Yang Jae Woo

The sun was just warm enough through his sweater that Jae Woo could have dozed off while standing. It was unusually warm weather for early spring, but it was a welcomed break from the steady frost of winter. The people of Seoul seemed to agree because the foot traffic was heavier than usual as people got out of work and school, eager to enjoy the remainder of their days.

Tae Hyun Won, the self-appointed Manager Tae, was droning on about his latest crush. He has fallen in love for the third time this semester with a girl at their university, and he was currently trying to recite a poem about how her hair reminded him of moonlight on the sea. It was nauseating, but Jae Woo was always a bit jealous of how easily and completely his best friend felt such deep emotions for someone. He may be delusional, but women do love a romantic man.

Tae Hyun Won ran his fingers through his hair in frustration as the pair walked down the sidewalk. "Damn, advanced calculus is easier than this..." He flung himself over Jae Woo's shoulders, making a noise akin to a whimper. "Help me, my best friend in the world, the handsome and talented Jae."

Jae bent beneath the weight of his friend and grabbed onto the strap of his bag to keep it from sliding off his shoulder. He made a noise of consideration. "You'll have to get me booked solid for the next two months, then I'll even write you an original poem. How about that?"

Hyun Won gave him a playful shake. "Fine, it's a deal," He straightened up and struck a confident pose. "Nothing is impossible for Manager Tae. Just watch, I'll have you so busy you won't have time to sleep. Let's take some pictures later for Insta to promote your performance this weekend."

Jae nodded in agreement as they entered a cafe. They had been coming to the same place since it opened a year ago, taking advantage of the location and free wifi to work on their class work together. The downside to this being their regular place was that everyone else knew that, too. Today there was someone seated at their usual table by the window, waiting for them.

Jae Woo gripped Hyun Won's arm hard enough to make him stop talking. He lowered his voice and grumbled in his ear, "What's she doing here?"

Hyun Won followed his gaze to the window. "How would I know? Let's ask her," Before Jae could stop him, Hyun Won wriggled free from his grip and started over to their table. "Hey, Min Seo!"

Min Seo swung around at her name, quickly pinpointing Jae Woo where he remained standing by the door. She smiled shyly and turned her gaze back to Hyun Won. "Hey, Hyun Won and Jae Woo Oppa. I've been waiting for you, is that okay? I wanted to make sure no one else would sit here before you came."

Hyun Won's charm flicked on like a switch at the opportunity to converse with a cute girl. It had been a few weeks since he confessed his attraction to the younger girl and was rejected, so his ego had ample time to heal. He seemed to have forgotten all about it now, taking the seat beside her with ease. Hyun Won tossed a glance over his shoulder at Jae Woo, waving him over. "Come on, you're blocking the door."

Jae Woo realized that he was unintentionally barring the way of a few girls who were trying to leave the cafe. He bowed his head and apologized, stepping farther inside the lobby, realizing it was too late to run. He tried not to seem too uncomfortable as he sat across them, grateful that Hyun Won took the empty seat beside Min Seo so he wouldn't have to.

"Hi, Jae Woo Oppa," Min Seo greeted sweetly, ducking her head. "I wanted to order for you but I wasn't sure when you were coming. You like Americano, right?"

Jae Woo smiled politely and returned her nod stiffly. "Yes. How can we help you? You must be busy with homework. We won't keep you long."

Hyun Won gave him a warning shot beneath the table, making him flinch at the kick. "How did you know we were coming today?" He added out of curiosity, trying to soften the blow of Jae Woo's formal tone.

Min Seo was undeterred by Jae Woo's apparent attempts to end the conversation. She wasn't oblivious to the way that he treated her, though it was no different than the cold way he handled everyone else. It wasn't that he was necessarily rude, though he did have a way of hurting his peers' feelings with his clipped tone. She hoped that integrating herself into his life more would help him treat her more like how he handles Hyun Won. "Oh, umm... I wanted to ask you something."

The way that Min Seo bit her lip and reached to tuck her long hair behind her ear was telling. Jae Woo braced himself and diverted the topic of conversation by shouting for the waitress. "Excuse me, we'd like to order," He waited for the petite girl to make her way over, hardly waiting for her to grab her notepad from the front of her apron. "I'd like an iced Americano, please," He gestured for Min Seo to place her order next. "Hyun Won Hyung is buying. Get whatever you want."

Min Seo looked delighted at the information, so when she turned to thank Hyun Won, he didn't have the heart to tell her that wasn't true. "Okay then, let's see... I'll have an Iced Americano, as well... And you like crepe cakes, right, Jae Woo Oppa?" She batted her lashes sweetly.

"I'm not hungry. Thanks," Jae Woo was already riffling through his book bag in search of today's lesson papers. He only had two hours before he had to get to his job, so he never wasted any time getting his assignments out of the way. There wasn't much schoolwork for him today, but any distraction from the nervous girl in front of him was welcomed. He knew her body language well enough to recognize that she liked him, but was still too shy to admit it. Not that it mattered to him, either way.

"Oh... Okay. Just the coffee for me, then," Min Seo concluded with a nod.

The waitress quickly caught on to the tension at the table and seemed eager to leave. It was unusual for such an attractive pair like Jae Woo and Min Seo not to be interested in each other, but the poor girl's affections were one-sided. Maybe he had a girlfriend already. Yet, the handsome guy's gaze was warmer toward his friend... The waitress bowed her head after taking the last guest's order and hurried back to the kitchen to gossip about what she gathered.

Hyun Won tried to ease the awkwardness by channeling his playful side. "How are your classes?" He directed all of his attention to Min Seo, more than happy to be a distraction from his pending homework. "Is there anything you're having trouble with? I'm smarter than I look," That was true. Despite his carefree personality, Hyun Won was quite book-smart. He always helped his classmates with hard lessons, which made him relatively popular in his classes.

When it came to English, however, Jae Woo became popular again. Spending summers during his youth visiting his aunt and cousins in L.A. made him proficient in speaking English.

Jae Woo tuned their conversation out as he hurriedly finished his homework assignments, seeing that Hyun Won had no intention of rushing their classmate off. After almost an hour, Hyun Won was having a hard time keeping Min Seo's attention from drifting to his good-looking friend across the table. He figured that it was only a matter of time before he lost her to Jae Woo again, but he didn't feel any jealousy as he did at first. It wasn't Jae's fault that he was magnetic to other people, and he hated that people felt drawn to him when he wasn't on stage.

"Jae Woo Oppa..." Min Seo began, seeming to feel more confident after spending a bit of time in his presence without being shooed off. She held onto her glass and fiddled with her straw as she took a breath to steady herself before continuing. If she didn't ask him now, she knew that she never would. "Are you dating anyone?"

Jae Woo shuttered his eyes for a long moment and when they opened again, he was glaring at Hyun Won, as though he could have prevented the question from being asked. Jae Woo sighed and closed his laptop, lacing his fingers as he leveled the cute girl with his gaze. "I'm not interested in dating anyone," He stated plainly, offering a polite smile. "It's a distraction and nothing else."

Min Seo took his words in stride, despite the obvious rejection. If he wasn't in a relationship, that meant she had a chance to stay beside him until she made him change his mind about dating. She was confident enough in her looks that she was certain she would be able to make Jae Woo like her back with enough time. "I see. Let's add each other on Kakao, okay? Just in case I need help with any lessons," She added that last part to cover up her true intentions, pushing her unlocked phone across the table before he could argue. "I'd also like to get to know you better. Everyone thinks you're cold, but I'd like to prove them wrong."

Jae Woo sighed and gave his friend a look over the table. Hyun Won wouldn't meet his gaze as he sucked on the straw of his empty drink. It's up to you now, he seemed to say. Jae Woo couldn't think of a valid excuse to deny his contact information to his classmate without being completely rude. He had given her no reason to expect kindness from him, yet Min Seo insisted on pushing his boundaries. It was almost as though she knew that he wasn't a mean person and that it was all an act to keep people away. It was dangerous to get too close to him, but he wouldn't explain that to anyone. Having Hyun Won was enough for him.

Jae Woo steeled his nerves. Min Seo was young and hopeful- she didn't know what she was asking of him by pursuing him like this. "I never said there wasn't anyone I'm interested in," He finally said, pushing Min Seo's phone away from him. "Besides, I don't give my information out to just anyone."

"Oh... But you said..." Min Seo was too stunned by the contradiction. She sat and stared at her rejected phone, brow knit with confusion. She knew how attractive she was, so it was insulting to be so easily rejected like that. There were so many guys vying for her attention daily, yet the one she was really interested in brushed her away like a fly.

Jae Woo used her hesitation to his advantage. He scooped his things into his bag and stood, turning towards the exit. "Hyung, make sure Min Seo gets home safely. I'll be heading out."