"If you wait for luck to help you, you'll have an empty stomach..."

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Seonghwa POV:

"What..."

"I'm sorry, Hwa...the landlord wants to rent it to higher buyer.....Hey, when do you get off of work? I'll pick you up and bring you there to get your stuff."

The news of my apartment being sold unexpectedly was something that shook me to my core. In previous cases, the landlord would be at least generous enough to give me two-week's notice. However, I was too stunned to process the reality of the situation, as now I would be practically homeless. My mind was blank, but I knew this was just another case of bad luck.

"Don't bother picking me up.... I get off at 8 tonight...I'll meet you there..." I barely whispered.

"Hwa, it's going to be alright, we will figure something-"

Not wanting to hear anything more, I ended the call and stared into the sky, tears threatening to spill from my eyes at my luck striking against me once again. Trying to secure a lease was nearly impossible during this time of year, and the idea of living on the streets was practically a nightmare to imagine. In this moment, I knew I had no choice but to accept San's long awaited offer and move in with him. Part of me should feel grateful that someone was willing to let me live with them, but another part of me felt nothing but bitterness at the fact that my life had surrendered to that notion.

The offer had been mentioned on a multitude of occasions, on each occurrence received nothing short of absolute rejection in return. He had already spent years taking care of me in my time of need, so the last thing I ever wanted was to still be asking for assistance or becoming a burden.

Gathering myself and my composure, I stuffed my phone back into my packet and made my way back into the shop. Wooyoung tilted his head curiously. "Is everything alright? That call seemed pretty important..."

With a plastered smile, I nodded. "Yeah, just a call from one of my friends. All good."

"Okay, good! Just making sure!" Wooyoung grinned, turning his focus back on the two other males who were now sitting next to each other.

Taking my seat next to him, the four of us sat together until it was time for my and Wooyoung's shared shift.

Time moved by fast and before we knew it, the time to start the second shift was upon us. "Good luck, you two. Woo, don't give hyung any issues." Felix pointed his finger with a teasing scold as he and Seungmin stood up from the booth. "I don't want any complaints, you got it?"

Wooyoung huffed. "I swear you think I'm not able to behave.... Remind me why we're friends again?"

"Because you love me!"

"I'm starting to reconsider!"

"Alright, alright..." Seungmin rolled his eyes, grabbing his boyfriend's hand and began pulling him out the shop. "We'll see you two tomorrow morning."

"See you guys," I smiled, watching Wooyoung stick his tongue out to the blonde, who only mimicked the act back playfully. "Ready to work, Woo? We will have another busy crowd coming in at around five."

He nodded. "I'm ready! It's only four hours, so I think we can manage on our own."

Ruffling his hair, I made my way behind the counter to start preparing the cups for the customers. It was half past four, and the closer the time passed toward closing, the more my stomach churned at the impending reality coming to face me. Things felt as though like I was never meant to find some sort of peace in my life.

"Hwa-hyung?"

Shaking my head from my thoughts, I turned to see a worried Wooyoung looking back at me. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, sorry. Did you say something?"

"I was asking if you wanted to switch roles?"

My eyebrow raised, and with a smirk, I placed a hand on my hip. "You know how to make the drinks?"

Wooyoung beamed and nodded eagerly, a blush growing on his cheeks as he turned away. "I was watching you do it...and Mrs.Kim actually taught me a few before I actually started working here. I'm not good like you, but if you ever wanted to switch, I'm open to it."

"I'll keep that in mind," I smiled. "I think I'll stick to making the drinks this time, but next time, we can switch."

"Okay! You promise?"

"Excuse me?"

He held out a pinky finger out to me with a grin. "You have to promise me."

A chuckle escaped my lips as I hooked my own with his. "I promise, Woo."

"Good! No backsies!"

With that, he strolled away to serve a new customer with a new sense of energy. Something about his demeanor reminded me of someone I knew, but I couldn't quite place who the person was. His warm, affectionate energy and enthusiasm was contagious, so contagious that even my own cold heart had a hard time fighting against the feeling.

•••

Before I knew it, the second shift was nearing its end.

Wooyoung came up quickly to me at the counter. "Hwa-hyung, I need to use the restroom. Could you manage the customers until I come back?"

"Sure, no problem."

"Thank you!"

He sped off into the back room, leaving me alone with a few customers still inside the shop. Deciding to take the time to clean up the kitchen, I began sweeping the floor while humming a soft tune to myself. While sweeping, however, my phone buzzed in my pocket. Pulling the phone out, I noticed a notification from San. Taking a look around the shop for anyone who may need my assistance, I discreetly checked the message.

"I'm three blocks down the street waiting for you."-San

Cursing to myself, I shoved the phone back in my pocket, just in time for the sound of the bell ringing above the front door to gather my attention. Plastering on my best smile, I greeted the male as he approached the counter.
"Welcome to Kim's Coffee Shop, how may I help you?"

"I need a small black iced Americano, only sugar. Hurry up, I have a train to catch." He grunted roughly. Wooyoung had made his way out of the bathroom, standing behind me as I tended to the male.

Always have to have one of those rude ones...

Ignoring the tone of his request, I rang up the and showed him the total. "That will be $4, sir."

Turning away from him to make the drink, I started brewing the coffee while gathering the desired cup of ice to have on standby. In record time the coffee was ready, as the scent of signature fresh fragrance aroma circled the shop like a blanket of warmth. Pouring the coffee into the cup of ice, I pumped two serving of sugar sweetener, gave the cup a good mix and placed the cover on top before handing it to the man. "Here you go, sir."

He took the cup and before he handed me the money to pay, he took a sip, instantly grimacing his face. "What the hell is this?!"

I raised an eyebrow curiously. "An iced black Americano, sir. Only sugar, like you requested..."

The shop's soft conversations turned into hushed murmurs as the other customers started watching the display going on between the male and I, instantly feeling a sense of tension that enveloped the once comfortable atmosphere. Mrs Kim stepped out of her office, her eyes taking in the scene. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, Mrs. Kim. Nothing to worry about." I reassured, biting back the frustration building within me.

"This is what you call an Americano? Here, have a taste!"

Without warning, the man opened the lid and tossed the entire cup of coffee onto my chest, earning loud gasps from everyone inside the shop. Wooyoung instantly grabbed a damp towel to help attempt drying me off while Mrs Kim shouted at the male. "Sir!"

The male laughed, shaking his head. "Next time, make me a proper drink and you wouldn't have this problem."

He placed the money on the table before making his way out of the shop, leaving behind a chilling silence as all the other patrons were still trying to process what had occurred. Mrs Kim turned her attention to me with concern laced in her eyes. "Seonghwa, dear. Are you okay?"

I nodded, biting my lip to fight back tears as I grabbed the towel from Wooyoung. "I'm fine.."

"Go home and take tomorrow off."

"But Mrs. Kim-"

Mrs. Kim shook her head. "Don't worry about pay. You will still get paid. Now go and get your stuff, Wooyoung and I will handle closing the shop."

Realizing that there was no room to argue, I nodded with a small bow before making my way into the back room. Quickly wanting to get my belongings and leave the shop, I unlocked the locker and grabbed everything. I could feel the tears threatening to spill, so I made my way out to the front without sparing another glance and walked out of the shop.

Once out, the tears finally escaped from me as I sped walk toward San's car. It was drizzling rain outside, but I couldn't care less. The rain only covered the never-ending tears that continued to roll off my swollen cheeks.

As I could feel the rain began to pick up in speed, the drizzle turning into a complete downpour, I decided to start jogging toward the car. Through the blurred vision, I couldn't quite make out his car as I failed to notice a person in my pathway. With the sudden collision between us, I stumbled onto the ground, taking a moment to glance at the person.

He was a shorter male with blue-colored hair that stood out against the darkness of his black clothing and the weather around us. In one hand was a black umbrella, but the other was held out toward me with a bright, radiating smile spoke to me in a soft voice. "Are you alright? You shouldn't run in the rain like that..."

Refusing to take his hand, I stood up on my own and quickly bowed, granting him a rushed apology before continuing my run toward San's waiting car, not sparing a second glance at the male. The last thing I needed was to get even further embarrassed than I did for the night.

Finally reaching his car, which was underneath an awning blocking the rain, I opened the passenger side to see him laying out towels on the seat. "Sit, Hwa! You must be freezing!"

"This is nothing..."

San looked at me with a pained expression before moving on from the topic. "I already had movers take your stuff from the apartment, so everything is at my place. Don't worry about paying me rent, I don't want it.

"Fine... but I'm paying something."

"You can pay for groceries. No negotiation."

"Deal. Hey San?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"That's what friends are for." San said with a smile.