It has been a tiring month, really.

All the packed meetings, cutthroat head division, inhumane amount of calculations, and also short deadlines had turned Sehun into nothing but a soulless shell. He might be the walking dead by now if it weren’t for the 4 boxes of instant coffee that helped him stay awake these past few remaining days before the long-awaited holiday.

The CEO’s grandfather had passed away and the company is in grief. The CEO himself couldn’t care less but decided to close off the office building for the next two weeks cause of the family tradition. Sehun was quite thankful for the old man so he might as well pay his final respect at the funeral. But before the time comes, Sehun will be spending each and every precious day filled with solitude and of course peace.

Jinho is still an , Sehun recalls with mirth when the older male stacks a bunch of paperwork on his table, reasoning out that he had a date with his lover hence couldn’t finish it on his own. He never stopped being a jerk and irritating the hell out of everyone especially the young blonde. Jinho’s mouth never stops blabbering and buzzing about his model-like of a boyfriend whom the whole company now know by the name of Luhan. But Sehun, being the regular attentive guy he is, spotted the differences of Jinho’s stories now. Before, Jinho always described Luhan as someone shy and easily frightened but a few days ago those stories of their extreme sport dates just don’t match. So Sehun deducts that something must have happened between the both of them. He hoped it was the breakup.

A month is quite a really long time for Sehun even though people would beg to differ. He hadn’t shaved properly, hadn’t had any comfortable sleep, hadn’t fed himself on time and never really enjoyed his time just to finish all the task he was given. It was the busiest month of the year so he is in no position to complain.

“When’s the last time I went to the barber?” Sehun murmured while he inspected his own reflection on the car’s rear mirror. His once short hair had grown at least for 5 cm and the front ones are starting to poke his nose and eyes.

Making sure to have a hair cut the next day, Sehun directs his eyes back to the road and drive to his destination. Since today is the last day of work, the young man deems its fit to make his belly properly fed and filled with more snacks and food. The black sedan pulled over at the 24-hour convenient store and Sehun found himself grinning like a kid because the thought of shopping unhealthy food makes him feel a lot better. He exited the vehicle and skipped into the store’s entrance, not caring at how the cashier was judging him.

Of course the mini market was empty, it was almost midnight anyway, so Sehun didn’t bother keeping his humming voice at minimum and even danced a little while going through the store. After stopping at every aisle and filling his basket with every food and drink products available, he went to the cashier and maybe get his home quick enough to catch the latest episode of ‘Adventure Time’.

The cashier, a young girl, was scanning his items and gave him the stink eye but Sehun only gave her a sheepish smile because, hey it’s Friday night, and that means no work tomorrow. While waiting for the bought necessities to be bagged, Sehun took a look at the relatively clean mini market but he was frozen in his act after catching the familiar figure in his line of sight.

“Luhan…”

Sehun didn’t know why he would whisper the name out.

Luhan was there, sitting at one of the provided chairs. He hid his head between both arms that are folded on the table, body visibly shaking and probably indicates that he’s crying. The sweater he was wearing was puffy but that doesn’t mean Sehun didn’t notice the thin wrists and shoulder blades that are peeking out from his back. It has only been a month and Sehun never thought someone, especially Luhan, could be so different in just a span of thirty days. He’s too skinny for his own good. Sehun can tell if someone is having a bad day and he sees misery and pain clouding the aura around Luhan and the older male certainly doesn't deserve to be that... depressed.
More reasons to hate Jinho.

“You know him?” a tiny voice asked.

Sehun looked back at the young cashier and nodded his head, “you?”

“He always gave me tips, couldn’t forget the nicest customer here. And he comes here a lot, like a lot.”

The blonde male pointed curiously to where Luhan was, “Then why…”

“Why is he crying, you ask? His boyfriend is a jerk and that’s all you need to know. I really hate his boyfriend like I can hit that man’s crotch with a golf stick until he couldn’t feel his balls for an eternity and I wouldn’t even feel bad.” The girl answered while chewing her bubble gum noisily but was able to speak discreetly. “That explains my first point in why the cute guy comes here often.”

At that, Sehun could relate. “Did Jinho hit him? I mean, did his boyfriend do something physical?”

The girl shook her head, “I don’t know but I’ve never seen a bruise or scar so maybe it’s just lover quarrels. Wait, you’re friends with the jerk?”

Sehun was quick to deny the accusation and made sure the girl knew whose side he was at.

After all his stuff are bagged, Sehun was about to pay but remembered something. “Do you have a post-it note or sticky note perhaps?”

-

Luhan is tired. Very tired indeed.

How did I get myself into this?  He would question himself in the middle of the night, tears streaming down his cheek.

And sometimes, the words in his head are too depressing and suffocating that Luhan found himself roaming the empty streets alone, in the middle of the night with no particular destination in mind. He just needed to clear his head before he can continue another day with more depressing situation to handle which involves someone he doesn’t love anymore.

And most of those sleepless nights, he ended up at the same store he frequent to. Even though the distance is quite far, Luhan doesn’t mind, not even a bit.

There, he would be himself with no one to judge him or tell him what to do and there, at the 24-hour mini market, he could cry and shed as much tears as he liked. Sometimes he would be too tired that he ended up sleeping on the table and tonight seems to be one of those moments.

At first Luhan didn’t really realize it but he ended up sleeping on top of the table (again), dried tears still on his cheek and both arms cushioning his head, exactly the same position when he wept to himself. But the aroma of ramen woke him up and the hot vapor hits his ears.

Slowly, Luhan lifted his head up and found a ramen cup placed conveniently on his table with a tiny sticky memo stuck on the side. He plucked the neon pink paper from the cup and squint his eyes at the unfamiliar scribbling.

Buy what you want, get what you please, order what you like. He doesn’t own you, Luhan. Just remember you’re a human too.
And please eat, I spent nearly five bucks on the best ramen brand here.

Scanning the whole place with his already tired and red eyes, Luhan found no familiar face that he was looking for. He glanced back to the sticky note in his hand with a soft but very tiny smile and placed it into his jeans pocket before devouring the cup of hot ramen.

It’s been months since he could eat this freely, to eat something that he likes without a judging stare. He needs to thank Sehun the next time they meet.

-

It’s the best Saturday morning, Sehun needs to say.

The birds aren’t chirping, the cars aren’t honking, the neighbor’s baby isn’t crying and Sehun, for the first time in his entire life, woke up with a smile without annoying alarm to ruin his sleep.

The water in his shower is at the perfect warm temperature, his toothpaste box gave him a free toothbrush as a bonus, and the towel is really soft and dry today. He had made a great jar of orange juice and a perfect golden omelet for breakfast while the TV is airing a marathon of his favorite show. Life seems to be beautiful, Sehun thought.

The apartment is pretty much silent and Sehun thanks his floor-neighbors mentally for keeping the volume down. He would make a long speech of gratitude for the indie band who lived next door that decided to move out just a few days ago and gave him the peace he craved for.

And the silent morning was interrupted by a ring of the doorbell.

Sehun was actually counting down the moment when his peaceful morning would be ruined because he doesn’t believe in a perfect day. So he begrudgingly walked towards the door of his small apartment only clad in the simplest white T-shirt, grey sweatpants and unruly bed hair that he didn’t care to comb.

Once he pulled the door open, the sight at the other side wasn’t what he was expecting.

“Hi, I’m the new guy who’s going to live at room no. 521, exactly next to yours actually.” The man was already bowing when Sehun opened the door and was hugging what looks like a box of rice cakes close to his chest. His tiny frame was too familiar and Sehun found it incredibly hard to form any cohorrent words at the guest's arrival.

“I hope we can…”

The words died down in Luhan's throat when he straighten himself to look properly at the owner of room 520.

“Sehun…”

“Nice to meet you, Luhan.”