#scribbles of courage

Thank you for reading!!!!

“Good morning,” he said to the two of them, then opened the door for the customer before allowing himself to glance over who all was currently occupying the small coffee shop. Several regulars were seated around and his eyes stuck at the back corner booth that was a familiar sight. It was covered in paper both flat and wadded up, as well as colorful sticky notes, books and a laptop. Then he deflated.

Instead of their normal regular, it was a uni student that had discovered them recently. The other booths and tables were filled with new and familiar faces, but the one he was looking for was missing. Then, just as he was ready to head behind the counter to start the day, his eyes passed over a familiar form.

She was seated at the counter, her usual items kept to a much smaller amount as she tried not to take up too much space. Her face was scrunched up in concentration as she typed frantically on her laptop.

Yunho cleared his throat. “Hyung? Are you going to stay by the door?”

Seonghwa felt his face flush but tryed to play it off. He stuck his hands in his pockets and raised his head slightly as he made his way behind the counter at an unrushed pace. “I’m just taking in the atmosphere,” he said, trying to remain nonchalant.

The two chuckled at him, barely having the decency to try and keep it down.

“Whatever you say, hyung,” Wooyoung said, patting him on the back as he joined them.

He ignored their teasing as he put on his apron and got to work.

“Binnie said that they had a rush this morning and got behind, but he brought over what deserts he could for now. The rest will have to come closer to eleven,” Wooyoung said just as Seonghwa noticed the desert display was emptier than usual.

“And here I was hoping we just had more business,” Seonghwa said with a sigh. “I’m glad they’re starting to get more customers at least.”

“He thinks it’s partly because we sell them here,” Wooyoung explained. “He told me most of the people that have been placing orders are our regulars and that we’re how they found them. Felix is ecstatic.”

Seonghwa smiled, imagining how everyone next door must be feeling. Times were just hard for small business. Especially with the influx of themed cafes and bakeries. “I’m glad,” he said.

“Oh, hyung,” Yunho said, looking under the counter. “Speaking of baked goods, I think we’re going to need some more to go pouches for them soon.”

“Okay.” He looked around the space and tried to take note of stock. “Let’s look over everything today, and I’ll place an order after we close up.”

“Yes sir.”

“Will do.”

The two replied.

“You opened this morning, right Yunho? Why don’t you go take a fifteen minute break.”

“Thanks hyung. Then,” he grabbed a mug and poured some for himself. “I’ll just be in the back.”

“I’m going to make a fresh batch of coffee,” Wooyoung said. “How’s San doing?”

“He’s starting to get better,” Seonghwa grabbed his notebook, ready to start the tedious task of inventory. “His fever broke so he should only have a couple more days of recovery.” The bell over the door rang, interrupting his task, but he was happy for it. “I got it,” he said under his breath to Wooyoung, then turned a bright smile to the customer. “Hello. Welcome to The Wishing Star. What can I get started for your today?”

✧Author's Note✧

Hello! Here's another random one I started about a year ago. I realized too late that I posted a rather unfortunate chapter of Starlit Destiny on Seonghwa's birthday. So, here's me making up for it. Happy late Birthday Seonghwa! Lot's of love.

Again, this is just casually edited. Hope you enjoy anyways.

Ask to join a taglist. Feel free to engage. It's my writing fuel instead of coffee lol

/)/)

( . .)

Seonghwa and Wooyoung grimaced at the image of Hongjoong behind the counter. He’d likely try to help with preparing a drink, only to end up somehow burning something.

The bell above the door jingled and they turned to greet the customer, but were instead greeted by their friends.

“Hello,” San said, his tone taking on a cute lilt. “We have arrived. Song Mingi in the house.” His voice raised in volume, and Seonghwa’s eyes darted to the few customers already in the cafe.

“Morning,” Mingi said, voice just as loud. “Who’s ready for promo time?”

“We’ve got everything prepared for you,” Yunho said, gesturing to the box.

“And this,” Wooyoung said, as he pulled off his apron, “is for you.” He threw it at San, who barely caught it. “I’m so ready to take some nicer photos than our every day ones.”

“Just remember not to get too loud,” Seonghwa said. “People do come in here to study.”

“And work,” Wooyoung said with a wink which received a glare from the oldest in response.

“I’ll get started on some of our seasonal drinks,” Yunho said and headed towards the counters, dragging San along with him.

“Wooyoung, can you make one with art before you start on the photography?” Mingi asked as he shed his coat, which Seonghwa took from him. “I’ll start getting a background set up.”

“Sure thing!” Wooyoung left them quickly and Seonghwa looked at Mingi with a raised brow.

“You’re going to drink that one, aren’t you?”

“He never makes us fancy ones,” Mingi said. “Is it wrong for me to get one with art out of him every now and then under the pretense of work? At least it’s not going to waste.”

Seonghwa couldn’t argue with that. He was just happy to have the help with promotions. “Oh hey, I have an idea for an event I’d like to run by you later. But it can wait until you and Wooyoung are done,” he said, readjusting his apron as his eyes darted to the front door.

“Oh, yeah?” Mingi seemed to brighten. “That’s new for you. I’m excited to hear about it.”

Seonghwa half-heartedly bumped into his shoulder at the teasing. “I’ve got to get to work,” he said instead. “Let me know if you need anything.”

“Will do, hyung.”

“And remember, please be mindful of the customers.”

“Don’t worry.” The response was instant, casual, like he’d said it a million times. Which, he had.

Seonghwa shook his head with an endearing smile as he walked off. Wooyoung was finishing up the design on a latte when he joined the others behind the counter.

“Changbin just texted and said they’d be bringing the baked goods over in about fifteen minutes,” Wooyoung said. He carefully placed the latte onto a tray and started to make his way out.

“Oh, good,” Seonghwa said. “That way we can add a couple items to the photos.”

“Wooyoung,” Yunho called out before the younger man could leave the space. “Let me know when you’re almost done with that one so that I can start the next one.”

“Will do.”

Now that the chaos from set up was under control, Seonghwa took a deep breath and went through his mental checklist of what needed to be done. The rush wouldn’t hit for a while, and all the current customers were set with their orders. The case was ready for the bakery items and Nari wasn’t in yet. There wasn’t much to do now except make drinks as Mingi needed them and make random orders as more customers came in.

He busied himself with cleaning that wasn’t necessary, making mental note of stock as he went. Before too long, their neighbors showed up with pastries and he filled the case while Yunho made the next drink for the photos.

“How’s it going with the regular, hyung?” Changbin asked as he started placing cookies on the top shelf. He nearly dropped one, eyes darting to the two in front of him. Felix’s eyes were sparkling, and both held equally knowing grins.

He cleared his throat and focused back on the cookies. “I don’t know what your talking about,” he said.

They looked at each other and rolled their eyes, Felix’s grin turned into a smirk. “Wooyoung hyung has been keeping us updated. We know all about her,” he said.

“Don’t you two have a business to get back to?” Seonghwa insisted. How many people had Wooyoung told about his crush?

“He said she’s the reason you insist on having multiple slices of the strawberry cake available every day,” Changbin said. “Here I thought you just wanted leftovers for yourself or San.”

“Don’t worry, hyung,” Felix said, raising a fist. “Fighting.”

They both left after that, chuckling and meeting Wooyoung’s eyes as they exited.

“Why don’t you just ask her out?” San said.

“Not you too,” Seonghwa groaned, closing the dessert case with more force than necessary. “We’ve been over this. She’s a customer. I’d be overstepping.”

“If you say so, hyung.”

Another customer came in and Seonghwa nudged San. “Focus please.”

When the transaction was done, he started on the drink, giving him an excuse to ignore San’s teasing. Instead, he focused on figuring out how to best execute the plan he had in mind.

What to say.

What to offer.

How to offer without it coming across as out of the blue or feeling like a burden.

“Hello, welcome to The Wishing Star,” San greeted brightly.

“Noona!” Wooyoung shouted and Seonghwa’s head shot up, eyes darting to the entrance in time to see Nari give a small wave to Wooyoung before continuing to the counter.

Seonghwa couldn’t escape his drink making to meet her there.

San glanced back at him with a knowing smile before turning back to her.

“Hi,” he said, more enthusiastic than when she entered.

“Hello,” she said, unsure.

“You must be the regular hyung talks about,” San said.

“Oh,” she said as she glanced behind San to seek him out. Their eyes met and pink dusted across her cheeks.

“Hi Nari,” Seonghwa said quickly. “I’m just finishing this drink, then I’ll be right there.”

“D—don’t worry about it,” she said.

Still, he finished the to-go order as quickly as he could, listening in on their conversation in case he needed to do damage control for anything San said.

“Are you San?” she asked.

“I am?” San said in surprise. “How did you know.”

“Intuition,” she said. “It’s nice to finally meet the famous roommate.”

“Psh, famous? I’m not so sure about that.”

Seonghwa could hear the blush in San’s tone. If he were a bird his feathers would be puffed up.

“Look’s like we’re both meeting celebrities today then,” San said as Seonghwa handed the drink off to the customer, then started to rush back. “The famous regular that plays animal crossing and writes books for a living.”

“I’m not…”

“Nari,” Seonghwa said when he was close enough. She looked up at him as he quickly closed the distance, hopefully missing how his hand latched onto San’s shoulder with a little more force than necessary. “More editing today?”

“Of course,” she said. Then, she looked behind her, towards the two by the window and dropped her voice a bit. “What’s going on today? Who…?” She didn’t finish the question, but he could see the curiosity burning in her eyes.

“That’s Mingi,” he said. “He’s our marketing and promotions manager. And Yunho’s best friend. We’re getting more professional photos today of our new and seasonal drinks to post on socials for the next month or so.”

“And Wooyoung is getting to take the photos?”

He nodded and she beamed.

“That’s great!” she said. “He’s such a good photographer. It’s a shame he doesn’t do it more.”

Seonghwa opened his mouth, but San spoke before him.

“That’s what I keep telling him. He’s been using every excuse in the book lately about why he hasn’t been taking any photos,” he pouted.

“We’ve all been trying to get him to take some time to work on it,” Seonghwa said. “But he won’t listen.”

“Ya!” Wooyoung shouted. “Stop talking about me like I’m not here.”

San raised a finger to his lips to shush their friend, who just started grumbling under his breath as he went back to work.

“I’m taking photos now, aren’t I?” he huffed to Mingi, who just patted him on the shoulder.

“In his defense,” Yunho said, joining them. “It has gotten a lot busier here lately. There’s not really a good time for him to take off.”

“I’ve offered to cover a shift or two,” San said, pouting again.

“Why don’t you focus on the shift your covering now instead of berating me for something completely unnecessary and wasting everyone’s time? Hmm? Hmm?” Wooyoung said, speaking 90 miles and hour as he walked over.

Seonghwa raised his hands, gesturing for Wooyoung to calm down before he bothered the customers. “Okay, okay,” he said. “We’ll drop it.”

“Thank you,” Wooyoung huffed. “I swear, no one ever takes my side. Yunho, can you start on the next drink please? I’m nearly done.”

“Of course,” Yunho said, holding back his laughter from the mild altercation. “I was taking your side, by the way.”

“Whatever,” Wooyoung said, with a wave of his hand as he walked back over to the photo area where Mingi was watching, mildly confused.

San started typing on the tablet in front of him, then looked up at Nari. “Just coffee, right?”

“That’s right,” she said, in surprise. “Guess I really am famous. Or does my order just annoy Wooyoung that much.”

“What do you think?” San said with a grin. “If you really want to annoy him, you should order something else today when he’s not working.”

“Hmm,” she hummed in thought. “Maybe…”

“Noona! Don’t you dare!” Wooyoung whined, stomping his foot once.

She chuckled at the response as she fished her wallet out of her purse. “I’m only teasing,” she said. Her eyes shone like stars, completely captivating Seonghwa’s gaze. The light brown shone in the sunlight, with little flecks of sparkling gold, and he felt like the air had left his lungs.

“I’ll…get started on you coffee,” he said, stuffing his hands in the pocket of his apron and turning away. “You’re table is open.”

“Thank you, Seonghwa,” she said, her voice light. The way she called his name was gentle, and he couldn’t help the blush from rising to his cheeks.

Still, he turned and smiled at her, praying that the evidence of his crush wasn’t too visible. “Of course. Do you mind if we use your table to eat lunch again?”

“Not at all,” she said. “I’m always happy for the company.”

He turned away again to fix her mug of coffee, hoping that the heat on his face would die down enough that he could actually take it to her.

The bell above the door dinged, thankfully knocking him to his senses. The following sound of the late morning rush had him hurrying to drop off her drink with a promise to check on her once everything had died down again, before he was back to work.

His and Yunho’s hands were full with keeping up with the orders, as well as making sure San didn’t get too overwhelmed or confused. But, just as quickly as the rush had come in, it was gone and he was left catching his breath along with the other two behind the counter.

“I don’t know how you do this every day,” San said. “Multiple times a day. I’m wiped.”

“You’re doing great, Sannie,” he said, ruffling the younger man’s hair. “Don’t know what we would have done without you.”

“Hyuuung,” San huffed, pushing Seonghwa’s hand away to fix his hair.

“I’m going to get started on the next drink for Mingi and Wooyoung,” Seonghwa said. It was one of his favorite new additions, so he was excited to work on it. Excited to share it. But he had two versions to work on, so it would take him a little bit.

“Then, I’ll go around and check on customers,” Yunho said, grabbing the coffee pot.

“Okay,” Seonghwa responded, too focused on gathering the ingredients and going through the checklist. He’d have it memorized before too long, but he had to make sure this one was perfect…for the photos.

After starting the espresso and prepping the dark chocolate, he pulled the pre-cut strawberry stars and star ice cubes from the mini freezer, then the homemade strawberry compote from the fridge, along with creams. Everything was a matter of timing. He grabbed one of their new latte glasses and filled the bottom with the strawberry compote. Then he carefully added in the star strawberries, using the ice to help hold them in place along the side of the glass before drizzling some chocolate to help hold them a bit better.

The espresso finished just as he was ready for it, and he quickly poured it into the mixing glass with the dark chocolate and mixed them together. He then poured it into the glass in tandem with some cream, allowing the liquids to marbleize. Then, he topped it with a healthy amount of whipped cream and added a couple more strawberry stars as a garnish. The finishing touch was a sprinkling of dried strawberry crumbs.

Satisfied, he stepped back. It was perfect.

“Ooo,” Yunho said. Sidling up next to him. “Looks good, hyung. You finally perfected it. Got a name yet.”

Seonghwa shook his head, quickly getting to work on the hot version of the drink. “No,” he said. “But it will come to me.”

“I’m surprised. You’ve never really struggled with naming one before. And this is the only new one without a name.”

“I know. I just want to make sure it’s perfect.”

“Whatever you decide will be great,” Yunho said, his voice encouraging.

The name was taking a surprising amount of time, and it irritated him. He wanted to get it on the menu as soon as possible, but couldn’t until he made a decision. Still, he knew what was holding him back. Why he wanted to be perfect.

Finishing touches on the hot drink, he loaded the two onto a tray, then retrieved a slice of strawberry cake that he had set aside earlier. Then, more careful than was probably necessary, he took them to the front.

“Perfect timing,” Mingi said, him and Wooyoung looking up from the screen of Wooyoung’s camera. “We just finished with this one.”

“I’ll take it off of your hands then,” he said as he carefully unloaded the items on the tray to the table, then grabbed the other hot and cold drinks. “San has been waiting patiently.” The whip cream on the hot chocolate had certainly deflated, making the mint leaf and cookie droop a little sadly, but the mint chocolate lover wouldn’t mind.

He turned to see the temporary cashier watching him with crescent eyes. Hands clenched and shaking on the table as he tried to contain his excitement. He was certainly earning the drink today.

“Wait,” Mingi said before he could walk away. “I want one of those. Does he get both?”

“No, one of those is mine,” Wooyoung said. “San and I have been trying to get a mint choco drink on the menu for ages and he finally listened to us, so we have dibs.”

“But I like mint choco too,” Mingi whined. “You can get one whenever since you work here.”

“Then just come by more frequently. Besides, you took the latte art one earlier,” Wooyoung argued back as he started to arrange the drinks and cake for the perfect photo. “Ooo, your labor of love,” he teased the oldest. “Finally ready to debut?”

“Almost,” Seonghwa said. “Just needs a name. Here,” he handed over the cold mint chocolate drink. “Share it.”

“I don’t want to share,” the two said in unison.

“Then rock paper scissors for it,” Seonghwa sighed. “Those are mine when you’re done.” He pointed at the strawberry based items, ignoring the whining.

“Just yours?” Wooyoung said, wiggling his eyebrows, but Seonghwa ignored him and turned to head to the counter. He handed the mint hot chocolate to San, who took it with glee, ignoring the rock paper scissors game happening behind him.

San took a long drink of the now mostly cooled liquid and hummed in satisfaction. Then he sent a wink at the oldest. “Do I get a bite of the strawberry cake?” he asked innocently.

“No.”

“But—”

“No buts.”

San pouted, then took another sip of his hot chocolate and was satisfied all over again. He grabbed the mint chocolate cookie, that was barely floating now, with his teeth and it fell apart on him.

“I’ll get you a spoon,” Seonghwa said, starting to round the counter. “Don’t make a mess.”

✧✧✧

It took longer than he was hoping, but they finally finished and were on to the next drinks. He took the items to Nari’s table with light steps, careful not to spill them. They weren’t as pretty as they had been, and probably not as good, now closer to room temperature.

Carefully, he set the cake in Nari’s peripheral, then the two drinks. She looked up, watching as they appeared one by one, then look at him in surprise.

“What’s this?” she asked.

“New seasonal items,” he said. There was some awe in her expression as she looked back at the drinks, and he couldn’t help but be filled with pride. “I wanted to make something for the season that complemented the strawberry cake. Since it’s a favorite.” He added the last bit quickly. “And it will be a collaborative promotion with the bakery next door.”

“Well, they look amazing,” she said. “Are you getting to take a break now?”

He nodded and slid into the booth across from her. “Just for a minute. Which one do you want?”

“I’m sorry?” she asked, eyes wide. “I get one?”

“Of course,” he said. “I want to get your opinion on whether or not they actually complement the cake.”

“Are you sure?” her hands hesitated forward, but he could see the anticipation in her eyes. “I’m sure one of you is a better judge of that. I don’t know the first thing about coffee.”

“But you’ll be able to tell if they go together.” His tone was insistent. “It’s good to get customer feedback, and I trust your opinion. Plus, you’ve been working so hard. You deserve a treat here and there. So,” he nudged them towards her slightly, “which would you like?”

“Then…” she reached forward and slowly slid the cold one towards herself. “I’ll take this one.”

He smiled and slid the hot, now cold one, towards himself.

She took a long drink from hers, closing her eyes and really savoring it. She hummed in delight then finally opened her eyes and looked at him. “This is amazing!” she said.

He held out a small fork for her, then slid the cake a bit closer once she took it.

“You have to stop spoiling me with all these free treats,” she said even as she readily sunk the fork into the spongy cake.

He wanted to tell her he would happily spoil her every day, in greater ways. That the drink was made specifically for her. That she was quickly becoming his favorite person.

But he couldn’t.

So, instead, he told a half truth. “Let me treat my favorite customer every now and then,” he said.

She looked up at him in surprise, fork still in her mouth. Pink dusted her cheeks as her eyes shot back down to the table, cake, laptop, anything but him.

She took another drink, then swirled the straw around in thought. “You treat me a lot though,” she said.

He shrugged, but she didn’t see it. Instead, she continued.

“Tell me about the drink,” she said. “What all is in it?”

He scooted forward in his seat, and explained it in detail. She looked at him again, met his gaze, her attention matching his excitement. There was still a light dusting of pink on her cheeks, and he was sure his matched. Especially once Yunho called for him to come back.

He stood reluctantly, hand still on the table. “I’ll be back in a little while to eat lunch,” he said. “If it’s not a bother.”

She shook her head. “It’s never a bother.”

“Then,” he cleared his throat, to overcome with her response. “I’ll have the others come eat lunch first.”

“Okay,” she said, then lifted she glass slightly. “Thank you again, Seonghwa. I think this will be a big hit. You did a great job.”

“Thanks,” he forced out, then walked away. His face was burning. He needed a minute. But one look at the others told him he didn’t have that. So he swallowed the embarrassment and joined them. Shooing Yunho away to take his lunch break.

✧✧✧

It was another hour before Mingi and Wooyoung were done. They joined him and Yunho behind the counter with the props and final drinks and Wooyoung slouched against him dramatically. “I’m starving,” he whined. “I could practically fade away.”

“Then go eat,” Seonghwa said. “I’m not stopping you. It’s long past your normal break time.”

“Thanks, hyung!” Wooyoung cheered, then tried to plant a kiss on Seonghwa’s cheek. But the oldest was faster, pushing him away before he even got close.

“Don’t,” Seonghwa said with a grimace. “Just go eat.”

The youngest saluted, then disappeared into the back to grab his food.

“I’m going to head out to eat,” Mingi said. “As long as you don’t need any other photos taken.”

“No. But, before you go,” Seonghwa said, stopping him in his tracks. “Let me give you some money for lunch and…” He trailed off as he searched for his wallet.

“What’s up?” Mingi asked when he didn’t finish.

“I just wanted to go ahead and run my event idea by you so you could start thinking it over.”

“Oh yeah! I completely forgot.” Mingi put his hands in his pockets, attention fully on Seonghwa in anticipation. “What were you thinking?”

“Well, what about a book launch event? A reading and signing with the author. Maybe some live music. I’ve heard it can be a really great evening event. Especially in the winter.”

“Sounds good. Do you have an author in mind?” Mingi’s eyes were wide and curious as he leaned forward in excitement.

“I do,” he said, matter of fact. “She has a book coming out soon, but I don’t know the exact date yet. It might not work out timing wise. Or she or her company might not be interested. I wanted to run it by you before bringing it up.”

Mingi nodded in thought. “It would fit the atmosphere of the cafe well,” he said. “And a rare evening event could pull in more people. San could probably sing…” he trailed off, then looked at Seonghwa and smiled. “I like it. Why don’t you go ahead and reach out to them, see if there would even be any interest, find out a timeline. And I’ll start brainstorming some ideas.”

“Really? You like it?”

“What’s not to like, hyung?” Mingi said with a chuckle. “Whether you believe it or not, you have good ideas.”

“He’s right,” San said, joining them.

“You don’t even know what we’re talking about,” Seonghwa said.

“Don’t need to,” San argued. “Mingi said you have good ideas, that’s all I need to know to agree.” He grinned at the oldest, adjusting his apron. “I’m ready to get back to work boss.”

“And I’m going to head out,” Mingi said, happily placing the offered lunch money in his pocket. “I’ll get to work on the photos after lunch and reach out to you tonight or tomorrow about any extra information I need to start posting.”

“Thank you, Mingi.”

“Just keep me updated on the event idea.”

“Will do.”

Mingi headed off and San turned to Seonghwa curiously. “What event idea is he talking about?”

“Something that is still very much just an idea. I’ll tell you about it later.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” San said, taking his spot back behind the register.

“Thank you again for the help today. You can go as soon as Yunho and Wooyoung are done with their lunch.”

“I don’t mind staying longer if that would help. That way they have an extra hand while you take your break. And then, you can take your time.” He looked at Seonghwa with meaning and the eldest looked away, busying himself with cleaning the already spotless counter. “But really,” San continued. “I’m happy for the extra income after losing so many days to that stupid bug.”

“Do you have enough gigs lined up right now?” Seonghwa said in concern.

“Yeah. I’m booked up the rest of the week, so I’ll be okay. The rebooking and slow start back just stressed me out a little. But it’ll be fine.”

“Okay. Just let me know if you need some extra hours. I’m sure we could figure something out. You could sing here on the weekend maybe. Get some tips.”

“That might not be a bad idea. Thanks, hyung. I’ll let you know.”

✧✧✧

Seonghwa took a slow bite of his food, trying to figure out how to start the conversation.

Nari was editing her story, and he didn’t want to interrupt her, but he also knew she still hadn’t eaten. And, he didn’t want to wait another day to talk to her about his idea.

When she started tapping a key in thought, fingers no longer flying over the keyboard, he took a risk. Carefully, he tapped her hand, and she looked at him. Her eyes weren’t really focused on him though, her thoughts still clearly somewhere on the story, and he couldn’t help but smile at her concentration.

“Why don’t you take a break and eat?” He said. “You look like you might be stuck.”

She sighed and leaned back in the booth. “I am,” she said. “That obvious?”

He nodded. “You weren’t typing as fast, and it looked like you might have erased a line a couple times.”

“I did. It’s just a sentence that I struggled with when I was writing the first draft. I still can’t seem to clear it up. Even with my editor’s notes.”

“Well, maybe taking a break will help. Clear your head. Give it some fuel.”

“You’re probably right.” She closed her notebook and pushed it to the side, then her computer. “It’s just hard to take a break once you start making progress.”

“But, you’re not making progress at the moment,” he said, helping her clear a small space for her to eat. “So that means it’s time to rest.”

“Thanks,” she said with a small smile. Then she pulled out a rapped kimbap roll. “It’ll come to me.” The small space filled with the sound of foil and the nervous tapping of her foot under the table. “It’s just this sentence. I just can’t…” She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “It’s fine. Sorry. You don’t want to listen to me rant about this.”

“I don’t mind.” He said, bumping her foot with his. She immediately stopped bouncing her leg. “If it helps you destress, I can listen.”

She smiled, hand coming up to rub the back of her neck. “Thank you,” she said. “I appreciate it. But I would rather talk about something else while we’re both on break. Get my mind off of it.”

“Okay,” he said. “Um, it’s still work related. But I had something I wanted to talk to you about, if that’s okay.”

“Oh, sure,” she said, eating a piece of her kimbap.

His leg started bouncing under the table as he tried to formulate the words. Her foot bumped his, mimicking his earlier action and he smiled at her in gratitude. “Have you ever had a launch event for one of your books?”

Her eyes widened in surprise and she shook her head. “No,” she said slowly. “I’m not really well known, so I haven’t seen a reason to.”

“Well…I was looking at event ideas for the cafe this winter, and there were couple book themed ones out there. The book launch seemed interesting, and with your book being published soon, I thought it might be a good one.”

She leaned back in her seat, face scrunching in thought before she bit her lower lip. Then she sat forward again. “What exactly would that look like?”

“There’s a couple of ways to go about it,” he said, putting his food down to really focus on explaining. “Usually a reading of the first couple pages or the first chapter. Or a random exert from the book. Sometimes a book signing. Sometimes live music. Something calm to match the atmosphere. From there the details vary.”

She looked away in thought, chewing on her lip again. “It sounds like a really fun idea,” she said slowly. “But I don’t know that my book will pull in very many people, and…I don’t know if I would be comfortable reading in front of others. Public speaking was not my forte in school.” She smiled, but he could tell it was somewhat forced. “I can see if there’s another, more popular author who might be a better choice though.”

That took him by surprise. He wasn’t even sure how to respond at first. But he met her eyes and didn’t back down, reaching across the table to gently wrap his fingers around her wrist. “I don’t want another author though,” he said. “The reason the idea caught my eye was because it made me think of you. This isn’t about big numbers or a grand promotional event. This is about creating a cozy, friendly atmosphere. Giving people a something to enjoy on a cold winter night. And collaborating on something with someone I care about. Besides,” he smiled brightly, switching his grip to her hand and giving it a little squeeze, “I’m sure you have plenty of readers who would be interested. And we have regulars who I’m sure would be happy to discover your writing.”

She smiled back at him. Less forced, but still unsure.

“But, what if no one comes. It will be such a waste of time and money.”

“It won’t,” he insisted. “Promise. No matter the outcome.” She started chewing on her lip again and he pressed on. “And if you don’t want to read, we can just have someone else do it. I was also thinking San could sing while people are arriving. His voice fits the vibe perfectly. I can send you some of his recordings.”

“I like the idea,” she said. “I really, really do. I’m just not sure.”

“I am. But I don’t want to force you into it. So why don’t you give it some thought today, and talk to your publisher about it. Mingi already said he liked it and is going to start making a plan.”

She took a deep breath then squeezed his hand back. “Okay. I’ll think about it,” she said. “You won’t be upset if I decide not to though, will you?”

“No,” he said quickly. “Of course not. It’s whatever you’re comfortable with.”

“Okay.” She smiled, more genuine this time. Relief noticeable in her shoulders. “Thank you, Seonghwa.”

“You don’t need to thank me,” he said. His eyes landed on his hand on hers, and he rubbed this thumb across her palm. In comfort, in support. “I’m sorry if this stressed you out. I didn’t mean for it to.”

She squeezed his hand back and he looked at her again. She shook her head then met his eyes. “You were just thinking of something that would benefit both of us,” she said. “That was really thoughtful. I’ll let you know once I make up my mind.”

Even though she was unsatisfied with the scene, she was able to move on to the next one that had already been in her head since the whole story had come to mind. She wrote with a fury and didn’t notice the time around her passing until a loud gurgling interrupted her thoughts. It broke her out of her concentration and she looked down at her stomach in betrayal. Then, glancing at the corner of her screen, her eyes widened in shock. It was way after her normal lunch time. But she didn’t want to stop yet and pack up. Her flow was finally going smoothly and—

Her stomach interrupted her again and she glared down at it. Then back at her screen and the blinking line on the document.

Just thirty more minutes. I’ll pack up when I finish this scene.

Blowing some fringe out of her face she focused once more on the screen in front of her and tried to immerse herself back in the scene. It proved to be difficult with the gnawing in her stomach, but she’d done it before. It was just as her fingers started to fly over the screen again that there was a slight rattle as something was set in her peripheral. Her eyes briefly glanced over to it without processing what was there, then they darted back a moment later as her brain caught up.

A slice of cake sat within reach, next to her now refilled mug of coffee. It was her favorite cake that she only splurged on for special occasions. There was a little fork sitting on a folded napkin next to the dessert, and a pink sticky note on the edge of the plate.

Surprised, she looked up to thank whoever had dropped it off. However, the words disappeared when her eyes met the young owner’s who were blown wide in surprise at being noticed. Before she could gather her thoughts, he had ducked through the curtain into the back room. Her brows raised in confusion so she sought answers from the little note.

You seem more stressed out than usual and we noticed you skipped lunch. Hopefully this will help until you can get to a stopping point. It’s on the house today. You’ve got this! Fighting! /)/) ( . .) ( づ★

She smiled at the words and accompanying doodle, then turned to the other two men who were snickering together by the register, their own gaze locked on where their boss had disappeared.

The shorter one with two toned hair noticed her attention and sent her a wink before turning away to busy himself with something. The giant was still trying to hold in his laughter when he met her eyes, but instead of acknowledging her, he turned away and acted as though he hadn’t seen her.

Not completely sure what any of their actions meant, or maybe not wanting to over think it, she took a bite of the cake, nearly melting. It was perfect.

She’d have to talk to her friends about ordering a cake from the bakery next door once her book was released.

But first, she had to finish the draft.

⁕

It took her a little longer to finish the scene then she had hoped. But that was likely due to the cake and coffee she was consuming, so she was fine with it. The sugar must have helped too because she felt like that was the smoothest her writing had gone all day.

Satisfied with her work enough to take an actual meal break, she started to pack up her things, throwing glances at those behind the counter. The owner was missing, likely in the back again. She deflated, having hoped to thank him personally for the cake, but she had overheard them talking about ordering necessities, so she assumed he was just busy with that.

Still, she couldn’t not thank him.

After tucking the note he left into her notebook for encouragement later on, she grabbed her own sticky note and penned a small thank you letter. Once she was satisfied with it, she placed it carefully next to the empty cake plate.

“Time to head out?”

She jumped in surprise as the two-tone haired worker spoke, grabbing her dirty dishes.

“Um, yeah,” she said as she slipped her backpack onto her shoulder. “I desperately need lunch.”

“I can imagine. I think you’re the only person here who hasn’t had anything. Well,” he smirked. “other than the cake.”

“Which I am incredibly thankful for. I really didn’t want to stop in the middle of that scene when I finally felt I was making progress.” She looked at the curtain to the back room, biting her lip before turning back to him. “Was the cake from your boss?”

“Yeah,” he said with a little more enthusiasm than she was expecting. “Hyung noticed how focused you were and how late it was getting, so he wanted to give you something to tide you over.”

Her heart skipped a beat and she mentally chastised it. “Can you tell him ‘thank you’ for me?”

“Of course! You’re one of our vips so we’re happy to show our thanks for your loyal patronage.”

“Oh.” She deflated a little. Of course that’s all it was.

“Will you be back tomorrow?”

“I should be,” she said, a little surprised at the chit-chat. Even as long as she had been coming, she hadn’t really held a conversation with any of them. “My deadline is tomorrow night, so I’m sure I’ll be buckled down like I was today.”

“Cool, we’ll see you then.” He smiled brightly and if she wasn’t mistaken, there was a twinkle in his eye. “Hopefully your usual seat will be open. Oh, and, you can always bring your lunch in with you if you don’t want to leave to eat.”

“Really? Oh that would make things so much easier. Thank you!” Her phone buzzed and she grabbed it, wincing when she saw who it was. “I’ve got to take this. That’s my publisher checking in. I’ve been screening my calls.”

“Oof, good luck,” he said with a chuckle. “Have a good day.”

“Thanks, you too,” she said.

“Oh, and I’ll make sure he gets your note.”

Her face burned at the knowing look he seemed to have and she forced out another “Thank you,” as she answered the call and rushed out the door. “Hey, Jongho.” She took a deep breath, hoping her tone sounded normal.

“Nari. is everything okay? Yeosang and I have been trying to get in contact you for hours.”

“Everything’s fine, and I’m on track. I was just trying to make progress and didn’t want to get distracted with my phone. But I’m finally taking a break and getting lunch.”

“You’re just now eating lunch? But it’s after three. I know you’re trying to hurry, but if you need more time we can push the deadline a couple days. You need to take care of yourself.”

“I’m okay, really,” she said in a rush. This is why she loved working for her friends. Yes business was important, but they were also always checking in on each other. “I was just really focused and they gave me a piece of cake, so I wasn’t dying.”

“Cake isn’t lunch.”

“Thanks mom.” She rolled her eyes.

“Wait, who gave you cake?”

“Um.” She tripped a bit on her feet as she felt her face heat up again. “You know, the guys at the cafe that I write at.”

“Oooh.” He hummed and she could hear the teasing. “Was it the cute owner you always mention?”

“Choi Jongho—”

“Alright, I’m sorry.” He chuckled and she sighed. “But, it was obviously him with how you’re acting, noona. One of these days I need to go and see for myself who’s caught the eye of my best writer.”

“I swear—”

“Have a good lunch,” he said quickly. “Check in with me again tonight, and don’t skip dinner. Bye~”

The line went dead and she held in a groan to avoid the stares of those around her. One of these days, he’d become aware of his own crush, and when that happened, she wouldn’t let him hear the end of it.

⁕⁕⁕

Prev, Next

Author's note:

To keep things simple, I'll likely be using the same name for ocs for specific members. So, Nari is the name of Seonghwa's x Oc in both this and Starlit Destiny. We'll see if she pops up anywhere else too.

because if I don't do that I will spend entirly too long coming up with the "perfect" name every fic...

Well, the owner smiled, froze, then turned away swiftly.

She tried to ignore it as she made her way to the counter.

“The usual?” the employee asked and her eyes searched for a name tag, suddenly very aware and embarrassed that she didn’t know any of their names. But there wasn’t one, so maybe she wasn’t too much to blame.

“Yes please,” she said, and fished out her wallet.

“Okay,” he took her card and completed the transaction, then smiled at her. “It will be right out. Your usual table is free today, Nari-shi.”

“Oh, thank you.” Right, the other one had said she was a vip to them.

I guess it makes sense that they know my name since I’m in their system.

Now she felt extra bad that she didn’t know their names. She resolved herself to find out by the end of the day while she made her way to the back of the cafe.

He was right, her normal table was empty and she breathed a sigh of relief, then paused. At the end of the table was a little sign that wasn’t usually there. In confusion, she bent over to get a look at it.

Reserved for Nari – Management /)/) ( . .) ( づ★

She blinked at it in shock for a minute before sliding in. As she started to unload her backpack she glanced around at the other patrons. The uni student that had taken her booth yesterday wasn’t around, but there was a couple of friends seated in the middle of the counter, chatting away. Which would have made it hard for her to get work done, even with headphones. So she was thankful to whoever had put the sign up for her.

“Here’s your boring, plain, coffee,” the shorter employee said, startling her out of her observations as he placed the mug on the table with a creamer and sugar packets. “You should try something else some time.”

“It’s just fuel to get through the day,” she said as she took the warm mug in her hands to push away the early autumn morning chill. “Besides, it’s not boring if the coffee is good.” She took a deep breath, allowing the rich smell to fully envelope her. Then she looked at him and smiled.

He had a brow raised and his mouth was pulled to the side in skepticism. “If you say so.” He crossed his arms and leaned down a little, lowering his voice. “Can I ask you something? What are you working on so intently? You mentioned a scene yesterday?”

“Oh, yeah. I’m a writer, and I have to send my draft off to my editor tonight.”

“Ooo,” he said, impressed. “That’s so cool. What do you write? Mystery? Fantasy? Romance?” He grinned a little as he said the last one, but she ignored it and nodded.

“I’m a little all over the place. But, I usually have romance.” She shrunk a little on herself as her hand rubbed at her neck. “I’m a bit of a romantic, so I guess it can’t be helped.”

“I thought so,” he said. “You just have that,” he waved his hands around towards her, “vibe. You know?”

“I guess so,” she said. “That’s what one of my friends says.” She couldn’t help but think of how he might get along with her book designer. It had already occurred to her with his bleached under hair and Hongjoong’s split dye job.

The bell announced another customer and he turned to check on things. “Well, I better get back to work before hyung scolds me, and I should let you get to yours. Good luck today.”

“Thank you.”

He rushed off, and it was only a minute later while her laptop was booting up that she realized she still hadn’t gotten their names.

Oh well. She would just ask when they refilled her coffee.

⁕⁕⁕

She wasn’t sure how long she was working, but before she knew it, she had another chapter done and an empty coffee mug. But the cafe was busy and she didn’t want to bother them for a refill just yet when they were working on much more complicated orders. So, she just buckled down and got back to work. They’d probably clear up before too long and come refill her coffee. She didn’t really need it yet anyways.

“Okay, where was I…” She read the last paragraph and looked over her notes to get back into the scene of the girl and her wishing star. She just needed to do a little research on—

“Nari-shi, would you like some more coffee?”

Her heart skipped and she looked up with wide eyes. He was right there. Talking to her. Asking her if she wanted coffee. And so handsome with his perfectly styled hair and glasses slipping down the bridge of his nose.

He tilted his head in confusion and reality hit.

Coffee. Right.

“That would be great,” she said, fumbling for the mug to place it within his reach. “Thank you, um…”

“Oh, it’s Seonghwa,” he said, his eyes becoming crescents with his smile.

“Thank you, Seonghwa-shi,” she said, wringing her hands in her lap. “Sorry. I’ve been coming here for so long and I just realized I don’t know anyone’s name.”

“That’s okay. We don’t wear name tags, and you’re always really focused on your work, so it’s understandable.” He looked off to the side in thought. “I guess I need to consider name tags. See what the guys think.”

“I’m sure others are more observant about those things than me,” she said. “I’ve just been so wrapped up in this that I haven’t really been paying attention.”

“Is it going well?” he asked, turning back to her.

“Yes, I’ll be done with it tonight, finally.”

“What is it you’re working on?” He shifted then winced and raised his free hand. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be distracting you.” He took a step back to leave.

“It’s okay,” she said quickly. “I can take a break for a couple minutes, and it’s not a secret or anything. I’m writing a novel. I have to turn my first draft in to my editor tonight, then I can take a break from it for a couple of days.”

“That’s great.” His smile was back, making her heart thump again while also pulling her smile to the surface.

“Thank you for the cake by the way,” she said.

His smile turned more shy and he reached for his apron pocket, then stopped. “It was getting late yesterday and you hadn’t eaten anything, so I was worried. I got your note too.”

She turned to the front of her notebook and held it up. “Yours was a good moral support, so I decided to put it in my notebook,” she said, then pointed at the little doodle. “Do you like rabbits?”

“Oh.” Pink dusted his cheeks. “The bunny is me,” he said.

She looked at it, then looked at him, and giggled. “I can see it,” she said. Her face heated up and she busied herself with turning back to the correct page of her notebook.

“I, uh, better let you get back to work,” he said. “Thank you for telling me about your story. Just wave us down when you need more coffee.”

“Thank you, Seonghwa-shi.”

Once he was gone, she fanned herself and tried to focus back on her computer, but it was proving to be difficult. She picked a new playlist, put in her second earbud instead of just having the one, and reread the scene again, and again, until her brain started to complete it, and she could move forward.

She could finish the confrontation scene, eat lunch, and then all that was left would be the happily ever after.

⁕⁕⁕

“You brought some lunch today,” the one with the two-toned hair cheered as he appeared to refill her coffee once more. “Good. I know starving artist is a thing, but maybe don’t take it too seriously.”

“Thanks, I appreciate the concern. But I already got a scolding from my publisher yesterday for skipping lunch.”

He snickered and poured her coffee. “Did I hear you say you didn’t know our names earlier?”

She flinched and looked away.

“Wow,” he drawled out, then placed a hand over his heart, dramatically clutching his shirt. “I’m wounded. After all the boring cups of coffee I’ve been forced to pour for you and I was just a nameless, beautiful, face this whole time,” he teased with a smile.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “But in my defense, you don’t wear name tags. Even Seonghwa-shi pointed that out. Nor have you ever told me your name.”

“That’s true,” he mused, then smirked. “You know, you should write me into your story as compensation.”

“What?” She said with a laugh.

“Nothing big. Just some random background character with a single line,” he joked and she shook her head. “Think about it. I could make the whole story.”

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

“Enjoy your meal.” He took a couple of steps then turned back to her. “I’m Wooyoung by the way,” he said. “The giant is Yunho.”

Said man looked in their direction, confused about hearing his name. When he saw them he raised his hand, and she raised hers in response, then he got back to whatever it was he was making on the other side of the counter.

“Thank you, Wooyoung-shi,” she said.

He sent off a fake salute then joined the others behind the counter.

⁕⁕⁕

“Finally!” She threw her hands in the air and then let herself fall backwards onto her floor as her legs detangled from their crisscrossed state. They tingled but she ignored them as she rolled onto her stomach and grappled for her phone, still on her coffee table.

She clicked on her editors name in her favorites contact list and he picked up after only a couple of rings.

“I was wondering if I was going to hear from you today,” he said with a huff. “Really pushing that deadline, aren’t you?”

“I still have…three hours before the day is over,” she huffed.

“So, you were going to wait till midnight and make me work all night?”

“You aren’t even going to start until tomorrow anyways, so don’t even try to pull that.”

“I very well could start it tonight. And I’ll get hooked and stay up all night working on it. If I don’t get any sleep, it’s on you.”

“Then I just won’t send it to you until tomorrow. But, Jongho needs it tonight to mark off that I hit the deadline.”

“Go ahead and send it to me,” he grumbled. “I’m already in front of my laptop and I’ve been waiting forever to finally get this. All of your ideas and everything you’ve shared has been so interesting. You can’t blame me for being excited.”

His enthusiasm warmed her and brought out a laugh. “I appreciate you letting me bounce ideas off of you,” she said. “And I appreciate the hard work you’re fixing to do. As for me,” she climbed up onto the couch and sprawled out. “I finally get to take a little break.”

“Any big plans to celebrate?”

“I feel like celebrating a draft is a little premature,” she said.

“You did it with your first couple books.”

“True. I don’t know. The girls and I are going to have a night in tomorrow. There’s a mini drama they wanted me to watch. We’re going eat tteokbokki, fried chicken, ice-cream—”

“Fried chicken? Can I come?”

“I will order you fried chicken if you want it that badly.”

“You will be my favorite person if you do. Anything else?”

“Well, I might go to my regular cafe and actually enjoy it for once. One of the employees was teasing me about only getting ‘plain, boring, coffee’ as he put it. Said I should get something else. So, I might treat myself to a latte and slice of cake.”

“Sounds like a good plan,” he said as the clicking of his mouse and keyboard came through the line. “Is that the same cake you got for free?”

She sat up straight, eyes wide. “Jongho told you?”

There was a pause on the other side before he spoke again, clearly confused. “Yeah? He just said that you skipped lunch and someone that works there gave you a free slice of cake.”

“Oh,” she breathed a sigh of relief. “Was that all?”

There was another pause. “Was there more to it?”

“No! No. That was it. They just noticed I hadn’t eaten and gave me a slice on the house since I’m a regular.”

“Guess loyalty pays off,” he said offhandedly. “This is really good so far.”

“You’re already looking at it?” She started rocking nervously. It didn’t matter how many times he had read her work, or how many others had. It always made her anxious.

“Yep. And on that note I’m going to let you go so that you can calm down and I can focus. Go get some rest, eat good food, play animal crossing. You’re going to have to get serious again when the new week starts. I’ll be done by then.”

“Thanks again Yeosang. Don’t stay up too late.”

“Mmhm.”

⁕⁕⁕

First, Prev, Next

Author's note:

I think this chapter is a little longer. Some of these chapters are really long, and others are shorter.

Tag list open! Just let me know.

“Goodness. I even whispered so that I wouldn’t startle you. Just wanted to let you know that she’s gone and it’s safe to come out of hiding now.”

Seonghwa grabbed the tissue box from the desk and raised it over his head just as Wooyoung escaped with a cackle.

He debated throwing it anyways, but thought better in case it actually went through. He didn’t want to have to retrieve it either. Instead, he covered his face with his hands and slid farther into his chair until it threatened to roll out from under him.

Right now he had two options. He could continue to hide back here and wait till the others came to tease him. Or he could go out and act like nothing had happened.

If only he hadn’t run away.

Why couldn’t he just have been cool about it?

With another sigh, he jumped to his feet, straightened out his clothes, grabbed his notebook and pen, then headed back to the front.

“I’ve got the pouches down for the baked goods,” he said, while looking at his notes. “Do we need bags as well?” Instead of turning to either of them while he awaited their answer, he looked over their stock of tea.

“Um, yeah,” Yunho answered.

After jotting down a couple notes he looked at them and immediately regretted it. They were both smirking. But he cleared his throat and continued. “What sizes?”

“Just the small ones.”

“Okay, I’ll add it. Anything else?”

Wooyoung snickered, but Yunho schooled his expression and actually looked thoughtful. “We’re low on vanilla and caramel again. There’s probably only two days left. I haven’t noticed anything else, but I haven’t been able to really go over things yet.”

“No worries. I’m going to do a full inventory check now.”

Wooyoung opened his mouth, but the bell dinged and Seonghwa pointed at the register the younger one stood in front of. “Customer, Wooyoung.”

“Fine. You’re safe for now,” Wooyoung said, then blew his fringe out of his face as he turned to greet the customer with a bright smile.

Seonghwa let out a sigh of relief, but Yunho sidled up to him and he realized he was premature in thinking he was safe.

“When are you actually going to talk to her, hyung?” the giant said under his breath as he started a pour over coffee.

“She’s a customer, Yunho,” Seonghwa chastised. “And she’s clearly very busy right now. It’s not appropriate.”

“You’re just scared,” Wooyoung whispered as he joined them, a nearly finished latte in his hands. “What are you going to do if she walks in with a guy one day? You’ll have missed your chance.”

“Woo, please focus on your work.”

“I am.” He flourished the creamer to make a detailed leaf on the top of the drink, proving his point. “I’m just saying you shouldn’t have any regrets,” he said as he walked away. “She’ll be back tomorrow, so you’ll have to face her one way or another.”

Seonghwa sent a pout after him.

“We just want you to be happy,” Yunho said as he patted Seonghwa’s shoulder. “You work so hard all the time, which means you don’t get out much, and it’s clear you like her. Personally, I think she might have a little bit of a crush on you too.”

“Really?” Seonghwa’s eyes widened and his heart skipped.

No, Seonghwa. Stop that.

“Yeah. She seemed a little disappointed when Wooyoung told her the cake was because she was a loyal customer.” He wiggled his eyebrows and smiled. “I think she thought it might have had a different meaning.”

Seonghwa scoffed and rolled his eyes. “I’m sure you saw wrong. That’s hardly enough to think she has a crush on me.”

Yunho just shrugged and poured the now finished coffee into a mug and loaded it onto a try.

“Just think about it, hyung.”

✧

“Finally,” Seonghwa said as he stretched. He removed his glasses and rubbed at his eyes, then checked the time.

Two hours after close. He sighed as he shut down the computer and got to his feet.

He was exhausted, but he couldn’t help smiling. They were finally starting to gain some traction. And while that meant more work, it also meant his little dream was starting to come true. He slid on his coat as he made a call and gathered his things.

The line picked up with rustling and a sleepy groan. “Hyung,” San moaned on the other end with a pout.

“Our pour Sannie,” he cooed. “How are you feeling?”

“I little better then this afternoon, but I’m still tired.”

“What would you like for dinner? I’ll get it on my way.”

“You’re the best, hyung. Can I think about it and text you?”

“Sure,” Seonghwa said, pausing as he exited the curtain and looked over at her usual table that had been taken for the day. “I can give you ten minutes.”

“Thank you!”

“See you soon.” He hung up, his eyes still on the spot. She had been stressed and fighting a deadline, and her routine had been messed up. If that had been him, it would have thrown off his whole day. So without putting to much thought into it, he want into the back room once more to complete his plan before he chickened out.