Zitao hears Jongdae’s incessant laughing from behind him, and he’s not quite sure if Jongdae is laughing at him, or if Baekhyun has arrived at his and Jongdae’s shared dorm and the two of them are being stupid.

Zitao’s not sure because anytime Jongdae sees him standing near their calendar beside the fridge, like he is right now, he never fails to mention how dumb he is. (“You wrote a list called the “Perfect College Experience in 10 steps?! You don’t even have all ten steps on your list!”) Beside the calendar (and therefore, the fridge - he put it there so that way he always remembers to check it, you know because he stops by the fridge 5 times a day or more) is Zitao’s list of things for his “perfect college experience”, which he is currently analyzing.

Zitao’s Awesome List for a Perfect College Experience in 10 Steps

1. actually get into college

2. study abroad

3. get a job

4. meet people

5. learn the language (if you happen to study abroad)

6. get a cute guy

7. take a ridiculous course like How to Win a Beauty Pageant (or some other class that doesn’t even remotely apply to you)

8. go to a frat party (at least once)

9.

Looking at his list makes Zitao smile and think about pleasant memories. He can remember back home in China (where he first began his list) the day when he received his acceptance letter into college. It’s not that he wasn’t expecting to get into college and all, but it was still a relieving feeling to 1. not feel like a disappointment to his parents and 2. get to cross the first item off his list.

From there, the other items had been crossed off in rapid succession. Two months into college in China, Zitao took an opportunity to study abroad in Korea at Yonsei University, and he therefore was able to cross number two off his list.

At first he was rather insistent that he cross off his list in numerical order, but seeing as he met friends (including his roommate Jongdae) before he got a job, he felt almost obligated to cross off number four before number three.

He started to cross off number five a month after he arrived at Yonsei, but Jongdae simply laughed at him (more than he usually does), and stopped him before he could cross off the whole line. Zitao thought he was at least decent at speaking Korean, especially with no from troll master Jongdae, but according to the troll master himself, he’s not. (When Jongdae took him to meet his professors, Zitao asked him how to correctly say, “I’m looking forward to your class.” and somehow he said something that shocked one professor so much she won’t even look him in the eye to this day. He’s still not entirely sure what he said.)

And as he’s looking at his list now, he takes a pencil, seeing as he can’t find the pen he usually uses, and marks through number three and adds -ish to his title, because Jongdae is kinda right; he doesn’t have exactly 10 steps yet.

Zitao’s Awesome List for a Perfect College Experience in 10-ish Steps

1. actually get into college

2. study abroad

3. get a job

4. meet people

5. learn the language (if you happen to study abroad)

6. get a cute guy

7.  take a ridiculous course like How to Win a Beauty Pageant (or some other class that doesn’t even remotely apply to you)

8. go to a frat party (at least once)

9.

Starting in twenty-five minutes, Zitao will be working his first job in Korea, and it couldn’t be more perfect than at the local Starbucks! Zitao grabs his wallet, pair of sunglasses, and a jacket and heads towards the door. As he passes the living area, he sees Jongdae and Baekhyun wrestling, tickling, and giggling on the floor and he just yells in their general direction, “Just get married!” to which Jongdae replies, “Just go work at your quasi-hipster job!”

-

Zitao arrives five minutes early, and his supervisor Joonmyun - who is also his TA in Media Economics 101 - claps him on the back for already showing exemplary attendance and punctuality. Joonmyun then moves to instruct Jongin, one of the first friends Zitao made in Korea who helped him to get this job in the first place, in “more efficient practices”, which is pretty much what Joonmyun says to make sure Jongin isn’t sleeping on the job.

Zitao chuckles under his breath at his friend’s carelessness, and he goes to the back room to grab his apron and his new name tag, so eloquently designed as: ZITAO ｡◕‿◕｡. He thought the bold print made him seem unapproachable, so he added the cute emoticon in hopes that someone (preferably a cute guy) will see him as sweet and adorable. And, hey, even if a cute guy doesn’t see him that way, maybe some old lady will and he’ll get good tips. You never know.

When he walks back to the front counter where Joonmyun and Jongin are standing, Zitao approaches both of them, seeing as he’s not sure what he’s supposed to be doing. Joonmyun smiles and says, “Since it’s your first day, we thought it would be easier on you if you just take orders, not make them. Some recipes can get a little crazy, so we’ll let Jongin handle that. Right, Jongin?” Jongin has nearly dozed off again on an espresso machine, and Joonmyun sighs and leaves Zitao to face the cash register by himself.

The official first ten minutes of his shift saw Zitao standing behind the register in awe at all the possible combinations, but no customers came during that time, for which he was really thankful.

All of a sudden, it’s like the whole campus let out of class at the same time, because the coffee shop was flooded with caffeine-deprived college students, and Zitao really thinks he’s not prepared for this.

His first order was a grande Caramel Flan Frappuccino, which Zitao thought was wayyy too sweet sounding, but he rang he it up anyway with a smile. When he took the man’s name, Chanyeol, he heard Jongin groan behind him, and he soon realized why Jongin did that: Chanyeol seemingly never left him alone until he left the shop.

After Chanyeol, all the orders started to blend together in a cloud of overly-sweet, too bitter, and we actually sell that? Zitao checks his phone underneath the counter before the next customer of the never-ending line that began ten minutes into shift moves forward, and he realizes it’s only 4:45; he’s been working for forty-five minutes. God.

Zitao doesn’t look up at the customer because damn it’s been forty-five minutes of him constantly smiling, and now he understands why Jongin does a half- job when he works.

The customer quietly orders an iced White Chocolate Mocha, and Zitao thinks that this customer is the only one so far who has a good taste in coffee. He decides that he should at least show his gratitude that this guy isn’t making him search for “Quad Grande, Non Fat, Extra Hot Caramel Macchiato Upside Down”, or “Iced, Half Caff, Ristretto, Venti, 4-Pump, Sugar Free, Cinnamon, Dolce Soy Skinny Latte” or “Grande Chai Tea Latte, 3 Pump, Skim Milk, Lite Water, No Foam, Extra Hot” on the cash register, so he gives the customer in front of him a smile - until he looks him over and feels like he could fall over in shock.

The White Chocolate Mocha-guy in front of him looks at the most twenty years old, but Zitao thinks he is the most attractive person he has seen in all of Korea (and that’s saying something, because the first time he met Jongin he was considering crossing off number six on his list.) From his obviously-dyed blonde locks, to his stoic expression, Zitao is almost completely lost for words when he says “That will be 4000 won, sir. Can I get your name?” and the customer in question responds, “Sehun.” Zitao just nods, writes his name and order on the cup, and passes it to Jongin. Jongin yells at Sehun, “What’s up man?!” and Joonmyun scurries over telling him to be “mindful of his environment” or something like that. Zitao is more worried about the fact that Jongin knows this Sehun guy.

The line finally stopped five people after Sehun, so that gave Zitao the chance to watch the boy; at first, he was on his phone, then he took out some school books, then he pursed his lips and went back to his phone, and then he left with a “See ya, Jongin.”

Zitao turned towards Jongin and asked, “You know that guy?”

Jongin, who now has his phone out, replies, “Yeah, he’s one of my best friends. He comes by here everyday usually. Why?” Jongin chooses that moment to look up while Zitao is still trying to get rid of his blush, but it’s too late because Jongin has started laughing, and now Zitao really thinks all Koreans laugh the same and at the same things: loudly and mostly at Zitao.

“Are you into him? You don’t even know him! Sehunnie’s like a little baby, haha. Oh my god, this is precious.” Jongin laughs.

“Shut up! I never said that I liked him! He’s just really… ehh, what’s the word… y?” Zitao defends.

“y? Sehun? I’ll do you a favor and let you tell him that yourself, though I’m sure it would be way more funny if I did it. I don’t know who would be redder, you or him.” Jongin cackles, and he doesn’t stop cackling for the next fifteen minutes, even after Zitao started ignoring him.

The rest of Zitao’s shift passed by in a blur of Joonmyun scolding Jongin and Jongin still laughing at Zitao. When the clock said 9:00, Zitao took off his apron and name tag, and headed out the door before Jongin could catch up with him to continue mocking him.

When he got home that night, he modified number six on his list:

6. get a cute guy ♥♥

-

Zitao works 4-9 everyday this week, and it’s only Tuesday.

Work followed in a similar fashion as the day before; the first few minutes of his shift were slow, Chanyeol showed up again and ordered something really obnoxious (Venti, nonfat, no foam, no water, six pump, extra hot, Chai Tea Latte; Zitao’s pretty sure he did that so he would have an even longer time to talk to Jongin, who unfortunately had to make that drink), the crowd leveled out about an hour after Chanyeol, but one thing was different: Sehun didn’t show up with the wave of people.

By 7:30, Zitao was pretty sure Sehun wasn’t even going to stop by, which crushed his spirits considerably. When he was throwing himself a pity party by lying on the cash register, he heard a familiar voice say, “Hey, Jongin when do you get off tonight?”

Zitao lifts himself rather quickly off the register, and Sehun looks at him with a smirk on his face. Zitao prays that his smirk isn’t there because Jongin told him that he thought he was hot or whatever.

“Hey… It’s Sehun, right? What would you like?” Zitao asks. He hears Jongin snorting behind him as he says under his breath, “Yeah, like you could possibly forget his name.” Zitao turns briskly and glares at Jongin.

“Yes, that’s me. Uh… I’ll have a Grande White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino, please.”

Zitao nods, for lack of anything to say, and writes his name and order on the cup. Instead of handing it right to Jongin like last time, Zitao adds a little message:

If you were coffee grounds, you’d be espresso ‘cause you’re so fine. - Zitao (｡･ω･｡)ﾉ♡  

Smiling at his handiwork, he passes the cup to Jongin who chokes then howls in laughter. Sehun looks incredibly confused, and Zitao just wants to kiss his confusion off his face.

Jongin refuses to hand Sehun the cup with such a corny pickup line, so he makes Zitao do it. Nervously, Zitao calls Sehun’s name, and the man in question rises from a table close to the window and grabs his cup with a quiet, “Thank you.”

It’s not until Sehun has sat down that he reads the note that Zitao wrote, and he looks over at Zitao and makes really, really awkward eye contact with him. Zitao feels like he should fall in a hole and die of embarrassment, until Jongin, who was laughing throughout the whole ordeal, says aloud, “I knew I wouldn’t be able to tell who was redder! Both of you have a crazy blushing skill. It’s endearing, really.”

At that moment, Zitao realized Sehun wasn’t completely disgusted with his awful pickup lines, and then he made it his quest to get Sehun, and to cross off number six on his list, through really corny coffee shop pick up lines.

-

Everyday Sehun comes in, Zitao has prepared a series of coffee related pickup lines, some rather mild, while some of them made even Jongin cringe in their lewdness.

On Wednesday, Zitao wrote alongside Sehun’s order (Grande White Chocolate Mocha, what’s up with this boy and white chocolate mocha Zitao thinks) “I like my men like I like my coffee: a hot shock to the lap. - Zitao (¬‿¬)” Jongin, in return, poured steaming coffee on hit pants and told him to get a grip.

Thursday is the first day Sehun actually acknowledges Zitao and his corny pickup lines, after he wrote, “You’ve turned me down before, but I’m asking for an extra shot. - Zitao 。(⌒∇⌒。)”

Sehun has now started to read the whatever Zitao writes at the counter instead of at his seat, like he did on Tuesday. Sehun asks Zitao when his break is, and though he’s pretty sure his break isn’t until 6:30 and it’s only 5:15, Zitao says it’s anytime Sehun wants it to be. Sehun giggles, blushes, and asks Zitao to join him at his table by the window.

The two engage in small talk, and that’s when Zitao learns that Sehun and Jongin go way back, and that the two of them have been best friends for half of their lives or more. Sehun tells him that he is an undecided major, and though he obviously has to take all his core classes since he’s a freshman, most of his electives are dance based. Zitao knew that Jongin was a skilled dancer, but knowing that Sehun is also a great dancer makes him all that more attractive.

Sehun then proceeds to ask Zitao about himself. “So, what about you, now that we’ve talked about me way too much, haha.”

Zitao smiles. “Well, I’m a Chinese foreign exchange student.”

Sehun snorts. “Well, that’s really obvious.”

Zitao pretends to be offended. “Huh? How could you ever say something like that?! Is it because I have a weird accent? Hmmm?”

Sehun’s eye open really wide, and wow Zitao hopes he could realize that he was only kidding. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean for that to be offens-”

“Sehunnie, I was only kidding.”

Sehun’s eyes crinkle now, and Zitao think it’s the cutest thing. “Oh, okay! Would you happen to know my Chinese friend Luhan? I think he has another Chinese exchange student friend named… What’s his name…. Yixing! That’s it. Do you know either of them?”

Zitao stares at Sehun and responds sarcastically. “Yes, because every Chinese person knows every other Chinese person. Yes, Sehunnie I know all your Chinese friends.”

Sehun’s smile drops, “Aw, come on, don’t be like that!”

Zitao laughs again. “I was kidding again; loosen up yo; I’m not that easily offended. Well, maybe by Baekhyun and Jongdae whenever that demonic pair is together. Anyway, no I don’t know either of them, but I have heard my roommate Jongdae speak of Luhan before. He’s probably the one who knows all the Chinese people, not me.”

“You know Baekhyun? He’s my next door neighbor. He invites some boy about his height over really often, and no really knows what they do it there. There’s just always a lot of banging. It’s really weird.”

“Hmm…. Something tells me that boy is Jongdae, and they’re probably wrestling or doing something like that because it seems that anytime Baekhyun comes over, they both end up on the floor and one of them in a headlock.”

“How did we even start talking about your roommate and my neighbor? Weird. What do you like to do then, Zitao?”

Zitao starts laughing all of a sudden, and Sehun looks confused at the unexpected laughter. “You butchered my name, man. Just call me Tao, it’ll be alright, haha. Well, back in China, I used to practice wushu, and I’d say I was pretty good at it. Now though, I mostly hang out with my friends, work, listen to music, rap and sing a little. Nothing too exciting.”

“Sounds exciting to me. What do you study?”

“I’m too indecisive, so right now I’m doing the same thing as you, just getting all of my core out of the way. I want to take some of the most random classes while I’m here though; so that’s why I take Media Economics, and next semester I’ll probably take How to Win a Beauty Pageant, or The Art of Walking or some like that.”

Sehun lost all composure when Zitao said with a straight face that he’d take The Art of Walking. “Are those classes even offered at Yonsei?”

“I’m sure if they’re don’t, something similar is offered.”

The coffee shop crowds with people, and Jongin can only cover for him for so long, so Zitao excuses himself to get back way-too-complicated Americanos. When the rush of people finally leave, Zitao looks over to the window table and is sad to see that Sehun is not still there.

-

Friday afternoon Zitao goes to his dorm before work to see both Jongdae and Baekhyun there watching a drama. Seeing as work begins in a half hour, Zitao races into his room to change out of his school attire and into his work-approved clothing. (He also changes his jewelry in hopes that Sehun may notice his extensive amount of piercings today.)

“Are you almost ready Tao? You’re going to be late for work!” Jongdae yells as Zitao steps out of his room five minutes later. He’s surprised to see Baekhyun and Jongdae standing near the door waiting on him.

“Why are you guys looking like you’re waiting on me?”

“It’s because we are! We’re escorting you to work today!” Baekhyun says.

“Ahh… Something tells me you just want discounted coffee.”

The demons hyungs laugh sardonically. “You know us so well, Taozi.”

Somehow Zitao still manages to arrive at work three minutes before his shift; it surprises him because Baekhyun is the slowest walker ever (maybe he should take The Art of Walking course), and heaven forbid that he abandon his hyungs on the way to his job.

Zitao has started to believe everything his parents ever said about work being tedious, because he’s pretty sure this entire week of work has been pretty much the same thing everyday: The rush starts at 4:10 estimately, Chanyeol orders something overly sweet or obnoxious, the crowd lessens around 4:50. The only thing different about his days this week has been the time Sehun decides to arrive everyday.

Zitao doesn’t know why Baekhyun and Jongdae accompanied him to his job today, because they didn’t even buy anything. They just came in, and sat. Baekhyun got up once to chat with Jongin, until Joonmyun shooed him away claiming that Jongin needs to “stay on task”, but that’s the only amount of activity from the two.

Sehun arrives at 5:45, and he looks considerably nervous. Zitao greets him with a smile and asks him what he would like, and he says he’d like whatever Zitao wants. Weird.

Zitao asks if a grande Iced Vanilla Latte is good, and Sehun only nods. Just as he’s about to write down the order, name, and cheesy pickup line, Sehun quietly says, “I bet you get a latte of admirers, but wanna go on a doppio date with me?”

Zitao is so shocked he’s not quite sure he understood what Sehun just asked him. “What did you say?”

“Aiish, Tao don’t make me say it again! I was trying to ask you out via your stupid, cheesy pickup lines!”

It’s then that Zitao notices everyone else around them bawling of laughter: Jongin, Baekhyun, Jongdae, Chanyeol, and two other guys sitting by Jongdae, who if Zitao had to guess, were probably Luhan and Yixing. Even Joonmyun is laughing, and Joonmyun would probably never laugh on the job, because it’s not proper “work etiquette” or some other stupid phrase that he says to Jongin everyday. Something about this whole situation seems planned to Zitao.

“Hello, Earth to Tao? You can’t just leave me hanging in front of all of our friends like this.”

Zitao falls out of stupor and smiles brightly at Sehun. “Hmm…. Though a coffee date sounds tempting, how about we go see a movie instead? When is a good time for you?”

Sehun’s smile mirrors Zitao’s. “Anytime is fine. You get off at 9?”

“Yep. Java number I can call you whenever I’m ready to go?”

Sehun laughs. "Yeah, but you giving me your number sounds like a fair trade.”

Chanyeol moans aloud by this point. “God, they’re both so corny, they’re meant for each other.”

“Hold the sugar please, they're sweet enough.” Joonmyun adds, only to be booed by everyone, including Sehun and Zitao.

People start coming in the Starbucks, which makes Zitao remember that Sehun still has a coffee that needs to be made. He writes Sehun’s order, his name, “I had to clean my filter twice after I saw how beautiful you are, because I couldn’t believe my Arabicas. - Zitao ♥♥, and his own phone number. When Jongin looks over the cup he pretends to barf, but makes the drink anyway.

As Zitao is taking the next customer’s order, he sees Sehun walk out the door, so when the customer looks away for a second, he blows a kiss in his direction. Sehun laughs, and Jongin is right about how clear Sehun’s blush is because he can see it from the cash register. After Zitao hands the next cup to Jongin, he sees his phone light up with a text from an unknown number that says: Baby, chi-know I’ve been thinkin’ ‘bout you. (๑・ω-)～♥”

Zitao laughs as he reads the message, and stores the number in his phone as Sehunnie ♥♥. And though Zitao’s near positive that Jongin has planned this whole thing out - including Baekhyun and Jongdae being here - he find that he can’t really care because at least now he can cross number six off his list because, yes he’s got a cute guy. When he says that he has another item to cross off his list tonight, Jongdae says that he is the biggest loser ever and proceeds to yell at everyone in the shop that Zitao made a list for his perfect college experience and he hangs the list by his fridge.

Any other day, he would care that Jongdae is intentionally embarrassing him in front of his co-workers/friends/customers, but with Sehun sending him continuous coffee pickup lines he feels that it’s all worth it. (And even though Jongdae won’t admit it aloud, he’s still really happy that Zitao can cross something else off of his stupid list.)