Daehyun allows you to soak his blazer with your tears despite the fact that you are ruining an extremely expensive article of clothing, and that his wearing a wet shirt is probably extremely uncomfortable. He has no inhibitions about that and just pulls you close to him. You're aware that your heart is beating loudly because of his sudden proximity, something your distracted thoughts had clouded you from noticing until now. He can probably feel the way your heart hammers against your chest. It gets you embarrassed, so you pull away suddenly, your mind now occupied with more than just your unfortunate predicament.

He looks at you in surprise, obviously not having expected you to distance yourself. You fumble for words, wanting to explain what you feel and yet finding that at this moment, you have the inability to do so, and instead resort to shaking your head vigorously, as if the world will stop if you do.

"You alright?" Daehyun asks you, his eyes bright with distress.

"I'm fine," you mutter. Standing here crying about your worries isn't going to accomplish anything. Are you really this futile? "I've got to ... do stuff ... "

"I'm pretty sure your homework can wait," Daehyun assures you. He doesn't seem to understand your plight, and to be honest, you don't understand yourself right now either. You just need to get away from here. You look around desperately, trying to find a way to escape, and Daehyun notices this. "What's bothering you?"

"Nothing," you reply too quickly. Although your tears have stopped, you still feel pretty stuffy, and you know that any word of comfort Daehyun will utter could potentially induce some more tears. You don't want that. You're done with being emotional. Being emotional isn't going to get you anywhere. 

"What are you planning to do?" Daehyun asks you quietly. You return your gaze to him, watching as he searches your eyes for answers. You don't know how to answer him. You haven't even asked yourself that question yet. 

"I - I don't know," you respond truthfully. "I ... I just need to ... do something. Anything. I don't know. I just ... " 

"Then let's do something, then," he concludes, grabbing your hand and pulling you along. What is he doing? Right now, you need to be distracted, and having his hand hold yours isn't helping. You protest, but he pays no heed to your complaints and guides you onto the street.

"What are you doing?" You question him, ducking your head as passersby give you curious looks. You don't want to be outside right now. You must look horrible. Your nose and eyes are probably red, and your hair a mess. You can't face anybody like this. "Daehyun! I ... I don't want to go out right now. I just ... " You don't want to admit it, but you're concerned about your appearance. You have to uphold what little pride you have left.

Daehyun abruptly pulls you close, but instead of embracing you or doing some sort of intimate action, he stares down at you with those creamy brown eyes and breathes, "You're beautiful. Okay? You're beautiful. And if anybody looks at you and all they see is a girl who was crying, then they're stupid. If they don't see what you are. Okay? Now, come on," he says, resuming his goal, his words affectively shutting you up. You don't believe his words, of course. The definition of beautiful is relative. However, it warms you up inside, and you let him lead you through the city streets.

Momentarily, you forget your worries as Daehyun clasps your hand tightly in his. You splash through puddles and evade unaware strangers while  Daehyun steers you pass buildings. You can't guess what he's doing until you pass three consecutive stores that have a 'Hiring' sign hung on their door. 

"Daehyun? Are you ... looking for a job?"

"Actually, I was going to ask you that same question," he replies. You give him a confused look, but of course he doesn't see it, since he's too busy watching the streets.

"Why would I ... ?" And then it hits you. Daehyun had put more thought into your predicament than you had. With the measly amount of money you have left, you won't be able to feed yourself, much less pay rent. Now that your dad has practically abandoned you, you can't depend on him for income. Getting a job would be the logical choice, but just thinking about getting one is an entirely new and daunting experience for you. You've never had to work for your money before, however shallow that sounds. It's never occurred to you that you might need one, and you're not aware of any special skills you might have that could assist in your landing an agreeable job. Still, it's the only thing you can do. You know that  Daehyun would help - that's just the kind of guy he is - but you can't abuse his kindness. You're better than that. 

In the end, it all boils down to pride.

"Have you ever worked before?" Daehyun asks you, slowing his pace. 

"No ... " you reply, hoping you don't sound like you've been spoon-fed all your life. Daehyun glances at you, and you look away, feeling a little bit humiliated.

"There's a first time for everything, right?" Daehyun grins. "So? Have you seen anything you like?"

"I haven't been looking," you reply. Is it really that easy to get a job? Do you simply walk in? If so, this must be the occasion people label as 'under-the-table'. But if you're going to get a job, you'd rather it be at a place where few of your classmates would enter. That would mean going to a place that doesn't show off high-quality products and sells to the mass consumers. What job could that be? "Wait, Daehyun," you say, noticing a store that's piqued your interest. He stops and stares at the shop with you. You realize that he still hasn't let go of your hand, and it makes you pleased.

"That one? You wanna apply to that one?"

You stare at the shop's peeling paint and rusty hinges. The signs are old and tattered, and the windows dull and scratched. It looks empty, but it's the perfect place to be. "Yeah. I want this one."

Daehyun stares at you suspiciously. "You're not choosing to work here because none of your classmates will come here, are you?"

Ugh. He sees right through you.

"No, I like this," you say. It's the truth, minus some other facts. He doesn't need to know that right now. He considers your reply for a moment before nodding. 

"Okay. I'll come in with you." He grips your hand as he opens the door, the golden bells that hang above your head tinkling at your presence. Clocks and watches of all sizes and shapes surround the store, decorating the shelves with their complicated devices and reflective surfaces. An old man, sitting behind a counter with a magazine in his lap, looks up to greet you.

"Customers? Hello!" He greets jovially. "What can I do for you?"

"Actually ... " giving Daehyun one last glance, you step up to the counter and say, "I was wondering if I could apply for the job."