Part 1: The Almost Date
Ji-Eun's POV
The sun was barely up when Ji-Eun's phone buzzed with The Text.
> [Joon-Hyuk]: "If I wear the blue shirt, you'll know I'm trying too hard."
[Joon-Hyuk]: "…So I'm wearing it anyway."
She nearly choked on her coffee. The man who once delivered billion-won contracts without blinking was having a wardrobe crisis over... espresso?
> [Ji-Eun]: "It better be navy and not that electric blue one. I still have retinal trauma."
[Joon-Hyuk]: "That was a fashion statement."
[Ji-Eun]: "It was a cry for help."
Still grinning, she pulled on a white blouse, fluffed her hair into a lazy bun, and added a swipe of peach gloss. She wasn't excited. Definitely not. She just... okay, maybe a little.
Okay, a lot.
---
Joon-Hyuk's POV
He was ten minutes early. Rookie mistake.
Joon-Hyuk stood near their usual booth at the café, two espresso shots on the table, trying not to look like he'd rehearsed this meet-up in the mirror. Twice.
Then she walked in. All sunshine and sass, wearing confidence like perfume.
"Nice shirt," Ji-Eun teased, eyeing him with mock judgment. "Trying too hard?"
"I'm known for my commitment to bad decisions," he deadpanned.
She slid into the seat. "So... is this a post-crisis celebration? Or a secret bribe to get me to stop calling you Ice Prince behind your back?"
"I prefer Espresso Emperor," he said, pushing her drink toward her.
She took it with a grin. "Sounds like a rejected Marvel villain."
Joon-Hyuk chuckled, relaxing for the first time in days. "I had grander ideas for today, you know. Helicopter rides. Yacht dinners. Maybe a dramatic rooftop kiss."
Ji-Eun nearly snorted her espresso. "You had me until the yacht. Then it started sounding like Min-ah's idea of foreplay."
He smiled. "So... no rooftop kiss?"
"Let's see how this espresso shot goes first."
---
Ji-Eun's POV
"Okay," she said, swirling the tiny cup like it was wine, "let's play a game."
"Do I look like someone who plays games?" he asked dryly.
"You literally drafted a contract just to get me into your house."
"Touche."
She leaned forward. "One truth, one dare. I go first. Truth: Have you ever cried during a drama?"
Joon-Hyuk blinked. "Define drama."
"Something with subtitles and unnecessarily beautiful people."
Pause. Then he muttered, "…The one with the dog. And the soldier. And the rain."
Ji-Eun's eyes widened. "You mean That Winter, The Wind Blows?!"
He groaned. "I was emotionally compromised."
She high-fived the air. "Okay, now dare. I dare you to compliment me without sounding like a CEO trying to recruit me."
He tilted his head, considering.
"You're the only person who makes silence feel like a conversation," he said.
Ji-Eun blinked.
That... wasn't what she expected.
She cleared her throat, suddenly way too warm. "Okay, Espresso Emperor. Your turn."
He leaned forward. "Truth: Do you like me?"
She froze.
He smirked. "I meant the espresso. Obviously."
"Right," she mumbled, flustered. "The espresso is... fine."
He raised a brow. "Fine?"
She looked up, meeting his eyes, cheeks pink.
"I like the espresso," she said quietly. "A lot."
Part 2: The Almost Kiss
Joon-Hyuk's POV
There was a beat of silence between them—comfortable, golden.
Ji-Eun sipped the last of her espresso and said, "Okay. I'll admit it. This was a good almost-date."
He raised an eyebrow. "Almost-date?"
She smirked. "Well, no one got flustered enough to spill coffee, no awkward hugs, and definitely no weird hovering... which means it wasn't a real first date."
"Oh?" He leaned in just a little, his voice lowering. "So what would make it real?"
Ji-Eun blinked. Her brain short-circuited for a second under the heat of that look.
"Maybe... an almost kiss?" she said before thinking.
Wait, what? Did she just say that?
But Joon-Hyuk wasn't laughing. He was still looking at her like she was the answer to a question he'd been afraid to ask.
He tilted his head, eyes on hers, and said softly, "Do you want one?"
Ji-Eun's heart skipped a beat. "What if I said yes?"
He leaned in. Inches. Just inches.
"Then I'd say…" he murmured, "we should test that espresso breath first."
Ji-Eun burst into laughter and swatted his shoulder. "You ruined the moment!"
"I saved you from a coffee-flavored disaster."
"You're impossible."
"And yet," he said, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek, "you're still here."
Their eyes locked again. This time quieter. More serious. She didn't pull away. He didn't rush it.
Just as his hand ghosted over her cheek—
Crash!
A stack of metal trays clattered to the floor somewhere behind the counter. Ji-Eun jumped, startled. Joon-Hyuk groaned softly and leaned back, muttering, "The universe has no chill."
---
Ji-Eun's POV
She was still laughing as they stepped out of the café together. Sunlight danced off the pavement, and for once, everything felt... light.
"Thanks for today," she said, voice soft.
Joon-Hyuk looked at her, smile gentler now. "Thanks for not judging the blue shirt."
"I'm still judging it. Just... silently."
They stopped at the corner. Neither moved.
"Next time," he said, "maybe not an almost-date."
Ji-Eun met his gaze, biting her lip. "So... a real one?"
He nodded. "No espresso. Just you."