It’s been two stale months of a relationship between Sayu Jang and Danny Lee. They do love each other, but are just too silent to tell it to each other. The more open and loud Sayu is silently tired, but she kept her love for Silent Danny unconditionally.

But to her surprise, Danny asked her out. It was their third time after being officially together.

“Really? Where to?” Sayu responded to the invitation over the phone.

Danny sighed and gave a hint of surprise. “Um, we’ll see. I’m picking you up at 7.”

She looked at the clock which gave her an extra one and a half hour before leaving. She nodded and agreed, then hung up happily. She never expected this to come.

Pass the time and it’s now 7.02. Danny’s car arrived with a double honk in front of Sayu’s house. Hearing the honk, she took her purse and carefully managed to run in her heels and knee length dress.

“Whoa, hold the horses down there,” he noted as Sayu closed the passenger’s door. But then they smiled to each other. “You look pretty tonight. Very.”

“Really? T..thanks,” she shyly said to the compliment, bringing hair on the side of her face to the back of her ears. The car then slid down the street.

After a nice flying-on-a-magic-metal-carpet ride with Danny, who turned out to be not shy at all in front of her, they arrived to the place Danny initiated them to go to.

Danny exited the car and opened the door for Sayu. She read the sign overhead.

“Bishounen Café,” she read in her mind. Sayu automatically peeked inside the windows. Seems luxurious though. She will feel guilty if Danny’s paying for her tonight.

“Welcome to Bishounen Café,” the doorman smiled to both of them. Oh, author forgot to mention that Danny and Sayu were linking arms.

After entering, Danny then told about their reservation and soon they were ushered to their seats. “Your waiter for tonight will come with the menu in a while. We hope you enjoy,” he said then left.

There soon came a young made-brunette man in white hem and black pants hugging the leather menu with his left hand. “Hello and welcome to Bishounen Café. My name is LeeU and I am your waiter for tonight. What would you like to order?” he professionally said the train of sentences warmly while handing the menus.

Being her half-innocent self, she stared at the waiter in respect, but fell into the he’s cute trap.

“What do you want?” Danny half whispered.

“Tonight’s coffee dinner please,” Sayu said.

“Then what do you want, Sir?” he asked.

“Um, just café latte.”

“Okay then.” LeeU jotted down the orders but then looked up to the mistress. “Is that all?”

While the waiter was talking, Sayu noted something: his lips were like lips of a man that just kissed hard. It tickled her curiosity.

“I’ll have tonight’s dinner as well,” Danny said.

LeeU went and left the two alone waiting. They then talked about their lives and the things that happened around lately. It wasn’t cold or cheesy, just warm as Sayu waited and liked.

“Is coffee dinner kinda weird to you? If yes I’ll take you somewhere else though.”

“No, it’s okay,” Sayu said. “The place is so nice and warm.” Not to mention I can sneak a peek on our waiter, she thought while staring at Danny. He was beautiful. Just beautiful.

“Miss, Sir, excuse me,” LeeU came with the dish trolley and served soft tuna steak with sweet espresso in a quarter glass of wine.

As she saw the waiter, the question came back to her mind again. “Um, excuse me,” she asked.

“Yes, Miss?”

She asked him to lower his head for a whisper, while looking at his nametag reading ‘iyu’ in hangeul. “Did you go for a kiss recently? I’m sorry to be asking,” she whispered.

“No. Everyone thinks so, but the fact is no,” he answered. Politeness trapped her again. The black eyes lit brown by candlelight were too deep and inviting. The whispering distance was too close.

“Well then, that is your order, please enjoy.” He stood up and bowed before leaving.

Danny asked Sayu. “What was it?” he asked, cutting the steak for himself.

“Nothing, it’s just his lips looked funny, then I asked him.”

“Oh,” he commented, then went back to the meal.

“Good night everyone, let me perform and entertain your hearts tonight please,” a man said sitting on the piano chair before playing. He had hazelnut brown hair and wore black casual jacket compiling a white dress shirt inside it.

“Hey, isn’t that the waiter,” Sayu asked Danny seeing the performer.

Danny looked to the stage and she was right. “Isn’t he a waiter?”

“Maybe he got himself a double job here,” Sayu joked.

“If I Aint Got You by Alicia Keys,” LeeU announced, and then started playing the minor-scale intro.

“Hmm, ooh,” LeeU started with a powerful hum that awed Sayu at the very first hear. Danny isn’t that much into music.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

“Oh, sure,” she smiled. She then continued eating facing the food so that Danny won’t realize the great enjoyment in her face. LeeU’s voice was seeping deep through her skin.

“Danny,” she called, trying to get over the beautiful music.

He looked up to her.

She only wanted to stare at him with the wind of heaven flowing to her ears. Tonight was so beautiful.

“So nothing in this, whole wide world, don’t mean a thing, if I ain’t gotcha with me,

“baby…”

Everyone gave an applause and he said thank you through the microphones. Then he started to play and sing 2AM’s I was Wrong.

“Sayu,” Danny called. “I’m sorry,” he said as she looked up.

“What’s wrong?”

He only stared at her intensely before giving a soft painful kiss.

“I can’t put a continuation to this,” he answered deeply.

“What…?”

“ ’We’ can’t continue this anymore. I love you though. I really do.”

She looked away. The pianist wasn’t LeeU anymore. Maybe he’s back to his waiter state. “But you can’t put it this way.”

“I have to.” He scooched out of his seat and kissed the top of Sayu’s head. “Don’t worry, I’m paying for tonight,” he tried to joke with a note of pain at the end.

It was when Danny left that her mind starting to play questions over and over, triggering tears. She hid her face, silently crying.

“Excuse me, Miss, is this clear?” LeeU asked before taking the plates, but then realized there was something wrong. “Miss, are you alright?”

Sayu automatically nodded to avoid questions and tried to fix her tone, “Yeah, take the plates. I need to stay here for a while,” she managed a smile.

“Miss, can I sit here?” LeeU pointed Danny’s seat after he came back from the kitchen to return the plates, hands off waiter attributes. Sayu looked up, smiled and nodded. “Rain Manager-Hyungnim gave me extra keys so that I can wait for you if you want to. Can I help you with anything?”

“It’s okay,” Sayu said with messy crying breath. “Your voice was extraordinarily nice,” she started.

“Ah, thank you,” he bowed in his seat. When he looked up, he just realized how beautiful this ‘Miss’ is. Her eyes were warm and wide yet cat-sharp, her lips were live pink, and the shades of fire just emphasized everything. He snapped out of the mind. “I started playing piano since I was 7 and started singing since junior high.”

“That’s cool. Do you like music? . . .”

The conversation continued and widened, they didn’t realize that they’ve talked through the night. Every single fact they learned about each other was too interesting. Then, realizing the time, Sayu requested for a song before she leaves.

LeeU decided to sing K’s ‘Only Human’.

Beauty, love and warmth started to linger in the air with the notes. He could convey perfectly the pain of the song, wrapped in his warm voice. This way, being locked in the dark anywhere isn’t scary anymore.

Tonight is Sayu’s fastest healing from a heartbreak.

***

“Oh, Hyungnim, good morning,” LeeU bowed as Rain greeted him at the entrance of their workplace.

“So how was it? You look happy.”

“Ah, no, I just calmed her down and we ended up talking all night,” he scratched his head mischeviously.

“Talking all night? No man stands talking all night except it’s football, or it’s love…” Rain nudged his elbow to LeeU.

“Ah, hyungnim… It’s not like that. Um,” he thought hard to find an alibi. “Don’t make me late working being my own manager. I have to work,” he bowed and rushed to the storage.

Phew, he thought. He took the sprayers and cloth and started cleaning the tables. She was fun though. And funny. I can’t believe someone could manage saying long sentences after crying hard. That guy was silly enough to dump her; I won’t let myself do that if I were him--oh damn. I forgot to ask her name.

“Yah! You’re ruining the table!” some dude warned. LeeU snapped out of his mind and saw what he’s done: all he was doing was spraying on the same place and wiping on the wrong place. He jumped to his own surprise.

“Sorry. Thanks for reminding,” he mildly bowed then cleaned the spray right away, afraid that it would cost damage to the table.

“See? Never seen you like this the whole time you work here.” Rain patted his shoulder. “Hurry, people want their breakfasts.” He said then left.

LeeU growled desperately and messed his own hair.

***

The following day, LeeU maintained his concentration and managed to clean the tables and piano right. But he really wanted to get to know more Miss-I-Broke-Up-In-Front-Of-You. People then started to come for some breakfast. Doorbells chime, greetings said, and warmth of breakfast fill the air. Just people, with their warm sandwiches and light coffee, giving the atmosphere.

Then came a young woman with a thick winter coat and red beanie. She had her hands in the coat pockets, walking to the seat she preferred: sticking to the window and close to the dead piano.

“Hello and welcome to Bishounen Café. My name is LeeU and I am your waiter for this bright morning. What would you like to order?” he professionally said the train of sentences warmly while handing the menu.

Hearing the name, the woman turned abruptly to check on the waiter.

“Ah! It’s you again,” he brightly smiled and bowed. Even though ‘wrapping dishes in love’ is a part of the concept, he didn’t need his manager hyung to scowl at him first. “How are you?”

“Fine, thanks. How about you?” Sayu smiled back.

“I’m fine,” he smiled. “Ahem. Do you want our Monday Specialty? It’s called complete croissant sandwich, with double bacon, cheese and lettuce. Plus light black coffee. This will totally make your day.”

The girl chuckled to how this waiter changed from a new friend back to a waiter. You made my day already, she thought, smiling jokingly. “That sounds nice. Okay, Monday Specialty please.”

LeeU noted and half-ran to the main bar. He came back pretty quick for a big plate of sandwich and a glass of coffee. He served the food then asked, “Do you want to have some chats again? Happiness is our main concern,” he smiled.

Sayu gave a nod and started with miscellaneous questions. It turned out talking about love life, after LeeU’s question about that satnite. “By the way, isn’t your family rich? Every single ajumma knows your dad! Why do you have to work here?”

“It’s still about love. A long story. So, in my high school years, there was this noona I liked so much. I met her when we were rehearsing to represent our school in a singing contest. Her voice was so soft and frail, flowing flawlessly like a small stream. It turned out that she got the second place, and I got third. Her name was Kisan. We had close conversations, even after the championship. We developed a noona-dongsaeng bond, even though that wasn’t what I wanted. But it was better than nothing. But then, Kisan Noona had to fly to the US for master degree. She left me half devastated without even knowing,” he smiled to the street behind the window. “I had to find something to distract myself so on the days where I don’t have class, I work here. It’s been half a year and it worked though.”

All that’s left on the table was a plate and a quarter cup of cold coffee. Things have to end eventually.

“Oh, and before I forget, I haven’t known your name yet. I’m LeeU,” he pointed his nametag. “What’s yours?”

“I’m Sayu,” she smiled. “LeeU ssi, I… I’ve finished my meal. I kinda think I’m going.”

“Naw, too bad. You’re fun though. I like you--I mean, not ‘like’ like, but yeah, I like you. You get what I mean.”

“Yeah, me too actually. I want to talk to you again some other time,” she stood up. “Ahem. Bills please.”

“Ahem. It’s sixteen thousand wons.” He said. Sayu handed the money. “Thank you for coming to Bishounen Café, we hope you visit again,” he smiled then ushered her to the door.

Smile and warmth is a part of work, but for him, it wasn’t service talking to her.

***

It has then become regular for Sayu to come to the café every Monday, Wednesday, and weekends. It could be a breakfast, a coffee dinner, or just afternoon coffee. Sometimes LeeU is too busy to stop by and act like a customer to talk to her, but she didn’t mind. Seeing him serving everyone warmly is just so nice.

On the fifth Saturday night Sayu came there, LeeU quickly came after his friends nosily pointed at her table.

“Hello and welcome to Bishounen Café. My name is LeeU and I would like you to follow me to your reserved seat,” he held out a hand.

She doubtfully took his hand. Her hand was held facing down, just like how a princess likes. It was confusing though.

He led her through the stairs and to the garden roof. There was a white covered dining table for two, with velvet red seats. On the other side was a black mini grand piano. The area was lit with standing torches.

LeeU seated Sayu and said, “Would Miss Sayu please wait for a while? Someone was waiting for you. I am going to call him. If you don’t mind,” he bowed and walked away.

Sayu looked up to the sky. It was just black, the silver moon smiling silently.

The roof door opened.

There stood a man with straight hazelnut hair covering his forehead, white hem wrapped in a black semi-tux, and just a beautiful smile. He walked to the table and suited himself. “Have you waited for long?” he asked.

The girl laughed to all the surprise. “What do you mean? Then who’s gonna serve? You’re not supposed to date a customer.”

“I’m a customer tonight, what’s wrong with that?” LeeU pointed out.

“But this is Saturday. You’re supposed to work,” Sayu argued lightly.

“No I’m not.”

“Yes you are.”

“No I’m not, from this morning on.”

“What?”

“I’ve come to a conclusion that with Kisan Noona pretty much evaporated out of my life, and with you eventually always ruining my work schedule the last month, I have no more reason to work here anymore. I can actually have my allowance double my salary if I want to. And plus, I’ve found a place where I can serve better and warmer than how I had served here.”

“And that place is…?” Sayu asked.

LeeU answered: “Your heart.”

Silence.

Sayu went out of her seat.

“Where are you going,” he asked, also standing.

Sayu took two steps forward and hugged LeeU tight. “Welcome me.”

She let go of the hug. “Hello. My name is Sayu and I am your waiter from this beautiful night counting. What would you like to order?” she repeated the sentence LeeU always said when greeting her.

“I would like one Sweet Sayu for myself please,” he smiled staring at her and leant for a kiss.

“Now,” he asked, chapping his lips, “Are you going to ask the same question?”

“What same question?”

“Did I kiss recently?”

Lame joke. But they eventually laughed.

LeeU dragged her to sit beside him on the piano seat and started to play for the person that has brought him to a whirlpool of magic and beauty.

…and the melodies for tonight will never end…

***