Chapter Text
The first time you saw him had been on a Tuesday afternoon during rush hour. There wasn’t anything particularly remarkable about him at first glance and the coffee shop surely was busy enough to where you wouldn’t have noticed him if it hadn’t been for the fact that your boss had wandered over to him. It wasn't strange for Jaehee to insert herself in the conversations of her customers, she liked to get to know them. It was the fact that she was holding a casual conversation longer than a minute or two with the stranger. You could swear that the stern posture she held with her arms folded over her chest was one that she only passed out to those she was familiar with.
Your concentration on the pair was broken abruptly by the shrill cry from a nearby table of an elderly couple demanding more coffee. Not missing a beat, you brought the pot to them and filled both cups to the brim. All the while, you found your eyes drifting back to Jaehee and the stranger. You couldn’t get a decent look at him past Jaehee's body, the only thing standing out being his vibrant red hair that bounced as he chatted animatedly.
Rush hour passed sooner than expected and the relief it brought you lifted a heavy weight off your shoulders. The sigh that was dragged out of you was one that could only be the result of a job well done. As you go behind the counter, your eyes focus on the stranger again. While you imagined he’d be gone by then with Jaehee no longer at his side, he continued to be huddled over his laptop, typing at a lightning speed. It was still hard to make anything out about him as his hunched position didn’t allow you to see his face, only his hair and dark, over-sized jacket.
'What could he possibly be working on? 'You thought to yourself quietly.
Scanning the shop quickly for anyone who might need your immediate attention, you nervously grabbed a fresh pot of coffee. The least you could do was refill his cup and offer conversation, right? Crossing the room, you stopped short at his table. You parted your lips, but snapped them shut as you stared at him.
Despite being in front of him, his eyes never left his screen as he said in a joking tone, “Are you kicking me out?”
“What?” You said uneasily. You mentally berated yourself for not choosing a wittier reply.
At that, he snapped his head up and turned bright red when he noticed you. “Oh,” He chuckled nervously. “You’re not Jaehee.”
Raising an eyebrow, you said with a small grin, “Sorry to disappoint you.”
“No, I’m glad to see your face instead!” He blurted. Realizing what he said, he shifted in his seat and moved his gaze back to his laptop screen.
Allowing your grin to grow to show your teeth, you held the coffee pot up for him to see. “Want more?”
Not trusting himself, he nodded.
Smiling, you filled his cup then stepped back. Without any thought or shame, your eyes danced across his visage and couldn’t help but zone in on his glasses. The stripes were certainly peculiar and you couldn’t say you were fond of them without straight out lying. Despite that, you found that he had an attractive face that left heat rising to your cheeks. Before you could help yourself, you instantly wondered if your uniform was sloppy as was your tendency when you just got through rush hour. You even brought a hand to the ponytail on top of your head, smoothing back any stray hairs.
'Abort mission, abort mission,' Your mind screamed.
Instead, you said, "My name's MC."
His eyes glinted as he cleared his throat and pulled together a smile. "I'm Saeyoung."
Your head became a jumbled mess at the smoothness of his voice that sent chills up your spine and you knew at once that this conversation needed to end immediately. Spinning on your feet quickly with your escape route planned out, you barely got one step forward before Saeyoung had your attention again with the the loud shuffling he produced. Glancing over your shoulder, you barely caught sight of him dashing out the door with his laptop tucked safely under his arm. A part of you became tempted to follow him out, but the other half knew how creepy that would be. One conversation didn’t constitute the right to question a person’s behavior.
“MC!” Jaehee suddenly called from behind the counter. Her eyes found yours and the movement of them told you to get back to work.
Pulling a professional smile back to your face, you called, “Coming!”
As you proceeded from table to table to check on for the remainder of your shift, you couldn’t help but let your mind wander to the red haired stranger that knew your boss. It might be selfish of you, but you hoped he came in again.