"Are you sure you'll be alright on your own?" Kyunso, his good old neighbor expressed his concern once again. "It's your first day at work and you're already given the night shift. I'm not sure if-"

"It's okay, Kyunso-ssi. I'll be alright." Jinyoung said politely as he tidied himself and clipped his nametag properly on the left side of his chest.

Alright, you're ready to serve!
 

As what Kyunso has said, today marks his first day at work as a convenience store clerk. Jinyoung was given the night shift because it's the only shift which fits into his schedule as a college student. As a graduating student taking up literature, Jinyoung has his hands full at school, considering his classes are from 10 am to 5 pm. It's convenient that his work shift is from 6 pm to 12 am.

The only downside in this is, he'll be here working all alone for six hours in this dark night. If only he's not a er for horror films he won't get these frightening thoughts.

"Well, alright." he hears Kyunso who is now walking to the other side of the counter, wearing his backpack. The older is done for the day, so he's heading home now. "I'll leave the store under your care. You're on your own, until Jaehyun comes for his shift."

Jinyoung nodded and even mock saluted. "Aye, aye! Captain!" This earned him a laugh from the older as he ruffled his hair.

"See you tomorrow, Jinyoung!" Kyunso waves while walking outside the store.
 

"Welcome to GS25, good evening!"Jinyoung cheerfully greeted since he remembers Kyunso's pointers for him before he started on his shift a while ago.

"Smile and don't scare away customers, okay?" Kyunso's constant reminder.

A guy, maybe in his early or mid-twenties, (in his estimation) just had walked in the convenience store and now Jinyoung is seeing him slumping his self down on the table situated near the counter.

Jinyoung is not usually the type to mind someone's presence... moreso how someone looks. But this certain guy who has his elbows propped up on the table, his hands cupping his small face seems to get Jinyoung's attention. Maybe it's because there's no other customers and he has nothing to do in particular, that now he finds himself staring at the guy.

He's wearing a dark blue patterned long sleeve shirt. His hair is colored dark brown (which Jinyoung didn't know will look this good on someone), and it looks disheveled but still looks good on him, like how is that possible? The guy looks like he just went out on a fancy date or something. He doesn't look like someone who is just dropping by a convenience store. What is this incredibly good looking guy doing here?
 

"One bottle of beer!"

The guy suddenly shouted catching Jinyoung's attention (if he hasn't yet). He is raising his hand as if calling a bartender or something. He still has his one hand on his face, the other doing gestures in mid air. The guy's eyes are glued on his phone which is on top of the table.

Jinyoung just remained staring, his hands already stopped on unstacking the paper cups, until the guy shouts once more. "One bottle of beer, please!"

With furrowed brows, Jinyoung walked towards one of the refrigerators where there are beers and got one bottle before approaching the guy.

"I hate to break it to you mister but, this is a convenience store, not a bar." he's confused by the guy's weirdness but he still handed him the bottle.

"Well then, sorry." The guy said before taking the bottle. Jinyoung already turned his back when the guy called him again. "Thanks."

 

"He left me. Without even giving me a valid reason, he just left me like that. Is that fair?"

Yeah. It's the same weird guy who must've thought he went inside some bar, who is now bawling his eyes out, talking about how heart broken he is for the past three hours now.

Mark. That's his name. It's the only clear information Jinyoung got from the guy before he started speaking through slurred words about "him" who he doesn't know who is. So far, all he has gotten from Mark's drunk rambling is that this guy has left him; that they have been in a relationship for five years; and that apparently and obviously, he loves the said guy so much.

Lucky guy, isn't he?

Eight bottles of beer later, the guy -Mark is already dead drunk.

"I'm done for my shift. The store is all yours, Jaehyun." he told the other employee before standing up, with Mark's arm on his shoulder, the other on Jaehyun's.

Mark can't possibly walk on his own so Jinyoung asked for Jaehyun's help to take the drunk guy outside the store and inside a cab.

"Mark! Hey, wake up!" he tapped on Mark's cheeks when he successfully put him inside the cab he just hailed. He saw how Mark struggled to open his eyes despite his drooping eyelids. "I need your address. You need to get home."

Thankfully, Mark cooperated and took a card from his wallet. Jinyoung took it and handed it to the cab driver. "Please take him home safely, ahjussi. Thank you."

He then turned to Mark who is staring at him through those dazed eyes. "You're also leaving me?" And Jinyoung don't know why his heart seemed to have stopped beating for a fraction of a second. What the hell, the guy's drunk for heaven's sake! Get it together!

"I'm sending you home." he just said.

"Okay." This guy really. But then before Jinyoung could close the cardoor, he felt Mark's hand taking his. "Thank you." and the way Mark said that almost made him lose it. "I never thought I'd meet an angel at a convenience store."
 

Jinyoung didn't quite expect it. Okay maybe you did expect, but just a bit, alright? But since that unusual night... Mark formed this habit of dropping by the store and just stay there until the end of his shift. For four hours, Mark's just there, eating some cheese flavored snacks (mostly Cheetos) and drinking orange juice. He's just happy Mark's not into drinking beers like the last time.

It's always like that every night. Mark will spend the rest of the evening there without fail and would just stay on his usual table, talking to him whenever he's not occupied with some customers. Mark is not really a bother though, since that's the older's promise for Jinyoung to allow him to stay in the store and not throw him out.

For almost two weeks now, Mark has been frequently dropping by the convenience store. (Mark insists that it's called visiting a friend) which Jinyoung doesn't know where to laugh at... the "visiting" part or the "friend" part? For the whole of the time being, Mark has talked about nothing but Do-Young. Finally Jinyoung knows his name - Song Do-Young. The guy who left Mark for some reason he cannot fathom.

Maybe Jinyoung hasn't known Mark for so long, but those late evening talks were enough for him to establi