Title: The Next Cup Of Coffee
Pairing: Donghae/Eunhyuk, Tablo/Eunhyuk, slight!Eunhyuk/Hyoyeon
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 4,289
Summary: The first cup of coffee never be able to make the memories go away, so he drinks the next cup of coffee to keep him awake from those sleeps he never wanted to have, or at least the dream on it.
A/N This is my first songfic ever and because I really admire how Eunhyuk admires Tablo, I make a songfic from Epik High’s song ‘Coffee’. Hope the story suitable with the song.
First Cup : No Particular Destination
It’s already the fifth cup of coffee.
With no particular destination
I walk as if I’m in a hurry, endlessly.
I’ve already emptied out my wallet.
With no special wants,
Pretending to be all busy, endlessly.
May 11, New York
Eunhyuk walked in hurry on the sidewalk, blowing on a cup of hot espresso in his right hand and eyes scanning a paper he held on his left hand. This morning as usual he woke up late for work, so eventhough he has a coffee-brewer at his apartment, he always bought coffee at a café near his office. Usually the waitress had laid out the coffee before Eunhyuk comes – every Monday ‘til Friday at 8 in the morning – so he didn’t have to wait longer.
The paper he scan, contained some new clothes designs in the right side of it and the model on the left side, and his job was to choose which clothes that suitable for which model before the photo session started in… 15 minutes! He sped up his step on the sidewalk of busy streets in New York, bumping with people who also used this road to wherever their destinations are. As he neared his destination, the tenth story contemporary building, someone from inside the building come out running and collided with him lightly, but it was enough to make the coffee in his hand spills a little to the person’s blue sneakers.
Eunhyuk gasped as he cursed his clumsiness and then looked up to saw the running man. The man has messy hair and smoky eyes as he stared at Eunhyuk with frowned expression, “I’m sorry… I was in hurry and-”
“No… it was my fault…I was in hurry too!” the man said cutting off what Eunhyuk was about to tell, before continued running towards where Eunhyuk had come.
Eunhyuk eyed the person disappeared in the crowded street and suddenly his eyes couldn’t stop searching for the man. Before he realized it, people started bumping on him and he had to keep his balance and he realized that he was standing in front of the entrance of the building. Shaking off his thoughts, he looked at his wristwatch and jumped in shock as he realized that the photo session would started in less than 10 minutes. He rushed to the elevator that would lead him to the 9th floor. It took him 5 minutes to just arrive at his office. His co-worker greeted him.
“Morning, Eunhyuk-sshi… Bryan said he’ll wait for you on the roof so get ready!” Hyo, her name, was korean just like him. She was Bryan’s secretary and Bryan was his boss, the one that would take the photoshoot today.
“Okay! I’ll rush there then, thank you Hyo-shii!”
Before he was off to the roof, Hyo called him again, “be careful Hyukjae-sshi!”
Hearing that name from his co-worker lips, made Eunhyuk stopped in his track. The name was only a name his parents gave him but it could bring back a distance memory, the other didn’t know though. So it wasn’t their fault to say that. Eunhyuk just waved his hand to the back without turned his body and running to where the photoshoot taken place.
***
“You’re lucky the model has just arrived 5 minutes ago!” Bryan scolded as Eunhyuk sat in front of him to discuss about the photoshoot today.
Eunhyuk just smiled apologetically, knowing that his boss wouldn’t scold him for a long time. They had known each other for 2 years now and Eunhyuk was the first assistant he had. Bryan was a new photographer in New York but in one year he had been one of the most famous and success photographer there, so he needed an assistant to arrange his schedule and stuff. Eventhough Eunhyuk didn’t get a proper education in fashion world, but his sense of fashion was quite high since he was in high school. He didn’t get this job from only his sense though, because Bryan had sent his trusty person to teach Eunhyuk these and those things on the first months of his training to make Eunhyuk be able to do his work properly. At first it made Eunhyuk wondering what made Bryan gave the job to him. Maybe for Bryan it just the same like giving job to other people but for Eunhyuk that was a gift.
The 22 years old Eunhyuk, left his own country to get a ‘life’ in New York. At first, he told his parents that he would get a job in New York as a dancer like he used to do in high school but because of his education in accountancy, maybe he could just work for some office jobs or stuff and if he didn’t get a job soon, his parents, as a good mom and dad they were, wouldn’t neglect their precious son in a foreign country alone and would send him to college again until he got himself a job. Apparently, when someone offered him this job – which never once crossed in his mind – he took it because there’s nothing much he could do in a foreign country without a job. For despite what had become his reason to be here in the first place, he had to continue his edging life.
Eunhyuk sighed if the memory of his past came to him even just for a second because it was tiring as it was always hurting him in every possible way – as if a memory could hurt people, huh – and it had ruined his life once before he could get up and move on, but still it wouldn’t leave him alone. He’s 25 now and those memories of his childish day still lingered on his soul.
***
May 11, Seoul
The moon was high. It was shining, reflecting what the sun gave it every single day without hesitate. He leaned on the rails of his balcony outside his bedroom, the fake-shining moon reflected in his brown eyes. Eventhough his eyes were focused on the moon but his mind kept wandering to where the sun would be right now. How could it gave the moon light but it could never be seen at night. The sun must be somewhere else, since it wouldn’t dare to go anywhere or the night should die.
“You must be somewhere… where the sun shine on you.” He murmured. It had become a habit of him every night since 3 years ago, just to convince himself from believing that it didn’t go, it could never and would never go.
Because even if he was alone in the night, he knew that the sun, his sun, would always give him the light he needed. Eventhough the sun itself didn’t know about it.
“Hae… your coffee..” someone called form inside the bedroom. A gentle, sweet voice suddenly filled his mind with another thought beside ‘the sun’, reminding him that he didn’t really alone in this life, but his heart still, no one could accompany it beside ‘his sun’.
***
May 11, New York
Eunhyuk occupied himself with work everyday in the noon, avoided to be alone. He stood in the crowd every now and then, it was pretty easy to do that actually because his job required him to be around people all the time, to arrange people. At lunch break, he always be the one to ask people to go with him, together would be fun, he said.
“Wanna go lunch with me..?” he asked Hyo who was still busy with whatever she did on her PC.
Hyoyeon turned her head as soon as she heard her name being called by that familiar voice she known for 2 years already, “of course… you asked the other?” she smiled after answering Eunhyuk’s offer.
Eunhyuk shook his head, “no… they have appointment already. So, let’s get going!” he said and led the way to the elevator with Hyoyeon and a big grin on her face.
The girl couldn’t stop her smile all the way to the café Eunhyuk had mentioned. This was the first time they go for lunch together, eventhough Eunhyuk always asked her to go, the other employee always come with them. Hyoyeon had never been happier in her life like this day; had lunch together with her crush for 2 years. Yes, Hyoyeon had been falling for Eunhyuk since the man came to the company for the first time. She liked Eunhyuk’s figure the longer she knows him. But unfortunately, she didn’t know the real Eunhyuk, what he did outside his job, his habit, or his lover maybe. She only knew Eunhyuk from the outside of him.
“Eunhyuk-sshi, you often come here?” Hyoyeon asked as they sat inside a pasta shop not far from their building.
“Yeah, at night, because today is just us two so maybe we can just go find a rather small place, not huge like when we come with the other.” Eunhyuk answered. The place was indeed small with just a few seats scattered around, one seat for 2 people, but it was very comfy. They sat at one corner near the window so they could watch people wandering around on the street, as one of the waiter come.
“Can I take your order?” he asked in Korean, it made Hyoyeon turned her head in a flash towards the guy. The guy wasn’t wearing any of waiter’s uniform, instead he wear a jeans and an indigo blazer outside a plain white T’s.
“Why do you come by yourself, Kyu?” Eunhyuk asked, amused by this guy.
“This is the first time you come with a girl, I won’t let it pass, hyung!” the Kyu guy countered.
Eunhyuk was still laughing by this man’s behavior before introduced him, “Hyo, this is Kyuhyun, he’s the owner of this restaurant. This is Hyoyeon, she’s my co-worker.”
Kyuhyun and Hyoyeon smiled to each other as they were shaking hands, “nice to meet you, Hyoyeon-sshi!”
“Nice to meet you too, also since you’re Korean, I guess it’s very great!” she smiled brightly.
“That’s good! So, Hyoyeon-sshi, you’re working with Eunhyuk-hyung right now?” Kyuhyun asked as he settled himself on the chair he just took from the table beside theirs.
“Yes, we are working for 2 years already… he didn’t tell you?” Hyoyeon was slightly dissapointed with what Kyuhyun said. Because there was nothing special between them, an opposite from what she thought.
“I’ve told you, didn’t I?” Eunhyuk intejected, “I told you Bryan also has a secretary and she’s that person.”
“But you didn’t mention her name.” Kyuhyun stated.
Eunhyuk just laughed, it was handsome, Hyoyeon thought. She never saw Eunhyuk this happy with something all the time she knew him.
“Okay… Kyu, I came here not for talking with you, we’re hungry and we want some of your delicious cooking.” Eunhyuk finally ordered.
Kyuhyun also laughed before standing from his seat, “I’ll get it… and I’ll make sure to bring you two our special recipe.”
“Where’s Ming, by the way?” Eunhyuk asked just before Kyuhyun turned to leave.
“Oh… I’ll call Minnie for you too, okay…” and he left to the kitchen.
“Minnie?” Hyoyeon suddenly asked.
“Oh, that’s Kyuhyun’s lover, actually I know Kyuhyun from-”
“Hyukkie…!!”
Someone from the kitchen barged out and screamed for Eunhyuk’s name. Hyoyeon turned to the source of that voice and saw a man with jacket in the same color of Kyuhyun’s blazer. She eyed the man’s cute face and widened her eyes when she looked at his hair, it was pink. Eunhyuk stood up as soon as this man jogged to him and they hugged each other. They seemed really close, because the pink-man even checked Eunhyuk’s face and body with his hand.
“You okay? I told you this eyebag won’t vanish if you keep staying up all night, you should get a proper sleep, understand!” he scolded and Eunhyuk faked a pout.
“Hyung, you told me that 2 days ago!”
“It’s not enough! I think I should tell you this everyday!”
They kept arguing on each other for a minute or so and Hyoyeon could just smile, satisfied to know something about her crush eventhough just a little.
“Okay, okay, hyung…” Eunhyuk sighed, “by the way, I didn’t come alone, this is Hyoyeon, my co-worker.”
“Oh, hi Hyoyeon-sshi! Nice to meet you! I’m Sungmin!” he smiled widely and warmly to Hyoyeon and extended his hand.
She accepted that warm hand and smiled back, “nice to meet you too!”
The rest of the lunch, they spent together with Sungmin as company. Hyoyeon didn’t mind, eventhough her ‘date’ was aborted but she could never be this happy in life, to know more about Eunhyuk was also her dream. Sungmin and Eunhyuk had known each other from high school, so they told Hyoyeon about Eunhyuk’s life in Korea and after he moved to New York. But there was a strange feeling Hyoyeon felt about it, it felt like something just skipped to be told.
***
May 11, Seoul
The embrace never stood for any longer, but at least tonight it could last until past midnight. He would release her before he got disgusted with himself. The woman that lay beside him wouldn’t notice though, seemed like she always in a deep slumber every night, when he got up from bed and headed for the kitchen to make him a cup of coffee, to keep him awake because he didn’t feel like sleep was the best solution for his wandering mind. For everytime he fell asleep, he didn’t want to wake up again. It was wrong because he shouldn’t. Eventhough it was a blissful dream, he afraid that he wouldn’t get to come back to his real live.
A real live…
Had a lot of money, beautiful wife, close to his parents and families was what they called his real live. But love wasn’t. It’s only in his dream. People didn’t live their dream. But their love wasn’t only in their dream, was it? They could joint the reality and love all at once, and it was what he could call a real live. But why couldn’t he?
***
May 11, New York
It was 10 in the night already but Eunhyuk still wandering around in the street near his apartment. After he finished his job at 8, he went first to supermarket and bought some ingredients and because he just came to Sungmin’s shop this afternoon, he just took a walk to his apartment and didn’t use any public transportation. He came in the front of the coffee shop not far from his apartment, the one that he always came to every morning to have his late coffee.
When Eunhyuk entered the coffee shop, there’re many customers come as always in this kind of time until midnight. He didn’t see an empty seat anywhere but there’s someone who occupied a table for 4 people beside the window alone, maybe he could take a seat there, the person seemed not too occupied with work or anything and he just wanted to enjoy his coffee in silent also. So after Eunhyuk ordered his Americano, he walked slowly to the seat and tried to greet that person who was wearing a black jacket at that time.
“Excuse me… I wonder if this seat is taken? There’s no empty seat left and if you don’t mind, can I sit here just for a while?” Eunhyuk asked to that person with jetblack hair.
The man looked up from his coffee and Eunhyuk now could see that he’s wearing a thick-rimmed glasses, “oh, it’s okay… please.” He smiled and motioned for Eunhyuk to have his seat.
“Thank you.” He said with a big smile.
“Did we meet before?” the man suddenly asked when Eunhyuk just had his first sip.
“Eh? Did we?” he asked in confusion. Did he ever meet this guy? He tried to recollect his mind and so did the guy. They stared at each other’s face and instead of remembering where they had met, they felt like there was something similar in them. Was it the clothing because they wore black that day? Or maybe something on their faces? Yes, there was a little similarity on them, Eunhyuk thought.
“Oh, right!” the man suddenly yelled, “you spilled coffee on my shoes this morning, remember?”
Ah, the smokey-eyes guy, Eunhyuk thought. He’s different from this morning with glasses and almost tidy hair. “aah, right! Sorry for it!” he smiled his gummy smile and the man return it.
“I’m Daniel, by the way!” he extended his hand and Eunhyuk shook it.
“Hyuk- Eunhyuk..”
“You’re Korean, right?” Daniel asked the question that seemed there from the very first time.
Eunhyuk smiled knowingly before answering, “yes, and I can ask for the same to you too, am I right?”
“Pretty much! How long have you been in New York?” Daniel asked again as he sipped his espresso.
“Just about two years... I bet you’ve lived here longer.” Eunhyuk asked in return.
“Believe it or not, Korea is just the place where I born in and the rest 29 years I spent here.” Daniel stated.
Eunhyuk gasped, he didn’t expect this guy in front of him was older than him, “you don’t look older than me.” He form a frown.
“Oh, really?? How old are you?”
“I’m 25 this year!” and they laughed.
This was the first time after a long time Eunhyuk could laugh like this. He even didn’t feel weird again to laugh in front of other. Meeting someone new was what he needed most and he got the chance. Maybe this was also the chance for him to move on.
***
After exchanged phone number, Eunhyuk and Daniel separated ways and then promised to call each other or maybe meet again someday. He didn’t know how Daniel feel, but he felt like they really would meet again at a different time or so Eunhyuk like to think. Compulsion of mind or whatever they wanted to say, but he really want to move on, it was hard so he didn’t even close to that final. Forget.
It always come at night, that’s cause him to drink coffee everynight before going to sleep. He actually didn’t want to sleep because sleeping would bring him to his life and the result was forget that you want to forget, because you never could. Eunhyuk knew that trying to forget about him was just as useless as trying to walk upon the water, but at least he tried. Busied himself in the noon, avoiding to be in daydream and talk as much as he could, since he’s not a very talkative person. After that, home was always be the most scary place ever since he would be alone, so Eunhyuk also avoiding to be not at home as long as possible, but since he wasn’t ever befriended with dark, he always be home at least before 12 o’clock. Then after cleaned himself, he tried not to sleep early and drink coffee until sleep slowly taking him by itself.
Like this night, he was in front of the TV watching a lame midnight program and drinking a cup of coffee, trying to be absorbed in the program. Trying to wander his mind into something else, but he couldn’t. In the end he sat on his window frame and stared at New York’s midnight life, how bright this city opposite from what he felt right now. Always feeling alone eventhough his friends always there whenever needed. But he wasn’t here thus he never felt like been filled. He was there, living his bright, beautiful and happy life and has company, Eunhyuk’s sure he would never be alone and sad again like what he used to say. Eunhyuk wasn’t happy with that but at least he could feel relieved because the one he love would never be unhappy again. He got what he wanted, a family like what he always said in the past.
His phone rang. At first he wanted to ignore it again like every other night. It maybe Sungmin again, checking whether he’s sleeping or not and then would scold him like a mother to her child about health and you need to work, but the ring never stopped so he come to check it.
“Hello?!” he asked the other line with slight annoying tone.
“Yoboseyo?” a man, on the other line, greeted. Eunhyuk frowned, there’s a familiarity to that voice, but he couldn’t remember whose is it. It was from someone in Korea, he’s sure of it. It wasn’t his father’s or his.
“Nuguseyo?”
“Is this really Hyukjae’s number?” the man continued talking in Korean.
“Yes, it is. I’m sorry, but who is this?” he asked once again.
But the man didn’t answer that instant, instead he sounded like calling another people, “babe, this is really Hyukjae!” and the next thing Eunhyuk knew was that his ear felt like it’s been torn apart because of another voice from Korea. “HYUKJAE!!!!!!”
He’s got annoyed by that voice at first but after he realized whose voice is that, he widened his eyes and gasped, “hyung?!”
“Yah! I don’t want to be your hyung anymore, how come you didn’t even once call me in almost 2 years??!! Aish! I could never be this angry in all my life but you’ve got me going crazy, Hyuk!” the man stopped to take a breathe.
Eunhyuk lowered his head before saying, “I’m sorry, Jungsoo-hyung.”
The man named Jungsoo sighed but then chuckled, “finally I found you, Hyuk! I thought I would never hear your voice again. How are you there?” he asked with different tone, softer and mother-like this time, just like the old time.
“I’m fine, really!I’m happy to hear your voice, actually, and how are you doing?”
“You know where I am? I’m in Hawaii, Hyuk, Hawaii!!” Jungsoo yelled like crazy and Eunhyuk couldn’t help but laugh at his sunbae at school back then’s behavior, “you remember my lover, Kangin?”
“Oh? The one that went to army?”
“Yeah, he just comeback 2 months ago and now we’re doing holiday to every place!”
“That’s good, hyung!” and then silent from the other line, Eunhyuk also didn’t like this, Jungsoo-hyung must be expecting some more expressions from him, but he just couldn’t, not when Jungsoo-hyung also the part of what he wanted to forget.
“Hyuk... how many years again do you want to spend your live there?” Jungsoo suddenly asked with a careful voice.
Eunhyuk took a deep breathe before continuing, “you know the purpose to why I came here, hyung, and I won’t go anywhere before I reach my destination.”
“I don’t want to make you offended, but I don’t think you can, and I know you also know that!” Jungsoo stated firmly.
“I ‘m trying, hyung.”
“And you know that he always loves you.”
Eunhyuk’s breathe caught in his throat of hearing that, “I don’t know, hyung, I absolutely don’t know!” he managed to say without even a single air on his lungs.
Jungsoo could only sigh again, “I know. By the way, I think our next stop will be in US, you have to be ready to welcome us, okay!”
“Really!! I’ll wait for you then, hyung!” he smiled and make sure that the person on the other line could feel it too.
“Great! Bye Hyuk, sleep tight!”
“Thank’s hyung!” and he hung up on his hyung.
He sighed before flopping down on the couch. He hated it when someone was right about him, his life, and the result to that was the more he wanted to be alone forever, when there were no people to confront anything about his life, but with the knowledge of the people around him always wanted to be around because they love him, he just couldn’t escape again. Sometimes he just wanted to be far away from everyone if maybe that was the only solution for him to be able to forget about his past, but it far from reality.
Eunhyuk wasn’t a person who talk alot but also not a person that didn’t open. In fact, even if he didn’t realize it himself, people would easily know him like an open book. He never be able to hide something especially from someone who knew him for a long time. Hyukjae, to his friend was a person that never had secret. It was good though, for Lee Hyukjae, to know that people knew what was inside his heart, but not this time. This time he just wanted to be alone, without people around him that could immediately told him that something was wrong, it would just bring forth more pain.
This was his 3rd cup of coffee, with a lot of thought he tried to be awake just a for a couple of minute, but the heaviness of his eyes and the sweet lullaby from his mother that always echoed in his mind, told him that he hust be sleeping right now, he needed it, and without him realize it, he’s already on top of his bed. The it come. The time where they still wear uniform, one boy was wearing it on rules but the other didn’t. With messy shoulder length hair and a black tie tied unneatly on an unbuttoned white shirt, the slightly delinquent boy held the boy with glasses’ hand tight, walking together from school to home and stealing kisses on the way. He also saw them on the bus, lening on his shoulder as he gazed at the scenery of sea outside the window. All Eunhyuk could see on his dream was their beautiful memory, but how come he always saw himself crying on it? He cried when they held hand, he cried when they kissed, he cried when they sleep together in each others arms, his heart ached, he thought he could never feel happiness anymore.
“Hyukjae...” he heard him whispered his name softly and he felt his heart became numb. He cried again on his sleep.
***
Second Cup: Don’t miss out on the cup of eternity
