Prompt 7: Broken

Everything’s broken.

It was two hours away from midnight and half of the broadcasting station’s staffs were in preparation to leave already. It’s a Saturday, which means that they get a break for tomorrow, which also means sleep for more than 6 hours without needing to wake up at 5:30 am for work. It’s literally a gift from god.

As everyone packed up while saying their goodbyes to their colleagues, a tall male with a tied ponytail still sat in his seat. He did not budge at all but instead was organizing the papers for his radio broadcast later. People don’t even get why he’s still there. No one might have said it to him yet but it’s quite obvious that his section is dying. Rare phone calls, small amount of listeners, pitiful amount of letters and lack of recognition. The man could only still keep his place because the boss used to be his father’s friend.

“Kris, not leaving yet?” Suho, the DJ from another section asked.

 “You know my schedule’s at 11pm till 2am right?” Kris replied; a bit annoyed over the fact that he’s asking this question.

“Whoops sorry. Got mixed up with my schedule, ya’ know? A sudden habit of thinking that everyone’s section is at 9am. See you on Monday then.” Suho simply apologize before walking off.

Kris stared at him walk off, wondering how should he mentally kill him. He knows that Suho has the most popular section yet but that doesn’t mean he can forget his friend’s one. Kris gave out a light sigh before walking to his radio channel room all alone. He’s quite used to the fact that he has to handle the whole place single handedly but with 5 years of experience within him, he could practically take care of the whole place with his eyes close.

As the last music the staff prepared ended, Kris gave out a light cough before starting. His “ Sleepless Nights” will always start with a soft piano and a simple quote: Sometimes, sleeping just doesn’t work.

“Hello, everyone that’s having insomnia. It’s Kris here for tonight. Today marks the 5^th year we’re together. They say time flies when someone’s having fun, and in a blink of an eye, we’ve reach the 5^th year already. I hope you guys had as much fun listening as I DJ cause who knows, this one might end any day without you guys even knowing.” He spoke in warm voice, remembering the date.

As the words of discontinuation slipped out of his lips without him knowing, a sad smile slowly crept up his face. Kris isn’t that dumb to ignore the fact that his channel is dying, actually, he himself was planning to end it this year. He doesn’t want to do it, but why not let this valuable time be spent on a channel that’s able to help more people? He’s not going to let his selfish and immature thoughts to stop others from enjoying a few stress free hours.

“Well then, let’s start with the usual. It’s raining now, isn’t it? The rain is so soothing at this time of the day as the soft melodious pitter-patter hits the windows. I hope you guys are wrapped up in a soft blanket now while enjoying my voice, haha. Anyways, are there any nice memories you guys have related with the rain? Why not share with us? Send your SMS to 0504 with the theme of the day RAIN. Now, let’s listen to the next song, L’amant by IU” Kris recited his script before asking them the question.

Once he heard the piano notes play through his earphones, he took it off before staring at his screen, waiting for the messages. Messages usually takes like 3 songs before a message actually get sends in but somehow, even before the intro of the song ended, a message was already inside.

Kris literally almost fell of his chair when he saw it.

A message. That fast. Wow. Kris then looked at the username before realizing it’s one of the listeners he indirectly know. This person always listens to his radio broadcast till the end and is the only one who sends back a message about how much he liked the song Kris recommends every time cause who will do that SMS-ing is so pricey. Kris always wanted to know this person personally and thank him for his support but he never did reveal his identity. Maybe today Kris will be able to see him.

“Hey DJ Kris. You probably know me, right? Your number one fan and supporter here! My message isn’t really related to rain but it counts if I’m sending it under the rain now right? I feel kind of… sad now. I just lost my loved one and I…I… really don’t know what to do now. I feel lost, disappointed and angry, and I really want someone to hold me now. Even though the possibility you coming is very small but I hope you’ll know how I feel. Love your broadcast from the depths of my heart :) .The river looks so pretty today.“

Kris has to go. Even if he’s only a mere DJ from an unknown radio channel, he must go help him. That’s the least he can do for someone that has been supporting him for so long. He doesn’t want to risk letting a small problem he can solve turn into a big mess later cause what if he ends up jumping into the river? What if he gets sick under the rain?

“I’ll be lining up a few songs for you guys while I leave for a moment, okay?” Kris simply mentions in the middle of a song before grabbing his jacket.

Kris rapidly dashed through a few of the well-known rivers around the broadcasting station area before taking a quick rest. His legs are tired and he couldn’t even catch his breath back before running again. The needle like rain kept stinging his face as his dampened hair stuck on his face, making him look less like a hobo running around in the rain while enjoying it.

It took the giant a whole 15 minutes while using his blurred eyesight to catch the small figure squatting in the middle of the riverside lane. Kris isn’t sure whether is it him or not, but hey, a small bet won’t kill. He quickly walked towards the shivering person while giving him a light tap on his shoulder.

“Hey, you okay?” Kris asked hesitantly.

“Is it really… Kris? And I thought you wouldn’t come. As expected, a man with a kind heart.” The smaller man stood up while squinting because his eyes are too puffy.

“So, are you okay? Do you want to go take a rest at broadcasting station?” Kris continued while pulling him up.

“I would be lying if I did say I was okay. Can I ask for a favor because of that?” He pleaded while staring right at Kris’s brown irises as though they’re a reflection of his.

“Sure. Anything that I can fulfill.” Kris promised while trying to pull him into a cover.

“Can I hug you? I just need to feel like I’m loved. Whether it’s a lie or not, I don’t care. I just want to pretend that someone loves me.” He exclaimed in a soft voice, almost like a whisper.

Now cue the awkward Kris. Kris stretched his arms around him but he just couldn’t hug him. So the smaller male hugged him first before Kris actually tighten his arms around him. The taller one could feel how sad he must have been, as there were no words needed to understand the hard sobbing in his chest.

“Can I know your name?” Kris whispered to him as he lowered his head till the shorter male’s ear.

“Lay.” He answered back.

Everything’s broken. But that doesn’t mean it couldn’t be fixed.

A/N: okay? not okay? i don't know?

and oh yeah, I'm actually a very non-serious person so if you guys want to talk to me about anything and I mean anything at all, you can find me at my twitter :

https://twitter.com/Poon_Cassy

see ya'll at the next prompt!

main pic: hiromitsu