cafe girl, grocery boy | ch. 12
runaway [masterlist] word count: 1.2k
Think I fly when I'm with you.
CHAPTER SONG: Runaway (U & I) by Galantis
A/N: what a revival like 6 years later LOL, i want to get my creativity up and start writing again so please enjoy the world of y/n and cheol
- y/n -
I couldn’t believe what was happening to me. I was out with a boy.
A boy who was the son of my family’s rival. The arch-nemesis of Yoon Jeonghan. A boy I was not supposed to like.
And yet—here I was.
A boy who actually cared. A boy who didn’t complain when the cold seeped through his clothes while I wore his jacket, still warm from him.
It scared me how easy this felt. How natural. Like something I’d been missing without ever realizing it.
Choi Seungcheol—who are you?
“Tell me why you’re so good to me?” I asked, my voice quieter than I meant it to be.
“What?”
“Nobody’s ever gone out of their way like this for me,” I admitted. “You took me to places I’d never even heard of. And you gave me your jacket even though I know you’re freezing.”
I braced myself for a joke. A deflection. Something to keep things light.
Instead—
“Well,” he said softly, “a girl has never made me feel the way you do.”
My heart stuttered.
“And that is?”
“It feels like I’m in high school again,” he continued, eyes locked on mine. “Chasing the girl of my dreams. And she’s right there. I just need to convince her.”
Convince me? God. He already had.
“Then convince me.”
The words slipped out before fear could stop them. Before I could remind myself who he was. Who his family was. Who mine was.
He smiled, like he couldn’t quite believe his luck. “Ms. y/n. Ms. grocery girl. Would you like to see me again for another date?”
My chest felt tight.
Of course I fucking do. Of course I want more. Of course this is going to end terribly.
“Yes,” I said anyway.
He laughed, relief written all over his face. “I’m glad you feel the same way.”
“Oh my god,” I groaned, pulling his jacket over my face like it could hide the way my heart was racing. “I really said that out loud. Please block that out of your brain.”
“No, I fucking won’t,” he laughed—warm and genuine and unfairly adorable. “Anywhere else you want to go?”
I peeked out from the jacket, watching him. Memorizing the way he smiled. The way he looked at me like I was something fragile and precious.
“Hmmm… let’s put that singing talent to use. It’s getting cold, though. I could grab my karaoke machine from my place, then we can swing back to yours?”
“Are you inviting yourself over, Ms. y/n?” he smirked.
I punched his arm. “Ew. You perv.”
“I’m kiddinggg,” he laughed. “I’d love to. And maybe we can convince Jihoon to sing.”
“Ooo, interesting. So you’re down?”
“Yes. Also, let me text Ji in case he’s hungry.”
As we walked back to my car, I wondered when this started feeling like something I didn’t want to end.
- Seungcheol -
I watched her while she drove—hands steady on the wheel, humming softly to herself like she didn’t realize how it made my chest ache.
To Roomie: hey y/n and i are coming back, you hungry? From Roomie: yes starving To Roomie: corndogs? From Roomie: YES YES YES YES (one cheese one half & half pls) ALSO A COLA To Roomie: you think i don’t know your order? idiot From Roomie: TY CHEOLLIE To Roomie: yw also ihy
“Can we pick up corndogs for Ji?” I asked, mostly just so I’d have an excuse to keep talking to her.
She was humming along to a Rex Orange County song, eyes focused on the road. God. She had no idea what she was doing to me.
“Didn’t know your English was so good,” I said.
She laughed. “I didn’t know you were listening. I studied abroad with Shua in the U.S. for a year in high school. Being best friends with him, I just picked it up.”
I listened, quietly jealous of a version of her I hadn’t known back then.
“That’s really cool,” I said. “I wish my parents let me study abroad. Ever since I turned down taking over, they kind of stopped backing me.”
I didn’t mean to admit that. But something about her made it easy to be honest.
“Aw,” she said softly.
“It’s fine. Big CEO heads, right?”
She scoffed. “My mom’s a psychopath. She married into the business. My dad and I barely survive her.”
I laughed, but there was comfort in knowing she understood.
When she talked about her parents, about being denied something she wanted, I saw pieces of myself in her. Maybe that was why this felt dangerous—because it felt familiar.
“They didn’t let you be an idol?” I asked.
“No,” she shrugged. “But honestly? I’m glad. Look at me now. Self-employed. With my best friend. And I met a really cute guy along the way.”
My ears burned.
“Oh, stop it,” I muttered, turning away before she could see how badly I wanted that to be true.
“And here we are,” she said, parking. “Welcome to casa de y/n.”
“Casa?”
“Home in Spanish. Come on, Cheol—I know you know Spanish.”
“Y/n, I barely know English, and I’ve been learning it for seven years.”
She just laughed as she got out of the car. “Want to come in so you don’t freeze?”
“Sure.”
We walked up a flight of stairs, and y/n unlocked the door to the most beautiful studio apartment I’d ever seen.
“Holy shit.”
“What?!” she gasped. “Is something wrong?”
“No—no. Your place. It’s fucking amazing.”
“Not to brag,” she grinned, “but this place was way underpriced. The landlord didn’t know about the view—or that I could get better windows installed. So… yeah. It’s home.”
She paused. “Also, I want you to meet someone. Coco-ah! Coco!”
As I wandered through the space, a tiny fluffball came barreling toward me, barking.
“Hey! Stop that! Coco!” the dog whined and immediately sat. “Cheol, meet Coco. Coco, meet Cheol.”
She showed me a gesture, and Coco sniffed my hand before placing his paw in mine.
“He’s adorable.”
“He’s my baby,” she said proudly. “He was our family dog, but when my siblings and I tried to see who he’d choose to live with, he picked me every single time. So here he is. Shua dogsits sometimes.”
“Ji keeps whining about getting a dog,” I said. “Maybe Coco can have a friend soon.”
“That would be adorable,” she giggled.
When the dog placed his paw in my hand, something settled in my chest.
This wasn’t just a crush. This wasn’t just a date.
This was the kind of thing you fall into without realizing—until it’s too late.
From Roomie: SOS come home now From Roomie: im not fucking with you they got your car
And the facade falls. There's only two options I have right now—
"Ok! All packed and— What happened?" She read my expression too well, "What's wrong Cheol?"
"It-it's Ji. He just texted me that someone got my car? and that I need to come home ASAP," my voice holding back from trembling in front of y/n, "I don't mean to cut this night off short but I think—"
"Don't apologize. We have a faint idea of what we're both dealing with, so, I know what stakes we're looking at," She rested her hand on my cheek, the warmth immediately comforting me, "I'm not going anywhere, silly."
I take her hand and kiss it softly, "I wish we could just run away."
"Now, we can't do that without your car." She smirks at me, "Let's go mister. Jihoon is going to throw a fit if he has to go out in the cold."
