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It was a Thursday afternoon, and with sleep taking over his body before even hitting seven o’clock, Seungcheol decided to stop by a café near his place — just to make sure he wouldn’t pass out while driving. He wasn’t really a coffee person, only drank it in desperate moments like this. He just didn’t like it, no matter the type, how it was made, whether it had too much sugar or none at all, with cream or without. Seungcheol just wasn’t a fan.
But now, he found himself drinking coffee almost every day. And the reason for that was so ridiculous, even he couldn’t believe it.
Falling for the cute waitress wasn’t part of the plan. All he wanted was to grab a coffee, pay, and leave. That was it. Until his eyes landed on the prettiest girl he had ever seen in his life. Not even an exaggeration. Not even a little.
When she walked up to him, wearing a cute pink apron — that didn’t quite match the ones the other employees wore, so Seungcheol figured she had probably customized it herself — and a little bunny hair clip holding back her hair, making her look even more adorable, he was already a little impressed, but nothing too crazy.
The real problem started when he heard her voice. It was so sweet it made him feel a little sick. He almost got lost in his own thoughts. She had her head down, letting her hair cover most of her face. She probably would’ve stayed like that the whole time if Seungcheol had just said what he wanted right away, but he stood there, completely silent, like an idiot.
“Uh… Excuse me?” the girl said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she lifted her head slightly, making brief eye contact. That’s when he finally saw her face. And her eyes.
She had the most beautiful eyes he’d ever had the privilege of seeing, almost hypnotizing. Seungcheol found himself distracted again, only snapping back to reality when she spoke up once more.
After that, he awkwardly apologized and ordered his coffee. He stuttered twice, making the girl laugh as she wrote down his order. Was it possible to fall in love with a laugh? If it was, he was pretty sure it just happened.
“So, you want a c-coffee and a s-slice of pie?” she teased, mimicking the way he had spoken.
Seungcheol felt his face heat up, and Hani — he found out that was her name after glancing at her apron, where her name tag was pinned. A pretty name for a pretty girl, he thought — seemed to notice, judging by the way she suddenly looked flustered.
“Oh my god! I-I didn’t mean to be rude! I just thought it was cute! I’m so sorry!” She quickly bowed, her face just as red as his had been seconds ago.
“Hey, hey! Relax, it’s okay!” Seungcheol was quick to reassure her, flashing a gentle smile when she looked at him again. She seemed so worried that he actually felt bad. “Really, it’s fine!”
Hani straightened up, still red as a tomato, her hands visibly shaking as she held her notepad. “Sorry again… I shouldn’t have done that. Please don’t tell my boss or anything, I’m like, half a complaint away from getting fired,” she said, half-joking, but Seungcheol could hear the slight panic in her voice.
“I’m not going to, relax.” He looked at her, trying to sound as gentle as possible. It seemed to work, judging by the way her shoulders dropped along with a long sigh. “I still want my c-coffee and my pie,” he stuttered on purpose, making her let out a short, more relaxed laugh.
They didn’t talk much after that. Hani just confirmed his order and told him it would be ready in a few minutes. From a distance, Seungcheol noticed what looked like the café owner giving her a disapproving look. He wasn’t great at reading lips, but she seemed to respond with something like, It was just an accident.
A little later, the same man came over to ask if he was actually okay, and Seungcheol said he was — he even added that she was adorable.
Hani was also the one who handed him his coffee, smiling softly the whole time, though she still looked a little embarrassed. Before leaving, Seungcheol made sure to leave a generous tip.
When he got in his car and pulled the coffee out of the bag, he noticed a small note stuck to it.
“I’m sorry :( - Hani.”
He drove home smiling, and by the time he arrived, he wasn’t sure if it was the caffeine or something else. But one thing he did know — it was the best cup of coffee he’d ever had.
☕️
The next day, Seungcheol found himself back there again, and luckily, Hani was the one who served him. She looked a little surprised that he had come back, considering what had happened the day before.
Seungcheol ordered the same thing — a coffee and a slice of pie. But unlike yesterday, he planned to stay and eat there.
“Thanks for not getting me fired yesterday… That guy’s been on my back for months,” she joked, making Seungcheol chuckle. Across the café, Hani gave a small wave to the man Seungcheol now knew was her boss.
“It’s really fine. Just a misunderstanding. It would’ve been worse if you had actually been rude. I probably would’ve never stepped foot in here again out of pure embarrassment,” he said, earning a soft giggle from Hani.
She looked up at him from beneath her lashes, and Seungcheol felt his heart skip a beat.
They stayed quiet for a moment, a comfortable silence, like she didn’t want to leave, and Seungcheol definitely didn’t want her to either. So, of course, he wasn’t going to complain.
“Okay! I’ll be back with your order soon,” she finally broke the silence, turning away slowly and heading back to the counter.
Seungcheol followed her with his eyes and saw her boss saying something to her — something he couldn’t quite make out this time, but it didn’t seem all that nice. When the older man finally turned his attention elsewhere, Hani looked back at Seungcheol with an expression that basically said, See?
He nodded, laughing a little.
A few minutes later, Hani came back with his order. They exchanged smiles, and she lingered for a moment before walking away, just like she had earlier.
She only left when her boss’s almost angry voice called for her. Her eyes widened, and she quickly rushed back to the counter.
Seungcheol went home feeling happy, drinking his coffee like it was the best thing ever made.
☕️
Seungcheol did the same thing for two weeks. He stopped by the café, ordered the same two things — at this point, Hani had already memorized his order, so he didn’t even have to say it anymore — and talked to her until her boss eventually complained.
Things he knew about Hani so far:
1. She liked cute things.
2. She loved dresses and skirts and hated pants.
3. She was obsessed with bunnies.
4. She was studying childhood education.
5. She loved kids.
It wasn’t a lot, but considering they had never talked outside the café, knowing all that already felt like something.
At the end of the second week, after leaving the café, he followed his usual routine — sat in his car, smiled like a lovesick teenager, and pulled his coffee out of the bag.
This time, there was a note stuck to the cup, just like the first day they met.
“Call me :)” – You know who ♡
Along with her number.
Seungcheol silently celebrated in his car, completely forgetting about his drink.
The moment he got home, the first thing he did was save her number. That night, he found out what time she got off work, and they spent the rest of the evening texting, letting Seungcheol learn even more about her.
He talked about himself too, but he quickly realized she really liked to talk, so he just let her, smiling the whole time.
Even the way she typed was adorable. God, he was so gone for her, it was honestly embarrassing.
☕️
“you didn’t come today :( did you get tired of me?”
Seungcheol saw the notification on his phone and cursed himself internally.
Turned out he’d been so busy that he didn’t even realize he had skipped his usual stop at the café. He felt like an idiot, wondering if Hani had actually waited for him. He liked knowing she missed him, but he hated the thought that he might’ve left her waiting.
Seungcheol: “of course not, stop that 😭 i just didn’t have time, i’m so sorry :( i’ll go tomorrow for sure!”
Hani: “you better >:( i waited for you all day…”
Now Seungcheol had confirmation that Hani really had been waiting for him. He was happy for a second — until he actually thought about it. Hani waiting for him all day, getting disappointed when he didn’t show up.
Yeah. He felt like the biggest idiot in the world.
Seungcheol: “you did? i’m so sorry :( i really wanted to go.”
Hani: “i did!! i was like a little puppy, running to the door every time someone walked in 🙄🙄 i should spit in your coffee for this.”
Seungcheol: “if i take you out, will you forgive me?”
Seungcheol honestly had no idea where he found the courage to send that message. They had known each other for three weeks and had been talking more deeply for almost two.
But what if it was too soon? What if Hani didn’t want that kind of relationship with him?
Right as he was about to delete the message, her reply popped up on his screen. He let out a relieved sigh.
“hmm.. maybe. you can try :)”
Smiling at his phone, he started planning where to take Hani tomorrow.
☕️
Seungcheol waited outside Hani’s house. She was taking a little while, but he didn’t mind — he was way too happy to care about something so small.
He had asked her out earlier that day, while she was still at the café. By now, her boss seemed to have given up, only throwing the occasional angry glance but not really doing anything about it. Seungcheol felt bad for being the reason she got scolded so often.
Hani had accepted his invitation with excitement, even joking about how he had taken too long — when Seungcheol himself had been worried he was moving too fast. He wondered how long she had been waiting for this while he sat there waiting for her in the car. It was only fair she was taking her time. Now they were even.
After a few more minutes, he finally saw her stepping out the front door. Her long hair was loose, her freshly cut bangs making her look even prettier. She was wearing a knee-length dress, making her look like a princess straight out of an animated movie.
Seungcheol opened the car door for her, taking the chance to admire her beauty a little longer. Her makeup was light, but he could see the soft pink on her cheeks and the light red tint on her lips.
Hani looked beautiful — she was beautiful.
“You look pretty, really pretty.” Seungcheol didn’t miss the chance to compliment her, his eyes never leaving her face.
She thanked him shyly, twirling a strand of her hair around her fingers.
They sat in silence for a moment. Just as Seungcheol was about to start the car and drive off, Hani stopped him.
He turned to her with a confused look, watching as she took a deep breath before speaking — like she had been planning this moment for a while.
“Before we go, I need to tell you something… It’s important.”
Seungcheol could see her struggling to find the right words, and in that moment, his mind jumped to the worst possibilities. Did she already have a boyfriend? Did she have a terminal illness? Was—
Hani’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
“I’m a trans girl. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before, that was my mistake… I understand if you don’t want to go out with me anymore.”
She avoided eye contact, staring down at her lap as she nervously twirled a strand of hair between her fingers.
Seungcheol blinked, taking a moment to process. Did she really think he would back out because of that? He wondered if she had been through this before. The thought made his heart ache, especially seeing how nervous she was sitting next to him. She looked at him, almost begging for him to say something, and that’s when he realized he had been quiet for too long.
“It’s okay, Hani, really. I’m not going to stop seeing you because of this. I don’t care about any of that, and you’re still the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.”
He watched as relief washed over her features, a smile slowly forming on her face.
“Oh, thank god! I thought you were going to throw me out of the car!” Hani let out a deep sigh, like she had been carrying a weight on her shoulders for far too long.
“What? I would never do that!” Seungcheol said, completely shocked. The tension in the air had eased, making the atmosphere between them much lighter.
“I know! But I was still scared…” She gave him a look — almost sad — and for a second, Seungcheol had the urge to pull her close and kiss every inch of her face. But it was still early in the night.
“We can go now.”
Seungcheol tore his gaze away from the pretty girl, afraid he’d get distracted all over again, and finally started the car.
☕️
The night was coming to an end. It had been hours of pure happiness, passing so quickly that Seungcheol barely noticed — only realizing when he checked his phone and saw that it was almost eleven. He wished the night could last longer, but it was getting late, and Hani was starting to look a little tired. She reassured him, saying they could go out again another day, which made his heart feel warm. Hani wanted to see him again. That was good.
Now, they were parked in front of her house, still sitting inside the car. He was silently begging her to stay a little longer, and she was purposely taking her time to leave — both of them playing the same game.
They had been laughing for minutes, stuck in a loop of “Okay, I really have to go now,” followed by Seungcheol’s dramatic “Nooo, don’t gooo…!”
Her presence was so comforting. Seungcheol had felt happy and at ease the entire time, and he sincerely hoped Hani felt the same way. He wanted this night to have been just as good for her as it was for him.
Hani was funny, kind, adorable — shy yet outgoing at the same time, talkative, and always wearing outfits that made her look like a fairy. Seungcheol was completely head over heels for her, and it hadn’t even been a full month.
“Okay, I really have to go now.” Hani said, her bright smile never fading. She looked like she was having fun too.
Seungcheol’s lips immediately formed a pout, and she gave him a look of disbelief. “Oh, come on. You saw me practically all day.”
He didn’t respond, just kept looking at her with his little pout and puppy eyes. He would spend all twenty-four hours of the day with her if he could.
Seungcheol didn’t expect what happened next. Hani cupped his face gently and kissed him — just a quick, sweet peck, but it felt good. Her lips were soft, and he could taste the gloss she’d been reapplying a few minutes earlier. Unable to resist, he pulled her closer, deepening the kiss.
They spent a few more minutes like that, just exchanging kisses, nothing more. Seungcheol didn’t want to cross any boundaries, respecting her pace. He felt so happy, so content, and more than anything, he wished she didn’t have to go home just yet.
“I… I really have to go now.” She pulled away, running her hands awkwardly through her hair. “Can we see each other tomorrow?”
Seungcheol nodded, his excitement clearly visible, and Hani let out a soft giggle.
“Okay, see you tomorrow then.” She smiled and gave him another peck on the lips before opening the car door. She waved as she neared the house. Seungcheol waited until she was safely inside before pulling away.
He sat for another minute in the car, parked in the same spot, wearing a massive grin on his face — just like a teenager after his first kiss. He made a mental note to text her once he got home, thanking her for the wonderful day they’d had together. He also silently thanked the professor who had given the most boring lectures ever that Thursday. After all, if it weren’t for him, Seungcheol never would have gone to that café and never would have met Hani.
Seungcheol had never liked coffee, but now, It was his favorite drink.