[ONESHOT] Coffee
Yonghwa heard the doorbell ring through a bleary haze of a morning hangover. He had gone out to a club last night and apparently had over-indulged. The piercing shrill of the bell cut through his head like a hot knife through soft butter.
"Eurgh," he moaned, dragging his tired feet across the living room. Popping an antacid tablet into a glass of water (it fizzed silently) and cleaning up his hair as best he could, he opened the door.
"Hi." Seohyun stood at the entrance, eyes red and cheeks puffy. She was holding an overnight bag and her hair was unkempt.
"Oh, hi," Yonghwa replied, surprised but not overly shocked. He remembered checking his phone last night and seeing the first rumors hit the newswaves. "Thought you might come here."
Seohyun shrugged dejectedly, sighing. "Didn't have anywhere else to go. Min is on tour, Lizzy is in Japan... you're the closest person outside the company I know."
"Come in."
"I just... I just needed to get away for a few hours."
"I know," Yonghwa half-smiled, patting her on the shoulder. "You can stay here, it's fine."
"I'd hate to, y'know, impose..."
Yonghwa sighed. "You do this all the time, Seohyun. You think too much about other people, what they think, how they treat you." He followed her into the living room. "Try thinking about yourself a little."
"I suppose you're right," she sat down on the sofa and buried her face in her hands.
"Coffee?" Yonghwa asked. "I was just about to start a drip." That was a lie; he would've spent the rest of the day in bed, nursing his headache and questioning his life choices, but he supposed Seohyun wouldn't have been very happy about that.
"Sure. Black for me, two sugars."
"I know."
"And, uh, one more thing." Seohyun cleared her throat.
"Hmm?"
"Add a shot of vodka in there. I know you have it."
"How did - ?"
Seohyun glanced at the partly-open cabinet above the kitchinette which betrayed a collection of various glass bottles, all partly empty. Her eyes crinkled a little.
"Didn't know you started drinking."
"You don't know a lot of things about me," Seohyun replied. "We've hardly been in touch."
"Hmm," Yonghwa bit his lips. "I guess that's true," he said as he started the coffeemaker and grabbed the bottle of vodka - 90 proof - from the top shelf. "We've just been busy, that's all."
"Is that really all?" Seohyun asked, and something in her voice made Yonghwa turn around. Tears were flowing down Seohyun's cheeks. This was the first time Yonghwa had seen her cry, and while he would never think Seohyun was ugly, he quickly realized that she wasn't a pretty crier. Her cheeks flushed red and her forehead betrayed the stress she was under. "Tell me, honestly, is that really all?" She said. "That we've been busy?"
Yonghwa sat down opposite her in silence and waited for her to say something more. She always did.
"It's like... everyone's leaving me," she said, wiping her eyes. "And I feel like I'm just sitting here, powerless, watching people drift off one by one like I'm a piece of wood floating on an ocean. Do you know how much that sucks? And everyone always says they're busy. Oh, she has a tour, he's on vacation, she runs a business..."
"And they all say they care about the important things. They say they care about me. They say they will never, ever leave me. And then what do they do?... They leave. And it always ends with me being the stupid one, how I never saw it coming, how I got hoodwinked. And it always happens again. I trust people... and they disappear on that. That stinks."
Yonghwa nodded.
Seohyun sniffed. "Sorry about this," she gestured to the heap of crumpled tissues on the floor. "I'm not usually... I don't really cry. It's just not a thing for me. But... I don't know. Things are different now. I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, or the day after, and I just... Today, I needed to be with someone solid."
The coffeemaker beeped. Yonghwa poured two generous cups of coffee and topped off Seohyun's cup with a splash of alcohol, abstaining from pouring some into his own cup. "Thanks," she said, taking a sip. She grimaced. "Ugh, that tastes awful."
"Want to switch?" Yonghwa asked.
"No, it's fine," she said, taking a bigger gulp. "I don't drink for the taste."
Yonghwa laughed. "I get that."
Seohyun stared pensively into the dark liquid. "I was... I was so different, you know? Back then. Do you remember how I couldn't drink at all? Not even one sip?"
"I remember."
"What changed, then? Was I better back then? Did people like me more when I wasn't... you know... this?"
Yonghwa sighed. "None of this is your fault, Seohyun. Really."
"Well, it sure doesn't seem like not my fault," she said, taking another drink. "And seriously... do you think I'm better or worse than back then? When we were together?"
"I don't know," he said, truthfully. "I don't really know you right now at all. But that's not a bad thing. It means you have a chance to make a second first impression."
Seohyun snorted. "Sometimes, at night, I look at myself and I think, 'five years ago, I never would've done what I did today'. I can't tell if that's bad or not."
"It's definitely not a bad thing," Yonghwa said, taking a sip of his own coffee. "People change all the time, Seohyun."
"You don't seem to have changed at all," Seohyun said.
It was his turn to snort. "Then you don't know me very well, either."
"Hmm," she pursed her lips. "It's like we're strangers... but not really."
"That's a good way to put it."
Seohyun's phone trilled. She glanced at the message. "Oh," she said. "Emergency meeting. Of course."
"Need a lift?"
"No, thanks, I brought my car."
"You drive?!"
Seohyun chuckled. "See?" she said. "Strangers."
She downed the rest of the coffee and stood up from the sofa. Yonghwa was worried that she would be a little tipsy, but she remained perfectly composed.
"Thanks for the... coffee." Seohyun said, wrapping her jacket around her.
"No problem. It was good to see you again," Yonghwa said.
Seohyun stopped what she was doing and smiled. "Yes, it was, wasn't it?"
Yonghwa grinned. "Yeah. And, you know, if you're not busy in the future..."
She laughed hollowly. "I really, really doubt I will be."
He shrugged. "Then let's get a drink, you and I. Somewhere quiet."
"Two strangers in a bar?" she said. "I'd like that."
The two of them stood by the door for a second more. Yonghwa cleared his throat. "Well."
Seohyun nodded. "Well."
"Good-bye."
She shook her head. "No. Screw that. Screw good-byes. I'm sick of them."
He laughed. "Then, I'll see you later."
"Absolutely," she waved. The elevator dinged behind her. "Next weekend?"
"Sure. I know this great place in Itaewon, beers on tap, music..."
Seohyun cut him off. "You can tell me all about it next week," she said as she stepped into the elevator. "I'll see you."
"See you," he said. And this time, he meant it.
"Eurgh," he moaned, dragging his tired feet across the living room. Popping an antacid tablet into a glass of water (it fizzed silently) and cleaning up his hair as best he could, he opened the door.
"Hi." Seohyun stood at the entrance, eyes red and cheeks puffy. She was holding an overnight bag and her hair was unkempt.
"Oh, hi," Yonghwa replied, surprised but not overly shocked. He remembered checking his phone last night and seeing the first rumors hit the newswaves. "Thought you might come here."
Seohyun shrugged dejectedly, sighing. "Didn't have anywhere else to go. Min is on tour, Lizzy is in Japan... you're the closest person outside the company I know."
"Come in."
"I just... I just needed to get away for a few hours."
"I know," Yonghwa half-smiled, patting her on the shoulder. "You can stay here, it's fine."
"I'd hate to, y'know, impose..."
Yonghwa sighed. "You do this all the time, Seohyun. You think too much about other people, what they think, how they treat you." He followed her into the living room. "Try thinking about yourself a little."
"I suppose you're right," she sat down on the sofa and buried her face in her hands.
"Coffee?" Yonghwa asked. "I was just about to start a drip." That was a lie; he would've spent the rest of the day in bed, nursing his headache and questioning his life choices, but he supposed Seohyun wouldn't have been very happy about that.
"Sure. Black for me, two sugars."
"I know."
"And, uh, one more thing." Seohyun cleared her throat.
"Hmm?"
"Add a shot of vodka in there. I know you have it."
"How did - ?"
Seohyun glanced at the partly-open cabinet above the kitchinette which betrayed a collection of various glass bottles, all partly empty. Her eyes crinkled a little.
"Didn't know you started drinking."
"You don't know a lot of things about me," Seohyun replied. "We've hardly been in touch."
"Hmm," Yonghwa bit his lips. "I guess that's true," he said as he started the coffeemaker and grabbed the bottle of vodka - 90 proof - from the top shelf. "We've just been busy, that's all."
"Is that really all?" Seohyun asked, and something in her voice made Yonghwa turn around. Tears were flowing down Seohyun's cheeks. This was the first time Yonghwa had seen her cry, and while he would never think Seohyun was ugly, he quickly realized that she wasn't a pretty crier. Her cheeks flushed red and her forehead betrayed the stress she was under. "Tell me, honestly, is that really all?" She said. "That we've been busy?"
Yonghwa sat down opposite her in silence and waited for her to say something more. She always did.
"It's like... everyone's leaving me," she said, wiping her eyes. "And I feel like I'm just sitting here, powerless, watching people drift off one by one like I'm a piece of wood floating on an ocean. Do you know how much that sucks? And everyone always says they're busy. Oh, she has a tour, he's on vacation, she runs a business..."
"And they all say they care about the important things. They say they care about me. They say they will never, ever leave me. And then what do they do?... They leave. And it always ends with me being the stupid one, how I never saw it coming, how I got hoodwinked. And it always happens again. I trust people... and they disappear on that. That stinks."
Yonghwa nodded.
Seohyun sniffed. "Sorry about this," she gestured to the heap of crumpled tissues on the floor. "I'm not usually... I don't really cry. It's just not a thing for me. But... I don't know. Things are different now. I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, or the day after, and I just... Today, I needed to be with someone solid."
The coffeemaker beeped. Yonghwa poured two generous cups of coffee and topped off Seohyun's cup with a splash of alcohol, abstaining from pouring some into his own cup. "Thanks," she said, taking a sip. She grimaced. "Ugh, that tastes awful."
"Want to switch?" Yonghwa asked.
"No, it's fine," she said, taking a bigger gulp. "I don't drink for the taste."
Yonghwa laughed. "I get that."
Seohyun stared pensively into the dark liquid. "I was... I was so different, you know? Back then. Do you remember how I couldn't drink at all? Not even one sip?"
"I remember."
"What changed, then? Was I better back then? Did people like me more when I wasn't... you know... this?"
Yonghwa sighed. "None of this is your fault, Seohyun. Really."
"Well, it sure doesn't seem like not my fault," she said, taking another drink. "And seriously... do you think I'm better or worse than back then? When we were together?"
"I don't know," he said, truthfully. "I don't really know you right now at all. But that's not a bad thing. It means you have a chance to make a second first impression."
Seohyun snorted. "Sometimes, at night, I look at myself and I think, 'five years ago, I never would've done what I did today'. I can't tell if that's bad or not."
"It's definitely not a bad thing," Yonghwa said, taking a sip of his own coffee. "People change all the time, Seohyun."
"You don't seem to have changed at all," Seohyun said.
It was his turn to snort. "Then you don't know me very well, either."
"Hmm," she pursed her lips. "It's like we're strangers... but not really."
"That's a good way to put it."
Seohyun's phone trilled. She glanced at the message. "Oh," she said. "Emergency meeting. Of course."
"Need a lift?"
"No, thanks, I brought my car."
"You drive?!"
Seohyun chuckled. "See?" she said. "Strangers."
She downed the rest of the coffee and stood up from the sofa. Yonghwa was worried that she would be a little tipsy, but she remained perfectly composed.
"Thanks for the... coffee." Seohyun said, wrapping her jacket around her.
"No problem. It was good to see you again," Yonghwa said.
Seohyun stopped what she was doing and smiled. "Yes, it was, wasn't it?"
Yonghwa grinned. "Yeah. And, you know, if you're not busy in the future..."
She laughed hollowly. "I really, really doubt I will be."
He shrugged. "Then let's get a drink, you and I. Somewhere quiet."
"Two strangers in a bar?" she said. "I'd like that."
The two of them stood by the door for a second more. Yonghwa cleared his throat. "Well."
Seohyun nodded. "Well."
"Good-bye."
She shook her head. "No. Screw that. Screw good-byes. I'm sick of them."
He laughed. "Then, I'll see you later."
"Absolutely," she waved. The elevator dinged behind her. "Next weekend?"
"Sure. I know this great place in Itaewon, beers on tap, music..."
Seohyun cut him off. "You can tell me all about it next week," she said as she stepped into the elevator. "I'll see you."
"See you," he said. And this time, he meant it.