14th February 2021

"Chan's POV"

I woke up to a chattering noise and stretched. I could tell by the feel of the blanket covering my body that I had been working late and had fallen asleep as usual. I was very curious and wanted to know what had happened last night, so I got up and went to Felix's room, but when I saw the scene in front of me, I couldn't stop laughing and looking surprised.

Jeongin was sitting on Felix's bed, almost disappearing under all the clothes in the wardrobe. "Hello, Hyung." Jeongin's soft voice tickled my ears. This boy came to Felix for a part-time job when he was 19 years old and has been with him for about 3 years now.

His presence here also shows that good things happened last night when Felix turned his room into a battlefield. I smiled and looked at them with my hands on my chest, "should I be happy about this situation or should I be worried about you Felix?"

When he popped his head out of the wardrobe, he looked at me with his brightest eyes, at first, I was worried because of the darkness under his eyes, but his excited voice made me breathe a sigh of relief, "Hyung, today we are going on a date! Finally, what I wanted was happening. Wow Hyung, I don't know how to describe how I feel. I'M GOING ON A DATE WITH HYUNJIN ON VALENTINE'S DAY!"

Felix's loud voice and excitement shocked even him and it wasn't long before our laughter could be heard throughout the house, I nodded as we laughed and went into the kitchen to make breakfast.

When I was in the kitchen, all these thoughts were running through my head, I don't know why, but deep inside I didn't feel well, how can I put it, I felt like I didn't want to lose him! Yes, it is true that this feeling is the same feeling of fear of losing the dearest person in your life, I remembered what I said last week after a long day in the studio with Changbin, when this guy saw that I was not paying attention and that I kept messing up and starting from the beginning, he turned off the system and turned my chair to his side so that we could talk. He heard things he was not expecting.

"It's ridiculous that I feel so empty right now, isn't it? I've done nothing all this time, just watched like a coward, this damned pride hasn't allowed me to tell him how dear he is to me, how safe he is to me, how much I love him. I wish that night, instead of letting him see that person, I had told him that I loved him more than a brother, a friend or any other bastard. You know, Changbin, I've become dependent on this guy, but it's too late. Even if I was lucky. I can't cross the red line anymore. All these years, it's better to say that Felix has had a special place in my heart since I was a child, he was dearer to me than Lucas and Hannah. But now this guy can easily have Felix without even trying. He has made him his own and has become the ruler of his colorful world. I will leave you with one of the most clichéd words you can say in this situation! But I'll just watch from a distance, as long as Felix is calm next to him. "

With a pain in my chest, I involuntarily reached for my hood and closed my eyes. I could no longer hear the boys in the room fighting. I opened my eyes and snapped out of my thoughts; I prepared a quick breakfast and called the boys.

"Hyung, believe me, blue suits you very well and he will fall for it, don't be so hard on him." The boys were still deciding what Felix should wear today, and while they were arguing, they sat down at the table: "Jeongin, that blue sweater. He's already seen it at the bar! I can't wear it." I lifted my head and banged it loudly on the table to face Jeongin, who I could swear was redder than a fresh tomato. Trying not to laugh, I ate my breakfast.

"You woke me up at 6 in the morning, forced me to come over and nagged me, and you wore hundreds of clothes in front of me without any shame or modesty! Then you tell me you don't want to wear the same clothes, Hyung! In this darkness, I wonder how he saw and remembered that you have a long, loose blue jumper with lily embroidery on the corner of the collar, which by the way is the best and most beautiful outfit you can wear with white trousers today! Hyung, I'm tired, I'm going to sleep, it's Valentine's Day! You know we have to open the cafe in an hour and you have to bake lots of cookies and cakes and I have to run the cafe all day so you can go on a date in peace, I know even the cakes and cookies I have to make myself because..."

Felix stuck a big hard-boiled egg in his mouth to silence him, and when the boy got nervous, he mumbled in a Busan accent, "Okay, okay, Jeongin, take a breath between words! I'll go to the cafe, do the work and come home at noon to get ready, okay? Chan Hyung is coming with us today." My laughter stopped when I heard my name and I looked at him with big eyes. "Oi Felix, it's true that we closed the studio today, but I have a lot of work to do, don't count on me." At Felix's request I got up from the table and went to my room.

"Felix's point of view

We spent hours with Jeongin baking and decorating jam tarts and heart muffins. The aroma of raspberry and strawberry jam with freshly ground coffee filled the whole café, tempting everyone passing by to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee with a slice of cake or several jam cookies. As I mixed the ingredients for the red velvet cake, I was immersed in Bruce Springsteen's Valentine's Day song, thinking about the events that would happen today. For the first time in my heart and soul, I was thinking and smiling.

Today, the cafe was busier than ever and we didn't even have a chance to rest. I looked at Jeongin who, despite being tired, was talking to every single customer and serving their orders with a beautiful smile that made his eyes narrow like a line. I took the last tray of biscuits out of the oven and wiped the sweat from my brow with my floured sleeve. I was very tired, but seeing the smile of satisfaction on the customers' lips gave me butterflies in my heart and I worked with more motivation.

As I was creaming the cake, the sound of my phone ringing tickled my ears. I put the roll aside and took my phone out of my bag, which was hanging on a hanger. I smiled as I saw his name flash on the screen. "Hello Felix, how are you?" I looked in the mirror in the kitchen, the biggest smile I could put on my face was "Hello, I'm fine, how are you?"

I could hear my heart beating in my ears for the simplest and most basic conversation,

"I know you're busy, I don't want to bother you, I just wanted to say, can I come to your cafe and then go out?"

After hearing this, I looked at my head and my condition, I was covered in flour, I couldn't stay silent for long, "Um. Of course, if you don't mind the crowded cafe, I'll be happy to see you, I'll send you the location."

"Hyunjin's POV"

After I hung up, I looked at the box on my desk with a blue ribbon tied around it.

I wanted to know what his reaction would be. An hour ago, Minho Hyung had taken his car to the garage and left. There was still no news of Seungmin. He was supposed to buy us movie tickets and tell me where to go, but he didn't answer the texts or calls, I was nervous, I took my phone and sent him a message, "Something must have happened to you that you left all the calls and messages to Kim Seungmin," I took a deep breath and got up. I had to go to Felix's, even though it was 1 hour before our appointment, but I counted the minutes to see his café.

When he arrived, Hyung had pointed out that he and Noona had chosen my outfit and had put the red cover on the leather chair in the corner of the workshop. I went to it, not knowing how to react when I saw the outfit, a black ski collar with a long coat and crimson leather pants.

"Hyunjin, don't ask anyone's advice for the next dates and do it yourself, never trust Minho-Hyung!

Why was everything so stressful for me? How can I go on my first date with such a special outfit? Seungmin, who I have never heard of, and I have other things to think about, this is from Hyung too! I nodded and looked at my watch, I didn't have time to change, so I had to wear the same clothes, but at the last moment I decided to keep my black trousers and just wear the ski collar and leather coat, as I didn't know that he had a migraine or an allergy to perfume, so I didn't put any on. It wasn't long before I was in the car with the box on the way to the café.

"Hyunjin's Pov"

Arriving at my destination, the smell of raspberries and ground coffee brought a smile to my face, and I looked at a small cafe with a sliding wooden door where large flower pots greeted passers-by with their beauty. The cafe was a little crowded. The inside of the cafe had such a warm and intimate feeling that I could guess that the walls here were witness to all the happy and bitter memories, the walls were a beautiful lilac colour and the largest wall was full of Polaroid photos and notes that were visible as soon as you entered, about 20 people were sitting in the small room, immersed in each other's world. "Hello, welcome, I'm sorry, as you can see all the tables are full, can I ask you to wait a little or order take away?"

Hearing the voice of a boy with a pleasant face, I stopped my thoughts and looked at him, "Oh, hello, I'm here to see Felix. I was told to come here to look for him." The boy smiled broadly and put his hand on the back of his neck, "You're Hyunjin Shi, right?" I was surprised that he knew me, but I nodded and held out my hand, "My name is Hwang Hyunjin.

He looked at his hands and shook them shyly, "I'm Yang Jeongin, Felix Hyung's assistant, follow me, I'll take you to him." I liked the warm and friendly behaviour of this boy and I was happy that Felix had such a person in his life, we walked between the tables and went to the black door and entered the kitchen; now that we were in the kitchen, all the delicious smells were stronger than the coming noise, I can guess that Felix is working. He smiled and pointed to the side shelf where the shoe covers and hats were, "Please use these covers before entering, have fun, I'll be back in the hall.

I thanked him and, after putting on the mask, I went into the kitchen to find him so absorbed in his work that he didn't notice my arrival. I took off my mask and coat and sat quietly on the chair in the corner of the kitchen while he finished his work; I can say that the seriousness with which he made each and every pastry was completely different from the Felix I had seen.

When he was about to go to the oven, he got a bit confused when he saw me, "You... when did you come?" I smiled and got up and walked over to him, my God, he was so cute in that white dress, apron and hat, looking closer I noticed his neck and forehead were dirty, I laughed, "I just came... Jeongin brought me here. Are you always so cute at work?" I could see he was freaking out, his ears turning red, "Didn't you want to go to the oven?"

Hearing this, he quickly went to the oven and put on his gloves, which were bigger than his hands, took out two trays of chocolate muffins and put them on the counter to cool, put the tray of biscuits in the oven and turned to me, "Well, I have one more thing to do, can we go later? It's busy today."

I looked at the clock, rolled up my sleeves and said with a smile, "What do you think we should work on together? Imagine you have a workshop and I am a student. Shall I do the dishes?" I went to the sink and put on my gloves, "You don't need to help, your clothes will get dirty, please sit down, I'll be done soon".

I looked at him with a fake frown, "Listen, if I sit and just look at you, you know what will happen? You'll be distracted by my charms, then either your sweets will spoil or you'll burn yourself! Your work will take longer, but if I help you, we'll spend more time together, and it'll be finished sooner, and I'll invite you in for a delicious hot chocolate, do you still want me to sit, Felix? hmm"

"Felix's Pov"

I laughed when I heard his reasoning, I didn't think he was the same mysterious man he was a few hours ago, the only thing I knew about him was his drinking habits, his commuting hours and his appearance. When I saw him sitting in the chair, I didn't know how to react, and now we are standing in front of each other discussing whether he should sit down and not help. I smiled and raised my hands in a sign of submission, "OK, OK! At least let me give you an apron so your clothes don't get dirty."

I could see the happiness in his eyes and why stop him? I went to the drawer and took out a green apron. As I approached him, the smell of damp pine and smoke reached my nose. I helped him tie the apron; my God, how broad his shoulders are! Come to your senses, Felix, "Actually, I wanted to ask you a question, if you don't mind". I couldn't contain my curiosity. He turned to me and rested his hands on the sink. How can you resist those black eyes and that mole under the eye? "Hmm, you can ask anything you want, I will answer."

I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. Being so close made me stressed. I don't even know if it's right to ask, but it was always a question for me, "Are you ok Felix?" I smiled and inadvertently started picking at the skin next to my nails. "May I ask why you always smell like damp pine?" When he heard my question, he relaxed a little and laughed, "Well, I didn't think it would be so strong, but it's the smell of the smoky things I light in the workshop. Even though I have changed my clothes, I think the effect is still there. Does it bother you? I could see the stress and distress in his eyes and every part of his face; when I heard the sound of the timer, I went to the oven and took the New York cookies out of the oven, "No, it doesn't bother me at all. In fact, it's very relaxing.

You know, the only thing that made me notice you coming into the club was the smell. It's funny, isn't it?"

We were silent for a few moments and then our laughter echoed in the kitchen, "Hey guys, sorry but there are customers sitting outside waiting for their order," Jeongin's voice said, we became quiet as fast as we were laughing and I went to the worktable to decorate the cupcakes, Hyunjin also started to wash the dishes.

"Honestly, I have another question on my mind, of course you can't answer it! Why are you interested in painting?" When the sound of the water stopped, I turned to him as he took off his gloves, "What made me paint?" I nodded and put the last muffin on the tray. I could hear him walking. "You know, when I was 13, I had a lot of things on my mind, like any other teenager. I'd just sit at my desk, get some paper, it wasn't even real sketch paper back then. I'd open up a notebook that I used to study Japanese or English and start scribbling, which made me want to start painting for real. So, I did some research on what materials I needed to buy. First, I wanted to try drawing, pencil drawing to be precise.

I wanted to do that so I did that and then I wanted to do something with colour so I bought acrylic paint and painted with that and then I wanted to go further and try oil painting. So, I bought some oil paint and did all that. That's how I got into painting. My dad thought I was just spending money and that I should get a cheaper hobby, but now he is the first person who wants to see my paintings".

When he talks about his interests, he has a pleasant smile on his face and becomes even more beautiful in my eyes: "What about you, Felix? What made you open a café?" I raised my eyebrows, sat down on the leather couch and motioned for him to sit down. "Well, I was born in Australia and grew up with two sisters. My mother would always choose one of us to help her bake and we would spend hours together making cakes and pastries. My interest in baking blossomed from a very young age and only grew as I got older. I even set up a table and chairs outside my house one summer and started selling brownies, if I'm not mistaken, I made about 50 dollars. I saved money that summer and used some of it to buy books and basic materials. I looked at him as the sofa rocked and he laughed softly, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have laughed, but wow, even the thought of seeing you behind the table and chairs selling cakes and sweets is funny to me." As we laughed, I continued, "When Chan Hyung and I decided to come to Korea, I thought of starting a business that would make people happy, like my name."

His eyebrows raised in surprise, "You see, my Korean name is Yong Bok. I wanted to make people feel good when they met me. I started this place at Chan Hyung's suggestion. In the beginning, I was a tenant, and gradually I was able to make a good amount of money. My family bought this shop for my birthday and asked me to use the money to buy more modern equipment!

He put his hand under his chin and looked at me passionately. When he saw that I was silent, he smiled and said, "Maybe it's too early to say this, but you don't know how proud I am of you. The fact that you have always thought about the happiness of others shows how kind you are. And I must say that you have managed to bring a smile to many people's faces and become an indescribable joy in their lives after a hard day's work or any other occasion. When I entered the café, there were more than 20 people sitting in the hall, enjoying your presence. And they were enchanted by your sweets. He was silent for a moment and thought, "To be honest, even I was enchanted, what did you put in that brownie that night, Lee Yongbok? All the happiness in your being was contagious, even I caught it.

"Hyunjin's Pov"

The reddening of his ears and the most beautiful smile on his face caused lines to appear at the corners of his eyes, "Well, unlike you, I am an only child and became independent at the age of 20. I live in a small apartment and opened my workshop with the help of Minho Hyung, one of my old classmates. I have been teaching painting for about 5 years now, despite all the difficulties, and my income comes from selling custom-made paintings; sometimes I don't take money from students who can't afford it but are eager to learn. Seeing their happiness is precious to me. I looked at the clock. "Oh, look at the clock." Hearing this, he got up and looked at the living room from the small window in the kitchen.

"It's a bit quieter, I think we can go, Hyunjin."

When he turned to me, while I was biting the corner of my lip in embarrassment, I took the box to him, he looked at me in astonishment, his eyes slowly turned curious and a smile appeared on his lips; so, when my Apollo is excited, his eyes are brighter than the stars on his face, "What...? What is this?" I looked at the box and shook my shoulders, "I don't know what you think? See for yourself?" His hands were shaking and he took the box, he sat back on the sofa and opened the ribbon, his mouth was open as he saw the contents of the box and he laughed, "Oh my God, how beautiful these pots are. Are they mine?"

I nodded and sat down beside him. I held one of the pots in my hand, which had a sun design on it. "This pot is your symbol; do you know why?" He looked at me silently, I could see tears in his eyes. "When I saw you in the club, my world was dark, but no matter how much time passed, you came and turned on every single light that had been turned off, and you cooled me like a warming sun.

You are so precious to me, Felix; a few months ago, one of my Sonbaes invited me to a pottery workshop. I made it there; I didn't even think it would reach you. At the time I had no idea why I was drawing the moon and the sun, but now I understand the reason!

When I made eye contact with him, I saw tears streaming down his face, his nose was red and he was just listening in silence. I approached him a little and took the box away from him, unintentionally, my hands went to his face and before touching him I asked under my breath, "May I? He shook his head and I wiped away his tears. I said, "I didn't want you to cry on our first date, let's plant some flowers in these pots before we go".

"Plant flowers? Here?" I laughed at his surprised tone, shaking my head and removing the papers from the box, I took out a packet of soil and two packets of flower seeds. "Um. Do you have a spoon?" He laughed at the scene in front of him and went to his drawers. After searching for a while, he returned with two spoons, a knife and some newspapers. He spread the newspapers on the floor and we sat on our knees together, despite the mess on our trousers; we opened the packet of soil and poured out spoonful of earth.

"What flower seeds are we going to plant?" Hearing his voice full of excitement, I looked at his hands smoothing the soil in the flowerpot, "Cloud flower, the shopkeeper said that these flowers are planted in February and sprout in spring and the buds open; do you know what the cloud flower symbolises?" He shyly patted my shoulder, opened one of the seed packets and began to plant the seeds. "I hope these flowers are as beautiful as their name and meaning, thank you for your beautiful gift, Hyunjin." Neither Felix nor I could help but smile at the moments we spent together. I looked around, "Where do you think we should put the pots by the kitchen window?" His eyes lit up and we went to the window and put the vases together.

I put my hand to my chin and a thought came to me, "Honestly, I think we should do something else!" I went to my coat and looked in the pockets. I was hoping I'd brought it with me, but it wasn't there. "Looking for something?" I nodded and sat down on the chair in despair. "A red marker or a pen." He thought and after a few moments he went to the cupboard. It didn't take him long to return with a pencil case, "These are Jeongin's things, he must have them." He looked inside and shook it excitedly when he saw a red marker in the air; I went over and took the marker from his hand and drew on my index finger.

I could feel the weight of his surprised look as I got busy, "Give me your hand. When I touched his hand, I felt a strong electric current running through my whole body and my heart rate increased, my breathing stopped for a few moments, but I controlled myself and painted the index finger of his left hand. When I was finished, we went to the pots and I stuck my finger on them in an oblique way so that my fingerprints would remain, Felix followed me and repeated the same thing and the result of this work were two fingerprint hearts on the pots.

"Jeongin's Pov

After the last customer left and all the pastry trays were empty, I went to the door and closed the cafe. I started to clear the tables. I wondered why those two people hadn't left yet. "Aren't they supposed to be on a date? Shouldn't they leave if I don't pay attention?" When I finished my work in the living room, I went into the kitchen with a trolley of dirty dishes; seeing the scene in front of me, I felt out of place, just like the two-year-old children sitting on the floor filling the little pots.

I took out my phone, put it on silent and took pictures and videos of them, "You'll thank me later" I decided to leave them alone, but when they got up and went to the window, I recorded that moment again, just as I was about to go out, Hyung hurriedly went to my closet, I was curious to know what he was looking for, when he went to Hyunjin Hyung with my pencil case, I could guess what was going on in their minds, I waited and recorded their every moment forever.