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The manager at the construction site was in love with Baekhyun. He thought Baekhyun had a good work ethic, and he did what he was told without talking back. And on top of that, he never missed a day of work.

“Baekhyun, come here. Let me talk to you a little bit.” And because Baekhyun never missed a day of work, he was starting to wear down, something his manager noticed immediately. “How’s school going? You doing okay in your classes?”

“Yeah, yeah, they’re fine. I’m passing everything and-” Baekhyun yawned, holding up his hand in apology as he covered his mouth. “I’m doing okay. Why?”

His manager eyed him for a moment before frowning slightly.”You seem more tired than usual lately, that’s why. If I’m working you too hard, just say so. I can cut back on your hours a little bit and-”

“No! No! Don’t cut back on my hours, I’m fine. I need all the money I can get for tuition,” Baekhyun said frantically, eyes going wide. He barely managed to get his high school diploma, and most of his relatives laughed when he said he wanted to go to college.

His manager eyed him for a moment before someone called for Baekhyun, making him turn his eyes towards one of his coworkers. “If that’s all, I really need to get back to work,” he said before bowing low to his manager and heading off with another yawn that would rival a lion’s yawn.

--

Baekhyum finished his shift at five in the morning and headed back to his apartment on foot, while it was still dark. He wiped some cold sweat away from his forehead and tried not to let the weight of his tools and clothes bother him too much.

Just a few more years... Just a few more years of this, you’ll have your degree, and you’ll finally get somewhere in life, he thought to himself, heaving a sigh. Baekhyun was a firm believer in the phrase, ‘Good things come to those who wait.’

He took whatever life gave him and kept a smile on his face. He knew his friends thought he was secretly suffering on the inside, that they thought maybe he was really absolutely miserable underneath the smiles and laughter. But he wasn’t, really. It was hard to be miserable about the only thing he’d ever known.

Baekhyun didn’t know how long he’d spaced out until he bumped into someone and almost fell over from the weight of his tools.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Are you okay?” Baekhyun felt someone reach out and grab his arms, steadying him on his feet. Baekhyun blinked a few times and took in a deep breath, feeling his body start to protest from the lack of sleep and hard labor.

“Yeah, I’m fine, I’m sorry. I should’ve been watching where I was going, but it’s five in the morning, and people aren’t usually out... at... this hour...” Baekhyun’s voice trailed off as he stared at the man standing in front of him.

He had an expression on his face mixed between amusement and a smirk. He was immaculately dressed, for any time of the day and not just five in the morning, and the only thing that marred his appearance was the dust from Baekhyun’s clothes that transferred to him when they bumped into each other.

“I know. That’s why I don’t blame you. My suit, however...”

Baekhyun felt the color drain from his face. There was no way he could afford to replace, or even clean something like that. The man sensed Baekhyun’s apprehensive and chuckled before pulling a small white card out of his jacket and handing it to him.

“You do construction, right? You should call me sometime. I might have some work for you. Pays enough, easy money.”

Baekhyun stared at the card in the man’s hand apprehensively before reaching out to take it. The man grinned at him before stuffing his hands into his pockets and wandering off into the darkness. Baekhyun didn’t know how long he stood there staring after him, but a gust of wind brought him back to his senses as he stared at the card in his hand.

Kim Jongin

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