Thread by @arekshiiaa

"Coffee?"

"Just put it there. Thanks."

- A short JaeGi AU -

The café was suprisingly crowded today but luckily for Seulgi, her usual spot was still vacant, just for her.

She walked to the barista and gave them her usual order everytime she comes by. With a grateful smile, she walked to her spot just at the end, beside the window.

Settling in, she noticed a lot of unfamiliar faces amongst the rows of tables.

'Strange,' she thought to herself knowing fully well how the café doesn't bring that much attention on a daily basis.

She starts to set her things on the round table so she could begin typing her manuscript which she has been trying to write since last month.

If anything's to blame, it's her writer's block. If she could just squeeze even a small idea out of her brain, she might have had already

a story she could play with.

And the deadline isn't until the next month.

"Bother less, work more," Seulgi tries to chant to herself ever so often. But every word she mutters, a little crumb of hope falls off noticingly.

She shrugs it off nevertheless.

"I heard a famous singer's going to visit here today," Seulgi overheard.

"No way. This unknown dump? That's hard to believe."

She couldn't help but roll her eyes at that. There go those good for nothing rumors and nasty comments.

The unknown dump is Seulgi's solitude fyi.

Is that why a lot of people are gathered here? Because of that rumor?

She decided to care less on the chatters she was hearing and began to work on what she can plaster on the blank canvas even if she was still having a hard time.

"C'mon brain. gimme somethig to work with."

She hoped to at least find a peace of mind on today's café visit but the crowd was giving her a hard time. Instead of thinking it to be unfortunate, she took this to her advantage and started scanning the room for possible inspiration.

A handsome man, a laughing baby,

a bantering couple, or a wild group of friends.

Anything she could get her mind to work.

"Ugh. Screw it," she began to type in words her mind could only muster in hopes to build a story around it.

'This should be enough for now,' she commended herself while her fingers did a tap dance on the laptop's keyboard.

Engrossed, she didn't notice the chatters starting to louden to her distaste. Even so, she continued tending to her own business as if she was the only person in the café.

What she was missing, though, was something she wouldn't expect would happen all her life.

"Coffee?" She heard someone asked as she felt them standing beside her.

She was too busy to even glance up for a small fraction.

"Just put it there. Thanks."

She was expecting him to leave after he placed the coffee on the table but to her surprise, he sat down across her.

Still, she didn't glance up and just let him be.

"I'm sorry I had to sit with you. The café is crowded today and they told me to find an empty seat and your table has one."

Seulgi only nodded, letting a small "ah" escape her mouth to emphasise comprehension.

"I don't mind," she only said closing off any means of communication in hopes to pull off her first ever paragraph.

Gosh, it's been almost an hour and she's still struggling with the first paragraph.

"You must be a regular," she heard

him speculate and she only nodded.

Chatty much?

"How can you tell?" She asked not wanting to appear rude by just ignoring him.

So much for cutting off conversation.

The barista told me you're a regular who often comes alone. Gave me a tip to sit here in case there's not much

place to lounge," he explained and Seulgi only nodded to which he chuckled at.

"You're not much of a talker, huh?" He continued and it took her every ounce not to groan in annoyance.

'Can't you tell?' She thought begrudgingly.

"This place is so nostalgic, I can't stop coming

here if given the chance," he shared volunteeringly.

Seulgi wasn't a fan of small talks and was already on the verge of telling him off but as soon as her eyes darted up to look at him for the first time, she debated against it.

Before her was a young man with long green hair. It was odd, she thought to herself, but again, expressing oneself meant physically other than verbally and she was not one to judge someone's looks.

She stopped herself before she could say something stupid to him.

'There's your handsome man Seul. What are you waiting for?'

"What of it is nostalgic to you?" She found herself ask, suprisingly hopping along the small talk this man asked for.

"I used to come here during college," he briefly replied before taking a sip of his own order.

"Is that so?" she asked feigning interest.

She sensed him nod.

"Sometimes with friends but most of the time I come here alone."

"What about now?"

The handsome man sighed.

"I've been travelling most of the time now so coming by has become difficult. Bummer huh?"

Seulgi let out a scoff to which he chuckled.

She looked up at him in utter disbelief.

"You call traveling a bummer? I wish to be in your shoes if you think like that."

He laughed a beautiful sounding laugh.

For some reason, even his laughter had a hint of nostalgia.

"If it means not visiting my most favorite coffee shop in the whole wide world, then yeah," he explained with a wide smile.

She swore she had seen that smile before but she couldn't point out where.

Seulgi looked at her untouched coffee and decided to bring her attention

to it instead, putting her laptop to sleep mode.

'Work can wait,' she thought.

Stirring her coffee brought her to a weird sense of ease. Calm was the storm inside her as she stir whirlpools into her cup.

"What reason would you come here oftenly then?" She asked.

"I'd be lying if I'd come here for the coffee." They both laugh at that.

The coffee was delicious, but not that heavenly.

"I used to come here because of someone," he sheepishly admitted which brought Seulgi to his attention.

'A backstory? Is this luck I have with me today?'

Her writer mind asked.

"Is this someone one of your friends?" She asked.

He shook his head.

"She's a college blockmate. We keep meeting here but we never got acquainted."

A love interest? Interesting...

"She comes here often too?" He nodded.

"Let me guess," Seulgi started,

"You were a coward to approach her?" This earned her laughter.

Handsome laughter.

"Funny, but no."

"Then what?"

"I guess I never got the chance to introduce myself properly."

Oh. That's sad.

Seulgi seemed transparent because the man noticed her sad exterior.

"But I promised myself I'd find her again someday and introduce myself properly!" He enthusiastically declared.

Seulgi didn't know why but she felt glad hearing that. At least, some guys have enough patience and faith to make such resolution.

"Tell me more about her," she urged before sipping her cup of coffee.

He seemed thoughtful before answering her.

"She's quiet. Sometimes aloof

since she stares off of space with her coffee on hand."

"That sounds like a boring girl," Seulgi commented questioning this man's taste.

He shook his head in amusement before continuing.

"It's her far away gaze that got me hooked. She had this look that suggested

she was enjoying her own little bubble and somehow, it intrigued me. I wanted to know what her mind thinks about and what's going on inside there that made her want to spend most of her time thinking."

A man after a woman's mind. He has unique standards.

"My interest solidified when she one day put those thoughts on ink."

He sipped and heave out a sigh.

"You sounded poetic there."

"Did I?" he laughed.

"She's now a writer no, I've heard."

Seulgi is a writer herself, so it piqued her interest more so when the girl he liked was part of her community.

Should she suggest helping him find her?

"What's her name? I could help you find her."

He smiled in return.

"First, I only come by with my friends to lounge about.

But after knowing she existed, I'd come here alone without a sure reason and I'd end up ordering a sweet brew of coffee to which I order until now."

"I'm a writer myself. I could pull a few strings for you so you could meet with her again," Seulgi suggested but he only smiled a close lipped grin.

"You don't have to. I already found her."

Seulgi felt relieved to hear that and broke into a big warm smile.

Without her knowing, she was engrossed already.

"So you two already met?" She beamed.

He nodded with a fulfilled look.

"But I guess she doesn't recognize me." His expression grew grim and Seulgi slightly panicked when she saw his smile fade.

"But didn't you introduce yourself to her before? Maybe she doesn't remember you because you haven't introduced yourself to her."

Seulgi just hit a jackpot because he snickered and nodded.

"It's not her fault she didn't remember me. I was just always at a distance, observing."

He took a sip once more and Seulgi sipped her cup as well.

"She doesn't know me until that fateful day when the café crowded. Rumours about a celebrity passing by the area made people come here to sight see.

While some found it frustrating, I found it an opportunity to share

a table with her."

Seulgi stared expectantly.

"And then?"

"We talked."

"For the first time?"

"You bet!" He laughed.

"But in the end, I didn't get a chance to introduce myself."

"Oh."

Seulgi's disappointment must've been obvious because he wave a hand and explained.

"But I guess my words got through her because she's living her passion."

"And that is?"

"Writing." He smiled after saying that and it somehow warmed her heart.

"She used to take medicine but ended up dropping out because she didn't feel like it's somewhere she belonged."

They downed the last drop of their coffee in silence.

Seulgi processed the new information and somehow, it was weird how all of what he told her was evidently familiar.

The nostalgia was inevitable.

As if on cue, a bus passed by slowly outside and a face pasted on it seemed

too familiar.

"Isn't that you?" She exclaimed in shock.

"You're the singer people talked about?!" She couldn't believe her eyes.

"I'm living the dream," he sarcastically said.

"Like how she told me to." He smiled gratefully.

Her phone started ringing and her editor was on the screen.

Oh no. Bad timing.

"I think I'll be leaving now," Seulgi begrudgingly said.

He nodded in understanding as she gathered her things up. A sinking feeling made her want to stay.

"Before you leave, can I introduce myself to you this time?" He asked expectantly and she paused and stare at him.

As if the gears started to click into place in Seulgi's mind, she let out an acknowledged question.

"Have we met before?"

With a warm smile, the handsome man extended his hand to her.

"Im Jaebeom. It's nice seeing you again," he introduced.

Finally.

~ The End ~

Thank u for reading 🙂

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