Well, it wasn't how he'd planned his day to go. But it was okay. At least, in the morning, he'd still be able to get up when his alarm went off, have a quiet morning, and then leave for work with the crowd. That's what he wanted, right?

Hoya paused, his key inserted in the lock. He quickly shook his head. He didn't need to be thinking about this right now. He should just go to bed. And of course it was what he wanted! Hoya wouldn't go so far to preserve his way of life if it wasn't.

He ran a hand through his chestnut hair. He should just-

“Hey!”

Hoya let go of the key and jumped a foot in the air. He knew that voice. Turning slowly, and feeling like he was in a horror movie, Hoya locked eyes with him. How was that guy still smiling? Was that all he did?

“Well, I just thought you might want this.” The blond man held out his hand, a small, circular red object in it. “It fell out of your pocket on the way home.”

Hoya quickly snatched back his boomerang and stared at the intruder. “It fell out of my pocket? You were following me?”

The other man shrugged. “Can I come in?”

“What?”

“I don't mean to be forward-”

“You are.”

“-but I kind of slept on a bench last night. I'm cold, wet, and I'd just like to have a roof over my head.”

Hoya looked the man up and down. It was true, he did look kind of mangy. He shook his head. “Ask someone else.” He walked back up to the door and twisted the key. He dashed inside and tried to slam the door, but the other man stuck his foot out beside the frame.

“Ow.”

Hoya groaned. It seemed he wouldn't be getting rid of this one. He yanked open the door and his heel. His apartment suddenly seemed small. It was enough for himself, but he'd never really thought of sharing it with another. Whatever. It was only for tonight. Hoya turned back, watching as the blond stepped in and closed the door behind him. “You don't look homeless.” Hoya eyed the layers of designer clothing.

The man laughed. “No, not really. This is just temporary.”

Hoya turned back around. He didn't want to know. “You can have the couch.” Grabbing a toothbrush, he scrubbed his teeth. When he was done, he looked up and saw a hand.

“I never properly introduced myself.” He explained. “The name's Jang Dongwoo.”

Hoya ignored the hand. “Lee Howon.”

“I thought it was-”

“What?”

“I heard that other guy call you Hoya.”

“Stalker.” Hoya whispered under his breath. Then he spoke louder. “Only people who know me can call me Hoya. You're a stranger.”

Dongwoo hissed, smiling slightly. “Ouch. That's pretty harsh. But, what if I told you that I already knew you?”

“Not possible.” Hoya dismissed. “I don't know you.”

“Ah, but it is.” Dongwoo cleared his throat. “You are Lee Howon, twenty four years old. You were a smart kid in high school, lots of A's and lots of friends. Same with college. You made it into an accelerated program and graduated with not only an undergraduate, but also a law degree. You passed the bar and worked in your father's firm for only a year, which I find odd. You then went through a complete personality change and became withdrawn, bitter, and extremely moody. You moved away and your family hasn't heard from you since.” He took a step towards Hoya. “What I don't get is the change. Why did it happen? And why won't you go back?”

Hoya sharply drew in a breath. “Get out.”

“Are you going to let whatever happened hang over your head for the rest of your life?”

“GET OUT!” Hoya grabbed the no longer smiling man by his collar and threw him into the living room, closing the door to his room. He stalked over to his mattress and sat down. That guy didn't understand. He couldn't.

The stress.

The greed.

Hoya couldn't go back. He wouldn't. He liked it here. He had actually grown to enjoy Woohyun's non-stop talking and Sungjong's outlandish sense of style. But everything else was bad, evil, corrupt. There was no helping it. He had already accepted it. He simply had to stay here, in his small little corner of the world where he wouldn't encounter any others. Then he would be okay.

Hoya crawled beneath the single thick sheet on top of the bed and closed his eyes. No need to worry. The strange man would leave, come morning, and he would be able to return to his worry-free world where the only danger was Woohyun's mood swings.

He cuddled closer to his pillow, feeling sleep begin to cloud his mind.

“Hoy-I mean, Howon?”

Hoya stayed silent, trying to hide beneath his blanket.

“Can I come in?”

Hoya considered turning him away. Then again, he had done that enough already, and he was started to get a guilty feeling eating at his stomach. “What do you want?” He groaned, trying to disappear in the bed.

“Your couch is extremely lumpy. I'm not sure if you were aware or not, but it is impossible to sleep on.”

Hoya hummed. “What do you want me to do about that?”

It was silent for a moment. Then Dongwoo dragged his feet closer to the door, which he had yet to open, fearing the wrath of the other man. “Can I sleep in there?”

Hoya sighed. He was beyond tired, and if allowing this meant that it would be the end, he was willing to do it. “Hurry up.”

The door opened and shut with amazing speed. Dongwoo stared at the unimpressive room. He hadn't had a chance to look at it before. “Why is your bed on the floor?”

“Because bed frames cost too much. Now hurry up.” He heard footsteps, and then felt the springs of the mattress compress further. Then he felt something warm against his back. “You're too close.” He grumbled.

“There's no room to move. It's a single.” Dongwoo defended, trying to get comfortable.

Hoya let out one last sigh before closing his eyes, scooting further away. Miraculously, he fell asleep within seconds.

“-sunny again! This week has been very nice, so if you haven't had a chance to enjoy it yet, get outside! Do something! Also, it's a Friday, meaning-”

Hoya slammed his hand on the snooze button, cracking open an eye. The intruder wasn't there. His room was quiet. As usual.

Hoya jumped out of bed and made his way to the bathroom, unusually energized. He took his time, and once finished, he donned jeans and a flowery blue shirt–the only shirt Sungjong had ever complimented–and opened the door.

It smelled like pancakes. Why did it smell like pancakes?

Hoya slowly opened his bedroom door and peeked outside. There, on his dining room table was a pile of pancakes. He shuffled over, eyeing the food wearily.

“Hey, you're up!”

Oh, no. “You're...still here?”

Dongwoo shrugged. “Yeah, I kind of need a place to crash for a while. You don't mind, do you? I mean, you seemed pretty comfortable last night. You're a cuddler, did you know that?”

Hoya froze. What?

Dongwoo continued, taking a seat at one of the four wooden chairs around the table. “Well, try one. They're not poisoned.” He pulled one off the top and folded it in half before eating it like a sandwich. “You had no food, so I had to go out and buy some earlier this morning.”

That caught Hoya's attention. “With what?”

“Some cash I found beneath the couch.” Dongwoo ate some more, then paused. “You have a lot of crap under there. I could clean it for you, while you're eating.”

Hoya quickly took a seat after feeling his legs wobble slightly. “That money–I was saving for something.”

“Hm?”

“I was going to buy a car. I almost saved enough. Just one more month.” Hoya rested his head on his hands.

Dongwoo laughed nervously. “Cars aren't all that great. Do you know how many people die in car-related incidents in a year? It was over a million last time I checked.”

“I think we need to lay down some rules.” Hoya stated, trying not to hyperventilate. He took Dongwoo's silence as an affirmation for him to continue. “First, if you're going to stay here, don't move my stuff. Second, the sleeping situation is already weird. Please don't tell me how much of a cuddler I am. It just makes things worse.”

“You talk a lot when you're upset, huh?” Dongwoo hummed, grabbing another pancake. “So, when do you leave for work?”

“Three,” Hoya continued. “you have to stay here. Unless you're leaving permanently. Then feel free to just walk right out that door.”

Dongwoo nodded. “I get it. You're not a morning person.” He got up from the table and started moving around.

Hoya sighed. “I'm not done! And you just left your stuff here! Haven't you ever heard of cleaning up?”

“Nag, nag, nag.” Dongwoo whispered under his breath. He surveyed the room. “Hey, what's this? Is it a briefcase?” He reached for something in the corner.

Hoya dashed over and stood in front of the corner, preventing Dongwoo from going any further. “Four, never ever touch that. Do you understand?”

Dongwoo sighed dejectedly and sat down on the couch. “I'll just wait here for you then, shall I?”

“Good idea.” Hoya glanced over to the clock. “! I'm late!” He ran over, grabbed shoes and was about to sprint out the door. “Don't do anything, got it?”

“Scout's honor.” Dongwoo grinned.

Hoya rolled his eyes. “Why did I agree to this in the first place?”

Dongwoo waited until the door closed, then he the television. He quickly glanced at the date and sighed. “This is going to be more difficult than I thought.”

A/N: I just want you all to know that I have this all planned out in my head, so there should be no long waits or hiatus. I'll try to upload chapters as fast as I can. Sorry this one took so long. :/