myungsoo stops by every night to buy a pack of cigarettes and tonight’s the night that sungyeol finally says, “you know, smoking’s bad for you.”

the look that the younger male gives him is anything but pleasant as he pays quickly and leaves without ever responding back to sungyeol.

“i think he likes you,” is what woohyun says after myungsoo leaves, “he’s never even looked at me before.”

sungyeol raises his eyebrows, “i think he’s going to kill me instead.”

the next night, sungyeol gets a sudden call from woohyun, “your shift has been changed last minute. sungjong’s working overtime, sleep well and enjoy your night off my lucky friend.”

“but i’m an owl, this is what we do best!”

“you could always study?”

“nevermind, i’m going to bed. see you tomorrow at school, man.”

woohyun’s about to wish him goodnight but sungyeol can hear sungjong screaming in the back at him to stop taking personal calls. he doesn’t fall asleep until 2am.

“dude, that creepy kid in black came in last night but left as soon as he walked in.” that’s the first thing woohyun says to sungyeol when they enter their first class of the day and take their seats.

the teacher is barely walking to the front of the class when howon whispers over his shoulder to them, “there’s a new student. heard he skipped a grade.”

their attention is immediately shifted to the front of the class where the teacher is writing “kim myungsoo” on the board and sungyeol squints his eyes because he knows that name from somewhere.

“hey, wait a sec-”

“class, welcome kim myungsoo. he’s from seoul and a bit younger than the rest of you. treat him well, okay?”

myungsoo walks in and both sungyeol and woohyun realize that he isn’t anywhere near eighteen like his ‘id’ says so.

“i can’t sell you these anymore,” sungyeol says in a whisper the next night when myungsoo walks in, placing a pack of menthols on the counter.

the younger scrunches his face and twists his lips, “pretend that you can then.”

and so sungyeol does and after myungsoo pays, he leaves without looking back.

“wow, he’s even said more to you than to me or dongwoo!” woohyun shouts from somewhere in the back of the small twenty-four hour convenience store.

“i’m guessing the word count for the two of you is at zero?”

“hey, how’d you know?”

“shut up and go back to work before i call sungjong in.”

it takes two hours before both sungyeol and woohyun actually work. late night shifts are always the best.

“can i ask you out on a date?” is what sungyeol says two nights later when myungsoo walks in to buy his usual pack of cigarettes.

the dropping of his jaw and explosion of his eyes is so comical to sungyeol that he chokes back on trying not to laugh out loud. he doesn’t want to scare myungsoo away after all.

“i mean, exposure to sunlight would be good for both out complexions.” sungyeol offers lamely.

myungsoo whirls in a quick circle and makes for the door but before he can leave without tripping over himself, sungyeol calls out to him again.

“and coffee. coffee would be good too.”

he pauses and then looks over his shoulder quickly, “what time do you get off?”

sungyeol smiles widely at him, “in an hour.”

“you’d better be paying then.” myungsoo quickly walks out the automatic sliding doors, his blushed cheeks hidden by the moonlight.

woohyun pops up by sungyeol’s shoulder and nods his head, “told you he liked you.”