Jongdae stared haphazardly at his late brunch Yixing managed to cook. Shoulders hunched, mouth in a tight straight line, eyes unblinking, he stared downwards. Hair a mess all over his head, night clothes rumbled from his fitful sleep, one sock on his feet while the other was missing, he sat stiffly. He could tell by glancing at Yixing that something was bothering him greatly, but by the less than perfect condition of the eggs, he knew for a fact something was wrong with the older. He couldn't be bothered to ask, not when he had his own deadline before something he wanted to avoid exploded in his face.

He had three days to prepare for what he was sure could be a part of his ultimate demise -  Lyn's wedding with the mysterious man who came in and swept her off her feet.

It was a known fact by many who knew Jongdae, that he loved weddings. But he was always sure he would never be a part of one in any form or fashion, whether he was the groom, best man, or even a witness in the audience. He just loved them for the pure white lies that wrapped around a bride's body on those days. The blushing fake s that were represented in the many cuts, lines, lace, and ruffles of the gowns that scream “I'm pure and haven't had with this or any other man!”

He loved them for the vows 'For better or worse' because when worse came around, so did the divorce papers. He loved them for the honey moon nights that he found himself spending with the 'fake blushing bride' in one of the assigned rooms at Agit, in place of the groom.

Oh yes, he loved weddings, but he was sure he would hate Lyn's.

For once, she would be wrapped in the pure fabric of a bride's dress and actually embody its meaning of being pure. She would say those vows as a promise and mean every syllable she pronounced. She wouldn't end up in bed with him on her wedding night like many other brides have. No, she wouldn't visit him at all, not on the honey moon night or any night afterward.

In all honesty, he was pretty jealous of the fact that she was moving on. Since she was so easily able to do so by allowing the right man in her life. Her nasty attitude, plain way of dressing, and fear of touching men dissipated just like that.

Yet, here he was, struggling to move on from his tortured past, fighting depression, and trying to get to know God.

Life wasn’t fair, something he was constantly reminded of day by day.

Yet, how could he complain when no one in room 1950 had a fair life?

Sure, they're gentleman at Agit Night that thought working at such a place was a dream. All life's necessities were taken care of including the ual ones. He, himself, was one of such people. But being moved into his own room and meeting Kris, someone who was initially homeless, allowed him to think differently. Kris was initially a man who had sold everything to pay for a medical bill that was too expensive, one he couldn't finish paying on time before his mother died. He didn't come to Agit cause he thought he would be living the life. No, he was there because life wasn't fair.

Someone like Luhan, who hated responsibility, who found himself with the biggest responsibility in the world – father of a baby, was at Agit Night. He seemed like the type of person who would have wanted to work in a place that offered such amenities. Yet, he was quitting to do what a responsible adult should do.

Xiumin, the only one who pursued higher education, someone who – once graduating – wouldn't need to work in such a disreputable place. He would have never applied for such a position on his own. He was bigger than most men who worked at Agit Night, he had higher standards, better morals, a real life to look forward to.

Xiumin was like Yixing, who though not having the opportunity to make something great of himself, still was a man with law written in his heart. He was a man aware of responsibilities, aware of the people around him and their emotions. He was caring, a caterer, loving, and protective. He deserved the life of a family man with a loving wife and kids, home cooked meals, and family game nights. He wasn't cut out to be with a different woman every night. To tease and please someone ually, because the guilt would eat away at him.

It was the reason, Jongdae assumed, that Yixing was so protective of Tao who was still a teenager when he came to work at Agit Night. He didn't know anything about taking care of himself, almost as bad as Jongdae. He was naturally gifted to please a woman when he first arrived, but the conditions he came in with was something to squint eyes at. Bruises upon bruises brazened from a woman who was meant to care and love their child. Tao didn't volunteer to work at Agit, no, he was found bumbling on the street after running away from his home. Vowing that he deserved better, only to be put in a circumstance that could compete with what he ran away from. He left a life of physical stress to enter a life filled with emotion stress.

Jongdae lived with these people everyday for nearly nine months. He had been through seasons of emotional high's and low's.

He had been himself, wishing that he could just be happy with what he had to offer. Wishing he could be content knowing that this could be it for him.

Sometimes he wondered if he would have been born to another person, maybe in a different town, at a different time, would he still be the Jongdae he was today? If the roots of his hair grew out brown instead of black, if his eyes were green, and he had a mouth of crooked teeth, would he still be the Jongdae who was molested as a young boy? If he was really tall, stockier in weight, and a natural genius would he still be the Jongdae who worked at a brothel?

Would he?

Taking a bite of his eggs, he chewed, one, two, three times.

His eggs were too salty.



~~~~~~~~~~~


“Meanwhile, on a planet far away from evil,” Kris mumbled to himself as he sat, alone, in his office.

He had gotten word earlier that day, that Tao had went to visit his parents. Tao and him weren't friends by any means, but Kris was still worried. The boy was young, sometimes naive, and heady. Oddly, Kris felt like he had an obligation to watch over him. He felt that same obligation towards Jongdae, and sometimes Yixing.

The two youngest who he had the hardest time getting along with, made him worry the most. He was, contrary to his face, a kind individual who didn't kill bugs that he found in his home because he felt they had a life too. He would, instead, pick them up and carry them outside - contrast to his mother's jargon. Coming to Agit honestly brought out the evil's in Kris he didn't know existed. He was glad as of now, that he improved. The new environment made it difficult to adjust, even more so since he never even knew a business like Agit existed.

This new place put him in circumstances that cast  negative lights onto his face. He became a villain amongst the other citizens. He was the wolf, while Agit was the house of bricks he couldn't blow down. So why not try to become the master of that house instead?

His ambition killed his sweet and gentle nature.

But in the end he succeeded.

He now was the master's assistant.

And very thankful he was, otherwise he would have been lonely. At the top, with nothing but everything. Rich in abundance, easily getting what he wanted but having to fight for what he needed.

He saw that now, because the master of the house was a sensible man who decided to take care of Kris instead of let him butcher himself. He helped Kris improve so he could slowly return to that innocent man who stepped through Agit's doors, wet and dirty, all those months ago.

He had room to worry for Jongdae. To look at the boy wallowing in his lack of self worth. To watch the boy who no longer hid behind a mask so no one would see his real thoughts. The boy who toted around that huge leather bound book full of scriptures and a highlighter, marking in it every new verse he found interesting.

He had room to inquire about Tao who had taken to disappearing to the clinic more often than not as of late. The boy who was afraid of meeting his closest friend's mother because he was still terrified of his own. In all honesty, Kris hated Tao's mother. He hated her for having a title that described a woman who would love and care for their child while all she did was defame hers. He hated her for still being alive while his was not. To Kris, he had the best mother, someone could be provided with. She loved him, she cared for him, she disciplined him, and raised him to be better. She made him the way he was today, despising Jongdae for hating his mother when she was still alive, and despising Tao's mother because she was still alive.

He looked down at the bank statement sitting on his desk. It would be best for h