*BEEP BEEP BEEP*

His hand searched for the alarm clock on his nightstand as he snuggled his face on his pillow. When he was successful at turning the alarm of, he quickly sat up despite still being in a daze. He opened one eye to see what time it was. 

7:30

Perfect. He closed it back shut and heaved a big sigh. He got up from his bed and mindlessly tidied it up with his eyes still firmly shut. He's been doing this for years now, and now he can even make his bed while he's still practically asleep. 

With a grunt, he started doing his morning stretches to get his blood pumping and to pump the blood away from the tent that was forming on his boxers. He twisted and turned his waist and body and even stretched his calf sideward making his heel touch the side of his stomach. His morning stretches made him so flexible that he can pass off as a circus performer. Y'know those ones that fit themselves into those transparent cases that are way to small for even a cat to squeeze in? Yes, that one. And I bet he can do it fabulously too.

He opened his bedroom door and was immediately greeted by his kitchen and living room. He only had a small condo but nonetheless he was lucky to have it. It wasn't cheap.. hell, no condo's cheap in Seoul, but it wasn't that expensive either. Thankfully his parents were helping him pay off his tuition fee but he insisted that he pay for the rest of his expenses in order to not be such a huge burden to them. Because of this, he got a job as a part time janitor in his school. His university was kind enough to lessen his tuition a little bit not only because of him working there but it was also because of his studious nature. 

He stood in front of his kitchen, with his eyes still tightly shut. And like an automated machine, he started going by his breakfast routine which was make coffee.

Drink it deliciously while gazing over the window dramatically.

Open the fridge and groan at the lack of food.

Eat the half-eaten sandwich that he got a couple of days ago.

Start heading to the bathroom.

Wait until 9:00 so that he can take his scheduled 'bearing down'.

Start showering.

Lather, rinse, and repeat. 

Blow dry hair and put on some clothes. 

Wait until 10:00 so that he can leave his flat. 

He leaned his head on the wall, feeling unenergized as usual. He closed his eyes momentarily and just let the loud ticking of his wrist watch take over his thoughts. Even if his eyes were closed. he could tell that his condo was dark. The chilly atmosphere surrounding it made the house feel more desolate and unwelcoming. His friends would drop by from time to time making his place more lively than it seems. But they would leave eventually and again he'll be stuck in this dull flat. 

TICK

TOCK

TICK

TOCK

He opened his eyes and immediately hurried out off his place and locked the door. It was already 10:03. He was 3 minutes behind on his schedule. He dashed through the busy streets of Seoul and just thanked the heavens that his place was only a 15 minute walk away. He had a car but he only uses it if he decided to go somewhere far so that he could save some money because y'know... gas was pretty ing expensive. His first class doesn't start until 10:45 but just by the thought of going against his daily routine makes him uneasy. He doesn't remember when he became so adamant about having to live his life on the dot as his schedule permits. All he knows is that he doesn't want to find out what happens if he doesn't follow it. 

He ran through the seemingly empty halls of his department floor and slammed his classroom door open. 

"Omo, hyung! You were 6 minutes late." Seungri, one of his underclassmen and close friend, remarked. 

A tall man went up to the laborious breathing Jiyong and draped his arm over his shoulder. "I expected better from you, Jiyongie." He ticked his tongue teasingly at him while wearing a blank face. 

Jiyong glared at the giant by the name of Seunghyun while he just puckered his lips at him in return with a dead expression. He then sat on his seat and lied his head on the table feeling worn out from his Amazing Race that had no prize waiting for him at the end. He felt a heavy hand patting his back and he looked over to see Youngbae puckering his lips to him as well. He sneered at him and hid his face on his arms. 

"Relax Jiyong-ah." Youngbae chortled. "I bet Mr. Baek won't be here until 11:00" 

"Neh, I heard he still hasn't gotten over his divorce." The permanent-smiling Daesung chimed in. "I heard his wife and kids live in a small city somewhere in Busan." 

"You are such a gossip, Daesung-ah." Seunghyun hit his chest and he winced because he did it a little too hard. 

It was like this everyday. His four friends would come in earlier than him for some reason and start bugging him and joking around with one another. The only difference today was that he was a few minutes later than usual. And he's not planning to let that happen again. But he can't help but feel the thrill when he was running frantically along the streets earlier. He has never done that before and he's been living in Seoul for about 4 years now. A piece of him wants to experience that kind of excitement again but a big part of him is stopping him from feeling that again. 

After about 20 minutes or so, the students started to pile in and his friends started to talk louder since it was getting noisier. He just sat there while waiting patiently for school to end. He looked to the window and found the sun shining brightly at him,.He squinted his eyes and avoiding the sun from potentially blinding him by covering his face. 

He heard the door creak open and saw the students hurrying to get to their seats. There he saw the ever-so gloomy Mr. Baek walking up to his podium. Jiyong looked at his watch and it read 10:55. He leaned back on his chair and started his school routine which started with a heavy sigh.

Follow teacher's orders. 

Read the chapter that was assigned.

Do some textbook work. 

Finish early with the textbook work.

Mentally laugh at Seungri for asking him in a panic about what to do for some questions. 

Knock his head and scowl at him but do it anyway.

Sigh profusely.

Look at the window dramatically again while reminiscing the 'days'.

Slap Seunghyun's wandering hand away from his face. 

Bell rings. 

Leave the classroom.

Do it all over again in a different class. 

The 5 of them were all heading over to their class but Jiyong suddenly stopped and stayed rooted on his spot. The other 4 didn't seem to notice and just continued walking and chatting amongst themselves since their were throngs of people in the halls. He looked at his watch and it read 2:45. By now he should already be sitting in his next class by now but he had a sudden urge to go against his will. He looked up at the ceiling, not minding if people were bumping him or complaining that he was in the way. He closed his eyes and heaved a shaky sigh. 

Was it always going to be like this? 

____________________________________

Jiyong lied on the damp grass while looking intently at his wristwatch. The arms of the clock moved and the sound of it ticking was the only thing that seemed to peek his interests. 

He was at his favorite spot again. This go-to spot was a secluded river that was on the outskirts of Seoul. It was maybe a 45 minute drive from his condo but he wasn't really complaining. He liked the serenity and mystery that the river always exuded. This in turn let him have the chance to think about stuff going on in his life. He would only go to this place if he was feeling a little bit daring. And this was as adventurous as he could get. 

"Finally" He sighed. 

When his watch struck 6:00 on the dot, he immediately put his hands on the back of his head and relaxed leisurely on the desolate river bank. He lied there with his eyes firmly shut while wearing a slight smile. 

Arasso, what's the agenda for today?

Minutes passed, and his expression started to turn grim. He waited patiently for a thought to come up for his occasional 'thinking time' but nothing was popping out of his mind. So with an irritated groan, he begrudgingly opened his eyes and stared at the dark glow of the night sky. Was he really out of topics to think to himself? Wait, did he already think about the home that he's gonna put himself into when he's older? ...Yes, yes he did.. How about when his hous