⋮　luxe brew

@seo nari. when she hand over her number like it's not a big deal, yeongho was a bit taken aback at nari's boldness before a soft smiles graces his lips upin hearing her. "oh please don't worry, i will definitely tell you my name." he said with a soft hum. "and now, if there's nothing i will go back to my spot yeah?" he politely said as he bows a little bit towards her. "thank you for being interested in our loyalty programme."

he makes his way towards the counter as wooyoung watched his boss with his squinting eyes. "now now now, when is this loyalty programme even created , mr. lee?" yeongho clears his throat. "earlier, i just made it up just now." wooyoung couldn't help but to laughs. "aye, that was quick and smooth. i guess you've got her number now?" he teased yeongho cause the man to grumbles. "shut it or else I'll cut your salary." he said as he leave to the back counter while wooyoung to whines over it.

yeongho proceed to go to his small office located inside, which is pretty secluded and private for him. he took out his phone and the tissue as he key in her number into his logbooks. he smile as he saved her number as 'nari' and texted her.

— this is yeongho by the way.
— hi.

@lee yeongho. "Loyalty programme?" Nari repeated, tilting her head slightly as she wondered if this was a common thing in cafés or if she had somehow missed the memo. She furrowed her brows, her glossy couplet pursed as she thought it over, the gears in her mind turning about like a slow clockwork.

After a moment of silence, her face lit up and she flashed him a wide smile. "Yeah sure! Why not?" she said with a confident nods. Grabbing a tissue from the table, she rummaged through her bag for a pen. With quick, neat , she jotted down her name and number.

Without hesitation, she casually took his hand, placing the folded tissue in his palm as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Here you go— my number! Oh and if you text me please make sure to tell me your name," she added with a playful grin. "Otherwise, I have this bad habit of ignoring numbers I don't recognize."

@seo nari. "aye don't worry about that, it's not a big deal anyways." said him with a small chuckles and he rubs the back of his head. upon hearing her question, yeongho was a little bit taken aback as if words are stucked on his throat. worried ? is he looks like he's worried right now because oh my god — lee yeongho you seriously dumb. you should find a reason right now to cover up this!!!'

"err,, do i looks like i am worried though? ah that's must be my gestures of appreciation towards my customers. you see here, we do have this loyalty programme to attract more customers and if you don't mind to sign up for this, it would be a great help you know." he suggested a new coming up ideas about the loyalty programme. actually, he just made it just now.

"the pamphlet are still on the making but you can ask me anything for the details later on, whenever you're free." he says with confidence on his tone. "or perhaps you can give me your phone number so i can contact you if you're interested." he said smoothly without breaking his gazes on her.

@lee yeongho. Nari looked up, her eyes widening slightly as an iced latte was placed on her table. Her gaze traveled upward until it met his, leaving her momentarily puzzled. "Mm mmm.." she murmured nervously, hesitating before finally reaching for the latte. Her fingers wrapped around the cup as she took a tentative sip, her eyes never leaving his.

The rich flavour lingered on her tongue and she couldn't help but hum in delight. Quickly bowing her head in gratitude, she nearly smacked her forehead on the table in the process. "T-Thank you so much Sir, but— you've already treated me enough," she stammered, her voice a mix of appreciation and embarrassment.

Her eyes darted around nervously, worried about the judgmental stares of other customers. At the sight of his concerned expression, however, she found herself softening. Her lips pouted slightly as her head tilted to the side, almost unconsciously, her lashes fluttering in an unintentional display of cuteness.

"Are you worried about me, Mister Yeongho?" she asked curiously, the question escaping her lips before she could stop it. She took another sip of the latte, her gaze locking with his, waiting intently for his answer.

@seo nari. yeongho who happened to look at nari when she's trying to drink her cup which turned out to be empty got him cackling and shaking his head. he goes behind the counter and makes iced latte for her and decided to treat her the drink. wooyoung as he watched this unfolds in front of him. "like i told you earlier, boss. perhaps you should just give the ownership to that girl since you basically gives her everything for free. " yeongho couldn't help but to chuckles. "if she marry me, maybe I'll think about it." he said nonchalantly as he took the drink and approached the female as wooyoung gasped disbelief at his boss antics.

"hey miss, you seem mad about your drink i see." he served the cup of iced latte on her table with a small chortles. "it's on the house again, don't worry about it. is there still a lot of tasks ?" asked him filled with concerned. "i mean, perhaps you can take a little break for a while?" suggests him as he look at her.

honestly, yeongho isn't this kind of man who is easily melted over simple actions, but he didn't know himself when he feel a little bit of comfort when talking to her. perhaps her bright persona matched his reserved personality — hence he feels comfortable and easily chatting around with her.

@lee yeongho. Nari eventually managed to focus on her work, though it took an incredible amount of willpower not to steal glances at the charming owner. Still, the moment his face popped into her delulu daydreams, she found herself bowing her head, her cheeks burning cherry red. She groaned softly into her hands before slapping the table harder than she intended out of frustration.

The loud thud startled the customer at the neighboring table, causing them to jump a little. Embarrassed, Nari peeked at them from the corner of her eye and flash them an apologetic smile before hurriedly returning to her laptop. To drown out her own flustered thoughts, she shoved on her headphones, determined to finally finish her report with confident nods while blasting whatever teenage emo song that was running through.

Hours passed by without her noticing, the world around her fading as she worked diligently. When she absentmindedly reached for her coffee, expecting to take a sip, she was met with the disappointing realization that her cup was completely empty.

"Oh dear God," she muttered under her breath, glaring at the empty cup as if it had personally betrayed her. She scanned the area, hoping to spot a water bottle or anything to quench her thirst. Not wanting to bother anyone, she clicked her tongue in mild annoyance and turned back to her laptop. With a resigned sigh, she grabbed a book she needed for her research and flipped it open, trying her best to focus once again despite the mild thirst she about to suffer.

@seo nari. "well then if you said so, I'll go do my things first. just let me know if anything alright?" he said with smile graces his lips. yeongho went back behind the counter, proceed to help his barista with some few customers with their orders. he still keep his eyes on the female while working on the orders, just in case she would be calling out for him again. wooyoung who noticed this can only snickered. "boss, at this point why don't you just go sit next to her and chat around?" yeongho sighed at wooyoung's tease. "don't be ridiculous, i don't want to bother her with her works."

wooyoung rolled his eyes. "you two keeps glancing each others ever since you come here, boss. why don't you try to step forward, instead of being a coward." yeongho shakes his head. " not a coward, man. but I don't want to push any boundaries between us, plus she's still unfamiliar to me, and i don't want to make her uncomfortable with me around. so I'll just see how it is." wooyoung huffed. "then should i push my luck and ask for her number ?" cause yeongho to froze for a moment. "don't you dare." warned him cause wooyoung to laughs.

@lee yeongho. As the taller male approached, Nari felt her palms grow clammy, her heart racing like she had just run a marathon. She quickly shifted her gaze back to her laptop screen, typing furiously in an attempt to mask her trembling hands. The sound of a small thud snapped her attention, and she turned to see a box of pastries sitting beside her coffee. Her eyes widened in surprise and she tilted her head to look at him, confusion swirling in her orbs. Before she could ask, he casually mentioned her staring, causing her to choke on her saliva. She quickly looked away, coughing awkwardly.

"A-Aish, you really didn't have to do that, sir," she stammered, even as her hand instinctively reached out to pull the box closer to her. She glanced down at her laptop and waved at it haphazardly, not daring to meet his eyes. "See see? I'm doing work. Very busy," she gestured, her voice hurried and slightly shaky.

When she finally managed a glance at him from the corner of her eye, her face turned beet red. She quickly tugged her sleeve over her hand, using it to cover half her face like a makeshift shield. "Ani ani ani I'm fine. Y-you can go back to your job. Really, I'm good," she added quickly, her voice coming out a little too high pitched. Still, she peeked at him again, her lips pressing into a shy smile beneath her sweater. "But umm... thank you for the dessert. I'll let you know if I need anything eheh."

@seo nari. yeongho was finishing his work proposals when his eyes darted over the female and caught she was staring at him. a small amusing smile grace his lips before he stood up from his seat, walking towards his barista, wooyoung for some more of macaroons and a slice of cheesecake to be packed. wooyoung works on his boss's request before he , " boss, at this point i think you would give this cafe ownerships to her." cause yeongho to rolls his eyes in playful ways before he laughs. "shut it."

he approached nari on her table with the small packaging of the pastries earlier, and place it over the table. "this is for you, a small token of appreciation — for keeps looking my way. " he said with a hint of teasing and a light smirk tugged the corner of his lips. "you don't seems like you're doing your work right now, as you keeps looking my way. is there anything that i can help you, miss?" asked him, slightly curious and impressed. "just in case, if you need anything you can let me know."

@lee yeongho. At his assurance, Nari bit down on her lower lip, trying to stifle her giggles. The giddiness bubbling up inside her felt almost impossible to contain, and she nodded quickly. "Ah yeah, sure. I don't want to distract the boss from boss thingy," she said, pulling the macaroons protectively closer to her like they were treasure. "Thank you again for the treat," she added, her smile lingering as she watched him turn and walk back toward the counter.

As soon as he was out of sight, Nari dropped her head into her hands and let out a long, dramatic sigh, her fingers pressing against her flushed cheeks. "Wow..." she muttered under her breath, sneaking a glance at Yeongho as he moved gracefully behind the counter.

She didn't realize just how long she had been staring until their eyes suddenly met. Panicking, Nari yelped softly and scrambled to grab her file and practically pressing it to her face like it was a shield. Her muffled voice behind the folder squeaked. "Ani ani, not happening,” before she peeked out cautiously over the edge.

Desperate to look busy, she fake coughed and began flipping through the papers at lightning speed, nodding at absolutely nothing as if she had just discovered the cure for clumsiness while stealing glance at him every now and then.

@seo nari. "aye, that's good to hear then. pft. i think you can have your clumsiness balanced somehow, so I'm pretty impressed. " he said with a small chortles. "i bet the hospital won't even notice that, miss nari." he noticed the way she's been avoiding eye contacts, but he didn't say anything about it because he thinks it's not appropriate to ask such questions yet. oh well , the truth is he couldn't hold his gaze towards the female for so long too.

yeongho clears his throat softly. "of course I've heard of it. my cousin was there as well. ah is that so? i think, both universities are great , and im pretty sure you're doing your best in that matters. the results is just a results. what matters you did your best. " assured him as he smiles towards her. he fixed his glasses and nodding his head. "maybe i should give you some space right now, miss nari, if anything you can just reach out to me, there?" he point at his spot a few tables away from her. "good luck with your works, yeah?"

@lee yeongho. Nari cheeks flushed deeper at his teasing and she let out a shaky huff. "Y-yah! I might be clumsy but I am never clumsy at work," she shot back, tucking her hair behind her ear in an attempt to compose herself. Still, her voice softened as she added under her breath. "Though... I may have handed out an extra bandage or two." She rubbed her arm, a nervous habit of hers, while avoiding his gaze.

This guy was seriously dangerous— too attractive for her own good. She could feel her heart pounding like a drumline in her ears. Grabbing her coffee, she took a long sip, hoping it would somehow calm her racing nerves.

When he asked about her university, she straightened up slightly, offering him a small smile. "Sungkyunkwan University. Have you heard of it?" she said, scratching her nape awkwardly. "I actually wanted to go to Seoul National University, but uhhh... let just say my results didn't quite make the cut..."

@seo nari. yeongho took a small notes within his mind, about macaroons as her favourite. "i guess it's your favourite?" he asked somehow curious but he clears his throat right after. hearing her calling him handsome out of blue makes his ears turned red, and he quick to rubs his nape while still maintains his small smiles from growing wide. "ah, that's.. thanks.. i appreciate that." he said.

he furrowed his eyebrows and chuckles at her witty answers. "ah, intern nurse. that's such a good professions if you learns it hard ways. i am pretty impressed. i can only hope you're not spilling blood everywhere when you takes their blood for test." with a small chortles. "but i do understand how hard it was, and i am sure you can handle it just fine."

yeongho barely know this female but somehow, he feels like he can understand her struggles doing her works, as if he's the same. "oh hey, that's totally fine. it's not everyday that i had to clean up the table for a customer you know. "he said with a hint of teasing on his tone. "ah by the way, which university you're going?"

@lee yeongho. Nari let out a small, sheepish laugh, scratching her scalp a little. "Ah sorry about that. I guess I got too excited about macaroons," she said, trying to play off her embarrassment.

When he mentioned he was the cafe owner, her eyes widened in surprise. "Omo so you're the boss here! No wonder you're so generous and handsome." Realizing what she had just blurted out loud at the end, her face turned crimson as she clasped her hands over , fully shocked by her own outbursts. "Oh my gosh, I didn't mean to say that out loud!" she exclaimed, her voice muffled through her fingers. "I-I just meant you're such a nice boss, thats all!" She added quickly and let out a nervous giggles.

In an effort to move past the awkward moment, she tilted her head at his earlier question. "Me? Uh uh let's just say I'm a professional coffee spiller?" she joked with a small shrug. "You can said that I guess but I'm actually an intern nurse. Nothing glamorous, just trying to get through it."

She drummed her fingers lightly on the desk, glancing at her laptop to ground herself. Clearing , she looked back up at him with an apologetic smiles. "I didn't know you were the owner. I'm really sorry for making you clean up my mess, Mister Yeongho..."

@seo nari. fortunately with yeongho immediate reflex, he quick to hold the table since the woman is — bowing too deeply towards him. ah she almost hit the table, cause him to shakes his head in amusement. "please be careful miss, we don't want you to get hurt."

'we' — yeongho having a doubts to himself. 'who's we? that's only you, yeongho.' he sighed inwardly, and clears his throat softly. "it's not s big deal, i hope you enjoy this and good luck with your works?" he said as he rubs his nape again, part of his habits when he's nervous. when she mentioned her name, a small smile tuggged the corner of his lips.

'pretty' — he mouthed those words before he realised and fakes a coughs. his ears turned red somehow. "ah nice to meet you, miss nari. i am — yeongho, this cafe owner and may i ask, what you do for living, are you perhaps a student?" asked him, simply curious. he was hoping that his questions won't interrupt any of her jobs right now, since she seems busy.

@lee yeongho. Seeing him rub his nape made her instinctively mimic the action, suddenly feeling a little flustered under his gaze. She wasn't used to casual, sweet chats with men but she found it amusing to hold a bit of a conversation with him. His genuine concern struck her as unexpectedly endearing.

Before she could even introduce herself, he had already hurried off to get her coffee. Left alone, Nari pressed her lips together and slowly sat down, carefully prying open her laptop. She clasped her hands together dramatically, muttering a quick prayer before hitting the power button. When the screen lit up without a hitch, she let out a relieved sigh out loud that even the couple behind her look at her weirdly.

She started typing away, trying to focus on her work but the sound of approaching footsteps made her look up. Her eyes lit up at the sight of the fresh coffee but then she noticed the unexpected addition— a small box of macaroons.
Her jaw dropped and she let out a soft gasp. "Oh my gosh, you didn't have to do this!" she exclaimed, clasping her hands over as if trying to contain her excitement.

Overcome with gratitude, she bowed deeply— almost too deeply, nearly hitting her head on the table. "Thank you so much for the treat, Sir," she said, beaming as her eyes curved into happy crescents. Then as if suddenly remembering something, she looked up at him. "Ah my name is Seo Nari by the way."

@seo nari. yeongho watched her in amusement, the way she's assessing her laptop and her cute ramblings makes yeongho chuckle. "if you said so then, i guess it's alright. congratulations for surviving your own clumsiness, but please do let me know if you need any helps with your laptop. just in case, i am willing to help." he said as he rubs his nape.

"then, i won't bother you now, miss — ?" he hesitant as he's about to ask her name. oh well, the least he can do for now is asking for her name first, right but why he's suddenly get nervous now? it's really not his usual self to be asking a lady's name and he's far from being smooth talkers too.

god.

"oh wait, I'll get your drink first yeah? I'll be right back." he said as he rushed to go back to the counter and ask his barista to make a new cup of coffee and small box of macaroons for the lady. "sir, are you nervous?" asked the barista, wooyoung. there's a hint of teasing on his tone cause yeongho to gives him a playful glare. "why would i?" wooyoung can only chuckles and shaking his head, as he hand over the cup at him. "good luck boss." yeongho rolled his eyes as he makes his way towards the female once again. he served the coffee on her table, making sure it's far from her belongings. "here your coffee, miss, and the macaroons are under the house, so you can enjoy it altogether."

@lee yeongho. Nari blinked, momentarily caught off guard by his concern. She glanced at him briefly before turning her attention to her laptop, lifting it with both hands like it was a delicate artifact. "Alright, let's assess the damage," she murmured, tilting it this way and that, inspecting it like a scientist analyzing a rare specimen.

She squinted at the screen, running her fingers over the edges. "No cracks, no dents... Good job hanging in there, buddy," she muttered with exaggerated relief, almost as if she were talking to a pet. "I mean, this thing's been through worse— like the time I dropped it off my desk, then accidentally kicked it under the bed. Twice," she added, glancing up with a sheepish smile.

Satisfied, Nari straightened up, hugging the laptop against her chest like a prized possession. "Thanks for the offer though," she said, her tone softer now. "That's really kind of you but it looks like we've survived another round of my clumsiness." She chuckled, her cheeks tinting soft pink as she met his gaze.

@seo nari. he froze for a moment the laptop fell down from her bag. why his heart ache at the sight? he stares at the laptop for a moment before he turned to look at her. wow — as someone clumsy as she is, she surely calm, and it's pique his attentions. he flashed a faint smile, and shaking his head. "i will have my barista replaced your coffee without charges, miss. though, i might have to ask, are you alright? the laptop ? how are you going to do your works after this?" asked him concerned. "i can lend you mine if you still want to do your works."

god.

yeongho did you even realised what are you asking just now? man. what kind of kindness spirit possessed his body right now?

@lee yeongho. As he approached the table with a damp towel in hand, Nari was already frantically gathering her things, muttering under her breath about mornings being cursed. When she finally looked up and saw him, she froze, then flashed the most awkward, apologetic grin imaginable.

"I swear I don't usually bring chaos everywhere I go," she said, her tone a mix of desperation and humour, trying to salvage her dignity.

As if on cue, her laptop bag slid off the chair, hitting the ground with an overly dramatic thud. She froze, staring at it for a moment like it had personally betrayed her, before crouching to grab it. "Uh… so… will there be an extra charge if I ask for a replacement coffee? You know, for the one I… generously fed to the table?"

@seo nari. yeongho was giving a simple tasks to his barista when a young lady suddenly comes to the counter, looking at him while asking him to cleans up her table. he was a bit taken aback for a moment before he stops the barista from saying anything. he turned to the lady with a faint smile. "sure miss, I'll clean up your table."

the barista looks at him nervously, feeling guilty because she couldn't do anything since yeongho insisted on doing it. "err, sir you know i can do it.." she tried to ask yeongho for cleaning up the table but yeongho shakes his head. "it's fine. it's not everyday we encounter these kind of customers, especially her eyes already set on me to cleans up the table. let's not making it's a big deal, i am fine with it. you should just continue the tasks i gave you." the barista bowed her head towards him as a sign of apologies.

he took a damp towel and walks towards the lady's table and seeing the messed she made. he muster a smile as he wipes off the table for her.

@lee yeongho. Nari stepped into the café that morning, still feeling groggy but determined to get some work done for her internship. The soft hum of conversation and the aroma of fresh coffee greeted her as she walked up to the counter. She ordered a coffee and three doughnuts, her go-to pick-me-up, and waited patiently as the barista prepared her order. Once her tray was handed over, she paid and carried it to a small table by the window.

Setting down her things, Nari pulled out her laptop and reached for her charger. In her sleep deprived state, she fumbled with the cable, accidentally knocking her drink over. Coffee spilled across the table, soaking her napkins and nearly reaching her laptop.

Gasping, she quickly stood, scanning the café for help. Her eyes landed on a guy chatting with the barista behind the counter. Clutching her now sticky charger, she approached him with a sheepish grin, not knowing if he was the owner. "Excuse me," she said softly, her cheeks tinged pink, "could you help me clean up my table?"

@han miro. yeongho looked up from the espresso machine, a faint smile graces tbe corner of his lips as he spotted his senior back then during his college years , leaning on the counter with his usual air of nonchalance. the familiar kind of teasing was bringing back memories for sure. it felt like they were back in college dorm where yeongho used to pulled all nighters, fueled by miro's endless jokes and his own terrible instant coffee.

"pft. slacking you say? you know some of us actually work for a living right? you think i have some time to grace your highness with his presence or something?" as he grab a mug with a soft chortles. "but if you want to know, sunbae. I've been quite busy expanding the empire though and running my own place. for example, here — and it's still standing. clearly i haven't been slacking that much eh?"

he slid the freshly brewed cup of strong, no-nonsense coffee across the counter towards his senior. "i hope your coffee preferences are still the same, hyung?" of course, yeongho remember miro's taste ever since they are in college until now. he used to make him coffee back then too.

"oh my ? i got it that you missed me, but let's not get carried away." yeongho's old tsundere antics are on it again. as he's actually embarrassed to say something like that. his ears already turned red over those. "ah just say you want a free coffee hyung. pft." leaning against the counter, yeongho allowed himself a genuine smile. "it's good to see you again, hyung. really."

@lee yeongho. Miro pushed open the café door, the familiar jingle of the bell above greeting him as he stepped into the warmth. The place was a little quieter than usual, with just a few regulars scattered around, nursing their morning cups. It was barely 7:30 a.m., but Miro had long since abandoned any concept of a normal sleep schedule. His job had weird hours, and his body had adjusted—or rather, resigned itself—to the idea that mornings started whenever he felt like it.

Coffee, though? Coffee was non-negotiable.

He slid up to the counter with the ease of someone who had ordered here so many times he was practically part of the furniture.

"Morning," he called out, leaning on the counter, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He was already scanning the pastry display, eyes flicking back and forth, but he didn’t bother to look up. He knew the drill. He came for one thing and one thing only—his usual cup of strong, no-nonsense coffee. None of that fancy latte nonsense. He’d tried it once, to humour his friend who worked at a different café, and it had left him questioning his entire existence. A good coffee should be simple. It should punch you in the face and say, “Wake up, buddy. You’ve got a day to ruin.”

As he waited, Miro tapped his fingers against the counter, a rhythm only he could hear, like a metronome for his caffeine-craving soul.

Today, though, there was something different in the air. It was quieter than usual. And it wasn’t just the lack of other customers. No, it was the fact that the barista behind the counter—the one who made all his coffee just the right amount of strong—wasn’t the usual guy. Yeongho was back.

Miro leaned back a little, suddenly aware he hadn’t seen the younger man in weeks, maybe months. Time blurred when you didn’t have a solid sense of days anymore. His gaze softened, but only for a second.

He cleared his throat and stood a little straighter, doing his best to pretend he wasn’t secretly thrilled to see him again.

“You know,” Miro began, his grin spreading, “I was about to find myself a new place to get my coffee. You're slacking, man. I’ve been here every day, and this is how you greet your loyal customer? No ‘Hey Miro, I’ve missed you!’? No ‘Here’s your usual, free of charge, because you’re a coffee legend’? Some friend you are.”

Miro’s grin widened, eyes sparkling with that familiar teasing gleam. Yeongho might have been behind the counter, but it was clear Miro had been the one making all the noise since he’d walked in.