spaces | c.h.w + l.m.h

八

After Jooheon retrieved Hyungwon from the airport, after all the shock, disbelief, and bear-hugging tears, Hyungwon had only one request.

"Take me to Traveler Café."

Jooheon blinked at him, almost laughing. "You just landed, and you want coffee?"

Hyungwon shook his head. "No... I want him."

The city had changed while he was gone. The streets were familiar, yet foreign—like a half-forgotten dream. New neon signs lit up the storefronts, and the buildings wore new coats of paint. The roads he once walked without thinking now felt disorienting.

But none of it mattered.
Because the moment they pulled up in front of Traveler Café, it was as though time folded in on itself.

It was still there.
The tiny, unassuming shop with its weathered sign and ivy creeping around the window frames. The place where Minhyuk used to serve him coffee with the most radiant smile and a playful wink.

Hyungwon's heart clenched. The memories hit him like a wave—painful and bittersweet.
But there was one thing that hadn't changed.
Minhyuk.

He saw him through the window before he even stepped out of the car. Minhyuk's bright, honey-blond hair fell into his eyes as he leaned over the counter, wiping a glass with lazy movements. The years hadn't dulled him at all. If anything, he was even more beautiful now—so effortlessly familiar it made Hyungwon's chest ache.

Jooheon parked the car but made no move to leave. He gave Hyungwon a reassuring glance. "Go."

Hyungwon's hands were trembling slightly as he reached for the door handle. He hesitated, his fingers hovering above the cool metal.

What if Minhyuk had moved on?
What if he didn't want to see him?

But then, he heard the bright, familiar voice from behind the counter.

"Welcome to Traveler Caf—"
Minhyuk's voice cut off mid-sentence. His eyes snapped up from the espresso machine, locking onto Hyungwon's face.

For a split second, he froze.

"Wonnie...?"

Minhyuk's breath caught in his throat. The cup slipped from his hands and clattered into the sink. He stared, wide-eyed, as though he'd seen a ghost.

Without a second thought, Minhyuk rounded the counter and rushed toward him. He needed to touch him, to feel that he was real.

When Hyungwon's arms wrapped around him, Minhyuk squeezed his eyes shut and clung to him fiercely, fingers digging into the back of his coat as though afraid he might vanish.

"God... you're real. You're actually here," Minhyuk whispered against his neck, his voice cracking.

Hyungwon's breath shuddered. "I'm here."

Minhyuk pulled back slightly, hands trembling against Hyungwon's cheeks as he scanned his face, almost disbelieving. "Why are you here? Has it been four years already?"

Hyungwon chuckled softly, his voice still raw from the overwhelming emotion. "It's only been two, you idiot."
He reached out and gently pushed Minhyuk's phone down before he could check the date.
"I didn't have enough money to finish school. So I came home."

Minhyuk stared at him, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears. Then, without warning, he punched Hyungwon lightly in the chest.

"Two years, and you didn't call once?!" he snapped, his voice breaking.
Hyungwon caught Minhyuk's fists, holding them against his chest. "I know... I'm sorry."
"I thought I lost you," Minhyuk whispered, voice trembling.