Seunghyeon bit his lip as he piped a swirl of icing on a lemon roll cake, finishing them off with a little swoop. Pulling back with a grin and with the last of the icing, he squeezed it onto the tip of his finger and licked it off, humming.

"Hey, you done?" Kwangsun asked from the table at the other side of the backroom.

"Almost," Seunghyeon said and peeled off his gloves. He walked over and leaned against a chair, chuckling as Kwangsun poured the freshly roasted beans into airtight containers. "Need help?"

Kwangsun shook his head and set the sack down between the legs of his chair. With a cheeky grin, Kwangsun picked up a bean and placed his hands behind his back. Then he held out two fists. "Guess which one has the bean, Kitty."

Seunghyeon pursed his lips and Kwangsun wiggled his eyebrows. Snorting a laugh, Seunghyeon squinting at Kwangsun's hands, humming. "This one," he said, poking Kwangsun's left hand.

"Correct," Kwangsun said and opened his palm to reveal a single coffee bean. "Good job."

Seunghyeon chuckled. "Thanks. What do I win?"

"The bean, of course." Kwangsun gently held his hand, turned it over and placed it onto Seunghyeon's palm. Seunghyeon bit the inside of his cheek and closed his fist.

As Kwangsun pulled away, his fingers brushing against Seunghyeon's skin, a shudder ran up his arm and his chest tingled. Seunghyeon stiffened and dropped his arm, tucking the bean into his pocket. He cleared his throat, shaking the giddiness out of his head. "Now I can make the world's tiniest espresso," he said dramatically and headed back to the counter.

"It'll be the best coffee you'll ever have. That bean is priceless. I searched through all these beans to give you the perfect one," Kwangsun said, gesturing to all the beans around him.

Seunghyeon bit back a smile, eyeing him for a moment before grabbing another pair of gloves. "If that's the case we should display it in a gallery and get famous."

Kwangsun whistled. "That's the dream."

Giggling, Seunghyeon grabbed the powdered sugar and sieve. "And then after, maybe Monsta Z will give us free tickets to their concerts."

"Ah, that'd be cool," Kwangsun said. "I've been listening to them on repeat since you showed them to me."

Seunghyeon hummed, his chest swelled up at the idea of Kwangsun enjoying the same music.

"They're actually hosting a concert soonish," Seunghyeon said, ignoring his rising heartbeat. He shook his head and turned around. "You should come with me. It'll be fun."

Kwangsun blinked at him before grinning. "Yeah, that sounds awesome. When is it?"

Seunghyeon beamed. "I can't remember the date," he said, humming. "But I know it's in July."

Kwangsun's face fell. "Oh." He averted his eyes and rubbed his chin. "Um..."

Seunghyeon tilted his head. When he opened his mouth to speak, the bell above the door chimed and Kwangsun shot up. "I got it," he said and hurried out of the room.

"Uh, yeah," Seunghyeon said and watched him leave. He heard Insoo's voice and shook his head.

He dusted the top of the cakes with more sugar and gnawed at his bottom lip. Was July not a good time for Kwangsun? Well, even if that was the case, it wasn't a big deal. Seunghyeon took a deep breath and nodded. They still had the whole summer to hang out. Seunghyeon hummed and set the cakes on a tray, thinking of new, more exciting plans.

Seunghyeon padded across the living room, readjusting his headband as he plopped onto the couch next to Taeyong. He rested his head on Taeyong's shoulder, watching him hold his phone up and talk to their parents.

Their parents were dressed in bright tracksuits, raving about their weekly exercise in the park. Though, Eomma was more enthusiastic about being fit while Appa just enjoyed the greenery. Not that he could blame him. Like Seunghyeon and Myungsuk, they were the three plump ones in the family while Taeyong and Eomma were like sticks. Well...Seunghyeon glanced down at Taeyong's bump.

"Ah, is that a little mouse I see," Appa hummed out, adjusting his glasses.

Laughing, Seunghyeon sat up as Taeyong tilted the phone towards him. "Hi, Eomma, Appa."

"Seunghyeon, where have you been?" Eomma asked.

"I was doing a write-up for one of my paintings," Seunghyeon explained. "To put in my portfolio."

Eomma nodded. "Ah, good. At least they're doing something to prepare you for the real world."

Seunghyeon rolled his eyes, chuckling. "I will get a job, Eomma. Don't worry."

"We just want you to get a good job," Appa insisted with a gentle smile.

"I know." He also knew they wouldn't get off his back until he actually started working, no matter what he said. Clearing his throat, Seunghyeon sat up. "How's Shanghai, by the way? How's work?"

"It's busy," Eomma said with a sigh. "But good."

"Things are going as scheduled," Appa added. "And"–Appa and Eomma glanced at each other–"we probably won't renew our contract when it's done."

Taeyong and Seunghyeon sat up. "What? Really?" Taeyong asked.

"But you've worked so hard to get to Shanghai? And you're going to only come back after a year?" Seunghyeon added. Working abroad was their life dream, and it took the boys so long to convince them to not give up and go. "If you're worried about Myungsuk and me, we're fine. We like living with Hyung," Seunghyeon insisted.

Taeyong nodded and leaned against Seunghyeon. "Same here."

Eomma and Appa shook their heads. "It's not that. We know you three are enjoying yourselves," Eomma said.

"But we–how do I say this? We realized after the year is over, we'll have achieved everything we wanted to do here," Appa explained. "And, we want to be there for the baby and be good grandparents."

Taeyong rubbed his bump and smiled weakly. "If that's what you want," he said, and Seunghyeon sensed Taeyong's pheromones sweeten. Cracking a smile, he nudged Taeyong's shoulder.

"Anyway." Seunghyeon cleared his throat. "Our summer plans? When are we going to the house?" The quaint house among rolling fields and tall cliffs was the epitome of summer. The year wasn't complete without visiting their grandparents' country home.

"I was thinking right after the baby shower," Taeyong said and turned to his phone. "If you two fly in on Saturday, we'll host in on Sunday. Then we leave on Monday for a week."

"Only a week?" Eomma asked. "We can try to get two. You should rest well. The fresh air will be good for the baby."

"I know," Taeyong sighed. "But the cafe will be busy. I can't leave for so long."

Seunghyeon furrowed his brows. "Why don't you just ask Kwangsun to take extra shifts for the time being?"

Taeyong chuckled. "I wish. But he's gone the whole summer."

Seunghyeon shot up. What?

"Who is Kwangsun?" Appa asked.

"He's one of my employees. He studies with Seunghyeon, actually. He's very nice and hardworking," Taeyong explained.

"Wait, wait, wait," Seunghyeon sputtered out. "Where's Kwangsun going?"

Taeyong raised his eyebrow. "To Nigeria." Seunghyeon's heart dropped. "I think he said for his cousin's wedding." Taeyong smiled and sighed. "It must be nice having family all over the world," Taeyong added before squinting at him. "Didn't you know?"

Seunghyeon felt a lump in his throat. "Uh– yeah. Yeah, of course, I knew. I just"–Seunghyeon ran his fingers through his hair– "forgot."

Taeyong eyed him for a moment before nodding, turning back to his phone, and continuing the conversation with their parents. "About Myungsuk's heat..."

Seunghyeon fell back. Weren't Kwangsun and him friends? Seunghyeon even planned on them hanging out over the summer. He didn't expect Kwangsun to tell him everything about himself but wasn't leaving the country for two months. At least he could have brought it up in passing. Kwangsun told Taeyong, so why didn't he tell him?

Seunghyeon's stomach twisted and he raked his fingers through his hair with a sigh, sinking deeper into the couch. Guess they weren't as close as he thought.