Attentive scribbles were heard from underneath the sharp end of a pencil and a mind so concentrated on the tasks lying before him that he almost ignored the beeps emerging from the clock settled beside him. The sound finally made its way between the never-ending math problems as the boy lifted his gaze from the books and looked at the numbers that silently but brightly flashed into his face, reminding him that there is time in this world.

20.30; Already?

A low sigh escaped Youngjae’s lips as he gazed at the clock for a few moments before he pushed the books to the side and set his forehead down against the cold wooden surface of his studying desk.  How did he not notice that he was studying for the past 5 hours? And without a break! When he was studying, time always seemed to fly by and 5 hours seemed more like 2 instead.

 “Break time.” He mumbled, the edge of his lips sluggishly dragging over the smooth surface of the desk, his thoughts slowly slowing down from overworking. He was used to studying so much and his mind was a workaholic for sure but even so, he enjoyed taking a good break from it.

-

Youngjae was one of those people whose mind always worked. 24/7; all the time. It never shut down or took a break, his brain asking questions and finding answers without a stop; not that it was an issue to the boy.

He was the number one student at his high school. ‘The brains’ was the nickname he obtained during the four years of school.

Senior with perfect scores, perfect attendance and a family with a high status so his seat in the best and top university of South Korea was pretty much reserved, even though there were still a few long and hardworking months between him and that final letter of acceptance.

Not only was success something he wanted and craved for, it was also something that was expected of him. His family, his name, his school and even friends, all knew and expected great things from the young and oddly mature boy named Yoo Youngjae.

-

His future agenda was plastered onto the wall in front of his table. A kind of motivation and reminder for what he has been working and studying for like a workhorse since the first day of elementary school (or maybe from even earlier than that).

 

1. Finish High School with flying colors
2. Accepted to top University
3. Receive a masters degree abroad
4. Take over the firm

 

Four points, his life was consisting of fours most important points at that moment and he worked towards them. Yes, there were also others like finding a suitable woman and getting married which leads to starting a family and also becoming a socialite, gaining respect and fortune, recognition and building up the firm his parents took over from his grandparents and was now waiting for him...

In his 19 years of life, he was only grateful to his parents for everything they gave and offered him. He knew he was lucky and gifted in the same time and he was not going to mess that up.

-

After lying there soundly without movement for a little while, he than sat back up in his chair and looked through the window at the other end of his demi-lit room. The world on the other side of the glass wall was already engulfed in darkness of the cold winter evening, streetlights and lights from other buildings creating the metallic light of yellow and orange. The lights created long strides of colour splattered over the glass-wall building on the other side of the road. He knew the streets underneath him were bustling with life and hustle of everyday life but sitting in his own room, it was all kept away by the height of the building.

He sighed again as his eyes scanned the view before he reached over and grabbed his phone from the drawer, looking through his contact list.

“No, no, no, … Definitely not…” He mumbled as he scrolled through the names, searching for someone he could call. Actually, he could call any of those numbers but he wasn’t exactly feeling in the mood for just any kind of company.

He knew and understood that he didn’t quite get along with most people his age. Yes, he was polite and nice to pretty much everyone but he just wasn’t interested in the things most teens his age were and that dug a gap between him and his peers.

“Jongin?” He paused by the name he often called, pending for a few moments before pressing the green phone in the corner, subtle rings soon beeping through the speaker. Jongin was his friend from school who was actually a bit younger than Youngjae himself but he also showed great potential and was a smart kid. With such a mind, Jongin was definitely someone Youngjae could talk to and have something in common for longer conversations and in the same time, he knew the younger boy even from before as their parents were friends and used to hang out quite a lot.

Youngjae waited and waited but nothing. His friend didn’t pick up which just made the boy sigh yet again.

 

Trying again, the brunette called five more people he thought would be suitable company for the evening but all calls and rings were left unanswered. It was slightly irritable but in the end of the day, Youngjae couldn’t do much about it.  Despite being work driven and picky when it came to friends, Youngjae was still a quite social person and enjoyed time spend with someone he could conduct interesting conversations with.

He wasn’t a loner or a shy person. He tended to be quite blunt and outgoing, usually enjoying the company of a bit older people and the sudden loneliness that was hovering just above his still empty head left him slightly annoyed and upset which only forced him off his comfy chair and through the door of his room.  

The apartment he shared with his parents was empty. It wasn’t weird or new, they always worked late hours. Youngjae didn’t mind though. He got used to it, as this was all he knew. They always worked late even when he was younger but while they were gone, the young boy had company of his babysitters. However, now that he was already old enough, he had that time to enjoy it to himself.

He got a chance to really be in peace to study and do other, usually school related things. He enjoyed having his own free time.

-

Walking into the dark living room of their apartment, he stretched his arms widely as he lazily made his way to the kitchen.

First stop: the fridge.

While roaming through it, he was left in yet another disappointment, not finding anything in particular that would excite his taste buds. The displease of not finding anything brought his brows together into a frown and his bottom lip lightly protruded into a mild pout.  

“Why is there nothing to eat?” He questioned loudly despite knowing that there was no one around who could hear on answer his inquiry.

However, he was determined to find something, so he moved to roam through the cabinets as well, finding an unfortunate package of ramyeon. ‘Shin Ramyeon’ was written in bold letters over the plastic wrap. But wait, Expiration date: 24.10 and the current date was the 10.12. ‘Damn…’ The simple package of instant food suddenly made his stomach growl and he knew he craved the strong and artificial flavor, which he so dearly loved.

Yes, Youngjae was from a wealthy family and he aspired to be successful and a healthy man. His mother was very health and food aware, usually not allowing such food to mix into their healthy diet. However, Youngjae was one of those who just could not resist the delicious strong and quite addictive tastes of food that usually made its way to the unhealthy and not allowed list.

He loved ramyeon and could probably even claim it as his favourite food. And this find made him crave it more than ever and of course he very clearly knew what was to be done. He had to go and buy some or else he’d die of starvation. It was that simple.

Maybe he was exaggerating but from time to time, he was allowed to do that too. In the end of the day, he was a teen and his drama was ramyeon addiction.

-

Throwing the package into the trash, he than quickly made his way back to his room, grabbing his coat and a beanie before he ran to the door, pulling on his shoes with a slight stumble, making his way to the elevator and than the outside world. When he finally invaded the streets of Seoul that beamed underneath his home, the first thing that hit him was the cold air of winter. He tightened his coat around his thin frame and pulled on his beanie before sticking his hands deep into the pockets to keep his fingers warm as he made his way down the road he knew far too well. He did live his whole life in the same place so it was only natural for him to know the surrounding neighborhood of his home.

He knew it would take him exactly 15 minutes with a normal pace but as it was cold and he just wanted to get his hands on the bowl of deliciousness, it only took him 10. The neon lights of the convenience store sign penetrated the surrounding lights other stores had installed. Seeing it, tugged a smile on the boys lips and he picked up his pace, quickly making his way to the door and through to the warm inside of the store.

-

Lifting his gaze to look around, Youngjae could see a couple heads poking through the upper lines of shelves, which were filled with all kinds of delightfulness. He greeted the elderly man behind the counter on his right. Since he was coming to that store all his life, he already knew everyone who worked there, especially that particular man who was also the owner of the store. After the greeting the boy than made his way between the shelves, stopping in the section he loved the most. Ramyeon. All sizes and flavours, it was heaven.
It didn’t take him long to find his favourite one and gather the items he came for. His buds were irking just looking at the goods. A cup of ramyeon, kimchi, hard boiled egg, banana milk and for the few minutes he would have to wait while the ramyone cooked, a tuna rice ball.
With the chosen items, he made his way back to the cashier, again greeting the elderly man who smiled happily at the boy.

“Diner at the convenience store?” The man asked as he scanned the products, the comment making Youngjae chuckle.

“Sudden craving for something that will give me energy to work all night.” He replied, slightly fixing his beanie.

“Mm,…” The man nodded understandingly as he knew about Youngjae’s brilliance so to speak. “I see... But remember to take a break as well, huh?! Kids your age should have some fun as well.”

Youngjae nodded in agreement. “That’s true Ajushi but kids my age have to worry about their future and university as well. After the exams, I’m sure there will be enough time for fun.” He soothed, handing over his credit card to pay.

“Aish, you’re such a hard worker, Youngjae-yah.” The man laughed lightly, knowing how diligent the young boy was. “Bon appetit.” He returned the card with another heartfelt smile.

“Thank you, I’ll eat well.” Youngjae replied and bowed his head lightly before taking the bag that was prepared for him.  With all in hand he than made his way to the window of the store where the ledge like table was, waiting for those who wanted a quick snack.

Placing his products on the counter he quickly added the ingredients to his bowl, adding hot water and than he waited, using those few spare minutes to munch on his rice ball and take a few sips of his favourite banana milk while his eyes were fixed on the scenery on the other side of the glass wall. Not much was going on, only cars rushing by and people passing the store, nonetheless, the dullness of the sight pulled Youngjae into his mindless state.

-

“Ah, I hate snow and winter.”

A sudden comment snapped him back from his with school related thoughts and made him look to his right, the chair beside him suddenly occupied by someone.

“Huh?” He questioned and quickly looked around to make sure the person was actually talking to him. Was he supposed to answer or was the person talking to himself?

“I said I hate snow and winter. It’s annoyingly cold.” The golden haired boy said as he sat down, placing his own ramyeon pack on the counter.

“Oh, um…” Youngjae was suddenly dumbfounded as he was cut off guard. What was he supposed to say? Why was this person suddenly talking to him? There was one thing he wasn’t that good at and that was random small talk, especially about weather.

The boy turned to him, a smile playing on his plumb lips which didn’t match the annoyed tone of his voice. “Isn’t it annoying?”

Youngjae blinked a couple of times, recognizing the person who was by then already sitting beside him. He recognized him as the boy who used to go to his high school and graduated a year before him. Everyone knew the boy.

Jung Daehyun.
The man who made every girl swoon and every boy burst with jealousy, except for Youngjae of course. He couldn’t care less. He was not interested in girls or dating at that time or even now.

He stared at the teenager, lightly shrugging his shoulders as he gained his composure again. “I don’t think so? It’s winter, it’s supposed to be cold and it’s not snowing so you’re in luck, I guess...” His voice trailed off as he turned back to the food in front of him in hopes to end the conversation.

“Mm, it will snow later.” The boy next to him replied without missing a beat. He sounded so confident in his statement and knowing otherwise it spiked Youngjae to continue the seemingly meaningless conversation that took place between them.

“It’s not forecasted. They said it should be at least a week or so before first snow comes.” Despite being only a teen, Youngjae liked to follow the news unlike most of his classmates or friends.

“That’s bull.”

 Youngjae blinked confused and startled by the bluntness of the other.

“I can smell it. It will snow today.”

“Smell?” Youngjae was again flabbergasted. When was the last time he felt like that twice in one day? Not just one day, in the span of only few minutes.

What was this person talking about? One cannot smell snow and why was he suddenly even talking to him.  It all seemed too peculiar.

 

The golden haired boy nodded, completely unphased by the nonsense (by Youngjae’s standards) he talked about, as he opened his ramyeon’s cup, mixing it up.

“Can you not? It’s kind of like rain. You can smell it before it comes.”

“But with rain, one can smell it afterwards not before. If that’s the case than you’ll be able to smell the snow only after it’s fallen.” He glanced over, noticing the other rolling his eyes as another chuckle left those pillow like lips.

“You’re thinking too much, though… You seem kind of familiar. Have we met before?”

The look Daehyun was giving Youngjae was kind of invasive. Not only was he munching on his food during the stare down, he also leaned all close to Youngjae’s face, making it quite uncomfortable for the younger who leaned as far back as he possibly could his chair.

“Oh, um… well, we went to the same high school.” He replied slowly.

“Really? What’s your name?”

Did he really have to ask all those questions?

 

“Yoo Youngjae.”

“Ahhhhhh!” Daehyun exclaimed loudly as he seemed to remember, while he waved his hands around in a weird motion. “You’re the smart kid of the school right?!”

Youngjae slowly nodded, not quite sure if Daehyun meant that remark as a compliment or an insult.

“Yeah, that would be me.”

“I’m Jung Daehyun.”

“Yeah… Everyone knows who you are.” Youngjae added before opening up the lid of his now cooked ramyeon cup, mixing it up before digging in.

He didn’t feel like taking to this Daehyun kid anymore. It felt bothersome and something about it felt off. Something about Daehyun felt off. But maybe just the fact that he was talking to him when in the past 3 years they had spend in the same halls, he never once said anything to the younger nor did Daehyun ever acknowledge the younger’s existence.

 

“Do you want to make a bet?”

The question was sudden and it threw the younger off guard yet again and he did absolutely not like that.

“A bet?” He questioned carefully, not knowing whether that was some sort of joke or not.

“Yeah.” Daehyun nodded eagerly as he slurped up his noodles. “Ya, know… About whether or not it will snow tonight.”

The younger arched his brow in question. He couldn’t quite understand what was going on. A bet? What kind of bet?

“I don’t…” But before he could finish Daehyun cut in.

“Common, are you afraid of failing?”

Youngjae frowned. There was one word he did not like, one word he almost hated. Failing. He never failed at anything and saying that he was afraid of failing just brought out Youngjae’s competitive side.

“Yah, I’m not.” He said quietly, the line between his eyebrows deepening.

“Than we make a bet!” It seemed like Daehyun really didn’t see how much the brunette just wanted to be on his own, eating from his bowl of joy.

“I don’t want to. I don’t have anything in it.” He said calmly.  He just wanted to eat in peace and than go back to studying but what was happening right now?

“How do you know you don’t? A bet usually holds a reward right? I mean… If you win of course.” The way the older boy spoke, was so nonchalant, it just puzzled Youngjae.

“Than what’s the reward or prize?”

A moment of silence flew between them as Daehyun visibly sunk into deep thought, probably coming up with some idea of a prize.

“The loser pays for another round of food and drinks.” The blonde nodded confirming his proposal and looked over at Youngjae who now sighed.

“Why would you even want to play that with me? We don’t know each other, don’t you have any friends to bother?”

It was no secret the other had loads of friends so why was he suddenly bothering Youngjae on this cold winter evening.  Talking about worst timing.

 

“Oh common! We know each other so we’re almost practically friends. Be fun for once~”

“Yah, I’m fun.” Youngjae was kind of pissed now. Who was this guy to judge him and accuse him of not being fun? He knew nothing about Youngjae.

“Than lets make this bet!”

“But how long do I have to wait here to see if it snows?”

The younger had legit questions that even left Daehyun wondering, as it was clear he didn’t plan any of this in advance.

 

“Midnight?” He questioned, his pink tongue running over his lips.

“Midnight?!” Youngjae’s eyes opened wide in shock.

“I don’t have that much time, I have to go back home to study.” He was serious and so was Daehyun’s face for a millisecond before he bursted out into a loud laughter, making the rest of the store look at them questioningly. Youngjae sunk into the collar of his coat, throwing his new “friend” a glare in hopes of calming him down.

“You don’t have to study! You’re like the smartest kid in the whole city. You’ll live just fine if you don’t study for one evening, besides I’m sure you’ve been studying before you came here.”

What was he a stalker? Youngjae groaned as the other was right but did he really want to get into this bet thing that was suddenly presented to him? He wasn’t much of a gambler that was for sure.

“Fine.” He agreed to his own surprise. “I’ll wait until 10 and if it doesn’t snow by than, you buy me food and something to drink so I can go home in peace.”

The suggestion was now slightly different but visibly Daehyun didn’t give it much thought before nodding in agreement as he extended his hand to seal the bet.

“Deal.”

--------------------------------------------------

First chapter is finally up! 
I hope you guys like it! Thank you for reading and I'll try to update as soon as possible.
I think the next chapter will include Yongguk and Himchan.
Love you all^^ 

Comments and feedback are more than welcomed!!!