Chapter Text
Doyoung Kim, twenty-seven, is content in his small town, running his small business. His Dawn & Dusk Café has picked up enough traction in its three years on the town’s quaint Main Street for him to keep the place looking sharp and luxurious, and serving only the best quality coffee and treats.
Or at least, he would be content, if he didn’t have to share the spotlight with the equally beloved Deja Brew, another café situated precisely across the street from him, to Doyoung’s perpetual annoyance. Tragically, all he has to do to see his archnemesis— Johnny Suh, the irritatingly charming owner of Deja Brew— is to look up, the rivaling coffee shop’s wide front window clearly displaying its inhabitants and inner workings day in and day out.
In some measure it’s good, Doyoung supposes; it provides a chance to keep an eye on the enemy. An unlikely enemy, as the cheerful inhabitants of the town would be entirely against even entertaining the idea that Deja Brew’s owner could harbor any sort of ill will… But Doyoung is onto Johnny Suh. He was suspicious from the moment the man had set up shop, the very week after Dawn & Dusk’s grand opening. Doyoung is entirely sure Johnny’s heavenly cookies, smooth espresso, and pretty smile are all just menacing factors aiding him in accomplishing his evil master plan: to take down Doyoung’s business.
---
The weather is breezy and sunny, the mid-autumn air perfectly crisp, and Doyoung is in a particularly irritable mood. He wipes down the steamer on his shop’s state-of-the-art espresso machine, staring at his blurred reflection in the chrome finish for much longer than necessary. It’s on slow days like these, golden late morning light slanting into the shop after the pre-work rush, that he finds it the most difficult not to lift his gaze towards the front window. If he did, he knows Deja Brew’s owner would catch his focus and keep it. The time of day indicates to Doyoung that said man is most likely out front making changes to the chalkboard sign, which usually lists the available confections in endearingly hard-to-read handwriting.
Not that Doyoung is actively trying to avoid Johnny, or anything. The man has simply been on his mind too often, and the logical explanation is that it has something to do with Doyoung’s irrational fear of Deja Brew running him out of business. Very irrational, because in their three years of co-existing, the support for their businesses has only skyrocketed. Their small town’s main street became a popular stop for commuters passing through on their way to the city because of the abundance of good coffee. Not to mention there is a college located at a walkable distance, resulting in students filling the shops during late afternoons.
However, whatever the case may be, Doyoung wants to be the best coffee shop in town, not ‘one of the best,’ ew, and he ends up vacillating wildly between hyper-fixating on his competition and attempting (failing) to put him out of his mind.
Doyoung is lazy today, and doesn’t currently feel like investigating the ways in which he knows Johnny is planning total coffee domination, so his attention slides over to one of his employees. Jaemin, the barista he hired at the beginning of the year, is currently designing new latte art with a focused scrunch to his expression. Doyoung must accidentally watch Jaemin’s hands too intently, because the kid looks up, makes eye contact, and raises his eyebrows in question. He keeps pouring, though, only looking down again after a full second, but doesn’t spill a drop or mess up the art in the slightest.
“Carry on,” Doyoung murmurs belatedly, but he’s sure from his own unfocused aura Jaemin has already figured out he’s not being scrutinized. Good; he’d never want to make Jaemin feel nervous or unfairly criticized. Though sometimes strange, and apparently obsessed with the poetry club at his university, he’s a good kid.
But, Doyoung reflects, Jaemin doesn’t seem to get nervous, at least in external appearance. His unflappable, calm facade has been many times successful in making customers blush and stammer around him. Particularly the ones who approach him with the intention of hitting on him, who never get very far because of the continuous presence of his boyfriend. Renjun, though tiny, has the ability to appear sweetly menacing from his favorite bar stool at the counter whenever Jaemin gestures towards him to fend off advances.
Speaking of his resident college students, Doyoung completely blames them for the way the ever widening crack in his resolve finally bursts open— He looks across the street the very second he hears them giggle about something occurring over at Deja Brew. Not exactly his longest record of ignoring the rival café, he concedes.
Something seems to have happened inside with one of Johnny’s baristas, which is what Jaemin and Renjun are whispering about, but that’s not what Doyoung fixates on. On the other side of the narrow street is Johnny Suh himself, clearly having gotten distracted in the middle of writing on his chalkboard sign on the sidewalk— in order to play with an elderly lady’s golden retriever. His face crinkles with the blinding wattage of his full smile, and Doyoung can tell at least some cooing at the dog is involved, with how his mouth is moving. The dog’s owner still holds the leash, but she’s relaxed, clearly delighted at the interaction. As Johnny crouches down to rub the golden’s tummy, Doyoung spots a piece of chalk tucked behind his ear, resulting in light blue chalk marks left on his cheekbone and silky, dark brown hair.
The woman and her dog continue on their way, but seconds later, Doyoung watches as Johnny greets a young father and the twins he’s pushing in his stroller. They look around three years old, and Doyoung doesn’t miss the way Johnny’s posture artfully slumps inwards a little, unconsciously making himself less intimidating. It does make him look more approachable, Doyoung will give him that, but does absolutely nothing to diminish his height or build. Johnny is extremely strong and healthy, the fullness of his muscles plus a protective layer over them being a topic of begrudging envy. Doyoung has never been one to be considered robust, though not for lack of trying. He’s slight and becomes cold rather easily, as it is, so he’d kill to be as comfortable as Johnny seems to be in the winter months, or throwing boxes of supplies around like they weigh nothing. Those are the only reasons Doyoung notices, of course. Basic, evolutionary survival reasons, are they not?
He snaps back to attention as the sweet family enters Johnny’s cafe, the agreeable, still smiling owner holding the door for them. Doyoung rolls his eyes hard enough they might fall out of his skull. Point to Deja Brew, once again stealing Doyoung’s customers via charm; how manipulative. There’s no way any one man is that perfect. This has got to be a sign that Johnny is sitting on a scheme, just waiting to use it to take Doyoung’s business down. Right? These accidental reconnaissance missions aren’t for nothing, he’s got to stay on his toes.
Game on.
The bell above the front door chimes as a customer enters, and Doyoung gets back to work with the cheeriest greeting he can muster.
---
Doyoung doesn’t have to turn around to pinpoint the exact second Donghyuck walks into his shop, because he hears it.
“Alright losers, you’ve convinced me to spend my precious afternoon with you.”
Renjun laughs from his seat at the counter where he’s hesitantly sipping Jaemin’s latest coffee concoction, mock offended.
“What, instead of with Mark? You two wouldn’t have even
met
if it weren’t for Jaemin and I,” Renjun shoots back.
Jaemin mumbles something that Doyoung can’t quite catch, but he suspects it must also be sassy in nature. Donghyuck whips around to look at Jaemin to give him an apprehensive look— but Jaemin simply resumes stacking biscotti in the display case, chocolate side down.
“Yeah? Well you two wouldn’t be dating if it weren’t for meeeee,” Donghyuck continues, evidently electing to ignore Jaemin.
Jaemin’s frown deepens, and he pretends to throw a dessert spoon at Donghyuck, who screeches. Renjun covers his ears.
Doyoung sighs, beyond glad there are currently no customers in the shop. He can do this— only a few more hours in the work day, he can attempt to stay out of whatever dysfunctional friend group his star employee is involved in. He’ll be on his own for the evening once Jaemin’s shift finishes, in any case.
The afternoon plods along slowly, at least where customers are concerned. This gives Jaemin, Renjun, and Donghyuck ample time to once again stare across the street into Deja Brew’s front windows, a pastime that Doyoung likes to pretend is unfamiliar to him. He tries his best not to look when a dramatic gasp erupts from Jaemin (and his two parasites), but he’s ultimately unsuccessful.
One of Johnny’s newer baristas (Jeno, Doyoung thinks his name is) had dropped a clean ceramic mug on the floor, and quickly crouched to sweep up the pieces with a dustpan. The three troublemakers are so focused on watching him that Doyoung wonders if the barista, perhaps, is what they were giggling about earlier.
After cleaning up, Jeno walks past the expansive front window again to return to work. He runs his hand through his dark hair and Doyoung thinks he hears a sigh from Renjun?... Jaemin? Both? He really can’t tell…
Mark, Johnny’s other young barista, pats Jeno gently on the back and ruffles his hair. Jeno’s masculine face softens from stressed to a pleasant smile.
“Why are they ALL hot in there, it’s really not fair, is it,” Jaemin intones, sounding bored but Doyoung suspects otherwise— he’s been sweeping the same section of the floor for over a minute now.
“Hey, Mark is mine,” Donghyuck reminds the room.
Renjun rolls his eyes.
Donghyuck continues, “Besides, he’s not the one you should be looking at. Objectively, Johnny’s always gonna be the most attractive, he has that dilf thing going on.”
“He’s not even a father, I don't know why you always say that,” Renjun says, shaking his head a bit.
“It’s just the vibes. I can’t explain. Doyoung knows what I mean. Right, hyung?” Donghyuck sends a simpering smile at Doyoung, his only intention to mess with him.
It works, Doyoung having no choice but to splutter out a “No!” before managing a mostly disinterested shrug and quickly turning his back to wash some dishes.
---
The early morning sky is awash with hints of violet and peach, the sun not yet ready to creep over the horizon line. It’s one of the perks of having to get up early every morning to open the café. The deliveries of supplies may often be before dawn, but experiencing the quiet before the day starts is something that Doyoung enjoys.
Doyoung stands on the sidewalk, absentmindedly kicking at a stray leaf as he awaits his weekly delivery of coffee beans and sugar. The chill creeps under his denim jacket, puffs of breath visible despite how mild and pleasant the days have been. The temperature has started to drop at night, resulting in the trees lining the town’s main street turning varying shades of yellow, red, and brown.
It’s pretty, one of Doyoung’s favorite times of the year, but it doesn’t change the fact that his autumn allergies are in full swing. He’d woken up that morning with slightly watery eyes and a sneeze attack, now very aware that his nose is probably still rubbed pink. He shoves his hands into his pockets and bounces in place a couple times to try to stay warm.
Across the street, a light turns on in a window directly above Deja Brew. Doyoung tries not to anticipate Johnny exiting the front door— but there’s no one else it could be, Johnny residing in the apartment above his own shop and rarely being seen with company. Sure enough, about twenty seconds later he steps out into the morning chill. It’s to be expected, Doyoung rationalizes, he’s been getting deliveries from the same truck recently anyways.
“Hey, neighbor!” Johnny calls animatedly from across the narrow street.
Doyoung rolls his eyes to himself, imagining that Johnny is being purely sarcastic with his overt friendliness.
“Hey,” Doyoung replies softly, tone wary.
“What, is it a bit too early to be chipper? My apologies,” Johnny says, a twinkle in his eye.
“Hah. Well, some of us can function in the morning without multiple cups of coffee first; your energy isn’t real,” Doyoung shoots back.
Johnny puts a hand over his heart dramatically, “You injure me! I thought we were kindred coffee spirits,” he says playfully. Doyoung becomes even more irritated as he noticed the annoyingly perfect swoops of Johnny’s silky hair, which has been getting longer recently and brushes along the side of his cheekbones and jaw—
Headlights come around the corner, the truck’s noisy rumbling disrupting Doyoung’s exasperated train of thought. It’s business as usual, both of them signing off on their deliveries and Doyoung trying not to focus on being closer to his arch nemesis than he usually is during the rest of the week.
Johnny insists on lifting a particularly heavy box onto Doyoung’s hand cart for him, barely straining with something that would have Doyoung huffing and puffing (and potentially injuring himself). Doyoung’s cheeks go warm— but he’s only flustered because this is a manipulation, an assertion of dominance that Johnny thinks he’s better! Not today, Suh!!
But it’s early, the town just beginning to stir, so Doyoung yawns once and wheels his delivery through the front door of his own shop, pretending not to see Johnny’s cheerful wave.