"Get lost, you er!" Kangin slammed the till shut and glared at the door as it continued to flap and squeak. "That's the second one this month. Wonwoo why didn't you tell me about the little ?" 

Kangin frowned and ran his hand through his hair for the upteenth time. He breathed in deeply and looked expectantly at the boy who stood in the shop corner by the sparkly fedoras. 

Wonwoo stopped bitting his lip and sighed. "I wasn't completely sure that it was him."

Kangin let the air escape him in a long sigh. "You donut. If he smells like a thief, he is a thief. Gut feeling's always right." Kangin waved a lecturing finger at Wonwoo, who quietly nodded and got back to restocking green fedoras as Kangin started his weekly rant. 

..."Just because we sell tongue bars and ear stretchers, do people have to assume that you have to be a total -up to work here?" ... "And what's wrong with the kids these days anyway, tell me Wonwoo don't I look scary? Aren't they scared I'd ing pulp them if I caught them stealing?" ... "Just because they're poor doesn't mean we ain't poor either, I haven't needed to restock the elf ears since October, why is the economy so "....

Wonwoo slugged his way to the draws and began restocking ear plugs that didn't really need restocking anyway, because Kangin was in a bad mood and there was no telling what he could criticise next. Kangin was a nice guy, the kind of manager that gave more than two cents on a business he didn't own, Wonwoo knew. But he was also a big guy who gave more than two cents when it comes to firing shots.

"Holla!" came Jeonghan's signature greeting into the shop, along with the boy sporting a new hair colour and feathered cut. Wonwoo lifted his chin in acknowledgement and Jeonghan shifted his focus onto the very red Kangin going through the accounting books. "Hyung, what's wrong? Did another gangster demand 50% off full price stuff again?" 

"Shove off, homo. The you recommended last time started stealing from the till three days into the job." He didn't even look at Jeonghan, so Wonwoo shook his head once at Jeonghan to tell him to shut his sass up. 

Jeonghan raised his eyebrow and tentatively began, "oh, sorry hyung. I really thought he was a decent guy, he was all good in high school aye."

Wonwoo tucked the keys back under the counter and unhooked his jacket, motioning for Jeonghan to leave behind Kangin's back. He placed a hand on his shouler. "Hyung, you sure you don't need me to stay behind and close up?" 

"Why bother asking, you already have your jacket," Kangin huffs and Jeonghan is rolling his eyes by the doors.

"I-" Wonwoo fumbled awkwardly, before being pushed away by Kangin's hand.

"Arasso, arasso," Kangin breathed and waved him off, "we all know your good intentions, Wonwoo. Just get that digusting hairdye smell out of here, it's giving me a headache."

"We'll find a better guy," Wonwoo attempted with a small smile. "I'll come early tomorrow to unpack the new stock. See you, hyung."

Out of the door and back up on the streets, Jeonghan looked back down on the little basement shop and scoffed. 

"My my, did you see how red he was?" Jeonghan began, "he came to me begging for people, so I dunno why he's tryna be cray on me like this." 

"Sorry, just tough luck these days you know." Wonwoo shrugged and tugged on a few strands of Jeonghan's new honey hair. "This is what you took an extra day off for?"

The pretty boy slapped his hand away and shook his hair proudly. "Mikasa only opens on Mondays. It's because she gets enough V.I.P customers that she only needs to work one day and party for five, and not because she's iddle, incase you were wondering." 

Wonwoo sniggered. "If she works one day and parties for five, what does she do on the last day?"

"Sleep and spa, duh." Jeonghan gave him a raised eyebrow full of judgement, and he laughed and shook his head. He always was convinced that Jeonghan was gay, but only since coming out publicly this summer that his friend embraced fully all the stereotypes that he used to keep in the dark. Wonwoo doubted that all these 'gay' airs Jeonghan put on were even really him, but he was glad that Jeonghan felt free to act as he pleased. 

Jeonghan grinned and elbowed him. "Ya, stop it. Tell me if I look hot or not!"

Wonwoo made a few kissy faces at him before putting his arm around Jeonghan's shoulder. "I can't tell you from a homoual point of view if you're hot or not, but from a purely aesthetical viewpoint, you look good." In a bad French accent, he continued, "I would even say, tres bien!"

Jeonghan laughed and slapped his . "That's a good Wonwoo now! Shall I treat you to dinner?"

Shaking his head, Wonwoo steered Jeonghan away from the diners. "Let's go home, I'll cook rice."

"You're not that poor, Jeon Wonwoo," Jeonghan said and nudged Wonwoo's shoulder with his. "It's alright to have a drink and grill some meat after a bad day at work."

"Why would I go out to get all my clothes smelling like pig fat when I can have a beer with you at home, eating my mum's world famous side dishes?" Wonwoo gasped and looked at Jeonghan with comical confusion on his face.

"Alright alright, you stubborn baby. Let's go home." 

 

┌( ಠ‿ಠ)┘

 

Wonwoo yawned and pushed the door open with his shoulder. "Kangin hyung, I'm here!"

"Oh, come out into the back, Wonwoo!" Kangin called. 

The boxes were still taped up, untouched in the stock room. Wonwoo stood there for a moment as the confusion woke him up. "Hyung why haven't you started the stock?"

"Come here!" Kangin called for a second time, and Wonwoo sighed and followed his majesty's whimsical orders. A greasy smell was in the air. It came from the back room, which was the employee's "lounge", meaning four plastic chairs, a dripping tap over a miniature sink and someone's grandpa's microwave on a rusty drawer. 

"What took you so long?" Kangin barked at him when he opened the door, but Wonwoo noticed it was with a smile. He had some chips in his lap, and someone else was siting in the chair next to Kangin, and he immediately stood up and bowed.

"Um, I was...walking," Wonwoo murmured, trying to get his head around what was happening. He bowed back to the guy and mumbled some greetings.

"Sit down and have some fish and chips," Kangin ordered and handed him a bowl. Wonwoo sat down as Kangin explained the morning. "You can thank Mingyu for breakfast, Wonwoo. You guys know each other's name now right? Mingyu's the new guy, he'll be taking Friday,Tuesday, and Sunday shifts."

Wonwoo stopped chewing and stared at Kangin. "Isn't it you working on Sundays though?"

Kangin beamed. "Not anymore!" He clapped his hands together and began to hum as he left the room, stopping only to say, "Wonwoo you have 5 minutes to eat that, and it's coming out of your lunch break." Wonwoo choked on his food, to which Kangin cackled and sung "Just kidding!"

"You want some water?" Mingyu stood up, about to go to the sink. Wonwoo waved his hand as "no", but Mingyu went anyway when he saw that Wonwoo's eyes were red from coughing. 

Wonwoo took the water. He breathed a thanks once his breathing had calmed down. "This is really nice, despite Kangin-hyung. Thanks for the food."

"Oh it's nothing, I work at a fish and chips place in the mornings, so I thought I'd bring food down to compensate for me smelling." Mingyu looked overly self-concious of himself, he sat with his legs tightly together and his arms close to his body, as if that could somehow make the smell flow out from him less.

Wonwoo smiled, because he seemed like a much nicer guy than the two past "ers", and it was good not to have the new employee being in-your-face extroverted and making Wonwoo's introversion nervous. He had a bite of his fish and reassured Mingyu that, "It's alright. You must go to sleep early then, if you've got a whole shift before this one."

Mingyu chuckled and took Wonwoo's cup back to clean. "Not early enough. I work three nights at a BBQ place until 1."

Wonwoo turned around and stared at Mingyu's back. He was about to ask why, but then realised it could lead to an uncomfortable conversation about someone's unfortunate life, so decided on an empathetic sigh instead, followed by a casual, "damn, that sleep pattern."

Mingyu chuckled again. "If you see me sleeping in the changing room, please slap me quietly so Kangin-hyung doesn't hear." 

He's good at making friends, Wonwoo thought to himself. He smiled and headed over to the sink. "Alright, fish boy."