Archive of Our Own ^beta

The coffee shop was out of the way of the main street, tucked under a large cherry tree.

It was spring, and the entire street was lined with cherry trees about to bloom, and the weather was warming up from the chill of winter.

A man stood by the door, pondering the sign of the cafe, 'Starstream'.

After another moment, he stepped inside.

"Welcome," a teenager -- her tag read Lee Jihye --  piped up at the ring of the doorbell. "What can I get you?"

"Just a latte, thanks." The man said.

"Name?" Lee Jihye asked.

"Kim Dokja," the man answered.

"Cool name," Lee Jihye said. "Maybe check out the book nook. My master updated it yesterday."

She nodded over to a corner of the cafe and began motions to pull down a shot from the coffee machine.

Kim Dokja looked towards the book nook, of which there were several.  Low Bookshelves were lined between the spaces of the tables, creating small nooks for each table. Planters and cozy one-seat couches were well-lit by atmospheric lamps scattered under the large space lit by fairy lights.

Immediately heading over to the bookshelf, he was pleased to find books that he had in his own collection. He chose one of his favorites and looked around for a spot to sit.

A low backed couch with slouchy cushions sat invitingly in a corner, an adjustable lamp right next to the seat. Perfect for reading.

"Kim Dokja," Lee Jihye called out. "Your coffee's ready!"

Perfect timing, Kim Dokja thought.

He brought his tray and placed it next to his chosen seat, slowly relaxing back into the cushions.

Kim Dokja took a tentative sip of the coffee, and was delighted to find it was to his taste -- not too much milk, but not too bitter from the coffee.

He let out a sigh of satisfaction and relaxed further into the couch.

Opening the book to one of his favorite chapters of the book, he lost himself to the world.

Yoo Joonghyuk sniffed haughtily when he caught sight of the man lounging in the corner of the cafe.

Three days.

Three days of the man coming in early morning, mooching off the internet and reading something either on his phone or one of the books in the cafe until closing time.

Three days of ordering everything on the drink menu at least once.

If the man had not been a paying customer, Yoo Joonghyuk would have thought him to be one of those well-dressed homeless people, due to all the mooching.

But what angered him most about this customer was that in all the three days of coming to the cafe, he never ate anything.

Breakfast, lunch, dinner -- the bastard just ordered another coffee. He spent the entire day reading something, not eating anything.

Today was the fourth day, and even the smell of freshly baked croissants didn't distract the man from his phone.

Lee Jihye was drooling at the wafting scent of croissants, already reaching for one.

At the first bite, Lee Jihye moaned in appreciation.

"Master, these are so good," She stuffed another mouthful of croissant. "I don't get why that ahjusshi won't ever eat. Master's baking is the best."

Yoo Junghyuk glared over at the customer, who was still in his own world. 

"If he doesn't eat today, he might drop dead," Lee Jihye said, wonderingly. "Master, do you think the ahjusshi will faint one day?"

Yoo Joonghyuk huffed and crossed his arms. "I don't care."

But as the day dragged on, Yoo Joonghyuk's eye kept traveling back to the lone customer in the corner seat that was already becoming his. He barely moved as he read, already half-way through his third drink -- a matcha green tea.

It was nearing dinner time, during a lull in the flow of customers when Yoo Joonghyuk finally gave up on ignoring Lee Jihye's echoing words.

'...doesn't eat today...' '...drop dead...'

He angrily grabbed one of the last croissants, placed it on a plate, and stomped over towards the corner of the customer.

The man finally looked up from his phone when Yoo Joonghyuk slammed the plate onto the coffee table next to him, dazedly blinking at the croissant, then up at the angry barista.

"...Yes?"

Yoo Joonghyuk noted that the customer had deep brown eyes shining with intelligence, but huffed when he remembered that the man had gone 7 hours without eating anything.

'...drop dead...' Lee Jihye's voice mentally chimed in.

The customer began to look wary at the steady stare-off.

Yoo Joonghyuk frowned, then pointed at the croissant and at the man.

"There will be no dying in this cafe," He said.

"...I'm not planning on it...?"

"You will if you don't eat the fucking croissant."

Yoo Joonghyuk turned around and stomped back towards the coffee bar.

He head the man splutter indignantly behind him.

Kim Dokja stared, dazed from the sudden encounter.

He watched the barista head back over to the coffee bar, for the other girl barista to say something to him, which he responded with a grunt.

Kim Dokja blinked as anger slowly made its way to the front of his mind.

He was minding his own business? He wasn't bothering anyone, and it had been a good part of the webnovel!

He glared down with disgust at the croissant. How dare it look and smell so good? Presentation, A+. Delivery? Utter fail.

He debated having an 'accident' ending with the croissant on the floor; but his stomach had the audacity to begin growling right at that moment.

With a sigh, Kim Dokja checked the clock and winced when he realized he had missed his meals... again.

He stared down back at the croissant on the plate.

Tentatively, he picked it up and examined it closely for sabotage -- you can never be too careful these days.

After satisfying indulging his paranoia, Kim Dokja took a careful bite off a corner of the pastry.

His eyes widened.

It was really good.

Kim Dokja blinked wide-eyed towards the barista, who was glaring his way. The barista gave a sniff of disdain at his reaction, then turned back to cleaning the espresso machine.

What good feelings he had from the croissant was gone, but his stomach cried for more.

He took another furious bite, chewing annoyedly at how good it was. Charity had the audacity to taste good!

All too soon, the croissant was gone.

Chugging down the remainder of his now cold drink, Kim Dokja headed over to the coffee bar, as it was almost closing time.

"How much was the croissant?"

"A piece of my fucking sanity," Yoo Joonghyuk deadpanned.

"Master, say it nicer!" Lee Jihye said, smacking Yoo Joonghyuk lightly on the arm. "It's a service*!" (A/N - 서비스: an extra little something, a freebie, on the house)

"...It was good," Kim Dokja reluctantly said. "Here, for what I owe you." He placed a few bills on the table.

"I don't need your money," Yoo Joonghyuk growled, shoving the money back.

"And I don't need charity," Kim Dokja said with a frown, shoving the money back.

Lee Jihye stepped in between them, pushing the money back to Kim Dokja.

"Ehhhhh, ahjusshi, why don't you just take it as a freebie and let it be?"

She had noted the throbbing vein in her master's forehead.

"Equivalent exchange," Kim Dokja said, quirking his eyebrows. "The croissant was too good to be for free."

"Get out before I kick you out." Yoo Joonghyuk sneered.

"What, you're going to kick out a paying customer?" Kim Dokja asked with a smile.

Before Kim Dokja knew it, he had been picked up by the collar and set outside the cafe.

"Not a paying customer if I don't take your money," Yoo Joonghyuk said, slamming the cash into Kim Dokja's chest and stomping back inside.

Kim Dokja stood there for a bit, shocked laughter falling from his lips.

"Oh, it's on," He muttered to himself, glaring at the male barista through the closed cafe door.

"The outrage! How could that guy!"

"Guy?" Jung Heewon looked up from her phone at Kim Dokja, who stalked into the living room in his pyjamas, for once.

"The muscle-barista. From the cafe. 'cause I --"

"'cause you're gay." Jung Heewon interrupted with a smirk, waving at the stack of documents in front of her on the coffee table.

"-- No! Because I have eyes and can tell that he's got good-looking muscles, objectively speaking!" Kim Dokja huffed, sitting down on the sofa with his arms crossed. "He didn't have a nametag."

"And when are you coming out of the closet?" Jung Heewon asked, pushing the stack of papers towards Kim Dokja without looking.

"I like girls!" Kim Dokja claimed. "I even had a crush!"

"There's a thing called being bisexual," she answered, rolling her eyes.

"That's not the point!" Kim Dokja said, picking up the stack of papers at the look Jung Heewon shot him. "Muscles -- he had the audacity to throw food at me!"

"Wait," Jung Heewon's eyes widened. "As in actually throwing? or like, feeding you throwing?"

"Feeding --" Kim Dokja answered without thinking, glancing through the papers. He looked up with a frown and sputtered. "That's not the important part here!"

"Yes it is. You need a man -- or woman!" Jung Heewon said, interrupting Kim Dokja. " -- that can make you eat."

Kim Dokja harrumphed. "...Anyway, he was rude! Wouldn't take my money." He finished skimming the papers and handed them back to Jung Heewon.

She took the stack back then pulled a manila folder from her bag.

"So basically, you got a freebie for no reason, and you're angry." Jung Heewon said, handing Kim Dokja some documents and a pen, waving at the dotted line. "Why?"

Kim Dokja paused, leaving a splotch of ink in his signature. "...Paranoia...?" He asked, unsure.

Jung Heewon rolled her eyes. "He's into you. Ask him out."

"But I'm not gay!" Kim Dokja said, indignant.

"He might be." Jung Heewon said, stealing back the pen and signed documents.

KDJ raised his arms out to the heavens in askance and exasperation.

Jung Heewon just put away all the documents with a smirk.

"Why are you even still here this morning, anyway?" Jung Heewon asked. "I would have thought you would march to the cafe first thing to deal with all this unresolved sexual tension."

"First of all, it was just a croissant," Kim Dokja said. "Second of all, Han Sooyoung needs me today... and I need you to go to the cafe and pay Muscles for that croissant."

Jung Heewon rolled her eyes again. "And you can't wait until later because?

"Because I hate owing things and I need to send a clear message about how I don't accept charity, which he might think I do if I don't appear like usual."

"...Like usual." Jung Heewon placed her hands on her hips and gave Kim Dokja a look full of exasperation.

"Like usual." Kim Dokja answered with a nod. He then noticed her stare. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Your 'usual' for the past month, or just this week? Because you've only started going to the cafe this Monday." She glanced at the calendar pointedly. "It's Friday."

"I'm already a regular! I even have a rapport with the teenager barista. Other than Muscles, I mean." He said. "She said my name was cool."

"...Fine," Jung Heewon sighed. "I'll go and deliver your money to 'Muscles'. Anything you want me to say?"

"Just give him your neutral look of disappointment."

"...Alright."

"Welcome to Starstream," A tall musclular man said. He was standing next to a teenager with long hair tied up in a ponytail.

"Hm," Jung Heewon eyed the teenager who was waving around a long bread knife-sword as she talked to the man. That was probably the girl barista, so the muscular man was Kim Dokja's Muscles.

She wordlessly scanned Muscles from top to bottom. He was hot, clean shaven with a military haircut. His tight black shirt clearly showed his defined muscles, going well with his jeans.

"Hmm," Jung Heewon hemmed, pushing the money towards the man.

The man looked puzzled, but Jung Heewon didn't really care. Kim Dokja would take care of it next time he came to the cafe.

"For yesterday," She said as she left the cafe, leaving behind two very confused people.

"Hyunsung oppa, have you met her before?"

"No," Lee Hyunsung the part-timer said.

"Oh, I think I've heard of this before!" Lee Jihye said. "I think it's called a 'hunting*'!" (A/N 헌팅 - approaching a stranger for the purpose of dating)

"A 'hunting'?"

"Basically, she's showing interest in you!" Lee Jihye said. "Let's see the bill! She probably left a phone number!"

"I-interest?? Number??" Lee Hyunsung stuttered, turning red.

"Huh, she didn't leave a number... Why did she give you money?" She wondered, then gasped when an idea struck her. "A proposal to be your sugar mommy?!"

"Jihye-ya..." Lee Hyunsung sweat-dropped. "Maybe you're watching too much k-drama... that's a little unrealistic..."

"But oppa! It happens all the time on TV!"

Kim Dokja walked into the cafe later that afternoon.

He scanned the bar to check if Muscles was on shift; only Lee Jihye was there, much like the first time he came.

"Ah, ahjusshi!" Lee Jihye said. "Thought you weren't coming in today!"

"Here I am," Kim Dokja said with  smile. "Couldn't keep away after yesterday, could I,"

"Ahjusshi, you're weird," Lee Jihye said, wiping down the counter. "Most people just say 'thanks' for the freebie."

"I'm not most people, and I don't believe in freebies," Kim Dokja said. "Besides, I paid back the croissant."

"Huh?" Lee Jihye tilted her head in confusion. "I thought Master gave the money back yesterday."

"I got someone else to give it to him this morning." Kim Dokja smirked. "My secretary said he accepted it. Now all that's left is keeping the fact that it was me who sent it."

"Uhh," Lee Jihye remembered the weird money changing hands that morning. "Actually... Master didn't get the money. He has afternoon shift..."

Kim Dokja's smirk faded. "Then who did Jung Heewon pay?"

"Hyunsung oppa, I think," Lee Jihye said, remembering the lady from that morning. "But he decided to begin a tipjar with the money." She waved at a jar that was next to the cash register.

"Hm," Kim Dokja mused, eyeing the jar. It only held the one 10,000 won bill (A/N - approximately USD$10, or price of about two cups of coffee), probably the same one that he had shoved on Jung Heewon early that morning.

"I guess that is fine --"

"Lee Jihye," A voice interrupted Kim Dokja.

"Ehe, hi Master," Lee Jihye waved sheepishly at Yoo Joonghyuk, who was standing silently behind Kim Dokja without him realizing.

Yoo Joonghyuk grabbed Kim Dokja's hand, took the bill in the jar and forced the hand closed around the bill.

"This isn't even my money," Kim Dokja lied.

"I heard everything from the back room," Yoo Joonghyuk said with a raised eyebrow, pointing to the open doorway that he had walked through.

Kim Dokja looked to argue, but Lee Jihye was frantically motioning a hand across her neck behind Yoo Joonghyuk's back in a cutting motion.

"...Are you going to take my order?" Kim Dokja said instead, pulling back his hand from Yoo Joonghyuk's hold.

Yoo Joonghyuk snorted, then made his way behind the counter.

"Well," Yoo Jonghyuk said brusquely, pretending not to hear Lee Jihye's relieved sigh. "Your order?"

"Hmm," Kim Dokja mused, frowning as he tried to think of a way to get back at Muscles.

He eyed the distance between himself and Muscles, calculating the distance of the counter between them. He could buy a croissant and stuff it in Muscles' face, but that might get him kicked out of the cafe again.

He liked the atmosphere of the cafe too much to risk being banned from the facilities.

Perhaps an idea would strike after watching his quarry for the afternoon.

"What do you want," Yoo Joonghyuk said with a frown.

"I'll take the cold brew coffee," Kim Dokja said.

He then handed the 10,000 won bill that had been shoved into his hand,  raising his eyebrows in challenge at Muscles.

Muscles' eyebrow ticked in annoyance as he accepted the bill, glaring as he handed over the change.

Kim Dokja eyed the change in his hands, then slowly put the bills and coins into the tip jar, keeping eye contact with Muscles.

Muscles clenched his teeth with an audible click, a vein pulsing at the side of his forehead, but didn't stop him.

Kim Dokja smirked at the response, flaunting to his regular seat to wait for the coffee.

"Ahjusshi," Lee Jihye said, handing over the cup of coffee for once instead of calling him up to the counter.  "You really know how to get under master's skin."

"Do I?" Kim Dokja mused, glancing at Muscles who was still behind the counter. Muscles glared back, the clanging of the coffee equipment showing his displeasure.

"It's all I can do, if he won't let me pay for the damn croissant," Kim Dokja muttered, eyeing the angry barista again as he scared his next customer with his stormy attitude.

"You know, you can sneak the money into his apron," Lee Jihye said, pointing to the apron that was hanging from the wall.

"But then he would know where it was from," Kim Dokja said, peering up at Lee Jihye from the book he had to cover where he was looking.

"Oh yeah," Lee Jihye agreed. "He would know and kick you out again."

Kim Dokja bemusedly paused his spying  to glance at the teenager, who was nodding sagely.

"Do you want me kicked out?"

"Don't really care, to be honest," Lee Jihye said. "It's just that I can't laze about in the evenings like I usually do."

"Wow, such delinquency," Kim Dokja answered. "Are you sure you shouldn't confess this to your 'master'?"

"He already knows and doesn't care." Lee Jihye said blithely.

Kim Dokja privately wondered how the cafe kept functioning.

"Master always knows," Lee Jihye continued proudly. "He even knew that I was about to skip school, once."

Kim Dokja blinked, slowly tuning out the girl who was now rambling about how she had tried skipping, only to be intimidated back to school by Muscles.

He thought back to the 10,000 won. It was just payment for a good croissant, and it wasn't a large amount of money. Why did the barista not accept it? Was there an underlying message that he had overlooked? Did he look poor or something? Was it pity?

He mindlessly watched the angry barista wordlessly dealt with some giggly girls. No freebies for them. So why him?

"-- you listening, ahjusshi?" Lee Jihye interrupted, waving a hand in front of Kim Dokja's line of sight.

Kim Dokja blinked, then turned back to the girl barista, who had her hands on her hips.

"Shouldn't you be over there fending off the wolves from your 'master'?"

Lee Jihye glanced at the girls. "Oh, master can deal with those," she said with a snort of derision. She turned back to Kim Dokja, scanning him from top to bottom.

"Hmm,"  she said with a frown. "You're ugly, ahjusshi."

Kim Dokja blinked in surprise, then sweatdropped when the meaning came through.

"Wow, such great customer service," Kim Dokja deadpanned. "Whatever brought this attack on?"

"I don't see why master is so interested in you," Lee Jihye said with a huff, turning and heading back to the counter.

"What?" Kim Dokja gaped. Where did that come from?

Kim Dokja suspiciously eyed Muscles.

Muscles was the handsomest guy he'd ever met in person, but it wasn't as if he was actually attracted to the guy.

So what did Lee Jihye mean, interested?

For the rest of the afternoon, Kim Dokja surreptitiously watched the 'master and student' duo deal with various customers.

A large portion of the customers were made up of people of various ages making appreciative eyes at Muscles, to which Muscles responded with growls and murderous looks.

It quelled most of the attempts of flirting, but didn't quite quell the interest, from the various whispers from all corners of the cafe.

After a certain point,  Muscles left the counter to Lee Jihye and disappeared to the back.

Ten minutes later, Kim Dokja glanced up from his book and realized that the shop was empty, with only Lee Jihye at the counter. He glanced at the clock. A few hours until closing time, but no other customers were in the cafe.

In the quiet, Kim Dokja wondered if most of the customers came for the barista, not the coffee.

Later in the evening, a few minutes before he planned on leaving, Kim Dokja wondered how he was going to pay back the croissant.

He debated leaving the money in the apron, as Lee Jihye suggested. But the apron was too conspicuous, too big of a hint for who had left behind the money and not nearly annoying enough.

It annoyed him how the angry barista wouldn't accept the money, so he was going to be as annoying as possible.

As he cleared away the various books he had grabbed from the shelves, an idea struck him.

He eyed the books that were on the shelf.

Methodically, he began pulling the books off the shelf.

He began reshelving the bookshelf that was next to his seat -- which just happened to be the largest one in the cafe.

One by one, the neatly ordered books were rearranged and reshelved into their new spots, each book making their way back onto the shelf... Just not their original ones.

When Kim Dokja was finished, he couldn't help but feel the thrill of revenge and savage glee of one upping Muscles. He took up his tray with the empty cup to the counter, where Lee Jihye was staring at the bookshelf he had left behind with wide eyes.

Kim Dokja stuffed another 10,000 won bill into the tip jar, winking at Lee Jihye as he placed a finger on his lips for silence.

Lee Jihye watched warily as Kim Dokja skipped out of the cafe, looking back at the bookshelf.

It was now ordered in height, instead of by theme and title.

"Master's gonna be so mad." she muttered.