* * *

“Six iced Americanos and one tiramisu, please.”

Cha Joobin said his usual order at the counter with ease.

He didn’t forget to account for the staff who had come out to take pictures because of them.

Standing next to him, Gong Yoochan was blankly staring at the menu.

There were so many options, but the two of them always ordered the same thing.

Occasionally, they would get adventurous and try a different drink or dessert, but they always ended up returning to their go-to order of Americano and tiramisu.

After hearing the staff say they would bring the order to their table, the two moved to a seat at the back.

Cha Joobin began sharing his expectations for the movie with Gong Yoochan, who was sitting across from him.

“I heard the movie is great. I got an invitation to the premiere, but my schedule didn’t match, so I couldn’t go. But the older guys said it was fun.”

“Which older guys?”

“Dojun hyung.”

“Isn’t Heechan hyung saying it’s fun, too?”

“That could be the case.”

Cha Joobin chuckled and nodded.

Lee Dojun, known as the boyfriend of the male lead, Jang Heechan, was rumored to be a romantic, just like the rumors about them. C

ha Joobin seemed to enjoy relaying Dojun’s words, laughing continuously.

Gong Yoochan, too, wasn’t devoid of expectations for the movie.

Given the renowned actors cast in it, he had high hopes for their performances.

The main point of interest was said to be the moment the two childhood friends realized their feelings for each other.

It was described as a very natural, everyday kind of atmosphere.

As childhood friends themselves, the more they talked, the greater their anticipation for the movie grew.

Since neither of them had much dating experience, they were curious about how others experienced romance.

Although it was just a movie, it had received praise for being “realistic,” which made it even more intriguing.

It felt like others were having the same kind of love story.

A smile blossomed on Gong Yoochan’s face as he thought it might provide them with new insights.

After taking a big bite of tiramisu, Gong Yoochan suddenly coughed, as the cocoa powder invaded his nose.

He always ended up coughing when eating it, as he had yet to figure out how to eat tiramisu without coughing.

Each time, he would cough so hard that tears would form.

Cha Joobin, knowing him well, handed him a napkin.

“You always cough like that.”

“Could be.”

“Yeah.”

“How far along are you with the drama shoot? I guess you’ve made significant progress now.”

“Yeah, the airing schedule is set, so it seems urgent now.”

“What’s so rushed about it?”

Gong Yoochan sipped his iced Americano and asked.

Of course, the circumstances surrounding films and dramas can vary widely depending on the production or distribution company, but Cha Joobin’s situation was quite special.

He was recently a hot topic on broadcasting channels, and since his filming was featured on air, it seemed they decided to strike while the iron was hot and expedite the schedule.

That makes sense.

Gong Yoochan nodded lightly, relaxing against the back of the seat.

The two had developed the habit of sitting side by side in cafes, and this time was no different as they sat closely on the narrow sofa.

As he stretched his legs and let his toes dangle, Cha Joobin squeezed Gong Yoochan’s thigh firmly.

The pressure was quite strong, causing his body to twist involuntarily.

Just then, as Gong Yoochan held his hand tightly, twisting away to signal him to stop, Cha Joobin suddenly halted and shot him a cold look.

“What’s wrong?”

“There’s a paparazzi.”

Gong Yoochan glanced sharply in the direction Cha Joobin was looking.

He quickly spotted a reporter lurking around like a hyena, similar to one he’d seen before.

He had mentioned this to the company before, and after being told they wouldn’t be seen again, it seemed the surveillance had loosened, allowing the reporter to slip back in.

“How do they keep showing up? It’s so annoying.”

“Exactly.”

Of course, they knew they weren’t the only celebrities living in the area, making it a hotspot for journalists.

Especially for someone like Jin Sanggil, who made a living writing articles based on paparazzi photos, it was practically an all-you-can-eat buffet.

While cafes are open to outsiders, it was strange that someone could keep getting past the security meant to prevent non-residents from entering the compound.

“Let’s not give him any attention.”

As he turned his gaze away to avoid looking at Jin Sanggil, their eyes accidentally met.

Gong Yoochan shot him another cold glare before gently caressing Cha Joobin’s cheek.

“I need to call my grandmother.”

“Grandmother? Which grandmother?”

“Your grandmother. I still haven’t thanked her for the bear soup.”

“But you didn’t eat it anyway.”

“Still, she always looks out for us, so it’s only right to thank her.”

Remembering, Gong Yoochan took out his phone and typed a message to Cha Joobin’s grandmother, whom he had saved in his favorites.

He quickly wrote a message expressing gratitude for always taking care of them, mentioning that he enjoyed the food again this time, and that he would visit with Joobin next time.

As he typed, Cha Joobin kept glancing at him.

“You say you’ll go all the time but never do.”

“This time I really will. Our schedules just didn’t match up.”

“Then let’s go before your shoot.”

“Okay, sounds good.”

Gong Yoochan smiled brightly and tickled Cha Joobin’s chin.

Cha Joobin, like a well-cared-for cat, rested his chin on his palm.

At first, it was surprising to see how close Cha Joobin was with his grandmother.

While most would refer to their mothers, Cha Joobin had always talked about his grandmother since childhood.

---

Joobin still didn’t know why he had made such a big deal out of it.

When he realized that his parents were preoccupied with their business, he came to accept it.

Learning they spent more time abroad than in Korea left him with mixed feelings—a bit of envy, even, thinking it would mean fewer lectures from them.

But upon hearing that his friend had been living alone since childhood, Joobin felt a pang of sympathy.

His friend’s grandparents lived in the countryside, and on days with schedules in Seoul, he would go to the house there all by himself.

It sounded… lonely.

By middle school, when his friend started pursuing his career more seriously, he transferred to a school in Seoul.

His grandmother would visit on weekends, but during the week, his friend spent most days completely alone.

When they first started living together, Joobin was taken aback by how his friend would slip in and out silently.

One day, curious, Joobin asked him why he never said where he was going.

His friend only smiled softly and said, “I got used to being alone; I’m sorry.”

That casual response, hearing how his friend wasn’t used to checking in with anyone, left Joobin feeling something strange—a bittersweet sadness, perhaps.

Over time, Joobin noticed his friend’s habits had shifted somewhat while living together, though some things lingered.

Occasionally, his friend would still drift around the house as though he were alone.

Every time he realized he’d slipped into those habits, he’d apologize, showing he was aware and even trying to adjust.

Joobin decided it was something he’d simply accept.

“Impressive,” Joobin said, thinking back over everything his friend had been through.

The words seemed to catch his friend off guard; confusion flitted across his face.

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve grown up well, Cha Joobin.”

“Out of the blue?” his friend laughed, seeming both amused and a bit surprised by the comment.

Joobin laughed along, swallowing his own thoughts.

If he could just fix that one little habit…

Cha Joobin, who was used to living alone, always talked about everything else but only mentioned his health when he was sick.

He said it became a habit to hide it from his grandmother, who would drop everything and rush to Seoul whenever he mentioned he was unwell.

It wasn’t that he was sick often, so a day of being well cared for wouldn’t be too much to ask, but he seemed to find it burdensome.

Even while we were dating, he would wait until the very end to tell me when he was in pain.

When I asked him to let me know in advance, he simply apologized. “You’re busy too; how can I tell you? I have a schedule.”

Ironically, while he would clear his schedule to be with me whenever I struggled with the aftereffects of cycling, he wouldn’t give me the same consideration.

This time, I needed to change that.

As I pondered this, my brows furrowed with significance.

Since I had decided to address everything that was problematic between us and start anew, I felt it was not just my issues that needed improvement.

“Hyung, I think we should head out soon.”

Just then, Cha Joobin checked the time and stood up.

The reservation at the restaurant was approaching.

As he got up, a message from his grandmother arrived.

[Grandma Joobin:
Thank you, Yoochan. Don’t fight with Joobin and get along well. You’re pretty, Yoochan, our grandson-in-law. ^^]

In the clumsy text message, Grandma’s kind voice could be heard.

The added “^^” was probably meant to be a smiling emoticon.

Thinking it might be good to teach her how to use emoticons next time, Gong Yoochan replied, “Yes, thank you even more! Haha.”

Once in the car, the two naturally got to their tasks.

While Gong Yoochan started the engine and buckled his seatbelt, Cha Joobin entered their destination into the navigation system.

During the drive to the department store, he uploaded a post on social media.

[C. Joobin
“Don’t copy my style! Hahaha @G.Yoochan♡]

As soon as he uploaded the photo, notifications flooded his phone.

Tagging Gong Yoochan had become a familiar routine, and people were cheering for them again.

He enjoyed the immense interest people had in their couplehood.

Even though it was just an ordinary photo, the detailed attention and likes brought him a sense of pride.

Feeling good, he swung his toes as they arrived at the department store, not far from home.

After parking, Gong Yoochan checked his phone, which had been buzzing incessantly.

There were numerous notifications from the post Cha Joobin had tagged him in.

“He uploaded it quickly.”

With a smile, Gong Yoochan checked the post, raising his lips softly.

C. Joobin

Likes: G.Uchan and 9,529,102 others

Don’t copy my style! Hahaha @G.Yoochan♡

G.Yoochan: Did you really copy me? ♡ 1,355
View 120,253 more comments

As soon as he commented, likes and replies started pouring in.

It seemed that since it was rare for him to leave a direct comment on Cha Joobin’s post, it created a kind of synergy.

Gong Yoochan showed the screen and grinned, which made Cha Joobin respond with a bright smile, just like a child.

“I really like this photo.”

Cha Joobin’s added remark resonated with Gong Yoochan.

He stared at the screen, finding the photo, which was not much different from the usual ones, to be somehow warmer and more affectionate, which he liked a lot.

* * *