Gel pens were critical tools for organization. Green for chapter headings and blue for subheadings. Words written in his orange pen were theory names, baby blue for important figures, purple for definitions and lime green for important dates. Myungsuk had an intricate system for his highlighters and was proficient in using copious amounts of symbols to quicken his writing speed.

In all things, Myungsuk preferred order. A specified system that improved efficiency. Without such systems, no satellite would work, let alone get into orbit.

Staring outside the window, Myungsuk tapped his pen against his desk. It always amazed him how small they all were compared to the universe. Yesterday’s episode of Galactica explored the distant planet of Imo900, Captain Sukki’s home planet. Its configuration was based on the real Kepler-186f; the closest habitable planet and Myungsuk’s favourite. He imagined himself aboard the crew ship, with all the knowledge of space at his fingertips and exploring the vast secrets of the universe.

“Myungsuk?”

Myungsuk snapped out of his daydream and bolted upright in his seat, blinking at his teacher. The look Mr. Choi gave him made Myungsuk sink in his seat. “Sorry, I’ll pay attention,” he muttered.

Mr. Choi rolled his chair over to him, sitting backwards on it. Myungsuk kept his gaze down, tugging at his hoodie sleeves. “Myungsuk,” Mr. Choi said and dipped his head down.

Myungsuk sucked in his breath and lifted his head, staring at his glabella. “Yes?”

“I know you’re bored.” That was an understatement. “But, we have nine months until Suneung. You need to be test ready,” Mr. Choi explained for the eighteenth time.

Suneung was the College entrance exam every student needed to write. Without it, College wasn’t an option. Myungsuk’s shoulders sagged from the burden.

The past two years of constant meltdowns, endless tears, aching hands and the undisclosed amount his parents had paid for every possible support would have been worth it if Myungsuk wrote the exam last year. Accelerating highschool had been all for nothing. At least he still graduated. But that meant having Suneung prep classes in a hagwon instead of being at university where he could learn about the stars instead of conjugations.

Myungsuk sucked in his breath, the painful memories radiating from his bones. “Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars...” He whispered, focusing on controlling his scent and the ache in his chest. Nothing good came from living in the past.

“Why don’t we finish here for today,” Mr.Choi said with a sigh and Myungsuk nodded, reaching for his pens to start putting them away as Mr. Choi got up to put away his things.

“Sorry, Mr. Choi,” Myungsuk managed to say. “I’ll add this to my homework tonight.”

Mr. Choi nodded and smiled, reassuringly. “That’d be good. But don’t push yourself,” he said as he shrugged on his jacket. “You know everything, Myungsuk. We just have to get you to test ready.”

“Test ready,” Myungsuk repeated under his breath.

At the front gate, Myungsuk turned to Mr. Choi and bowed his head. “Goodbye, Mr. Choi. See you tomorrow,” he said, his words muffled by his scarf. Once returned, Myungsuk grabbed the straps of his backpack and headed left.

Myungsuk walked back to the gate, squeezing his shoulders in as a group of high schoolers passed him, on their way to the very hagwon he attended full time. They laughed loudly and roughly pushed each other around, fueling their laughter. When was the last time Myungsuk laughed like that?”

Shaking his head, Myungsuk focused ahead and marched onward. Now was not the time to think about that. He had enough people who loved him, any more would be redundant.

He turned the corner onto a one-way street and as he was about to take another left, his eyes caught something in a flashy window display. He halted and spun around, his eyes blown wide. He let out an audible gasp.

In the sparkly window display was a large banner reading:

‘Limited Edition Galactica plushies! Available inside!’

“The new plushies,” he squeaked, his legs moving on their own, to the large display at the back of the store. The chrome of their spacesuits from season four sparkled under the light and Myungsuk happily drummed his fingers together.

He grabbed the first one. Captain Sukki, the main character in Galactica. Strong, kind, a natural leader. Myungsuk traced his fingers over her tiara and purred. She was everything the main character should be. He tucked her under his arm and grabbed the next one.

Dr. Viham. She looked elegant in her pink suit against her blue skin. She was the brains to Sukki’s brawn. A true genius. Myungsuk had a special place in his heart for Viham; she was blunt, literal, and very capable. Always at Captain Sukki’s side.

Holding onto both plushies, he grabbed the last one, holding it out with a soft sigh. Captain Giya. Tall, handsome, strong. Even in his plushie form, he was nothing less than a cool alpha. Captain Giya was the type of alpha who could get the best out of people, especially Sukki. They had a love that transcended time and space. A true image of a fated pair.

Myungsuk bounced over to the counter and placed the three down. The cashier rang them up, bobbing their head to the music they were listening to. Not that he minded, the less talking, the better.

Paying with his card, Myungsuk stuffed the plushies into his bag and heaved it back over his shoulder and left the store, tightening his grip on his straps. It was fine. At least he had his family and Galactica to keep him company.

He took a few more turns until he reached the top of a steep street and let gravity pull him down. His walk turned into a jog, then a stumbling sprint, Myungsuk grabbing the corner of the red-brick building to skid to a stop.

Peeking through the large glass window at the front, he counted the number of customers. He pursed his lips and pulled out his earphones from his jacket pocket, slipping them on and tapping them twice. The world around him muffled into silence.

He opened the door and a waft of roasted coffee flooded his senses in the best way. Coffee was a great diffuser. Even with customers scattered around, none of their scents could reach him.

“Hello, Myungsuk,” Taeyong said, holding his arm out as Myungsuk rounded the counter. Myungsuk accepted his hand and stepped closer, nuzzling his cheek, the proximity allowing both of them to take in each other’s scents. “How was school?” Taeyong asked as he sat back on the stool in front of the register.

“I got perfect on the mock test.”

Taeyong grinned. “That’s wonderful. I’ll make your favourite for dinner.”

Myungsuk brightened up. Taeyong made the best stew in the city, and arguably, in the country. Thankfully it was still cold enough to enjoy it. And speaking of the cold, according to the time, they had fifteen minutes before a wave of customers came in for hot drinks and baked goods.

“I’ll go change,” Myungsuk said and pushed past the curtains into the back room, changing into his uniform.

Setting the eleventh coffee on the counter, he pressed on the lid and slid it forward. “Here’s your coffee, sir.”

The customer balanced his phone against his ear and shoulder grabbed the coffee with a gloved hand and gave Myungsuk a tight-lipped smile as he left.

Myungsuk pursed his lips. He was ready to say ‘have a good day’, but the customer left before he got the chance. He took a deep breath. It was fine. Not everyone followed the script. At least there was only minimal variation. That Myungsuk could handle.

“Wow, you have gotten so good,” Taeyong said as Myungsuk walked over to him. “I’m so proud of you.”

Taeyong held his hand up and Myungsuk leaned into his touch, nuzzling his cheek against it. “Thank you, Hyung.”

Sighing, Myungsuk looked around the cafe. A few months ago he couldn’t even say ‘hello’ to a stranger without panicking and burning out. But slowly and surely, he followed Taeyong’s guidance and practiced with his family. One customer a day became two and so on. Now, Myungsuk could complete a whole order to start to finish.

Myungsuk smiled to himself. He had gotten so used to being by himself that he forgot he actually liked seeing people. And at his own pace, never again could he lock himself away.

In the middle of organizing the receipts, Taeyong froze and paled. Wordlessly, he marched into the back. Once he was out of the customer’s sight, Taeyong’s hand slapped over his mouth and ran to the bathroom.

Myungsuk scrunched his nose. Poor Taeyong. Shaking his head, he turned on the kettle, preparing a cup of ginger tea. He hoped a cup of ginger would help.

He glanced behind the curtain. He didn’t want to be alone behind the counter. He wasn’t at that level yet.

A gust of wind crawled up Myungsuk’s back. He gulped, focusing on the boiling water instead of turning around. He could feel eyes on him. He tugged his sleeve anxiously. Maybe Taeyong would come back soon and deal with the new customer. Hopefully.

Counting the seconds, Myungsuk took a deep breath and reached up, pulling out his earphones, flinching at the wave of sounds.

“Excuse me?”

Myungsuk froze. He had to do it. He had to take an order. He could do it. He knew all the steps. He just — Myungsuk braced himself and turned around.

Gawking, from the type of stern, businessy customer they usually got, Myungsuk didn’t expect a face like that. His eyes were puffy, with his cheeks and the tip of his nose pink from the cold. It reminded Myungsuk of a docile animal ready for a nap. Or coffee in this case.

“Uh, welcome,” Myungsuk said, meekly. He stepped over to the register, focusing on the tablet. “What would you like?” he continued, replaying the countless times he’s heard Taeyong and Seunghyeon do it.

The customer stared at the menu behind him and hummed. “I’m not sure. Everything sounds good,” he said in a smooth voice. He rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled. The smile caught Myungsuk off guard.

Myungsuk wiggled his toes and tugged on his sleeve. The other’s eyes squinted with his smile to form perfect moon-shaped crescents.

Mr. Moon’s entire face was soft with a subtle definition in his jaw and cheeks that’d develop with age. His bangs swept over his forehead, matching the rest of his aesthetic of a long puffy jacket and backpack. But, even if Mr. Moon was wearing a suit, he’d still look handsome. He was the perfect mix of hot and cute. He held back a giggle and shook his head. He was acting like a typical omega.

“Could I get a medium mocha, please?”

Myungsuk snapped out of his daze and dropped his head before Mr. Moon could catch him staring. “Would you like something to eat,” Myungsuk asked, gesturing to the food display. “The honey cakes are our best sellers.”

“Um,” Mr. Moon hummed and squinted at the display, Myungsuk biting back a purr. “I don’t know. I shouldn’t.”

“Why not?”

“Hm?”

They stared at each other. Myungsuk squeezed his lips together in shock. He didn’t mean to question him out loud. Grabbing his sleeve, he shrugged. “Why can’t you? If you like mochas, you’ll like it,” Myungsuk explained, ignoring his hammering heart.

“Oh, I just...” Mr. Moon rubbed the back of his neck. “Sure, why not.”

Grinning, Myungsuk punched in the order. He was glad he could add a little more sweetness to Mr. Moon’s day.

Myungsuk started up the espresso machine, watching Mr. Moon looked around the cafe, stopping at one of Seunghyeon’s abstract paintings before his gaze landed on Myungsuk. Their eyes met and Mr. Moon quickly ducked away, burying his face in his scarf. Myungsuk giggled. Cute.

“Um, here’s your order,” Myungsuk said, unable to add more vigour. He set the brown bag with the slice of cake next to the mocha.

“Thank you.”

Myungsuk pulled back, smiling up at him as Mr. Moon picked up his order. “Enjoy.”

“You too,” Mr. Moon blurted out and paused.

Myungsuk raised his eyebrow and sucked in his breath when Mr. Moon’s cheeks went pink, and not because of the cold. “Uh, I mean — thank you for, uh — this,” Mr. Moon rambled, trailing off into a sheepish laugh.

His heart fluttered and Myungsuk giggled, squeezing his hands together as he pushed up on his toes. “I think a goodbye is sufficient.”

Mr. Moon’s shoulders dropped and he smiled, nodding. “Right,” he said and licked his bottom lip. “See you later, then.”

Myungsuk nodded and watched Mr. Moon walk out of the cafe and out of sight. “Woah,” he breathed out and giggled. He did it. He spoke to a customer. A cute one too! Myungsuk purred under his breath. He couldn’t wait to tell Taeyong and Seunghyeon. They’ll be so proud.

Speaking of which. Myungsuk turned around and snapped the kettle back on, unable to wipe the smile off his face.