Another week had passed and Han was placing clean glasses on a shelf when Chan called out to him, a startled tone in his voice.

«Jisung!»

Han, who was standing on tiptoe, almost lost his balance.

«What the f-» he put down the last glass and turned to glare at his boss, who was chuckling, «Stop scaring me!»

But Chan continued to grin, biting his lip as if he was up to something.

«You are creepy, what's wrong?» Han grumbled impatiently.

Chan waved a little blue letter under Jisung's eyes: «It was under the doormat at the entrance» he said, with a winking look.

«So what?» the young man snorted, returning to his work and ignoring the other.

«It says 'for Sungie', I guess it's you»

Han blushed at the nickname and snatched the letter from Chan's hands, who sneered, walking away to give him privacy. He knew perfectly well who had left it there and seeing the flash of hope that Han's eyes had involuntarily shown warmed his heart.

Jisung quickly opened the letter once Chan had moved away and read it eagerly.

"Maybe it's stupid, maybe I should leave you alone and you don't want to see me anymore,

but I can't help but try to make you smile, even if it's just with notes.

You won't get rid of me easily, yellow apron boy.

Minho"

Han felt his heart sink, but he tried to keep his face expressionless. He put the note in his pocket and continued working, his eyebrows less furrowed than before.

The next morning Chan was changing at the back of the cafe when he heard a noise at the entrance. He leaned out to see if Han had arrived and smiled when he saw him bent in front of the door, lifting and inspecting the doormat, probably looking for another letter from Minho.

He decided to make fun of him a little. He approached silently, the other too busy inspecting the floor to notice, and asked: «Looking for something?»

Han put a hand to his heart and stood up abruptly, «No!» he denied, blushing.

Chan reached into his apron pocket and waved an orange letter in front of his face: «So you don't want this?» he chuckled.

«If it's for me, I think I should read it,» Han muttered, reaching out to grab it.

Chan let him take it and, chuckling, walked away.

"Tsk, he's having fun"

He didn't waste a moment and opened the letter, biting his lower lip.

"Smile today, even if this Earth doesn't deserve it.

Min"

.          .          .

"I miss you, squirrel."

"You are so handsome. Even with that yellow apron."

"I dreamed about you, tonight too."

Minho left notes for Jisung at the café almost everyday, to let him know he was there, that he always thought about him.

And Han found himself trotting towards Chan every morning with a small smile, waiting for his boss to hand him the daily letter.

«What do you want?» the older asked, to tease him a little.

«Hyung, please!» Han grumbled, reaching for Chan's apron, where he was sure to find yet another note from Minho. The boy probably left them in front of the door in the evening or early in the morning before the Cafe opened and Chan collected them, saving them for the younger.

«Okay, okay!» Chan sneered, finally giving him the piece of paper and enjoying the scene of Han opening it, trying to mask his enthusiasm.

And then he turned red, every single time. His cheeks would heat up and he would fold up the note, quickly slipping it into his pocket and going back to work, feigning indifference.

«Ya, at least tell me what he writes to you that makes you blush like that!» Chan blurted out that morning, receiving a middle finger from the other.

«I'm not blushing! He wrote to me to take care of the old owner of this place who is starting to lose his hair!» Jisung retorted, with a challenging look.

Chan pointed the finger at him, «Did I ever tell you that you're terrible, Han Jisung?»

Han nodded with a grin and went back to work, but continued to think about that day's note from time to time.

"My bed seems empty without you"

.          .          .

Minho was late that morning, but he didn't want to give up going to the Café to leave his note, despite everything.

He had been through some hellish weeks, he didn't sleep and when he did he was awakened by nightmares. At work he had less energy than usual. The only thing that got him out of bed in the morning was leaving the note for Jisung.

He had no idea if Jisung liked them or if maybe he just threw them away without reading them, so when he saw Chan already entering the Cafe, he hurried over, determined to ask him for a feedback.

«Hyung!» he called him, a little yellow letter in his hand.

Chan turned around with a smile: «Minho, good morning! Would you like a coffee?» he proposed, pushing the door to enter.

«No, thank you, I'm already late for my training.» Minho stopped him, «I just want to leave this...» he said, embarrassed, holding out the letter to the other. Chan took it with a smile and put it in his pocket.

«Hyung, am I doing well? Does he seem irritated to hear from me?»

Chan sneered, «Irritated? It's the first thing he asks me every morning, without even saying hello.» he smiled, making the dancer's face light up.

«He comes to me, bats his eyelashes and holds out a hand. He loves your messages, Minho» he added with a sweet smile.

Minho nodded, his face slightly sad.

«It's none of my business, of course, but...» Chan watched him with soft eyes, «Why don't you stop and talk to him sometime?»

Minho sighed, unsure if that was the right thing to do. He didn't want to pressure him, he didn't want to make mistakes again.

«I don't know, Chan-hyung.» he just said.

The older one didn't want to see him sad and messed up his hair with his hand, getting a dirty look from the younger.

«Have a nice day, then!» he smiled at him, while Minho rearranged his hair angrily.

«Tsk, bye!» he blurted out, quickly disappearing.

Moments later the door of the café opened and Jisung entered.

«Good morning!» Chan greeted him.

Jisung returned the greeting and stared at him for a moment. He had just seen a figure that looked like Minho walking away and he wanted to ask Chan, but on the other hand it seemed a childish thing to him.

«Minho came by» said the older, taking away his embarrassment and giving him the letter.

«Oh really?» he said, faking disinterest.

«He seems to be doing better» Chan commented, with a more serious face.

Han looked at him perplexed, turning the piece of paper between his fingers: «What do you mean?»

«He really felt guilty» the orange-haired boy explained, walking towards the coffee machine and turning it on, making it gurgle.

Han sighed, «Guilty?» he murmured, thinking that Minho had already had too much sense of guilt in his life.

«It's not me who should tell you, but I think that's why he replaced you here while you were away. I mean for free..»

Han thought back to the mysterious replacement that Chan had mentioned and of which he had found no trace. No different apron, no name tag, no invoice.

«So it was him...»

Chan nodded gently and in silence the two boys began to work.

«I want to be able to love again» he told the therapist that day.

And she smiled.

«Finally, Han. You want to live again.»

«I think so, I feel... Angry.»

She nodded, «At who?»

«At everybody.» he blurted out, feeling an energy he hadn't felt in a while, «At the shitty people in my life, at my dad for leaving me like that, at myself for being so weak, at my mother for not being able to pay for my therapy before, at the previous therapist,» he paused for a second, «at Minho...»

«It's okay to feel that way, Jisung.» she smiled with her eyes, «Why are you angry at Minho?»

«I don't know, I...» tears rolled down Han's chubby cheeks as he searched for words, «Why did he disappear? Why doesn't he write a message to me? He has my number!»

The therapist looked at him with a smile. He was finally opening up about his feelings.

«He often comes by my house, he hears from my mother, he hears from Chan, I discovered that he even worked for me when I couldn't!» Han blurted out, finally letting it all out.

«He leaves you letters every morning» she added, with a smile.

«Yes, of course, it's very cut, but... Why doesn't he stop to say hello?»

«So you don't want him to stay away from you anymore?» she asked, making him realize what he was saying.

«Hell, I never wanted that! I'm just a coward who can't admit it» he mumbled, more to himself.

She watched him in silence as he wiped his face and blew his little red nose.

«I want to get better» Han finally said and there was determination in his eyes.

«You will, Jisung. I promise you.»

.          .          .

A few nights later, Minho came back at closing time. Han was walking out, waving at Chan, his eyes looking much better.

Minho walked over and without a word put the black hat on his head. He had kept it since that evening but its place was on Jisung's head, contouring his chubby face.

«Keep it, please.» he just said.

Han smiled surprise as he stroked that soft fur. He missed it so much.

He just nodded with a smile, without being able to find anything to say. He was happy to see him, he had often looked up from the counter to peer out the window, in case Minho passed by.

The older didn't want to be intrusive. So, with a hint of a smile, he turned to go home. He wasn't expecting anything back that night.

«Wait» Han's voice was insecure, but reached the older fully. The boy stopped without turning around.

«Won't you take me home?»

Moon's  note:

My stars, how are u?

I'm late I know, but I am working too and I wrote 'Why him?' (did u like it?)

I also started posting on AO3, are you there too? I prefere Wattpad but... Let's try!

Anyway, hope you like this chapter!! Let me know and don't forget to vote <3