He wakes up that morning feeling sick and maybe a little dizzy. He is not really ill, he is nervous, and he knows that. Seunghyun has always been very anxious, since he was a little boy. He needs to get up, but decides that a few more minutes in bed wouldn't do no harm. He stays there, eyes at the ceiling, counting shadows and reflections. It is 9am, and the curtains are half open, sending just a little spark of light into the darkness of his room.

Seunghyun has an early flight [early in his world, that is], he is moving to Japan in just a few hours. He always wanted to go to Tokyo. Now he has the chance. All his savings, hopes and dreams are invested in this trip. That makes him excited and insecure at the same time. He is happy to leave, but he isn't sure that he is ready to live by himself. Not that he'd admit that to anyone, no. Seunghyun is a grown man. What you see is what you perceive. And he always wanted to give a nice impression. Always.

He gets up around 9:15, and goes straight to shower. His anxiety is driving him crazy no less, and he makes a mental note to take an aspirin before the flight. The water is hot, the way he likes, and resting his head on the wall, he stays there for a few minutes, letting the water warm his back and hopefully, wash away his insecurities. He starts feeling a bit more relaxed, and definitely a little late. He gets off the shower, gets dressed and goes to the kitchen, to grab a quick meal.

Cereal. He's not complaining, he always loved cereal, but he just realized that this is his last meal in Seoul. His last meal at home. And yet, he doesn't have anything better [or healthier] than cereal. 'Can I do this? Can I make this on my own?', he thinks nervously, as he put the plate inside the sink.

He goes to his room again to make sure that he isn't forgetting anything. Of course he isn't, he packed weeks in advance, always with the fear that he was leaving something important behind. Seunghyun started to think, for a while, that this trip was turning him into a paranoid person. He shrugs off the idea for the nth time, and gives a last look at his room.

Seunghyun lived in this room, in this apartment, with 3 roommates, for the past 3 years. Of course he is a bit nostalgic and sentimental, he spent a good amount of time here. He shared his life with these men, and he is about to leave them too. It's not just about the room, it was never about the place. Seunghyun has grown fond of these people, they took him in when he needed the most, and he'll be thankful forever. What hurts him the most, is that none of his friends approve his new journey, they are very much against it, to say the least. Seunghyun knows that they'd understand, eventually, but he couldn't help feeling a little sad that his friends aren't there to support him.

He closes the door of his old room, bag in hand, and goes to Seungri's room, to give him back the keys. He really couldn't face Youngbae or Daesung right now. They aren't judgmental, but sometimes it almost felt that way. Always talking Seunghyun into doing this or doing that instead of his own choices, and yeah, he knows that they only want his best, but this is by far, the most important step in his life, and he is insecure enough. Seungri would understand. Agree? No, of course not. But he isn't tough like his other roommates; Seungri is... gentler.

That's probably because he is too young to actually understand the severity of the situation, but Seunghyun likes to think that he's the wiser of them all. He isn't perfect and he almost always screws up, just like any other guy in his age. But there is something about him, Seunghyun thinks, that always calms him down.

Seunghyun knocks on this door once, and the reply comes quickly, to his surprise.

"Come in hyung."

"Hey... there"; Seunghyun is nervous, his palms are sweating and his stomach has started to bother him.

"So, that's it huh?", the young man asks, reaching out to grab his key.

This is going to be harder than he thought. No, he is not expecting rainbows and unicorns, but the look on Seungri's face is disturbing. He doesn't look sad, no. He looks disappointed. The way he got off the bed, the way he held out his hand to take his key, those are all tired moves. He seems tired, more than anything. Seunghyun starts wondering how many times he had put Seungri in this position. How many times he ran to him instead of facing his other friends and above all, how many times he hid inside this room, too afraid to face his problems. His throat is now completely dry, and he could feel the sweat dripping from his forehead. Great. That's a nice last image Seunghyun. Leaving your home like a truly loser, he thinks.

"Hey buddy, you know that this is the right thing to do right?", he asks, hoping for answers he knows he won't get.

"Is that so?", Seungri replies all nonchalant, as he grabs his key.

"Look, I don't know what you want me to do." Seunghyun replies almost immediately, afraid that maybe he'd start a fight, and that is the last thing he needs right now, especially since he is running late.

"You know exactly what everyone wants you to do Seunghyun, but I guess that doesn't matter anymore. Look at you. Man, I can't believe you're actually leaving. You're such a bastard.", the younger says, trying to hold back the tears.

Seunghyun's eyes starts to sting, he is about to cry when Seungri hugs him. He holds him for a few minutes, just enjoying their last moment.

"I'm sorry kid.", he murmurs into Seungri's neck, and hugs him tighter.

He is going to miss this. Someone to talk to, someone to hug and someone to laugh with. Seunghyun always lived with his family before he moved in with his friends, and although the house was almost always empty, he is used to have someone around. It's not that he doesn't like to be alone. No, he actually enjoys being alone. But he'll miss the sense of security, of having someone to turn to in case he does something stupid. Seunghyun thinks that maybe, that's part of growing up. And he is ready for a change, but that doesn't make him less scared.

Seungri breaks the hug, looking a little better; he smiles.

"I'll miss you hyung, take care."

---

Seunghyun gets off the plane around 4pm, and he arrives at the hostel one hour later. He got confused and his broke japanese didn't help him, so it took longer than usual. Once he gets in his room, he decides to take another shower, just to relieve the stress. He is finally on his own. Independence. Freedom. Seunghyun is happy and scared, no that isn't the word. He is excited. Yes, a little scared, but excited nonetheless. From now on, he'll live by his rules, and that gives him a sense of stability, as crazy as it sounds; He doesn't have a job [yet] and he can barely speak japanese, but for the first time in a very long time, he feels like his life has a new purpose, which, by the way, he hasn't figured out yet, and that is exciting.

The unknown is always exciting, isn't it?

After unpacking his things, Seunghyun goes straight to bed. He figures he should sleep early, since he'll have a tough day ahead. He'll go job hunting tomorrow, and he wants to look his best. Plus considering how anxious he still is, it's only natural to lay in bed as soon as possible, because he knows that insomnia always comes along with anxiety.

Seunghyun sleeps five hours that night, and gets up around 7am. He never woke up that early by himself, and he feels a little proud. After taking a shower and brushing his teeth, he gets dressed and leaves. He makes a quick stop at a convenience store to get breakfast, and after that he starts sending his résumé. Seunghyun gets back at the hostel after noon, a little too tired to get lunch. He would eat something later. He decides that he could change his room a bit, make it a little more 'personal', since he is about to spend the next 10 months there.

A NIN poster, a picture of his mother and his friends, and some DVDs are placed next to the television. It isn't a big change, but he feels more comfortable around his things, more at home.

---

Seunghyun gets a call 3 days later, and he must admit that he wasn't expecting it that soon. He gets a job at a local restaurant, nothing fancy, in fact, the place is quite simple and that makes him feel relaxed, at ease. He could do that right? It isn't something tricky or whatever, he had worse jobs and he survived, so being a waiter sounds perfect at the time.

He is so happy that he decides to call Seungri, to tell him the news. Yes, Seunghyun is aware that his friends probably don't want to hear from him at this point, but he needs to share his happiness with someone else, and he figures that the hostel's receptionist wouldn't give two s.

Seungri answers after the third ring, sounding disoriented.

"What", is his answer, much to Seunghyun's amusement. He misses him already.

"Hey it's me." Seunghyun pauses, waiting for a reply.

"Hyung? Hey, h-how are you man? I didn't expect you to call me so soon, what happened? Are you in trouble already?", he says, suddenly sounding too agitated.

"No, of course not. Jeez Seungri, don't you have faith in me at all?", he replies, hoping to mask the sadness in his voice.

"Do you really want me to answer, hyung? Really?", the younger asks, sounding more relaxed.

"Well yeah I guess not. So, listen up. I got a job man. ty job as a waiter, the place's really tacky and I wouldn't eat there even if it was for free but hey, it's a start right?". He wishes he didn't sound so nervous.

"Oh wow, congrats hyung! I mean really, I'm--- ", Seungri pauses, for a moment, as if he is choosing the right words.

"I'm happy for you".

That isn't the answer he was expecting. Yes, it's not like he's got a dream job and have a beautiful house downtown, but he was hoping to hear something along the lines of i'm-so-proud-blah-blah-blah. As much as he hates to admit, Seunghyun is looking for validation.

"Hmm yeah, I just wanted to tell you. I gotta go now, talk to you soon ok?", the older man replies, too anxious for his own good.

"Bye hyung".

---

The first day is a mess. He changes orders, drops a plate and a glass and lastly, almost trips while holding the tray. Seunghyun is clumsy and the customers aren't nice. When he applied for jobs, he searched for places like this one. Somewhere simple. He figured it would be less painful to deal with 'regular' people instead of the wealthy. Oh, the irony. People are always demanding, especially when it comes to food, no matter how much money they have.

And on top of that, his co-workers seem to hate him, for apparently no reason. He assumes that it has something to do with the fact that he could barely pronounce the menu, but that's just a guess. His boss, on the other hand, is very sympathetic and explains him a few things, how to pronounce this and that, the basics. Well, now at least he knows exactly how to pronounce the dishes without sounding like an idiot, so he leaves his shift feeling a little more confident.

Seunghyun gets back at his room after 6pm, after getting the wrong bus. He tries not to scold himself, even mentally, because happens right? He did that many times in Seoul too, and always ended up laughing at himself.

Seunghyun has always been his worst enemy, and he knows that this wouldn't work here, not now that he is alone. He'd have to deal with his flaws, and as much as he wishes to stay in denial, he knows that at this point, he has no place to run. With that in mind, he sleeps a lot better than he did the night before, feeling more relaxed and less anxious.

The week ends in a blink of an eye, much to his satisfaction. He is getting better with the tray and learned how to ignore the rudeness of certain customers. He tries to talk with Hajime, the restaurant's chef, but that doesn't go very well. And after a week, Seunghyun decides that maybe, he doesn't need any friends here, this is just work after all.

He walks home, not because he is afraid to catch the wrong bus, but because he wants to see the city. Tokyo is a beautiful place. As he walks, he starts thinking that sooner or later, he'd have to go out and make some friends. If his co-workers aren't willing to befriend him, he has no other choice but to find them by himself.

When he gets at the hostel, he asks Ren [the not so friendly receptionist] if she knows some places to go out at night. After struggling a bit with the language, she manages to understand him, and gives him a little list of 'cool places to go to'. Seunghyun thinks that maybe, she is not as bad as he thought.

---

Of course that his plans of going out and make some friends go downhill after an anxiety attack, and he spends the whole weekend in bed, eating takeouts. ing loser, he thinks for the nth time.

Seunghyun goes to work a little less confident and a lot worried, thinking of all the things that could go wrong that day. His boss is not in town, and Hajime is taking care of business while he is away. He overhears a conversation with a customer, and if he's not mistaken, he just found out that Hajime is his boss's son. 'Whatever...', he thinks, '...I'm not here to make any friends, I just need to stay out of trouble'.

"Hey sir, would you like some more wine?", he speaks in broke japanese, hoping not to sound too stupid.

The man is old but not that old. Probably in his late 40's. He is wearing a fancy suit for a ty hole like this, and Seunghyun thinks that he's probably some rich entrepreneur, too busy to find a better restaurant to eat because really, he looks so out of place here.

"No, thanks kid.", he replies, very so gently.

Seunghyun gives him a quick smile and is about to turn his back to get an order from the next table, when the man calls him again.

"You're korean right?", the older man asks, cleaning his mouth with a dirty napkin.

"Y-yeah sir", Seunghyun replies, suddenly a little too afraid to start a conversation with someone so... chic.

"Yeah, I can tell by the eyes. And your accent kind of give it away so," the man says, placing his hand under his chin.

Seunghyun chuckles awkwardly, a little nervous and very confused. Truth must the told, this 'chic' middle-aged man is the only person who was kind enough to hold on a conversation with him, even though he doesn't understand why.

"So kid, what's your name?", the man asks.

"Seunghyun, sir. Choi Seunghyun", he says, bowing almost immediately.

"Nice to meet you Seunghyun, I'm Takahiro.", the older man replies as he shakes hands with Seunghyun.

"Nice to meet you sir."

Seunghyun once again gives him a brief smile, but before he could turn away, the man gives him a card that reads, "Tokyo Empire Hotels". He gives him a questioning look, and gets a small chuckle as response.

"We could use some new employees you know, do you speak english?", Takahiro asks, and he seems to be very interested in Seunghyun.

He does, and in fact, he thinks his english is a lot better than his japanese. He grew up listening american bands, not to mention all the movies he watched since he was a child. Seunghyun also took some classes in Seoul, he really likes the language. Not that he hates japanese, but he is more comfortable with english, god knows why. One of life's mysteries.

"Yes, I do sir", he replies in english this time, because for some bizarre reason, he wants to give a good impression.

"Glad to hear that Mr. Choi. Would you like to work for us? There's an opening at our hotel downtown, and I must say it's nothing fancy, you'll mainly carry bags and help the clients with their key cards and rooms, you know how it works. But since a lot of people come from other countries, Korea included, it's always nice to have someone who can speaks proper english. Our new guy barely speaks his own language, I must say." Mr. Takahiro says, laughing as he takes a sip of water.

Seunghyun doesn't know what to say. It is his second week at the restaurant, and he was expecting to stay there for a while before he got too bored or too depressed and decided that maybe it was time for a change. But really, what does he have to lose? This is far from being a dream job and he doesn't have any friends, his boss is ok but just because he's a very polite man, not because he likes or cares about him. Mr. Takahiro is the only person he met so far that he feels comfortable with, not to mention how gentle he is. And yes, he doesn't know anyone in this town, this could be a setup, he could be lying, but there is something about this man, something so genuine that Seunghyun couldn't ignore.

"Y-yes!", Seunghyun replies without much of a thought, sounding like a happy kid who just got a new toy.

They exchange numbers and Seunghyun goes to the hotel on the next day, to finish his paperwork. He is excited and more anxious than ever, this is going to be one hell of an experience, and maybe the beginning of a whole new life.

---

A/N: I'm so sorry for the boring chapter, but I really needed to introduce the character before he starts meeting new people. Jiyong will be on the next chapter, I promise~! If you read this, thank you so much. And oh, since this is unbeta-ed, I apologize in advance for any grammar mistakes.