five

                                    

                                          
march 15, 2022
                          
the next morning, hyunjin woke up more excited than he had ever been in a while. he quickly got dressed and headed off to work. by the time he saw the coffee shop, his heart was beating so fast that he thought it was going to burst. taking a deep breath, he walked in.
                          
the first thing he did as he walked in was look towards the counter. however, jeongin wasn't there; it was a boy who looked no older than 16, looking back at hyunjin. hyunjin walked up to the counter.
                          
"welcome to yang coffee. what can i get for you today?" the boy asked, looking annoyed that he had to be there.
                          
"an espresso, please," hyunjin said, eyeing the boy. "where's jeongin?"
                          
the boy looked up. "oh, my older brother? he's taking the day off because of some personal business. what's your name?"
                          
"hyunjin."
                          
the boy was interested now, a smirk on his face. "oh, you're that guy."
                          
"what?"
                          
"oh, i think you're that guy hyunjin my brother wouldn't stop talking about yesterday during dinner," the kid said. "i think he's into you," he added in a carrying whisper.
                          
hyunjin's heart fluttered. "yeah, we made plans yesterday."
                          
in no time, hyunjin was holding his coffee with "현진" scrawled messily on the side. he started heading for the office.
                          
hyunjin had a pretty bad life at home; when he came out to his parents on his 18th birthday, they responded by kicking him out of their house, leaving him to fend for himself. he thought he was going to end up on the streets; however, his good friend chan took him in, letting the boy stay with him until he could get a stable job.
                          
chan was a nice guy - when he found hyunjin on his doorstep, looking as though he was going to pass out, chan took him in immediately. he would talk with hyunjin, cook him delicious meals, hug him until he fell asleep, anything hyunjin needed. he even encouraged the boy to start community college, where hyunjin was able to get a degree in accounting. just last year, hyunjin was able to celebrate his 21st birthday with a job and even a new apartment.
                          
chan was like a father to hyunjin, something the latter had been missing in his life the moment he was kicked out. hyunjin decided that he was going to have to pay chan a visit some time soon; it had been months since the boy had last visited him.
                          
hyunjin stopped in front of the office, thinking to himself, i'm so lucky to be here right now, as he walked in.
                          
442 words