the breeze of autumn was cool and fresh. the wind slowly blew leaves hanging on the branches, they fell down gracefully while thinking of their short lives. truly, nature had feelings, it just didn't express the same way as human beings, it could feel hurt, pains, pure happinesses and blisses. beside the old maple tree, there were a coffee shop. it had been run for more than three years by a really young man. he was in his youth but yes, he was way more sophisticated and perceptive.

his name was na jaemin, a succesful manager of his own coffee shop. his shop looked sufficiently large, not too small but also not too spacious. he loved places which had enough space to live and enjoy, not big places but looked completely empty inside. when customers entered the shop, they could sniff the scent of coffee and lavenders combining together. the smell wasn't bitter, it could calm them after a hard-working day. due to that, it became a specialty of his own shop.

he hired some of his classmates. luckily, they were all friendly and helpful. they constantly helped and got his back whenever he needed them. the workers here weren't many but the quality beat the quantity. despite being the owner, he still made coffee and cleaned the shop with his friends. customers who came here were always served well. they kept leaving pleasant remarks which really enlightened everyone's moods in the shop. even when a customer was in a bad mood, when she went in his shop, she immediately smiled. the gentle gesture of jaemin with the savoury taste from the cup of cappuccino which was made by felix quickly calmed her down.

everyday at the shop was jaemin's strange joy. he apparently enjoyed and felt proud of himself since he was self-sufficient and not dependent on anyone, even his own parents. his parents had quarreled endlessly when he still lived with them. desperate and painful, he ran away from his house. his family wasn't poor, they had a stable position in this life as their finance was suprisingly a lot. he didn't feel happy when he was given emotionless money. he always objected to take it. after his departure, his parents didn't look for him. to his expectations, he didn't expect much. he knew objects were always on top of their priority no matter how bad their son could be. they didn't care. jaemin ignored them, ignored their fortune, practically deleted them out of his mind.

he had a tragic story of himself but he didn't lose hope. he knew lights always existed even in the darkness so he cheered him up and motivated to establish his career. when he ran away, he was homeless. he had no relatives in this city since they all lived in korea, not the united states. well, a first few days were hard to adapt as he had nothing in his hands, no money, no accomodation. at least he had a degree, he was chosen to be a waiter in a tea shop. he didn't think he would have a job in his favorite beverage shop. he was celebrating all night long in the street since he had nowhere to stay.

on his first day at work, he asked his manager if she could let him stay in the shop at night and she accepted. the boy looked poor, she couldn't stop feeling pitiful (not in the way of looking down on him) so she let him stay without hesitating. jaemin showered in the shop's bathroom, it was for staffs only so he could use it. jaemin felt like he was lucky enough to work as a waiter in the tea shop. gradually, he was known for his tea-making skill, this shop also became more famous. jaemin gained the popularity to the shop as a gratitude of him to the manager when she approved him to stay in the shop. when he wanted to stop working and run his own coffee shop, the manager instantly supported and gave his salary more than usual, it was her contribution to his future shop, which was the coffee shop now. not only did she support, other waiters and waitresses in the tea shop as well. they hugged, patted and devoted him, hoped his shop would be famous like where he used to work. the day he left, everyone cried, including him, no one could hold their tears in. the new beginning had just started, he would do his best to develop the shop.

he found a let in house near the maple tree and decided it was the best place to run his shop. the fee was average, he used all his pocket money to pay for it. the lease said the fee would cost each three month so he didn't have to worry about it. the decorations cost slightly a lot of money but jaemin didn't complain, he wanted to beautify the shop so that it could attract customers at his age or maybe older. jaemin was seventeen when he opened the shop, young age with the incredible success he already made. jaemin wasn't snobbish, he was kind and modest, everybody loved him, except for his parents.

as time passed, the shop itself seemed to change drastically. sometimes, celebrities came across the shop, they quickly drew their attention to the wooden board hanging on the door with a cursive and neat handwriting, showing "welcome" phrase accurately. they twisted the door handle and pushed it, the bell ringing sent jaemin a notification. he and his workers all got back to their work and greeted the famous customers. he didn't even boast about them with the girls in his class because he knew they would request him to get some infomation from the celebrities. he never wanted to cross the line nor invaded someone's privacy.

jaemin was famous for his coffee shop until one day, the day he wished he could have done something else to prevent the upcoming event. as usual, the bell rang perpetually, sanha looked up to see who just entered the shop.

- welcome. what kind of coffee would you like to drink?

he politely greeted the man. the strange man just nodded then went to a table near the window to sit down. he beckoned sanha to come to take his order, of course sanha found his gesture rude but he didn't say anything for his own safety and also the man's pride. he started taking out notes and a pen to write down the order. the man said orderly then suddenly smiled at sanha. sanha got flustered, he went to the counter and hit jaemin's left arm.

- ouch! why did you hit me?

- that man is weird. not gonna lie but why he keeps staring at us?

jaemin looked up, darted his attention to the man whom sanha had told him. figuratively speaking, the man was luscious. jaemin quietly observed him, ignored the yelling of sanha beside his ears. not so long after, he snapped and removed his glance to sanha. sanha had almost launched into him if jaemin hadn't veiled his mouth with his hands. sanha roughly pushed jaemin's arms away and went on cleaning the shop. jaemin brushed the thought off, he started making espresso for the man.

the man silently watched the way jaemin mixed coffee beans with a teaspoon of milk since he wanted the cup of espresso to have a balance taste and not too bitter. he crashed the beans and used a blender to mix up. then, when the thick liquid was already done, he poured hot water in and stirred it. the liquid slowly changed its colour to the regular colour of espresso. he sniffled the smell first before deciding to serve the man with the beverage. finally, he went with a tray carrying a cup of espresso on it.

- here is your drink sir. i hope you will enjoy it fully.

jaemin kept his cold look even though inside he could feel butterflies. when he came back to the counter, he let out a soft sigh. it was really intense as he had to look at the man eye-to-eye.  it wasn't the first time he served a customer first hand, this man was just a different one. taking it easy, he breathed in and out, eventually, he was back to his usual state.

unintentionally or on purpose, the man dropped the cup, the crack sound echoed in the shop, everybody abruptly stopped their current movements to find where the source of the sound came from. jaemin was also shocked, he frowned for two minutes before quickly grabbing a mop and running to the man's table. the man didn't express nor apologise, his face was unapologetic and properly, no emotion. jaemin was gotten on his nerves but he put up with the man so he wouldn't bust out of his anger.

not stopping, the man even provoked him with some flirtatious phrases but he didn't care, jaemin wasn't all ears to the man. he carefully collected the broken pieces then put it on a tray. after that, he mopped the floor thoroughly not to let espresso stain on it. sanha ran to him out of nowhere and whispered him that the man still kept his gaze on jaemin but jaemin merely nodded and didn't respond. when the mop was dirty, the floor was eventually clean. the man unexpectedly stood up and said sorry to jaemin in a whisper, he left the shop while jaemin was still dumbfounded.

he shook his head, didn't want to figure out the reason for the man's suspicious behavior. little did he know that the man kept standing outside whilst watching him. the shop was back to its usual cycle until the time to close showed up. jaemin waved at his friends and smiled warmly. he cleaned the shop one more time before closing the front door. he was astounded by the strange man. he jumped in surprise, almost screamed loudly. the man snatched at him, used a cloth to cover his mouth. jaemin fainted slowly, but before he his eyelids fell, he heard the man say his name "jeno".