*Bokshil-Fluffy

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Yongguk stumbled into the apartment, tripping over a few of the shoes that were in the doorway. It had been a hard week in the hospital and Yongguk was pissed off. He stopped suddenly and sighed in frustration, he threw down his bag and walked slowly into the living room. Youngjae and Himchan had been cautious around him, it was easy to make him angry these days. 

Youngjae was careful when he opened his mouth to ask if he needed any help, "Yongguk...Do you-" 

"Go get packed." He mumbled to both Youngjae and Himchan. They exchanged a few glances before Himchan reluctantly went to the small room he shared with Yongguk.

"Hyung, let me help you." Youngjae approached him and held onto his arm. Yongguk shook his arm but Youngjae held on tightly.

"No. I told you to get packed, now go!" Yongguk harshly pulled his arm out of his grasp. Youngjae retreated hesitantly but quickly. Himchan peeked his head out of their room and watched Youngjae softly close the door to his room. Yongguk had often acted irritated with Youngjae in the past but now that he lost his eyesight Himchan noticed that things seemed to have gotten worse. Yongguk felt around the walls, slowly making it into the hallway. Himchan watched sadly as Yongguk finally arrived inside their room. For him, it was difficult watching Yongguk like this- mostly because this had been his fault. He backed up as Yongguk slammed the door behind himself, making him jump suddenly. Himchan turned to the closet and started to grab his clothes.

"Here's your suitcase Yongguk," Himchan handed him his bag and he nodded, "And all your clothes are right here..." Himchan guided his hand to the edge of the bed where a pile of clothes were placed.

"I'll pack the rest." Himchan smiled even though the eldest couldn't see it. Yongguk sensed what Himchan was doing and he was glad that he didn't outright make him feel useless. Himchan was that kind of person, always worrying about others' feelings and well being. 

"Thank you, Himchan." Yongguk began folding his clothes with care.

...

With a lot of frustrated yelling on Yongguk's part and arguing between Youngjae and Himchan, they were finally all packed and ready to leave. Because of their situation, Himchan, Yongguk and Youngjae were forced not to own valuable belongings. They only owned the essentials, that's what they hauled around with them from place to place. Sometimes, they had no choice but to rent out apartments from shady people, even though that's the opposite of what they would have liked to do. The three of them were left little room for choices.

"Did we get everything?" Yongguk asked from the passenger seat of their car.

"We should. We never had much to begin with." Himchan answered, starting up the car and checking his reflection in the mirror.

There was a quiet pause.

"Guys, I'm really sorry for the way I acted before. I'm sorry for yelling at you Youngjae." Yongguk looked ahead, his sunglasses covering his eyes. Himchan looked over to him and smiled.

"It's okay." Youngjae chirped from the backseat. He was wedged in between bags, boxes of their stuff and three suitcases.

"I guess I'm just really frustrated....but everything will be okay." Yongguk said, but the words were more for himself than the other two in the car. They both nodded, their understanding for his feelings had heightened over the past week and they didn't get angry with him as easily.

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The trio made it to their new apartment early in the morning after traveling all day and night. Himchan complained about how the new apartment was smaller than the last one. They all settled in and Himchan got a call from their new boss. 

The week before, while Yongguk was still getting treatment in the hospital, Himchan and Youngjae were hard at work trying to get a job in the new area they were planning on moving to. It wasn't easy for the two of them to get a job at the same place, but the benefit of moving around so much and meeting new people gave them an advantage. They were able to pull a few strings and got a new job. This time around, they were able to snag a place that paid them more than their previous job.

"Yes...Okay, thank you sir!" Himchan hung up the phone. "Youngjae, he wants us there in a few hours. Who needs sleep, right? At this rate, we'll be back in Seoul in no time!" He smiled brightly despite the dark circles beneath his red rimmed eyes, Youngjae nodded and smiled back at him. He didn't mind because he had practically slept the whole way there.

"That's great Himchan, But...who will take care of Yongguk? What if something happens again?" Youngjae lowered his voice slightly, as if it would have less impact on the person he was talking about.

"I can take care of myself. I'm just blind." Yongguk growled.

Youngjae cringed, but was quick to defend himself, "Sorry Hyung, I didn't mean it like that."  

Himchan was quick to diffuse the situation, "It's okay, It's not like were leaving forever. It's only the first day on the job." Himchan said. "We should head out after we unload the car, Youngjae. Yongguk, don't wander out of the apartment okay?" Himchan said as a warning, Yongguk scoffed.

"I won't."

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Yongguk POV

 I feel so useless. I seemed to have this thought a lot lately. I knew I wouldn't feel this way forever, but it was a gnawing feeling that always crept up on me. I grabbed my ipod from my pocket. My ipod was one of my treasures that I wouldn't let Himchan take away from me or sell for money. I listened to the first song that played. Today I wouldn't be picky, it's not like I could see the screen anyways. I was just happy my hearing wasn't affected.

I spent the rest of my time listening to music and becoming familiar with my surroundings. Himchan warned me that he left piles of boxes by the front door, so I avoided that area. I figured out that there was a small living room with a little couch situated facing toward the wall. If you started at the left side of the couch, facing outward and walked forward you would reach the kitchen door. The kitchen seemed small from what I could gather, it had a small sink and a small fridge. I was surprised when I noticed the little table that was set in the corner. There wasn't much in this room. I decided that I didn't like the kitchen because of the things I was currently incapable of doing inside it. 

Eventually I found the rooms and the bathroom but I didn't do much exploring inside of them, I decided to leave it alone and just go back to the living area. Everything seemed easy enough to remember. I stood in the middle of the room and turned my head towards where I thought the front door might be.

I turned off my ipod and stuffed it in my pocket.

My surroundings were unfamiliar, so when I finally had my hand on the front door's handle, I wasn't so sure I should leave. But I did anyways.

I made my way outside and suddenly felt lost, I sighed and tried to remember the way Himchan had led me. I stood still for some time, just enjoying the wind blowing on my face. Finally, after calming myself down, I walked slowly and wandered for a bit until I heard some running water perhaps a water fountain of some sort. I kept walking until I ran into something that felt like a bench. I took my chances and raised my hand to feel the surface of it, I sat down on it with precaution. I finally relaxed. It was peaceful and quiet here, I figured it must have been a park of some sort.

I took a deep breath, realizing how lucky I had been that I didn't wander into something dangerous. Taking out my ipod and earphones, I continued listening to my music and mapping out the way I had just come from.

A few minutes had passed when I suddenly felt something wet on my fingers. My hand twitched on instinct, I then realized that something was my hand. I figured it was a dog since any other idea didn't really make much sense. I reached down and felt mounds of thick fur. I patted the dog on the head, wondering if it was a stray. Then I heard a faint, muffled noise. I took my earphones out and listened. 

Someone was yelling. 

"Bokshil! Hey you brat! Where are you? Bokshil! Where did you go?" Whoever it was must have been looking for the dog that was my hand. I smiled a bit, patting the dog on the head. "We'll wait for your owner." I said to the dog and it barked a little, startling me. The voice got closer and closer, until I heard foot steps approaching me.

"Bokshil, why are you bothering strangers?" The dog left my hand after its owner scolded it and I waited for the voice to acknowledge me. "I'm sorry sir." I didn't try and look directly at whoever was talking because I couldn't quite figure out where the voice was coming from. Was it in front of me? Or maybe it was behind me. I was a bit disoriented, not having heard this voice before- a complete stranger.

"It's okay" I said softly, "Is this your dog?" I asked, continuing to look forward.

"Yeah." His rather rough, uneven and unique voice sounded shy, I had never heard someone sound the way he did. It was interesting, I was glad to have interaction with anyone else other than the doctor, Himchan and Youngjae.

"Why do you call him Bokshil?" I asked, once the question left my mouth I realized how stupid the question sounded. The only logical reason for an owner to name their dog fluffy was because that's just what he was. It was a cliche name, honestly.

"Because he's really fluffy, his fur is never tame. He looks like a lion." The guy laughed. "You see his hair, he never looks like a normal dog." His voice seemed to radiate happiness. But something was off about it, I couldn't really explain it. Almost like he was trying to guard himself of something, I quickly shook off the feeling.

"I can't see it." I confessed and absentmindedly shoved my ipod in my pocket for the second time that day, rolling my earphones into a small knot and putting them with it.

"Why not?" He asked curiously. I finally figured out where he was and turned my head in that direction. I pointed to my eyes and flashed a smile. "I'm blind," I told him. It went silent, I could practically hear the gears turning in his head before he gasped.

"Oh. I-I'm sorry. I didn't know!" His voice became guilty and I noticed that he dropped the guard he had been holding up. I don't know how someone like me noticed that, don't ask me. It was just a feeling.

"Don't apologize, it's alright. It's only temporary blindness." I stretched my arms behind my head and sat back on the bench, relaxing in the guy's presence a bit. I could hear him shuffling around.

"I see, I mean...I understand!" He sighed unhappily at himself and I chuckled. 

I noticed the silence after awhile and decided to see if he had left or not by asking a question."Well, what's your name?" I asked. It went quiet for a few seconds and I thought he had left already. He cleared his throat and I heard him move around again, shuffling towards the bench.

"It's Zelo." He answered hesitantly. I nodded my head, trying to keep track of where his voice was coming from. We were a long way from Seoul, so it made me curious as to where he was from. Maybe he's a local here. I quickly complimented him on his name. Few people had unique name's these days, most were just copies of each other.

He made a slight noise of acknowledgement, "Thanks. Whats yours?" 

"My name is Yongguk, nice to meet you." I reached my hand out for a handshake and he was quick to grab my hand. His hands were incredibly soft, that was the only thing I could gather from his physical appearance.

"Same here." Zelo sat down next to me and I could feel him turn his body towards me, I looked over to my left where he was seated. I couldn't tell if the sweet scent was coming from him or something else, "How old are you?" He asked.

"I'm 23 years old." I answered, staring ahead of me again. I felt Bokshil lay his head down in my lap, I hesitantly brought my hand up to his head and patted it gently.

"Oh..." He laughed a little, "You look younger than your age." He sheepishly mentioned and I grinned, it was true I heard that a lot. It made me curious as to how old he was, his voice was a bit higher than most. The edges of his words sounded a bit raspy so I figured he must be a bit young, but it may just be how he sounds normally. He did have a unique voice after all, a sort of light and throaty feel to it.

"You sound young, are you in college?" I asked, curiousity got the better of me.

He made a surprised noise but interjected quickly, "N-No!" He was quick to correct me and it was amusing, I figured that he must have not wanted to go to college or something like that. I must have assumed too quickly.

"Do you go to school at all?" I asked, trying to understand him better. I realized I did that a lot, I asked too many questions sometimes and I ended up with close to no answers. Maybe that's why I hadn't had company for awhile, I just didn't let things happen like they were supposed to. I always took too much control of my life because I felt like I needed too. 

"No...I don't go to school. " He said, almost sounding a little sad about it but I brushed it off. A lot of people these days don't have the desire to go to college but not a lot of people act on that desire. Maybe he couldnt afford to go to college. I heard the bench creak a little, he was fidgeting.

"Is there a reason?" I asked hesitantly and leaned forward a little, trying to make light of the situation.

"Do I need one?" And of course he wouldn't answer, he was still a stranger to me so I stopped asking questions and grinned a little.

"I suppose not," I laughed. I dismissed his lack of answers and leaned back again to my previous position. He sighed a little and continued to talk to me, for which I was grateful.

"Bokshil likes you," He told me, "Usually he will bark at strangers." Zelo took my hand in his and guided it to Bokshil's head. He let go of it and I lightly patted the dogs fluffy head. Bokshil my hand in response, I smiled a little. I realized I hadn't genuinely smiled in such a long time and it made me angry that I had let myself get so caught up in all my worries. I was just happy enough to get out of that suffocating apartment and away from all the stress that had been building up.

"That's interesting. I wonder why." Quietly, I trailed off in my own thoughts.

"Yeah, so- uh...why are you out here?" Zelo asked me curiously.

I looked around out of habit, even though I couldn't even see anything. "I just wandered out here. Can you tell me where I am?" 

"Well, you're across the street from the park. There's a big fountain in front of you and a garden behind you, a pond to your right, and some apartments to your left." His voice sounded like it was being thrown from place to place and I knew he was looking around at his surroundings while he described them to me.

"Oh...at least I didn't end up in someone's yard, or even in the pond." I laughed and he laughed along with me, I noticed his laugh sounded light, carefree and uncontrolled. He sounded like a child, it was endearing.

"Did you come from the apartment buildings?" I asked, he made a small hum noise that told me that that was exactly where he came from.

"Did you?"

"Yeah, I just moved here. I didn't sleep yet." I told him, I didn't know why I was inviting him into my life like this, just telling him everything but it didn't occur to me the dangers of talking to a stranger at the moment. 

"But it's already 10 am!" He protested loudly. I nodded, letting him know I was well aware of the time.

"Wait, you just moved here today? I moved here 2 days ago!" His excited rambling became my new favorite thing, the way his voice fluctuated after every sentence made me grin. "Hey! We can go adventure together, wouldn't that be fun?" His voice became even more excited as he went on. It was hard to deny him of anything like that. I wondered if this could be good for me, it would get me out of the apartment and I wouldn't be alone and susceptible to danger. When he noticed my silence he backed up a bit, "I mean- only if you want to...you probably have a job don't you! I'm sorry I shouldn't have said anything." I laughed a little, shaking my head.

"Yeah, we could. I don't have anything to do all day tomorrow anyways." I said a bit slowly, giving myself time to back out if I wanted but I discovered that I was actually okay with this. It didn't bother me one bit.

"Great! Let's meet tomorrow at this exact spot." I could hear the excitement in his voice and I wondered if he was as lonely as I was, then I took back my previous thought- someone like him would have plenty of friends. It didnt make sense for someone as lively as him to be left alone for too long.

"Okay then, what time?" I asked, and he paused probably thinking of what time would be the best.

"10 am." He finalized and I nodded, agreeing with the set time.

"Okay, make sure you bring Bokshil too." I smiled, standing up off the bench. I sensed our conversation coming to an end. I then realized how easy it was to talk to him, something I hadn't experienced much of. Maybe because I had been secluded all this time. This was the downside of always being on the run, you don't get to form meaningful relationships. 

"Okay! Hey, let's walk back together. You should go to sleep and get rest because tomorrow we'll walk around town." I brushed myself off, smiling at him as he grabbed my sleeve. I then made a promise to myself, that if I was going to stay here for as long as I thought I would be, then I was going to make this friendship as meaningful as possible.

"Alright then, let's go." 

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