HEXELG

CAFFEINE & CODE
A GL slow-burn romance by HEXELG

She's just the barista.
She's the most feared CEO in the city.
Neither of them expected to become the most important part of each other's routine.

Rina Cha is shy, clumsy, and just trying to survive her shifts at Syntek Corp's elite café. Her idea of danger is spilling oat milk on a customer-not walking into the executive elevator and meeting Kira Yoon, the company's untouchable CEO.

Kira runs the tech empire like a machine-flawless, cold, and emotionless. She doesn't do distractions. Especially not flustered girls with crooked foam hearts on their lattes.

But somehow, Rina becomes her only exception.

Now, Rina is bringing Kira coffee every day... and something deeper is brewing between them. In a world of polished glass, power suits, and unspoken rules, can softness survive?

Or will Kira code her heart out of reach?

Caffeine & Code

Not in the heavy, awkward kind of way—but in that rare, golden early-hour kind of quiet, like the world was giving them space.

Kira opened her eyes to soft light slanting through sheer curtains and the gentle weight of Rina curled beside her, hair tickling her shoulder.

So this is what peace feels like.

"I can cook," Rina said with an aggressively confident smile.

Kira raised one eyebrow. "You boil water for a living."

"That's offensive to coffee culture."

"I didn't know eggs could be gray," Kira said, genuinely impressed.

Rina pouted. "Okay, Chef Syntek. Your turn."

Kira took the pan like she'd been handed a multimillion-dollar acquisition deal. Her expression: deathly serious.

Ten minutes later, they sat cross-legged on the couch with perfectly scrambled eggs and toast.

Rina stared. "You really are good at everything."

Kira smirked. "I hate inefficiency."

"You mean you Googled a recipe in 2019 and memorized it perfectly."

After breakfast, Rina was brushing her teeth and Kira stood in the doorway, arms crossed.

Rina, mouth full of toothpaste foam: "You sound like my mom."

"And your sock drawer is organized by chaos theory."

Kira leaned against the doorframe, a rare smile tugging at her lips.

Downstairs, in Kira's coat pocket, her phone buzzed.

Helena Wu – 3 missed calls.

"This situation isn't stable, Kira. You've made your move. Now expect others to make theirs."

They built a pillow fort on the floor for no reason.Watched two episodes of a baking show and got emotionally invested in a contestant named Samir.

Kira muttered critiques about oven temperature regulation.

Rina cried when the cake collapsed.

"It's not about the cake," Rina sniffled. "It's about the journey."

Kira handed her tissues with a look of deep confusion and mild affection.

They lay tangled on the floor, candles flickering.

Rina traced circles on Kira's palm.

"Did you ever imagine your life like this?" she asked.

"No. But I think… I like this patch version better."

Patch Notes