»Sounds like a pathetic job.«

Jongin hesitated for a moment before he chuckled at Baekhyun's response. He knew it wasn't pathetic, but Baekhyun just hadn't much interest in foreign things; he liked the things that he knew deep down more than strange things. That was literally the reason why Jongin liked him. They were both in senior years and they had been friends since the last year of elementary school. Jongin was the popular kid whilst Baekhyun was that hidden, invisible person sitting in the left corner, all alone. Only Jongin realized that day that he could at least make a difference for him, letting him talk more, be socialized among the people around him. He couldn't just sit there and do nothing, could he?

And since that day, Jongin may had lost his popularity after he hung out with that-nerdy-and-antisocial-dude, but he had felt a difference. There was something with Baekhyun he couldn't describe when they were together, compared to when he was with his other friends in the past; he felt special for him. He felt like they could take good care of each other and would never leave each behind and desert them in the hideous past. They really felt like that. Jongin made a difference for Baekhyun easily, even though he was a stranger for him, he still easily let him in his life. Because the bond of trust was what Baekhyun craved and needed, and when they met each eyes, Baekhyun found it in him like he they had made eye contact a thousands of times, like they knew each other from when they were younger, from the past. So he wasn't exactly foreign to him, nor a stranger for him - like a friend at first sight.

»Not as pathetic as you think,« Jongin responded with a smirk. Made the corners of Baekhyun's mouth rise a little. He bit his bottom lip and nodded, looking anywhere but Jongin transiently. He put his hands in his tight pockets and took a deep breath before looking Jongin in the eye. He continued speaking. »As for you, a guy who drinks 24/7, should be interested in being a bartender.« Baekhyun furrowed his eyebrows, a bit pissed to his continuous response. Yeah, he drank a lot because of his depression, but that didn't mean he was interested in anything that has something with alcohol to do. Besides, seeing all the alcohol wouldn't easily prevent him from drinking, like what Jongin kept begging Baekhyun to do. Why did he even suggest the job anyway? He knew he was like a diehard, he knew him in and out. Yet he offered it.

»4 days have been gone since you told me to stop drinking. And that was when you got the job. How long have you thought of offering me this, and how do you even expect that I should get rid of my ing drinking habit?!« He sounded shattered, Jongin noticed his furrowed eyebrows turning into a little rise from the right eye. He looked confused, yet curious of what had been going in his mind. The vibe was serious. The tone in his voice was different from any others. »Come on, Jongin, It'd be worse if I joined you.« He sighed and looked at him deep in the eye. They both knew and perceived very well that it was nearly too late to turn pack from this problem. He started having his first drink when he was 15 and the habit had grown stronger slowly, year after year. It was only a few months after they had realized the problem he suffered from, and nor his lone parent and Jongin could help him, no matter how many times they convinced him it'd eventually turn worse if he didn't stop now. But, if he had to be honest, if he hadn't had only the lone parent living with him, but dealing life with his parents still together, he wouldn't have started drinking. It all started when they got divorced. Arguing about literally everything. Them yelling downstairs in hours, until everything became quiet the next day. Which was the day they divorced.

»You're right, it doesn't prevent you easily from drinking. But, as your only friend who clearly doesn't drink, can't relate what you're going through. And working there might make you feel less lonely about it all,« he said with a firm voice. His smirk was long gone and the usual please-take-this-serious expression took over - the one he had seen everytime Jongin tried to stop him from his everyday routine of drinking. And for the first time his point actually triggered him. Yes, he didn't like strangers but he had searched to find a friend that could be similar like him in such a long time. Jongin was different, he may not have been suffering through the same problems, but he had something different that dragged Baekhyun easily like a magnet. He was his soulmate, it wasn't coincidental for them to meet. »Give it a try... Please.«

Baekhyun hesitated. His thoughts flied in his mind that his focus on breathing was already gone. Should he take the offer and be welcomed working with Jongin? Meet friends who suffer from the same from that smelly place similar to his room? Or should he stay away from that place and hopefully wish to himself that he'll stop drinking sooner or later? Boy, what a dilemma. But if Jongin was right, would that make him prevent from drinking, or the opposite? Make him drink with his new fellows, or have a deep talk with one of them and eventually they'd both drop? Which was the best choice exactly?

He took a deep breath and considered it. Either way, he'd end in both ways; either continuing with his mental issues or having to get rid of that ridiculous habit of his.

»Fine. Let me know when I'll be having an interview for the job.«
 

»I wasn't wrong,« Baekhyun said as they both chuckled. It was past 11pm on a tuesday night, having the night shift on them, though it was almost closing. In about an hour, they'd both return to their home and rest, having to study for their upcoming exam in Biochemistry the next day. But before all that, they'd have to clean up the whole bar before they'd insert the key and lock the door, leaving the building quietly in night. »It is pathetic, but I somehow like the job.« Baekhyun took out a bottle of Smirnoff from one of the shelves and brought two shot glasses. He could see Jongin's eye look in confusion, terrified to what Baekhyun exactly wanted to achieve by this. He sat down and looked into Jongin's eye, giving him relieving eyes so his friend would calm down.

»I get that you've never been drinking before, which is weird too, but–« Baekhyun hesitated for a moment, thinking of an excuse to come up, so his long lasting friend would finally have the balls to drink a single goddamn shot. It wasn't that hard, if he did it everyday, how wouldn't Jongin be able to it? »–let's take a shot and toast for that you got me working on a ty place. Let this be your first drink as for your victory.« Baekhyun grabbed the bottle and filled the two glasses up. His movements was slow, not wanting to hurry Jongin to actually do something he's never done before. He took some time filling them up, looking at the glasses' invisibility be filled with a strong liquid, flowing out from the Smirnoff. As he filled both of them, he put the bottle on the table and looked into Jongin's eyes full of curiousity and staring intriguingly at the glasses, but a slight of fear shown deep down that only Baekhyun could recognize after knowing him in years. Hell, he was afraid of anything. He liked to do new stuff, but he let fear in his heart easily. On the other side, Baekhyun was never terrified to try something new, but he wasn't an enthusiast in playing with stuff he knew nothing about.

He looked at his moving throat, gulping in fear. A little drop of sweat was running down beside his eye. Baekhyun sighed. How bad could it be? It was just one shot.

»It can't be that bad, comeon, just–« Baekhyun said, but before continuing his comforting words, a sound of a door getting slammed open was running through the atmosphere. It caught both of their attention as they stared at the door with an intruder Baekhyun hasn't seen before. He was tall. Hell, taller than all of his classmates. Jongin was probably slightly lower than him, but it didn't change the fact that he was still taller. Baekhyun's eye caught his white gucci shoes with a snake on. Further up, his black, ripped jeans with his meaty thi- never mind. There was no time to focus on his thighs. He blinked a few times to start exploring the rest of his firm body. He was wearing an all-white tee, holding a jacket folded around his right arm that kept the doors open. His throat was gulping, chin a bit sharp, and last but not least; his black eyes staring in confusion at Baekhyun's.

»I think I'm gay.« Did he just say it out loud?

Only then had he noticed both Jongin and the man had heard his his words and whispered out a, what? and made Baekhyun come back to his senses. He had been staring at the tall man the whole time, his panting lips catching all of his attention. But for what? Hell, he was straight, wasn't he? He had been in a relationship before - with a girl of course - but yet his feelings feel quite slightly different. Was his words - that had come out through the cavern below his lips, unthoughtful, unrealized - truly? Nah, couldn't be. He couldn't possible fall in love with a man.

»This is, um - this is Chanyeol, he works here,« Jongin said, easily making Baekhyun's focus on his eyes. Just the slightest move could let Baekhyun listen to every words that flew out, spoken with Jongin's vocal cord. Baekhyun looked back at the tall man and admired his red and messy - because of his run - hair, seeing it fly to every side and as if it wasn't brushed. Jongin continued his words to explain the sudden situation. »He traveled right before you arrived here, you see. A week has been gone already, I guess.«

If only I had been here sooner.

This inner dialogue pissed him off already. He couldn't just say that, these feelings weren't right, everything was wrong at the moment. Was this a dream? This must've been a dream. Just a dream. Right? As if he'd ever find men attractive. Nah, they're defo not his type anyway. This voice in his head had to stop; speak of the devil, couldn't it beat off already? He's not gonna ing fall in love with this tall man with the name Chan- whatever his name was, not like he wanted to remember it. Oh god, he already felt the ambivalence rise. Couldn't the love just fade away already? And did his inner voice just call it love? No way.

Control yourself.

He had to admit, it was pretty hard. Yeah, he was probably handsome, but if there was anything he'd fall in love with, it would be any girl in the school. Any. Just any, he'd do everything to just let this bull run its own way and leave him alone. No matter if that girl was pretty or less; not