☕　↳ coffee shop

@do subin Joon glanced up from his book, nodding slightly at her words. "It's a good read." he agreed. He wasn’t the type to pick up books solely based on popularity, but after seeing countless discussions about it, curiosity had gotten the better of him. He had skimmed through reviews, most of them overwhelmingly positive, and eventually decided to get himself a copy. Though, if he were honest with himself, it wasn’t just the praise that drew him in but it was something about the premise, about the idea of fleeting moments and second chances that struck a chord within him. Perhaps, in a way, he could see a bit of himself in those pages.

Joon listened as she described her discomfort, his lips quirking slightly at her words. Without really thinking, he shifted slightly in his own seat, properly assessing the feel of the wooden chair beneath him. It wasn’t the worst craftsmanship, but it certainly wasn’t ideal. As someone who built furniture with his own hands, he could already pick apart its flaws, mentally noting what could have been done differently such as what angles needed adjusting, what materials might have worked better to provide both structure and comfort. "Totally understandable." he murmured in response, giving a small nod of agreement. A booth certainly would have been the better option for long sittings.

Just as he was about to return to his reading, her voice caught his attention again, this time asking about his bookmark. He blinked, slightly surprised that she had noticed the small detail. Joon then carefully pulled the bookmark from between the pages of his book and held it up for her to see. A faint but genuine smile ghosted over his lips as he turned it in his fingers, letting the laminated leaf catch the light. "This one? I made it myself." he admitted, the pride in his tone subtle but unmistakable. Talking about his crafts always brought him a certain kind of quiet satisfaction for it was one of the few things he knew, without a doubt, that he was good at.

His eyes flickered back to her, a hint of curiosity in them. "Do you like it?" he asked, tilting his head slightly.
It was a simple creation, really. He had found the leaf during one of his walks, its veins delicate and intricate, the color just right. It had been one of those things that caught his eye and refused to be forgotten. So, he had taken it home, carefully preserving it, laminating it to keep it from crumbling with time. To him, it was functional, a small piece of nature he had turned into something useful. But he had been told before that his tastes were plain, perhaps even boring, so he hadn’t expected anyone else to take much interest in it. The idea that she did, even in passing, made him smile ever so slightly.

@kim joon Subin nodded at his answer, she let go of her things and opted for putting her hands in her lap and the heels of her feet placed themselves flat on the floor, resisting the human urge to obnoxiously jerk her leg or tap her foot against the tiled floor below them out of respect for the quiet tranquility that hovered in the cafe. She found herself slightly tilting her head to the side as she watched the other get comfortable, a soft smile pressing on her cheeks and curiousity started rouse itself as her eyes caught on the rather unique bookmark. /Leaves?/ She thought to herself as she watched the bookmark disappear between the other pages of his book. Maybe she could ask where he got if from before he left, or before she had to pick up her daughter.

"Hmm." Subin hummed in approval as she leaned forward a bit, her eyes slightly squinting at the book as she took a closer look. "I know it has to be a good book, I've been seeing everywhere." She answered with a nod, she truly meant it. The book was highly praised and anytime she saw the book online, in-store, and in this man's hands, she cursed herself for not buying it sooner. Subin let the quiet settle in again, and her hands found themselves reaching for her own mug of coffee, she brought it her lips, giving the warm liquid a quiet sip, her heart happily humming at the warmth and softened particles of soggy marshmallows flowing down her system.

Subin could only chortle at the question, closed as she did and she nodded at his question, her hands still wrapped about the mug. "Very uncomfortable," she started, she took a glance back to where she was supposed to be sitting inside the cafe before looking forward to him again. "I have nothing against chairs, but when I can feel my bones I don't think the chair serves much of a purpose. I'd rather have the booths they had before, I think I would be asleep by now, or comfy." She said before taking another sip of her coffee and putting the mug down. Her fingers then reached for her keyboard on her laptop, she might as well get something done since the motivation started to seep itself in, but a piece of her mind was begging her to talk more! "Where did you get your bookmark from? I've been looking around for a new one since my old one...well, fell apart."

@do subin For a moment, Joon felt almost foolish standing there unnoticed, second guessing whether it had been a bad idea to approach at all. The seconds stretched, heavier than he anticipated, and he swore he had been holding his breath longer than necessary. Just as he contemplated making a quiet retreat, she finally responded. A subtle sigh of relief escaped him, barely audible, but enough to ease the tension that had unconsciously built up in his chest. He wasn’t sure how he would have reacted if she had declined, perhaps mild embarrassment, maybe even avoiding the café for a while out of misplaced awkwardness. But she had welcomed him, and that was enough.

As she gestured toward the seat across from her, Joon shook his head lightly when she mentioned the scattered belongings on the table. "It's alright. I'll only need this much space." he assured her, carefully setting his tea down at the edge of the table, positioning it just enough to avoid accidents while still keeping to himself. He offered a small nod of gratitude as he finally took the seat, settling in with a quiet grace. Crossing one leg over the other, he adjusted his posture to make himself comfortable despite the rigid wooden chair. Without another word, he flipped open his book to where he had last left off, a delicate, handmade bookmark slipping between the pages, which is a simple yet personal piece, a preserved leaf laminated between thin plastic. Holding the book with one hand, he rested it lightly against his lap, his other hand folding over it, unconsciously mindful not to take up more space than necessary, a quiet courtesy.

Her voice, soft but not lost to him, drew his attention. The question was simple enough, but he appreciated it nonetheless. "Before the Coffee Gets Cold." Joon answered, his gaze momentarily drifting toward her cup. Realizing the unintentional ambiguity of his words, he quickly lifted the book slightly, tilting it toward her so she could see the title for herself. The cover, in muted tones, read Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. He held it up for a beat longer before lowering it back to his lap. His eyes then flickered briefly toward her chair. He had noticed earlier how she shifted, fidgeting in her seat more times than one should during a moment of leisure. The realization clicked, recalling that she wasn’t in her usual spot by the window. That cushioned booth being her place. "A bit uncomfortable?" he inquired then, his tone light but perceptive.

@kim joon Subin shifted uncomfortably in her wooden chair for the nth time, the hardness of the chair felt unfamiliar to her bottom—and the angle, although she was sitting close to the sizeable square table in front of her, whenever her back met the sturdy wooden bars holding the chair together, she felt so far away at the same time. It was safe to say this was /not/ her usual spot inside the cafe. Before the renovations took place, Subin would take a seat on the cushioned booth, the spot nearest to the window so she could let the day's light pour over her as she cacooned herself against the cold window, her hand holding the spine of the newest book she bought, and her fingers delicately thumbing the corners of the pages as her eyes danced over each word printed on the pages.

She would have done anything to get that feeling back right now. Subin leaned back again, slumping down a bit, her jean covered legs crossed over the other and her right foot, tucked in by black socks and patent leather mary janes, rolled against the metal stand keeping her table together. Subin's olive skin was paler than usual, it was a no makeup day—and cold, the winter usually did that to her, and the red square frame glasses were perched neatly on her button nose. Her eyes were glossed over as the pigeons outside caught her attention to the point her mind started to cog in the sphere of dissociation. The familiar stranger standing before her and his question went unnoticed for a few seconds too long before she snapped her head to face him, a faint blush of embarrassment graced her round cheeks and her short lashes blinked a few times as she briskly nodded her head. "Sorry! No, actually—" She cut herself off as she looked at her table, her rather small laptop was hibernating, her book was sitting next to it, and her coffee with far too much cream with marshmallows was in its mug, still hot. It all was too much to move.

"Nevermind, take a seat." She finally answered, shooting the man a kind smile as she held out her hand to the empty chair across from her. "Don't mind my things, I swear I was getting /some/ work done." She gently joked as she sat up straight, her hands coming back to pull her things forward so the other can have some room.
Subin's eyes gleamed as she took another look at the man's face, her brows furrowing together for just a moment before she realized where she recognized him from, this very cafe, only this time they actually exchanged words than short glances at each other. Subin was rather awkward herself, but the slight familiarity made her ease, she just didn't know what to say, but worked faster than her thoughts at times. "What are you going to read this time?" She asked quietly, her insides harshly cringing and hoping he didn't answer because of the possibility of not being able to hear her.

[ Open ]

The scent of freshly brewed coffee and warm pastries greeted Joon as he stepped into the cafe, a welcome contrast to the crisp morning air outside. Moving to Wineport had been a drastic change, one he was still adjusting to, but if there was one thing that anchored him, it was routine. And so, in an effort to ease himself into this new life, he had decided to start “socializing” or at least his own version of it. Armed with a book in one hand and his usual order of tea in the other, he found solace by the window, where he could quietly observe the world passing by. The hum of conversation, the occasional clatter of cups, the sight of cars rolling lazily down the street was enough. He didn’t need to introduce himself to strangers or make small talk. Just being in the presence of others, in the steady rhythm of the cafe was somewhat grounding for him.

It wasn’t long before his visits became a habit. And in that time, he started to recognize the patterns of others, too. Among them, one face stood out, someone he had noticed before, a quiet presence much like his own, always tucked away in their own little world with a book in hand. They never spoke, never exchanged anything more than passing glances, but the familiarity was there.

Then, one day, his routine was disrupted. The cafe was undergoing renovations, cutting the seating in half. Finding a table to himself was impossible. Joon lingered for a moment, debating whether to leave before his gaze landed on that familiar figure. They had managed to secure a spot, a table with an empty chair across from them. Taking a steady breath, he mustered up the courage he rarely used for things like this. "Would you mind if I sit here?" he asked, voice calm but hesitant. It wasn’t much, but for someone like Joon, it was a start.

@yoo sunhee Siwoo could have let Sunhee go. She could have been safe, away from him. But when she instinctively flinched away from him, trying to rid herself of his touch, he knew there was no way the unfortunate woman didn’t see what transpired a few nights ago. “Distraction kills. I don’t think becoming a flat, red pancake on the side on the street would suit you.“ His playful words came off more as a threat than anything, voice laced with poison that hardened along with the look in his eyes. He was lying. Sunhee would’ve looked good painted red. Her obvious dislike for him only made it easier for him to decide to get rid of her.

“Woah-“ his hands quickly shot out to catch her by the shoulder and wrist. His grip was tighter than usual, as if warning her that there was no escaping him. He was silent for a moment, weighing his options. It wouldn’t be wise to get rid of her so soon. He was far too busy for that. Having missing person cases arise in what is supposed to be a safe town after he moved here wouldn't reflect well on him either.

His eyes softened and the face he wore was friendlier, practiced. He tilted his head, doe eyes flickering over her dazed expression. “Don’t be silly, this is my job. Look what happened to your knees because you were in such a rush.” He lifted his head and looked around, finding a convenience store near by. “Let’s get you cleaned up, yeah?” He mumbled, helping her up to her feet, the grip to her shoulder still tight as he guided her to a bench near the entrance. “Don’t move, got it?” He warned playfully and hurried off to buy a mini first aid kit, craning his neck occasionally to check if she was still there. He smiled whenever their eyes met.

@lee siwoo Sunhee is aware that she's entirely to blame for what just transpired. She had been deep in her own musings— completely blocking everything out despite being extra careful whenever she’s in public. And yet, running on caffeine and energy drinks as well as dealing with a bad case of insomnia, she was likely to slip— almost ran over by a seemingly apologetic driver that was quickly shoo-ed away from the scene once they found out that she was left uninjured.

Or, perhaps, it was solely because of him— the way he carried himself in this little act of heroism and confidence in his little uniform, a mirror image of the man that plagued her thoughts ever since that night. He had been shrouded in darkness, then, fear and shock flashing in his eyes before he closed the curtains on her, but there's no mistaking. She's watched him enough to know he's the same person… and that makes him dangerous.

Who is he when the mask is off and he’s no longer playing the good cop? What kind of things was he doing that thugs went after him?

Sunhee quickly pulls away from his hold, palms running down her sweater as if she's scrubbing away any trace of him off of her body. “I’m fine, I was just distracted.” She doesn't try to hide her discomfort from seeing him, not when he's making it very obvious that he knows who she is and is trying to weigh out his options; her perception very rarely betrays her. “But… thank you. Officer. I should be on my way. I— I wouldn't want to bother you any longer.” Sunhee maneuvers around him, hoping to the heavens that he’d read between the lines: she won't say anything. She won't pry. It was not her business, and she most definitely did not care about what happened.

But, before she could take another step, her knees buckle under her, hand catching purchase on a pole before she falls down on knees, her vision suddenly swimming. “—”

@yoo sunhee It had been three days since the ordeal at the apartment. He thought that he was careful, moving undetected, but the inferno dragons still managed to find out where he was. It didn’t matter, though. Now that he was out of the vicinity of his asinine father and his inferiority complex, he was free to do as he pleased. So when the dragons showed up at his front door to intimidate him into going back, he was more than ready to send them home with more than a few bruises. The satisfaction of their bones cracking beneath his fists after years of torment and bullying shook him to his core. It would have been perfect if he hadn’t caught his new neighbor, peering in from her window across the street.

The same woman was now across the street, going about her mundane life. Did she see something? He wasn’t sure. All he knew was that before he shut the curtains, she had locked eyes with him. He leaned against the side of the coffee truck and took a sip of his drink, hissing at the sting on his bruised lip. “Does this woman do anything remotely interesting?” He mumbled, eyes wandering. It wasn’t until he heard blaring sounds of cars honking that his eyes snapped back to Sunhee.

The man’s body moved on instinct, bolting from his position and sprinting towards her like a man chasing his last chance at redemption. Time seemed to slow as the cars closed in. Everything was a blur; his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her out of the way as their bodies tumbled onto the sidewalk. Pain seared up his back, and he let out a pained laugh, shooting the woman a smile, practiced optimism coating his features. “Ma’am, you’ve got to watch where you’re going. Someone could have gotten hurt.”