Outside, I take a breath of cold air.

 

“When did you come out?” I ask. “How did you know where to find me?”

 

Yoongi holds me up with one arm while the other digs into his pocket to retrieve a car remote. “You called for Jimin, didn’t you?” He presses a button and a car parked along the kerb lights up.

 

“I did?” Oh, I did. I vaguely remember sending him a similar message like I did to Hani. “Doesn’t explain how you know where I was.”

 

Yoongi pushes me down into the passenger seat. His dry, blue hair tickles my face as he reaches over to buckle my seat belt.

 

“You have no idea how many karaoke bars in the area I crashed…”

 

That is the last thing I hear – or, I think I hear – before blacking out.

 

I wake up in my own bed the next morning, my head aching with another hangover. How did I get back? I recall getting onto a car but whose car was it? A name slowly materialises in my mind. Min… Min Yoongi…?

 

Taking baby steps, I drag my feet over to the opposite room. Standing outside, a melody of soft keyboard whispers into my ears. If my memory is right and it really is Yoongi who came out, then I probably shouldn’t disturb him. Taehyung did say that Yoongi makes music for a living, right?

 

Turning my feet, I quietly wash up and prepare for work. I make myself a quick lunch in the kitchen with expiring instant rice and instant sausages. Sitting at the dining table, I continue my search for a new house.

 

“You’re up?” A sleepy voice breaks the silence in the hall.

 

“Hello,” I greet awkwardly. “Min Yoongi-ssi, right? Thank you for last night.”

 

He nods. “I’m surprised you remember.” Walking into the kitchen, he makes himself a fresh cup of coffee.

 

“How do you know our manager?” I ask. The colour on Yoongi’s face drains.

 

“He’s a hyung we used to live with,” Yoongi says.

 

My eyes widen. “Oh. Oh, no.”

 

“What’s with that reaction?” He raises an eyebrow as he sits opposite me.

 

“I—I heard from Jungkook.”

 

He nods again. “I’ll have to let the others know.” He shakes his head. “Jin hyung will be so upset.”

 

The atmosphere becomes uncomfortably thick. I clear my throat. “I have to get going for work. I’ll leave you to your composing.”

 

“What time are you coming back?”

 

I blink, caught off guard by the unexpected question. “Seven-ish, maybe. Why?”

 

“Nothing. Come back for dinner.” Taking his coffee, he returns to the room.

 

Sighing, I leave the house.

 

I arrive at the café more than twenty minutes before my shift is scheduled to start. I sit in the back room as I wait for time to pass.

 

“Lee Hyekyung-ssi.”

 

“Manager-nim.” I jump onto my feet.

 

He nods at the greeting. “Did you get home well last night?”

 

“Yes, sir.”

 

“Do you perhaps have something against me?” He asks, his eyebrows furrowed.

 

“Sorry, sir?”

 

Seyoon cross his arms over his chest. “You don’t seem very interested in talking to me. Your answers are so monotonous.”

 

I almost scoff. “Am I supposed to show interest in talking to you?”

 

“What is your relationship with the guy who came to pick you up last night?”

 

“I’m not obliged to answer questions about my private life, sir.”

 

“Of course.” He takes a step towards me. “Be careful of him. He’s not who he seems.”

 

I roll my eyes. “I’d appreciate if you could keep to yourself what I should do with my own life, sir.”

 

Fuming, Seyoon storms out. I slump back down onto the chair and rub my temples with the base of my palm. How am I going to continue working with him? I don’t even know why I’m being like this. What has the man ever done to me? Sure, there seems to be bad blood between him and Yoongi but what has this got to do with me?

 

“What’s wrong with you?” Hani asks as she sashays into the room.

 

“I wonder…”

 

She squats in front of me. “I heard your man fought with the new manager last night?”

 

“My man?” I groan. “How did it become so twisted?” My head starts pounding and I bend over to hold my head in my hands.

 

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

 

I take a deep breath. “I feel like I’m going to puke.”

 

“I think you’ve been too stressed out these days,” Hani says, a worried expression on her face. “You want to go home and rest?”

 

I nod. “Can you help me apply for annual leave today?”

 

“Don’t worry and get some sleep. I’ll handle things here.”

 

I leave from the back door, unable to face Seyoon if he’s wandering around outside. I exit into an alley and slowly walk out into the main street where I turn away from the café. I stop in my tracks.

 

Why am I acting like a guilty criminal? Doesn’t matter. Hailing a taxi, I take the ride home.

 

Instead of going up to the apartment, I walk past the building and turn into a narrow pathway that leads into the old park. People rarely come here anymore because all the equipment have gone rusty so this place has become somewhat a secret hiding spot for me. I sit on a bench and lie down across the seat. I close my eyes and take a deep breath.

 

“You shouldn’t be sleeping out here like that.”

 

I open my eyes. “Who’s there?” From the top of the slide tower, a pair of legs hang out. A head of bright, blue hair sticks out on the other side. I sit up. “Yoongi-ssi?”

 

With slow movements like that of an old grandfather, he sits up and crosses his legs beneath him. “Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”

 

“I decided to take an off day. What about you?”

 

Yoongi shrugs. “I came out to take a break.”

 

“You don’t look like someone who would leave the house for a break,” I mumble.

 

“I just wasn’t feeling it.” Jumping off the short tower, he strides over. “You don’t look good.”

 

I sigh. “I’m starting to think if I should quit now.”

 

Yoongi raises an eyebrow sceptically. “If it’s because of Yang Seyoon—”

 

“I’m about to start school soon anyway and I haven’t gotten actual rest this semester break,” I lie. I heard the convenience store around the corner is hiring. Maybe I should go take a look soon. I bury my head into my hands. “I’ve been getting weird vibes from that man ever since he first came.”

 

Yoongi snorts. “He does have a knack for making people feel uncomfortable.”

 

“Yoongi-ssi.”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Nothing.”

 

“Why, what’s wrong?”

 

I look down at my shoes. “Nothing. I was trying to start a new conversation but I don’t know what to say.”

 

Yoongi laughs. “You don’t have to be so tensed around me,” he says. “Just think of me as an older brother.”

 

“I’ve always wanted an older brother…”

 

He says nothing in response.

 

Letting out a long breath, I tilt my head back to look up at the sky. The trees overhead are starting to show hints of red. Between the leaves, the clear sky shines through, a stark contrast against my murky thoughts.

 

“Do you want to listen to this?” Yoongi says out of nowhere. He passes me one side of his earphones. “It’s a new song I’m working on.”

 

I plug the bud into my ear and he presses the play button on his music player.

 

 

“How is it?” He asks.

 

I remain silent for a while as the lyrics pique my interest. “So what if I avoid an accident now, but crash harder later from the impact of the acceleration?”

 

“What?” Seemingly caught off guard by my question, Yoongi laughs. “Wouldn’t it work if you accelerate faster again?”

 

“And what if I end up crashing again?”

 

This time, after thinking for some time, he shrugs. “Just keep accelerating. Surely one day you’ll come to a place where you can park safely without accidents.”

 

I nod. I wonder where this place is, and how many crashes I have to save myself from until I finally reach there.

 

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