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The afternoons around Gi-hun smelled of freshly roasted coffee beans, steamed milk, and cinnamon pastries that melted on the tongue.
His hands moved expertly behind the counter as he prepared another latte, measuring the exact proportions, controlling the precise movement of his wrist as he poured the milk into the cup that was already waiting to be served. He smiled before opening the steam wand one last time, then set the order down on the counter.
"Enjoy your coffee." The omega smiled at the customer, who simply thanked him and left a generous tip on the counter.
The customer left through the front door with the familiar chime of the bell. Most of his customers were office workers from the nearby business buildings—accountants, lawyers, engineers—all taking five minutes out of their day to stop by his café and enjoy one of his famous coffees, or one of the desserts he constantly perfected with such dedication.
Gi-hun smiled as he turned around to wipe away some spilled milk that had dirtied his workstation. The bell rang again.
Gi-hun turned to see an alpha entering the café. He had a strong, defined jaw, a tailored suit that fit his body like a second skin, and neatly styled hair that framed his calm features. It was easy to tell he was an alpha despite being shorter than Gi-hun himself. He carried that unmistakable presence of his designation; pride in every inch of him, broad shoulders that stood out against his frame, and, of course, the scent of pine that somehow rose above every other aroma filling the café.
Gi-hun smiled.
"Welcome to Ga-yeong's Café. What can I get for you this morning?"
The alpha, who until then had seemed completely distracted, looked at Gi-hun before approaching the counter with measured steps. His scent became stronger as he drew closer, allowing Gi-hun to study him from a better angle: thin lips, dark eyes with a faint sparkle in them, a delicate upturned nose, and the light blush dusting his cheeks.
Cute, Gi-hun thought as he watched him.
The alpha remained standing there, silently scanning him, unable to speak. He simply stood at the counter without uttering a single syllable. Somehow, the scent of pine intensified throughout the café.
"Okay... maybe you could let someone else order while you decide what you want?"
In-ho blushed as he glanced over his shoulder. A young beta was staring at him with obvious impatience. He turned back toward Gi-hun.
"Um... I'm sorry... uh... could I have one of those lattes you make?"
Gi-hun nearly laughed at the request. He wasn't used to seeing alphas with flushed cheeks, embarrassed, their pride slowly evaporating. He found it charming—not just the alpha's personality. The alpha standing before him was charming in general. Gi-hun nodded.
"Of course. One latte. Under the nam—?"
"Hwang In-ho." The younger man answered almost urgently, then blushed again when he realized it. The scent of pine turned anxious. "Hwang In-ho. It's a pleasure... Gi-hun?"
The omega smiled, amused, pointing to the name tag on his barista uniform.
"That's right. At least today I didn't wear the wrong uniform." Gi-hun laughed at his own pathetic excuse for a joke.
In-ho burst into laughter as though it were the funniest joke he had ever heard. His smile quickly faltered when he noticed no one else in the café was laughing with him. He cleared his throat before looking back at Gi-hun.
"Sorry... it was funny."
Gi-hun merely shrugged, dismissing it.
He handed the latte to In-ho, whose fingers brushed against the omega's as he accepted it. Gi-hun would be lying if he said he didn't feel warmth race up his spine, and it had nothing to do with the hot drink inside the paper cup.
The exchange lasted longer than it should have. Both remained silent, their dark eyes focused only on each other. Somehow their breathing synchronized. Pine and lavender danced together around them. The noise of the local faded away.
Gi-hun was the first to break the moment. He withdrew his hands, leaving the coffee in In-ho's grasp. The alpha lowered his gaze to the cup, smiled at the flower drawn in the foam, then took a sip.
Gi-hun heard the quiet sound of pleasure at the taste. It wasn't unfamiliar to him; there was a reason his café had remained successful for so long. He smiled with satisfaction as the alpha lowered the cup.
"So? What do you think?"
In-ho looked at the drink before lifting his eyes back to the omega. He shrugged slightly.
"It's not bad," he murmured. "But it's missing something. You know, I know a place about three blocks from here that makes an excellent latte. We should go. I'm sure you'll love their coffee."
Gi-hun frowned, his smile wavering. The scent of lavender turned sour as his hands took the latte from In-ho's fingers and he tasted it himself without asking the alfa, wondering if perhaps he'd used the wrong milk, the wrong proportions, something.
The latte was perfect. He didn't understand.
He looked back at the alpha, who was watching him with a small crooked smile. His proud, upright posture made his shorter height seem irrelevant. Gi-hun let out an exasperated sigh.
Of course. At the end of the day, no matter how polite this alpha seemed, he was still a damn alpha after all. They were all the same; pretentious, arrogant, perfect, overly critical.
He handed the cup back to him, sighed, then smiled once more.
"I'm sorry it wasn't to your liking, although I think it's perfect as it is."
In-ho's smile faltered slightly. His brows lowered before he looked at Gi-hun again.
"If you say so."
Their interaction ended shortly after that. Customers began crowding around the counter, demanding attention. Gi-hun went back to taking orders, preparing complicated drinks, every one of them flawlessly. In-ho said goodbye, giving the omega a polite nod before leaving through the front door. The ringing bell announced that he had finally gone.
And Gi-hun should have forgotten about him. He should have dismissed it. He knew that. It wasn't worth it. He was just another alpha with an ego bigger than his height. A rude, arrogant alpha. He knew he shouldn't let that thought lead to others. He knew he shouldn't allow himself to be influenced by the cheap, biased opinion of some damn alpha with no respect.
But he couldn't. He couldn't forget the way the man had told him he wasn't as good as he thought he was. That he hadn't really liked it.
He needed to stop thinking about it, let that alpha keep drinking coffee three blocks away at the place he loved so much, let him never come back.
But he couldn't. Because if there was one thing Seong Gi-hun was, it was proud. And a perfectionist.
That night he barely slept as his apartment kitchen transformed into an advanced chemistry laboratory. He experimented with different kinds of milk, different proportions, different temperatures, even different extraction times. Every variation was studied. Every possible combination categorized.
Because that was who he was: a perfectionist. A people-pleaser. If a customer wasn't satisfied—and especially if that customer happened to be a handsome alpha, no matter how rude and arrogant he was—Gi-hun had to admit that, somehow, he wanted that alpha's approval.
And something told him that man would come back to his café.
Gi-hun wasn't wrong.
The bell rang again at exactly nine o'clock. He looked up and once more saw the alpha from the previous morning, carrying himself with the same elegance and confidence, a small smile on his face, though today his tailored suit was navy blue instead of yesterday's black. Gi-hun smiled as he watched him approach.
"A latte?"
In-ho nodded.
Gi-hun smiled as he turned around to prepare it. He remembered the recipes he had perfected overnight, the perfect combinations, the exact measurements, the ideal temperature for the palate. He pretended to wipe imaginary sweat from his forehead with an exaggerated sigh before extending the cup toward In-ho.
The alpha took it, their fingers brushing again. The shiver returned, along with the scent of lavender drifting through the air—fresh, delicious, sweet yet strong all at once. In-ho never looked away from the omega. His eyes stayed locked onto Gi-hun's as he raised the cup to his lips and took a slow, measured sip, all while continuing to stare at the barista in front of him.
His lips moved slightly once he'd finished tasting it. He licked his upper lip before smiling again at Gi-hun.
"Mmm... Still not good. It's still missing something." He smiled. "Let's go to that other place together. You'll like it."
The scent of lavender thickened, becoming the kind that stung at the back of the throat and burned the nose. The disappointment was unmistakable.
Because to Gi-hun; an omega who had spent his whole life enduring the harsh, rude criticism of alphas and even some betas, who was a perfectionist to his core, and who deep down sought the approval of this handsome, adorable, sweet... but utterly stupid alpha, those comments hurt far more than they should have. He lowered his head and accepted them.
The same routine continued for days.
Days became weeks.
Somehow it had become a regular ritual during the early morning hours. In-ho would appear, order a latte, taste it in front of Gi-hun, then deliver the same verdict every single time; Not quite good enough. The other place does it better. We should go try it.
And Gi-hun? Gi-hun was exasperated. Every time he saw the alpha walk through that door, he felt certain that today would finally be the morning the alpha smiled with satisfaction and praised his coffee.That was all he wanted. But it never came. Not the slightest compliment about the hot foamed milk on his latte. Not a single remark about the balance of flavors or the perfect temperature that wouldn't burn someone's mouth.
The alpha who had initially seemed decent, sweet, adorable, shy during their first meeting—not territorial like most alphas—had turned out to be just another stupid alpha: rude, egocentric, far too proud. There were even mornings when Gi-hun wondered how someone as small as In-ho managed to fit so much ego into himself.
That particular morning, Gi-hun was more exhausted than usual. He hadn't slept well. His heat was probably approaching. His feet hurt. His back hurt. His friend Jung-bae, who worked the afternoon shift, had asked him to cover for him the day before, so Gi-hun had worked three consecutive shifts without a break. He'd overslept that morning and had only managed to eat an empanada before opening the café, washing it down with an espresso in an attempt to clear the fog from his head.
The shift hadn't started well, either. He had barely flipped the sign on the front door when a mug slipped from his hands and shattered across the floor. With his aching lower back, he crouched down to pick up every piece of broken porcelain.
He was just finishing cleaning when the bell rang again.
In-ho entered as usual in his immaculate black suit, his perfectly styled hair only reminding Gi-hun that this alpha was never late to work because he didn't have to worry about catching the subway. He probably drove some brand-new Audi across the city every morning. He probably didn't know what being sleep-deprived actually felt like. His evenings probably consisted of working out until exhaustion, Gi-hun didn't want to think about exactly what kind of workout he did during those hours, only that he was clearly a man who stayed in shape.
In-ho smiled at him.
"Good morning, Gi-hun. A latte, please."
Gi-hun simply nodded, making a small sound with his lips still closed. He turned around behind the counter and prepared the alpha's coffee.
When it was finished, he set it down on the counter in front of him. Not into his hands. Just on the wooden countertop between them. If In-ho noticed, he said nothing.
He picked up the cup, and, as had become part of their ritual, without taking his eyes off Gi-hun, he lifted it to his lips, tasted it, lowered the cup, licked his lips without breaking eye contact, and that stupidly charming smile spread across his face.
Gi-hun knew what was coming. He had studied those stupidly beautiful features for days.
The alpha gave his verdict.
"Tsk... Not yet. It's still missing something. Maybe you should finally let me take you to that other place so you can try their coffee."
That was the breaking point.
Gi-hun looked toward the shelf full of mugs, took a deep breath, tried counting to ten. His lavender scent became so overwhelmingly thick that it drowned out the aroma of roasted coffee filling the café. He sighed before turning back to the alpha.
In-ho saw the storm in the omega's eyes just before he exploded.
"You know what? Nobody's forcing you to come here. If that other damn place is so perfect and you love it so much, then go there! You don't have to come in every single damn day just to tell me I'm doing a terrible job. Just go to that damn place and stop reminding me about your refined palate!" He didn't give In-ho a chance to answer. He simply turned around and disappeared into the small pastry kitchen at the back of the café.
In-ho stood frozen in shock. The warm cup remained in his hands. He felt the eyes of the other customers on him. He lowered his gaze.
And Gi-hun could smell the scent of pine carrying faint traces of sadness and frustration before hearing the bell above the entrance ring once more, announcing the alpha's departure.
Gi-hun felt awful almost immediately. That night he couldn't sleep again. Every time he closed his eyes, he remembered the alpha's sad expression—like a dog that had just been kicked before being left to sleep in the rain— those mischievous eyes that were always bright with amusement had gone dull while holding that latte between his hands. He felt terrible, He felt guilty; He tried reminding himself that the alpha hadn't exactly been kind either. He'd been rude for days, mocking his work, constantly reminding him about that damn perfect café that suited him so well.
But Gi-hun wasn't like that. He wasn't resentful, he didn't know how to be, he wasn't rude, he wasn't cruel, he wasn't someone who usually lost his temper. It had simply been a bad morning.
Either way, it didn't matter anymore. That alpha would surely never come back.
But the following morning, at exactly the same time as always, the bell rang again.
When Gi-hun looked up, the last person he expected to see was In-ho.
In-ho didn't look like he usually did; his suit looked hastily thrown on, his hair had fallen over his forehead, revealing just how long it actually was, dark circles framed his eyes, tinged with the unmistakable redness of someone who hadn't slept. Even his posture was different, his shoulders slumped, his gaze remained lowered, his steps were slow as he approached the counter.
"Good morning, Gi-hun. A latte, please."
Gi-hun nodded. He prepared the drink in silence before handing it to him.
This time he placed it directly into In-ho's hands, but their fingers didn't touch. In-ho thanked him before walking to one of the small tables by the window, he sat quietly and slowly drank his coffee without taking his eyes off the street outside.
Gi-hun watched him for several minutes, he served more customers, but as was always the case that early in the morning, the café remained nearly empty. He sighed before stepping out from behind the counter and walking over to the alpha.
"So... you're not going to tell me how much you hate my coffee today?"
In-ho didn't look up immediately, he simply stared at his nearly empty cup. Gi-hun noticed his ears slowly turning crimson.
"It was never about your coffee," he murmured.
"What? You've been complaining about it every single day for weeks!"
"Your coffee is perfect. It always was." In-ho finally looked up at him. "I just... didn't know how to ask you a date." His cheeks had turned completely red as he looked at Gi-hun. The omega stood frozen, he was almost certain he'd heard him wrong. "I'm not good at this, and I thought if I kept telling you about going to that 'other place' you'd understand it was an invitation... or maybe eventually you'd tell me it sounded nice and you'd come try that coffee with me." In-ho lowered his gaze back to the cup in front of him. "I just wanted to take you somewhere else so we could talk without interrupting your work."
Gi-hun nearly laughed. He would have, in fact. He wasn't entirely sure how he'd managed to stop the laughter threatening to escape, and not because of the alpha; He wanted to laugh at the situation, he wanted to laugh at all the nights he'd spent perfecting his coffee, at all the afternoons he'd spent wondering what he'd done wrong, he wanted to laugh at how badly he'd wanted to punch that perfect smile off the alpha's face every morning, when in reality the man had simply been an incredibly awkward, shy fool.
"So you had me thinking for an entire month that I was a terrible barista and my coffee was awful... just because you were too scared to ask me out?"
The alpha looked back up at him, his eyes resembled those of a sad puppy being scolded.
"I'm sorry. I really am. I never meant to make you feel bad. Never." His voice sounded genuinely remorseful, almost broken. "I'll... I'll just finish my coffee and then leave. I'll leave you alone."
Gi-hun looked around the café, it was almost empty, he knew that at this hour there wasn't much business. He pulled his phone from his pocket and quickly sent Jung-bae a text, then he walked back to the counter to call something out to his coworker and friend, Sae-byeok. He took off his apron, grabbed his jacket from the coat rack, and returned to the alpha.
"Come on. Get up." Gi-hun lightly grabbed the fabric of In-ho's suit jacket.
"What? Why? Are... are you kicking me out?" His voice was full of panic, almost like a little boy who'd just been punished without understanding why. Gi-hun rolled his eyes.
"We're going to that café you keep talking about." He started walking toward the exit. "Let's see just how good that place really is."
In-ho shot to his feet as though he'd been struck by lightning, the expression of a scolded puppy instantly transformed into a radiant smile. The beautiful omega had finally said yes to his pathetic attempt at asking him out. He hurried to stand beside him.
"Yours is the bwtter, the best one" he whispered with a smile.
"Oh, shut up." Gi-hun had to bite his lower lip to keep the smile from spreading across his face.
In-ho leaned a little closer as they stepped out of the café.
"Honestly... if you served me mud, I'd be happy to drink it."
Gi-hun rolled his eyes, but this time he couldn't hide the amused smile tugging at his lips.
"Don't start acting nice now. You're going to have to do a lot more to make up for your terrible reviews."
"I'd be delighted to."
They walked away together with no destination in mind.
Because, in truth, there had never been any other café for In-ho.