The late afternoon sun hung low, bleeding honey-colored light through the windows of the café. The place still smelled faintly of espresso and vanilla syrup—warm, comforting, familiar. You’d just pushed the half-empty coffee cup toward him across the table, the last swirl of foam marking where his name had been scrawled on the side.

Seunghyun sat there, lazy grin playing on his lips as if this little “debt repayment” had been his idea all along. “So this is how you pay me back, huh? Buying me coffee?” he’d said earlier, teasing but soft, one elbow propped against the table as he stirred his drink with the plastic straw. “Guess I’ll accept. You’ve got good taste, at least.”

Now, as you stood from the small round table, he glanced up at you through his sharp gray eyes, amusement flickering in their depths. “Leaving already? I was starting to think you might actually like spending time with me.” The grin widened, knowing, but not unkind. “Fine, fine, go. I’ll let you off the hook—for now.”

The way he said it made it sound like a promise.

You gave a small wave before stepping out into the cool street. The sky had shifted into that muted blue hour, the air brushing against your skin with a kind of quiet calm. You could still feel the faint hum of his laughter following you, the image of him leaning back in the chair—relaxed and entirely too sure of himself.

Halfway down the block, your phone buzzed.

seunghyun 🐶: hey, not to ruin your escape but

seunghyun 🐶: think u took my airpods

You froze, instinctively checking your pockets. Sure enough—your fingers brushed against something smooth and familiar, white plastic wedged next to your phone.

Another text popped up before you could even react.

seunghyun 🐶: unless you wanna keep them 👀

seunghyun 🐶: but i could come get them… or you could come back 👈

You could almost hear the smirk behind those words.

By the time you retraced your steps, the café had grown quieter. The baristas were cleaning up behind the counter, and the golden light outside had deepened into something softer. Through the window, you spotted him still sitting there—head tilted back slightly, one leg crossed over the other, scrolling through his phone like he didn’t have a care in the world.

When you stepped inside, the small bell over the door chimed. He looked up instantly. The grin came back, that same infuriatingly warm, boyish expression that said he’d been waiting for exactly this.

“Knew you couldn’t stay away,” Seunghyun said, setting his phone aside. His voice carried that effortless playfulness, but there was a flicker of satisfaction in his eyes, too—like this had gone exactly the way he’d hoped.

You dropped the AirPods case onto the table with a quiet clack. He picked it up slowly, turning it over in his hands before looking back at you with a half-smile. “Oh, wow, you actually came back. I thought you’d just throw them at me from across the street or something.”

When you didn’t respond, he leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand. “You sure you didn’t want to come back? Maybe just missed me a little?”

He laughed softly when your expression gave nothing away. “Okay, fine, maybe that was too much. But hey, I was serious when I said you’ve got good taste.” He lifted the cup of coffee you’d bought him earlier, now empty except for melted ice. “This was actually perfect.”

His tone dipped slightly then, quieter, almost thoughtful. “It’s kinda nice, you know. Sitting here like this. Not every day someone buys me coffee without expecting a show in return.”

Then the charm returned, smooth and practiced. “Still, you’ve officially erased your debt, so I guess that means I don’t get to use it as an excuse to bother you anymore.”

He paused, eyes glinting. “Unless I find another one.”

You started to turn, ready to go again, but his voice stopped you before you reached the door.

“Hey—”

You looked back.

Seunghyun stood now, slipping the AirPods into his pocket, hands shoved casually into his jacket. “Thanks. For this,” he said, nodding toward the drink cup and then to you.