black coffee | soonhoon

Five

"I swear to god the kid was so rude!" The sound of a tea towel being thrown on the hard granite surface ricochets around the small front room of the café. Thankfully, the only customers in at the minute are sat in the back room- away from the noise.

"From the sound of it Young, you were the one being bitchy. He tried to apologise and you yelled at him, of course he got defensive." Kihyun sighs, walking over to Soonyoung. He slowly reaches his hand out and praises the towel out of Soonyoung's grip, before he could rip a hole in it. "Calm down."

Soonyoung starts whining defensively, "but he must've been like, at least five years younger than me. He was so small and soft and weirdly cute. But so bratty and annoying! I swear to god if I ever see him again-" he's cut off when changkyun marches through the door, strolling straight up to the two workers.

"Being bitchy again Soonyoung?" He tries to stay serious, but changkyun can't help the teasing tone of voice and his charming smirk from playing his features.

"No!" The youngest protests blatantly, shaking his head in pitiful denial.

"He was complaining about how some dude at least five years younger than him whacked him round the head in his way home from work yesterday." Kihyun boasted, swinging his legs from his recent position sitting atop the main counter, to which Changkyun shooed him down with a  grumble and a curse.

"Anyway, why're you here? You never come in before closing?" Soonyoung questions, crossing his arms loosely in front of his dirty apron.

"We've got a performer tonight. Lee Jihoon, 22. So set the stage up and get the Sound system sorted. He'll be here in a bit." He pauses at their weary faces, "Don't worry, he's chill."

With that, the young owner leaves, offering a tiny wave before turning his back on the two pissed off workers.

"Are you kidding?! I was hoping for a nice, quiet evening shift but no! There's gonna be more people because someone's playing. Dear lord help me."

"He better be good. I'm not listening to someone play shit for two hours."

"Don't worry, he's good."

They both freeze and turn around. There, at the counter, is a man around the same age as Kihyun, with icy pale blue hair and feline eyes. A small chuckle emits from his mouth at their confused and bewildered expressions.

"My brother, he's the one who's playing. He's good, I promise. I'm Min Yoongi." He sticks his hand out, to which Soonyoung begrudgingly shakes it back.

"Soonyoung."

"Kihyun."

"Lee and Min? Why d'you have different last names?" Soonyoung wonders more to himself.

Yoongi smirks and shrugs his shoulders casually, "It's complicated."

Kihyun snorts, "What is this, relationship drama?"

Yoongi laughs out loud this time, his shoulders shaking. He's about to reply again when the bell chimes, signalling someone else entering the building. Everyone looks up, two of them smile whilst one of them feels his blood freeze.

Jihoon feels the same. As soon as he recognises the boy in the middle of his brother and another worker- his heart stops dead in his chest. The judging eyes, obnoxious mouth, the vain posture. His fist turns white around his guitar strap, sound over his left shoulder. Damn you Jaehyun. I'm gonna kick your ass tomorrow.

Soonyoung scowls. Yoongi notices the icy tension between the two and pulls his brother away.

"We'll sit down for a bit and let you set up!"

The two brothers collapse on a wrecked old leather sofa, Jihoon leans his guitar up against the arm and watches the café worker as he walks around, cleaning tables and yelling at his co-worker.

He sighs and looks away, "Fuck, I wished I wouldn't see him again. Just my luck."

Yoongi follows his gaze, "Soonyoung? What, don't tell me you have history. This is getting saucy already, hang on, let me get my popcorn."

His brother scoffs, "Grow up, hyung." He seats him round the head with his finger tips, "I accidentally hit him yesterday and he was a bitch about it. You know how I talk with my hands?"

Yoongi hums, now immersed in a magazine he found lying on the coffee table.

"He didn't look where he was going! My hand went up and his face went smack! So not my fault at all."

At that, Yoongi can't help but laugh at the stupidness of it all, "And that's why you were scowling at each other? And unfinished kiddy argument about whether it was his or your fault? You're ridiculous." He rolls his eyes and begins to fiddle with something in his pocket.

Finally he pulls an object out like a magician with a rabbit and presses the capo into Jihoon's hand, "Here, you left it on the kitchen counter. Thought you might need it."

Jihoon smiles, "Thanks. It's normally a nightmare when I forget it."

The two fall into a comfortable silence for a while until Kihyun comes up to them.

"Sound's ready! So Jihoon, if you want to go connect up and adjust the microphone, you're due to start in about the minutes. You've already got a crowd." He winks and gestures to the tables behind him, which are now mostly full with young couples and teenagers and even a few older people. Jihoon takes a deep breath and nods, rising from his seat and tryin to ignore the painful shake in his legs and tremor in his fingers. He's used to this. He's done this countless times. He knows how to put on a show.

It doesn't take him long to set up. Fixing his rumpled t-shirt slightly and straightening his jacket, he sits down on the stool and speaks into the microphone.

"Hey, I'm Woozi and I hope you enjoy the songs I've decided to play tonight."

As Jihoon sings beautiful melodies that calm even the stormiest of hearts, Soonyoung can't help but watch in wonder. He never would expect him to be the same guy from yesterday. They both seemed so wholly different. The Jihoon from yesterday was pretty cold and bitchy but the Jihoon right now is performing like an angel.

"Someone's developing a crusshhhhh..." Kihyun murmurs like the devil on his shoulder.

"Shut up," Soonyoung replies, and pushes those emotions and locks them away, breaking the key in two and replacing his once soft expression with coldness.