to meet.

@⁰² yewon c. she's nervous, it shows in the way her wrist has taken on a slight reddish tint from her constant scratching, but scolding herself mentally, she visibly readjusts her posture. yeah, yewon may have been a little intimidating in the lounge, but if she's hyungseo's friend, it should all be fine. so, she waits for her, taking on a new habit with the puff of her cheeks. god, haechan owed her.

@⁰⁴ seungcheol c. A smile immediately spreads across her face at the appearance of her friend, an uncharacteristic expression to cross the typically stone-faced demoiselle. Abandoning her hard-earned Korean, Jennie speaks out in accented English, years of London schooling dipping into her tone. "My prince," she purrs, holding up the bag that holds his new garment for their date. "I'm doing fine, just battling a hangover but you know me, nothing stops me from my afternoon tea. How about you? Have you been alright?" She takes a seat at their table, wearing a look of approval at the spread he's ordered for the day. "This is so nice, we haven't had tea in what feels like ages."

@⁰¹ heeseung l. "heeseung," she repeats just as he says, finding herself fond as to how it sounds from the tip of her tongue. not to mention, it naturally brings a smile to her lips just as it leaves her. "that sounds nice, i like your name." now, she isn't one to outright flirt or shamelessly ask one another out, and she still isn't at the sight of heeseung, but perhaps she's learned to gain confidence after a late night pep talk with her sister, so she continues the conversation with notable interest. "oh, i'm also in first year. still sort of navigating my way through the campus, heh. physics? you must excel in your academics, you seem like you would," she compliments easily before her own eyes twinkle, perking up in her seat. "i'm in vet science! when you were helping me with the boxes, it was for this club my friend and i kickstarted for animal lovers, to put it simply, haha. i was going to ask if maybe you'd like to also join, but you left before i could, and plus i wouldn't want to pressure you—" realizing she was in the midst of her ramble, she then pauses, now embarrassed. "but yeah, that's me."

@⁰⁴ jennie k. Amongst the complex relationships in Saebom, Seungcheol was lucky to have somebody like Jennie. Nothing to tie them together except connections to a distant land, and an indulgence in fine tea. He appreciated the idea of not having to aim to do anything with her- to just be able to enjoy the time. Today he had ordered them a light spread, something fresh to fit with the fall mood. Alongside the jacket Jennie had sent, he’d picked a simple pair of black chino pants and white shirt, to ensure he would be able to match anything that she was wearing. “Good afternoon, princess. How are you today?”

https://i.imgur.com/aV0Qfd5.jpg

@⁰⁴ seungcheol c. seeing seungcheol is always a pick-up for jennie, a friend with whom she is comfortable with and can share banter with. plus, he loves to wear her designs and it gives her a reason to whip up something cute and matching for the two of them. the tea and snacks are just a bonus, truly! today she's dressed in a plaid skirt with a matching blazer atop a white blouse, with her heels. a perfect tea-time outfit, and in the bag she holds as she stands outside the cafe awaiting her partner's arrival, a matching jacket for him as well.

@⁰¹ minju k. he nods slightly at her remark, before trying a small sip to see if he really will be okay with it. "it's.. fine, yeah. enjoyable." definitely a bit too sweet for him, but he'll just gloss over that bit for now. "oh. nice to meet you, minju. my name is heeseung." the male pauses for a moment, wondering why she would be so curious. his fingers slightly fiddle with each other, falling into a burst of thoughts. he had just assumed that she had shallowly invited him here to feel better about herself by repaying a favour, so why would she want to know about him.. he stops his fingers. he'll have to figure it out over time. "i'm in first year, physics major. what about you?"

@⁰¹ heeseung l. "that's a relief, i hope you enjoy it." she says, as cheerfully as she could muster in the midst of her slight nerves, but at least her smile was genuine. as he grants her permission to sit with him, she visibly relaxes, relieved by the hope that maybe he anticipated her asking. slipping the chair out for her to sit, she parts her tresses to fall over her shoulders just to physically lull over the thought, before scratching at her nape. "oh, i didn't even get your name. i'm minju," she waits for him to respond, before continuing. "i meant to tell you the other day during club rush... but i want to learn more about you. like what year are you? your major?"

@⁰¹ minju k. "ah, hey." he gives a small wave to the girl before his gaze is fixed on the drink, inspecting its rather pleasant presentation. "it should be. i think i've had one before and it was good then." he's not really a big fan of sweet drinks, but.. it's free, and the other took their own time to make it for him. logically, this isn't a scenario where he should be picky - especially not out loud. "oh." heeseung's a little surprised at her sudden offer and would honestly rather be alone... but for the same reason as earlier, he nods. "if you wish to, feel free. it's fine with me." not like it's his place to control where others sit, even if he wasn't being treated with a drink.

@⁰² wooyoung j. "i do too, but it feels greedy when it's someone else's money!" yeonjun lets out what sounds like exasperated sigh with a shake of the head, although his playful grin makes it obvious it's a joke. "you just don't get how considerate i'm trying to be here, woo." he continues to go further inside, waiting for the other to finish ordering. "yeah, that sounds good." yeonjun quickly nods at the other's suggestion to sit down- he would rather not walk on this foot any longer, if possible. he also just kind of hopes that the table will hide his feet and make the other forget about his condition.. but then yeonjun notices the way wooyoung's eyes gaze at his feet again, even if for just a brief second. seriously, how is he going to be able to distract the other from it...? yeonjun refuses the sigh trying to leave him once again, very carefully going to sit down. once he sits, he hears wooyoung's question and lets out a hum. "uh... well, i got roped into the creation of a lettuce club? so that's fun." maybe if they just normally talk like this, he'll forget about any concerns fully. there's nothing more yeonjun can really do. "if we're talking about this year, i became archery captain too.. but i think i already told you that? or did i forget to text you about that.." he mumbles his sentence away, eyebrows furrowed trying to recall his own previous actions.

@⁰² jaemin n. there was so much more she'd wanted to say, but each word withers away upon the tip of her tongue. it wasn't worth it— what was there left to fight for? he'd moved on, she saw it with her own two eyes. saying anything more would just be hurting herself further than his actions already have. she shifts in her seat, subtly, to bring the sleeve of her sweater up and dab at the trail of tears unwillingly pouring. although the distance from the cafe to the campus wasn't even that far apart, the car ride itself felt like it went on for an eternity. minjeong physically bites her inner cheek from retorting back to his unsaid thought, wanting so badly to hear everything — anything — that goes on in his mind. once upon a time, the two of them were written off in her book as a happy ending. but now his name was merely a 'what if?' what if she had begged him to stay? what if they had decided to continue in a long distance relationship instead of cutting it off completely? what if she tried a little harder? but as they near the sorority house, she concludes it was far too late to find out.

'what if he fought for them now?' was her final thought, as he easily gives in to her request. would she cave in and retract everything she /just/ said? the answer was. . . yes. because, as much as she hurts to admit it out loud, her heart has only ever beat for him with such ardour. she wasn't sure what she wanted more. . . for him to respect what she asked of him to make things easier to bear, or for jaemin to try. just once more. and as she unintentionally let's out a sniffle, brushing the back of her hand against her reddened nose, she knew which one her heart wanted more. "bye, jaemin." it was a ghostly whisper, barely coherent amidst her swallowing down her sobs threatening to slip out, fingers fumbling with the seat belt to release herself from the clutches he still held over her. and without as much as a glance his way, she's slipping out of his car, door shut behind her with a soft and weak 'thump', and she takes it that this, tonight, was the closure that they needed. she just never expected it to be so painful.

@⁰³ yeonjun c. "How is that greedy? I always get the larger sizes, come on," Wooyoung laughed, patting the other on the shoulder as he ushered him inside. That was definitely not a foot that had fallen asleep, and it was very unlikely for someone to contract numbness while in motion. It's quite the opposite. Wooyoung kept a neutral, tight-lipped smile as he followed Yeonjun inside, but his mind was going wild with analogies and worries. Perhaps the other just wanted him to let it go, and however unnerving that was for him as for a caring friend, he let out a silent defeated exhale through his nose, still smiling though. "Okay," he nodded at Yeonjun's response, unpersuaded by it, but he still walked up to the counter, putting in the order for two large coffees of their preference. "Let's sit down," Wooyoung suggested, his eyes unintentionally dropping to Yeonjun's feet. He caught himself quickly, his worried face replaced by a bright smile again as he proceeded to guide them towards the nearest seat. It wasn't good. He could see by the way Yeonjun barely put any weight on the foot which seemed to be in pain. "So, what have you been up to lately? Did you join any clubs this year? Or sports?" Wooyoung started nonchalantly, innocently fishing for information.

@⁰¹ minjeong k. the grip on his steering wheel tightens, his knuckles tensing, turning white. it's the only thing he can do to silently suppress and let out his emotions at the same time, without jerking the car to a stop. jaemin can feel his blood boil, the emotions that he had tried desperately to dampen, getting the best of him, starting to manifest their destruction on him physically. the posture of his body tenses, his jaw tightening. he's angry. angry, mad, enraged at himself that he let it get to this state—hurt her, hurt minjeong. this wasn't what he had intended, not then, not now. he had wanted to give the best for her, /his/ best. but with every chance he had been presented with, he had blown it, and even when generous opportunities of redemption had presented, by the very girl he cared for, he had carelessly ignored them. he had given up, just accepted that their differences, their differences in career, education, paths, wasn't worth waiting or working for. jaemin had expected her to be the one to have overcome it, had expected minjeong to have moved on. everything had been on her. expectations, but with selfish, wishful thinking. "how can you... never mind." he states in exhaustion.

jaemin lets the glacial silence hang between them, its frosty and piercing coldness speaking for themselves; blatantly screaming at him that maybe things wouldn't have become this way, if he had revealed the truth. if he just would tell her, would say that maybe, they had the slightest hope, a chance, even after all this time. that, if they just held onto their existing feelings, memories and emotions, they could be what they once were. he finally says something, the car coming to a red light. it's only a few minutes of a ride left until they're back onto the university campus. he drives to the frat row houses, the painful drive finally winding to an end. he doesn't turn to look at her, knowing that he'd break. "you know i could never stop caring about you.." jaemin lets aloud, but just barely, a single truth finally coming to light. "but if that's what you want..." he trails off, his voice dying in a choked whisper. "you should go. goodnight, minjeong." he musters.

@⁰¹ heeseung l. she garners a couple of glances from her coworkers, her usual easygoing demeanor absolutely falling similar to a high schooler's; all the same anxiousness and anticipation bundled into one. within three minutes, she has his drink readied and set on one of their plates, excusing herself from the back to then shuffle herself over to his table—of course after clocking out and removing her apron. "hi," she starts, lightly settling his cup in front of him. "it's a caramel macchiato, i hope that's alright with you." the ends of her tiers curl into an unsure smile, pondering over her next words as she then scratches upon her wrist habitually. "actually, i'm on my break and was wondering if it'd be alright if i sat with you?"

@⁰¹ minju k. "oh, i.." heeseung's eyes widen slightly at the suggestions coming his way, the sheer amount of words making him feel overwhelmed despite only two actual suggestions being proposed. he's just indecisive, so even two can spell trouble. "ah, that's fine." the male nods slightly, hiding his outright excitement for not having to choose anymore. "that does sound more interesting..." he mumbles to himself softly - at least this whole scenario seemed to be proceeding very smoothly. it's all just surprisingly ideal for an offer he hadn't truly considered until the moment he walked in. "i'll go wait." he speaks again, letting the words float out and rest in the air- they feel a little unnecessary, nor is he expecting the other to hear them, so he just quickly walks over and sits down at the first empty table he spots.

@⁰¹ heeseung l. he’s here, he actually remembered about her offer. it surprises her, for he was rather silent on their brief interaction, but maybe… he wanted to see her as much as she did him? ah, no. that’s getting too far ahead of herself. now, she’ll admit to herself that this infatuation, it’s just a simple crush, but the smile she fails to conceal may say otherwise. slightly rambling, she nods. “oh, well, everything here is good! or maybe i’m just not really picky too much. but, uh, i like our chai latte — hot or iced, either works. i also like our matcha tea, unless you’re feeling something stronger,” she etches out a strained chuckle, growing self-conscious. a moment passes before she perks up once more, voice more soft. “actually, why don’t i surprise you? is that okay? and it’s on the house, so you can just find a seat.”

@⁰¹ minju k. heeseung had been feeling a little lethargic throughout the day. not like that was anything new for him, but it was always quite annoying to deal with- so for once, he decides to go get a breath of fresh air alongside some caffeine. once he walks in, he notices a rather familiar face as the cashier. he had almost forgot that he told the other that he would consider taking her up on her offer. a happy mistake, he supposes? the sudden tint upon her face only makes the male furrow his eyebrows slightly. he is definitely not imagining that, he thinks. maybe. he takes steps closer to the counter. "well.. i'm not sure what's good here. do you have recommendations?"

@⁰² jaemin n. regret. all minjeong could feel in that very second was regret to have offered to meet up in the first place. why did she think it would've worked well in her favor? days, weeks, and months of her dreaming for this day was just that — a dream. she should've known better than to think such childish fantasies would materialize into reality. what, them getting back together? her being able to tell him how, after all this time, he still held her heart in the palm of his hands? stupid. she felt cold, yes, but it was not because of the weather. had he forgotten how much she loved winter? she wanted to ask if he had forgotten about her as a whole. but the pain was blanketed over by indignation of the way he treated her. to care one second, yet treat her as if she was a burden the next. to speak with such fragility she could almost hear the way his voice break, yet retract into a shell that allowed no entrance for the girl he once loved. she pauses at that thought . . . did he ever love her as much as he said he did? because if so, how did he move on so easily when she spent days still scrolling through that one album in her gallery, filled with memories of them.

she knew him well enough to know how persistent he was. even if she did continue to walk off, he'd probably just trail from behind and at this point, minjeong wanted nothing else but to be away from him. how the tides have changed. there was heaviness that weighed down upon her chest, dull ache resonating as she took defiant steps into the car without a single word, every step heavy and unwilling yet she knew there wasn't any other way. she shuts the car door behind her without his help and settles into the car seat with arms crossed over her chest — she was closing herself off from him, physically and emotionally, for the last time. silence fills up the interior of the car as she awaited for them to drive off, each second drowned out by infiltrating thoughts of him. minjeong wasn't sure how many minutes passed since she sat without saying anything but the truth was, she was afraid the second she mutters a word, she'd cry. pathetic how little she felt when he once made her feel at the top of the world. and yet. . . "stop pretending to care. just — just stop caring at all and make this easier on me." her lower lip trembled as she spoke, words barely a whisper as she blinked away tears that lined her eyes. "i know you don't want to do this right now but i . . ." 'don't want to wake up tomorrow still hoping' was the unfinished sentence that got caught up in , head turned to face towards the car window as she felt a single tear roll down the side of her cheek. and she prays he doesn't notice. prays he doesn't try to wipe away the tear, to console her — she prays he'd treat her even crueler if it meant she'd get her heart back. "and just call me minjeong." mj . . . it was an endearing nickname born out of affection, one she cherishes, tummy bursting into a plethora of butterflies when said by him. but now, it was merely a needle that pricked at her heart, taunting her for what she could no longer have.

@⁰¹ heeseung l. "minju, you're on your fifteen," her coworker says in the midst of their lunch rush. sensing the need for an extra hand, she spares them a reassuring nod, her body facing front from the register. "i'll go after this one, promise. take your time." they flash her a relieved smile, returning back to bar to continue orders as she enters her employee code in the system once more, chin lifting to then greet the next customer. "hey, welcome in—" she blinks, feeling an abnormal flush of embarrassment becoming well apparent on her visage. "uh, what can i get for you?"

[] godmodded u a widdol < 3

@⁰¹ minjeong k. he knew he was in the wrong—this whole situation was amiss, how he was reacting—how he still felt about her. it was like she had never left, a piece of her still residing in his heart deep down. it was like the tarnished fragment had been dormant, awaiting for her to truly rear its ugly thorns, to tear him inside-out, wreak havoc—hurt jaemin. he despises how the facade and delusion has come to a demising end; the idea that he had forgotten about her. that he was over her. he hates it. he despises it. he feels like blaming her, resenting her. why now? why, when he was just starting to feel that he could blindly fall head over heels for someone else. when he thinks he could—could continue his own deception.

the epiphany takes a toll on him, breaking him, jaemin feeling the uncomfortable sensation of tears hiding behind eyes. he hates how well he can read her, her actions an open book, he knows it's not just because he's late. he hates how much he knows of her, about her. in this moment, he /almost/ hates her. jaemin clenches his fist, the grip on the bag tightening. he fights, resists, choosing to protect his own distortions. it's all he has left. "i'm not doing that." he says, quietly, but his voice firm. "look mj, i've had a long day. i'm sure you have too, can we not do this right now? i just wanna go home, okay? i'm sorry i was late, just happened." jaemin lets out, curt and hostile, mocking her exasperation. he softens his demeanor. it's cruel, how he treats her inconsistently, fluctuating rapidly between being civil and hostile, warm and cold, strangers and past lovers. "you're cold.. let's go, please?.."

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