Chapter Text
“I told you I’m not interested in dating,” Seungkwan exclaimed with a phone pressed to his ears, both hands busy holding up a freshly baked batch of doughnut balls.
It was a Wednesday afternoon, which meant that the only customers in the café were a bunch of workers from the construction site in the neighbourhood, a few old ladies waiting for their daily dose of coffee and gossip; along with a handful of tourists.
“And I told you I am not letting you become my practice child in the future.” Came his best friend’s reply from the other side of the phone.
They met in the first year of college after getting assigned to the same hostel room. They never got along back then. He has no idea when they went from wanting to rip each other’s throat to this.
“It's been a busy couple of days here so I don’t think I can find any time. You should tell him to cancel.” Seungkwan hoped that excuse would work. It wasn’t completely a lie. Dating wasn’t specifically on his to-do list while managing a cafe all on his own.
Somewhere deep down he knew he craved a companion, someone to share his burdens with, someone who would hold him during rough nights and someone to celebrate his milestones with. Deep down, he knew he was lonely and he knew Chan could see it. He was just trying to help.
“No can do. I knew you would act like this at the last minute so I’ve already said yes. He will be there at four.”
“Chan! What have you done!” Seungkwan would have cried if he wasn’t surrounded by so many people.
“Look, he is a pretty chill and laid-back guy. I met him a couple of times when he came to visit Joshua hyung. Apparently, they are maternal cousins.”
Even if Chan couldn’t see it, Seungkwan rolled his eyes in annoyance. “Fine, I'll meet him, but this is the last time you are pulling such a stunt.”
Great! You won’t regret this I promise. Just imagine, what if he ends up being your soulmate?”
“I don’t have time to spend on false hopes, Channie.” Soulmate bond is a bit of a sour topic for Seungkwan. After he turned eighteen, just like everyone else, he was filled with hope that he would finally have an opportunity to find someone who would understand him unlike the rest of the world. But with each passing year, that hope kept diminishing until all that was left was loneliness and resentment.
“Hyung, please don’t act like its too late. You are only twenty-five.”
Chan wouldn’t understand. He was eighteen when he found his soulmate right in front of his eyes. It was his brother’s best friend and the man that helped to raise him. He had been through his own version of hell, yes, but he always had his soulmate beside him. He doesn’t know what its like when your world crashes on you and you have nowhere and no one to go to.
“What am I supposed to talk about with a complete stranger?” The truth was, he didn’t want to be unprepared. He considers himself the most awkward person on the planet and would like to not embarrass himself for once. Especially since his entire staff would be witnessing his date, eating popcorn at his demise.
“I’m sure you'll figure it. All I know is that he looks like Leonardo Di Caprio!” Chan shouted before Seungkwan cut the call in annoyance.
He successfully convinced himself that every person in the cafe was looking at him. As if they could tell how his heart was beating so fast. How his cheeks were flushed and hot. He hadn’t been this nervous or excited for a long time. Chan had stirred some unnecessary emotions in him. He was too old to act like a teenager.
Only three hours to four, he had a lot of work to cover. So, he spent the rest of the time instructing his employees on the remainder of tasks for the evening, greeting his customers and brewing coffee in the hopes of calming his nerves, all the while a name lingered in his head.
‘Vernon’ was definitely an English name. Seungkwan had many great skills but speaking English wasn’t one of them. He imagined him as this NRI, full of confidence and a clumsy accent. Just in his imagination, he seemed way out of his league.
But what does that matter anyway? He had decided to meet him once and then never contact him again. He just has to go through this one evening, one date and then forget it ever happened. It would keep Chan off his back for a while.
At around three past thirty a person walked into the cafe in a police uniform. His warm but shy eyes were searching around while looking lost.
While Seungkwan was busy preparing his last batch of cream puffs, he stood in front of him at the other side of the counter. In his hands was a bouquet of orange tulips, blazing and vibrant.
“Di Caprio.” Seungkwan found himself muttering under his breath, eyes wide open.
Chan was right. He was a total Korean version of Leo, his favourite actor and childhood crush. He had the same chiselled jawline, his face was glowing golden under the yellow lights, eyes evidently tired but so captivating.
“Pardon.” English. Fuck.
“Hi, I am Seungkwan. You Chan’s friend send?” He started speaking the very little English that he knew, palms clamming up with sweat. “Blind date?” How was he supposed to survive the rest of the evening?
Vernon raised his eyebrows in amusement, a small smile creeping on his face. “Nice to meet you Seungkwan-shi, I’m Chwe Vernon.” He spoke in perfect Korean, almost like a native. When he forwarded his hand for a shake Seungkwan froze.
On his pinky finger was a thin red string, very identical to his own. Vernon’s hand was still hanging in the air, awkward, waiting. Seungkwan held his own pinky out and pointed at his thread, “Can you see it?”
“Oh my god!” Vernon gasped.
“Is this really happening?!” Seungkwan exclaimed, a buzz travelling through his entire body. Only when it slipped through his cheek did Seungkwan realise that there were tears in his eyes.
He felt utterly overwhelmed. He was either about to faint or throw up, voice nowhere to be found.
“We…are…soulmates.” Vernon said quietly, staring at Seungkwan with blank eyes. More like in shock.
Seungkwan needed a minute to pull himself together. He looked down at himself, covered in flour and stains, still in an apron. “Please have a seat, I’ll join you in a minute.”
Vernon shyly touched the back of his head, “Take your time, I can wait.”
As Vernon was guided to a table by Beomgyu, the new part-timer, Seungkwan turned and tried to stabilise his breathing, asking himself…
“WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?”
Going into the pantry, he removed his apron, straightened his clothes and tried to fix his hair but his hands were shaking too much to do anything right. One of his long-term employees brought a deodorant to him.
“Thank you, you’re a lifesaver, Soobin.” His voice came out heavier than he had expected.
Soobin jumped to hug him, “Congratulations, hyung!”
Seungkwan broke down in his arms, letting out the overwhelming storm of emotions in his chest.
“Thank you.” He ruffled Soobin’s hair after calming down a bit, gave himself one last look in the mirror and stepped out.
Vernon was aggressively typing on his phone when he greeted him. They shared small smiles and awkward bows. Seungkwan couldn’t take his eyes off Vernon’s soul thread, it didn’t feel real yet.
For almost five seconds, there was complete silence until Vernon spoke, “Oh, these are for you.”
This was the first time Seungkwan had received flowers in twenty-five years of his life. He could cry if he wasn’t too aware of the way Vernon’s eyes were burning holes in him. “Thank you, these are beautiful.”
Then ensued another round of silence, both clattering around their coffee cups, sipping as slowly as possible and trying to avoid any eye contact. Well, at least it was a relief that Vernon seemed to be as nervous as him.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t expect this.” Vernon said, pointing at Seungkwan’s pinky. “It’s all so surreal. I have given up all hope of ever finding my soulmate.”
“I really understand.” Of course Seungkwan did. When all your friends lead their lives around their soulmates, happy and assured, you are alone waiting, never feeling whole.
The silence was killing him. He is called the most talkative person among his friends and he doesn’t deny that accusation. He hates quiet and would do anything to fill it. “So, how long have you worked as a police officer?”
“I’m sorry have we met before?” Vernon asked suddenly, squinting his eyes.
"I wouldn’t miss it if I ever bumped into someone with a glowing red string. It would be impossible to forget, don’t you think?” Seungkwan shrugged, humming thoughtfully.
“Yes but…forget it. I’m all over the place. I’m sorry.” Vernon slumped his shoulder, his uniform crumbling with him.
Who doesn’t get enamoured by a man in a uniform? Seungkwan wasn’t an exception. He tried hard to look away but Vernon was a beauty his eyes could never have enough of. “You’re beautiful.”
It was too late before he realized he said it out loud. Vernon almost choked on his drink, turning into a puddle. “Thank you.”
To save them on time, Vernon’s phone buzzed, “Excuse me. It’s my brother.”
While he talked on the phone, Seungkwan kept his fists on his lap, trying not to pry.
“No, hyung. Yes, I am currently with him. Stop it. I did. Yeah….”
After he kept the phone, he smiled apologetically. “Sorry, he couldn’t help it after I texted him what happened.”
“I understand. I can already imagine Chan, my best friend, chewing my ear off when I tell him.” Seungkwan told him.
They both ended up laughing, stealing glances and trying to contain the joy from exploding out of their chests.
Every morning he wakes, Seungkwan practises his fake smiles in the mirror and proceeds to flash them all through the day to his customers, working hard to not worry anyone. But come night the facade falls apart as he goes back to an empty house and welcoming loneliness.
He doesn’t remember the last time he laughed so wholeheartedly without feeling guilty.
Vernon’s gummy smile and weird laughter were definitely one of his major charming points, and Seungkwan was totally charmed.
The next time silence fell upon them, it was more comfortable than awkward.
“How long have you been here?” Vernon asked Seungkwan after thanking Soobin for their sandwiches.
Soobin gave Seungkwan a wide smile before disappearing away. He found the rest of his employees showing thumbs-ups behind the counter and hoped Vernon wouldn’t see the red spreading on his cheeks.
“I was born and raised in and by Jeju. The only time we separated was for the three years I was in Seoul for college. What about you?”
“As you must have guessed I’m half American, born in New York. I was five when my family moved to Gangnam. Now my parents still live there. My elder brother, Joshua, settled in Seoul with his family after getting married and I came here after my posting two years ago.” Vernon told him, eyes never wavering from Seungkwan.
“Then what do you think of Jeju?”
“It feels like home. The scenic beauty, the beaches, the mountains. People would give you smiles as you walk down the street and are always ready to help. Of course, I also love that the crime rate is so low.”
Seungkwan was intrigued by Vernon's reply. His perspective was different from Seungkwan’s about the only town he had ever known to be his home. He craved and missed that life in Seoul, mainly because most of his friends were there, making names for themselves while he was at the same place. “Spoken like a true city boy.”
Vernon laughed again. “Maybe but I genuinely love Jeju.”
Seungkwan was curious. How could anyone who had a taste of the big cities be satisfied with a small town? Vernon was becoming a very interesting puzzle that he desired to solve.
“Did you always want to become a police officer?”
“Yeah. My mother says whenever I played cops and thieves with my brother, I never let him become a cop.”
Seungkwan smiled, imagining little Vernon, running around his house with tiny feet and a toy gun in hand.
“What about you?” Vernon asked him.
“Well, I never had dreams. After my parents passed away, I inherited this cafe. It was a run-down diner back then. You can say that keeping this legacy alive is my dream now.”
Vernon’s eyes softened. “Your parents must be really happy about what you have done with this place.”
“Thank you.” Seungkwan doesn’t usually talk about his family. The wound of losing them was still as fresh as it was eight years ago but Vernon’s reassuring voice made him feel a casual comfort that he doesn't find in others. Everyone is just too busy pitying and worrying about him.
“Sorry, I made the atmosphere so glum and awkward.” He wiped the tears that were starting to accumulate in his eyes and gave Vernon a big smile.
“Don’t be. I asked.” Vernon said.
He hadn’t felt this normal in a while. With Vernon, conversations felt seamless. There was a lulling ease in his presence that made him crave more.
They spent the rest of the evening sharing stories and finding each other beyond interesting. The attraction was obvious from their secret glances and playful smiles.
Vernon’s phone rang again and he shook his head while picking it up hurriedly, going to a corner before answering.
“Sorry, it seems like we have to cut this short. Work calls.” He told Seungkwan afterwards.
“Of course, duty first right?” Seungkwan tried to hide the apparent hurt on his face. He just didn’t want this evening to be over so soon.
They shared a curt handshake as a goodbye until Vernon sighed and pulled him in a brief hug. “I promise I'll make it up to you soon. Hyung, I am so happy that I finally found you.”
Seungkwan stood dumbfounded as he started walking away until he remembered it suddenly. “Wait, Vernon-shi. Um…your…how would you catch up without my phone number?”
“Ah, yes.” Vernon turned back, took a pen out of his pocket, grabbed a tissue paper and wrote down his number in the old-school way. Before Seungkwan could write down his, he was running out with a ringing phone.
“Classic.” Soobin stood beside Seungkwan, peering at the paper in his hand.
“10/10,” Beomgyu said from the other side.
Evenings are the busiest at the cafe. It gets crowded and noisy, with orders coming and going at every tick of the clock. Usually, Seungkwan is so busy that he doesn't even get time to drink water. But today, his thoughts had rendered him useless. He almost overfilled the coffee jar, broke a saucer, got some orders wrong and miscalculated a few numbers in the tally book.
That was the last straw before Soobin made him walk away. Nothing’s more fun than being punished out of your own cafe. So he was leaving early, for the first time in a long while, with no idea of what to do with the remaining time in his hands.
His conversations with Vernon, his smile, his eyes stealing glances that he thought Seungkwan didn’t notice, their laughter forming a perfect harmony and the ease he felt in his arms during that quick hug played in his head like a loop. Especially their soul threads. He was giggling like a schoolboy on his way back home, gaining weird looks and disappointed head shakes from the bystanders.
Just after he reached home and showered, he got Chan’s call. He was right about him chewing his ear off after he learned that they were soulmates.
For about ten minutes, he was just squealing, dancing, shouting and congratulating Seungkwan.
“I wish you were here right now.” Seungkwan chuckled, craving Chan’s comforting hugs.
“Me too, hyung. I cannot wait to meet…Vernon-shi.” Chan laughed. “Now, tell me how it went. Do not leave any detail.”
“You were right. He looks exactly like Dicaprio.” That became the first thing he ended up telling Chan, earning a hearty chuckle from his best friend.
Seungkwan was staring at himself in the mirror, still in a towel. He wasn’t as chiselled as other men his age, nor did he have the sunkissed skin that almost every islander here possessed. He couldn’t find anything special in himself that would make someone like Vernon turn back and look at him twice. “Don’t laugh. Don’t you get what it means? He is way out of my league.”
“That’s not what I heard from Joshua hyung,” Chan told him.
Just the thought that Vernon talked about him to his brother was a lot to take. “What did he say?”
“He said and I quote, ‘I have never heard Vernon talk so much in the last twenty-eight years of his life. Seungkwan has done quite a number on him.’” Chan said with his Joshua Hong impression.
“Oh!” Seungkwan was speechless. He sat on the bed, needing a minute to digest it.
“So, what’s the next step? What have you two decided?"
“I have his number.”
“Yes!! I knew it. He is clearly into you.” Chan laughed.
“I asked for it! And we ended up being soulmates. He had to give it to me.” He protested.
“Yeah right. But hyung, you do know what it means right?”
“What?”
“He’s waiting for you to make the next move.”
Chan’s words wouldn’t let Seungkwan sleep. He was wrapped in his fluffy blanket, comfortable in his Winnie the Pooh PJs, head resting on his favourite pillow, and all the curtains drawn to make it just dark enough for a good night's sleep. But sleep was a privilege he didn't have.
His phone kept bouncing from one hand to another, Vernon’s number waiting, taunting, daring him until he gave in. Before he could change his mind he had written two simple letters to make a ‘Hi’ and pressed send.
Within a second it pinged with a notification.
‘Who is this?’
Shit! How could he be so stupid?
He hit his head on the bed a few times before straightening up, ‘Hello, this is Seungkwan.’
‘Oh, hyung! I’m so sorry about rushing out like that today. Let me make it up to you as promised. It’s Sunday tomorrow. Would you be free?’
Oh. That was fast. He kicked his feet like a teenager and squealed, squirming happily under the blanket. ‘Yes. What’s on your mind?’
‘I was hoping you could show me the Jeju you grew up with.’
Seungkwan knew exactly the spot. ‘Sure, I’ll come pick you up in the morning. Be ready at eight, sharp.’
‘Aye captain.’ It was the last text before Seungkwan sent a blush smile emoji and kept his phone aside. He couldn’t do it anymore. He felt like he would burst from excitement or a heart attack.
After his conversation with Vernon, he slept like a baby. He had the kind of dreamless sleep that wakes you up with a recuperated and rested mind and body. He doesn’t remember the last time he had managed to shut eyes for more than six hours. Maybe it was because he was looking forward to looking his best the next morning. Maybe because after a long time, he had something nice to wake up to.